The English Club Podcast

By The University of Saint Balasar English Club

English Club Podcast is a joint venture between two critique partners at "Saint Balasar University". The goal of each episode is to give notoriously "bad" fiction a chance for fair critique, as if the... more

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FAQs about The English Club Podcast:

How many episodes does The English Club Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.

The English Club Podcast episodes:

February 01, 2025 This Bible Fanfiction SUCKS! But it's also great YA fantasy???
Apparently, the people who made the giant replica of Noah’s ark also wrote a pseudo-fantasy trilogy about Noah’s early life. This one has a T-REX GLADIATOR FIGHT ON THE COVER OHH MY GODDDDD! Join us for a really really weird experience as Tim Chaffey and K. Marie Adams return.
I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this book because it's UNBELIEVABLE.
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2h 24min
December 23, 2024 Skyshade is the Worst Book I've Ever Read
Lightlark was terrible. Nightshade was less terrible but more disappointing. Now I don’t know how I feel.
Alex Aster has tested the SBU English Club ever since she first started going viral on TikTok. Barely a romantasy and hardly a love triangle, the tropes we were promised were always bad but now are now completely diluted. But we’re determined to turn this into an actual story, despite BookTok’s best efforts.
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3h 59min
November 22, 2024 Zenith's Sequel is a Hidden Gem!
They all said Zenith was a disaster. And they were right, but for the wrong reasons. And then they never said anything about Nexus. So here's 3 and a half hours of us talking about how Nexus is good actually.
It is genuinely mind boggling how subjectively better Nexus is than Zenith, how objectively good it is, and how much it's slept on by the online YA/BookTube/SciFantasy community. It's even crazier that Nexus is a gonzo, trippy, borderline experimental sci-fi story in which bombing a black hole full of ghosts to take over the universe is one of the more straightforward plot points.
For having started with a book so poorly received that one might argue it was reviewbombed, Nexus is the redemption arc that the SBU English Club Podcast desperately needed. Especially because the new Lightlark book just dropped...
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3h 19min
October 18, 2024 Powerless isn’t that bad, you guys are just mean
Lauren Roberts has a viral BookTok sensation on her hands. "Red Queen meets Hunger Games," she calls it. “Worse than Lightlark,” responds the Internet.
Still, questions abound. How can some people love this book, while others consider it one of the worst books ever? Which BookTok book has the best dumb twist ending? Is TikTok book marketing a surefire path to success in publishing your book?
Join critique partners and Lightlark superfans Jay and Andrew as they explore this "spicy" romantasy that works in all the wrong ways.
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3h 40min
August 23, 2024 Let’s Read Crown of Starlight! Cait Corrain Controversy | Booktok Book Deep Dive and Analysis
YOU WON’T GET THIS ANYWHERE ELSE. Controversial book deep dives & analysis, booktok fights, review bombing, and the wildest book drama to come out of Twitter—all right here at the SBU English Club.
Our club members face their greatest challenge yet: Cait Corrain’s Crown of Starlight! Cait had everything—a two-book traditional publishing deal, rave reviews from literary critics, and a successful ARC distribution. And then she made it go up in flames.
But what about the book itself? What was it about? Would this have been the next Fourth Wing, had she not reviewbombed everyone who would’ve supported her? What are the ethics of reading a discontinued book with such a bad reputation, and what responsibilities do we have to each other as readers, writers, and Internet users?
Also in this episode: Cait Corrain drama explained! You’ve heard the story before, you’ve seen the fake Discord chat, but do we—can we—know the full story, and trust the people telling it to us? Join us as we put laser focus on facts that others have glossed over—facts that can NEVER exonerate Cait Corrain, but CAN illustrate the risk that there may be some of them in all of us.
Please support Cait Corrain’s victims: https://www.asakkalon.com/2024-debut-books-to-support-thanks-cait-corrain/
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4h 36min
July 21, 2024 Zenith is Lightlark in Space! YA Book Review and Deep Dive
It's YA Sci-Fi gone wild! Join the SBU English Club as they review what has to be one of the longest YA books ever--Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings!
Don't believe the author drama--this book is nowhere NEAR as bad as they say it is. But they also don't talk about what makes this book REALLY bad. Weird how that happens.
Whether you're a fan of the genre or just curious about the controversy, join us for a deep dive into what we will come to call the proto-Lightlark.
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3h 2min
June 16, 2024 Trigger Warning’s Author is Back! Not My Home RANT REVIEW
Somehow, J.A. Johnstone has returned. And she’s brought a new book that’s somehow more insane than the last. Join the SBU English Club as they tackle another ripped-from-the-headlines Johnstone thriller, and try in vain to figure out just what headlines this is supposed to be ripped from.
Just as a warning, this one gets kinda real, so listen at your discretion.
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2h 5min
April 20, 2024 This Furry Fantasy Book is EVIL! Rich Shapero’s Wild Animus
The worst author ever is back with a furry mountain-climbing fever dream! This one’s so much to deal with that our heroes need to call in the help of a friend. Throw yourself to the wolves and join the fun as the English Club tackles a book that may literally be ontologically evil.

Is it safe to climb a mountain in a fursuit? How much are you (not) supposed to spend on marketing your book? Is this guy serious? Find out on our newest episode!
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2h 20min
March 25, 2024 Nightbane Deep Dive! The YA Fantasy BookTok Darling is Back
Somehow, Lightlark has returned. Some call it the worst YA book ever made, others call it a victim of a chemical reaction between the publishing industry and the TikTok machine. Whatever led Lightlark and Nightbane to get published, they're full of common mistakes made by newbie fantasy writers and remain some of the most controversial books.
We don't care. We're hell-bent on saving it, anyways. Maybe it's something with the character introductions, the romance subplot, or even that this book needs a bit more Reylo--J and Andrew will do whatever it takes to make the world of Isla, Oro, and GRIMSHAW make sense.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Isla Crown has secured the love of two powerful rulers and broken the curses that plagued the six realms for centuries, but few know the true origins of her powers. Now, in the wake of a crushing betrayal, Isla finds herself hungry for distraction, preferring to frequent Lightlark’s seductive haunts instead of embracing her duties as the newly crowned leader of two separate realms. Worse, her fellow rulers haven’t ceded victory quietly, and there are others in Isla’s midst who don’t believe her ascent to power was earned. As certain death races toward Lightlark and secrets from the past begin to unravel, Isla must weigh her responsibility to her people against the whims of the most dangerous traitor of all: her heart.
ABOUT US:
English Club Podcast is a joint venture between two critique partners at "Saint Balasar University". The goal of each episode is to give internet famous fiction a fair critique, as if the authors were members of a writing group themselves.
CHOOSE YOUR MAGICAL CREATURES:
Antler Bear, Moss Wolf, Giant Spider:
https://www.instagram.com/sbu_englishclub
An actual panther like literally just a large cat with no other cool features:
https://twitter.com/sbu_englishclub
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2h 26min
February 12, 2024 Is This Controversial Bible Fanfiction Actually Good?
Apparently, the people who made the giant replica of Noah’s ark also wrote a pseudo-fantasy trilogy about Noah’s early life. Our intrepid heroes don’t expect much from the first book, but lo—fantasy writing tips, dinosaurs, and Renaissance-era poetry await!
Will Jay and Andrew let their differing beliefs stop them from working together to save this book? Can a work be true, even when it’s not factual? Will iron mining operations disrupt local pterodactyl habitats? Some of these questions will be answered!
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2h 17min

FAQs about The English Club Podcast:

How many episodes does The English Club Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.

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