Episode 4 - Powerless

This episode is chalked full of hot takes on our book-of-the-month: Powerless, by Lauren Roberts. Join us to hear Ali, Bee, and Riley's reactions to this story, as well as life updates and the sentimental CQ! 

Do you agree with our hot takes? Join the book club discussion and comment your thoughts on the book! We'd love to hear your thoughts!

And as always, listen all the way to the end to find out what we'll be covering next month!

Links from Ali's Aesthetics:

• 80,000 pcs Rhinestones kit
• 40,000 pcs Rhinestones kit
• Glue/ Dot pens/ tweezers pack
• Tinsel backdrop

Links from Bee's Bakes:

• Sticky Buns
• Lemon Tart
  • Tart Pan 
• Mini Lemon Tarts
  • Mini Tart Pans
• Butterscotch Cookies
• Jalapeno Poppers
• Spinach Pinwheels- Uncooked
• Spinach Pinwheels- Baked
• Crack Chicken Sliders
• Chicken Sliders
• Sword Skewers

Join us next time for our next book chat! New episodes are released the first Monday of each month.

You can join the book club and be a part of next episode's discussion by sharing CQs, book questions, book recommendations, or segment suggestions by emailing us at: wellcoveritpod@gmail.com or sending in a fan mail voice message on our website: https://wellcoverit.buzzsprout.com/. 

Also, you can DM us or check out our Instagram account to see posts related to this and previous episodes at wellcoverit_podcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

So it's not.

SPEAKER_02 0:01

We have lots to talk about. Got your Kleenexes to cry about how terrible this book is?

SPEAKER_03 0:12

Oh no.

SPEAKER_04 0:14

Always. Welcome to We'll Cover It. I'm Allie. I'm B. And I'm Riley. Grab your book.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Grab your bestie.

SPEAKER_04 0:24

And we'll cover it together.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Together.

SPEAKER_04 0:30

Every time. It's always the slowest.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

You know, by maybe the thousandth episode, I'll have it down. Oh. Hopefully.

SPEAKER_04 0:43

Will we make it to a thousand? I was hoping sooner than that.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Um I'll work on being sooner than that.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

How are you doing? It's been too long. Thank God we put this on the book. Cuz I put this gonna keep us drop. Go grab that new big. Yeah, we got a lot to say, but don't you worry, cuz the cover.

SPEAKER_04 1:28

Well, we were just chit-chatting before we officially started the recording. So, uh B, do you want to share what we were chit-chatting about?

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Yeah, I got to pamper myself today with a little pedicure with my mom, and it was probably the best pedicure I've ever had in my entire life. And I've had quite a few. I've been to like spas where you like get a robe and slippers, and yeah, a legit spa, and it was better than that, and it was so cheap. Like hot stones, hot towels twice, scrubs, lotions, leg massage, a foot massage, like all of it was just and so cheap. Wow. And it was an hour long. That's so bad.

SPEAKER_04 2:14

I know. I am like I'm feeling my feet right now, not physically and literally, but like I'm sensing how terrible and mentally picturing my feet right now. I'm just looking at my toenails. No one should do because mine are so bad. Um yeah, I would pay a lot of money for someone to I mean do that to my feet. That sounds bad.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

Well, and I don't like the color I picked. I thought it was different than what I picked, and it is well worth the entire pedicure. I would get the color again if it was like forced upon me. You have to get this neon color in order to get this pedicure. I'd say, sign me up again.

SPEAKER_04 3:01

It may grow on you. This is the hour one of having it. Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 3:06

Yes, who knows? It's not gel, so it can come off easy, and I can go get another one, you know.

SPEAKER_04 3:12

Oh, yeah. Well, what a great yourself for mother's day. Was it your gift to your mom, or were you gifted okay? It was your gift.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

No, yeah, my mom gifted me um a lunch and shopping day on her expense. I'm like very thankful.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Oh, also another update about my mother and your mothers. She would like to get a group chat with your moms and talk about us and our podcast together. Oh no, personally asked for that today at the pedicure.

SPEAKER_03 3:47

Has she listened to it?

SPEAKER_02 3:49

No, because I haven't let her. And oh my geez, and she goes, Do the other mothers listen? And I said, Yes. She was my mom doesn't. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 3:59

Well, only my mom because get her. Someone that I told about the podcast told my mom about the podcast before I told my mom about the podcast, and I was scolded. And I've also been scolded about how many times I've talked about my mom on the podcast, so I'm just continuing that now. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:24

Well, my mom would like to form an alliance with your mothers and okay, talk about the podcast together.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

Yeah, I think my mom would be a part of the group chat, even though she doesn't listen to it, but then she would listen to it then.

SPEAKER_04 4:36

She but I'd have to teach her how. That's the thing. I had to have to teach my mom how.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Okay. Okay, so directly send the link. Good to know.

SPEAKER_04 4:46

Of course, your mom won't. Oh my gosh. Can you imagine our three mother? Oh, okay. They'll form their own little book club. This is gonna be funny.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

Well, that would be funny. They would read the books with us. We'd they would have them come on. Oh my gosh, that would be so fun.

SPEAKER_04 5:04

Mother chaotic, yeah. Yeah, it would too much. Can you imagine the tech issues we would have?

SPEAKER_06 5:12

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_04 5:14

Be alone has tech issues every other time. So many tech issues.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

Actually, only this is the only time I think that we've been.

SPEAKER_02 5:26

Because I used I'm using a new laptop. So great job. Right from the get-go.

SPEAKER_04 5:32

Proud of you. You're learning.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Yeah. Enough about my grandma self is learning.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 5:41

Riley, what's new with you?

SPEAKER_04 5:44

Um, I uh I don't know, not much is like super exciting or new. Just the fact that school year is almost over. So that's exciting. Um just a couple short weeks and freedom for all. Freedom for all. Seriously. And we're ready. We're ready. Um, but we've got a lot of fun stuff planned for them this school year, so that'll be good. But um, this weekend I went to Allie's housewarming-ish party, would you call it that?

SPEAKER_03 6:19

You know, it was definitely a party, and it we probably should have just called it a housewarming party. Um but we didn't because we just had a random theme because I love a theme.

SPEAKER_04 6:31

Um, but that was gonna be my um. I know leading into your update. Um, because we got to host for the first time in our new house. So beautiful. My fiance and I are definitely both hosters, so we we just thought that was really fun and we really enjoyed doing that.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

And it was so fun to see both of our friend groups like together.

SPEAKER_04 6:52

Um because we really haven't done that. It's always kind of been like separate events for separate friend groups and stuff. So it was just fun to have our house and yard full of people that we really care about. And B, we're really sorry that you couldn't come. We wish you would have been there.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

I know. Um, she was invited, everybody. Yes, I was. My little one got strep, so could not come.

SPEAKER_04 7:17

Oh so many sicknesses, so many illnesses. I'm so you missed Allie's fiance's outfit, though.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

Oh I will tell you his outfit. Why did no one send me pictures of this?

SPEAKER_04 7:32

You know, I don't even think I got a picture of him. Yeah, oh my gosh, I was too busy pouring at all spritzes. I don't regret better than when I went to Italy and tried it. She told me that after her like first sip, and I was like, I've made it. I've made it as a host.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Look at you.

SPEAKER_04 7:53

What well? It's probably because it was just sweeter, yes. And I like normal apparel spritzes are a little bitter.

SPEAKER_02 8:00

That's true.

SPEAKER_04 8:01

I don't like to taste the alcohol. I'm right.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Then you need another party, so we can come and you know try them.

SPEAKER_04 8:10

I will be. Allie's fiance's outfit was uh man romper, yes. Oh, and it was very impressive. Um, it was summery themed, so like all like dark navy blue with like flamingos and floaties and like little martini glasses, yes.

SPEAKER_03 8:32

I had never seen it before, yeah. Like I was a nice surprise for you. I know I was dressing up for the theme, obviously. And then she looked great. Thank you. And then he came in and he's like, I don't think you've ever seen this number before, and just like it. I was like, Oh wow, no, I have not.

SPEAKER_02 8:53

I really can't wait for the outfits at like the dress rehearsal, then.

SPEAKER_04 8:58

Um I think maybe they'll be a little bit more subdued though, because yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 9:06

I don't know. Maybe it's the dress rehearsal. Let him have some freedom, Allie.

SPEAKER_04 9:11

He has thrown out some wild um wedding colors that he wanted to wear for his suit and stuff. So I've really had to reel them in. So maybe I should let him for the rehearsal dinner like do what he wants. He can have fun with that.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:27

Maybe the rehearsal dinner, the rehearsal itself, keep it classy, keep it classy, but change it. He's gonna have a change between the two. Yes, sure. Brides do it all the time. Come on, give him that, start doing it. I gotta give him something, so we'll give him that.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

So, are you saying not just the dress rehearsal? But okay, for the wedding, we're gonna dress him nicely, and then for the dinner and dance.

SPEAKER_03 9:55

No, we don't give him that idea. Do not give him that idea.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

I see Riley's thinking face.

SPEAKER_04 10:03

And all right, Riley, we're gonna skip like Superman. Yes, open up the shirt. Got another crazy shirt underneath for the dancing portion.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

That would be so oh come on, it'd be great.

SPEAKER_04 10:16

Think about your first dance and just you know, whip about flamingos, maybe post first dance, post first dance. You know, I haven't sent out invitations yet. Okay, you two better.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_04 10:32

I literally did because I asked you to be in my wedding party, so I did already invite you, I guess. But oh my gosh. If if you two were behind it, it would turn out well. So I guess I can't give you too much hate for it. But but we can kind of like take things to extreme levels.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

We could coyote. Us, us, us.

SPEAKER_04 11:00

Well, on that note, I've got to a rant. This is yeah, this is yeah, we need to moving along. I've got a quick CQ for us, quick connection question for us that we all can combine our answers together. How about that? Okay, because I know we want to talk a decent amount about our book for the for the month. So, my CQ for us is what is the one consistent factor linking our friendship together?

SPEAKER_02 11:32

Oh, I like that. That's a good one. Yeah, I think our time we spent together in college like that, uh, the bond we just formed, yeah, it it really just solidified our friendships. And no matter where each of us where we are in life, it hasn't mattered. We're just continuously there for each other. I think that um Bond really just like formed this group and our love for hosting too, I think. Yeah, we all love to host and yes, no, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

I know I was gonna say, well, obviously, where we went to to school, but I think what has kept us is like we are all very like silly and dorky in our own like ways. I feel like we uh opening up with each other, like we were all able to show each other that side, which we don't show everyone that side, right?

SPEAKER_04 12:30

Um, and so like I feel like once we all saw that, we're like, okay, like we can be our absolute most ridiculous selves with each other. Yes, I agree. Um, I feel like forcing ourselves on each other, that sounds bad again. But um, it's true. Like, I know the instant I met you, Allie. I was like, this girl and I we're the same, we are just about the same person, hair hairstyle-wise, mind-wise.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

You two are often confused, yes, um, with each other. Uh that I'm not saying that correct.

SPEAKER_04 13:17

Until they confused for each other a little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Our looks can yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 13:23

Um, so at least in college anyway. Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

I think I just globbed on to y'all. I said, Y'all are the ones that are gonna be my friends, and uh y'all thought I was crazy. Uh rightfully so. Rightfully so.

SPEAKER_04 13:38

The first night I met you, I'm pretty sure you were like, We're gonna be best friends, and then I just moved you in with Riley, and it just all worked out. Yep, it did.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

And Riley hated me at first. It's okay to admit. Riley, you did, you did, and I accept it. I just um it took a long time. You came on strong. Yes, I do, I do come on strong when I have a good feeling about someone, and like I'm like, this is a good person. Yeah, I am like, Yeah, yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 14:15

And I'm like on the other end of the spectrum where I'm like, look, don't touch. Like, maybe give me some space. I I the vibes are a little intense in here, so I'm gonna go run away. So it takes you had nowhere to run. I know, because you lived on my futon uh and refused to leave. But no, I obviously love you and loved you quickly. Took a little bit of time, but it fell in love very quickly. Yeah, I think just like us knowing pretty quickly, like, yeah, these are our people, and we're gonna stick with it and um stick to these people. Yeah, agreed.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Great question.

SPEAKER_04 15:09

Thanks, the hygiene game. Not sponsored, not sponsored, sponsored at all.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

Although you can.

SPEAKER_04 15:18

Okay, moving on.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

To what this terrible book.

SPEAKER_04 15:22

Okay, oh shall we start with a summary? Go for it. Go for it.

SPEAKER_05 15:28

You've got anyone else have a summary written?

SPEAKER_03 15:32

We just know that you're gonna do one.

SPEAKER_05 15:34

I will ask every time. I got you guys these books that have a summary to write the summary.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

I write other things in the summary part.

SPEAKER_05 15:44

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

Yeah, me too. Just my notes. Because I know you have the great summary.

SPEAKER_04 15:49

Okay, well, we'll see how great the summary is because I ran out of room very quickly. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:55

All right, here we go.

SPEAKER_04 15:55

Here we go. In the town of Ilya, this is a place where people are not allowed to be ordinary. A long time ago, there was a plague that hit, and either you died from it or you survived, or you survived and got supernatural abilities. Then, 30 years before this story begins, another sickness had spread, and the king of Ilya blamed the ordinaries for it, sparking the plaguing or killing or banishing of the ordinaries. The main character, Paydon, of our story, was born an ordinary, and her dad was a part of the resistance fighting against the king's beliefs. When Payden was 13, her dad was killed for this, which left her to live on the streets. One day, she unintentionally saves Kai, one of the king's sons, and the future enforcer of ordinary killings. And thus Peyton is thrown into something called the Purging Trials, which is basically the Hunger Games. Long story short, Peyton and Kai kiss. Payton finds out Kai killed her dad. Payton kills the king, and the book ends with Kai needing to arrest Peyton. That's it. That's the summary.

SPEAKER_03 17:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 17:16

Like I said, I ran out of room.

SPEAKER_04 17:21

Cut out uh like 75% of the book there. Did you even talk about the trials? I just mentioned that it was basically the Hunger Games. I feel like that's all you really need to know. Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. Should we start with star ratings? Okay, you're gonna hate mine. Oh, you're gonna put a five stars. I did not put five. I did not put four and a half. I gave it 3.5.

SPEAKER_02 17:45

No, yeah. This is a one and a half star book.

SPEAKER_03 17:49

Oh my gosh, stop it.

SPEAKER_02 17:51

I mean, I've got everything, including Katy Perry, Disney. Oh, you just go into it now.

SPEAKER_03 18:02

No, not yet.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

I'm hot and cold. I'm yes and no, I'm right and wrong. What does that sound like to you?

SPEAKER_04 18:09

Wait, what page was that on?

SPEAKER_02 18:11

I don't remember.

SPEAKER_04 18:12

Okay, she didn't write down the page. She said it.

SPEAKER_02 18:15

She said it.

SPEAKER_04 18:16

I think I remember. Is that when she was like, I like Kai? I don't like Kai. I like Kai. Yes, at the dance or something. She kept going back and forth, back and forth. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:26

Yes, and all I could do was sing Katy Perry the rest of the book in my head.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

I did not have that same.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

And then at one point, Kai goes, I'm the beast. She's the beauty. The beauty never wins the beast. Like, come on, did you even see the movie Beauty and the Beast, Lauren Roberts? Obviously, she does. Like, they do get together. The beauty and the beast do get together. And the rest of it is just Hunger Games. You can't rename the trials.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

Like, I mean, obviously, I did get that vibe, and that's what in my that vibe.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

She said in in one of the interviews, she says that it is heavily inspired by Hunger Games. It's not inspired, it is. It's just the new world of Hunger Games.

SPEAKER_04 19:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

I need to know your rating.

SPEAKER_03 19:13

Yeah. What's your rating, Riley?

SPEAKER_04 19:16

I feel like I gave it too high of a rating. I gave it one and three quarters.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

Yeah, so you rated it higher than me.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

I know, which I that's shocking. Now I regret what I rated it. Now I want to rate it. No, does he want to be less than B? It has to be less than B.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

Of course she wants to. She must win the lowest rating.

SPEAKER_04 19:52

No, but like your points are valid. So, and I have pages and pages of thoughts and reactions about this.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

I hated coming up for my segment because I just wanted to say, no, I will not celebrate this book. But I did.

SPEAKER_04 20:11

I mean, I'll just start it off by saying the author wrote this when she was 18. So I mean, she was just a baby adult.

SPEAKER_03 20:25

Okay. But it did give me that like teenish like vibe, right?

SPEAKER_04 20:30

Yes. This was not a grown adult like writing it, and I got that vibe right away. So I think I took it for what it was. Yep. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 20:38

I didn't realize like I didn't recognize that until like midway in the book. Like, oh, this is YA. Like, and I was just, I was expecting it to be more than what it was, I think. I had too high of hopes. Well, when it says number one best-selling author, I know. And I'm like, I know this is not like I'm wrong and right. I'm yes and no. Like, that is not number one best-selling author writing here. Like, I can point out more pages where this is just going downhill with the writing, but oh yeah. Okay, she was 18. Okay, a little more credit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:18

Okay. I do have a lot of bullet points. Can I say something before you go?

SPEAKER_02 21:22

Oh, you absolutely can. What did you enjoy about it to give it your high rating?

SPEAKER_03 21:28

That's not what I hold on. I have a question before that. So, did you guys listen to it at all? Did you fully read it? Like, what were you? I did both.

SPEAKER_02 21:38

I listened and read.

SPEAKER_03 21:39

Okay. Riley? I read it. Okay. So I did both as well. Um, I'm assuming B, we listened to the same people like read it. Um, but I think I just really enjoyed like the voices that they did enjoy that. Think yeah that is a huge reason why I liked it more because I did listen to it a lot, and I do have to say, like I know he says darling, like a lot, but the voice that they chose was pretty sexy, and every time he said that, I was like, Okay, okay, I'm in it. Okay, here we go.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

I think the voice matched the darling. I was really annoyed when I read Darling, and I was more accepting when I heard it, and not necessarily because it was sexy, but because it matched the character's voice and how he talked and the case and the cadence of it, just was more natural. Where me reading it, I was like, Oh, you condescending cocky bastard, right?

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Like, that's what I I completely have the same thought as you when it comes to that.

SPEAKER_04 22:54

Okay, what do you think about instead of darling? So, yeah, that was one of those words that kept coming up, and I was like, I hate this so much. Um, whenever he said vicious little thing, oh that I totally rolled my eyes out. Okay, okay. I'm like, you're clearly the vicious one here. You have to like relax, sir. I hated that, and like I didn't like that, like visibly, audibly cringed every single time. Yeah, was it better with the audio recorder? Like, no, okay.

SPEAKER_03 23:26

I feel like I still like rolled my eyes at that, like, oh, really? Like, so no, that part didn't wasn't better for me.

SPEAKER_02 23:34

Yeah, no, no, it wasn't. I agree. Okay. The thing I okay, you know what? I will say the thing I did like about Kai's character. Okay, I know he's a monster, but I really enjoyed seeing the inside of the monster because you really got to understand him better, and like it's not that he enjoyed it, he was trained and like basically curated, created to be this monster, and like the torture that he went through to do this, like he really had no choice or like chance in life to be something other than than the enforcer. So I'm really glad that we got the point of view of Kai in the story because then uh I would just hate him so much as a character if we did not.

SPEAKER_03 24:24

Yep, yeah, we needed to see the inside of him, and I think that's yeah, no, I did like that part about it.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

Yeah, that's about it.

SPEAKER_04 24:35

Okay, can we talk about Lenny for a minute? So Lenny, right? That's the correct, yes. Oh, yes, yes, yes. The imperial.

SPEAKER_03 24:43

Like at first when he like came on, and you could tell he was a little different than the other ones, and then when he was in the resistance, I was like, Oh, hey, I knew I liked you a little bit.

SPEAKER_04 24:55

Okay, so I was I was happy to see that he was in the resistance. I liked that.

SPEAKER_02 25:00

I wish we could have gotten to know more about like Ellie and Lenny, like her maid. Like there were so many hints at them together, but then once she saw him out of the resistance and they had more conversation, like I would have expected that to expand, like her to be pokey and nosy within that relationship. I don't know. She didn't sleuth enough that I had a problem with, not enough sleuthing.

SPEAKER_04 25:29

She had enough going on, I feel like, but I think there was a lot of character development that just didn't go deep at all. Correct. Yes, yeah, there was a ton of like the secondary characters that you're like, they were in a couple pages, and you're like, but how why not even like kit?

SPEAKER_02 25:47

I wanted to like that felt so flat. There was no chemistry between the characters. I'm like, Kit, how can you even think she likes you? Like, I can tell through the book that this is so fake.

SPEAKER_04 26:00

Because no one has ever been real with him in his entire life. So he that is like well, he thought she was being real though.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

You know, I wish there was more. I wish like Kit wasn't as much of a secondary character. I really wish we could have just gotten to see Kit's side a little bit more rather than when he was just angry, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:23

And also, like, Kit, did you not see the purging trials episode number one where your brother and woman were very visibly in love?

SPEAKER_02 26:36

Right. Like, were you blind to the whole thing? Like, they were clearly wanting each other throughout the entire book, like on the dance floor, like in public spaces.

SPEAKER_03 26:49

Maybe he just thought he was better for her, and so he kind of just like blacked it out.

SPEAKER_02 26:54

Was he also blinded by love? Like Kai claims in the end.

SPEAKER_03 27:00

I think he was.

SPEAKER_04 27:01

I just thought it was funny that both the brothers like were into her, and I was like, Oh dear. So when thinking about like characters and stuff, one thing that every time this character spoke or did anything, I was just like, I hate you so so much. And it didn't matter what he did or anything, but I like couldn't I just had so much hate for hatred for him, and I'm so so did everyone.

SPEAKER_03 27:27

But the king, I was just like, every little thing you're doing, every little thing you're saying, like I literally just hate you so much. Just a terrible human.

SPEAKER_04 27:38

I know, and it I guess that confuses me why Kit correct.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

Well, it confuses me in the end, like, okay, yes, he's still your father, you still have a love for your father, okay. But for how much hatred, I don't know, it's just a lot of hatred towards her when like that's all he's ever known, though.

SPEAKER_04 28:03

That's all but you knew your dad to be a terrible human to your brother, correct?

SPEAKER_02 28:10

That's true, so like and the fact that Kai is also pissed off, like I'm sorry, he tortured you, and I get he liked like correct, and I get he's still your father, so you're gonna have that love for your father, but the immense hatred he has for her does not match up or line up with his feelings towards his father. Yes, you're gonna be sad, you're gonna be devastated that he's gone, but at the same time, you're not gonna be that pissed off with her. I don't know. Especially her father. Correct, correct. Like you kill so many people who have done a lot less. Like you killed, didn't who did he kill in during the trials? Um, oh, the one, wasn't it his cousin?

SPEAKER_03 29:07

He accidentally hurt his cousin thinking it was somebody else because they like shape shifted or whatever. That's his brother.

SPEAKER_02 29:15

That was but the girl that was about to kill her, that was about to kill her, he stabbed in the heart. Yeah, no, not Blair. No, oh my, let me look. Never mind, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 29:32

The trials were all a blur, as you could tell from my summary. Didn't even mention but I wonder if he remembers that he killed her dad.

SPEAKER_03 29:43

Like he probably it was never talked about. I'm sure it'll come up in the next book that you won't read, but I probably will. So I'll let you know.

SPEAKER_04 29:51

Well, okay, speaking of next books, so there are a total of five books in this series, even though it's only a trilogy. So technically, there's three main books, but then there's two novellas within there. So so the author wrote the first book in November of 23, and then she wrote book 1.5, um, which is about Adina's story. Oh yeah. Oh so it's Aden's story between the time when Payton goes to the purging trials, and then I think gets brought to the castle. So like that's that's the novella. Okay, well, I don't really want that, right? And then book two is the the next official book, and that's called Reckless. Um, and that's where Payden, I don't know. I I won't give any give I guess I won't give any spoilers about what happens. Um, but then there then book three comes, which book two comes out July of 24, book three comes out April of 25. So like she's whipping these out in quick succession, yeah, which I'm slightly con I don't know if I I was gonna say I don't know after the writing of this first book, and then book three point five comes out September of 25, so like half a year later, and that is another side character. So I I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 31:26

Okay, um, he kills Sadie. Sadie, okay, and Sadie's not the cousin. No, Sadie's not the cousin.

SPEAKER_05 31:36

No, Andy is the cousin.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Sorry, Andy is the cousin, yes.

SPEAKER_02 31:40

But like Blair are Sadie, yes, yes, and he was friends with Sadie, I believe, him and Kit.

SPEAKER_04 31:47

I don't think they were friends with Blair and Sadie. Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 31:52

Because there's no character development for Sadie. This is probably why I'm guessing all these things, you know.

SPEAKER_04 31:58

We saw her once, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

But he killed he killed someone in the trials, that was my only point, and then who did a lot far less worse things than his father. But anywho, that was my whole point with it. Anyways, back to the amount of books in quick succession.

SPEAKER_04 32:21

Okay, so I was uh why did I even bring up the books? Um I think I had mentioned that I wanted to I wanted to know more about if he um knew that he had killed Payton's father. And he was gonna, oh yeah, okay. So yes, uh book two is where he is hunting for Peyton, pretty much. And that's reckless, okay. Yep, mm-hmm. Yeah, I saw there were a ton, and I was like, what is happening? I know, I know, and it keeps getting purchased, and people keep reading it. And there's also um in my research section, I found out that there's gonna be a powerless TV series, it's in the works for Amazon. Like, oh my gosh, of all the books that's getting made into a TV show.

SPEAKER_05 33:11

Do you want to watch that?

SPEAKER_04 33:12

I'm gonna make it called Hunger Games, I'm gonna make you watch. It's all right. I've already watched Hunger Games, we've seen it. One other thing that I thought was really interesting is I feel like Peyton gave herself a lot of crap for saying she forgot Adina while she was in the castle for the trials. And she kept going on about it, and I'm like, you have a lot going on. Your whole life just got upturned, you're in all of this stuff going on, and then she was just like, I can't believe I forgot her. And I was like, Did you actually forget her, or did you just get clotted with everything that was going on? So I was a little confused with that part. Like, how do you guys feel about that? You think she actually forgot her and would have like left her behind? It took her to page 161 to finally mention Adina again. Okay, so I think the author forgot about Adina, and then realized halfway through the book oh, this character was kind of important in the beginning of the story, they were super best friends. I better bring her back, and then you don't hear about Adina again until page 319.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

I tracked it. That was my point. It was going to be we barely if this girl is so important to her, why don't we get any insights of her talking to Adina throughout all of these trials? I mean, she's at the castle. I genuinely any interactions. Yeah, I also don't like that we don't get any other interactions during the castle mode training, like during any trainings, other than a what, a few balls, and then but it's barely anything. Which those were kind of boring.

SPEAKER_04 35:05

Yes, uh like the balls were boring. Oh, I'm making this really lovely dress for you. You're gonna love it, so you can show off your dagger, and then it's a green vest when she dies.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Get please promise to wear the green vest I made. What where did that even come from? Why is there a vest? Why is she making a vest? What is the vest for? The trials are going to be over. What is this?

SPEAKER_04 35:30

I think it was this vest that she wore at the beginning of the book. It was a part of her normal outfit, and then I think Adina just wanted her to take it.

SPEAKER_03 35:40

I don't think so. I think she made it for her. I can't remember it.

SPEAKER_04 35:43

I couldn't remember what I didn't know. I couldn't understand that. I couldn't remember, yeah. That part was stupid, but genuinely, I didn't care that Adina died in the end. Like I genuinely was like. Oh, okay. Um, this character was barely mentioned. We don't know anything about Adina as a person, other than the fact that she means so much to Peyton. Like, there's nothing else that we know about this person. Uh, I guess now the author wrote a novella about her, but in hindsight, the author probably felt, ooh, I should have talked about her more. But I genuinely did not shed a tear. I was like, eh, okay, that was anticlimactic. Oh no. And I was also super frustrated by how long this girl survived after she had this branch through her body, and she was able to prolong this goodbye that she was having with Peyton, where she was able to say her final pathetic words. This is not a goodbye. Only a good way to say bye until I see you next. Oh, that's been their thing. Come on. That is a terrible quote.

SPEAKER_03 37:01

That is terrible. The streaking is coming out.

SPEAKER_04 37:10

Say bye. Oh my gosh. Oh, like that, those are your dying words. You have enough time while you have this branch inside of your body to say this so mad run-on sentence that is stupid.

SPEAKER_05 37:30

I almost after I read that. Don't you dare. Who said that?

SPEAKER_03 37:37

That was not me. That was B. That was B.

SPEAKER_05 37:42

B.

SPEAKER_04 37:44

Are you given a lower rating than I did for this book? You could not say that that statement was sweet.

SPEAKER_02 37:50

Okay. I don't let me hear me out. Hear me out. I will not. I will not. Then shut your headphones off. Allie. Yes, I'm listening. I'm here. The statement I will agree with you, Riley, is terrible, terrible writing. However, it is their thing that they always say to each other, and it's sentimental.

SPEAKER_04 38:12

Always they've said it once in this book.

SPEAKER_02 38:15

Well, that's because the writing's terrible, so they don't say I'm sure they said it before each trial to each other, or you know, I'm sure they said it. You gotta use your imagination with terrible writing like this. But it was their thing.

SPEAKER_04 38:30

Like, okay, we don't always say our cheesy outro every time we leave each other until we can if you lie.

SPEAKER_06 38:41

Every time we see each other, please.

SPEAKER_03 38:45

Okay, Ellie, we're gonna start every time. Every time I can't wait to call you tomorrow. I I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_04 38:53

Um, how many opportunities have these girls had to say this terrible statement to each other?

SPEAKER_02 39:00

Probably their whole entire five years. They've been in loot together. Every day they probably said it to each other.

SPEAKER_04 39:06

This is not a goodbye, only a good way to say bye until I see you next. I kind of like it. I'm not gonna lie. Well, no, I think I'm going to say that to you forever, Riley.

SPEAKER_02 39:19

Forever.

SPEAKER_04 39:21

Now I'm gonna have to memorize the tone in two seconds. I thought it was charming.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

I'm not gonna hang up real fast because you're ready, you're done with talking, so it'll be okay. It'll just it will be all right.

SPEAKER_04 39:34

I prefer that Irish goodbye to the Midwest goodbye.

SPEAKER_02 39:37

Yes, we know, we know. Um I was, but here's the thing if I say this to you, I'm gonna have to memorize it because it is so lengthy and run on. So I probably won't. So okay, take solves. Yeah, you'll have to write it down.

SPEAKER_04 39:52

I was really pissed though that it was a D-Nax of like, oh, the criminal. I'm like, who is this criminal gonna be? And then I was like, Yes, she is. They gave no rationale for why she was a criminal. Technically, she is probably, but I was she did post uh ordinary. Oh, yeah, that's true. Okay, you're you're right. I was thinking of like stealing stuff, but I but no one in the audience knew what made her a criminal, and they were all like, kill her, like yeah. Well, the audience is a whole nother story, but true.

SPEAKER_03 40:26

I guess I was really uh heartbroken when I found out that she was so beat up and and stuff like that, and then her fingers, like she at her core was a seamtress.

SPEAKER_04 40:39

That's what brought her so much door, and then to picture her fingers just mangled and all over the place. I was like very heartbroken for her in that moment. I'm not gonna lie.

SPEAKER_02 40:46

Oh, I didn't read too much into that moment that David. No, all in my mind.

SPEAKER_03 40:51

I got pictures in my brain of just like mangled fingers, and I was like, oh my god, like my bud my blood was boiling at that point. But so I had more of a reaction to that.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

That was maybe some of the most gruesome writing the author had written in here, but I guess I didn't think about as the perspective of oh, she's a seamstr seamstress, so like they really took that away from her, they stripped her of that identity for herself as a seamstress that you know that she loved, but I didn't think that deep because the author didn't give me anything else deep, so I got there, I guess, on my own.

SPEAKER_04 41:30

I don't know. I was filling in.

SPEAKER_02 41:31

You did give it three and a half, so I just love a romance.

SPEAKER_04 41:36

I don't know. But was there's better romances?

SPEAKER_02 41:39

Was this even romance?

SPEAKER_04 41:41

I mean, the author was 18 when she wrote it, so we'll give her that. But like slow burn. It was a slow burn for sure, but like I just felt the nothing burned. No, I don't it was just the feeling, but it was slow, nothing burned light, gentle touching on arms. The passion, that's what it was. And then she would take her hand away. How terrible now not having her touch was so much more intense, and I wanted it so much more. That was it light for a physical touch person.

SPEAKER_03 42:21

That's a big deal. Okay, okay, I'm gonna stop trying it because I really have nothing. I'm just wanting to be different.

SPEAKER_04 42:34

I'm done. So we did have a listener write in for the first time.

SPEAKER_03 42:42

So um, so cheers to that listener.

SPEAKER_04 42:47

We're super excited that uh someone's listening and someone wants to join the book club um and discuss. So this yes, this listener um asked if we got a similar vibe to them at the start of the book, which was Aladdin vibes. Oh I did not personally get that. They thought Aladdin vibes because of like being like a street rat. Oh Aladdin kind of flute. I could picture that, yeah. Okay, pickpocketing. I see that.

SPEAKER_02 43:27

Um I see that, so yeah. Okay, so once again, she's still from Disney. Beauty and the beast and Aladdin.

SPEAKER_04 43:35

Oh no. I do totally get that now that like it was said. I'm like, oh, absolutely. But I guess when I was reading it, I didn't yeah, straight go there. But no I know that was not my uh first thought, but now that it's it's said, I can totally see it. Yeah, yeah. I like that their head went there.

SPEAKER_02 43:55

Lots of plagiarism in this book. Lots of

SPEAKER_04 44:00

Yeah, so when I was doing some research, the author had mentioned that she pulled tropes from her favorite books. Like, I love this trope, but I want to add this to it. I love this trope from this book, so I'm gonna take that. I love this trope from this book, so I'm gonna take that, but I'm gonna add this to it. Um and so I guess my question after after all of this about this book is is it okay to like pull your inspiration from other books? And where's the line? Cause I feel like this has definitely crossed over the line.

SPEAKER_02 44:38

I mean, we call it the trials, exactly like hunger, like there wasn't any creativity. Okay, hear me out. Oh, you're gonna come at me.

SPEAKER_05 44:48

Which one I think I know who you're looking at.

SPEAKER_02 44:53

I think Harry Potter was taken from a little bit Lord of the Rings. There's just some similarities.

SPEAKER_04 45:04

Oh, but I agree that JK Rowling also took a lot of tropes from a lot of traditional like fantasy correct.

SPEAKER_02 45:14

But I think she did a much better job of making it her own. Like, okay, there's um one like the horror cruxes, he needs to grab the horror cruxes, and when they wear the horror crux, it it like makes it changes their personality, right? Just like the ring in Lord of the Rings, but it is different enough where unless you really know about the stories, you have to think about it to make those connections, right? Unless you're like super fan, right? Then you're obviously gonna know. But like I've never had much of a connection with Hunger Games, and right away I was like, Well, this is 100% Hunger Games, yep. Like, oh yeah, I think I only saw the first movie of Hunger Games, didn't even read the book, and I was angry about that because I was there's so many similar, like it was too similar. I think this book obviously went way too far, but I know other authors do the same, but it's not it's not to this extent. Like, I mean, we're using quotes like I'm yes and no, I'm hot and cold, I'm right and wrong. That's literally Katy Perry lyrics, like yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:27

You're right.

SPEAKER_04 46:27

Yep, I feel like when it like what you're saying, pulling maybe some pieces or elements that inspire you, yes, and then making it your own and finding a way to connect to the themes that you're trying to tie into your book and your story. Correct, that makes sense. But when you're taking the whole premise of a book, like the Hunger Games in the title, and now applying it to your book, that's plagiarism.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

Correct. Like, I don't understand how this book was not flagged for plagiarism at all. That it just boggles my mind. Yeah, I mean they call it the trials, they they live in a rich area that during the trials, they live in the cat, like the elites are at these balls, correct. They have to dress up, change how they look, they have to practice in between.

SPEAKER_04 47:22

They had an interview at the start, correct, exactly. They demonstrated who they were, correct. I guess I just really like the hunger games, so maybe that's why I was like, oh, this is fun. Oh smiley's face right now.

SPEAKER_03 47:39

Oh lord, we're different. So then wouldn't you okay? Okay, would you be so upset? Yes, I I mean, I was like, whoa, this is very similar, but then I took it for what it was, and I was just like, okay, we're gonna keep moving.

SPEAKER_02 47:53

I don't know, don't take it for what it is, Judge. I don't like to be upset when I read it. Just couldn't.

SPEAKER_04 48:03

Yeah, I feel like I tried to give it a go. I tried to think about like the good things. I think at the beginning of the book, I think the author did try to create her own idea. She did, she did try to create her own world. I think she tried to create a different premise than in other books where the main character doesn't have powers that can um save the town and save her people. She has the opposite of that. She like literally is powerless, um, which is a different premise than some of the books that I've read in the romanticy genre. Yeah. But then she went down the rabbit hole of just fouling tropes that she liked. And she didn't create her own anymore. And so that's when I started to get frustrated with the book.

SPEAKER_02 48:55

Yeah. Well, she is quoted for saying it's heavily inspired by Hunger Games.

SPEAKER_04 49:00

So, like, yeah, where's the line between being inspired and plagiarizing, I guess. Right, you know? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:07

I agree though. I think she tried at the beginning and then yeah. What kept me reading was I wanted to see, okay, are they going to find out? Is Kai going to find out she's order in ordinary, and what is he going to do when he finds out? That's what I was hoping it would take that kind of turn. Like he would find out during the trials. Yeah. Um, I was really hoping it would go there. It obviously didn't.

SPEAKER_03 49:34

Um I did want to know more. I think that's why it was so like, okay, I gotta keep reading, I gotta keep going. And it, I mean, the ending was very disappointing, obviously, but obviously there's more books in the series, so they're going to leave you on a cliffhanger like that. But I was like, I know nothing, I got nothing from what I wanted from either of those relationships. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:57

I was angry with the brothers at the end, and like how did Jax feel? Like we didn't get to know how Jax felt. Like oh, yeah, that's him. Right.

SPEAKER_04 50:12

Like, is he still in the maze trying to get out?

SPEAKER_02 50:15

He might be. Also, how did she make it in the maze? Like, that's what I don't understand.

SPEAKER_04 50:20

Oh, it just because she magically no longer feels the pain of uh getting sliced through her whole leg, apparently, like she could just turn that off and run and is fine now.

SPEAKER_02 50:37

Also, I just don't understand how everyone was satisfied with her being a psychic just from when she had to prove it at the um interviews, and then no one else tested her throughout the trials. No one was like, How did you not see this coming? Like, I don't know. I just found it weird for Kit and Kai to never question that.

SPEAKER_03 51:00

Like, yeah, you're not so blind in love that you just like that is very fair that it like never came up again.

SPEAKER_04 51:08

Yeah, they never were like what what can you really do with this? Correct, other than predict that someone's gonna propose or well, and it was never something of the futures, what was already happened, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:23

Oh yeah, because she uses the clue, like she's very good at using the clues and being like that, but she never predicts the future. And I feel like if I was like, Well, you're psychic, what's the future hold instead of just telling me about my past? Like, but yeah, for it to never be brought up again, and everyone was just so blindly okay with this stranger that they've never seen or heard of before, proving it once, and then we're one and done, and it's never brought up ever again. But everyone else's things were constantly brought up. I don't know, that bothered me too.

SPEAKER_03 52:02

Because their powers actually did something, correct? So hers was so boring that they were like, eh, whatever, we don't care.

SPEAKER_02 52:10

No, for how gung-ho Ilya is about making sure everyone has powers, like oh, yeah, that's fair. That's fair, yeah. They're like, kill them if they don't, like everyone is so for getting rid of these ordinaries that oh, you proved it once. Like, then I guess why didn't she prove it before? Why aren't all these ordinaries just making stuff up? Oh, I proved it to you once, making something up, you'll never question me again. Like everything else, it doesn't fully add up or answer questions because it is missing so much. So just another thing that angered me.

SPEAKER_05 52:57

Join the club, we're yelling again.

SPEAKER_04 53:02

All right, shall we move on? So we're not angry anymore. All right, let's move on.

SPEAKER_02 53:08

More fun, aesthetics, aesthetics because if you can't enjoy the book, at least enjoy the book club party where you can just be together and then yes, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 53:22

Okay, so our theme is going to be purging trials. So our goal is to transform our space into a mix of like the royal palace and like the training area arena.

SPEAKER_04 53:35

So our color palette, we're gonna stay with blacks, deep reds, burgundies, silver and golds, dark green, charcoal. That's gonna be where we're living for color palette.

unknown 53:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 53:47

When we come in, wherever your space is, there's gonna be an entrance table and it's gonna be choose your fate. So everyone will have a name tag with their like elite power or if they're ordinary, but they won't know um until they pick their power like out of a bowl.

SPEAKER_06 54:06

Ooh.

SPEAKER_04 54:07

So you'll pick it out of the bowl and you'll draw your ability, and then you have to wear your ability. And then there will also be mock invitations to the trials on that table for aesthetic purposes, obviously. Um, and then next to that, I was envisioning a photo backdrop, and the backdrop will say ordinary or elite, and you can have fun taking pictures with that with your power name tags, you know, all that fun stuff. Um, and then main decor. So needs to be moody. So candles all over if you have like fairy lights, things like that, metallic fabrics, um, faux vines, very dramatic lighting. Um, and then I was thinking like moody instrumental music to really set the tone. Um, and then I love a sign or a banner. So it'll say either welcome to the purging trials or the only only the powerful survive. Oh. Um, yep, yep. So if you're ordinary, sorry. Kai's coming to get you. Kai's coming to get you. And then for like table centerpieces, things like that. I'm thinking um black candles, if you can find it, thought that would be fun. Ooh, yeah. Metallic like cups, trays, anything like that that you can find. Very palacy. Um, I even thought like scatter uh scattering like playing cards around might be fun. Okay. Um, because it kind of draws in the color palette and the royal stuff, whatever. Um, and then you could have a station or this just decor around the room, um, but more of that like combat trial station.

SPEAKER_03 55:49

So like faux swords and daggers, um, dark cloths, plastic fake chains, dark greenery, anything like stone-like textures if you really want to go into the decor.

SPEAKER_02 56:01

Okay. You don't want to add real swords. You don't want the real swords and knives.

SPEAKER_04 56:07

Well, for our book club, I will be using my dad's.

SPEAKER_02 56:11

Um, so we'll have some real, we'll have some real swords of ours. You know, my dad also has a real one, so we could just battle it out. You know, we'll bring our real swords. I mean, my dad does not.

SPEAKER_04 56:24

Riley, my dad does not. We know no, we know no swords allowed in no family's house.

SPEAKER_05 56:32

No candles, no swords.

SPEAKER_04 56:37

No fun. Sorry, mom. I'm talking about you again.

SPEAKER_03 56:41

We my dad's a door, so he has swords and probably other weird things that would help for the decor. Um, so that's what I'm thinking for like the decor stuff like that. Um, really going into like your tables and setups and kind of having that be like your main decor and the photo backdrop and stuff.

SPEAKER_04 57:03

Um, and then for our craft, since you guys didn't really like the book, this probably wouldn't be your favorite. But we can hate make it.

unknown 57:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:15

Okay, or just battle with the swords, we'll the rest of y'all make it and we'll great.

SPEAKER_03 57:21

Um, but I did think the cover was really pretty, like with the like pop of purple.

SPEAKER_04 57:28

Yes. So I thought it would be fun to like bedazzle this book cover because of all like the blacks and the metallics with that pop of purple. So we're gonna be decorating the we're gonna be using the rhinestones again for this book cover. Um, listeners, we've used the rhinestones in the past for other crafts. If you already have it, you're good to go. So you'll need the resin rhinestones, B7000 glue, and tweezers or like dotting pen tool. Um, we will add all of those links for Amazon for all of those things. Um, but yeah, we're gonna be bedazzling the book cover. Sorry, guys. I think it's pretty.

SPEAKER_05 58:04

That's so fun.

SPEAKER_04 58:05

Uh fun one.

SPEAKER_02 58:06

I can hate bedazzle, you know. Okay, great.

SPEAKER_04 58:09

I mean can stamp the book going on my bookshelf. So there you go. Why not make it bedazzled? Maybe you won't hate it as much then. I don't, I don't think I don't think that will make a difference. That's fair. But listeners, for bedazzling a book cover, you can kind of go as little or big as you want, obviously. Like you could just do like the the binding part of it, you could do the front cover, you could do little pieces of it, you could do the whole thing, which I have bedazzled books before, and I have never done the whole cover. Um, that just seems like a really big task.

SPEAKER_02 58:47

I would like to do it one day, maybe I'll actually do the whole one with this one, but but yeah, fun fact, listeners. Um, the last time we bedazzled a book cover together in a book club was the same day that we came up with a podcast idea and we started this whole adventure. Oh my gosh, that's so right. Full circle.

SPEAKER_04 59:11

Wow, look at us. Yeah, we actually did it. We did.

SPEAKER_05 59:16

We did, and we have one listener.

SPEAKER_04 59:21

Woohoo! We have more than one. No, we do, we do. Our moms. Not even my mom yet, but I'm sure she will. My mom hasn't yet. We will. We'll get to them there. Soon to be four listeners. Well, I like that idea a lot. I mean, yes, I'm totally uh like medieval, like castle girly. So I love the aesthetics. Um, I think that would be a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02 59:57

Um, once you draw your name, once you have you have to draw your power or your ordinary okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:05

What do you do with it? So then there'll be a name tag that corresponds with it, and so then you'll just wear that, and then that could also go into like your discussion about like what is your power, how would you use it? Um, stuff like that. You can kind of take it how you want, but it could just be something fun to draw, or you could actually make a discussion out of it.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:24

You could play charades, you could to figure out what people's powers are. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Honestly, that would be fun.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:34

That would be fun.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:36

Good suggestion. Does everyone have to dress like uh Payton with a super extreme slit and uh strapped to their leg? That would be fun. I didn't include outfits, but obviously if you wanted to please dress medieval, that would be we've done that in the past with our book clubs.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:58

We've all dressed up um in how we think the character would be dressed or working with the books. Well, that's always fun.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:08

A dress-up event. Yeah, yeah, we are. But yeah, I think everyone needs the slit with the dagger. That would be really fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:15

Real or fake? Whatever you have. Okay, so us would be real, and Ryan. I don't have a dagger. I don't have a dagger, I have a sword.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:26

Well, I think your husband has plenty of sharp utensils, they're called knives. Don't you have a letter opener that like looks like a dagger?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:38

No.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:39

Oh, my dad would be. Would we trust B with something that's actually sharp? I don't, I don't think anything like a dagger close to your body. Yeah, you can just make one.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:53

Okay, let me just say I used a utility knife to open bags of soil the other day without cutting myself. So are your hands? They're perfectly fine. They're all phalanges are here. All your toes. Oh, yeah. All right. Where are my uh garning cracks protecting them?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:14

I would say uh you could also wear a tank top because that's also the other thing that Payden is only ever wearing.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:23

The green or the green.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:29

Yes. Oh, I'm okay. Can I quick rant real quick? It goes with the colors. Why was the author so hung up on everyone's color of hair and amount of freckles on their face? This happened with every character. Description of the hair in detail, and like Kai describes the father's amount of freckles. Obviously, he notices Peyton's amount of freckles, but freckles and hair color were brought up way too much and in way too much detail. Where I was like, enough with the hair. I'm no, I don't care about their hair. I want to know about who they are as a character.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:09

Their hair is what to do with it. That was her character development. Oh my gosh, didn't you understand that? Her ocean eyes and her silver hair.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:21

Yes, dress on up if you feel like it, add some fun.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:26

Let's get to some bakes and cooks and beverages.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:31

All right. So obviously, you have to have sticky buns. You have to.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:38

Um, that is a must. They mention it many times of being favorites, and Gail the cook makes excellent sticky buns.

unknown 1:03:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:48

Um, I was also thinking um one of Kai's favorite desserts are lemon tarts. So making some mini lemon tarts. I was really picturing like one of those tiered dessert trays.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:00

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:01

And like just layering, it just reminds me of like when I picture the food. Um, Allie, you and I may need to connect a little bit more with this because I really like to draw in the aesthetics with my food. So when I'm thinking of the food, I'm thinking like a whole feast on the dining room table. Absolutely. Like that's so filled with food. Exactly. And like so candles all around the food, you know, things like that, just like how you would imagine a dinner or a feast in a castle. So it is filled with food. Um, but yeah, definitely for the desserts, one of those tiered trays um with sticky buns, lemon tarts. I was even thinking you could do like a lemon tart with um a blueberry Kool-Aid swirled within it. So, like maybe a blueberry lemon tart or like some blueberries on top, or even like a blueberry um whipped cream on top of the lemon tarts. I remember blueberries were a big discussion between Kai and Peyton. So obviously I had the blueberries. Um but I thought it would be also fun to have like fruit skewers, but I found some skewers that were shaped like swords. So I thought it would be really fun to do sword fruit skewers. Yep. Also on the dessert platter tier thing, um, butterscotch cookies, um, because her favorite dessert was butterscotch. So you could do butterscotch cookies, or you could just have like butterscotch candies like myself and old little grandma. I already have them in my purse, so you know, ready to go. But you could sprinkle them around or have a dish by where you play charades, you know, just have them out, or just do some butterscotch chicken or not chicken.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:00

Like, oh I don't know. I mean, don't do that.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:05

No, please don't make butterscotch chicken. Oh, Lordy. Okay. Butterscotch cookies. Okay. So those are the desserts. Um, I always like to start off with desserts. That's my favorite. Um, and life is too short, eat the dessert first, right? Um, so moving on to then the more savory foods. I really was thinking greens. Greens, green was the color of Ilia. So um, and then when the balls was in the garden, correct. Um, so I was thinking jalapeno poppers.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:44

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:46

So green for Ilia, but also spicy for the flirtiness we wish we read. So that's funny for the lack of spice, correct? For the lack of spice, adding the spice back into the book with your jalapeno poppers. Um quote it right now. Um, I was also thinking pinwheels because of the archery that she somehow was great at. So doing some pinwheels. I was thinking you could do um.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:18

Wait, why does a pinwheel relate to archery? I don't understand.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:22

It looks like a bullseye.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:23

Yeah. Oh, okay. I get that. I'll get it to you.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:26

A pinwheel is like food spread out on a tortilla. You roll the tortilla up and then you cut the that up, kind of like a shortbread cookie. That's a pinwheel. Yes. Um, okay.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:42

I know what a pinwheel is. It just I didn't translate it to archery right away.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:49

Sorry. Yes, the pinwheel because it's like an archery bullseye. Okay. Um, but if you want to incorporate the green, you could do like spinach and artichoke pinwheels. Um, you could even use like the green spinach tortillas if you wanted, but really you could use any kind of pinwheel or make any kind of pinwheel you so want. But I thought the spinach artichoke ones would be a nice flavor. Um, and then I was thinking kind to kind of get the castle y feast vibe using roast roasted chicken. You could just pick them up from the grocery store, but to make it more um book club friendly, and I was thinking lots of appetizers, um, doing like chicken sliders, so like buffalo chicken sliders, cracked chicken sliders, yeah, um, things like that. And then all these flavors actually go really well with a Riesling or Chardonnay, a white. So um, I was thinking more wine for this book club because um they are drinking wine at the balls, right? So that's all you really hear them drinking about is wine. So all the flavors go perfectly well and pair perfectly well with a white wine, specifically Riesling or Chardonnay.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:05

But yeah, that sounds so good. That sounds lovely. Do you know what a pinwheel is, or do we need to win? I know what a pinwheel is.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:22

Uh I can explain it to you again if you need me to.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:27

No, never again.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:32

I love the concept of like the platters and it kind of all over. Like that's what I think of when I think of like a castle and fiat.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:39

So yeah, just put everything on a platter, yeah, make lots of appetizers so you can stack them up on the platter. You don't want a single layer of any food on the platters, you want to stack it, you want just lots of food. Yeah, you could even do like with the skewers, you could even do like some. Oh, I just thought of this, right? Didn't even plan for it, like bruschetta skewers.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:06

Oh, yeah, it has the red because of her red dress, the green, and put it on the sword skewers, and who doesn't love anything bruschetta? So correct. Here for it. I would be just uh hunkering down at that table full of all the boots.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:27

Yeah, you'd be like, screw the charades. Um not even going to talk about over here.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:36

Wait, could you act that out a little bit like more extreme? I couldn't see it over here.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:44

She would. She would act it out more extreme. Oh, I would.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:48

Without prompting, actually. So yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:52

Very true. All right, Riley, what you got for us?

SPEAKER_04 1:10:56

I've shared, I've already shared a decent amount of my reactions and research. Um, but I'm just gonna go through my stream of of thought as I was reading this book, and I started taking diligent notes.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:10

Um, so at first I was kind of confused why Kai had chose to let this little girl live just to basically force her to suffer for two weeks more and then die in this desert. Yeah. And then we're supposed to think that he is so like so good because he let her and her family live, but then they're just they have no food, they have no water, they're gonna starve in this scorching desert that he sent them out into.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:43

It's a way more painful death, yes, than if like she would have stabbed her, quickly killed her, cut her. Yep, yes. I feel like it would have been more humane and more civilized and more like have more dignity to be, you know, use the sword than just let me die in a desert. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:03

And I was like, it maybe we'll find out something later that shows that like they did survive, or but no, we never heard about them again. So they definitely died two weeks later in the worst possible way.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:17

Maybe it's in one of her later books that they survived, Riley. You never know.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:22

Maybe you never know.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:23

Okay, we'll find out from Aaron.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:25

You will never know. Yeah, there we go. Yeah, I'll let you know. Um, I also I was really confused why the elites were all in on the purging trials when the purging trials really just pulled from the elite population. Yes, pretty much had them kill each other off, and then there was one winner at the end.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:50

I feel like it would have made more sense if they found out who the ordinaries were and had them in the purging trials.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:56

I was confused by that too. Yes, I was yeah, because the elites were like, Yeah, kill each other. It just didn't make sense to me at all. I mean, the purging trials in general didn't make sense, but I also didn't understand the voting. That's what I never have as well. The voting made no sense. Why do the crowds vote? Why does it matter? Also, winning doesn't matter any of the other trials. No, didn't Peyton win like trial number two or something? Yeah, she won't because she captured the flag, but yeah, Payton won the second trial, but like it didn't give her like a leg up in the third trial, like she didn't get to start closer to the end or something. Um so like what is the point of even having any other trials but the final trial then? Like yeah, right. Why do we have votes? Why do we have a winner? I would have liked more information on that. I also hated the rhyming instructions within the trials. Oh, yeah, they were very cringe. Okay, let me let me read one to you. Oh boy. Page 358. Okay, this was at the end of one of the trials, I believe. We are glad you learned to work as one, but oh, this trial is not done. The rules of the game have changed a bit, so the first to capture the flag will win it.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:31

Do you think the king wrote these himself? I was just about to say, is the king being playful?

SPEAKER_04 1:14:39

Why is rhyming even necessary? Like, why didn't you just say, Okay, now you're here, kill each other off. One person wins. Like, right, get the flag. You didn't need to do this whole rhyme thing for no reason. It's not like you had to like decode the meaning between the lines or the message at all.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:00

Just tell me what I have to do.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:03

You gotta add whimsy, okay? Yeah, needed some, it was terrible. The rhyme scheme didn't even match. I did roll my eyes at those. I was not a thank you. Thank you either. Okay, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:19

I enjoyed it a little.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:20

No, you did not.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:22

I did. I like a good rhyme.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:27

That I'm honestly that tracks. I I get that for you.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:33

I don't I don't like that for you. Um, but I feel like this the rhyming in the trials kind of like goes in line with like the forced writing that the author had throughout the rest of the book. Like, I feel like she tried really hard to write powerful quotes, yeah, or to write um like these lofty statements as opposed to just maybe getting to the point or just like pulling back on her sentence structure a little bit. Didn't all have to be these really long sentences with these words that I feel like she just opened up a thesaurus to try to find like a longer word than the word that she was originally going for. Reminds me of Joey on Friends. Um, on top of the other quotes that I read to you, one of the quotes that gets me is this quote that she somehow remembered that her dad used to say all the time. Oh gosh. And it was never forget that your wit is a weapon to be wielded if only your mind is as sharp as your blade. Like she remembered she remembered that was something her dad always said, and she could remember that when she was like 10 and now she's 18. Okay, when she was 13 when he died. Did he say that when she was 13? I don't know. We don't know. But would you have remembered your dad saying that really long sentence? If he said it all the time, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:13

It's just like the goodbye that her and Dina said. She likes anyone say shorter things. The longer and the run more run-on they are, the more she remembers them.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:30

No, it's the more alliteration there is, the more she'll remember them. That was another thing that it was uh really painful. Okay, here we go. I got another one for you guys. I love when she gets amped up. Oh no. Okay, so this is just listen to the alliteration. Do y'all know what alliteration is? Yes, yes, okay, just making sure. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:57

Well, I guess she had to figure out she did not know what um, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:01

I knew what a pinwheel was. Here we go. The author wrote on the bottom of page 413. I've never been looked at like it's a privilege to be in my presence, an honor to hold my gaze, a gift to get a glimpse of me, but not until I met him. His mask slips, splinters, shatters, leaving only a boy beholding a girl like she is worthy of his wanting.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:30

You didn't like it?

SPEAKER_04 1:18:32

Terrible writing. I screamed when I was reading this, and my husband was like, What? This is the worst. And then later on, she writes, and then my heart halts, the pulse plummets. I didn't even know who I truly am, what I truly am. And if he did, he would kill me because that is what the enforcer would do, because that is what the king's son would do, because that is what he has been created to do. And then this next part reminds me of if you give a mouse a cookie. And for that reason, I push him away. Because if I don't, I'll pull him closer. And if I pull him closer, it will only end in a dagger being plunged through my heart. The heart that beats a little too fast when he is around, breaks a little too easily and aches a little too much for him.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:33

Maybe that's one of the books that inspires her.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:36

You know, let's add it to the list of plagiarisms.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:42

What are we on? Four.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:46

Keeping count, keep it tally. That that page really got you. I wanted to tear it out of the book. I wanted to burn it. As I say, will you burn this? And then I wanted to spread the page's ashes out. Oh my gosh. Into the lake by my house and just let the fish eat the ashes.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:10

Don't pollute a beautiful lake and torture the fish with that. They deserve more than this book.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:18

That's true. That's true. I would never, but I'm just saying. It made you want to. I still want to after reading that. Uh okay. Um, I'm trying to get there is so much that I have written here. I'm gonna try to summarize the most uh poignant things, I guess. I already shared that. Um the whole book long, Payden hated Kit's green eyes, right? That's what we heard about. Yes, his green eyes. Oh, I can't even look at him with his green eyes. They're too much like his father's the kings. They reminded me of the king when the king murdered my father, and I remember seeing those green eyes. Right. And then just magically at the end of the book, when the king says it wasn't me who killed your father, it was Kai. She just magically like no longer sees these green eyes killing her father anymore, and is like, Oh yeah, I guess you're right. I didn't, I didn't even uh I must not have like remembered that correctly. And so now it was Kai all along. I feel like that was definitely not the intent or the plan.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:33

No, that was a throwaway for sure. Yes, uh-huh. Because yeah, it it didn't make sense leading up to what she had already like built. Yeah, correct, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:45

And then I guess what were your guys' thoughts about kit's perspective ending the book?

SPEAKER_02 1:21:51

I didn't like it, it made me mad. You should have given me more kit throughout the book, yeah. See, especially since he's so angry at her now, but he was so in love with her before. Then he's clearly quite important if he's now this angry, and so I need well, once again, character of development, lack of so yep, yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:17

I thought he would have been a little bit more like seek to understand like what is going on, why did she do that? Like, I thought there was gonna be more of that, and then it was just like straight like hate, and I was like, Whoa, like exactly for him, that's the thing for him to be completely different from the king and to be this yeah, kind guy that she was actually like she's like, I can actually be friends with him, like that's the connection they had.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:45

He was obviously thinking there was more, but for it to go from that to just complete hatred, and now he's just like his father. I was like, Yeah, but he again, yes, he wanted the approval of his father, but he never actually liked his father. Like, that is very clear. He wanted to do things differently, he wanted to be different than his father. And then for him to turn into exactly like his father and be like, I can see why my father's like this, da-da-da-da-da.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:15

Like, I'm sorry, but we all know he will change, like in the next coming books. Like, he um he is going to, like, there's no way around it, but I was expecting a lot of things.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:31

I think the author just wanted him to become problematic now, and it just doesn't fit his character along with Kai. The hate, the amount of hate, like, okay, yeah, you can be upset with her that she killed your father. I'm not saying that, I'm not saying just be like, Oh, thanks for killing him, he was terrible. But like the amount of hatred that is described against her, yeah, yeah, in both their perspectives. This just doesn't match the rest of the book. It made me so furious, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:05

Yeah, throw the book. I feel like the payoff of like ending this whole book in Kit's perspective and point of view was not there at all because you know, we just we didn't get enough character development of Kit. Like, we got some, like, yeah, he was a good somewhat of a nice guy, but like we didn't see his perspective throughout the rest of the book to know like how he was feeling about seeing Kai and Peyton and their interactions, like that would have been interesting to know. Yeah. Um, and maybe that led up into him having this totally walled-off personality in the end, but we didn't get that, so I I wasn't happy that that's the way the book ended. But so I know my segment is like reactions and research with Riley. This book I couldn't do too much research with, other than why did the author write this? What are things about this book that um have been talked about? And when I finished the book, I remembered that I had on Instagram book talks, I think I had seen a clip where someone had made a comment about like Kai as one of the characters that they loved in books or whatever. So I went back to Instagram and I was just digging into Powerless to see like what had people said about it. Yeah. Um, and apparently there's a somewhat recent-ish online controversy about the author plagiarizing the book The Red Queen. So not even The Hunger Games, but the book called The Red Queen, which is a book that was written in 2015. Um and people say, like, if you have ever read The Red Queen, this book is pretty much like word for word it. Um wow. Yeah, so I don't know. I've never read that book. Um but I feel like now I'm kind of like interested to read it and see.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:04

I want to read it to see how much it is plagiarized. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:10

And I yeah, I don't know. Um, I wonder because Hunger Games, um, when was that published? I know it was when we were in high school, right? That sounds right. Ages us a bit.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:24

While you're researching right now, I am glad that we are not the only ones who feel this way and have yeah, these feelings towards the author.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:35

Oh wow, no, Hunger Games was published in 2008. So that was even before the Red Queen. So I don't know, is the Red Queen plagiarizing Hunger Games then?

SPEAKER_03 1:26:47

I was gonna say, I feel like there's so I mean there's so many books out there, right? And like there's probably so many that are very similar. And so it's like, yeah, where do you where do you draw that line? How do you not? It's that's so weird.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:00

Not like this. I feel like this book is like written to be a standalone book, whereas um there are some books that are written and specifically call themselves fanfic. So it's written in the guise of a world that another author has already built, or with characters that an author has already created, and then like creating your own story with those characters or within that world. Um I feel like this author would maybe be a good fanfic author. Oh yeah, it seems like she likes the worlds that she's read in other books. So, like, maybe take one of those worlds and spin it a little bit, but yeah, unfortunately, creating her own world is just too closely connected with a bunch of other very popular that have already existed. Yeah. Know okay, that's all I got. Riveting as always. I love it. You really got you really got into uh to these reactions. I liked it. Oh, you guys, it was uh I have more, but I uh know uh we could go for another hour then, and no one would want to sit and listen to that. No, that's so fair. Okay, that is next book.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:24

All right, I have picked it. I went a little different route. We've done the thriller, we've done what was called romantic, um, we've done like fiction, right? With some murder and what's gonna happen kind of thing. So I wanted to go, I was looking up some funny books, and I really wanted like a laugh out loud book. I was like, we're at the start of summer, um, I just wanted something fun, like a good beach read kind of thing. Um, but I also wanted like mystery, so oh I found it, and it's called Mad Mabel. Okay, okay. So it is Mad Mabel by Sally Hempworth. So this is what it is about. Meet Mad Mabel. Elise Mabel Fitzpatrick is 81 years old. Also picked it because I know Riley and I enjoy old people, so you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:28

Um I was sorry, back to initially gonna name my dog Mabel.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:36

So it works out. So hopefully you don't hate it too much. Uh I figured maybe an old person might and Mabel might, you know, not get too much hate from you. Anywho, so she's 81 years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for 60 years, longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elise has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elise, Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end. When a new little girl, talkative, curious, nosy, moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elise, her carefully constructed life threatens to come crashing down as a secret in Elise's past starts coming to light. Who was Mad Mabel 50 years ago? Who is Elise Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose? Told with Sally Hemps Hempworth's Twist Humor Charm and Heart, Mad Mabel is a novel that weaves past and present together through the power of justice and redemption and all the way to its stunning conclusion. That sounds fun. So a little f I'm hoping some humor, but some mystery.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:14

So yeah, the mystery piece will be fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:18

I like the title of it too. Mad Mabel.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:23

Alright.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:24

So that is the next one.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:28

I'm ready to read about this 81-year-old murderer. Murderer. We'll see. She obviously is.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:40

Maybe it's not her fault, you know. Well, that's why I want to find out what happened.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:46

I think it'll be a good summer read. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:48

Yeah. A nice little curmudgeon old lady is always fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:52

Mm-hmm. Always fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:54

Just ri my goal was obviously a fun summer read, but also with maybe I can get Riley's stars up to a three and a half, four. Not four. That's pushing it. Maybe a three, three and a half. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:12

I was at a three and a half last book, I think.

unknown 1:32:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:17

I was. Yeah, but you picked, yeah, but you picked this. But I picked this, but I'm a little biased.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:21

Yeah, you're right. Correct. But you guys all agreed it was also pretty good. Okay, fine. That's gonna be our goal.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:31

That's gonna be our goal. We gotta get a high score.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:36

New segment. Did we beat the score?

SPEAKER_01 1:32:42

Did we beat?

SPEAKER_04 1:32:44

Well, ladies, I think we've covered it. I think so. Until next time. This isn't goodbye. This is just a good way to say goodbye.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:00

That's not the line. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:03

That's too terrible to remember. That's all right. Love you.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:07

Love you all. Love you.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:08

Thanks for listening to We'll Cover It. This podcast is produced and edited by Allie, B, and Riley. The music is created by Riley. Check the podcast description for links to the items mentioned in B and Allie's segments to host your own powerless book club. This podcast is released on the first Monday of the month. So join us for our next episode on Monday, July 6th. We'll be discussing the book Mad Maple by Sally Hepworth. If you'd like to be a part of the club and our next episode, you can submit questions for us to discuss, either questions just about us for CQs or about the book at tinyurl.com backslash we cover it. We hope you'll join us again next time.