Asiri and the Amaru

Daniella and Evelyne discuss Asiri and the Amaru by Natalia Hernandez. Topics include choosing to talk to animals as a superpower, relatable characters, and how long  someone should wait for a man that went to sea and never came back.

Transcript

Announcer:

This is Intoxicated literature.

Evelyne Crowe:

Hello, and welcome to Intoxicated Literature. This is Evelyne Crowe.

Daniella Drake:

And I'm Daniella Drake.

Evelyne Crowe:

We are tonight reading Asiri and the Amaru by Natalia Hernandez.

Daniella Drake:

And before we really get into it, spoilers, we are going to talk about the entire book. So, if you have not read it, please push pause, go read it, and come back and join us.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes. And this is adult content, this is an adult book, this is a romance, there'll be adult... We're talking about sex, so...

Daniella Drake:

We swear a lot, so if you don't like swearing, this is probably not the podcast for you in general. So, let's get into it. What did we think? First, initial thoughts.

Evelyne Crowe:

Let's talk about what we were drinking, before we forget.

Daniella Drake:

No! Okay. We tried so hard to get pisco, and apparently in Southern California it is sold out everywhere.

Evelyne Crowe:

Sold out everywhere! It is apparently the in thing to have one.

Daniella Drake:

Couldn't get it in Orange County, couldn't get in LA County. It was not available.

Evelyne Crowe:

Sold the fuck out.

Daniella Drake:

So, we're having beer.

Evelyne Crowe:

Beer. Yay!

Daniella Drake:

Which, yay! But yeah, I could not believe how popular-

Evelyne Crowe:

I would've liked to try one.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I was excited.

Evelyne Crowe:

Couldn't find the ingredients anywhere.

Daniella Drake:

Anywhere. So yes, tonight we are drinking beer.

Evelyne Crowe:

Anyway, Asiri and the Amaru is actually really good.

Daniella Drake:

Right?

Evelyne Crowe:

I really enjoyed it.

Daniella Drake:

I really enjoyed it. I thought it was super cute.

Evelyne Crowe:

I did too.

Daniella Drake:

Very sweet.

Evelyne Crowe:

If you have not read Natalia Hernandez, she is amazing. She has another book out called The Name Bearer, which is a young adult novel and I have read, and so I went in thinking I knew how she wrote and what her books were like. I was not prepared for this book. This book was great!

Daniella Drake:

Oh, you were pleasantly surprised?

Evelyne Crowe:

I was, I loved this book.

Daniella Drake:

Nice.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm eagerly waiting the next installment.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, so I guess there are going to be five books in this series, standalone books, so you can read them in any order. But this was the first, obviously, the kickoff book. And I also was pleasantly surprised. I have not read The Name Bearer yet, it's on my TBR. But because this is a cozy fantasy, I bumped it up the list because it's my jam. And I'm really glad that I did, because I thought that it was super cute.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm not a big fan of young adult, which is probably why The Name Bearer wasn't higher on my list, but I love romance, so this was amazing and I loved it, so yay.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, it was very cute.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, we have Asiri. In the beginning, we see her in the Casa de... I apologize if I mispronounce anything. I tried really hard to learn how to say everything. So Natalia, I'm so sorry if I mispronounce something. It's the Casa de Remuros, I think, where she works as an animal communicator. She can talk to animals, it's really cool.

Daniella Drake:

Which I feel like this book was made for us, because I feel like if we had a superpower, that's what we would choose.

Evelyne Crowe:

I would totally do that. That is so cool.

Daniella Drake:

Right? Love it.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know!

Daniella Drake:

I love it, and I loved all of the animals in this book. I thought it was so, so great. I loved the puppy so much that literally, as soon as I read it, I had to tell my boyfriend about it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

He was sitting next to me and I was like, "Oh my god, oh my god, you have to hear about this."

Evelyne Crowe:

The puppy was great. He's a good boy, he's a good boy, and he's a good girl, I'm like, "Ahh!"

Daniella Drake:

He's so sweet! Ah, made my heart grow three sizes.

Evelyne Crowe:

That's what I [inaudible 00:04:00].

Daniella Drake:

I know, I know. And then the little sweet little song that he sang to her and she's singing it, and I'm just like, "Oh, I cannot, I cannot stand how cute and sweet this is."

Evelyne Crowe:

It was adorable, oh my god. But even this is the beginning, it was like, "I don't know how I'm supposed to get these three animals who are all naturally opposed to each other to be in one place at one time. This is impossible." And I'm like, "Yeah, it's impossible, but..."

Daniella Drake:

"What are you doing?" Exactly. But it's so important. I loved the way that the setup paid off because we come full circle in the novel. That whole opening scene becomes so important because it's a huge callback at the big climax moment.

Evelyne Crowe:

It absolutely is.

Daniella Drake:

It was so well-thought-out. Loved it. Loved it.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm going to tell you that the character development in this is so good. It is not a long book and it is an easy read. I'm going to tell you this, and I'm telling you this because the character development is still so good, by the time we get to the end, I was crying. I teared up a little bit.

Daniella Drake:

Oh, me too, me too. I did too.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm like, "I'm crying?"

Daniella Drake:

No. Okay, not just the character characters, but the animal characters!

Evelyne Crowe:

Animal characters, all of it.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. Marco, the...

Evelyne Crowe:

The Guinea pig.

Daniella Drake:

... potty mouth Guinea pig? Love him.

Evelyne Crowe:

He stepped up and I'm just like, "Oh, Marco."

Daniella Drake:

The minute he volunteered, sobbed.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know.

Daniella Drake:

I'm not even kidding.

Evelyne Crowe:

I was like, "Marco?"

Daniella Drake:

And the little hummingbird, Felipe...

Evelyne Crowe:

Ah, the Hummingbird.

Daniella Drake:

Or is it Felipe? I don't know.

Evelyne Crowe:

Felipe, I think it's in Spanish.

Daniella Drake:

Felipe, right?

Evelyne Crowe:

If you say every syllable, yes.

Daniella Drake:

But oh my God. And he's just like, "No, I got this." And she doesn't really believe him, and she's like, "Okay."

Evelyne Crowe:

And he totally had it.

Daniella Drake:

He had it, and he [inaudible 00:05:57] this giant eagle. And I'm just like, "Oh my god!"

Evelyne Crowe:

I know. Total tears. Total, absolute tears.

Daniella Drake:

Full-on, full-on sobbing. My poor boyfriend is just sitting there going, "What is happening? We were just talking about how happy you were about a puppy and now we're sobbing."

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm telling you, it was amazing. I loved it so much.

Daniella Drake:

It was so good. And I loved Asiri because she was so relatable. She's slightly awkward because she's been really sheltered and I actually really... I kind of wish that there was a little bit more discussion about her relationship with her dad and stuff. It felt a little bit abrupt in the beginning.

Evelyne Crowe:

I do wish they were a little bit longer and she had a little bit more time in the Casa de Remuros.

Daniella Drake:

I know. I would've liked to have seen a little bit more of that so that I could understand the dynamic a little better. I mean, obviously, her dad is a bad person.

Evelyne Crowe:

I think he's just an ass. That's the impression we were given and that's what I'm sticking with.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah, and we never see him again.

Daniella Drake:

Which, good riddance, as far as I'm concerned. I hope he doesn't come back in future books because, bleh. I'm pretty sure, given what Dario knows about him, if he saw him, he would kill him on sight.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm pretty sure, yes.

Daniella Drake:

Right?

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I think so. Also, Dario?

Evelyne Crowe:

Dario is amazing.

Daniella Drake:

Fucking adorable.

Evelyne Crowe:

I love him so much.

Daniella Drake:

Fucking adorable. A cinnamon roll, golden retriever, whatever you want to call him.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes.

Daniella Drake:

Just the cutest. Super sweet, obviously neurodivergent.

Evelyne Crowe:

It feels ADHD with the hyperactivity, hyper-focused kind of thing, but it's not explicitly stated, so I'm not going to put a label on it, but it's...

Daniella Drake:

What a sweetie.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god.

Daniella Drake:

What a sweetie.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes.

Daniella Drake:

Love him.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes, absolutely love him. Adorable.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, so cute.

Evelyne Crowe:

And the two of them together were just so awkwardly cute.

Daniella Drake:

I know, I know. I was like, "You guys!"

Evelyne Crowe:

I will say there were a couple of times where I just wanted to grab two of them and be like, "Stop it!"

Daniella Drake:

And shake them, I know, I know. Same, for sure, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

But it's not their fault at all.

Daniella Drake:

No.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm just like, "Oh my god, you guys, [inaudible 00:08:26]."

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely agree. Absolutely agree. But I love them so... I'm not a huge fan of the insta-love thing, that's never really been a huge thing of mine. But you know what? It was such a sweet book.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was.

Daniella Drake:

I was just along for the ride.

Evelyne Crowe:

Well, when you have these shorter books, you kind of have to have more of an insta-attraction love kind of thing because you don't have a lot of room for anything else...

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely.

Evelyne Crowe:

... so, it made sense in this book, for sure.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I agree. Yeah, I think it worked.

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

But yeah, I loved the whole story. I loved the Amaru, which I didn't even know existed before this book, so that was awesome.

Evelyne Crowe:

Okay, this challenged my entire folklore upbringing in so many ways, and I really enjoyed it because that whole crossing the lake with an alligator thing... was all I could think of were fables for my childhood, and I got so fucking tense and I'm going, "This is not my culture. You need to let it go," the whole time.

Daniella Drake:

I had the same response. I was like, "Oh my god, this is going to be the shortest book ever."

Evelyne Crowe:

I know, right? All I kept thinking, all my brain wanted to do was go, "Aesop fable." I'm like, "No, it's not. Fuck you."

Daniella Drake:

"No, it's not." Exactly, I did the same thing. I did the exact same thing. Had to unlearn all of that, yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god. And it was so cool that she was just like, "No, friendly. Working with animals, we're working with animals, we're working with animals."

Daniella Drake:

Yes.

Evelyne Crowe:

"They're friendly, friendly."

Daniella Drake:

Totally had the same experience.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I really actually enjoyed that challenge in my brain. It was super fun for me.

Daniella Drake:

I also cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the footnotes.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes!

Daniella Drake:

Loved them, loved all of them.

Evelyne Crowe:

I read every one.

Daniella Drake:

Not only were... Half of them were snarky...

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes, I know!

Daniella Drake:

Which, love that. And half of them were just really interesting things that I didn't know.

Evelyne Crowe:

I don't know a lot about the mythology of...

Daniella Drake:

No, I don't know a lot of Peruvian mythology at all, so this was an amazing experience for me. And I've been trying desperately, I love Cozy Fantasy, and it's right now kind of dominated with a lot of white authors, mostly because it doesn't really know what it is yet, and cozy means something different to everyone. So, I was super excited when Natalia said that she was releasing this book because I was like, "Oh, yes, finally." And I'm so, so glad because it was such an interesting book for me to read because I learned so much from it. Not only was it fun, but I also learned a lot, which was amazing.

Evelyne Crowe:

It really was very, very cool. I feel like I don't know enough. It was enough to tickle my interest and I want to go learn more now.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly. I feel the exact same way, for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah, so that was really, really cool.

Daniella Drake:

But I thought it was really interesting, the Amaru I thought was fascinating, partly because it was presented as such a childish kind of mentality. Its understanding of things seems so young, and I am still not sure if that was because it's a semidios or if it's just the way that an Amaru thinks. I don't know.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was a lot of power in a...

Daniella Drake:

... child's hands, and I thought that was really interesting.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was very cool.

Daniella Drake:

Very cool.

Evelyne Crowe:

And the way that she set up the threat of the earthquake in the beginning and had this looming red threat through the whole thing. You knew it was there and you knew it was coming and you weren't sure when.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly. No, that's what I'm saying. The setup and the payoff of this book was so good.

Evelyne Crowe:

The thing is, I knew as soon as... Here's the thing though, the Amaru... I've read a lot of books and I'm like, "Okay, the Amaru is going to show up, the earthquake is going to happen. Everyone's going to see the Amaru and everyone's going to be like, 'Oh, bad, badness happened because you guys were helping the Amaru, and now everyone is cursed,' or something bad happened or whatever." That is not what happened.

Daniella Drake:

No, I was so, so glad because I kind of had the same thought that this is where it was going, and I was so glad that that's not where it went.

Evelyne Crowe:

So happy.

Daniella Drake:

I loved the direction it went instead, which was, the Amaru just saves the day.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know! Thing is, Natalia herself set that up because she's like, "Oh, they're bad luck, they curse you," and they're like, "Whatever." And she's like, red herrings everywhere, Natalia, it's your fault.

Daniella Drake:

She gets you with the superstition of the people and you're like, "Oh, they must be bad." And that whole thing where Asiri finds the Amaru and is like, "You're not going to curse us, right?" And he's like, "No curse." And so you have it in your head that that's what they do, is you encounter them, they curse you, they're bad, whatever.

Evelyne Crowe:

There are these Amaru traps everywhere to keep them away. There's a fear of them. It's like a generational thing that they carry with them. And you never find out exactly why, because it happened so far in the past.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

This is something they carried with them.

Daniella Drake:

And then that is not at all what happened.

Evelyne Crowe:

Nope.

Daniella Drake:

And it's so great because I feel like we just kind of bypassed all of that kind of like, "Oh, you did this," nonsense that we didn't need. They just go straight to, "Wow, you saved us from a tsunami. You're awesome!"

Evelyne Crowe:

I know! We just bypassed all of that nonsense that would be in another book.

Daniella Drake:

Exactly.

Evelyne Crowe:

But when you think about it, you're like, "Okay, but she was put on this path from that seashell, and now Amarus are welcome in that town again." So from the beginning...

Daniella Drake:

This was put into place.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yes.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. No, exactly. That's the whole thing where she has to go into all three different planes of existence. All of that comes into play later, and she doesn't have her usual guides, and she finds who she has...

Evelyne Crowe:

But everything that happens in the beginning happens at the end. She's bitten in the beginning, she's bitten in the end, it's almost an exact repetition.

Daniella Drake:

It was done so well. I loved it.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was amazing.

Daniella Drake:

What I love too is because there is all this superstition about the curse and how bad Amarus are, whatever, Paloma finds them and Asiri's like, "I can't explain it right now, but we really just need your help." And she's like, "Yeah, all right." Just rolls up her sleeves and she's like, "Okay," because that's her ride or die friend. She's just like, "We're going to do this."

Evelyne Crowe:

I know.

Daniella Drake:

And I loved it so much.

Evelyne Crowe:

"Okay, I guess we're in it now. I've already seen it. Let's just do it."

Daniella Drake:

Exactly, it's so good. I loved Paloma though.

Evelyne Crowe:

Paloma was amazing, and that whole scene in her shop where he like, "What did you do to your finger?" And I'm like, "Oh, sir..."

Daniella Drake:

I had the same reaction. "Excuse me, sir."

Evelyne Crowe:

What?

Daniella Drake:

I know. If I had had pearls, I would've clutched them.

Evelyne Crowe:

I would've been clutching them so hard.

Daniella Drake:

I know. I have a feeling that they're book two, right?

Evelyne Crowe:

I think they must be.

Daniella Drake:

They must be. I hope they are.

Evelyne Crowe:

They better be.

Daniella Drake:

I'll be the first one to sign up.

Evelyne Crowe:

Seriously. Oh my god.

Daniella Drake:

I know, I know. But I want to live in her pastry shop and just get fat.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god.

Daniella Drake:

Because it sounds amazing. All of the food descriptions in this book made me so hungry.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god! I need to find a good Peruvian restaurant.

Daniella Drake:

I know.

Evelyne Crowe:

There are none around me.

Daniella Drake:

I know. I was like, "This sounds amazing. I would eat that."

Evelyne Crowe:

I have so many good Asian restaurants and no Peruvian restaurants.

Daniella Drake:

I bet we can find one. You'll have to come up and visit me because I bet we have one around here. I can almost guarantee it.

Evelyne Crowe:

If you can find some good recipes online, I'm going to be making some fucking Peruvian food.

Daniella Drake:

Something. I know, right? It sounded amazing! Ugh, so good.

Evelyne Crowe:

God.

Daniella Drake:

I know.

Evelyne Crowe:

It sounds so good.

Daniella Drake:

There were so many things about this book that I just love.

Evelyne Crowe:

Well, and it's so funny because even with the teasing with the kissing... And I'm not a fan of slow burn.

Daniella Drake:

I was going to say, this was another slow burn.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was, but the book was short enough and it read fast enough that it didn't bother me so much. And the sex was really good.

Daniella Drake:

It was!

Evelyne Crowe:

It happened frequently enough at the end that I didn't feel like it was nothing.

Daniella Drake:

It wasn't just a one and done.

Evelyne Crowe:

It wasn't a one and done. So I'm like, "Ay, all right." I think my favorite one, it wasn't even a full sex scene. The whole thing in the rain was fucking hot, and that wasn't even a complete sex scene.

Daniella Drake:

I think the waterfall was my favorite.

Evelyne Crowe:

That was pretty good.

Daniella Drake:

It was so good. They were both so... It was so well written.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was.

Daniella Drake:

It just was so well done.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was, it was really good.

Daniella Drake:

It just was such a good book, and yeah, it was a little short. And partly, I'm saying that because I just wanted it to take longer.

Evelyne Crowe:

I know. I just wanted more.

Daniella Drake:

I just wanted more.

Evelyne Crowe:

It wasn't because I'm down on it being short, I just wanted to have more of it to read. It was a complete story, there was nothing lacking, it was just...

Daniella Drake:

I was sad when it was over.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's like it ended and I'm like, "No, not done. Want more."

Daniella Drake:

Exactly. "Need more." I know, I totally agree. So, I will definitely be reading the next ones for sure.

Evelyne Crowe:

I was a bit frustrated with Asiri's refusal to talk about her gift after a certain point.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I was getting a little bit frustrated, partly because from Dario's point of view, I feel like Asiri had been downright rude a couple of times. So, it just didn't seem believable to me that he was like, "No, I'm going to court her officially and I'm going to do..." And I'm just like, "My dude, she has literally told you to shut up twice."

Evelyne Crowe:

Right?

Daniella Drake:

So that, I was a little bit like, "Ugh, I don't know about that."

Evelyne Crowe:

That's the thing.

Daniella Drake:

But at the same time, I will say that because she had had people that she trusted and loved take advantage of her powers, I do understand her reticence in not sharing that information.

Evelyne Crowe:

I do, but also...

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, it was frustrating.

Evelyne Crowe:

... it's like a part of her that is... It's not just a part of her, but it's a part of her that is interrupting her life to a point that it's literally stopping her from having something that she wants.

Daniella Drake:

Wants, yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

So, you have to say something.

Daniella Drake:

Something.

Evelyne Crowe:

Or not, and give up that. There was a point where I was like, "Oh my god."

Daniella Drake:

And I feel like Natalia knew that, because it wasn't that long after that I reached that point that she was like, "Okay, it's all coming out now." Because I was starting to get frustrated too. I wanted to shake both of them because I was like, "I cannot handle this."

Evelyne Crowe:

Well, and I think that Natalia also gave us the ex-girlfriend to kind of be like, "No, we're going to be like, we're going to clear up some of this miscommunication. We're going to make it clear that she does like him, and here's that."

Daniella Drake:

Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Evelyne Crowe:

Because if it weren't for that, I would've probably bailed, because honestly, it was driving me a little crazy.

Daniella Drake:

No, I absolutely agree that...

Evelyne Crowe:

But that was the only criticism.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

Everything else was great.

Daniella Drake:

And that dinner with his parents... painful, so painful. And I just wanted to be like, "Oh, sweetie, it's okay. You can tell me all about the animals. I don't care."

Evelyne Crowe:

Are you kidding? I will tell you things about animals.

Daniella Drake:

I know, you guys would get into a fact-off.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god, you're talking to the person who, someone asked me think of an animal, and I thought of the echidna. And they're like, "What the fuck is an Echidna?" And I'm like, "Oh, let me tell you about the echidna."

Daniella Drake:

They're actually really interesting.

Evelyne Crowe:

They're very cool, and their eyes glazed over a little bit, but now everyone in my family knows what an echidna is.

Daniella Drake:

Well, I loved it too, because she spent a good paragraph, half a page talking about Dario's realization about intelligence. And it's like there are different forms of intelligence and not everybody has the same kind of intelligence.

Evelyne Crowe:

Absolutely.

Daniella Drake:

And I love that so much, it spoke to me. I was like, "Yes!" Because I don't really do that well on tests because I have anxiety and I over-read the questions, and so I get them wrong because I read into them. I'm like, "Well, if they mean this, then the answer is this. But if they mean this, then the answer is this." And really, it's just very straightforward.

Evelyne Crowe:

It really is very straightforward.

Daniella Drake:

But I don't think that way, so...

Evelyne Crowe:

And he says it straight out, "Just because you don't do well in school doesn't mean you won't do well in life." And it was a great quote.

Daniella Drake:

That was such a great moment in the book. It really made me feel good.

Evelyne Crowe:

It really was a meaningful statement, and I hope everyone who reads it takes it to heart because very true.

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely agree. Absolutely, 100%.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's absolutely true.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. This just was a feel-good book.

Evelyne Crowe:

It was.

Daniella Drake:

There was so much character growth. It made me laugh out loud a few times.

Evelyne Crowe:

I want a little hummingbird that just sits on my shoulders.

Daniella Drake:

He was so sweet. He's like, "I got you, you go do your thing. I'll watch out for you from here," and it just was so sweet.

Evelyne Crowe:

I just loved him so much.

Daniella Drake:

I know.

Evelyne Crowe:

Even that stupid Guinea pig.

Daniella Drake:

He's so cranky.

Evelyne Crowe:

Okay, no, but when she finally told Dario what the Guinea pig was saying, it was hilarious.

Daniella Drake:

I know.

Evelyne Crowe:

And he was like, "We're just going to go put him back in his cage."

Daniella Drake:

I liked it because he was like, "I thought we were friends."

Evelyne Crowe:

I know. It was so sad, but at the same time, oh my god.

Daniella Drake:

I know. Oh, it was so funny. Oh, I loved it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god, it was hilarious.

Daniella Drake:

I loved it. It was so, so good. Every character... I mean, even Dona Iris...

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god, I would love to have her as a grandmother. She was so willing to teach her how to weave, and she was cranky, but at the same time kind. And it was just like, "We're going to teach you how to do all of this."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. The first time you meet her, you're like, "Woo, I don't know." But no, she's just a no-nonsense kind of like... "I only have so much time, so..." Loved it. And she gave her clothes just because, let her stay in the rooms above the shop. She was so kind and so generous, and so giving, and so supportive, and teaching her so much, and it was just so sweet. I just loved all of the characters. They were all so interesting and good, and just this book just made me feel good.

Evelyne Crowe:

Did I say that all of the villagers would think that Paloma is still engaged to Miguel, or just what?

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, that whole thing was...

Evelyne Crowe:

Seven years?

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I'm sitting there going, "Excuse me?"

Evelyne Crowe:

If he shows up in book two...

Daniella Drake:

Oh, I'm going to be... I'm not going to lie, I'm going to be upset.

Evelyne Crowe:

What if he shows up? What if it's true?

Daniella Drake:

I mean, it could be. I don't know.

Evelyne Crowe:

I don't know.

Daniella Drake:

I don't know.

Evelyne Crowe:

But seven years is a long enough time.

Daniella Drake:

That is a really long time. What if he shows up and he's already got someone,

Evelyne Crowe:

But if he shows up and she has moved on and he expects her to just be like, "You're my girl..."

Daniella Drake:

Yeah, I'm not here for that. Seven years!

Evelyne Crowe:

Seven years!

Daniella Drake:

That's a long time.

Evelyne Crowe:

Who expects her to wait for seven years?

Daniella Drake:

Right. With no communication?

Evelyne Crowe:

No.

Daniella Drake:

No.

Evelyne Crowe:

I think three years and then that's it.

Daniella Drake:

I agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

Especially with letters and stuff and time and three years and that's it.

Daniella Drake:

Absolutely agree.

Evelyne Crowe:

And that's giving a year grace.

Daniella Drake:

Yeah. And that's just for the timing of communication's sake.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah. Two would've been nice. Three is the extra year of grace.

Daniella Drake:

I absolutely agree. It's just too long.

Evelyne Crowe:

Seven?

Daniella Drake:

Life is too short.

Evelyne Crowe:

For real. Oh my God.

Daniella Drake:

I did love the descriptions of the villages and the Andes and just all of... as she's coming down the mountain and staying in the nests of the animals...

Evelyne Crowe:

These bears. Oh my god.

Daniella Drake:

... these bears that sound adorable.

Evelyne Crowe:

Look, I'm old and I don't want to camp ever, but I would sleep in these bear holes...

Daniella Drake:

I know!

Evelyne Crowe:

... just because.

Daniella Drake:

And they're so formal and polite. Ugh, loved it.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm like, I'm sure it would be very uncomfortable, but she just makes it sound so cozy.

Daniella Drake:

I know.

Evelyne Crowe:

But I'm sure that my 43-year-old self would wake up and be like, "My shoulder doesn't work now."

Daniella Drake:

I need 20 minutes just to get up off the floor. But it's okay, it was worth it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh my god. "Thank you so much for letting sleep in your tree hole, Mr. Bear. I really appreciate it." They were all so sweet.

Daniella Drake:

I know, so sweet. I loved the animals. This was a book made for me.

Evelyne Crowe:

It really was, I loved all of it. The llamas were cool...

Daniella Drake:

I know. And that disappointment where she didn't tell the farmer that the llama was pregnant...

Evelyne Crowe:

Ah, she felt so bad.

Daniella Drake:

... and the llama's just like, "Oh, okay. I see how it is."

Evelyne Crowe:

I felt so bad.

Daniella Drake:

And she's just walking away going, "Oh my god."

Evelyne Crowe:

She felt so terrible, and I'm like, "Go back. Go back and say..."

Daniella Drake:

"It's not too late," I know.

Evelyne Crowe:

Not too late! But that was so funny because her parting shot, Dario was like, "Go tell the farmer that the llama is pregnant."

Daniella Drake:

And he's like, "What?"

Evelyne Crowe:

"What? Okay. Why?"

Daniella Drake:

"Who's this guy to you?"

Evelyne Crowe:

"How do you know? What is happening right now? How do you know this farmer?"

Daniella Drake:

Oh my gosh. It was so good. It was just so, so cute.

Evelyne Crowe:

It really was. I really enjoyed it.

Daniella Drake:

I did too, I really did. I'm so glad that I read it. And now we have to wait for the next one, which makes me sad.

Evelyne Crowe:

Ah, I know. But it's worth it.

Daniella Drake:

It's totally worth it. If you haven't read it, we've ruined it for you, but you should go read it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Hopefully, you read it before you listened to us.

Daniella Drake:

I hope so. And I hope that you're just as giddy and excited about it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Look, we are not those readers who think that you have to have a complete series before you read a book. Do you know how long I've waited for the completion of the Game of Thrones? Do you have any idea?

Daniella Drake:

This is the thing, and it happens with TV as well, where people wait for the entire thing, but the problem is, is that it gets canceled, and so then you don't ever get it. You have to read it, you have to watch it. Otherwise, it's not going to be finished.

Evelyne Crowe:

You have to buy the book. Please buy this book...

Daniella Drake:

Please buy this book.

Evelyne Crowe:

... so she can afford to make the second one.

Daniella Drake:

Yes. It's so good.

Evelyne Crowe:

Please, please buy her book so she can make a second one, because I want to read the book.

Daniella Drake:

I do too. I want all five. I'll read them all. I'm ready, sign me up. I wonder if she's doing arc signups. I'll sign up for the next one.

Evelyne Crowe:

Oh, you as an arc reader? She'll love you.

Daniella Drake:

Can you imagine?

Evelyne Crowe:

You send her messages every five sentences, "Oh my god!"

Daniella Drake:

"Oh my god, that was so cute." "What part are you at?" "Oh, this just happened. I forget what's it's called."

Evelyne Crowe:

She would have to ask you. You're just like, "I just got to this part where this happened. Oh my god, this is amazing."

Daniella Drake:

Oh no, I would give no context. I'm the worst. I'd be like, "Oh my god, that was so cute. What was... Oh, right."

Evelyne Crowe:

You'd leave a kick-ass review, though.

Daniella Drake:

I sure would, absolutely would. I love this book so, so much. I loved it so much that I got a signed copy, which was really lucky for me because she was moving and she needed to move all her stock, so I got a really good deal. But I'm super excited, and the cover is beautiful.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's gorgeous. I love the cover.

Daniella Drake:

It's a beautiful book.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's gorgeous.

Daniella Drake:

And it came with a little bookmark, it's super, it's so pretty. I'm thrilled. Yeah, Asiri and the Amaru.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yeah.

Daniella Drake:

So good.

Evelyne Crowe:

Go get it.

Daniella Drake:

Go get it.

Evelyne Crowe:

Yay! Okay, so what are we reading next time?

Daniella Drake:

Next time, we're going to read Odd Blood by Azalea Crowley.

Evelyne Crowe:

I love this book, this is one of my favorite book series.

Daniella Drake:

It's so good.

Evelyne Crowe:

It's so good. Oh my god, so excited, ahh!

Daniella Drake:

I cannot wait to talk about it. A really good one, followed by a really good one.

Evelyne Crowe:

I'm so excited.

Daniella Drake:

Okay. I am Daniella Drake.

Evelyne Crowe:

And I'm Evelyne Crowe.

Announcer:

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Intoxicated Literature. Drink well, friends.