(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Welcome to Pillow Talk and Paperbacks, the podcast where a husband and wife tackle romantic books one dramatic chapter at a time. I'm Mary Angelica and I'm all in for an epic love story. And I'm Christian here to question every life choice these characters make. We're here for the plot twists, the chaos, and a whole lot of laughs. All after wrangling our three boys to bed and finally claiming the couch for ourselves. So get cozy, grab a book, and let me remind you why none of this makes any sense. Welcome to Pillow Talk and Paperbacks. We're back. We are back. This is Christian. This is Mary Angelica. And this is the first episode. Yes. For Iron Flame. Yes. So this is going to be similar to what we did before with Fourth Wing, which is basically just going to be a very small, short take on him looking at the book for the first time and reading the back of the book, really kind of taking in what he's seeing, making some predictions of what you think this book is going to hold based on what you know now from Fourth Wing. So I'm giving it to you. You've never really looked at it. For the first time, I haven't. No, we bought it and didn't even look at it. So let's start with the top here. So a fantasy like you've never read before. So it's very different from Fourth Wing, right? Because it's all the same, I'm pretty sure. Number one bestselling author, Jennifer, I'm not sure who you are. Okay, burn it down. Okay, well, they're obviously talking about Bezgayeth. They're going to burn down Bezgayeth. I think it's unnecessary, by the way, to burn down Bezgayeth, that place. Begzayeth College? Yes. Why? You can just execute the king and the generals. The king doesn't live there. Let's find him. This is a college. Yeah, but don't burn the college is what I'm saying. They're saying they're going to burn it down. What is it? You don't know. But what else could it be? Right? Where does it say burn it down? Right here. Burn it down. So it's the college you're talking about. So there's a dragon in the middle, of course, and there's one up there too. There's a black and a white one. What color is Sigil? Green. Is this a green? Blue? Okay, let's not hurt them. Iron Flame. Okay, so Rebecca, what do you have in store for us? Wait. Let me see. Is this like the actual back of the book or is this just... I think you have to read it in here because it's a hardcover. It's here. Here? Okay, let's see. So the price, $29.99 US, $39.99 Canadian. The first year is when... Man, the pricing difference. The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is when the rest of us lose our humanity. Zayden Ryerson. Everyone expected Violet Soranel to die during her first year at Vizgayeth War College, Violet included. But threshing was only the first impossible task meant to weed out the weak-willed and the unworthy and the unlucky. Now the real training begins and Violet's already wondering how she'll get through. It's not just that it's grueling and maliciously brutal or even that it's designed to stretch the writer's capacity for pain and beyond endurance. She knows a thing or two about pain. So it's the new vice commandment... Commandant who's made it his personal mission to reteach Violet exactly how powerless... Hold on a second. Is she gonna go back to... Is she gonna infiltrate Vizgayeth and she like, Oh, nothing happened. I'm not with those guys anymore. Because look, unless she betrays the man she loves. What is going on here? This is not what I expected out of this book. Although Violet's body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else's, she still has wits and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Vizgayeth has taught her. Dragon riders make their own rules. But a determination to survive won't be enough this year because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Vizgayeth War College. And nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end. So what I'm thinking is she is gonna go back and she's gonna be a spy. That's... She's gonna feed info to Buddy, Zayden and all the other guys. I think at this point, Zayden forms the official rebellion, you could say. And Violet's gonna be like, Oh, I'm not with them. I'm sleeping with them, but I'm not with them. And then she'll feed them info. But at some point, it seems like maybe a Vize Command person realizes that Violet needs... He figures out that they're actually working together and then he makes her betray Zayden. I mean, she's not gonna betray Zayden, obviously, but maybe she'll get close. Not by choice, because she's a spy. I gotta say, this is not what I was expecting. And I don't know if I'm happy... I'm not happy about that. I mean, you're making a lot of assumptions based on a few chapters. I know a few paragraphs that you just read, but... Yeah, because there was no mention of the Venom. There was no mention of the King. It does say... Oh my gosh, you and your King. You need to take a chill pill with your King and let it rest, okay? Um, there is... It does say that, you know, she knows the secrets. So that is obviously talking about the Venom, you know? So yeah, but it's not like... And they will fight the Venom. Well, they're not gonna say that. It's supposed to just spike your interest into the book. It is bigger. Um, excuse me, do not open the end. Hold on, let's see what this lady looks like. Okay, and why can't I see this? Can I see this? This map? Yeah, I think so. It's the same map as before. Okay, Navar... It's the same map. Okay, nothing new there? No, so... But it does help you if you haven't looked at it since you, you know, read the things. So here's where Baxiath College is. You see it here? Right here? Yes. Right? That's the Vale where the dragons like, you know, hang out. Sorry? Hang out with it. Dragons hang out. And then here's Ereshia. That's where they're... Down here. So they're in the Tirannor Province. Yes, they're not that far. Okay. So, yeah. Okay. Any other thoughts, Kay? What do you think? I want to ask you for a character. What do you think is going to happen with her friendship with Rhiannon? Rhi? That's going to continue. Okay. That's going to continue. Are you trick... Is this a trick question? No, I just want to... I want to go through the characters and kind of hear what you think is going to happen. So you think their friendship is just going to continue as normal? Yes, I think Vi's going to come back and she's going to tell her everything. Okay. And then Rhi is going to join them because Rhi is one of them. She's one of the cool ones. Okay. What about Riddick? Um, Riddick... Funny guy Riddick. Yeah, I feel like he is going to be turned. What do you mean turned? They're going to turn him into one of the bad guys. And... Like a... What do you mean a bad guy? Like Dane will turn him into a bad guy. Oh, I see. And then he'll become annoying like Dane. So let's get rid of Riddick. So you think he's going to... Oh my God. Dane for disdain. You might get cancelled for saying let's get rid of Riddick. I'm just going to say. I'm just giving you my thoughts right now. What about Sawyer? Sawyer... Who's the Sawyer? Sawyer is the one that, you know, had to repeat a year. Was there... Is part of their crew. Super nice guy. Good guy Sawyer. He dies. Flirting with... He dies in the first like five chapters. Okay, so he dies. Yeah, dead. What about... What happens with Vi's sister, Mira? She's going to be Vi's new enemy. The sister, not the mom. The sister. Okay. So sister and mom versus sister and brother. What? Yeah. Because, listen, Ri... That's her name, right? Ri? The friend? Yeah, no, the sister. Mira. Her. Mira. She is very much like, you know, this guy's proud. And even though she doesn't really see head to head with her mom. Like I don't have with her mom. At all. Yeah, but she's also doesn't trust Zayden's crew. And so I think for her, she's like such a rider. Like this is what we do. We protect our, you know, our people, our city. That I think she's going to feel like, fuck, I told you Zayden wasn't good for you. And so, yeah, I called it. I don't have to read the book. Okay, what do you think is gonna happen with the mom? The mom, the mom. That you think can control Vi or whatever you said. Yeah, well, I want to see them battle it out. Like Mortal Kombat style, right? Just go for the kid. Like their powers together. Yeah, because think about it. Lightning is weather. Right? I mean, yeah, lightning comes from a weather storm. So the mom can control Vi. And that's going to be tricky. So I think they need to kill the mom so that Vi can be freed. Okay. Yeah. And that's going to like piss off Mira, I assume, in some way. I don't think so. Mira will be like, oh, finally. Okay. I don't think Mira likes her mom either. So there's just two different battles against. So the mom and the sister are just battling. For different reasons. For different reasons. Yes. Okay. What's gonna happen with Dane? Well, I hope that between. He stole the memory. Yes. He gave it to his father. Yeah. The father sent him to a death trap. Yeah. What's going to happen to Dane? I hope that between books one and two, he died. Like we won't even hear about it? He's gone. I'm going to be like. It's going to be like Dane's funeral. And like nobody goes. Right? That, I will be clear with that. Okay. All right. Yeah. No, I mean. What? I mean, I feel like at some point in the book, he's really going to repent for his sins. And then eventually he'll turn. Turn what? Good. Oh, okay. Eventually. But first it's going to be annoying. Like he'll be annoying at first. Then he'll turn because he's super like, just I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done this. And then he ends up marrying Bodhi. Bodhi. Bodhi? What happens to Bodhi? Bodhi is the cousin. Zayden's cousin. He marries Dane. Okay, cool. I love where this is going. What about Garrick? I forgot who that was. Garrick and Imogen. So Garrick is the other, like basically the closest. The one that Zayden has is like his right hand, essentially, since he's like wing leader. And then Imogen is the one that first Vi thought that Imogen had a thing for Zayden. But then she realized, oh, like she has a thing for Garrick. Oh, so they're both going to die together. Probably holding hands. Oh, wow. Yeah. And like Harry Potter style. What was her name? She died with her. Well, there was that one couple who died together. So sad. Yeah. So them. But so sad. But Iron Flame. Iron Flame style. Exactly. What do you think the title means? Because you know what fourth wind means now. Yeah, I do. So, I mean, flame, fire, right? Dragons. But what's iron? Is Besgaioth made of iron? Like what's made of iron? Must be like some sort of fortress. Okay. Right. So I know it's not Arisha because that's made of stone, mostly. But there's going to be a place where they're going to just burn it down. You see Besgaioth. Burning Besgaioth down. Burn, burn, burn Besgaioth down. Yes. What's going to happen with Zayden and Violet? So first chapter back and forth. We're going to get annoying about it again. And then second chapter. You don't even give her any like credit for the fact that she was betrayed. No, I already gave her credit like five chapters ago. One chapter is not credit. Like five chapters ago. And okay, let's move on, right? Like it's they're going to be fine. They're going to be happy at the end of this book. Okay. They're going to be happy at the end of the book. But you're saying she's going to forgive him in like a chapter. I don't think this book is about Violet and Zayden. You know, do you love me? Do you not love me? No, I think it's going to be us. Okay, we're together. You love me. Let's battle it. Let's do this. Now that we're going to fight as a couple, right? Bonnie and Clyde. Well, she has to trust him. So just so you know. Then she has to see a therapist to get this over with. Um, okay. I think we've gone through most of the characters. What do you think is going to happen with Andarna? Because they, at the end of the book, they were like she, Zayden was saying like something happened. She changed. Now she's huge. Well, Zayden was saying that like she lost her power. And she's huge. And she's huge. So she grew, grew up. Okay. Right? Like she, she's one of the, did she just grow up? She's a big dragon now. Like, like. I don't know. We don't know. Right. Well, I think at some point she's going to get her other power. That's going to be, you know, channeled through, through Vi. Right. I think we just, you know, we're going to lose like sort of like time slowing down, stopping power. But we're going to get something different from her. To Violet. To Violet. Yeah. Right. Unless she wants to, you know, just travel and see the world and move away from her parents. So, well, Andarna. Live her teenage life. Exactly. Right. That could be it too. Go see the world. Yeah. Um, okay. What about Terran? Um, he'll just continue being the fatherly figure. He did not tell Violet about the Venom. Well, no, because he was expecting Zayden. I'm sorry, Silver One, that I didn't tell you. I thought Buddy here was going to tell you. I'm going to get to K-Terran. You saved my life. We're all good. They're fine. Sigel will continue being a little like, you know, side-eyed. Yeah, that's fine. That's fine. It's a little moody. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Um, who else are we missing here? Who else? I think those are the main characters. Um, Brennan. Brennan. Oh, right. Back from the dead. Um, yeah. What do you think happened? What's going on? Why has he been hiding? He hasn't even said anything to his sister. What's going on? He's been hiding. He's been part of the revolution, right? He didn't even secretly, like, say anything. Why do you think it was important for him to remain dead? To remain dead? Because if anyone saw him or knew that he was alive, then fucking Dane would come around touching people where he's not supposed to and then they're gonna get his memory. Keep your hands to yourself, Dane. Um, but Brennan, okay. I'm curious to hear. I hope we get a chapter from his point of view. Kind of like going back as to like, A, what made him, you know, fake his own death. And B, what's happened over the past X amount of years that he's been dead. Right. Right. I hope that that happens at some point. Okay. Yeah. All right. How are you feeling? Excitement level? Yeah. You were not very excited to read Fourth Wing, actually, at all. How are you feeling about this one? It wasn't. No, I don't like that it's so fucking thick. I mean, it's only a little more. But I don't know. To my fellow zebras, not all strength is physical. What? Um, how many chapters are there? No, wait. So go back. You skipped part of the. I'm not going to read it here. No, one more. You see? So now they're giving you a little bit more info just so that you can understand the breakdown of like Fourth Wing, the wing leaders, like how the different, you know, sections are. Wait, there's a flame here. Flame section. There's a flame section. There's always been a flame section. Okay. So what does this have to do with this? I don't know. With the title? I don't know. So we have, what is it? The, what is this section? The claw section. The flame section and the tail section. Yes. And then we have the different, um. Different roles. I just want to see how many chapters there are. No, no, no, no, no. A lot. Excuse me. Did that say 63? I don't like it when you open the book from the back. Why not? It stresses me out. What am I going to do? Read the paragraph in a split second? You might. No. In terms of chapters you're asking? Yes. 65. So. My contract says max of 38 chapters per book. How many chapters did we do in Fourth Wing? 30, 39. There you go. 63. Jesus. No, 65. And, um, I think in terms of pages anyways, Fourth Wing is, I mean, without counting all the extra, you know, like chapters that we got or whatever it is, um, it's around, let me see here. Which I didn't read, by the way. I was not interested in reading. Okay, why don't you want to read them? Because I've already read the book. I don't have to see the other side. I can, I can imagine. It's Zayden's perspective. That's fine. We have like, look, we have one. We have two. We have so many extra chapters from Zayden. Way too many. No, not enough. If I could have a Fourth Wing book written from Zayden's perspective, I would read it in two seconds. I'm not here to read books within books within books. But it's such a different experience when you read it from the other character's perspective. I'm not interested in that other experience. You've already given me somebody's experience, their point of view for the last 38 chapters. But Zayden, his mind. I know how he thinks. We're the same, him and I. We look the same. We act the same. We have the same strength. It's all good. My god. Okay, so this book is 493 pages. So basically 500 pages that you read of a book. And this one is only a few more. This one is almost 500. This is only like 115 pages more. It's not that bad. It's just the chapters are a little bit shorter. So we may have to see how that goes for the episodes and stuff once we start doing four per episode. We'll figure it out. We'll figure it out. I'm excited for you to start reading. Yeah. And get it going. Let's do it. Let's do it. Thank you for listening. I'm excited to dive into Iron Flame. Let's do it. Adios. Bye. Bye.