Spoil Me

Greetings, fine people! Huge thanks to Ben for commissioning this episode covering The Novice, which is a follow-up to The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan. I was hoping that I wasn't done reading about that world, and it looks like Fergun being gone isn't going to make things that much easier for Sonea in the end.
Sonea has existed in a subsection of society that knows all too well how little money actually has to do with being a good or decent person, and I think it's a bit of a shock how horrible people her own age (or pretty close to it) can be about something like that. She's bullied almost immediately by a little shit named Regin, and there are plenty of adults muttering to themselves well within her hearing, too.
I'm worried about her. I know that she's more mature and has more self-control than many people, but she's a strong magician and I can't help but wonder if they're trying to provoke her into doing something to incriminate herself. Keep a cool head, Sonea.
Thanks again to Ben, and find the book here if you want to read along! https://amzn.to/2FpVh8D
See you soon with a new episode.

Good morning you lovely people! I'm happy to be back to covering Six Of Crows by Trudi Canavan because we were SO CLOSE to the location of the heist and I was withering away wondering what happened next. After all, we were barely halfway through the book! There's so much more story left!
These chapters are really engrossing because not only do we get to see the scheme to get into the prison/fort/grand estate, but we also finally get to discover what exactly happened to Kaz and his brother after they were swindled. Not only that, we learn what causes him to be repulsed by the feel of another person's skin against his, and it's pretty fucking tragic.
Similarly, we get more backstory on what went down between Nina and Matthias, and there's a lot of common ground between the way that they think and view the world, so it starts to make more sense why they're so drawn to one another. While she really liked Matthias, when it came right down to it she was more worried about revealing the people on her side than she was about getting him out of prison, and he's hugely resentful of her because he was THISCLOSE to betraying everything he thought he believed in on her behalf.
This book is real goo, y'all.

Hello again, lovelies! I'm here with the next episode of The Dark Lord Of Derkholm thanks to Patricia, and I'm finally starting to understand more of what the hell is going on in Derk's family.
Turns out that Dark used some of his and his wife's DNA in the creation of the griffins, so when Blade thought to himself that they were brothers and sisters, he meant that literally. They are related by blood, and there's something simultaneously creepy and sweet about that.
Turns out that Kit, one of the largest griffins, is a real piece of work and has been acting up lately because he's got magic and intended to keep it secret. He caves the roof in right after Pretty breaks the arms of the snake lady, and in general there are a lot of emergencies happening in this section.
Thanks so much for listening, and see you soon with a new episode!

Hello, Marshmallows! Welcome to the episode where I start of mad at Veronica for doing something that I consider way over the line, and many thanks to Agnes for commissioning this episode!
So, the thing I am mad about is Veronica bugging the counselor's office and listening in on what should be confidential conversations. I know that she spies and listens in all the time, but it feels extra gross to be doing it in a place that people get vulnerable and talk about extremely personal shit that is often not pertinent to the case at large. Rather than assessing something and zeroing in to find out more, she's casting a huge net and violating privacy on a much wider level, and I don't like it.
Also this episode is one of the first where Veronica really gets in trouble with the law, instead of just letting them think she's hiding drugs in her locker to nail a narc. It's a pretty serious setup that takes some ingenuity to get out of, but all it boils down to is yet another person getting mad at Veronica for the actions of her dad and deciding to take it out on her.
I hope you enjoy the episode, and thanks for listening!

Oh boy, it's time for me to start on a whole new series, and I'm surprised to realize that this is the first really pure, classic fantasy book that I've read since A Song Of Ice And Fire. And so far I think that The Grace Of Kings is really compelling, and I truly don't know where any of the story is going but as of right now, I am here for it. Thank you to Kyle Summers for commissioning this episode! If you're interested in picking up the book, you can find it here! https://amzn.to/2RGVK7P
So this starts off with a really tidy series of perspectives to tell us about the history of this world, the way its states and islands functioned, and how an enormous takeover happened that resulted in a huge, "united" country ruled over by a bored AF emperor. The war was 14 years ago, and if you watch the crowds, it's as if most of them have forgotten about the horrors that were wreaked on them...but not all of them.
Thanks for listening, and I will see you all soon with a new episode!

Y'all, there are just some books that you finish and then you stare at the final page in literal disbelief that the story is over. Sunshine is one of those books.
It's not that I didn't like the ending, although it wasn't really the satisfying capper that I was hoping for. It's just that the whole thing is so much more nuanced than I expected, and the fact that this is a story about battling vampires really led me to believe that I was going to get a big whopper of a finale like an action movie.
Not only does this book subvert all that expectation, it also builds this enormous world with all of these interesting details, and then decides that one book is all we get. Which...just, like...isn't fair? I WANT MORE. GIVE ME MORE OF THIS.
Thank you again to Rosalie for commissioning this, it was so good.

Hey there, listeners! It's time for the next installment of Iron Druid, and in this episode we get into a pretty hairy fight with a gross demon that turns out to be a fallen angel. Oh, and also we meet Mary, Mother of God. NBD.
While I still think Atticus is a major shit and hope that he gets smacked in the head a million times, I can at least root for Coyote in the fight against the demon, although the reveal of the thing that makes Atticus so mad at the end of their scene together didn't make a lot of sense to me or the person in the chat with me, so if someone wants to explain that I'm all ears.
Thank you very much to Lian for commissioning this episode, and the next episode isn't purchased yet so if you're interested hit me up at unspoiledpodcast.com/shop!

Many MANY thanks to Denise Atwood for commissioning several "blank check" episodes of Spoil Me! and letting me choose what I wanted to read! I'm using two episodes on Parable Of The Sower, and I am still deciding what I'm going to use the third one for so I will keep you all posted.
This was a truly heart wrenching read, in many ways because this whole disaster was sort of inevitable. It's just a little too close to our experience today, with people in deep denial about the direction our country is going and the potential for where it will end up. If people had been more willing to hear the upsetting but ultimately helpful truth, maybe they could have been more prepared. Even if they didn't save the community, perhaps they could have ended up alive. But in some ways, I think Lauren is better off without Cory in her life, as much as I regret the loss of her remaining brothers. And now she has a couple of new friends, who seem as practical and clear-headed as she does, so we shall see where they all end up.
Thank you all so much for listening, and if you would like to pick up the book, you can do that here: https://amzn.to/2F7aVpj

It's the episode where Jaime co-hosted, everyone come and listen!
Many thanks to Jaime and Nancy who purchased a wannabe-level episode in order to get Jaime on the air with me! Jaime is a seasoned Marshmallow and knows everything that happens on this show, so she was very careful while discussing theories with me.
This episode was way more high-stakes than any of the other case-of-the-weeks that we've seen so far. There's a serial killer on the loose, killing pretty young blondes (of course) and he's got the same MO as a killer that the local cops thought they had put away years ago. Realizing they were wrong, the mayor drags Sheriff Lamb to Keith's office to beg him for help, and Lamb hates every minute of it.
Meanwhile, Veronica is just desperate to get into the evidence locker at the station, and decides to prey on a hapless, flirty noob who does not yet realize who he is dealing with. She gets into the locker sure enough, but he gets suspended for allowing it to happen, and thus ends what might have been a budding romance (except that I detested the guy so I'm not sad at all).
Thanks so much for listening, and thank you to Jaime for joining me! See you next week with a new episode!

Hey there, my friends! I'm here with the next episode of Six Of Crows and I want to thank Megan for commissioning the next installment, which I was simply dying to read. And this is a pretty long book, so there is still plenty left to go!
These chapters are actually kind of moving because we get a better look at the players in the game and finally find out the really intriguing details of their histories. I'm a particular fan of Kaz's backstory, of course, because it's so heartbreaking and understandable.
And I'm a huge fan of female friendships, so of course I'm delighted at how things are developing between Inej and Nina. I like Inej, but Nina is my particular favorite and the moment when she rips Matthias to shreds over him suggesting that maybe she shouldn't exist is really satisfying. Ugh. Screw you, Matthias.
Thanks so much for listening, and see you soon with a new episode!