Things on the pod start to unravel much like the plot of the books. Charles continues to be quite confused, but he luckily has Asia there to guide him through it. We watch more stress on Tris and Tobias. Both are at fault, and neither seems to win our overall sympathy. Once again we end on a cliffhanger that your co-hosts have intense feelings about, some of which will have to be resolved next week.
Next week we will be reading chapters 1-25 of book 3 in the series, Allegiant.
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Diving into the second book of the series, the war effort continues, and the reader's confusion starts to grow. As the romance struggles, so does our enjoyment of the series. The plot does start to feel messy, and when Charles gets confused, he luckily has Asia to guide him through. More and more of the world-building and character choices start to unravel, and the lack of logic does start to wear us down. Ironically though, we can sense even more unhinging coming up ahead.
Next week we will be reading chapters 25-47 of book 2 in the series, Insurgent. 
We go 0 to 100 real quick as we wrap up Dauntless initiation and immediately get into the overarching of the series, the Erudite-initiated war. Tris and her ability to escape simulations is pivotal, but this is when we start to see some continuity cracks. The ending is quite polarizing, but for once, we actually agree on how to respond. The romance is also doing it for us still as we finish the first book of the trilogy.
Next week we will be reading chapters 1-24 of book 2 in the series, Insurgent. 
This week we are choosing our factions as we start the Divergent Trilogy! We are entering the world of Tris Prior as she makes the monumental decision to leave the selfless Abnegation and join the brave Dauntless. There’s a lot of romance and sexual tension, so of course your two co-hosts love that part of the story. We also get into the building mysteries, and we’re excited to uncover the answers. What faction do you think each of the hosts would have come from and which one would they have chosen?
Next week we will be reading chapters 21-39 of book 1 in the series, Divergent. 
As we wrap up the series, we end up feeling more and more like Messenger and less and less like The Giver. We continue Claire’s story as she reclaims her memories, climbs out of the ditch, and finds her way to Gabe. We debate Claire’s trade as well as the successes and failures of the series. Would we recommend this series to a friend? Does the ending really stack up to the hype? How does the whole series feel as we finish it up? You’ll have to listen to find out.
Next week we will be reading chapters 1-20 of Divergent, book 1 in our new series, Divergent. 
It’s time for the final book of The Giver Quartet. This final book is called Son, and we return to Jonas’ original community. We are following Gabriel’s birthmother, Claire, as she gives birth to Gabe, is dismissed from being a birthmother and starts to rebel against the community. We thoroughly enjoy returning to Jonas’ community as that dystopian set-up is what we have enjoyed the most. Join us on Claire’s journey as we get close to finishing the series.
Next week we will be reading chapters 23-45 of book 4 in the series, Son. 
In an excoriation of an episode, we wrap up Messenger. Make sure you listen to hear how we respond to all of the suspense built up in the first half of the book. This episode is rather quick as the reading is short, but we cover many perspectives on the resolution of the book. There’s a discussion of the powers of the protagonists, the worldbuilding, and arc of this particular novel. Once again, we confront the idea that these books all feel like separate books, rather than a cohesive series.
Next week we will be reading chapters 1-22 of book 4 in the series, Son. 
After divisive episodes on Gathering Blue, we are back this week with renewed hopes for book number three, Messenger. This community connects our first two books and also develops its own struggles and complexities. The protagonist Matty is a fun character to read from, and we are excited about the darker themes being explored in this particular conflict. Both hosts do take some exception to the ret-conning and world inconsistencies revealed, but are hopeful for the second half.
Next week we will be reading chapters 12-21 of book 3 in the series, Messenger. 
This week Charles and Asia continue the discussion of Gathering Blue. This time both hosts agree on their feelings on the ending unlike last week. All of our mysteries are solved and even new ones that are introduced are quickly answered as well. We learn more of the sinister nature of this community and the lengths the leaders are willing to go to to capture the artists they need. The one exciting reveal at the end of the book does set up the next book well, and we’re excited to get into the plot arc by the end of this episode.
Next week we will be reading chapters 1-11 of book 3 in the series, Messenger. 
It’s time for Gathering Blue, the second book of The Giver Quartet. Possibly for the first time, we have a real disagreement between the hosts. One of us is totally vibing with this book, and the other is not at all. This community or world is quite different from Jonas’ but we have a good time drawing parallels and contrasts between these two worlds. We are left with a lot of cliffhangers, so to find out who liked the book you have to listen this week, and to get resolution to those cliffhangers, you have to listen again next week.
Next week we will be reading chapters 13-23 of book 2 in the series, Gathering Blue. |
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