episode 13

Marissa and Berenna are back to discuss the second part of "The Queen of Shadows." They apologize for any missed details in the previous episode. The storyline follows Manon as she struggles with the Duke's orders to breed with the Black Zeke clan and kill a rebel camp. Meanwhile, Dorian is still trapped and showing signs of being influenced by the demon. Aelin sneaks out to find Hellfire, a dangerous explosive. She and Rowan discover a hidden temple and learn that the Valg King is still alive and being held captive. The Thirteen, Manon's coven, express their concerns about the breeding and killing orders. They encounter Roland, who tortures them based on their eye color. It is revealed that those with golden eyes are descendants of the Valg King. Alrighty, let's put a bookmark in it so I can welcome you back to the Fiction Corner. We are your hosts, Marissa and Berenna, here today to help finish off The Queen of Shadows. We are on part two. Part one last week was intense. There was a lot to cover. We apologize for anything that was missed or a little bit out of order. Like we said, it just, it was a lot. So some things can get lost in the shuffle, but I do think we hit the big points and now we are on to part two, which got even more juicy. Yeah, it's like every time, like the last half of these books are just insane. So much happened. I don't even see how. I'm like, your part one is longer and part two is shorter, yet still so much more. So I know it's just dense, really. All right. Well, do you want to kick it off for us? Yeah, sure. So yeah, we start kind of back with Manon at this point. The Duke does tell her that he now wants a Black Zeke clan for like the next implementation for the breeding process, which is terrifying. And obviously she's super against this. She's like, why does it have to be, you know, our clan essentially? And he also tells her that the Thirteen is instructed to kill this like rebel camp. And like, at this point, Manon is still kind of struggling with that like right wrong thing that we kind of talked about too in part one as well. So yeah, any thoughts on that whole situation where they go? I thought it was just intense because, you know, they're showing Taltaine's power to a higher extent. You know, we saw her torturing one person. And now we see that it almost seems like she doesn't get burnt out, but that she goes in and pretty much just almost slaughters this village or this rebel camp. And then the Duke is just like, oh, any, you know, kind of stragglers, the Thirteen is going to go in and take care of. Yeah, it's like she can actually like the power can touch multiple people. It's not just one person she has to focus on. It's like she can kind of blanket the shadowfire over multiple people. Yeah, it's like a little fog rolling in. But yeah, that it like I said, it definitely showed the scope of her powers, which was definitely interesting because, you know, when we first meet Taltaine, she's just kind of a kind of stuck up and power hungry in the sense of, you know, moving up royalty lines. But now we're seeing her as powerful in a completely different way and under the control of the Duke. And so it's just like, oh, this isn't good for anyone. No. I think I'm like, they're so powerful. It seems like all of them in Morath. I was like, how is like Aelyn and her small little clan going to actually fight these people? There's like four of you. I know. I was like, you guys don't have many people. This is crazy. But yeah, speaking of Ardalyn and Rifthal and everything, we are still seeing through Dorian's eyes in some ways that, you know, he's throughout this part, you know, he's torturing alongside the demon that he's kind of given it more control. He's like, feeding alongside the demon, which was very interesting and weird. And I am curious if that's going to come up in later books, like if it's changed him in some way. It's just sad seeing him just kind of trapped in there still. I know he's like, kind of like giving up in a way like, I think he just like, it's like, he doesn't want to like it, but he's liking it because the demon likes that kind of thing. So yeah, the demons emotions are kind of becoming his too now. So yeah, he was like, mortified and like, you know, kept wanting to speak out but couldn't kind of thing. And now it's like, the their emotions are kind of blending. Yeah, it's all blurring together. Yeah, there's like no clear cut line anymore. No. But then we find out, you know, Aelin was sneaking out, going back to the Shadow Market, trying to find Hellfire, which, as Rowan has explained, is not something you want to mess with, like at all. But it is extremely explosive that even like a small little bit just wipes people out. It's not to be taken lightly. It reminds me either like, like a little bit of a bomb or like, dynamite, essentially, like stronger dynamite. I thought about when they were talking about it. And yeah, like, like talking about it when they go and find it and handle it. It's like, they're just all very, very cautious. I know they're like, don't sneeze the wrong way. But it was definitely very creepy where they found it. So underneath the Shadow Market is like this old kind of burial grounded temple. I just call it the Bone Temple. Yes, yeah. And it's, I think it's like based off of the God of Truth is kind of what they say. And that throughout it, it's these kind of horrible people who were buried here, but they wrote their final confessions in this area as well. And as Aelin has said multiple times, there are no coincidences, but she has a lot. Yes. She and Rowan go pretty deep into this tunnel system to find pretty much like Gavin's final confessional. So this is from forever and a day ago that him and Alayna had fought, you know, this Valg King, and it destroyed him. And we come to find out in this little tunnel system that that is not the case, that the king is just jay chilling under the Morse Mountain, where the Duke has set up shop. And that's kind of what they're after is to free him and have an army available for him. Yeah, so I guess like, they like, I guess the big thing was that he couldn't like, Gavin and Alayna couldn't kill him, like they couldn't find a way to kill him. So they used him to like, what, they used the eye of Alayna to like, trap him temporarily. That's how I took it. Yeah. And then they put him under the mountain and like the sealed sarcophagus, essentially, to kind of prevent him from escaping. And yeah, so the king obviously wants to awaken him and plans for him to lead an army, which is terrifying. Way worse than what's already been going on. So I was like, if it couldn't get any worse, here we go. Yep. And they're like, ah, crap. Yep. So the storyline of Manan and the Thirteen and Aelin start lining up more and more now that, you know, they have this weapon that they're going to end up bringing to the king and showing the king. And, you know, through them, we start seeing, you know, the Thirteen are, I don't want to say uprising against Manan, but trying to get her to see things a little bit more clearly. Like, hey, they are, you know, your grandmother is not helping us. That you need to do something to protect our coven. And I thought, yeah, because at first, like in the first part, it was really, we just heard from Asteryn. So I was just like, is it just Asteryn who's kind of like, speaking out? But now it's like, the whole coven, like, has like, basically intervention. Which was like, oh, shit, she's not going to like that being put on the spot. And yeah, they basically tell her they don't agree with the breeding and the request to kill, like, to kill by the duke. They don't want to be controlled. And then, yeah, this is when they encounter the bow. And oh my god. This was crazy. Because I was like, throughout all the last couple books, I was like, where is Roland? I know. You know, we've seen Kaltain at this point, who's under significant control and has really great powers. And then Enstral's Roland, which is the gold haired, you know, we've mentioned before in part one, that Elid had seen this golden hair boy or man watching over the covens that were in the birthing suite. Yes. Yes. And it turns out it was it was Roland. I'm not sure how long he was under this control, but it almost sounds like it was pretty fresh for him because he was able to switch between the two or that it's more this interaction with Manon. So, yeah, I kind of wondered if it was more Manon's interaction with him. Also, like... Manon, damn it. I'm sorry. Oh, Manon, yeah. I don't know. I keep saying it too. I keep doing the same thing. I give up. You're going to hear both, everyone. Is he wearing a collar? I don't know if they mentioned that. I think he is. I thought he was wearing a collar because she cut his head off. Okay. Okay. Yeah, because I couldn't remember because I know originally when he came to the castle, he was wearing the ring and then they must have switched to the collar at some point because I wasn't sure if that had something to do with it too. I was like, well, if he was just wearing the ring, maybe that's why he was more... But I think it's more Manon's presence. You're right. Like something with the eyes. Yeah, we learned a little bit more about that too. I am super curious about that, that she notes during this time that he unleashes some dark power on them. And we never really find out what Roland's actual gifts are, but he kind of does the same thing that Palutene does, that he unleashes something to kind of torture everyone. I think it was the Shadowfire. Because I think Keltaine mentioned, I think in part one, that she said something about how she could transfer that power to something else. So I don't know if they were able to harness her power somehow. I don't know. I'm not sure though, but don't quote me on that, but I didn't know if maybe she was able to transfer or give him some power or something like that. Yeah. Well, either way, we learned that he tortures the Coven or the Thirteen, but only those that do not possess any of the golden black eyes, that they have to have these kind of normal eye colors. Those who have this other eye color are actually more closely linked or have greater ties to the Vow King, it sounds like. Yeah. So that's kind of what we find out later is that, what is it? The golden eyes, are direct descendants from a Vow King, essentially. And so it scares the princes and the standard Vow. Yeah. They break out. They're like, don't touch her. Don't talk to her. Don't look at her. It's just crazy. This is very cool. I liked this part with Minon and this whole kind of storyline in the second part. Yes. I agree that I really started to like her a lot more during part two, that she grew a ton. Yeah. The one question, though, I had with this part, because she wasn't affected originally with Roland, able to kill him and some of her other Thirteen with the gold black eyes. But then when she confronts Kaltain... I had that too. Yeah. I'm confused. She was affected by like the Shadowfire in that part. So I think it's because, and we'll talk about this later, that Kaltain isn't under the control anymore. So it's actually Kaltain making that decision or using her own powers versus like the Vow controlling something and like being afraid of it. That would be my guess. Okay. Good point. That's a good point. But yeah, so she does kill Roland, cuts his head off, which Roland tells her to. He's like, you know, they look each other in the eyes. He goes, my name is Roland. Please kill me. And she does. I know. Which I was like, Roland? I feel bad for Roland too. I'm like, damn, like all these people, like they've had absolutely no control, no choice. And yeah, it kills me. It just, yeah, it's just sad. So like you said, she then goes to confront Kaltain and try and learn something. And Kaltain just grabs her arm and like causes the Shadowfire there. And it's basically like, go the fuck away and just walks off. So then we kind of jump back over to Rifthold for a little bit that we're now starting to find out more about the army that he's building, that the king has, the wyvern that he's created. He has the witches, he has the soldiers, he has the princes. And you're like, damn, Louise. I know. Yeah. Obviously, Aelin's group didn't know about any of that. So like them finding that out is like a big punch in the gut. They're like, we didn't think this would be this big. At least have weak ankles or something. I mean, come on. But this is also where Lorten confronts Aelin and Rowan and is like, I will make you a deal. I will give you the ring, which we find out that Knave did not want it for sentimental reasons, which was kind of what we were led to believe that she still has this like shred of okayness in her. She doesn't. She's terrible. That the ring, for whatever reason, can kind of contain or hold off any valve control. And so she wanted it to make sure she was safe, which makes sense. And he's like, in return, I will give you the ring if you give me the amulet or the word key, because I know you have it. And so they're like, yeah, they're like, well, we got to find a way out of that one. Yeah. So they're like trying to figure that out because Lorten really isn't on their side that, again, he's still indirectly serving the next thing I have written for this part. And then there's Rowan being all horny. I know. Yep. Frigging Aelin in her night outfits. Oh, my gosh. I know. I'm waiting for them to get together. I'm like, are you guys going to just like kiss already? Like, you're going to die. Just get it over. I know. So just before, and this is where the storylines really tie together, that Manon, her grandmother, the Covens, are scheduled to go meet with the king. And we find out Keltaen is actually in full control of herself, but has no real memories. Oh, this is awesome. I loved this part. This was incredible. I was like, I love this dark evil version of Keltaen. She is wonderful. I know. She deserves everything. Yeah, I thought this was so cool, the fact that she's actually able to defeat the Vell Prince inside her somehow. And we find out that she was a fire wielder, too. Yes, like a golden fire wielder, which I was like, okay. I was like, shit, this is awesome. And she was able to kind of turn her magic into like, obviously, this dark version. But yeah, she's actually just been pretending this whole time. Which almost makes it worse, because like, with the Vow, you can kind of turn yourself off. But she's been experiencing the torture, the abuse, the sexual abuse, like everything, firsthand. She just has to kind of ignore it to make sure no one finds out what she has been able to do. But I mean, it's crazy that someone can do that, though. Because like, we haven't seen that with anyone else. They've been able to fully conquer, you know, the Vow inside of them, essentially. She's the only one that's been able to do that. And a prince, nonetheless, too. Yeah, and completely on her own. Like, no outside help. Right. I thought that was really cool. Yeah. So I do wonder if it's because she had fire within her, like, but she's just incredible. I know. Yeah, you're right. Like, because they do fear fire. So like, she's made of that in a way. So yeah, I thought that was great that they added that. I was like, yeah, really cool storyline. I like this. It really made me like her. But so as we said, in part one, Erebon always has the last laugh. And so speaking of, I know, like, dude, just stay dead already. I know. So it turns out his will had like a second part to it that was immediately dispatched upon his death that told the king what Lysandra was. And so I literally wrote Erebon still being a dick behind the grave. But so they take Lysandra, and they're taking her to the coven. So they're exchanging prisoners and information, and we're going to learn about the weapon, which is all that keeps being said on that. And I really like this, like meeting in the woods that they have, because a lot happens. So much. This is awesome. So Manon, you know, is her, you know, spiteful little self and kind of talks back to the king, which I like. I was like, good for you, girl. Obviously, her grandmother. She's not afraid. Yeah, I know. It's amazing. Her grandmother does not like that later and slaps her because she's a twat. But this definitely gets a really good insight into the eye thing that we were talking about, that the king and her grandmother go into the wagon, which she hates that she was not a part of this. And I think all these little things just keep breaking her down like, okay, you're using our coven, you're not trusting us, you're, you know. So I think it's all very important little things. But she like stalks over to the prince to have a little chit chat with him and can smell the Val prince on him. And I love Dorian in this, like, it was so perfect, because it was just this one, he was kind of himself again, but kind of darker version, just like Palpatine, where he's like, I'm just gonna say these, like, kind of sleazy things, so that it'll trick you into killing me. Yeah, but like, I mean, this is awesome to see, too, because it was like, oh my gosh, like, Dorian regained some control and whatever this like, the spell creature was afraid of Manon. So like, I, again, I just think that this is such an interesting storyline. Yeah. These demons are so afraid of her. And it's like telling Dorian, don't talk to her. Don't look at her. Like, he's not inside of him. Like, and like, I just thought that was, yeah, I just thought that was such a cool, like, thing to do. And like, potentially is able to gain more, like, control again. And I thought that was so cool. I am so curious. He actually remembers his name, too, which is- Yes. Yeah, he like, says it. He's like, oh, shit, that's, that's me. But I'm so curious, what is going to happen with the Covens? Like, I, I feel like they're going to play a huge part in winning the war, turning the tides, or getting rid of the, the Valgs, or the Valgs. Like, I, I really think so. Oh, yeah, I agree. Especially since, like, they fear them so much. Yeah. It's just like, they're the upper hand, right? And so they can get on the good side, officially. Like, they could, yeah, like you said, they can really turn the tides in Aelin's favor. And I wonder if that's why, like, the King brought them on. Not so much to be the aerial force, but to be like, okay, the Valgs, like, are scared of you. Let's have you on our side then. Yeah, that's actually a really good point. That would be smart of them to try and, like, force them to, you know, be with them instead. Yeah, so I'm curious about that. But Kael finally realizes, which is crazy, it's like, Dorian snaps back to himself briefly, but Kael is finally on the, like, okay, we need to kill Dorian first. I know, and because he, like, doesn't realize what's happening. He just sees that interaction and is like, that's not Dorian. And I think, yeah, seeing him in person and just realizing he is not who he was, I think that just, like, solidifies everything that Aelian and Aelin were trying to tell him. And I feel terrible in this part, because he's like, you know, like you said, this is the one time that he does, like, is in control a little bit here. Like, Kael's like, I'm going to kill him. And I'm like, no, I'm doing it. I know. So they free Lysandra, get her out. And then Kael being Kael, because his thought process is- He's so stupid. So he runs after Dorian to kill him. He gets to, you know, where it says, witches to the left and Dorian to the right. And he goes, better go left. Right into the witches. And he's like, surprise, motherfuckers. I know, he's like, wait, wrong group. I literally wrote down, Kael goes to kill Dorian, but runs into the witches. He's a stupid Kael. Oh my gosh. Aren't you supposed to be, like, the head of the guard and everything? And you can't even, like, look through a bush and be like, wrong group. I know. And then Aelyn, too, when she comes to, like, save him, then she admits to killing Yellowlegs. And I wrote down, stupid, stupid Aelyn. I was like, why would you, like, antagonize them? I was like, they just let you go. I know. Walk away. And then just, just, just let me back away. Everything's going to be fine. Why antagonize them more? Yeah, because it seemed like they were going to go. And she's like, they're not going to let us go. So I'm just going to piss them off more. I know, oh my gosh. Okay. But it ends up working out well for them. So she, Manon keeps mentioning, like, why is this freaking girl, like, drawing in the dirt? Like, she's nervous and inexperienced. And Aelyn's just like, draw my word mark. I love that part. So she catches her in the word mark. They make it to the bridge where, you know, everyone's getting across. But then Manon and Aelyn end up having this big battle. And it sounds like it's almost like an island, but like, there's a bridge, this kind of temple area, and then a second bridge. And so everyone, including Manon, has gotten across this first bridge. They cut the first bridge so that no more of the witches can get across. Rowan gets shot at one point, and he's getting across the second bridge while she's fighting Manon, is how I took it. And it's like an intense battle. They're, they're pretty darn evenly matched. I love this part. Yeah, I loved seeing them battle. And I was like, I was waiting for them to meet. So I was like, yes, finally. Yes, you guys are meeting. This is great. Yeah. And how I thought in my head was, you know, they're battling. But there's, you know, these pillars holding up the dome ceiling of the temple. And pretty much Aelyn kept hiding behind each of them until Manon had, like, cut them down and let it cave in on herself. And so it caves in. Aelyn starts running and says, I felt this tug back to her, which maybe I'm an awful person. I would not listen to any of my tugs. I'd be like, see you later. I know. Yeah, I don't. What did she say that was like a tug back to? It was similar to like the healer that she previously met. So like, yes, yes, to go back and help her. That was a weird comparison. I felt like I was like, I was a little confused about that. I don't know. Like, the healer was like the first person she like helped without any. Yeah, yeah, I agree. Because I didn't really feel like in Assassin's Blade, it was like, I felt this, you know, tug or I feel like it wasn't made super important. I was like, wait, that happened. But OK. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know. Yeah, maybe it was just a comparison because like, you know, because that was the first time she helped someone without like any thought like regarding herself. Yeah, maybe. And yeah, we kind of find out later, too, like she admits that, you know, she heard Asterix screaming Manon's name across the bridge. And that was her big reason. Right. Because, yeah, because, you know, that's the way she screams for Rowan, right? When Rowan got shot. Right. And so like, I think that was like the biggest thing probably for her was like someone cared so much about her and I would die if I lost Rowan kind of thing. Yeah. I thought that was very interesting, especially because she, you know, now owes this life debt, which I think she will continue to pay it into the next books. I do think so. So, you know, Rowan's been shot. He's not able to heal because there's not magic. At first, I thought it was like poison for some reason, because I was like, he's like dying pretty easily from this. But it sounds like he's just kind of mortal at this point. Right. They don't have their magic to heal them quickly. So, yeah, the all powerful Rowan in the last book who like, you know, couldn't get a scratch on him. But now he's mortal. So. Yeah. Which I really like Willie's feeling. He's like, I'll give the humans more props now, I guess. So they get to Nesrin, her like, not her family home, but like a country home, I guess. Or no. She doesn't have a midwife there. Some sort of family member. Some relationship there. And there's a midwife there who helps take care of them. This is where Fleetfoot is hanging out. So they get Rowan on the men's and get back to Rifthold. Over in Manon's, you know, line, there's a lot happening there, too, with her second. Elid, we find out, was taken by Vernon and kind of his plans with her. He's like locked her away. And she's already resigned herself to be like, no one's coming for me. No one cares. Oh, my gosh, you poor sweet thing. And then Aetherin tells her whole backstory. We had a little break before this. I just wanted to mention, too, Manon doesn't tell the king about the sneak attack by Aelin. That was really important, too. Give her away. She also says there's a group of rebels and I killed them all. Right. She also suggests that Dorian comes to Morath and sees like Dorian trapped in his body, too, at this point. Visibly see that, you know, that he's trapped in there. No, that's huge. And then we also find out that the weapon is that Tower of Mirrors. Yes. Shoot. Oh, my gosh. You're right. You're good. Don't worry. I just want to mention that, too. Yeah, when you think about what that is, like her grandmother does tell her, it's like a Tower of Mirrors that's used to amplify the king's power to basically destroy everyone. Yeah. Or the duke tells her that, right? Yeah. And it's like it almost sounds like it'll reflect the shadow fire somehow. Yeah. They'll be able to use that against pretty much everyone. Yeah. So, yeah. But they, you know, get back to the mountains and Aetherin goes into, we're kind of, you know, not life story, but what happened 80 plus years ago. Right. She's so protective of witchlings and that, you know, that journey, like, again, I had no words for the story. This was so sad. Oh, my gosh. And for all the witches, it was like terrible to read this. I was upset. Yeah, it really made me hate the grandmother even more, like, didn't like her a ton as is. But, you know, we come to find out that she had fallen in love with a human, got pregnant, and, you know, comes back to have the baby and has a stillborn, which is just absolutely devastating, heartbreaking. And instead of the grandmother sympathizing in any way, she tells her she's unclean, she sucks at life, brands her, her by letter, and then throws her out to die, doesn't even let her see the baby either. And just, it definitely showed how little she cares about what happens to these other witches, if it's not furthering kind of her agenda or her end. Exactly. Yeah. And this is kind of when Minon, like, finally understands, like, it finally gets through to her. And like, that's exactly what she needed to hear, to be fully against her grandmother, the Duke, everything that's happening here. So yeah, this was, I mean, yeah, that was a really emotional, really emotional part. Yeah. And then they're just like, okay, we need to go to Rifthold. So she's kind of finally understanding and transitioned out of her complete witchiness into somewhat okayness. Yes. So we see then Lorcan come and the exchange of the quote unquote, amulet for the ring. Lysandrima says a really good ruler, because apparently, he's just making things left and right. I know a lot of replicas of a lot of things. Oh my gosh, he's doing well. Yeah. So they get the ring from him, give him a fake amulet that has the previous ring from Steven, the Volg. You know, they at least have this one protection for themselves. And they start working on this general plan of, you know, how to take magic, I keep saying take magic down, but to bring it back, and how to get Dorian. So it's not necessarily that they're going after the king at this point, that their primary goals are the tower and Dorian. They definitely like, they kind of plan to kill him. Kale and Aelin kind of finally apologize to each other. Like I had written down, damn, I've been waiting for this the entire book. I was like, finally, you guys. About time. So they're like, both finally on the same page. They're a little bit more even keel now. We also find out that Manon is a descendant of the Val King too, which we kind of talked about. Yeah. I think Aelin buys Lysandra's freedom in there. Yeah, it was definitely one of those like, BT dubs, like one paragraph thing that you're like, false. I know. It's just like, okay, nice. Everything. Everything's kind of coming together. Everyone's being nice to each other. Yeah. And then yeah, we see what Manon leaves the message that she leaves for Aelin, which is so fucking good. I love this. Yeah. I love that she calls I know, yeah. The human is still inside him. And I was like, yes, finally. I was like, we're not killing Dorian. We're not killing him. So she runs off to Kale and have a slight tweak in their plans. But the next morning is like when they're going after everything. So Aelin and Rowan finally get their Mac on. They share their, their first kiss. I know it was very sweet. It was a very nice moment that I finally, finally, finally do. But then of course, Rowan's like, you know, I'd have sex with you too. But I'm not that quiet. I don't want Aelin listening in. I was like, you guys need to move the country. So, you know, they're getting these final, final events in place. Kale is updated on everything, which Kale has finally come around to not being such a, you know, poopy face. So the plan is they're going to basically chain up Kale, have Aelin playing as Selina, go into the castle, and that'll get her into the throne room. And then they're specifically going after Dorian from there, while Rowan and Aedian are blowing up the tower with the hellfire. This does not go quite as planned. Nope, nope, it doesn't. Not for you. For anyone, which is to be expected. The first thing that is actually super heartbreaking, I was very sad about this, that they're walking up to the castle, and all of Kale's men are like, dead on the wall. So there's Rhys, there's Brulio, people that, you know, are just sweet and funny and, you know, mentioned more frequently in part one, and then just kind of go missing. And like Kale says, he was like, I thought they were just lying low. They're lying very low, as in dead. Yeah, I felt really bad for Kale in this moment, too, because I think he's like, it's just like, it's like one realization after the next. And I think at this point, I almost think that he just wants to die at this point. Yeah, he's just so broken. Yeah, he's like, too much has happened. I can't, I can't do this anymore kind of thing. Yeah. And I think he realizes, too, that he wants to kind of sacrifice himself the way Dorian sacrificed himself. So I think he's kind of like, kind of coming around to some more of that as well. Yeah, that everyone else has given everything. Now he wants to as well, for Dorian. They both have, you know, the word marks on that they get into, excuse me, into the throne room and present these fake rings. Again, go fake jeweler. And the king immediately is like, dude, I know who you are. I know. I was like, this is stupid. Like, why wouldn't he expect you at this point? Come on. And everyone's like, took you long enough. Even the king himself is like, I should have figured that one out. Yeah, right. So the king knows who she is. He tortures Dorian real quick and then is like, okay, Dorian, you go after Aelin. I'm going to handle Kale. Well, underground, we've got Rowan and Aideon unspooling their little thread just to run into pretty much all the word hounds that are on Rowan's scent because fucking Lorcan. I know. I know. I'm so annoyed with that. Like, come on. So this is when shit really hits the fan that Dorian is going after Aelin. And I love their whole chase scene. So much talking. But I really love their chase scene. I thought it was extremely cool that the Valg is using Dorian's powers. Dorian is nowhere to be seen at this point. He is not quite like Palutene. He is not fighting anymore. He's just in his little corner. But it sounds like, though, and correct me if I'm wrong, they were running across one of the bridges that Dorian froze it and they fell. And then they're running up another set of stairwell. And he had their, like, pinned against a door. Yeah. I was a little confused on, like, the geographical location of that at that point. Yeah, I was too. I think that they're still on a bridge at the end there. Okay. Because I think that's like when he, like, fully crashes it. That's like, he, like, breaks the bridge. Okay. I think it's a glass bridge, too, because everything's glass. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So I thought this was super clever. Obviously, Aelyn is very, very smart. But how she is to set up, she's, like, begging Dorian to come back. She's saying Shorsha's name and, like, trying to remind him of everybody. And he's just like, no, no go, bro. And stabs her in the side with a little ice pick. Rowan feels it right away. And starts battling more aggressively, which they're not doing very well. No, they're not. They're dying, too. They're dying right now. So, I literally wrote, like, they're not doing too much. What ends up happening is Rowan is, I think Lorkhan comes in, kills some of the wordhounds. Rowan has a very brief moment of, you know, his leg is broken. Like, they have to haul him out. Aedian lights the fuse, and they all start sprinting. Yeah, I thought this was weird. I was, like, why is Lorkhan now coming to their rescue? I was, like, this is so strange. Yeah, I... Obviously, we don't really find out until, like, kind of later, but... I still don't trust him. I just... I don't either. Something's up. Yep. Lorkhan kind of helps them there. They blow up the tower, which is the edge that they needed. That Celaena gets her powers back. She's able to briefly, kind of improperly heal herself. Rowan has some powers. Lorkhan has his powers. Rowan's kind of healing himself. Aelin has gotten the ring on Dorian, which was incredibly clever. And he's now able to fight with the demon inside of him. Yeah. And I think what pushes him over the edge is when the king shows up, and he's like, Kayla's dead. And Dorian snaps at that point. But so Dorian is able to get his little choke collar off. Lissandra comes in super strong at this point. Guys! Because again, the guys are not doing very well. Lorkhan, like, just kind of takes off. He's like, bye guys. Yeah, he's like, I helped enough. I'm good. You guys can handle the rest of these bad demons for yourself. And then Aelian was ready to sacrifice himself. I was like, oh my god. Like, you're all gonna die. Yeah. And Lissandra just comes in tooth and nail, which, you know, she left Evangeline, was like, hey, you need to take care of yourself. I need to go help them. Comes in as a ghost? Leopard. Leopard, yes. Yeah, which we've talked about before, like the inventions, like some of the shape shifters turning into them, and she didn't know what they were. And here she is. Now she's like coming in. So it's like a cute little thing, like a little throwback from their conversation. I loved it, especially because she just wanted fangs and sharp claws. And I'm like, there we go, girl. Yep. So she's basically killing everyone because it sounded like there was like hundreds of the Valk soldiers down there. Yep. And, you know, they're not fighting anyone. So she's like, all right, I guess I'll just take on the whole army by myself. I know, she just like bulldozes them, it seems like. No, so she gets out, starts going towards the castle. Nesrin helps her get through. And then Dorian losing, loses his fucking mind. Like, oh. Yeah, that's crazy. Like, Dorian and Aelin were like using their powers together at one point, which was wild. I was like, well, they're not Karinam like her and Rowan are. But like, it just sounds like Dorian's powers are beyond anything that anyone else has. Yeah. Infinite, essentially is what they describe his powers as being, which is really crazy. So he's super powerful. Yeah. I hear about the king and you can talk about this more. Yes. Oh my gosh. Okay. So I asked my sister about this, that Dorian doesn't have like a specific power, like, oh, it's meant to know his, you know, ice and that kind of stuff, but not necessarily that his is just like raw magic, that he can do whatever the heck he wants. And part of that is kind of not draining other people, like we were saying, but like, take some of their magic as well and kind of combined it. But his dad, the king comes up and is like, Kayla's dead, the Dorian snaps, and then the king's like, oh, by the way, I've been under control this whole time. Did he lose the ring? He like lost the ring? I think so. Yeah. Because he didn't have like a necklace at any point. He just had the ring. I don't know if he like, did he take it off or someone took it off of him? Or is it like a blown up somehow? I'm not sure. But it's yeah, because yeah, at this point, this was like, crazy. Like he was saying that he isn't the bad guy, basically. Yeah, it was the Duke who orchestrated all this thing that released heroin. And that basically allowed the king to be inhabited by a Belg. And that the king built the towers, not for his own selfish reasons, but to protect Dorian. And because they, because he was afraid that these people, these Valves were going to come find how powerful Dorian was, and take him. Yeah. And I was just like, wait, what? Yeah. And that the king came to Aelin for help, essentially, because he knew that the Valves feared fire and wanted to be killed. Yeah. He wanted her to kill him and the Valves inside of him. I was shook. I don't know what to think. And obviously, we don't hear more from him because Dorian killed him. But like, yeah, you don't know what to believe. You're like, is it? And like, the thing that I was like, thinking about too is like that Dorian was so young when all this started, and all this happened. So he probably doesn't have any good memories of his father. Yeah. So like he, even if his father was a good person, like previously, like he wouldn't remember, right? Yeah. Because this is the only person Dorian knows. So like, how do you believe this guy? Right. And I feel like at that point, and maybe this is just my personal belief that if I had done that many terrible things, even if it was out of my control, and like I was being controlled, I'd just be like, just kill me. Like, I don't want those memories. Doesn't he ask to be killed, like kill me? Doesn't he say that? I feel like he kind of goes back and forth. That like, Dorian's going towards him to kill him. And he's like, my boy, my son. And I'm like, I feel like you're trying to spare yourself. Right. Yeah, it was a, I couldn't decide. I couldn't decide either. I was like, at one point, I think he said, like, please kill me. But then, but then I don't know if he was just like, begging them to spare him afterward. Like he regretted saying that. Or if he just wanted Dorian to know. Yeah, nothing to complain. But yeah, so it turns out, all of this has been like, kind of the Duke's doing, that he is actually under the control of the Valk King, which is not good. No, no. And that when they were younger, for whatever reason, they went down in the mountains, the Duke was like, let's, you know, free this guy for kicks and giggles. And he did. And it took over his body. Just wild. Which I don't know. Yeah, I really don't know what to think about this part if it's like actually true or not. But I mean, even Aelyn was like, a little like kind of hesitant to kill him too, because she kind of wanted to question him more. Yeah, she understood why Dorian did what he did, obviously. Because like, regardless, this guy's done so much harm, like, they can't keep going back and forth, because I don't think they'll ever be able to trust him anyway. Yeah, exactly. Which I was curious if Aelyn was also trying to prevent Dorian from doing it, just so he wouldn't have to live with that, that she was like, let me do it. So if you want to be angry, you can be angry at me, but you don't feel guilty for killing your own father. But she does. Yeah, they're like, oh, so I think that's what it is. You mentioned that they had like the, they held hands, had the like intense magic. I bet that's what got rid of the ring for him. Oh, yeah, yeah. That was my guess. But then Dorian like, screams, is it? And like, brings down the whole castle? Is that what happens? Yeah, some sort of magical power. And then yeah, Aelyn actually surrounds the whole area. So that glass doesn't like fly literally everywhere and kill everyone. So she does protect everyone. But yeah, so they kind of all fall basically unconscious after they're basically burned out from magic. But we do find out that Kael lives, thank God. I was like, oh my god, are they really killing him off? I was like, I guess this is it. I don't know. But he lives, which I'm, I'm happy about. I'm glad he did have a nice redemption there. So yeah, and the reason he survived was Aelyn slipped the eye of Delaina into his pocket. And then it's like courage for others, like above yourself, that protects you. And so it protected him against the king's magic. Sweet. That was really sweet. I was very cool. Downside for him is he's now paralyzed. I know I couldn't believe it. Yeah. So him and Nefrin are gonna head to the southern continent where the big healers compound is and try and get him healed. So then yeah, we kind of jump back then to Vernon. Yeah. And oh my god, this part was crazy, too. So like, right after all that craziness happened with them, all this craziness is happening. And yeah, so Vernon essentially plans to breed a line, which is terrible. And they're trying to make more kings is essentially their plot. And with her bloodline being witch, and magic and all this stuff, they think that she's gonna be able to do it. But then Cochran or Cormac. That's what it is. Cormac. Yeah, that's the last episode. But yeah, it sounds like he's just gonna like, rape her but in plainest. I was like, Oh, God. I know. But man, it does save her. Awesome. I'm so happy that I love that part. Yeah, man is really choosing a side finally, which is awesome. Yeah. And also Manon hears a voice in her head as Aelin does. Yes. Queen of Elena. Like, who's like helping her and I was like, oh shit. Yes. Like, here we go. And then Kelpain has her big moment. Oh, God. I know. I so I love the ending for them that, you know, Manon runs down the stairs after like, looking everywhere for her, which I love because like, the other workers were like, we were going to try and free her, which I was like, Oh, people do care about her. Like, I know. And she's like, yeah, she's constantly thinking that no one cares about her. No one. Yeah, I really like that. But they like, she gets down these stairs, she sees the guards just like laughing at her and dragging her out while she's like, naked. And I loved her line. She like comes up to the guards kills two of them. I don't know if the guards say something to her, but she just goes, you're already dead and slaughters them. I love that just all these really strong female characters. So then Kelpain just like meanders in and she's like, hey, guys, I am dead inside. So I'm going to kill everything. Yeah. And I, yeah, I love this for her. Like, I like, she's been obviously through so much, probably way more than any of these other characters have been. I agree. And so like, she deserved this more than anyone to be able to like, have this ending. Yeah. Which the biggest part for this was, yeah, like lift up her arm, opens up the scar and pulls out a little frickin word key. Yes, I know. Incredible. Incredible. What a fucking reveal. I was like, Oh my god, she has a big inflection. And I find a scar was there the whole time. I was like, wow, I'm shocked. Yeah, because I kept thinking that it was like, oh, some weird blood bond and he's just possessive of her. But no, right. That's where his key is. To give it if she tells her to give it to Selena Sardovian. And I'm curious as to why she uses that name and doesn't say Aylin. So I don't think she knows that they're the same people yet. She doesn't? Okay. Because she's been here in the mountains this whole time. Yeah, I guess you're right. She didn't really like Aylin didn't like, reveal that to her, I guess. Yeah. So she's just saying, give this to Selena. Because she did what she could to help me and she gives like a little piece of the cloak and like wraps it all up. And I just I was like, yeah, I know. Yeah. That was really and it was like, yeah, that was the cloak that Aylin had given her. Off the my heart. It was so good. So then she's like, Alright, go away. Because if not, I don't care if you're here or not. I'm going to just tell everyone. Yep. So they take off. She pretends to be Aylin, lays down on the ground, they take her down to, you know, the dungeon where they're going to do the implant. Cormac walks in, and Calpain just smiles at him and he's like, Oh, shit, we messed up. We messed up big time. Yep. And she lights everyone on fire and brings like, what that whole tower down. It's incredible. Like they say it's like a third of that entire mountain. She just destroys. She destroys the witches who were being tortured, which they were like, super thankful for. And she turns herself to ash. So she doesn't have to endure any more like just completely wrecks havoc. So good. Such a good ending for her. I know I was really happy for her because yeah, she just she really deserved like a badass ending. And she definitely Yeah. That was crazy. It was it was cool. So now we see all of our characters kind of going in their their directions. So Manon and the 13th are going back to the Duke. We're not really sure what's going to happen there. I do think like you said that some way they're going to start trying to foil his plans. But One thing is that they do free Alive though. They bring her as far north as they can get her and then tell her to go north to Taris and to her queen. So that's Alive and yeah, yeah. Which is really big for them that they're, you know, being merciful. And so she's on her way to Taris and with a word key, and that would give our, our main court and Aelin too. Aelin, Lissandra, Rowan, Adian are all going back to Taris and Lissandra has been given like a ladyhood and land. Yeah, I like that ending for her. Evangeline is going to go with her. And Kael and Nessra are going to the healing quarters to, you know, try and get him fixed. And then also like Aelin also does tell him to try and be a ambassador of Taris and to try and get people over there to maybe help and support. Yeah. So everyone's kind of going back on their way. They say, you know, Taris and smells of pine and snow, which is like Rowan and they all feel like they're at home and it's just so beautiful. But I want to know what's going to happen with Manon and Dorian. Oh man, they're destined to be together. Oh my gosh. Yeah, no, he remembers her and babes to her and she comes looking for him. I was like, Ooh, I love those two. So I'm really excited. I think they're going to be a thing. And I think that's why Manon specifically asked her second in command, like, what does it feel like to be in love? Because I think she has a little crush on Dorian. We also find out that Lorcan realized that Aedian was Gabriel's son, which is why he came back to help. Yes, thank you. And the two of them are brothers, too. So I, like you said, I still don't trust him, but I guess we'll see where his allegiance lies later on. And yeah, just a nice thing. Obviously, Dorian becomes king of Ardalen. He makes Kael his second and Nezrin captain of his guard. So that was just like some nice stuff. Like, I think, finally, things are kind of getting more into place. Obviously, they're going to probably struggle a lot still, but it's like, they're ending up where they're supposed to be. Yeah, I definitely felt like this ending was the calm before the storm. Yes, yes. Before the giant war. At least everyone has a little bit of a happiness to them at the very end here. I know, I know. So with all of that being said, any final comments on The Queen of Shadows besides it being absolutely amazing and leaving us speechless? Yeah, it was insane. It was awesome. I don't have any other comments like that. It was crazy. So good. So, so good. So what we're going to be doing next is reading The Empire Storms and Tower of Dawn. I apologize, this may be a little confusing because we are reading the tandem version of this. And so with that being said, I will post the tandem breakdown onto our Instagram page. So if you want to refer to it, you can, or you can just look it up. It's pretty standard, most of the ones that we've seen. But the reason we're doing this is both of those books are happening at the exact same time. And I have liked that the stories we've been reading kind of go back and forth between characters, but it's all coinciding at the same time versus going all the way through for one and then jumping back and going all the way through for the other. So we're going to do that. With that being said, we're kind of estimating on how long it'll take for each thing. So like I said, I will post on Instagram. So we're going to start with in total, like the first 30, 32-ish chapters of both, or in total, not like separately. So that means for The Empire Storms, we'll read to chapter 18 and Tower of Dawn, it'll, we'll read to 16. Again, I'm not going to read through the whole breakdown because I'll just confuse you more. So it will be on our Instagram so that you can refer to it. But that is the plan. Of note, we will also be doing a bi-week next week. So there will be no podcast on the 18th, and we will pick back up on the 25th. Awesome. I'm excited. I'm curious, too, how the tandem is going to go. Is it going to be, I mean, I'm assuming it's probably like Aelin and her court. And then like Manon and Manon. Yeah, I agree. And then Elide and like some of the other lesser characters maybe for the next book. That's what I'm thinking. So we'll see. Yeah, I'm excited. I am too. It sounds so good. I've never done like a tandem book read. So I think this will be very fun. Yeah, it'll be fun. It'll be cool. All righty. Well, with that being said, go read my little bookworms.