High Queen Podcast

Aelin Galathynius is back in Rifthold—and she has a few names to cross off her list.

With Aedion awaiting execution, Dorian trapped beneath a Valg prince's control, and Arobynn Hamel still pulling strings, Aelin returns to the city ready to settle old debts and reclaim what was stolen from her. But between secret schemes, unexpected friendships, a certain Fae prince finally arriving in Rifthold, and an enemy far bigger than they ever imagined, getting home to Terrasen won't be easy. 

Meanwhile, Manon begins questioning everything she's been taught as the horrors inside Morath come to light—and one encounter with the Fire-Breathing Bitch Queen herself may change both of their paths forever. 

Grab your books, beverage, and bestie because we're breaking down ALL of Queen of Shadows—and between assassinations, witches, long-awaited reunions, that gold nightgown, and a finale that quite literally brings the house down... this one is FULL.

After the events of Crown of Midnight, Celaena Sardothien flees to Wendlyn with more questions than answers—but instead of finding the information she seeks, she’s thrown into brutal Fae training under the infuriating and oh-so-intriguing Rowan Whitethorn. As old wounds resurface and forgotten magic awakens, she’s forced to confront the identity she’s spent years running from.

Meanwhile, back in Adarlan, Dorian struggles to hide his growing magic, Chaol is pulled deeper into the rebellion, Aedion Ashryver plays a dangerous game inside the king’s court, and we’re introduced to one of our new favorite morally gray characters: Manon Blackbeak... along with her flower-sniffing wyvern, Abraxos.

Join us as we dive into the entirety of Heir of Fire—where the world grows bigger, the stakes grow higher, and Celaena’s journey toward fully accepting Aelin Galathynius begins.

Grab your books, your beverage, and your bestie and settle in—this one is FULL.

Before Endovier. Before the King’s Champion. Before we ever met Adarlan’s most notorious assassin, there was a sixteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien—arrogant, dramatic, devastatingly talented, and still under Arobynn Hamel’s control.

This week, we’re covering all five novellas in The Assassin’s Blade and finally filling in the pieces of Celaena’s past that have haunted the series from the beginning.

From Skull’s Bay and the Red Desert to Yrene Towers, Sam Cortland, and Celaena’s fight for freedom, we watch her begin to decide what kind of woman she wants to be—and what she’s willing to walk away from to become her.

But we already know how this story ends.

Love turns to loss. Freedom slips away. Betrayal cuts deeper than any blade. And Celaena is sent to Endovier with only one promise left to hold onto: “My name is Celaena Sardothien, and I will not be afraid.”

Absolutely chills. Grab your book, beverage, and bestie; this is a big one.

In this episode, we dive into the explosive second half of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas—and honestly… where do we even begin?

Secrets unravel, loyalties are tested, and Celaena’s carefully constructed world starts to crack wide open. From shocking betrayals to devastating losses, these chapters take us on an emotional rollercoaster we were not prepared for. We unpack the major reveals *cough FAE FORM cough*, character turning points, and that ending (!!!) that changes everything we thought we knew about Celaena Sardothien... or should we say Aelin Ashryver Galathynius *mind utterly blown*.

Join us as we react in real time, spiral a little (a lot), and talk about what this all means moving forward in the series!

Celaena Sardothien may have won the title of the King’s Champion—but she’s not playing by his rules. Crack open your book; it's time to dive into Crown of Midnight chapters 1-29.

As she takes on her latest assignment to eliminate suspected rebels, a dangerous truth comes to light: Celaena isn’t killing her targets… she’s setting them free. With every lie she spins, the risk grows—not just for her, but for everyone around her.

Meanwhile, tensions rise across the board. Dorian struggles with distance and lingering feelings, Chaol wrestles with honor, loyalty, and his connection to Celaena, and Nehemia pushes for action in a world that’s becoming more dangerous by the day. A world now shattered by the loss of one of our core characters.

With secrets building, trust fracturing, and the King watching closely… how long can Celaena keep up the act before everything unravels? Grab your book, beverage, and bestie, and let's find out!

Everything comes to a head in the final chapters of Throne of Glass—and nothing is as simple as it once seemed.

Celaena awakens healed, but with more questions than answers, and finally reveals the truth of who she is to Nehemia—only to be met with unexpected understanding, loyalty, and a name that speaks to her unbreakable spirit.

As the competition narrows to its final Champions, tensions rise across the castle. Whispers of the king’s dark past, mysterious wyrdmarks, and something far more dangerous lurking beneath the surface begin to collide. Friendships are tested, truths are uncovered, and the cost of survival becomes clearer than ever.

But when the final duel arrives, it’s not just strength that’s tested—it’s willpower, identity, and the thin line between life and death. Poisoned, beaten, and pushed to her limits, Celaena is forced to confront something otherworldly… and rise anyway.

Celaena wins her freedom—only to lose it again in a way she never expected... bound by a contract, surrounded by secrets, and standing at the center of something far greater than herself… her journey is only just beginning.

Grab your book, beverage, and bestie, it's time to crown the King's Champion.

In Chapters 16–42 of Throne of Glass, the competition is escalating fast... Champions are turning up dead in increasingly brutal, unexplainable ways, and Celaena begins to realize that something far darker than a contest is lurking within the castle walls.

As tensions rise, so do the relationships. Dorian is drawn deeper into Celaena’s orbit, Chaol struggles to balance duty with trust, and Celaena herself is caught between carefully crafted image and the truths she can’t keep hidden forever.

But when a hidden passage leads her beneath the castle—and straight to a long-dead fae queen with a warning—Celaena’s path shifts entirely. What began as a fight for her freedom is becoming something much bigger… and much more dangerous.

Because now it’s not just about winning.

It’s about stopping something evil before it’s too late.

It's a whole new world! That's right, we’re officially in our Throne of Glass era—and things are already deadly.

In this first episode, we meet Celaena Sardothien: assassin, survivor of Endovier, and now a competitor in the King of Adarlan’s brutal championship. But beneath the confidence and sharp tongue, there’s something deeper—someone observant, strategic, and not nearly as untouchable as her reputation suggests.

We break down her first interactions with Prince Dorian and Captain Chaol, the politics already at play in the glass castle, and the introduction of 26 deadly competitors all fighting for the same prize: survival and freedom.

We also get into the subtle magic still lingering in this world, the tension between power and perception (because what would they say if they knew they feared a girl?), and why Celaena might be her own greatest obstacle.

Your reading: Chapters 1–15. Let the competition begin.

This is it—the end of A Court of Silver Flames and the ACOTAR series… 

Stripped of her power and thrown into the brutality of the Blood Rite, Nesta is forced to rely on something far more terrifying than magic: herself. Alongside Gwyn and Emerie, she doesn’t just fight to survive—she fights to prove that she is worthy of the life she’s been given.

While Nesta battles her way across Ramiel, the world beyond the Rite begins to fracture. Feyre’s life—and her unborn child’s—hangs in the balance, and the family Nesta has kept at a distance is suddenly on the brink of shattering. At the same time, Briallyn tightens her grip, and Cassian is turned into a weapon against the very person he would die to protect.

Everything collides at once, and Nesta is faced with an impossible choice: hold onto the power she fought so hard to claim… or give it up to save her sister, her family, and the future she never believed she deserved.

In choosing them, she finally chooses herself.

In this episode, we unpack the true meaning of strength, the power of chosen and found family, and the quiet, hard-won healing between sisters, blood and chosen. Because Nesta’s story was never about becoming a weapon—it was about learning she was worthy of love all along.

And in the end, she doesn’t just survive.

She comes home. Grab your books, beverage, and bestie, this is a big one!

Nesta Archeron is no longer just surviving—she’s becoming.

In chapters 51–63 of A Court of Silver Flames, we see a turning point: her healing begins to shift into purpose. From deep vulnerability at the lake (and let’s be honest… some very memorable moments with Cassian...), to forging stronger bonds with Gwyn and Emerie, Nesta is finally stepping into the version of herself she’s been fighting toward.

But growth doesn’t come quietly.

As Nesta connects to the dread trove and retrieves the Harp from the Prison, she faces a terrifying truth: her power is not only immense—it’s dangerous. When an ancient, unkillable being falls by her hand, the stakes shift entirely. Nesta is no longer just part of the story… she’s becoming one of its most powerful forces.

Back in Velaris, friendships deepen, the Valkyrie rise, and Nesta begins to build something she’s never truly had before: belonging. But even as she finds joy, purpose, and love, old fears creep in—especially when it comes to whether she deserves any of it.

From political games and tension with Eris, to a breathtaking Solstice, to the quiet devastation of pushing Cassian away, this episode carries us through Nesta’s most human moments—and her most powerful ones.

And just when it feels like things might finally settle…

The Blood Rite begins.

This week, we’re diving into power, friendship, chosen family, and what it really means to fight—not just to survive, but to become.