Hot Take Books

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson | Mistborn Era 2, Book 3 | Epic Fantasy First 15 minutes stay spoiler-free for anyone still deciding — after that, the whole book's on the table (which includes the rest of these notes). Give Steris prep time and she'll out-plan a Shard. The boys crown her the Adolin of Scadrial: she carries Wax through a wedding he hates, vomits on cue to buy a d...

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson | Mistborn Era 2, Book 2 | Epic Fantasy The boys keep the first 15 spoiler-free for the undecided — after that, all bets are off. Rich swears he coined "Brandy Sandy" with zero evidence and full confidence. Ryan files it as fact anyway. Shadows of Self is the lowest-rated Cosmere book the boys have ever covered. Rich's line of the night — a lot of...

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson | Mistborn Era 2, Book 1 | Fantasy | SpoilerTake The boys keep the first 15 minutes spoiler-free for the undecided, after that, all bets are off. Ryan swore this would be a short episode because it's a short book. It was not. Rich came in Cosmere-burnt and didn't want to read it at all .... that changed around pg 10. Same planet, new century, completely differ...

Cold Wind by Andrew Givler is out — and Hot Take Books has thoughts. A lot of them. In this episode, Rich and Ryan dive deep into book two of the Ironbound series, just days after its release. Castor is back, the stakes are higher, and the world has gotten a whole lot bigger. The guys break down what makes Cold Wind one of their highest-rated books to date — and why this series still isn't getting...

Cold Wind by Andrew Givler | Ironbound, Book 2 | Fantasy | FastTake Picture this: you're on the treadmill, just walking, minding your business — then chapter 10 cranks the speed and suddenly the whole gym is watching. That's Cold Wind. Rich is at 50% and already comparing Andrew Givler to Sanderson. Ryan's finished, loaded with theories, and currently on trial for sending cover art that — and we q...

Rich and Ryan are back with a book that might just scratch that Red Rising itch — Andrew Givler's Ironbound . Set in a Roman-inspired world where mythical metals bind warriors to elemental symbols, this progression fantasy follows Castor, a young man whose world gets ripped apart before he ever gets a chance to fight for it. The guys break down why this book is really three stories in one — a comi...

Spoiler wall's up — you've been warned. Hot Take Movies is officially a thing, and the boys are kicking it off with their Book of 2025 now on the big screen. Rich gives Ryan Gosling high marks for the Stratt scene but draws a line between playing Rylan Grace and playing Ryan Gosling-as-Rylan-Grace. Ryan counters by handing out a 10 for cinematography and refusing to apologize for it. They...

Celaena Sardothien is supposed to be the most feared assassin in the world. So why does it feel like the tournament, the romance, and the royal drama are all happening around her while she watches from the sidelines? Rich and Ryan dive into Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass — the BookTok darling that gets compared to everything from Red Rising to Fourth Wing. Spoiler: it's neither of those t...

Spoilers hit around 15 minutes in — the boys keep it clean up front if you haven't read it yet. (The rest of this description has spoilers — come back once you've read it.) Rich makes the case for Lightsong the Bold. Ryan files a formal complaint about Vasher's page count. And somewhere in there, Rich drops his hottest take of the season — this book had no business being in the Cosmere...

Rich and Ryan close out Mistborn Era 1 with  Hero of Ages  — and their verdict lands somewhere between a standing ovation and a deeply loving complaint. Ryan went in riding the high of a book he couldn't put down, while Rich arrives with the hottest take of the series: Well of Ascension is the better book, and Hero of Ages is history's most well-executed victory lap. They break down the ma...

Full spoilers ahead — if you haven't read Well of Ascension, Ryan will personally escort you to the nearest bookstore. The boys cover everything: Zane and Vin burning through 300 guards at Hastings Manor, the Tensoon reveal, Straff Venture's deeply satisfying exit via Coloss sword, and the Elland problem — a polisci major who got a kingdom and couldn't just hold the election after the...

No cold open. No fluff. Just a straight shot of enthusiasm for a book the boys clearly had to talk themselves down from. Well of Ascension — Book 2 of Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Era 1 — picks up after the revolution and immediately asks a harder question: now what? It's Sanderson at his most focused, and the result is a massive leap from Book 1. Rich has a 500-page rule. Books over that...

Rich and Ryan go full spoilers on Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and somehow still find time to argue about buffet etiquette and cast the movie nobody asked them to produce. They dig into Vin's transformation from street urchin to ball-attendee, Mistborn-fighting force of nature, debate whether Kelsier's wife subplot earned its page count, and geek out over a magic system that turned Ric...

Rich and Ryan tackle Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn a fantasy heist story where metal-burning outlaws plot to topple a thousand-year-old tyrant. They break down the magic system, debate whether "the bad guys already won" is the right pitch, argue about Star Wars power structures, and explain why an 8 out of 10 is basically a standing ovation from two hosts who've been called "...

Rich and Ryan have a new obsession, and they're not being subtle about it. Thorns, Feathers, and Bones by Anderson W. Frost, affectionately known as "Snowman" by the boys, has officially entered the chat. This isn't just a recommendation. This is a declaration. Rich says if Frost drops new content, he's putting down whatever he's reading (Pierce Brown excluded). Ryan want...

No notes. No structure. Just vibes. Welcome to the first-ever Hot Take Books Riff Sesh. Rich and Ryan just finished Thorns, Feathers, and Bones by Anderson W. Frost and they need to talk about it immediately—completely spoiler-free. This is the book they can't believe nobody's talking about. An indie debut that feels like the next Middle Earth: giants, elves, dwarves, humans, and a world w...

Rich and Ryan are back in the den to break down Fires of Vengeance , Evan Winter's explosive follow-up to Rage of Dragons, and yes, the Red Rising comparisons are still flying. The boys dig into Tau's never-ending rage spiral, debate whether this book delivers on the "responsibility of a book two," and ask the big question: can obsession-fueled strength ever lead to peace? Rich thinks it's a great...

In this episode of Hot Take Books , Ryan and Rich go all-in on The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter—no shields up, full spoilers allowed. What starts as a candid confession about toxic traits (TikTok-induced overconfidence and hobby jumping included) quickly turns into a passionate, sometimes combative, and ultimately thoughtful breakdown of one of the most adrenaline-fueled fantasy reads we’ve cove...

In this Spoiler Free episode, Ryan and Rich dive into their thoughts on The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter. This episode is designed for listeners who want to know exactly what kind of book this is before committing. They cover: Why The Rage of Dragons is one of the best recommendations for readers dealing with Red Rising withdrawal A clear, spoiler-free breakdown of the setting, caste system, and...

The tuxedos are on (well, Rich's is.....Ryan didn't get the memo), and the awards are ready. Welcome to The Hotties , Hot Take Books' first-ever year-end awards show, where Rich and Ryan hand out accolades for the best lines, boldest characters, and hottest takes of their 2025 reading journey. Categories include Coldest Line of the Year, Goodie and Baddie of the Year, Story of the Year...

Rich and Ryan tackle James Islington's Strength of the Few. Spoiler warning at 12 minutes for those who haven't read it yet! Vis gets replicated across three worlds and somehow none of them are having a good time. Between Res, Obiteum, and Luceum, the boys debate whether juggling three storylines is ambitious worldbuilding or just exhausting—spoiler: it's both. They break down what wor...

In this Fast Take, Rich and Ryan break down Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb. This conversation is completely spoiler-free for Book 2, but with full awareness that you’ve already survived Assassin’s Apprentice . We revisit Fitz as he returns to Buckkeep battered, poisoned, and neck-deep in court politics, Red Ship raids, and dangerously unstable magic. This episode gives you the high-level vibe check:...

In this spoiler-packed deep dive, Rich and Ryan dissect Royal Assassin with equal parts admiration, exasperation, and disbelief. This episode goes far beyond the Fast Take: we dig into Fitz’s stalled growth, the baffling naïveté of Buckkeep’s leadership, the magic system’s flashes of brilliance, and why an animal might be the only character in this book with common sense. We break down the major t...

Welcome back to Hot Take Books, folks! In this episode, Rich and Ryan dive back into the world of 'Will of the Many' as they set the stage for the highly anticipated sequel, 'Strength of the Few.' The boys break down James Islington's fresh take on magic with consequences, the cutthroat political tension of the Catenan Republic, and why this book had them texting each other mid...

Join Rich and Ryan as they dive deep into the tangled web of 'Assassin's Apprentice.' Get ready for a spicy conversation where they weigh the burdens of book one versus the pressures of the trilogy’s finale. Expect Hot Takes on the heavy lifting that protagonists do, and find out why Ryan believes book twos are just vibecatchers at the party—sipping cocktails while leaving the hard wor...