Hot Take Books

Hot Take Books by Rich and Ryan
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🔥 We read Hot Books and give you Hotter Takes. 🔥 Welcome to the show where two friends—Rich and Ryan—dive into the best (and occasionally worst) of sci-fi and fantasy, one book at a time. Every title gets two episodes: a spoiler-free FastTake for the curious and a spoiler-filled deep dive for the chaos lovers. We skip the plot overviews and go straight for the good stuff: World Building & Lore, Characters, and Story—served with unfiltered opinions, spicy takes, and way too much banter. If you like book talk, laughs, passion, and the occasional nerdy meltdown, you're in the right place

  1. vor 2 Std.

    Montclair: Romantasy, Hold the Spice

    Montclair by Anderson W. Frost | Thorns, Feathers, and Bones Saga Anderson W. Frost doesn't hold your hand, he puts you in the cart and sends you flying down the mountain. Montclair, his 300-page side-quest novella, is the whole ride: new town, new cast, and a mystery you piece together click by click. The boys keep the first 15 minutes spoiler-free with scores and verdict up front, so you can sample before committing. Then the wall drops and the theories fly: who Sabine's business partner really is, what Winifred is becoming, and a gods hierarchy the boys spend a solid ten minutes trying to map. Ryan wasn't sold on the trust at the story's core; Rich bought it completely — and admits the guy who dunks on 1,200-page books might not be a novella guy either. Rich's standing note for Frost: maybe the best new action writer in the game, and he won't write enough action. The one-star review segment died this week — they couldn't find a single one. Get on the bandwagon now. 📖 Overall: 7.5 out of 10 (Rich 7.3 / Ryan 7.7)Verdict: Buy Book: Montclair by Anderson W. FrostSeries: Thorns, Feathers, and Bones Saga (novella) [00:00] — Cold open: back from the late-summer break, crushing the books[01:11] — Intro + episode framing (spoiler-free): book mail from Anderson W. Frost, what Montclair is[02:43] — Who should read this book: the romantasy on-ramp, Frost's gothic-romance experiment, and the no-spice reassurance[07:35] — Overall impressions: Frost doesn't hold your hand, and Rich's confession — he might not be a novella guy[10:34] — Scores + Verdict (spoiler-free, up front): Rich 7.3 / Ryan 7.7 — overall 7.5, Buy[11:19] — Socials plug + 🚨 spoiler warning — spoilers start[12:05] — Rich's hot take: you don't need book one first — and romance readers could even start here[15:52] — Worldbuilding & Lore: essence gods vs mythology gods, what Winifred is turning into, and the daylight debate ("maybe he's a sparker")[30:22] — Characters: the Damien–Sabine trust debate (Ryan not sold, Rich bought it), the read-it-after-book-two theory, and Rich's date-with-a-new-book problem[37:50] — Story: the Rift Massacre drop, the ceremony logic, Mortis, and the squad heading north to Hildeheim[44:48] — Rich's #1 feedback for Frost: the best new action writer who won't write enough action[46:06] — One-star reviews: none to be found[49:11] — Wrap-up TikTok: @hottakebks Instagram: @hottakebooks

  2. 17. Aug.

    Dungeon Crawler Carl: Welcome to the Dungeon

    NEW ACHIEVEMENT: Ryan and Rich (finally) entered the Dungeon, and it did not disappoint! Earth gets invaded, the survivors get shoved into an 18-floor alien reality show/dungeon crawl, and a disgruntled ex-Coast Guard guy named Carl and a foul-mouthed show cat named Princess Donut have to fight, charm, and rage-bait their way through it. The first part of the episode is SPOILER FREE, so if you haven't yet checked out Dungeon Crawler Carl yet than this section is for you! After that, we discuss why this book nails the "video game as literature" formula better than almost anything else in the genre, the Carl/Donut glass-cannon-and-tank dynamic, and debate whether this book is actually satire or just really sharp commentary.Score: 8.7 — BINGE (tied for our highest-rated book ever) Spoiler-free intro up top. Big fat spoiler warning before the deep dive into Worldbuilding/Lore, Characters, and Story. Stick around for some of the most unhinged one-star reviews we've ever read on this show. If you've been on the fence about this one — this is your sign. New episodes every 2 weeks. Find us on TikTok/IG @HotTakeBooks. Questions, hate mail, or theories we got wrong? hottakebooks@gmail.com

  3. 3. Aug.

    Howling Dark: Much More Sufferable

    Howling Dark: Much More SufferableDescription Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio | Sun Eater, Book 2 | Sci-Fi Rich showed up sunburnt, drinking the Kool-Aid, and claiming he got bullied out of a 9....... Ryan stands on business. A year after the boys shrugged off Empire of Silence, the internet finally wore them down, and Howling Dark delivered. The first 15-ish minutes stay spoiler-free with scores and verdict up front, so you can sample before committing. Then it's Cielcen psychology: a species with no concept of peace, only domination and submission, a real problem when your entire 50-year mission is diplomacy. The boys take the controversy head-on too is Ruocchio selling a bigoted POV, or writing the galaxy's most obvious hypocrite? Fan casting hands Switch to Cameron Monaghan unopposed. And Ryan plants his flag: this should have been book one. 🌑 Worldbuilding/Lore: 8 Characters: Rich 8 / Ryan 7 Storyline: Rich 8 / Ryan 7 Overall: 7.7 out of 10Verdict: Buy Book: Howling Dark by Christopher RuocchioSeries: Sun Eater, Book 2Score: Worldbuilding/Lore 8 / Characters Rich 8, Ryan 7 / Storyline Rich 8, Ryan 7 — Overall 7.5 out of 10 (Rich 7.7 / Ryan 7.3)Verdict: Buy [01:33] — Intro + episode framing (spoiler-free): why the boys came back to Sun Eater a year after Empire of Silence[06:49] — Content note: the online controversy around the book's language, and how the boys are approaching it[09:42] — Scores + verdict up front (Rich 7.7 / Ryan 7.3) + vibe check: objective vs subjective, Rich starved for good sci-fi[13:37] — Ryan's hot take: Howling Dark should be book one — Star Wars started at Episode IV[18:15] — 🚨 Spoiler warning — spoilers start[18:44] — Worldbuilding & Lore (8): the man-machine spectrum from Valka's chip to the Exalted, Cielcen psychology and the doomed negotiations, the Hadrian-the-hypocrite conversation, and the William/"Big Dick Bill" naming debate[38:46] — Characters (Rich 8 / Ryan 7): Hadrian "much more sufferable," the Switch betrayal and Rich's Godfather 2 rewrite, Kharn Sagara, Prince Aranata, Bassander Lin[55:08] — Story (Rich 8 / Ryan 7): the prose ("okay, it's white"), Ryan's mid-book slump, and death-and-rebirth theories — why did the arms swap?[1:04:05] — Fan casting: Chalamet vs Corenswet for Hadrian, Valka callbacks pending, and congrats Cameron Monaghan[1:09:47] — One-star reviews ("200 pages too long," Stockholm Syndrome)[1:17:27] — Wrap-up: both boys are in for book three TikTok: @hottakebks Instagram: @hottakebooks

  4. 21. Juli

    The Lost Metal: The End of an Era

    Wax and Wayne's story comes to an end — and Rich and Ryan are finally, officially, all the way through Mistborn. On this episode, the guys dig into Brandon Sanderson's The Lost Metal, the fourth and final book in the Wax and Wayne era. Inside: a new Shard, autonomy, throwing its weight around Scadrial. Wayne finally gets his moment in the spotlight (turns out he's been secretly loaded this whole time). Marasi steps fully into her own. And Rich has some thoughts about whether this book earns its Cosmere ambitions or gets buried under its own bomb plot. Score: 7.3/10 — Buy First 10-15 minutes: spoiler-free. Big fat spoiler warning after that, then a full deep dive into Worldbuilding/Lore, Characters, and Story. Stick around for the one-star review reactions and a Cosmere Corner theory session that gets... contentious. Whether this is your first Mistborn book or your victory lap finishing the whole series — welcome. Grab your metals and settle in. New episodes every 2 weeks. Subscribe, drop a comment, and find us on TikTok/IG @HotTakeBooks. Questions, hate mail, or theories we got wrong? hottakebooks@gmail.com

  5. 6. Juli

    The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2): Steris With Prep Time Beats Any Shard

    The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson | Mistborn Era 2, Book 3 | Epic Fantasy First 15 minutes stay spoiler-free for anyone still deciding — after that, the whole book's on the table (which includes the rest of these notes). Give Steris prep time and she'll out-plan a Shard. The boys crown her the Adolin of Scadrial: she carries Wax through a wedding he hates, vomits on cue to buy a distraction, and clocks that all he really needs is someone to sit with him. Rich calls the arranged-marriage-into-love arc some of the best writing in the series, love as actual work, not fairy-tale luck. Then it gets loud. Ryan fights to drag Rich's Worldbuilding 8 down to a 7. They pick at the hand-wavy stuff: how do the airships even fly, what are the Bands actually doing, is the whole southern continent a retcon.......? Regardless, The Bands of Mourning is the Cosmere coming home. Worldbuilding/Lore: Rich 8 / Ryan 6 Characters: 8 Story: 8 Overall: 7.7 out of 10 Verdict: Buy Episode Type: SpoilerTakeBook: The Bands of Mourning by Brandon SandersonSeries: Mistborn Era 2 (Wax and Wayne), Book 3 — part of the CosmereScore: Worldbuilding/Lore Rich 8 / Ryan 6 — Characters 8 — Story 8 — Overall 7.7 out of 10Verdict: Buy [00:24] — Cold open: the two "fights" this week, the 50/50 partnership, and Rich getting talked into a Cosmere-out marathon for Ryan the addict[~04:16] — Intro + framing: Bands of Mourning, Mistborn Era 2, Book 3 — short, fun, western/detective energy[04:52] — Spoiler-free vibe check (first 15 min): should you read it? The Cosmere is back[09:08] — 🚨 Spoiler warning — deep dive begins[09:34] — Scoring format recap (Worldbuilding, Characters, Story)[10:01] — Worldbuilding & Lore (Rich 8 / Ryan 6): the Malwish "retcon," hand-wavy Bands, airships, and allomantic grenades; the live score-change standoff[~28:33] — Characters (8): Steris the Adolin of Scadrial, Marasi's growth, Wax & Steris, Wayne + MeLaan, Wayne's goodbye[41:00] — Story (8): the Cosmere course-correct, the new city + political tension, the Telson switcheroo, the sister as the real mastermind[~51:50] — One-star reviews (the "racist against a race that doesn't exist" take + the reader "vindicated" that Kelsier faked his death)[58:36] — 🚨 Cosmere Corner warning (spoilers for Stormlight + Mistborn Era 1 + Warbreaker)[59:06] — Cosmere Corner: where Secret History slots in, Kelsier = Thaidakar / Ghost Bloods, Hoid's coin, "Brandon, write less," and Rich going Stormlight-thirsty[~1:12:57] — Wrap-up TikTok: @hottakebks Instagram: @hottakebooks

  6. 22. Juni

    Shadows of Self: Who's the Kandra This Time?

    Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson | Mistborn Era 2, Book 2 | Epic Fantasy The boys keep the first 15 spoiler-free for the undecided — after that, all bets are off. Rich swears he coined "Brandy Sandy" with zero evidence and full confidence. Ryan files it as fact anyway. Shadows of Self is the lowest-rated Cosmere book the boys have ever covered. Rich's line of the night — a lot of worlds, not a lot of building. Wax discovers hemalurgy like he skipped Era 1, Harmony won't stop chatting like a guy at the bus stop, and the twist lands too late to hurt. Wayne still walks off with the book. Rich plants his flag on Team Staris. Plus: the angriest one-star reviews on the internet, a "check the history books" moment, and a Cosmere Corner that spirals into Trell, a timeline bombshell, and Rich's Avengers comparison. Verdict: Borrow Episode Type: SpoilerTakeBook: Shadows of Self by Brandon SandersonSeries: Mistborn Era 2 (Wax and Wayne), Book 2 — part of the CosmereScore: Worldbuilding/Lore (the low point, lowest of the three) / Characters 7 (Rich 7 / Ryan 7) / Storyline Rich 5 / Ryan 6Verdict: Borrow [00:24] — Cold open: the "Brandy Sandy" origin debate + Rich teases a surprise new segment (Ryan is nervous)[~01:55] — Intro + framing: Shadows of Self, Mistborn Era 2, Book 2[03:35] — Spoiler-free vibe check (first 15 min): should you read it? Go straight from Alloy of Law[~13:00] — 🚨 Spoiler warning — deep dive begins[13:30] — Worldbuilding & Lore: a lot of worlds, not a lot of building; the labor unrest; Harmony too involved[~29:24] — Characters (Rich 7 / Ryan 7): Wayne's well scene, Marasi, Milan, Captain Aradell, Team Staris[~45:35] — Story (Rich 5 / Ryan 6): the late twist, the recycled "who's the Kandra?" whodunit, Bleeder's spike[~52:38] — One-star reviews (including the "check the history books" political read)[1:00:32] — "Answers on the Mic": Rich's surprise segment / the trial of Ryan[~1:03:46] — 🚨 Cosmere Corner warning (spoilers for Stormlight + Mistborn Era 1 + Warbreaker)[1:04:16] — Cosmere Corner: is Trell a Shard? the timeline bombshell, the Cosmere Avengers, hemalurgy/compounding theories[1:24:20] — Wrap-upTikTok: @hottakebks Instagram: @hottakebooksShow NotesTimestampsLinks

  7. 7. Juni

    The Alloy of Law: Cowboy Sherlock on Scadrial

    The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson | Mistborn Era 2, Book 1 | Fantasy | SpoilerTake The boys keep the first 15 minutes spoiler-free for the undecided, after that, all bets are off. Ryan swore this would be a short episode because it's a short book. It was not. Rich came in Cosmere-burnt and didn't want to read it at all .... that changed around pg 10. Same planet, new century, completely different book. They get into Sanderson trading Era 1's epic fantasy for a gunslinging Western mystery, different, not worse, and why Twinborn is peak Cosmere. Wax gets his flowers, Wayne walks off with the book, and Miles Hundred Lives wins name of the year. Then the compounding argument breaks out, nobody wins, and Brandon's inbox gets threatened. Lets get into it. Worldbuilding/Lore: Rich 8 / Ryan 7 Characters: 9 Overall: 8.3 out of 10 Verdict: Buy Episode Type: SpoilerTake Book: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson Series: Mistborn Era 2 (Wax and Wayne), Book 1 — part of the Cosmere Score: Worldbuilding/Lore 7–8 / Characters 9 — Overall 8.3 out of 10 (Rich 8.3 / Ryan 8.3) Verdict: Buy [00:24] — Cold open: Ryan wanted a short episode because it's a short book ("you hate Mistborn")[01:55] — Intro + episode framing: Alloy of Law, why the wheel decided it for them[04:41] — Spoiler-free vibe check: 315 pages, less-is-more, Sherlock Holmes meets cowboy Western[09:50] — Could you start the Mistborn saga here? Rich's TV-adaptation case[14:45] — Burn/Borrow/Buy + score reveal: both an 8.3, verdict Buy[~15:20] — 🚨 Spoiler warning — deep dive begins[~15:25] — World building & lore: the casual jump from 10 metals to 16[~20:30] — Twinborn as the best addition; Wax's weight + steel-push combos[~26:00] — Renette's anti-misting bullets; engineering vs. magic[~29:00] — The compounding argument (someone email Brandon)[~38:00] — Characters: Wax, and getting past the trigger-shyness early[~40:00] — Wayne steals the book; Ryan's comic-relief problem (RIP Lopen)[~44:50] — Marasi's thirst, and where the Wax/Marasi/sister thing is headed[~47:30] — Miles Hundred Lives: the most badass name in the Cosmere[~52:00] — Wax vs. Miles: guessing each other's moves; "Wax... Dalinar Dalinar"[~55:40] — The Mr. Suit twist that was right there for the picking[~57:00] — Harmony's "you're welcome" save; the earring as Hemalurgy[58:36] — 🚨 Cosmere Corner warning (spoilers for Stormlight + Mistborn Era 1)[59:02] — Cosmere Corner: Lopen is Wayne's dad (100%), vessels vs. shards, aluminum blocks investiture, Mr. Suit = Ghostbloods?, need to read Warbreaker[1:10:47] — One-star Goodreads reviews[1:16:10] — Wrap-up: second-highest-rated Mistborn and Cosmere book so farTikTok: @hottakebksInstagram: @hottakebooksShow NotesTimestampsLinks

  8. 24. Mai

    Coldwind: Do Not Bend. Do Not Break.

    Cold Wind by Andrew Givler is out — and Hot Take Books has thoughts. A lot of them. In this episode, Rich and Ryan dive deep into book two of the Ironbound series, just days after its release. Castor is back, the stakes are higher, and the world has gotten a whole lot bigger. The guys break down what makes Cold Wind one of their highest-rated books to date — and why this series still isn't getting the attention it deserves. The spoiler-free section covers everything you need to know to decide if this is the series for you: the revenge-fantasy genre comp (think Red Rising meets Rage of Dragons), the magic system that might just be Rich's favorite ever, and why if you loved Ironbound, you need to keep going. Then the spoiler warning drops, and nothing is safe. Rich and Ryan dig into the expanding lore of core and congruency, the political backstabbing of the empire, Castor's evolving identity as the symbols wage war in his head, and the characters they couldn't get enough of — and the ones they wanted a lot more of. They also get into what this book means for the series as a whole, and why books three and four might be capable of a score they can barely bring themselves to say out loud. If you haven't read Ironbound yet, start there — we've got you covered with our full episode on book one. And if you're already a fan of the series, buckle up. This one's going to be a lot of fun.Hot Take Books drops every two weeks. Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @HotTakeBooks.

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🔥 We read Hot Books and give you Hotter Takes. 🔥 Welcome to the show where two friends—Rich and Ryan—dive into the best (and occasionally worst) of sci-fi and fantasy, one book at a time. Every title gets two episodes: a spoiler-free FastTake for the curious and a spoiler-filled deep dive for the chaos lovers. We skip the plot overviews and go straight for the good stuff: World Building & Lore, Characters, and Story—served with unfiltered opinions, spicy takes, and way too much banter. If you like book talk, laughs, passion, and the occasional nerdy meltdown, you're in the right place

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  • Erstellt von
    Hot Take Books by Rich and Ryan
  • Jahre aktiv
    2025 - 2026
  • Folgen
    51
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  • Copyright
    © Hot Take Books by Rich and Ryan
  • Sendungswebsite
    Hot Take Books

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