Knave and the Moon: 1-15

Description:

Welcome back, Rose Buds! After conquering Kingdom of Ash and cleansing our palettes with Heartstopper, and ACOTAR reactions, the Romantasy Roundtable is officially kicking off spooky fantasy season with Rachel Gillig's brand-new release, The Knave on the Moon (Chapters 1 through 15)! Rick, Amanda, and Kim are back in the studio diving into the first half of the epic Stonewater Kingdom duology conclusion. But before we get to our favorite one-winged stone bat, we have got to tackle the critical news: Taco Bell bringing back the Choco Taco, Kim consuming an entire birthday chocolate cake in 48 hours, Rick confusing Eleanor Roosevelt with Marie Antoinette during the Great Depression, and our brand-new official partnership with the Yearn app! Plus, Rick gives early love to an incredible ARC fantasy, The First Stone by Robert Biehn. Then, it is straight into the gothic, eerie world of Erilea meets gothic folklore as Sybil Delling and an amnesiac Rory Mandacius fight their way through King Benedict III's corrupt Five Hamlet Tournament. Grab your mild sauce, put on your fluffiest pink thrift-flower gown, and let us dive into the madness!

Key Highlights & What The Squad Said:

• Taco Bell & Marie Antoinette History Lessons: Rick celebrates the return of the Choco Taco (aka Churro Taco) and claims Eleanor Roosevelt said "Let them eat cake" during the Great Depression, while Kim celebrates her birthday with an entire grocery store chocolate cake.

• ARC Spotlight - The First Stone: Rick and Kim gush over an early ARC of The First Stone by Robert Biehn, describing it as Mistborn meets Avatar: The Last Airbender with elemental magic, fantastic pacing, and clean YA worldbuilding edited by the editor of Red Rising.

• Prologue Lore - The Cosmic Maiden Buffet: The squad breaks down the creepy mythological prologue where mortals devour an all-knowing cosmic maiden in the Fields of Broograss, forcing her into an eternal slumber of minor tunes that mirrors the looming plot.

• Sybil Trapped & Benji Barlow's Forced Wedding: Sybil wakes in Castle Lurch, attempts to strangle King Benji Barlow, and ruins her silk bridal gown with rancid Oxeye sedative before tree sprites crash the sham ceremony.

• Rory's Amnesia & Jason Bourne Reflexes: Rory wakes up covered in blood on the Tor with zero memories, gets tackled by Ma Bower, and learns he technically died. Rick compares Rory's instinctual combat hammer skills to Jason Bourne.

• Bartholomew is the GOAT of Little Guys: The one-winged stone gargoyle returns in all his unhinged glory, complaining about wool slippers, rocking a pink thrift-flower gown, dropping iconic quotes ("What an arduous process as it is to wait"), and being the absolute goat of sidekicks.

• The Five Hamlet Tournament & Eye-Eating Birks: Benji sets up a traveling tournament across the hamlets to flex his stolen stone relics, while the squad faces off against terrifying eyeball-eating Burks in the Chiming Wood.

• The Living Sixth Relic: Sybil realizes the prophecies were manufactured, but she herself is the living sixth magical relic, setting her mission to enter the games, destroy every stone object, and kill the king.

• The Loomstone Heist & Rory Remembers: At the Coulson Fair lists, Ma Bower shatters her jousting lance against the royal box, allowing Rory to snatch the Loomstone from Torie Basset's neck. His memories flood back: foundling origins, King Benedict I, and his undying love for Sybil.

• The Melee & The Knave Unmasked: Dedric Lang beats Sybil's abdominal wound with steel-toed boots, but the mysterious Nave enters the arena with a stonemason's hammer and Sybil's silk scrap, snapping Dedric's wrist and unmasking himself as Rory!

• Intimate Blood Divination: In the secret canal factory, Rory fakes amnesia in front of a drunk, paranoid Benji. Sybil grants him his champion's divination, hungrily taking spring-water-infused blood from his finger as Rory whispers their private sacred vow.

• The Library Collapse & Pink Robe Rescue: An earthquake crumbles the Harried Scribe's library, Sybil smashes the inkwell relic, and as she nearly drowns in the freezing Tenner River, Bartholomew in his pink robe pulls her from the depths ("There you are, Bartholomew!").

• Disney Princess Hunger Games Debate: Rick derails the pod with a rapid-fire Disney Princess Hunger Games debate: Mulan vs Merida vs Jasmine (with Elsa disqualified for being a queen!).

Closing & Call-To-Action:

Are you terrified for Bartholomew's crumbling stone wing? Can Sybil reverse her calcified body? Drop your wildest theories in the comments below! Don't forget to like this video, subscribe to the channel wherever you watch or listen, and find us on Instagram, TikTok, and the Year app. Got book recommendations or want to reach out? Email us at romantasyround@gmail.com! See you next week as we finish The Knave on the Moon with Chapters 16 through the end!