Novel Theories

ACOSH SPOILERS!

Azriel: are we frustrated with him? Do we understand? Where exactly do we all sit in the aftermath of ACOSH? Honestly...our answers may surprise you!

This week, we are joined with one of our favorite content creators and book commentators, Victor of @VictorsBooked. (If you aren't--you should follow him stat).

We want to know: what do you think of the emotional dynamics in this book? How do you feel about the character arcs headed our way? Drop you comments and thoughts!<...

This episode contains SPOILERS for A Court of Splintered Harmony!

Is the Night Court CURSED? Are Vassa, Elain, or Gwyn hiding something sinister? Is Rhysand slowly becoming the very thing he once fought against? And WHAT was REALLY going on in THAT SCENE?!We're going DEEPER into A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas! After devouring ACOSH and sharing our initial reactions, we're back with even MORE theories, looking closer at the key moments, hidden clues and scenes that might just change everything we thought we knew about the Maasverse.Join Nicole and Meghan as...

A Court of Splintered Harmony is officially here, we've inhaled every page, and our brains may never recover.

SPOILER WARNING: We're discussing the entire book, so finish reading before you hit play!

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?!

Sarah J. Maas has given us SO much to unpack, and we're diving headfirst into the chaos. The revelations, the character developments, the unanswered questions, the implications for what's coming next—we have THOUGHTS.

And in true Novel Theories fashion, Nicole comes in HOT with theories already overflowing, while Meghan ne...

With less than 48 hours until the release of A Court of Splintered Harmony, Novel Theories digs into what we might can (and hope!) to see in the newest ACOTAR installment.

We want to set the ship wars aside and look at the bigger themes, characters arcs at play, potential plot lines, and more. Join us as we look closer at the Dread Trove puzzle art (including a few very interesting placements), talk about the future of the Valkyries, and even try the Aussie Famous Tim Tam Slam!

Have your...

"But did it even matter? If it was fate or choice to be together?"

The eternal question: Are Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar fated or chosen mates? We dive into this heated topic in detail! In this episode we cover:

- What does Crescent City tell us about mates?

- What do the multiple definitions mean?

- Is there a physical mating bond?

- What about the scents merging?

- But, Ruhn said...

And perhaps, the...

Bloomsbury just casually dropped 11 new Reader's Guides, adding to the collection and giving us a guide for every currently published book. And honestly...the questions are very interesting.

Across the different guides, Bloomsbury is asking reader's to consider some concepts in new ways.

Why should you care? What even is a reading guide? What does it pose about the future of the crossover? About Bryce and Hunt? About what Gwyn and Emerie mean to Nesta?

We cover the burning questions and more! (Including Dragonkind...

In our fourth and last episode of the Great Azriel Ship War we dive deeeeeep into the Bryce and Azriel ship evidence--and go with us on this journey, because it is 2 full hours of detailed breakdowns. From the weapons as a decoy bond, to the language choices Sarah uses, to the weird ways that Azriel acts out of character in Bryce's presence.

As this wraps up the ship war -- share with us: what do you think? What do you feel like stands out the most to you? What are the top arguments? What...

Threshing Day is here--and it did not disappoint. These 13 stories are strong, emotional, fun, insightful, informational, and simply chockful of Empyrean goodness. This could be one of Rebecca's best works yet...

SPOILERS AHEAD!

In this episode we discuss:

This week in the Great Azriel Ship War? Azris! Listen along as we uncover the evidence for Azriel and Eris and decide -- is it a Fireheart? Or does it belong Straight in the Cauldron?

(Hint: We are giving it a 50/50 Hot Cup of Suriel Tea...)

We love the Azris shippers--they showed up! The Azris fan-based is fun, passionate, and able to produce way more evidence than I think we were expecting.

If you missed part 1 on Gwynriel and part 2 on Elain, check them...

It's time for more of the most unhinged theories! In our third installment of Wild Maasverse Theories, we dig into:

We cover all of these theories and more! Sound off in the comments below - what do you think? Is it a fireheart for you? Do you want to throw it straight...

We are going deeper into the Great Azriel Ship War this week with part 2: Elriel! We know there are many die-hard Elriel fans out there and we wanted to investigate the evidence they bring to the table.

Honestly? Elain and Azriel fans SHOWED UP with the data. The quotes to comb through were there. But the questions isn't if they have a romantic connection...we know they do. The question is: what does it mean for the future?

Do the patterns that occur in the text prove matehood? Endgame...

BookTok made her book go viral… and then traditional publishing came knocking.

This week, we’re joined by Sheila Masterson, bestselling author of the dark romance sensation The Poison Daughter, to talk about the whirlwind journey from indie publishing to breakout success.

We talk about what it actually feels like when your book takes off, the realities of going from indie to traditional publishing, the highs and surprises of the process, and what happens when the story you created starts becoming much bigger than you ever expected.

Plus:

Nicole and Meghan take on the evidence for Gwyn and Azriel in the Great Azriel Ship War!

Digging into a debate that started on social media, follow along in the first episode of Novel Theories (formerly Romantasy Readers Podcast) with us as we surface the top evidence for the possible future of Gwyn and Azriel! We uncover the strongest arguments, analyze what makes them work, where might they fall apart, and what we think this means for the future of the Maasverse!

As we move on to the front...

In this episode we get to sit down with Alley, co-host of Romantasy Readers, as she bids us farewell as a permanent host in order to continue growing her author business!

Alley, also known as the author Alexandria Arden, is in the middle of writing her 4th book as her 3rd book -- a hockey romance called "After Further Review" is headed for release! Between her Thayar Crown series (The Witch Queen, The Shining Prince) and her new hockey romance, Alley has been insanely busy on tour!

Hear about her run in...

Join Nicole as she sits down to talk with Megan Gad (@megangadreads) to discuss:

Show Note: Megan and Nicole recorded this episode prior to the ACOTAR 6 and 7 title and blurb releases. There is the possibility that some items discussed are no longer as relevant as they were prior to recording. BUT! We still want to hear all of your questions! Sound off below with your thoughts, comments, theories, and more.

Is Crescent City in the past and ACOTAR in the future? Is Ragnarok going to happen on Midgard? Is Rhys collecting powerful people—and using the siphons to block Azriel and Cassian’s true power?

In this episode, Part 2 of our Wild Maasverse Theories, we cover all these questions an so much more!

Join Nicole and Meghan as they get a little unhinged, dive deeper, and bring back the Maasverse Theory Spectrum! Is it going Straight in the Cauldron? Does it have Ironteeth? Maybe…just maybe it’s a Firehear

In this episode, hosts Nicole and Meghan dig in on the biggest theories to circulate since the ACOTAR 6 & 7 cover and blurb releases, as well as uncover some of their own theories (like…is part of Koschei’s soul in the Dread Trove?).

Do you have a favorite theory for the upcoming releases? What are you SURE is coming, what do you hope isn’t, and what would be the biggest mind-blowing revelation? Let us know in the comments!

All the questions! Court of Splintered Harmony? Court of Forgotten Melody? Who is Koschei? What is going to happen to Cassian? Did we get Throne of Glass hints? What does it all mean!? Join hosts Nicole and Meghan with special guest Ciara as we continue reeling from all the Maasverse news!

This is another emergency episode. The book world is on fire, SJM is feeding us, and we cannot contain the excitement!

Follow Nicole (@bookloveaholic), Meghan (@marvelousmrsmeghan), and Ciara (@audiobookaddict_) on Instagram!

Is that a spider? What kind of spider? What are the flames with fangs? And bones??? This is not a drill! Join Nicole, Meghan, and Ciara as we cover the ACOTAR artwork update and cover leak! What do you think the drop is telling us? Let us know!

Follow Nicole (@bookloveaholic), Meghan (@marvelousmrsmeghan), and Ciara (@audiobookaddict_) for more!

Join Nicole and Meghan, from Marvelous Mrs. Meghan, as they review and rank some of the wildest ACOTAR and Maasverse theories out there!

Join Alley and Nicole as they interview co-writers Annie and Eliza, known as the pen name Sable Sorensen! We ask all the questions you're dying to know about Direbound and the sequel Furybound!

Join Alley and Nicole, along with their special guest Megan (@megangadreads), as they continue the discussion about Sarah J Maas' interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast.

Join Alley, Nicole, and sensational author Ariel Sulllivan as they talk about her books Conform, Beneath, and the universe Ariel is creating. Conform was Alley and Nicole's top book of 2025, and as readers privileged enough to get an early copy of Beneath, they cannot recommend this world and author enough! As always, the first 15-20 minutes are spoiler free so you can hear all about Ariel's books and get excited to go out and read them.

Join Alley and Nicole as they discuss their top book of 2025, Conform by Ariel Sullivan. As always, the first 15-20 minute are spoiler free, giving you the chance to learn more about the book before you commit to reading it.

Join Alley and Nicole as they breakdown every detail of Sarah J Maas's interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast. They talk about what we might expect from the next books, what theories are debunked (or not!), and everything else they loved about the appearance!

Join Alley and Nicole as they speculate about the rumors that Sarah J Maas could be on the Call Her Daddy podcast, and what we might see if she really does make an appearance in March.

Join Alley and Nicole as they discuss Brimstone, the sequel to Quicksilver.

Join Alley and Nicole as they cover their top ten reads of 2025. You'll definitely want to read the top 3, because they'll be featured in the coming months on the podcast!

UPDATED: If you previously tried listening to this and there was no audio after the intro, this has now been corrected.

Join Alley, Nicole, and special guest Meghan (@marvelousmrsmeghan) as they discuss the popular booktok/ bookstagram theory that Rhysand is actually the villain! Spoiler alert: they don't think he is!

Join Alley and Nicole as they discuss the sequel to a 2024 favorite, Bride. As always, the first 15-20 minutes are spoiler free, so you can get a sense of the book before you read it! Enjoy!

Join Alley and Nicole as they recap Quicksilver by Callie Hart with you so that you are ready to go when Brimstone drops. No time to reread the book? No problem! Their thorough (if chaotic) play by play of the major moments and important things to remember will help you dive right in.

Join Alley and Nicole as they discuss the incredible new Romantasy series The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman. They loved book 1 and book 2 in this series so much that they had to immediately discuss them both.

As always, the first 15 minutes or so are spoiler free to give you the chance to learn more about these books. After that, you need to have read both books in this series--The Wolf King and The Night Prince--to avoid spoilers.

RUN to read these books!

Join Alley and Nicole as they interview Danielle Jensen as the show's first repeat author guest. They talk about the series finale to her Dark Shores series, the upcoming Bridge Kindgdom series finale, and what's next (a Mad Max inspired romantasy?! Say less!)

As always for our author interviews, the first 15-20 minutes are spolier free, so you can listen even if you haven't read all of her books.

Join Nicole as she interviews the one and only Alexandria Arden, author of The Witch Queen and our very own co-host Alley! They talk all things Witch Queen, being an indie author, easter eggs, and more!

Join Nicole and Meghan (sans Alley!) as they finish the conversation deep diving into Bryceriel from a literary analysis perspective! And if you haven't already, make sure you're following @marvelousmrsmeghan on Instagram and Tiktok!

Join Alley, Nicole, and special guest Meghan from @marvelousmrsmeghan as they do a deep dive on Brycerial from a purely literary analysis perspective! You don't want to miss this incredible Bryceriel episode!

Join Nicole and special guest Kitty as they discuss the Gods and Monsters series by Amber V. Nicole. You need to have read the first 3 books of this series to listen spoiler free!

Books:

The Book of Azrael

The Throne of Broken Gods

Dawn of the Cursed Queen

SPOILER WARNING: You need to have read all Sarah J Maas books to listen to this episode.

This is the audio from a TikTok live Alley and Nicole did with special guest Megan Gad! It's a little chaotic, but still fun! Join us as we discuss all the potential wild SJM theories.

If you are a Romantasy fan you absolutely MUST watch the kid's movie K Pop Demon Hunters, available on Netflix. In the episode, Nicole and Alley break down all their favorite moments and even some theories for what a second movie might be!

Join Alley and Nicole as they discuss their reactions and thoughts on the first six Zodiac Academy books.