Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn: Part 1

Episode Title: Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn Tandem Read – Part 1 (The Pufferfish & Princess Lesbian Edition)

Description: The Romanty Roundtable has officially entered the Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn tandem read era! We are kicking off this massive six-episode arc, but not before Rick (who is inexplicably broadcasting as a digital pufferfish) stages a hostile, passive-aggressive takeover of Kim’s chapter-summary duties. We also take a detour to debate the ultimate high fantasy question from our biggest fan Jamie: Game of Thrones or the Joken Roken Tolken universe?

Once we finally get into the books, we're jumping between Aelin's hostile court politics in Empire of Storms (Nightfall – Chapter 13) and Chaol's moody, wheelchair-bound diplomatic tour in Tower of Dawn (Chapters 1 – 7). Between Manon going full girl-boss during an aerial assault and Amanda re-naming an entire royal family, we are officially strapped in for the chaos of the tandem read.

Key Topics Discussed:

* The Disrespect of Lord Daro: Aelin and her crew try to play nice with the Terrasen lords, but Darrow completely refuses to recognize her as queen. Aelin responds with a dagger between the fingers and a vow to make him crawl for help.

* Rifthold in Ruins & The Canoe Escape: Dorian gets ambushed in his tower, but Manon steps in with a lethal decapitation to save him. Rowan then shifts into a hawk and guides the King away in a canoe (which perfectly crosses off a square on Kim and Amanda's Ripped Bodice Summer Reading Bingo board).

* Lorcan & Elide's Meet-Cute: Elide is out here doing her best to survive the Oakwald Forest, while the aggressively brooding Lorcan stalks her from the bushes. He saves her from some wingless demon monsters, and Amanda is officially predicting that everyone in this series is coupling up.

* Welcome to Antica: Chaol (aka Kale) and Nesryn arrive in the Southern Continent to beg the Khagan for an army. Amanda brilliantly breaks down the Khagan's six royal children into the only identifiers we need: Sky, Ground, Spy, Pregnant, Lesbian, and Dead.

* Yrene Towers Returns: Our favorite healer is back to deliver some humbling medical assessments! She forces Chaol to endure a clinical evaluation complete with icy vibes, aggressive questions about his bathroom habits, and a heavy fixation on his manhood.

Join us for canoe escapes, blood oaths, and Rick's realization that Kill Bill is the perfect movie pairing for Chaol's storyline! Up next, we are taking on Part 2 of the Tandem Read (Tower of Dawn Ch. 8–18 and beyond). Grab your books, check our Instagram for the reading guide graphic, smash those subscribe buttons, and let us know in the comments if you're Team Throne of Glass or Team Throne of Grass!