Books That Burn

This episode we’re discussing “Ptolemy’s Gate” by Jonathan Stroud. Really, we end up in a thematic discussion of how the main trilogy develops concepts of colonization, classism, and torture across its entire run.

• PUBLISHER: Listening Library

• YEAR: 2005

• LENGTH: 501 pages (15 hours 32 minutes)

• AGE: Young Adult

• GENRE: Fantasy

• RECOMMENDED: Highly

Topic 1: Colonization. Begins at (1:35), CW for colonization, slavery, war.

Topic 2: Classism. Begins at (18:25), CW for classism, ableism.

Topic 3: Torture. Begins at (39:19), CW for torture, deadnaming, slavery, colonization, war.

Promo for CPOV Men of Steel; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (58:36).

Book TWs: Graphic/Explicit CW for classism. Moderate CW for cursing, confinement, violence, police brutality, torture, slavery, war, colonization, murder, suicide, child death, death. Minor CW for ableism, fatphobia, xenophobia, sexism, misogyny, kidnapping, fire, rape.

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You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.

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Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This month we’re discussing “A Blade So Black” by L.L. McKinney, the first book in the NightmareVerse trilogy, retelling Alice in Wonderland with a Bi Black girl from Atlanta, Georgia.

• PUBLISHER: Imprint

• YEAR: 2018

• LENGTH: 384 pages

• AGE: Young Adult

• GENRE: Fantasy

• RECOMMENDED: Highly

Topic 1: PTSD. Begins at (1:35), CW for racism, police brutality, murder, child death.

Topic 2: “House” Arrest. Begins at (12:58), CW for confinement, death.

Topic 3: Wounds. Begins at (26:07), CW for medical content.

Promo for Saturday Morning Confidential from Certain POV; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (33:14).

Book TWs: Graphic/Explicit CW for grief, blood, violence. Moderate CW for sexual content, cursing, adult/minor relationship, vomit, gore, murder, injury detail, child death, parental death, death. Minor CW for ableist language, racism, dementia, alcohol, gun violence, body horror. Brief Harry Potter reference.

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To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn. 

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “The Storyteller’s Daughter” by Cameron Dokey, a retelling of the Arabian Nights.

• PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse
• YEAR: 1997
• LENGTH: 221 pages
• AGE: Young Adult
• GENRE: Fantasy
• RECOMMENDED: Yes

Topic 1: Power Imbalance. Begins at (1:35), CW for death.

Topic 2: Infidelity. Begins at (16:46), CW for illness, infidelity, murder, death.

Topic 3: Misogyny. Begins at (29:12), CW for sexism, misogyny, infidelity, death.

Promo for CPOV - Screen Snark; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (41:17).

Book TW for grief, ableism, sexism, misogyny, bullying (brief), infidelity, infertility (brief), confinement, toxic relationship, blood, violence, terminal illness, murder, suicide, parental death, death.

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “Legendborn” by Tracy Deonn. Unusually for us, we have just one main topic where we discuss how the deaths and absences of several characters’ mothers are handled.

• TITLE: Legendborn

• AUTHOR: Tracy Deonn

• PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster

• YEAR: 2020

• LENGTH: 511 pages

• AGE: Young Adult

• GENRE: Fantasy

• RECOMMENDED: Highly

Book TW for discussion of slavery, discussion of sexual assault, discussion of colonization, grief (graphic), racism, sexism, kidnapping, child abuse (backstory), blood, violence, gore (graphic), torture, car accident, animal death, parental death, major character death. Harry Potter reference (brief).

Main Discussion: Death of Parent. Begins at (1:35), CW for abandonment, neglect, memory loss, alcoholism (brief mention), parental death, death.

Promo for CPOV - Reignite; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (30:50).

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “The Marrow Thieves” by Cherie Dimaline. This is speculative fiction so good it made Robin rethink how they read the closely related but distinct genre of dystopian fiction. 

• TITLE: The Marrow Thieves
• AUTHOR: Cherie Dimaline
• PUBLISHER: Dancing Cat Books
• YEAR: 2017
• LENGTH: 240 pages
• AGE: Young Adult
• GENRE: Speculative Fiction
• RECOMMENDED: Highly

Book TW for sexual content (brief), cursing, ableist language (brief), alcohol (backstory), alcoholism (backstory), drug use (backstory), dug abuse (backstory), kidnapping (graphic), confinement (backstory), starvation (graphic), genocide (graphic), sexual assault, rape, child abuse, physical abuse, excrement (brief), vomit (brief), violence, gun violence, cannibalism, animal death, parental death (backstory), child death, murder, major character death, death.

Topic 1: Food Scarcity. Begins at (1:35), CW for food scarcity,

Topic 2: PTSD. Begins at (10:37), CW for ptsd, food scarcity.

Topic 3: Cannibalism. Begins at (21:45), CW for cannibalism, murder, death.

Promo for CPOV Autographs; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (32:12).

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn. 

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “Scavenge The Stars" by Tara Sim. This is the first half of a duology retelling "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas.

• TITLE: Scavenge The Stars

• AUTHOR: Tara Sim

• PUBLISHER: Disney-Hyperion

• YEAR: 2020

• LENGTH: 352 pages

• AGE: Young Adult

• GENRE: Fantasy, Retelling

• RECOMMENDED: Yes

Book TW for grief, ableist language (brief), kidnapping (graphic), alcohol (graphic), gambling addiction (graphic), drug use, child abuse, slavery, terminal illness, medical content, excrement, vomit, blood (graphic), gore, violence (graphic), gun violence, child death (graphic), parental death, murder (graphic), death (graphic).

Topic 1: Debt Slavery. Begins at (1:35), CW for child abuse, slavery, death.

Topic 2: Betrayal. Begins at (13:10), CW for betrayal, terminal illness, death.

Promo for CPOV Autographs; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (27:36).

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn. 

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “Batman: Nightwalker” by Marie Lu. This is part of the DC Icons series, where each book is written by a different author.

We discussed this Batman novel as part of #DarkKnightFortnight from Certain POV. You can find all the Certain POV shows which participated on this page.

• TITLE: Batman: Nightwalker
• AUTHOR: Marie Lu
• PUBLISHER: Random House Books for Young Readers
• YEAR: 2018
• LENGTH: 288 pages
• AGE: Young Adult
• GENRE: Fantasy
• RECOMMENDED: Yes

Book TW for blood (graphic), fire (backstory), domestic abuse (not depicted), violence (graphic), gun violence (graphic), sexual content (not depicted), sexual harassment, car accident (graphic), parental death (not depicted), suicide (not depicted), murder, death.

Topic 1: Richard - Emotional Abuse. Begins at (1:30), CW for emotional abuse, death of parent.

Topic 2: Cameron - Medical Trauma. Begins at (13:46), CW for medical trauma, murder, death.

Topic 3: Bruce and Madeleine - Death of Parent. Begins at (25:06), CW for violence, murder, death of parent, death.

Promo for CPOV - RobCast; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (36:09).

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas. Yadriel gets a bit more than he was expecting when he summons the wrong ghost.

• TITLE: Cemetery Boys
• AUTHOR: Aiden Thomas
• PUBLISHER: Swoon Reads
• YEAR: 2020
• LENGTH: 344 pages
• AGE: Young Adult
• GENRE: Fantasy, Romance
• RECOMMENDED: Highly

Book TW for cursing, ableist language (brief), grief, racism (brief), transphobia, misgendering, deadnaming, alcohol (brief), blood, self harm (brief, religious ritual), domestic abuse (backstory), child abuse (backstory), gore (brief), violence (graphic), medical content, parental death (backstory), murder, major character death (graphic), death (graphic).

Topic 1: Child Abuse. Begins at (1:35), CW for child abuse, physical abuse, fire/fire injury (burns).

Topic 2: Transphobia. Begins at (11:00), CW for sexism, misogyny, transphobia, deadnaming, misgendering

Topic 3: Murder. Begins at (21:30), CW for murder, blood, death.

Promo for Farragut Forward IndieGoGo; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (32:00).

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn.

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “IRON WIDOW” by Xiran Jay Zhao. This is book one of a planned series.

Wu Zetian wants to assassinate her sister's murderer, but finds herself in a string of mech battles working alongside Li Shimin, the strongest pilot in Huaxia. Told in Third Person with Single POV.

• TITLE: Iron Widow
• AUTHOR: Xiran Jay Zhao
• PUBLISHER: Penguin Teen
• YEAR: 2021
• LENGTH: 400 pages
• AGE: Young Adult
• GENRE: Science Fiction
• RECOMMENDED: Highly

Book TW for grief, misogyny (graphic), sexual content, alcohol, alcoholism (graphic), medical content, injury description, pregnancy (backstory), blood (graphic), vomit, suicidal thoughts, domestic abuse, child abuse, violence (graphic), torture (graphic), murder (graphic), parental death (backstory), major character death (graphic), death (graphic).

Topic 1: Forced Alcoholism. Begins at (1:35), CW for alcoholism, torture, death.

Topic 2: Death Machine. Begins at (10:00), CW for sexism, misogyny, death.

Topic 3: Invasion. Begins at (21:15), CW for death.

Promo for RMC vs CG; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (31:25).

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn. 

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.

This fortnight we’re discussing “Wayward Witch” by Zoraida Córdova. Heather joins us once again to wrap up the excellent Brooklyn Brujas trilogy.

• TITLE: Wayward Witch
• AUTHOR: Zoraida Córdova
• PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire
• YEAR: 2020
• LENGTH: 239 pages
• AGE: Young Adult
• GENRE: Fantasy
• RECOMMENDED: Highly

Book TW for kidnapping, confinement, emotional abuse, animal death (not depicted), excrement (brief), vomit, blood, gore, body horror, violence, major character death, death.

Topic 1: Nadira - Deadly Journey. Begins at (0:55), CW for death.

Topic 2: Rose - Memory Loss. Begins at (13:30), CW for memory loss, abandonment.

Topic 3: Rose - Abandonment. Begins at (27:05), CW for memory loss, abandonment, parental death, death.

Promo for CPOV Reignite; Spoiler-free wrap-up and ratings: Begins at (41:00).

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If you'd like to make a monthly donation, please check us out on Patreon.

To make a one-time donation please support us on Ko-Fi.

For fortnightly news and updates, as well as links to recent written reviews, subscribe to our newsletter.

You can check out Robin's written review of the book at Reviews That Burn. 

Find all our links on our Carrd.

Music provided by HeartBeatArt and is used with permission.

Members of the Certain Point of View network of podcasts.