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FandomtasticPod

61 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 144 ratings

Doin' it for the fandom - Steph & Ava booze up to talk theories, steamy scenes, and ships - your one-stop-shop for all things romance and fandom.

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Episodes

Reading Challenge 2023

January 11, 2023 13:00 - 1 hour - 137 MB

Here we go, Fandomtastic Fam! We're coming to talk about all things reading challenge 2023 related (aka giving epic recs!). Check them out here: 1. January: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier; The Maid and the Orcs 2. February: Seduce Me At Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas; Kingdom of Stars and Shadows 3. March: Fumbled by Alexa Martin; Tattered by Devney Perry; A Lie For A Lie by Helen Hunting 4. April: The Fine Print by Lauren Asher; Royally Screwed by Emma Chase; Stolen By The Wolves ...

November & December Recap

December 12, 2022 13:00 - 51 minutes - 93.9 MB

Today we're rounding up our November and December reads, so if you need any last-minute book recs to close out the year, THIS IS YOUR EPISODE 👀

GLOW Recap with Raven Kennedy

November 23, 2022 11:00 - 54 minutes - 100 MB

Thank you all so much for your patience - the GLOW discussion with author extraordinaire Raven Kennedy is finally here! This episode does, of course, include spoilers for the Plated Prisoner series, so please keep that in mind as you're listening.

October Roundup & November Reading Challenge

November 16, 2022 11:00 - 59 minutes - 110 MB

Here's an episode we had a lot of fun working on - our October and November roundups. The reading prompt for October was #WitchShit (listen for Ava's disappointing read) and for November's, it was "Read a Retelling" (listen for Steph's disappointing read). But we were also blessed with some pretty awesome books, so don't think this is JUST a rant episode!

Reading Challenge Update(s)

October 26, 2022 11:00 - 58 minutes - 107 MB

We know it's been a minute, but we have been reading (albeit...not too much). But we wanted to take an episode to update you on the books we've been enjoying over the past few months! We'll be talking about July, August, September, and our projected reads about October! Let us know in the comments what your favorite read has been these past few months!

S4E1: Fandomtastic Five

October 12, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 77.5 MB

Welcome back to Fandomtastic, your one-stop pod for books, banter, and bumpin' uglies (if anyone has a better euphemism for s*x that starts with B, let us know).  Today we're discussing 5 of the reasons why we had to jump into an unplanned hiatus this past summer. We know, we know, this isn't exactly the steamy discussion you're used to, but we can promise it's absolutely full of chaos and shenanigans. We're really excited to be rolling out more episodes for you! Don't forget to check out o...

Meet the Bloomsberry

June 10, 2022 13:46 - 36 minutes - 66.6 MB

This episode is a little different, but I hope you enjoy an interview I (Ava) conducted with my friend, Britt; Britt is a force of the bookish industry! She's a bookstagrammer (@bibliobrittish), worked social media for an independent bookstore, and currently works for Bloomsbury (aka. Sarah J Maas's publisher). In this episode, Britt takes us behind the curtain, per se, to explore the backend of the bookish industry.

Wrapping Up Wanderlust

May 27, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 149 MB

Happy Monday, patrons! We're finalizing our May reads (a few days early, yes - but hey, it's been a slow reading month) and chit-chatting about June, aka Queertastic aka Read Something Gay! The books mentioned: - The Chorus of Dragons series by Jenn Lyons - The Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy - Nemesis Games and Babylon's Ashes by James SA Corey - Him and Us by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy - Tragic by Devney Perry - The Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy - House of Beating...

Kleytastic (A Lisa Kleypas special)

May 20, 2022 11:00 - 56 minutes - 104 MB

Hi patrons! This week's episode is dedicated to all things Lisa Kleypas (by which we mean, her historical romances, not her contemporaries haha). Please note this episode will contain spoilers for her Wallflowers, Hathaways, and Ravenels series! It will also contain: - A minor (major) rant about Devon - Why Garrett is not giving - A Fandomtastic trope: the reluctant DILF   - Is Sebastian from The Little Mermaid fuckable - Y/N? And more!

Worlds of Wanderlust

May 17, 2022 23:13 - 1 hour - 126 MB

Today we're discussing everything WANDERLUST: books, destinations, and most importantly, food.  (Warning: this episode may cause you to feel VERY hungry)

May The Fourth Be With You

May 06, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 123 MB

Today we're posting our recap episode about all things Star Wars (as such, this episode contains spoilers for the movies, and The Mandalorian). But if you're not into Star Wars, that's okay, because this episode is novice-friendly - we play FMK, talk about the Rage that spawns in men only when women have Opinions about Star Wars, ships, Space Latinos, and more!

April Recap and May Readtastic

April 29, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 115 MB

Happy Friday! We hope you've been enjoying the beginning of May! As a reminder, April's Readtastic prompt was "fake-dating" and May's is "read a book that gives you wanderlust." Here are all the books we mention in today's episode:    Eclipse the Moon - Jessie Mihalik The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood The Beauty and the Baller - Ilsa Madden Mills A Taste of Gold and Iron - Alexandra Roland Gossamer in the Darkness - Kristen Ashley The Player and the Pixie - LH Cosway and Penny Reid...

The Object of All Our Desires...or The Bane of Our Existence?

April 22, 2022 11:00 - 58 minutes - 108 MB

Today, Steph and Ava are recapping the much-anticipated second season of Netflix's Bridgerton. In this episode, we're making like Lady Whistledown and spilling the tea on everything we loved (and hated) about season two. This episode does contain spoilers for Bridgerton Season One and Two, The Viscount Who Loved Me, and To Sir Phillip, With Love.

Double Dragon Dicks - The Dragon's Bride Recap

April 15, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 129 MB

Here it is! The moment we know so many of you have been waiting for...Steph and Ava are diving into THE DRAGON'S BRIDE by Katee Robert. This was Ava's first monster-fucking book, and maybe if you joined our read along, it was also your first monster-fucking book. Whether you're a veteran or a virgin in this area, we hope you enjoy all of our thoughts and feelings.  Steph also mentions some book recs at the end: The Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon In the Company of Monsters by Kath...

Author Spotlight: Ali Hazelwood

April 08, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 146 MB

In one of our most anticipated and completely unhinged episodes, we joined Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis, the STEMinist novellas, and the upcoming Love on the Brain (August 2022) to talk steam, fandom, Star Wars, and…Ice Planet Barbarians? Want to join in on the fun with our live author events to ask your favorite writers your burning questions? Check us out at patreon.com/fandomtastic to learn more!

March Roundup & April "Fake It and Fuck (it)"

April 01, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 122 MB

In this episode, Steph & Ava talk about all the books they read in March (it was a...slow month, to say the least), and all that we're looking forward to reading in April. As a reminder, our March Readtastic Challenge Prompt was "Read a book with a green cover" and April's is "Read a book that incorporates the fake dating/relationship trope." We asked for recommendations and posted the suggestions in our Instagram (check out the @fandomtasticpod page and the  highlights to view them), but yo...

S2 Finale: House of Sky and Breath Spoiler Chat

March 04, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 141 MB

We're wrapping up Season Two of Fandomtastic with our spoiler chat of Sarah J Maas's House of Sky and Breath - in this episode, we discuss the ending (!), the new characters we're falling in love with, the twists on our ships, and more! We also went live on Instagram on March 2, so don't forget to check out our other chat, if you're wanting more HOSAB content! Thank you to all of our listeners, and we'll be back in April with season three! 

February Roundup & March Readtastic Prompt

February 25, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 113 MB

This episode dives into everything we read for February (it was not...impressive) and everything we're planning to read for March...which, at this point, fingers crossed. Godspeed to us all haha. Books we mentioned: Nuts by Alice Klayton Kulti by Mariana Zapata Rosalie Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall Battle Royal by Lucy Parker Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood Deceived by the Gargoyles by Lilian Lark The Prince's Poison Vow by Hailey Turner Under Locke by Mariana Zapata ...

Throw Back Theories: Throne of Glass

February 18, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 123 MB

Happy HOSAB week, everyone! To avoid any form of CC spoilers, we're diving into the throw back of all throw backs: Throne of Glass. This episode dishes on all the popular theories that floated around during the TOG-era, and we'll be exploring our reactions to them, then and now, post-TOG. Happy listening!

Author Spotlight: Danielle L Jensen

February 11, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 133 MB

*If you listen closely, you can hear Ava screaming in the background* We had the opportunity to interview one of Fandomtastic's all-time favorite authors, Danielle L Jensen; ICYMI, Danielle is the author of the Bridge Kingdom series, the Dark Shores series, and the Malediction trilogy, all of which we endorse big time. In this interview, we learned all about Danielle's writing process (including the music that hypes her up for some of the badass fight scenes), a few insights about the Vikin...

House of Sky and Theories

February 04, 2022 19:13 - 59 minutes - 109 MB

Happy Friday, Fandomtastic Fam! Due to some brain shenanigans, this episode is late; sorry about that! But there's still enough time to listen before HOSAB comes out, and that's what we're focusing on this episode! We'll talk theories about everything from: Threesome suspicions The...weather? A mental "generational gap" And more! 

January Roundup

February 04, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 115 MB

Happy Friday, Fandomtastic fam! This episode dives into everything we read during January - including the books selected for our reading challenge, including what we liked... and what we didn't. We'll also be chatting about the February reading challenge, so stay tuned! Books Ava mentioned: Everything here Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall Battle Royal by Lucy Parker Books Steph mentioned:  Books by author Devney Perry (specifically Tattered and Juniper Hill) Kiss My Cu...

Couples Therapy

January 21, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 112 MB

This episode is wholly dedicated to talking about our OTPs (and threes...and more!). Steph and Ava dive into the delights of shipping fictional characters (and some of the non-delights). Tune in to catch our OTPS, our NO-TPs, the ones we dream about and the ones that will never be (even though we wish they were...)

Event Extravaganza

January 14, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 120 MB

If you've been a listener for a while, you might recall that Steph runs several bookish events and Ava...has been to a few. Whether you're wanting to learn more about how bookish events are organized and structured, or just hoping to snag a few tips about how to make the most out of your bookish adventure, this is the episode for you! We're diving deep into bookish events, from those that are no longer around, to some that we're excited to attend this year! 

Readtastic 2022

January 07, 2022 12:00 - 50 minutes - 91.7 MB

Although we took this episode to explain what a reading challenge is, here's the quick and dirty: January: Read one of Steph's recommendations February: Read a foodie book March: Read a book with a green cover April: Read a book with the fake dating trope May: Read a book that gives you wanderlust June: Read a book with a queer protagonist July: Read one of Ava's recommendations August: Read a book that came out more than 3 years ago September: Read a book where sports are heavily f...

Bookish Manifestations

December 31, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 121 MB

Happy Friday, Fandomtastic Fam! Today we're chatting about our bookish manifestations for 2022 - the books we want to read, the books we're going to start reading, the books we want to fall into our laps in 2022, the shows we're going to watch, the music we're going to listen to - ALL OF IT! What are YOU looking forward to in 2022?

Author Spotlight: Jennifer L Armentrout

December 24, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 188 MB

Happy Friday, Fandomtastic Fam! Today we're bringing our audio transcript of our JLA chat to you! Please keep in mind that this episode is coming to you after the release of A SHADOW IN THE EMBER, so there will be spoilers for both the Flesh and Fire series and all of the current releases within the Blood and Ash series - there are also some exciting reveals and surprises regarding THE WAR OF TWO QUEENS!  If you want to join our Patreon to access the live events with our author guests, che...

A Year in the Life

December 17, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 130 MB

Today Steph and Ava are rounding up all of the books we read this year, the fictional characters we lusted over, the Marvel content we devoured, the books we didn't quite make it to, and more - this is our "year in the life" of Fandomtastic. 

Author Spotlight: Lynette Noni

December 10, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 155 MB

Happy Friday, Fandomtastic Fam!  In October, we had the delight of hosting Lynette Noni, author of The Prison Healer trilogy (and much more!), for a Patreon-exclusive Zoom! Lynette was amazing to chat with, and we had the opportunity to ask some burning questions about her past and future works! Please note this chat does contain some spoilers for The Gilded Cage. This episode features: Flox chat Caldon simping The Blood Traitor...things 👀 Hopefully a recipe! What Lynette is currently ...

Author Spotlight: Raven Kennedy

December 03, 2021 19:20 - 1 hour - 146 MB

Happy Friday, Fandomtastic Fam! Anchor, our hosting site for the platform, unfortunately bungled our scheduling, so while this episode was meant to go up November 26, it...didn't. Sorry for the delay! But for those of you who were waiting, and we appreciate your patience - here is the audio transcript of our Zoom event with Raven Kennedy, author of the Plated Prisoner series! Please keep in mind there are spoilers for the three books currently available (Gild, Glint, and Gleam), but if you'...

It's a Vishous Cycle: BDB Recap

December 03, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 118 MB

Thank you to everyone who joined our BDB read-along; whether this was your first time diving into the world of the Brotherhood, or your fiftieth, we hope you enjoyed the Brothers as much as we do! We're coming at you with a recap of the first six books, from Dark Lover to Lover Enshrined, and here you'll hear: Our favorite steamy scene (for once, Steph & Ava are in total agreement) Which of JR Ward's creatures we'd do the devil's tango with A Daily Dose of Caldwell Trauma How we first st...

Author Highlight: Shelby Mahurin

November 19, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 141 MB

Happy Friday, Fandomtastic Fam! Today, we're excited to be bringing you our first audio recording of an author Zoom: this week we're featuring Shelby Mahurin, the author of the Serpent and Dove series (so this episode will include spoilers for the series)! This audio is a direct recording of our chat with Shelby, and we hope you enjoy listening to our exuberant excitement over Shelby joining us! If you enjoy this kind of content, you can expect more episodes featuring Raven Kennedy, Lynette...

Happy Fangsgiving!

November 12, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 114 MB

This episode is dedicated to one of our favorite (sexiest) creatures: vampires! In this episode, we talk about: The OGs: Twilight and The Vampire Diaries A book Ava loved...and Steph hated Our favorite vamps - and the ones who didn't scratch our itches ALEKSANDER SKARSGARD And so much more!

A Shadow in the Ember - Recap!

November 05, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 138 MB

As promised, here is our recap episode of A Shadow in the Ember - this will be full of spoilers, so please keep that in mind! In this episode, you'll hear: There ARE right answers, and they are draken Kneektos? Nike-toss? NYTAS??? A definitive ranking of the FBAA series "There's no such thing as a stupid dragon--" "Stupid dragons???" And more shenanigans!

Spooktober Wrap-up

October 29, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 129 MB

Want to know what Steph and Ava read, watched, and listened to during spooky season? Now you know! In this episode you'll hear book recs of the witchy and spooky variety, movie recs of the monster-fucker variety, and....our announcement for the November read-along 👀

From Blood and Ash Recap (aka Kingdom of Kieran is Fire)

October 22, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 112 MB

Happy Friday! Today, Steph and Ava chat about our reactions to our recent From Blood and Ash reread, as we prepare for A Shadow in the Ember and our Patreon-exclusive Zoom with JLA in November! In this episode, we discuss: Kieran Kieran Kieran The Joining (feat. Kieran) and Kieran! Please keep in mind this is a recap episode, so while there will be no spoilers for A Shadow in the Ember (because Ava hasn't read it yet), there will be spoilers for the From Blood and Ash books through Cro...

Tunnel Villain

October 15, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 111 MB

Happy Friday! This week we're bringing you a much-requested episode: a chat all about villains. In this episode, Steph and Ava discuss what it takes to be a "true" villain, how we feel about redemption arcs, some of our favorite villains of all time, and, of course some book recommendations. Please be warned there is a spoiler for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, so if you haven't seen the film but have an interest in watching, skip ahead as soon as Kylo Ren is mentioned!

All That Glitters: The Plated Prisoner Recap

October 08, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 157 MB

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you'll know that Steph and I [Ava] are absolutely, hands-down obsessed with Raven Kennedy's THE PLATED PRISONER series; just as a quick recap, the series currently consists of GILD, GLINT, and GLEAM, with the fourth book GLOW set to release in 2022. This past month we hosted a read along for the first three books in the series and were lucky enough to host Raven herself on a Patreon-exclusive Zoom. Now that we've concluded most ...

Happy Spooktober!

October 01, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 126 MB

Happy Friday, Happy October, and, most importantly, HAPPY SEASON TWO OF FANDOMTASTIC! 🥳🥳🥳🥳 Thank you so much for your patience during our between-seasons hiatus, we're so excited to be back! As you may know, we have so many exciting things coming your way, authors we're so hyped to meet and talk about, incoming episodes that rank among our all-time favorites, and more! We're kicking the official start of Spooky Season off with a bang - or, if you appreciate a pun, a bump [in the night]. In ...

Ship Shit

August 27, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 154 MB

It's hard to believe it, but...with this episode we wrap up Season One of Fandomtastic! 😱😍🥳 Thank you so much to our patrons, our listeners - your support has meant the world these past few months, and we are so, so excited to cook up some amazing content for Season 2 (we won't be gone for long, and we'll of course be releasing bonus epis during our brief hiatus for our patrons!). We've stayed away from this topic for most of the season, but why not end our books & booze podcast with a bang...

Koschei Didn't Come to Play

August 20, 2021 11:00 - 59 minutes - 109 MB

This was such a fun episode for us (Steph & Ava) to record, because it delves into one of our favorite subjects: villainy! Specifically, the mysterious Koschei who is mentioned briefly in A Court of Wings and Ruin but really makes his grand entrance in A Court of Silver Flames - as such, this episode will have spoilers for the ACOTAR series, so please keep that in mind as you listen! In this episode, you'll find: Ava geeking out over (admittedly spooky) childhood fairytales and names she c...

Kingdom of Ash Recap - I Gavriel My All

August 13, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 129 MB

We can hardly believe it, but thus marks the end of our Throne of Glass reread! We want to thank all of you for joining us on this journey, whether it was your first time or your fiftieth, and we hope you enjoyed this reread & our subsequent recap episodes! In this episode, you'll find: Manon: Motivational Speaker, Life Coach, Killer of Men MVP Moments Lorcan - Cadre Member or Minimum Wage Employee? The real villain of Throne of Glass...👀

Tower of Dawn Recap/I Can't Help Westfalling For You

August 06, 2021 11:00 - 49 minutes - 90.7 MB

Today we're going to be discussing Tower of Dawn, the book that kind of took us all by surprise. In this episode, you can expect to hear: Massive Sartaq fangirling Chaol lenience (*le gasp*) The moments that left our jaws hanging on the floor And more! As always, thank you for your patronage, and we hope you enjoy this week's episode! If you're feeling so inclined, drop us a comment letting us know your thoughts about ToD!

Empire of Storms Recap - Where You Elide, I Will Follow

July 30, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 137 MB

We have reached Empire of Storms in our Throne of Glass read along, which means that we have reached one of the most painful cliffhangers in...all of existence. In this episode, you'll find: Just a bit more Aedion slander A new fleet of ships (*ahem* Elorcan) Mate musings MAEVE SLANDER Thank you for listening, we appreciate you, and hope you'll enjoy this week's episode!

Queen of Shadows Recap/Let's Get it ManON

July 23, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 84.3 MB

We are now on to QUEEN OF SHADOWS in our Throne of Glass reread! It's hard to believe we're already here, on this pinnacle book, but Wyrd knows we're thrilled. And we had a lot of feelings about Queen of Shadows. In this episode you'll hear Okay...a bit more Aedion slander #LysandraDefenseSquad HMS R.O.W.A.E.L.I.N The ship that never sailed... and more!

Heir of Fire Recap - You're A Whitethorn In My Side

July 16, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 89.2 MB

Here is our HEIR OF FIRE recap episode - this is basically just a Rowan Whitethorn stan episode. But don't worry, you'll also hear us chat about: The emotion of the Celaena-Aelin transition Manon(!), Queen of Our Hearts Slaedion - Aedion Slander ;)  The exact moment Steph fell in love with Rowan (and who can blame her) Chaol discourse And more!

Crown of Midnight Recap/Natural Chaoltastrophe

July 09, 2021 11:00 - 59 minutes - 81.1 MB

This episode marks our (Steph and Ava's) recap of the second Throne of Glass book - Crown of Midnight! While maybe not everyone's favorite, we can't deny that this book was full of exciting twists, surprises, and new characters that have a huge impact on later books in the series - which is why we had so much fun chatting this episode! You'll hear us talk Witch shit/Ava's grandma's idea of a "bedtime story" Celaena's secret identity Dorian (!!!!) And more! PS. To the Chaol lovers, we lo...

What in the Wyrd? - Throne of Glass Recap

July 02, 2021 11:00 - 56 minutes - 78.1 MB

Covered in this episode: Steph & Ava dish out all of our thoughts and feelings on the book that started it all, Throne of Glass. This episode will include some shots fired at an unnamed character, fangirling over an unexpected favorite, and some serious admiration for the worldbuilding of Sarah J Maas - move over, Marvel Multiverse, this is the era of the Maas multiverse. Thank you for joining our read along journey, and tune in next week for our Crown of Midnight recap!

The Ball is in Your Cortland (THE ASSASSIN'S BLADE Recap)

June 25, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 106 MB

Covered in this episode: Steph and Ava tackle the five novellas that make up The Assassin's Blade (which Sarah recommends reading before the rest of the Throne of Glass series, despite TAB releasing after the first TOG book!) We talk Sam, Celaena's trials, and foreshadowing! You can expect: "Shots fired and he hasn't even shown up" Rolfe: Will he make it to the Water-Boy hall of fame? The one villain Steph isn't interested in We don't spoil any content for future books in the series, bu...

Zaddy's Summer Solstice Day

June 18, 2021 11:00 - 52 minutes - 72.6 MB

I [Ava] am so, so, so excited about this episode - it is quite possibly my favorite that we've ever recorded. With the Summer Solstice and Father's Day right around the corner, we talked about our favorite daddies (😏) of the ACOTAR series, which means you'll be enjoying some: Tarquin Propoganda Tarquin Propoganda Tarquin Propoganda "No but I am the High Lady of the Summer Court" (and I'll provide evidence...) Steph chatted all about Helion and patiently listened to my absolute freakout ...