Welcome to the forty-fifth episode of the Tea in the Treetops podcast hosted by Philippa and Angelya.
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In this episode, we discuss our love of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas. This is less of a review and more of a spoilery, flailing squee-fest. Did you also enjoy this book? Let us know what you thought!
Angelya has a rant about The Selection, raves about The Raven Boys, and we also catch up with what else we’ve been reading and listening to. This episode was recorded on July 25th, 2016.
Don’t forget to read A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab for our July/August Book Club read! We’ll be discussing it in mid-August.
We hope you enjoy listening and we would love to hear your feedback. Is there anything you would like us to talk about in particular? Just let us know!
You can listen to past episodes of the podcast, as well as the various ways to subscribe on the main podcast page. You can now also record a voice message for us via the Speakpipe widget there.
Our title music is titled Sea of Dreams and has been used with the kind permission of the composer, Bart Stoop. You can hear more of Bart’s beautiful music at facebook.com/BartStoop.
Books and things mentioned
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child launch at Dymocks Brisbane, Sunday 31 July
- Brisbane Writers Festival 2016 – Sept 7-11 – tickets are now available! See the website for all the events, or register at Brisbane Square Library for the Love YA festival on the Saturday.
- Our review of A Court of Thorns and Roses was in Episode 26
ACOMAF chat starts at 23:08
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Anni
Anni lives in Brisbane, Australia with her young family. She loves everything fantasy and science fiction and believes sleep is really very underrated.
Tracy Cornelius
Hey ladies!
Before getting into the mutual flailing over ACOMAF, I wanted to touch on the bit about the Selection series. I honestly can’t say what it was I liked about these books but I so did! Even though they are pretty simple and quite far removed from my normal literary preferences, I binge read them like crazy! I don’t know what it was but I couldn’t put them down. Super easy reads that were fun to escape into. Total guilty pleasure! I tried to get into the 2nd to last book via audio just before the final book came out and had a really hard time with it though. Wasn’t a fan of the narration at all so I just got lazy and didn’t finish the last two. I can’t remember which of you gals disliked the series and if it had maybe been because of an audio version. Maybe worth a go with the printed version? Just my 2 cents… I can totally understand how someone wouldn’t care for the series because I absolutely don’t understand why I do!
When I was having a chat with a friend and voiced that I was super perplexed why I couldn’t get enough of the Selection books, she backed my theory up. Easy read, super guilty pleasure. Doesn’t have to make sense.
Now, onto more important things! So yay for all of the flailing!!!!! Yay ACOMAF!!!! This book was EPIC to me. Seriously. I am with Phillipa. This book and these characters and this story… they can do no wrong! I loved and devoured every delicious word. With all of the newly revealed information, it made me want to go back and read ACOTAR badly but I decided that I’ll just enjoy both of them again right before the third book comes out. I so rarely do rereads anymore but I will absolutely for this series. And since I didn’t uber love ACOTAR the way I thought I should have, it will hopefully shed new light on that story. Because Rhys and Feyre and the Night Court/Velaris are EVERYTHING! BTW, there is an Etsy shop called TheMeltingLibrary that makes all sorts of book related candles. There is a Night Court one that smells of Jasmine, Salty Breezes, Rain and Citrus. Just sayin’…
Super squee and flail over Starfall. Seriously. If that isn’t some serious book magic, I don’t even want to know what is. I hope that some day SJM delves into some adult erotica because hot damn. That woman not only knows how to build a world, create amazing characters and turn a fantastic phrase but she can create some of the best sexual tension and steamy goodness of ever. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.
I loved the idea that this book was like a symphony because that absolutely nails it dead on. I haven’t experienced a book hangover like ACOMAF gave me since I read Morning Star, the final installment of the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. That lasted months. Every book I picked up was no good and dead to me. This was super painful as well but I stumbled on some random Tumblr fan fiction that was totally my ACOMAF rebound. I don’t normally care about or read any fanfic but I have to say, this story was incredible!!! It took place right where ACOMAF left off and this gal writes JUST LIKE SJM. Seriously. Fanfic isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but if anyone is looking for a reprieve from the book sadness, check out ‘A Court of War and Starlight’ by sarahviehmann. It is 70+ chapters, she just finished it and it is the length of a full novel. Now I just have to keep straight what actually happened in the books versus the story she made up once book 3 comes out.
Thank you for giving me someone to freak out about these books with. It is turning out to be that my book people that are at my same flail level are all online these days. I’m sure my boyfriend is happy that I have an outlet other than him.
I think I mentioned it before in another exchange with you guys, but one of SJM’s newsletters delved into why ACOMAF was so different than ACOTAR. I thought it really helped clear some things up about why the pace and style were very different. If anyone is interested, I can find it and copy/paste the info she divulged to the readers. I so love her newsletters!
Series recommendation that is super binge worthy and has a very similar feel to SJM goodness. I tore through these with lightening speed and loved every second. The Chronicles of Kaya series by Charlotte McConaghy. Book 1 is ‘Avery’ and the final book in the trilogy releases in like 2 weeks. I’ve been DYING for August 10th to roll around for too long now since the publication date got pushed back like 3 times! And McConaghy is an Aussie author so yay!
I am a big fan of Cait over at Paper Fury as well. Her blog posts are very fun and she is a psycho for books in a way that I am familiar with and embrace. I tried doing an audio version of The Raven Boys but it just didn’t work for me at all. I need to go back to it because she is obsessed with Stiefvater and we have very similar taste. Plus, one of my all time favorite stand alone novels is The Scorpio Races. Which is fantastic on audio, by the way.
I’m about 2 chapters away from finishing ‘A Darker Shade of Magic’ so I can’t wait for book talking goodness! Below I am leaving a few ideas for future 2 Little Birds book club selections, since you asked! Not sure about the availability of these titles in all areas of the globe though and I went on the assumption that you are planning to do first novels, not later series books.
Book Recs (recently published, some go back by a few months)
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (Not sure you want to do 2 in a row of same author but this is brand new and supposed to be very good!)
Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
Flamecaster by Cinda Chima Williams
Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh
Gemini by Sonya Mukherjee
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan
Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley
Into the Dim by Janet B Taylor
Risuko by David Kudler
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Future Ideas (soon to be published)
A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess (Sept 20th, 2016)
Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (Sept 20th, 2016)
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge (Sept 27th, 2016)
Angelya
Tracy, as always, I’ve been looking forward to your epic comment xD
Hooray for flailing all around! ACOMAF is certainly one of my faves for the year (and definitely Philly’s, haha), which is a big turnaround considering how ‘meh’ I was about ACOTAR. And yes, I would totally read SJM’s erotica, lol.
Okay, perhaps I’ll give the Selection series a go in paper form, but there are a lot of books in my queue ahead of it. The love triangle just annoyed the hell out of me.
Excellent recommendations for 2LB though! We’ll take a look and let you know what we decide in the next ep. Should be in a few weeks after Philly gets back from her holiday. Incidentally, I have the second book of that Kaya series from the library at the moment. Will hpefully get to it soon, I really enjoyed the first one!
Thanks for your comment! You’re awesome <3
Tracy
I always appreciate when someone else is all insane in love and obsessed with some book thing in the same way I am. ACOMAF is magic and perfect and the best of all the books of ever. So thanks for that P! 🙂
I’d say that you can keep the Selection series on the back burner for a long time Angelya. Read other stuff you are looking forward to and maybe come back to it down the road when you need something light and fluffy and easy after a different book tears your feelings out, throws them on the ground and stomps on them repeatedly.
So glad to hear that you enjoyed ‘Avery’ from the Kaya series. I’m so stoked to start my reead and I don’t know anyone else who has read them! I hope I love it just as much as I did initially. I remember giving up on all the adult things (you know…cooking real food, dishes, cleaning, being a productive member of society) while reading the first two and that isn’t typically the type of book I’ll really change my opinion of much. At least it will provide a good reprieve from shooting mental daggers of jealousy towards my boyfriend while he spends the next two weeks on holiday in Scotland. I’ll make sure he thanks me later for finding a way to efficiently distract myself from all of the loathing.
No…. you guys are awesome! Thanks for sharing your bookishness with me and being so willing to listen to my ridiculous and extensive feelings and thoughts. I <3 you guys!