Romantasy Roundtable: Fantasy Romance Reviews

Amanda, Kim, and Rick
  • 4.2 (9)
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Welcome to Romantasy Roundtable: A Tale of Rick and Roses! Join us for an engaging book club and read-along experience as we explore the enchanting world of romantasy, diving into captivating stories and unforgettable moments together! Hosted by Rick and his "roses," this podcast-style channel explores the most spellbinding books in the romantic fantasy genre. What You'll Find Here: Read-alongs of popular romantasy books. Thoughtful analysis of characters, plot twists, and those unforgettable spicy moments. A warm and inclusive space for book lovers to share their thoughts and join the conversation. Always lighthearted, fun, and a bit unhinged Join the Court! Become part of our growing community of romantasy enthusiasts. Share your favorite books, theories, and moments with fellow "rosebuds." New Episodes Grab a book and settle in for an adventure filled with magic and love. Don't forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode!

  1. 2d ago

    Kingdom of Ash: Chapters 35-67

    Episode Title: Kingdom of Ash Ch. 35-67: Witch Queens, Water Vaporization, and Horrible Decisions! Description: Welcome back to the Romantasy Roundtable! Rick, Amanda, and Kim are diving straight into the second half of Part One in Kingdom of Ash (Chapters 35 through 67), and honey, the trauma is heavy, the soup is boiling, and nobody in Erilea knows how to make good decisions! Aelin is finally reunited with her Shadow Daddy Rowan, but her magic is on ice—or is it? From subterranean glow-worm cave dates and Lorcan swallowing his pride for jasmine Burvas blood, to Manon absolutely annihilating witch matrons to claim her crown, this section is non-stop adrenaline. We are talking major heartmates reunions, chaotic shape-shifting educational moments (looking at you, Dorian), and Elide becoming an absolute legend on a terrifying horse named Farasha. Grab your warm strawberry crisp, settle in, and let us yap about the most epic battles, major betrayals, and whether Aedion wins the award for worst politician ever. Key Topics Discussed: • Aelin and Rowan Reunion & The Glow-worm Cave: Aelin makes her grand return, Cairn gets skinned alive (sadly off-screen for Rick!), and our favorite heartmates exchange shiny stolen wedding rings under a cavern full of sparkling cavern worms. • Maeve is a Valg Queen?!: The Cadre realizes their blood oath was sworn to an ancient demon queen, leaving everyone processing major trauma and a really bad taste in their mouth. • Manon Decapitates Yellow Legs & Claims the Crown: Manon draws a line in the snow with Wind Cleaver, slays the Yellow Legs matron, and slaps the Crown of Stars onto her own head in the ultimate girlboss move of the series. • Dorian's Shape-Shifting Adventures: Dorian tests out what it feels like to walk around with breasts, flirts with Manon in ghost form, and then pulls the ultimate ghosting maneuver after a steamy night to sneak into Morath alone. • Elide, Lorcan, and Farasha the Horse: Elide hijacks Chaol's terrifying horse to rescue a spine-injured Lorcan from a pile of corpses, leading to an emotional confession of love and toe-curling magic healing. • Aelin's Dark Phoenix Moment: Aelin proves she is the ultimate firebringer by vaporizing an entire 30-foot tidal wave into pure steam with her saved-up magic before taking a well-deserved three-day power nap. • Lysandra and Aedion Drama: We dissect the toxic plan to fake Aelin's pregnancy, Lysandra's heroic ghost leopard stand on the front lines, and why everybody in Terrasen currently sucks. • The Great Crochan Beacon Call to Arms: Red-cloaked Crochan witches dusting off ancient swords and mounting brooms across the continent like Paul Revere—easily one of SJM's finest cinematic moments. • Chaol's Baby Announcement: Chaol finds out Yrene is pregnant... directly from his terrible father over a very awkward chicken dinner. Closing/Call-to-Action: Did Lorcan win your heart back, or are you still holding a grudge? Is Dorian walking straight into his demise at Morath? Drop your hot takes in the comments below! Don't forget to like, subscribe on YouTube, and follow us on Goodreads and StoryGraph. Got book recommendations or want to defend Tamlin with Rick? Email us at romantasyroundtable@gmail.com! See you next week for chapters 68 through 99—and remember, do NOT read chapter 100 yet!

  2. Jul 13

    Kingdom of Ash: Chapters 1-34

    Episode Title: Kingdom of Ash – Part 1 (The Beginning of the End, the Iron Coffin, and Aedion Needs to Sit Down Edition) Description: We are officially in the final book. Kim is recording from the Canary Islands sixty miles off the coast of Africa. Rick wore skirts to work for two years to protest a no-shorts policy and single-handedly got the rule changed — it turned out the rule had been quietly removed from the handbook in 2019 and nobody noticed. We have one hundred subscribers. Jamie sent several messages. Bartholomew is a Scottish Straight from a backyard breeding operation with eighty-four cats in it. We love him more now. Amanda's sister Julia sent a two-minute voice memo defending Tower of Dawn from a neurophysical therapist's perspective — Chaol's arc maps accurately onto combat PTSD, Yrene's depletion is how healing actually works, and if he were more likable it wouldn't be realistic. Also Amanda read thirty percent of Kingdom of Ash in a day and a half while sick with a six-day migraine because this book does not let you put it down. Key Topics Discussed: - Aelin Is in an Iron Coffin and It Is Already Devastating: Tortured on a rotating schedule, scars healed so Cairen can start over, reciting a childhood story on loop, communicating with Fenrys via blink code. Four blinks means I am with you. Two blinks means no, he is not all right. Maeve offers Connell a moment to speak freely to his twin and he stabs himself in the heart rather than harm Fenrys. Kim cried more about the wolf yipping in pain than about Aelin's bones breaking. - Fenrys Shatters His Blood Oath Through Sheer Love: He physically fights the magical chain until it breaks, tackles Cairen, screams run at Aelin, and nearly dies. Aelin offers her blood and commands him to live until he does. Rick did not see this coming. Amanda had been predicting it since Connell died and gives herself partial credit. - Aelin Escapes and the Mask Comes Off: She catches a sword strike on her wrist chains to snap them free, steals the sword, and murders her way out with no magic and full iron still on her body. When the mask finally comes off every scar she has ever had is gone. New skin, assembly line torture. Rick says this was worse than the torture scenes. Rowan seals a tent with Cairen inside and nobody hears what happens next. We are all grateful. - Maeve Traps Aelin in a Hallucination of a Peaceful Life: Living Rowan, fairy tale framing, the whole thing — then rips it away. The psychological warfare is more disturbing than the physical torture and Maeve as Palpatine energy is fully locked in. - Aedion Is Being a Little B**** and Everyone Is Tired: He is raging at Lysandra, who is cosplaying as Aelin in a blizzard and dragged a dead frozen soldier home on her horse form. She stands barefoot in the snow and takes it with her dignity intact. He told her he was going to marry her someday. Amanda does not know how he comes back from this. The fire in his tent deserved to die. - Dorian Shapeshifts Via Emotional Vulnerability: He cannot self-loathe himself into shifting. Kaltain's ghost shows up instead of Gavin and tells him to stop wondering if he's a bad person and just be one. He shifts into a raven right as Manon catches him sneaking toward Morath. - Knox Owen Is Back and Amanda Was Not Expecting It: He recognizes Lysandra is not Aelin because he knew Selena and she didn't recognize him back. He pledges loyalty instead of blackmail. Amanda was only looking for Assassin's Blade callbacks and Knox is from Throne of Glass. That's why she loves this series. - Girl Boss Easter Egg of the Batch: The humble cauldron of goat stew, single-handedly responsible for brokering peace between two warring witch bloodlines. Never thanked. Always working. Homework is chapters 35 through 67, stop when you see Part Two at chapter 68. Rick has under five hours left in Kingdom of Ash and plans to supplement the reread with Heartstoppper, which counts as six books. Amanda is forty percent into Crescent City, loves Hunt, keeps forgetting he has wings, and is letting the lore flow in one ear and out the other. Kim is in the Canary Islands. Subscribe, drop your death predictions in the comments, and we will see you in Part 2!

  3. Jul 8

    Throne of Glass: Fan Casting the Movie

    Episode Title: Throne of Glass Fan Casting Bonus – (The Hockey Team, the Heated Rivalry Cameos, and Anya Taylor-Joy Is Manon Edition) Description: We promised a Throne of Glass bonus episode last time and delivered a soccer podcast instead. This time we actually did it. Amanda made a Canva slideshow with animated covers and everything, Kim showed up with notes on her phone, and Rick showed up. Together they cast six main characters plus bonus picks, debated the merits of multiple hockey team members, accidentally cast half of Heated Rivalry, and had a very important conversation about why Emilia Clarke is too sweet-faced to be Manon Blackbeak. Taylor Swift got married at Madison Square Garden while we recorded this. We acknowledge it and move on. Ground rules: any actor from any era is fair game, wigs exist, and the casting can be based entirely on vibes. These rules were followed loosely. Key Topics Discussed: - Aelin Galathynius: Rick goes Jennifer Lawrence from Hunger Games — badass, emotional, knows how to use a bow. Amanda goes Carla Delane on looks and vibe. Kim goes Florence Pugh for range and depth, noting she can play young and old and do the emotional heavy lifting this role demands. Margot Robbie was briefly considered by all three and then moved elsewhere. - Rowan Whitethorn: All three hosts independently arrived at Henry Cavill as the Witcher. Specifically as the Witcher. No other Henry Cavill will be accepted. Kim went rogue with Jacob Elordi as an alternative, who Rick concedes has the size and shape. Jacob Elordi is now also a backup Dorian. - Dorian Havilliard: The hardest cast of the night. Rick lands on Joseph Gordon-Levitt — 500 Days of Summer to Dark Knight Rises, the full emotional range. Amanda goes Connor Story from Heated Rivalry, dark-haired, charming, and she can already imagine the banter with Manon. Kim went young Matt Bomer. Christian Bale was briefly on the table. Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory was mentioned and then gently set aside. - Chaol Westfall: Amanda dies on the Theo James from Divergent hill, aged extraordinarily, plays stoic extremely well. Rick flip-flopped between Tom Hardy circa Inception and Jon Bernthal the Punisher before landing on Tom Hardy as his box of a man. Kim cast Joe Alwyn, noting his track record playing characters defined by loyalty and obligation. Taylor Swift was mentioned. We moved on. - Manon Blackbeak: Amanda and Kim both independently cast Anya Taylor-Joy. Rick cast Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen. Amanda's counterargument is that Emilia Clarke has sweetness in her face and Manon has never once in her life had a sweet moment. Rick stands firm. Two of us are right, he says. - Yrene Towers: Amanda cast Cassinia Daniela from Heated Rivalry and will accept no other Yrenes. Kim and Rick both independently landed on Zendaya. Emma Watson was briefly floated and then abandoned when someone remembered Yrene's complexion. - Lysandra: Amanda goes Anna de Armas, captain of her hockey team, full stop. Rick landed on Sydney Sweeney after considering Scarlett Johansson, which prompted a brief discussion about whether Sydney Sweeney was created in a lab for the male gaze. The group agrees she can actually act. Kim used Sydney Sweeney for Kaltain instead, whose Dark Phoenix energy belongs to Sophie Turner or Jodie Comer from Killing Eve. - Bonus Picks: Aedion is Chris Hemsworth — already blonde, already Thor, Matt Damon as Gavriel could believably be his dad. Asterin is Florence Pugh because she and Anya Taylor-Joy would be electric together and Florence Pugh would destroy the confession scene. Mahershala Ali was floated for multiple roles and nobody could decide where to put him but everyone agreed he needed to be somewhere. Jamie — let us know who you would cast and where we went wrong. Drop your picks in the comments, subscribe so you don't miss the actual book content episodes, and tell us if Idris Elba is the Kagan or Duke Perrington because we could not agree. Boots. ????

  4. Jul 6

    Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn: Part 6

    Episode Title: Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn Tandem Read – FINALE (The Iron Coffin, the Life Bond, and Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius Edition) Description: We made it. The full crew is together in person, there are cocktails called Abraxos in Bloom, birthday cookies, ice cream incoming, and a cat named Bartholomew who wants absolutely nothing to do with any of us. This is the live midsummer finale recording of the Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn tandem read, and it goes places. Amanda has had half a glass of wine. Rick has had considerably more and briefly needed to sit down after standing up. Kim made a Canva slideshow for the fan casting episode that nobody saw yet. None of this matters because the books absolutely destroyed us. Empire of Storms ends on a beach with Aelin publicly whipped, masked, chained, and locked into an iron coffin while Maeve purrs let's begin — and somehow that's after the reveal that Maeve engineered Lyria, orchestrated the mating bond, and has been Valg queen this whole time. Tower of Dawn ends with Yrene exorcising a Valg princess out of a pregnant princess in front of the entire Khagan's court, forging a life bond with Chaol that means when one dies the other follows, and securing an army of a thousand Rukhin riders, Hasar's armada, and three hundred Torre healers because she asked the Khagan for one favor and he said anything. Rick gives Empire of Storms five stars. Amanda and Kim both give the tandem four stars each. Everyone agrees Aedion needs to get it together. Key Topics Discussed: - Maeve Is Valg Queen and Engineered Everything: She orchestrated Lyria. She nudged Rowan toward the wrong woman on purpose. She's been hiding in plain sight for millennia. Rick's read: she's Palpatine. Erawan is out there flailing around being obviously evil while Maeve has been running the whole board. The House of Whitethorn dropping her black flag mid-battle because Rowan spent a midnight cousin tour committing full treason is the most dramatic family betrayal in the series. - Aelin Gets Whipped, Masked, and Coffined: She dropped to her knees to save Elide. She refused to count a single lash. She slipped both word keys into Manon's pocket during the nudge while everyone watched. The entire naval battle was a month-long scheme to drain her fire first. Rick was pissed. Amanda hated it. The epilogue is Maeve opening the coffin. Nobody is okay. - The Secret Wedding Nobody Knew About: Aelin and Rowan got married two days before the beach. Aedion finds out on the beach alongside everyone else and responds to the Lysandra plan by telling her to go to hell. Rick and Kim are both annoyed at Aedion for a sustained period of chapters. Lysandra is literally saving his kingdom with her face and he is being a little bitch about it. - Yrene Heals Chaol, Forges a Life Bond, Then Exorcises a Valg Princess: She spent the whole book fixing his spine and then Duva breaks it again in thirty seconds. She straddles a Valg-possessed pregnant princess with a dagger and then doesn't do it because there's a baby and she is who she is. Hafiza solves the problem by throwing herself down a staircase in a chair. The entire Torre forms a healing chain to bring Chaol back. Rick loved every second of it. - Elena Galathynius Ruined Everything: She used the lock — Mala's essence poured into the Eye of Elena — to trap Erawan, burned its one-time power on the wrong plan, and condemned her bloodline to pay the price. Amanda had received one spoiler: the real villain of Empire of Storms was Elena. She had forgotten until this exact moment. - Nehemia Knew: She agreed to arrange her own murder to break Aelin out of the Selena identity. The witch mirror confirmed it. That part was hard. Everyone agrees. - Lysandra Customized Her Sea Dragon Form: Longer limbs, prehensile thumbs, spider silk scaled hide, battering ram tail. She is not using what the gods gave her when she can fully optimize. Amanda is obsessed with her. Rick has been picturing a manatee this whole time and sees no reason to stop. - The 13 Arrive and Amanda Went Like This on Her Couch: Abraxos plunges from the sky trailing twelve wyverns. Tristan asked if they finally had soup. Amanda said no, the wyverns are here. Tristan said what. Amanda said never mind. Final ratings: Rick gives Empire of Storms five stars and Tower of Dawn four. Amanda and Kim both land on four for each. Everyone agrees this could have been one book and also they're glad it wasn't. Homework is Kingdom of Ash from the start through chapter 34. Stop when you see chapter 35. That's almost 300 pages. Buckle up. Drop your Maeve theories and your Aedion grievances in the comments and subscribe for the Kingdom of Ash era! ????

  5. Jul 5

    Romantasy: World Cup

    Episode Title: Romantasy Round Pitch – The Soccer Bonus Episode Nobody Asked For (The Boots, the VAR, and the Lamine Yamal Edition) Description: Welcome to the episode that was supposed to be a Throne of Glass bonus episode and became a 30-minute soccer fever dream instead. Jamie Dawes gets a shoutout for their snake profile picture and their extremely correct assessment that France is going to be a problem. Amanda has been watching on Telemundo. Kim once coached half the current US men's national team when they were tiny babies at IMG Academy. Rick made up a soccer quiz on the bus ride over and did not look at the answers beforehand, which means nobody knew what the penalty spot was called despite it being extremely obvious. Australia is technically in the Asian football federation, not the Oceanic one. The Socceroos are a real team name. The Reggae Boyz are also a real team name. The USMNT is not called the USMNT according to Gemini, which is wrong, and everyone agrees Gemini is wrong. The real content arrives when Amanda presents her definitive romantasy-to-national-team crossover rankings, partially workshopped with Tristan, who had notes. France is ACOTAR because it's star-studded, hyped, and a little snobbier than it needs to be. Argentina is Fourth Wing because everyone's into it and mostly just into the one guy. Brazil is Lord of the Rings — the OG, the classic, possibly a little past its prime. England is Game of Thrones because it's never coming home and they will never finish the series. Scotland is a Ally Hazelwood contemporary — here for a good time, not a long time. Portugal is A Night and the Moth because it's technically excellent but the supporting cast is doing more work than the MMC. Norway is Fae and Alchemy because Erling Haaland has extreme Kyler Swift energy. Spain is Crescent City because you don't get it until you get it. And Morocco is whatever Lauren Roberts picks because that's just how it works. Key Topics Discussed: - The Quiz Nobody Studied For: Rick generated soccer trivia on the bus, did not preview the answers, and the group still passed on the basics. Hat trick, red card, offside — covered. The penalty spot — embarrassingly not covered. Nobody knew you can't be offside on a throw-in. Kim is horrified. Amanda is vindicated. - Ronaldo's Botox Situation: His face does not move. He looks younger than he did at the last World Cup. He is older than Rick. He scored a penalty and celebrated like he invented the sport. Amanda, who has had forehead Botox, says he needs a little less. The podcast agrees. - Lamine Yamal Gets His Name Butchered One Final Time: Rick knows the L and the Y. He knows the sounds. The full pronunciation escapes him live on air. A quarter of a point is awarded. Spain won yesterday. Rick accepts this outcome. - The Romantasy Team Rankings: France is ACOTAR and also Tamlin. England is Game of Thrones and it's never coming home. The US is Dungeon Crawler Carl per Tristan — the world is ending, we're just trying to make it out, and we have a slightly annoying British striker. Italy is the From Blood and Ash series because Rick really wanted to root for it and it keeps disappointing him. Canada is obviously Heated Rivalry. Morocco wins because Lauren Roberts picked them and that's a good enough reason. - MLS Solidarity Speech: Amanda would like everyone who got World Cup fever to also support their local MLS and NWSL teams. American soccer is happening here. Galaxy tickets are fifteen dollars. Rick's algorithm knows. - Matt Freese Is Rowan Whitethorn: Ice powers. It's obvious. No further questions. Jamie — Australia plays soon and we are rooting for Aidan O'Neill because he plays for NYCFC and that makes him family. If the US wins, it's called soccer. That's the chant. Find us at Romantasy Roundtable wherever you listen, subscribe so you don't miss the actual Throne of Glass bonus episode we definitely did not record today, and drop your national team romantasy crossover picks in the comments. Boots.

  6. Jun 29

    Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn: Part 5

    Episode Title: Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn Tandem Read – Part 5 (Aedion's Pride Party & Maeve Is Queen of the Valg Edition) Description: The full crew is back, the Google Meet is titled Aedion's Pride Party in honor of Pride Month and Aedion casually confirming he likes both depending on his mood, and we have spent the first ten minutes exclusively discussing ice cream. Amanda's favorite is black raspberry from a tiny shop called Dribbles that refuses to ship to New York. Rick's is brown sugar cookie dough fudge brownie from Van Leeuwen. Kim's is chocolate from Round Top in Damariscotta, Maine. We also squeeze in Rick's birthday dinner at a Colombian restaurant he thought was Spanish, the World Cup (Amanda went to Germany vs Ecuador at MetLife, margarita not cold enough, would not repeat at current ticket prices), and a note from Jamie — MIA because America eliminated Australia, but Aiden O'Neal and Matt Freeze both play for NYCFC so we can still be friends. Once we open the books, we are in the final stretch and things are unraveling fast. Empire of Storms delivers a stolen armada, Maeve's fleet on the horizon, and Manon and Dorian's increasingly charged late-night situation. Tower of Dawn gives us the Kale and Yrene slow burn finally paying off, a poolside birthday incident, and the single most earth-shattering lore drop of the series: Maeve is Queen of the Valg. Key Topics Discussed: - Maeve Is Queen of the Valg: The Stygian spider queen drops this while Nesryn spins a wildly unconvincing merchant cover story. Maeve is Fae, not Valg, but she is their ruler. The series had been very definitive that she wasn't. Amanda texted the group immediately. Kim notes the big bad has officially shifted. - Kale Walks Across the Room: Mid-blowup, Chaol takes a staggering step toward Yrene on pure stubborn rage. She clocks it instantly and backs away slowly, luring him step by step in the world's most emotionally charged game of red light green light. He pins her against the wall. Rick calls it a good slow burn. The podcast agrees. - Yrene Shoves Princess Hasar Into the Pool: Several drinks deep at the oasis birthday feast, Hasar says one thing too many. Rick was reading on his deck and was certain Yrene was about to be executed. She was not. Renia laughed. Hasar walked away. Birthday miracle. - Ansel of Briercliffe Arrives With a Stolen Armada: The mystery fleet turns out to belong to Ansel, who has sacked Melisandre's capital, liberated Aelin's horse Kasida, and is greeting Aelin with pure hello b**** energy. Rick's favorite SJM move: planted as a throwaway moment books ago, paid off enormously here. Lysandra, mid-nap in ghost leopard form, casually flexes her claws between Manon and Ansel before anyone starts a war. - Aedion's Bisexual Confirmation: Lysandra raises an eyebrow. Aedion says he likes both depending on his mood. Happy Pride. Kim would third them. Amanda called this pairing episodes ago. - Sartaq's Spider Pass Confession: Wedged in a narrow gap with a horde of Karan Kui incoming, Sartaq confesses his love and tells Nesryn to run. She is dragged away screaming. The spiders said they'd take them alive. Falcon the mouse is involved in the rescue plan. Rick clocked immediately that Sartaq wasn't dead because SJM kills people on screen. - Everyone Has a Boo: Aelin and Rowan, Kale and Yrene, Elide and Lorcan, Aedion and Lysandra, Nesryn and Sartaq, Dorian and Manon. Gavriel is doing dad things. Fenrys does not have a boo. These are the facts. Homework is to finish the tandem read. Kim picked up A Forbidden Alchemy from her indie bookstore The Lofty Pigeon and is a third in and already recommending it. Rick is reading This Kingdom Won't Kill Me and is hooked. Drop your Maeve theories in the comments and subscribe so you don't miss the tandem read finale! ????

  7. Jun 22

    Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn: Part 4

    Episode Title: Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn Tandem Read – Part 4 (The Sea Dragon Was a Manatee & Canada Up Four Nothing Edition) Description: The full Romantasy Roundtable crew is back and Amanda has returned from wherever Jaylen Brunson and the Knicks parade took her — which apparently included a ceremony, a kid in a Manika shirt, and a therapist who confirmed that New York is simply a vibe right now. Rick made it to the parade, got blocked out of the barricade, watched some idiot try to drive through the crowd in a dress shirt and a visor, and has zero regrets. We also squeeze in the World Cup (Canada up four nothing, Qatar down to nine men, one broken leg), a heated top five TV shows debate that lands on It's Always Sunny, Criminal Minds, and Scrubs, and the reveal that Rick has been picturing Lysandra's sea dragon form as a large, friendly manatee. We are choosing to respect it. Once we get into the books, Empire of Storms goes absolutely feral — possessions, sea battles, soup on the beach, a ghost leopard cuddle session, Dorian kissing Manon and shrugging about it, and Elide Lochan decapitating an Ilken with an injured wrist. Tower of Dawn wraps its section with Falkan turning out to be a shapeshifter, a giant spider dungeon, and Nesryn firing nine arrows across three targets simultaneously while Sartaq is low-key smitten about it. Rick is bored of Sartaq. Kim says he's Melba Toast. Amanda is not interested in Nesryn. They are choosing to read about her anyway. Key Topics Discussed: - Lysandra Becomes a Sea Dragon and Rick Pictured a Manatee: Aelin cooked up the whole mycenian prophecy play by having Lysandra study temple carvings back in Illium. Rol grips the ship's wheel like a man having a spiritual crisis. Lysandra wants to know if she can become a plant next, or maybe a bit of wind. Book girlfriend of the year. No notes. - Aelin Gets Possessed by Deanna Mid-Battle: Their combined magic goes nuclear, the word key cracks Aelin's power open an entire secret basement level, and Deanna takes over her body long enough to aim moonfire at the civilian town. Rowan throws himself in front of it. Aelin shatters back in, redirects the blast, and obliterates half the fleet, the boat, and a chunk of the island. Rick's read: this is how you nerf Aelin. - Dorian Kisses Manon and Shrugs: He visits her cabin in the middle of the night, delivers a kiss, says maybe another night witchling, and walks out. Manon is absolutely feral about it. Dorian says I'm the king in a war council argument and Rick nearly stands up out of his chair. - Elide and the Barge Ambush: Vernon shows up with three Ilken and a coffin-sized iron box and informs Elide that Lorcan abandoned her. Two lies. Lorcan was on the rooftops the whole time and saves her with a hatchet to the wrist. Elide decapitates an Ilken, delivers a threat to Erawan cold enough to freeze the river, and reveals the word key she's been carrying — wrapped in Kaltain's cloak scrap from a cold dungeon. Lorcan swears he will always find her. Rick is on board with these two now. Kim confirms the carnival arc was simply that. - Fenrris Gets Replaced by a Bloodhound: Erawan's shapeshifting spy impersonates Fenrris, monologues in Manon's cabin, gets choked by Rowan, rips a porthole off the ship wall, and reveals that Asterin screamed when Erawan broke her before dropping her wristband on the floor. Manon's composure evaporates. Dorian steals the kill. Manon is furious about this specifically. - Aelin is Probably Pregnant and Nobody is Saying It: She asks for Lysandra instead of Rowan when she gets sick. Rowan figures it out from the crow's nest. They have had one conversation about the tonic situation. The chapter ends with Elwy burning. Nothing is resolved. Rick is simply laughing. - Aen Promises to Marry Lysandra on a Beach While She's Bleeding: She washes up barely conscious in sea dragon form. He crouches in the sand and tells her he's going to marry her one day. She gives him an exhausted dragon huff. Amanda called this pairing episodes ago and would like everyone to know that. - Falkan the Shapeshifter is from Assassin's Blade: He followed them into the spider dungeon as a falcon — his actual name — and turns into a pony-sized wolf to save Nesryn and Sartaq from a horse-sized velvet-voiced Karan Kui. Then bleeds in the pine needles while Sartaq debates the ethics of helping him. Nesryn threatens to wound the prince herself if he doesn't produce bandages. Amanda's sister just started the series and has confirmed that the spinal cord injury science checks out — she will love everything Rick finds boring and vice versa. Next up: Tower of Dawn chapter 36 through Empire of Storms chapter 61, stop when you see Tower of Dawn chapter 49. Find the full tandem read order online, subscribe, and drop your Dorian and Manon feelings in the comments. We'll see you in Part 5!

  8. Jun 15

    Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn: Part 3

    Episode Title: Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn Tandem Read – Part 3 (The Knicks Won & Rick Learned the Rubik's Cube Edition) Description: The Romantasy Roundtable is running a two-person operation today — Amanda has been granted a day off to celebrate the New York Knicks' first championship in 32 years, leaving Rick and Kim to hold it down alone. Before a single chapter gets read, we get a full debrief on Rick's merch budget (undefined, possibly catastrophic), the saga of Rick spending three full workdays solving a Rubik's cube only to discover a student had twisted the corners and made it mathematically unsolvable, and the news that the pod gained seven new YouTube subscribers this week. Hi, new friends. Please stay. Once we finally open the books, Empire of Storms is delivering — Ailen is back in full Selena persona robbing a pirate lord with her mouth, Lysandra is shapeshifting through a war council, and Rowan has a strict no-trees policy for his first time with Ailen that he'd like everyone to know about. Tower of Dawn remains a slow burn that Rick is tolerating at a medium level — right up until the lore clicks into place and both hosts have to admit it's actually getting good. Key Topics Discussed: Knicks in Five: Amanda is MIA. Rick has no merch budget. Jaylen Brunson had no words. Neither does Rick, but he has seventeen browser tabs open. Kale Wiggles His Toes and Tells No One: Yrene's healing is working. Chaol knows it. Nesryn, whom he kisses with the energy of a man returning a library book, does not. Aelin Robs Rolf With Her Mouth: Full Selena persona, stolen emeralds including one hidden under her tongue, and then she whistles in Lysandra playing decoy Queen of Terrasen. Rolf looks like he wants to throw himself into the harbor. Dorian's Letter-to-Himself Scheme: Stonewalled by Rolf for two weeks, Dorian fakes devastating news via a letter he mailed to himself and gets a meeting in three hours. Rick's verdict: great scheme. This is the most political instinct Dorian has ever shown. The Old King Was Valg-Possessed All Along: His decades of suppressing magic weren't pure evil — it was his still-conscious self trying to stop the Valg from gaining hosts. Kim notes they've now heard the Valg lore approximately fifteen times. Rick is fine with it. Yrene Gets Chased by a Demon Through Antica: A Valg creature hisses her name through doorways and she sprints for Chaol's suite. Chaol, in his chair, immediately commits to throwing his dagger as a last resort. Logistically questionable. Most romantic demon attack in recorded history. Elide Drops the Nuclear Option: When Lorcan pushes too hard, Elide tells him her uncle brought her to Morath to breed her bloodline with the Valg and that the catacombs explosion was not an accident. She closes with: "When you kill my uncle, ask him yourself." Lorcan does not recover. Falkan Ennar Shows Up and Rick Is Delighted: The merchant who traded twenty years of his life to the Stygian spiders — and looks fifty at age twenty-seven — is a character from Assassin's Blade. The spiders are Valg. Everything is connected. Rick and Kim spend thirty seconds hating Tower of Dawn before completely reversing course. Amanda will be back next week, rested and ready to read. Up next: Tower of Dawn chapter 32 through Empire of Storms chapter 51 — find the official tandem read order online and follow along. Drop your Knicks takes and your Falkan theories in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe!

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Welcome to Romantasy Roundtable: A Tale of Rick and Roses! Join us for an engaging book club and read-along experience as we explore the enchanting world of romantasy, diving into captivating stories and unforgettable moments together! Hosted by Rick and his "roses," this podcast-style channel explores the most spellbinding books in the romantic fantasy genre. What You'll Find Here: Read-alongs of popular romantasy books. Thoughtful analysis of characters, plot twists, and those unforgettable spicy moments. A warm and inclusive space for book lovers to share their thoughts and join the conversation. Always lighthearted, fun, and a bit unhinged Join the Court! Become part of our growing community of romantasy enthusiasts. Share your favorite books, theories, and moments with fellow "rosebuds." New Episodes Grab a book and settle in for an adventure filled with magic and love. Don't forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode!

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