Echo Fort by Susanne Valenti & Caroline Peckham. This episode starts spoiler-free for those of you trying to decide whether to continue the series or not! The episode contains Never Keep spoilers , but no Echo Fort spoilers until we give our spoiler warning, and from there, it's fair game.

Part recap, part therapy sesh and 100% honest takes on all of the madness that went down in Echo fort.

• Spoiler-free: Never Keep Ending Recap
• Spoiler-free: Echo Fort thoughts & feelings; would we recommend?
• Spoiler Section: Recap of Echo Fort plot & ending
• Dish Sesh: the good the bad and the ugly
• Cinder Vale Predictions

Note: This episode follows our previous Never Keep (Book 1: Sins of the Zodiac) deep dive series where we discussed plots, characters and predictions across a number of episodes. For Echo Fort, it's all wrapped in one tight episode.

Chapters

• Spoiler-Free Review of Echo Fort

• Never Keep Ending Recap & Echo Fort Synopsis: 00:09:17

• Devastating Echo Fort Ending: Vesper & Everest's Fates: 00:20:37

• Our Favorite & Most Surprising Moments in Echo Fort: 00:23:33

• The Most Devastating & Twisted Moments in Echo Fort: 00:29:08

• Vesper vs. Everest & Ranking the Male Leads in Echo Fort: 00:36:09

• What's Next for Kaiser, Bastion, Vesper & Everest in Cinder Vale?: 00:44:25

• The Matriarch, Raw Power & Void Magic: 00:52:23

• Mavus Angelico, Supporting Characters & Episode Conclusion: 01:01:51

Read along with us on Fable: http://bit.ly/452g4IM

If you’re a fan of romantasy, magic school tropes, tarot systems, slow-burn romance, YA/NA fantasy, Elise Kova, or Zodiac Academy coded vibes, this episode is for you.

💌 Join the conversation: Comment with your thoughts, theories, and whether you're diving into Book 2! Or email us anytime at [email protected]

Tags: Echo Fort, Sins of the Zodiac, book review, podcast discussion, character development, emotional storytelling, fantasy novels, reading community.

Welcome back to Quick Lit! Today we’re diving into Arcana Academy by Elise Kova, a brand-new fantasy romance book featuring tarot-based magic, trials, political intrigue, and a heroine caught between vengeance and destiny. In this episode, Karah & Sara break down everything you need to know, both spoiler-free AND spoiler-full:

• Whether Arcana Academy is worth the hype
• The magic system
• Our thoughts on Clara, Kaelis, Arina & the cast
• Favourite moments, shocking twists, and Book 2 predictions

We also share a special update about the Fantasy Femme Fatales Book Club on Fable (our next pick: Eldritch by Keri Lake!) and a preview of what’s coming to in 2026.

If you’re a fan of romantasy, magic school tropes, tarot systems, slow-burn romance, YA/NA fantasy, Elise Kova, or Zodiac Academy coded vibes, this episode is for you.

💌 Join the conversation: Comment with your thoughts, theories, and whether you're diving into Book 2! Or email us anytime at [email protected]

Episode Chapters:

First Impressions of Elise Kova's Arcana Academy

00:00

Analyzing Arcana Academy's Pacing and Character Depth

00:04:27

Unpacking the Tarot Magic System and Spoiler Alert

00:09:32

The Shocking Revelation of the Death Major

00:16:43

Why the Romance and Emotional Depth Fell Short

00:20:31

Clara's Unexpected Departure from Arcana Academy

00:26:46

Unraveling Kaelis's Past and the World Card's Future

00:29:30

Unveiling Book 2 Theories and Upcoming Episodes

00:34:35

Read along with us on Fable: http://bit.ly/452g4IM

#ArcanaAcademy #EliseKova #FantasyRomance #Romantasy #TarotMagic #BookReview #FantasyBookPodcast #FantasyFemmeFatales #QuickLit #MagicSchoolBooks #Booktube #BooktokMadeMeReadIt

Step into the world of The Otacian Chronicles with bestselling indie author Kylie Snow, in this exclusive Off Script interview with the Fantasy Femme Fatales!

If you haven't read these books yet, there are a couple spoilers! On screen spoiler warnings are included on video format!

Kylie opens up about:

• The evolution of The Lies of Lena and the Otacian Chronicles
• How she balances dark romance and emotional storytelling
• The inspirations behind Lena, Silas, Merrick, and Roland
• Her upcoming Lies of Lena audiobook (and what fans can expect!)
• The personal highs and lows of her author journey
• What’s next in her fantasy world and her dream projects to come

Whether you’re obsessed with romantasy, dark romance, or simply crave an emotionally charged, character-driven story...this episode will ruin you (in the best way).

Next up: Echo Fort (Sins of the Zodiac #2) — coming soon on Fantasy Femme Fatales.

🎃 It’s Halloween on a Friday AND a Quick Lit episode day – the spirits have truly aligned.In this special Fantasy Femme Fatales Halloween Edition, we celebrate our fav season with games, cocktails, and spooky vibes.

We play “These Are a Few of Our Spookiest Things,” where the Wheel of Fate decides our Halloween-themed topics:

• 💀 If You Like This Movie, Read This Book
• 🕸 Favorite Costumes & Embarrassing Stories
• 📚 Top Fall Reads & Guilty Pleasures
• 😈 FMK: Supernatural Orders (yes, it gets chaotic)
• 🕯 Brands & Music Nailing the Halloween Aesthetic

Plus, we share a MAJOR announcement at the end: Kylie Snow is joining us for an exclusive interview on Nov 14! Grab your spooky drink of choice, curl up with a romantasy read, and join us for the most chaotic Halloween episode yet.

We did it. We survived the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac series…barely.

In this no-filter, tell-all Quick Lit episode, we unpack our entire experience reading the chaotic, steamy, emotional rollercoaster that is Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti’s Ruthless Boys series, the prequel to Zodiac Academy.

From Dark Fae to Warrior Fae, we’re sharing:

• Our favorite (and least favorite) Kings
• The wildest scenes that broke our sanity
• How this series connects to Zodiac Academy
• What worked, what didn’t, and what we’ll never recover from

If you love dark romance, reverse harems, morally grey fae, and series that emotionally destroy you, you’ll feel right at home.

Tell us your King rankings and if you survived Aurora Academy in the comments!

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It’s officially spooky season and our TBRs are ridiculously stacked. In this episode of Quick Lit, we’re sharing our Fall TBR must reads: the fantasy, romantasy, and dark romance books we’ve been holding off on all year to read during the fall season.

From Manacled to Eldritch, Memories of Merrick to Zodiac Academy 4, we’re breaking down all the must-reads that scream autumn vibes.

You’ll hear:

• Our Fantasy Femme Fatales must-read fall books
• Our personal top 5 TBR picks

Whether you’re into romantasy, fantasy romance, Zodiac Academy, or just looking for the perfect spooky season reads, this episode will help you build the ultimate fall TBR.Drop your top fall reads in the comments, we want to know what’s on YOUR list! (As if we need more books to read)

#FallTBR #FantasyRomance #Romantasy #ZodiacAcademy #DarkRomance #SpookySeasonReads #FantasyFemmeFatales #QuickLitPodcast #Manacled #Eldritch #OtacianChronicles #DarkAcademiaBooks #FantasyBookTube #BookTokMadeMeReadIt

Join us as we step into Keri Lake’s Nocticadia, a gothic romance packed with dark academia vibes, taboo spice, morally gray men, and an anxious heroine haunted by her past.

In this episode of Quick Lit, we give a spoiler-free review before diving headfirst into the book: forbidden love, parasites, moths, and a professor so dangerously magnetic he’ll ruin your TBR (iykyk)

We dish on:

• Why Nocticadia is perfect for dark academia romantasy fans
• Unforgettable moments
• Fan casting our dream Lilia & Bramwell
• How Keri Lake balances gothic horror with meaningful spice
• Similar books you’ll love if Nocticadia consumed you

Whether you’re a fan of romantasy, fantasy romance, or searching for your next Zodiac Academy-level obsession, this episode will have you adding Nocticadia straight to your fall TBR.

EPISODE SPONSOR: Between The Sheets Between The Sheets is more than just a book box... it’s a full sensory reading experience. Each box includes a romance book plus custom scent blends to actually smell the character, ambiance videos to immerse yourself into the book while you read, and curated music playlists to stay in the book's reality even when you're not reading.Order by October 7 and use code Fatale20 for 20% off your first box. Boxes ship October 8.: https://betweenthesheetsbookstore.org/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=FFF_nocticadiaWhether you’re a fan of #romantasy, #fantasyromancebooks, or searching for your next #zodiacacademy level obsession, this episode will have you adding Nocticadia straight to your fall TBR.

In this episode of Quick Lit, we sit down with the queen of gothic fantasy herself, the author of Anathema and the upcoming Eldritch!!! From music playlists to morally grey MMCs, Halloween obsessions to Eldritch teasers - this interview is EVERYTHING!

Eldritch Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6FtSzNoGGVMRqNU3fhVhKb?si=720a06f9f0f94e21

We’ve read a LOT of fantasy romance and romantasy so far in 2025, and today we’re dishing on it ALL: side reads, spicy superlatives, and the book boyfriends who stole our hearts and souls!!ARC spotlight: Where the Dragons Sleep by Iris Rivera (spoiler-free!)Superlatives Wheel: best worldbuilding, most surprising, biggest disappointment, most beautiful cover & moreMMC Madness: ranking all the morally grey chaotic MMCs of 2025Special announcement: an exclusive interview is coming Sept 5!If you love Zodiac Academy, Fourth Wing, and dark romantasy vibes, you’re in the right place. GET COZY because this episode is packed with recs, hot takes, and a little unhinged chaos.

In this episode of Quick Lit, we’re diving deep into the spicy, chaotic, and dare we say bloody romantasy that is Quicksilver by Callie Hart. This one gave us a book hangover and we’re not okay.