Bonnie's Bookshelf: Queen's Shadow by EK Johnston

Hey Herd! Come along as we talk about the book of the month!!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hey. Hey. So, um, first off, before we start, okay. Yes, this is Bonnie's bookshelf. Welcome to the book club. I'm a little bit all over the place. I have gone from work to clean up the room to record now. So, you know, bear with me. But also, look at Amber's hair. It's so shiny. It's so shiny. You guys, I don't know if you can see the blue in it, but there's like real tiny streaks of blue. Yeah, there we go. See, it's so pretty, you guys. So, anyway, yeah, we had to show Amber's hair. Um, okay, spoiler alert. If you have not read Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston, go read it or deal with the consequences of your own actions when we spoil things for you. We will be talking about it. Yes. So that's what we're getting into. Without further ado, Bonnie's bookshelf, Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston. So, first impression, like before we talk about anything at all, what did you think about the book overall?

SPEAKER_00 1:05

The overall book, I didn't like it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

You didn't?

SPEAKER_00 1:08

I so after reading the book, I'm like, is this why I'm not a big fan of the movies? Because it was there was a part of it, it was it was very hard for me to connect to. It was very hard for me to connect to people. I understood what was happening. There was nothing that was really grabbing at me, and I feel like there was a whole lot that it was setting up for, and nothing was really coming out of it. So the reward factor of the book just didn't seem to be there for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

That's fair.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

It was a little dry. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

I will say this is probably my least favorite of the trilogy, um, because it is a lot, it's it's so much politics, it's so much of the the meeting, the senate meetings, and you know, this is this book gets into right after um Amadala has left being the queen. Uh, like I think the book actually starts with uh Padme and her handmaidens at the lake house, right? Because they're waiting for yes, because they're waiting for the um check your box for who you want.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Yeah, the announcement for the oh my god, what's the word? Election? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

I had to think about it too. God, we're both literally fresh off of work, guys. Fair with us. Yes. So yeah. And uh on Abu, the tradition is that the outgoing party can't be there for the voting and the announcement of the new one. They wait, they go away, they wait. They're supposed to remain completely impartial. Um, and so that is a good way. It also gave them a chance to relax and just sort of be together again for the first time in a long time.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Yeah, and not just be together, but they were talking about their future goals and stuff. What did they want to do, or what were they going to do? This is where we identify that they can like one of them can make some kind of thing to help grow and share that with other planets and stuff. The blue algae. There you go. Yes, names are all good, but I remember. Yep. And so, like, this is that there was also very interesting to listen to the back and forth about Padme running twice and doing that because during this time frame, she she really wanted to stick to tradition, and one of the people being elected, the sepher election had already done it once and then's coming back and doing it again. So this was a new transition for Naboo. Right. And so Padme, there were there were questions and desire, and Padme said she was pretty certain that she had brand, she would get it again.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Right. And she felt very strongly that power is to be passed on. You serve and then you pass it along so that it doesn't get stale and stuck.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Um, so that the politics are constantly changing with the land that they are ruling. Yeah. Yeah. That was really uh that was a really fun insight into what they thought about it because you could, I mean, there were there were people who like when they came up to tell Padme who won, they were like, Yeah, but I wrote you in. And then other people were staunchly with Padme when she felt that power should be transitioned. Um, and I don't even know that I would say Captain Pinalta, like if him writing her in was so much that, or if it was more just you were incredible, we want you specifically to have more time. Not that he doesn't think power should be passed on, but yeah, I think they just really loved um, you know, Ahmedala and like what she gave of herself to the planet. The the people really, really cherished her.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

She created a lot of change, she created a lot of connections, yeah. And because of that, they saw benefit in keeping her as a if she were to run. Yeah. And so, because that that was even though it she maintained tradition, she also added a little bit more. And so she she was she was advanced in that area of making those connections, and so I could see why. What would you have done if you were in her shoes? I think I I think I would have I would have been I would have been interested in the idea and definitely seen it as a compliment and thank you, and also think about all the things that I could do. Yeah, but just because I can doesn't mean I should, right? Right, and I think that that's kind of the way that she had that thought process too. Like, I'm ready to step away. I did all this, I gave this time. Now let me step away. Now, did she know what she'd be stepping into? No, no, but the plan was, and this is I did like this part of the book because it really it was like it was almost like a farewell transition into this next part that happened throughout the rest of the book because you got to hear from all the others, which are pulled back too much. Which is really cool. Yeah, but you got to hear what they were going to do, and you got this idea of what was going to happen and where they were all going to go, and dreams that they had for themselves and for each other that had nothing to do with actually the position and the role that they had.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

That wasn't something we had gotten to see of them since the very beginning because their own hopes and aspirations and dreams were secondary, like they put it all on hold for their planet, as is expected. But this is the first time that they've had a chance to revisit any of that and see like, who am I if I am not a handmaiden? Who am I if I'm not the queen, right?

SPEAKER_00 6:58

You know, I you're you're talking about that, and I find it so interesting that every one of them decided to keep their handmaiding name. They did not transition back into their name because that didn't become who they were anymore. Yeah, they change, and so going back to that name, they honor that name for their family for all that reasons, but who they are, the character they are now, is a name that they made for themselves, the identity that they created for themselves to feel this position. I mean, how amazing is that that the identity you get to take on is the one you created, not the one handed to you, right? The one that you got to create. That is incredible.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

And they were all just kids. They were. I mean, um, Sashay was 12. That baby girl was 12 years old getting tortured by them. Yeah. Yeah. But they really lean into in this book how much everybody cherishes her from going through what she did. She saved all of their lives. She very easily could have given them up. And she went through hours of torture and not once. Yeah. Not once. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

And they protect her, like there's a lot of admiration for her, too, throughout whenever at that part of the lake house, when everyone's talking about her or to her. It's just how amazing she absolutely was throughout that, and how that they use her as a motivational figure to be at that level of strength.

SPEAKER_01 8:22

And then, I mean, we get to find out like when we find out who oh my gosh, I I cannot remember the name of the incoming queen. Ray uh Renata. Amber's gonna look it up. I am going to um, but we also get to find out that uh Sasha got uh got her seat. Like she was looking to go into um politics. She wanted to go into the Senate, I believe it was the Senate. Ray Lotta, Queen Relata, not Ray Notta, Relata. Yeah. But she was coming in, and we find out when they let Padme know and all the handmaidens everybody know that Ray Lotta won, they also let us know that Sachet's bid was accepted. Um and everybody, I mean, like there were girls literally putting down what they were working on to go pick her up and swing her around. They were so proud of her. And it was just a very cute, very wholesome scene in a book that is not gonna have a lot of that. Yeah.

unknown 9:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

So it was a nice intro. It was, it was. Um, what else did we get in this book? We get Padme. Um, so she immediately goes to the Senate, right? Because Raylotta asks her to be uh a senator. She was like, I know you probably had plans. I really need you to do this. Will you please?

SPEAKER_00 9:52

Yeah, well, you represent. We liked what you did here, and we think that you could do a better job. And this has already been kind of put into her mind by Palpatine. Yeah, in a way, because I had Puppetine has already come and visited her, and Paputine, I believe, mentioned it even to them as a potential. So I found that interesting. I think it's moving chess pieces around. I picked that up. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know. But you know, because I don't, but I don't know all of these parts of moving. I just know I know I know if you're following that. And so sneaky bastards. Yeah, so something's happening. Yep. So I'm waiting for it. That just didn't happen in this book. No, but it will in the next one.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

Um, yeah, so we get to see we get to see the transition of power, we get to see Padme immediately go off to the Senate. Oh, but she stops when visits her family first. Yes, and that was really fun. Like her family's adorable. We get to see them just be so excited, and they basically just decided everyone that Padme brought with her was also part of the family. Put them to work, and I loved it. Um, but after that, we go off to the Senate and Padme immediately has an attempt on her life. Yes. I mean, like she's there five minutes, right? She's gone through like a couple of tours, a couple of she's so annoyed at all the busy work and all the stuff they've got her doing, right? And they have a droid that she can't stand.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Um well, let's talk about. So the very first time that she goes up there and she's in the the Senate meeting or whatever, and she's getting to experience like how you have to select whether you agree or disagree. There was a really matter that really for her made sense, and then selected her response and watched it light up and saw it, and then saw everybody go against the very response that she had. So she had to experience that level of immediate rejection and that of I think that's a good idea. And then everybody else was like, No. And she was like, wait a minute. And she at this point in time had to learn really quickly that there's a bigger picture here that I have to look through a different lens as a senator that I have to look through. And she starts working with her new handmaidens on how to look through this.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

And the the new handmaidens are interesting. I I don't connect with them as well as I did the original. I agree, I agree, and we get pretty much just as much time with them, I feel like.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

And they even do some of the stuff that the other ones did.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We still have like the they're clearly very talented at what they are doing. I just don't connect with them as a original ones.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Yeah, but then we have the I don't know if we want to call it a murderbot. I don't think it's really a murderbot, but the droid that she had. It didn't mean to be a murderbot, but it was reprogrammed to be a murderbot. It was reprogrammed, so I was like, it it did mean it in a sense. It didn't was it, but yeah, no, no, the the attention is he was very much following directors. Yep, so she knew something was off with this this droid already. She had mentioned like something fell off, and that day that the droid saying that she had a meeting with somebody that was unscheduled at like 5 p.m.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Before this, like one second before that, it she mentioned how she had put in requests to repair this droid several times, yes, it's and they're like, nothing's wrong with it, yeah. So already something right flags happening, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Yeah, so then the droid kept telling her about this meeting that she knew nothing about, no one else quite understood. So they went ahead and they did they followed this meeting. The handmaiding dressed as Amidala as Padme, and Padme dressed as a handmaiden throughout this because they were they felt that something seemed sketchy, so they needed to be prepared.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

So they go down to this this secret level or whatever that they're down in the it's the lower levels where like it's like the boilers and you know, like stuff that lives in the very bottom of giant buildings. And I remember her questioning, like, do you guys normally give senators tours of the lower levels?

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And she even questioned, Are you sure this is where we're supposed to be going? And kept asking the droid this. So she her and her handmaiden and droid, they get down there. The droid is very adamant, they get down there, and then she comes across.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Um, before that, doesn't the droid his voice starts glitching or something, right? Like something weird happens with the it's not like a big thing, but it is another, like, oh, something's going on with this because like its voice was glitching and changing tones. Something happened, yes. Yeah, and then yeah, she ran into bail or ghana. Um, and she immediately is like, What are you doing down here? And he's like, What are you doing down here? Uh this building is scheduled for like there's there's gonna be a bomb go off. Yeah, um, he was like, This is being scheduled for like it's getting demolished, yeah. What are you doing down here? And she was like, My droid said that I had to be here because I had a very important tour that had to be done. Yeah, he's like, No one's here, you need to get out of here. Yeah, so he was like, It's gonna explode, please leave. Yeah, and he put in a request to have the droid fixed.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Um through his people, yeah, because he worked with a different group of people and had different people look at the droid than the people who had through the Senate, and so then they were like, Yeah, no, somebody is somebody has definitely messed with this droid.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

Um, we're very glad you didn't get uh murder botted. But she then is very distrustful of Bale for quite a while. Um, so it's a long time, it's towards like the middle to end of the book before she realizes she can trust him. She's just like, Okay, yeah, but why was he down? Like, this is really weird.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

Were you part of this? Was this all part of the scheme? This is really where Pad May's mind starts shifting because instead of allowing fear to become part of it and saying, Oh no, I'm not safe, it's how can I create safety in this? And what do I need to do to overcome all of this? Because I'm not gonna let them have this power, right? And so, how do I shift my mindset to to be a part of this? How do I make myself more known? Because this threat of my life is supposed to be there. I'm not gonna be supposed to be showing up, and then they have like a ball or some kind of meeting or something that she then went to shortly after that.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

And it was a ball, and she had to deal with that. Um, the one really annoying senator. Uh his name starts with a C. He was incredibly annoying, drove her crazy. You know, you remember who I'm talking about? He was like young, he ended up going in with the banking plan. Um later on you find out like he's actually pretty okay. Like he ends up working with them um to help, you know, like save people and rescue people from there. Was uh an aqueduct that was it went down, and that okay. This is I don't I'm not gonna tell you the entire plot of the whole book, but there was an aqueduct, it went down, there was a water shortage, all of the farms and plants that were farming the blue algae were affected because they didn't have any water, and then other places were like literally flooding and drowning, and they had to evacuate. And that was the thing that Padme was in the Senate for voting on that. She voted for, and other people voted against was helped to get all these people off the planet and helped repair their aqueduct. Um, all of that to say, she ended up having to work with a group of people that included Baylor Ghana, Mon Motma, and whatever the hell this guy's name was. He was he was a very annoying senator who tried to kiss Padming, she got really mad. Uh she was like, That is not what this is.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

I don't remember that now because yeah, because he she was just like being friends, yeah. And then yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

And he got totally got the wrong idea and tried to kiss her, and then he got mad. Uh, surprise. He got mad when she was like, We're just we're colleagues, but we're friends. What are you doing? Um, no, but it came around, it ended up being okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

Um Clovis, Senator Clovis.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Uh, he ended up financing and finding a way to finance a lot of this rescue operation. Um, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:35

So throughout the book, it really builds upon her character of how to really start going from one Naboo and how to think larger. There was a lot of people that really thought that how can one who cared so much for her people from Naboo think outside of just Naboo. And so she was challenged a whole lot and had to really give up and back away some values that she had for her own planet to show that she can consider all people and all planets as a senator should in her mind. And so this is where she really started questioning her values and what they were, and how could I tell you, she's or we told you she's trying to, she has to shift her brain here from thinking about this way to to to this way, and how can I overcome this? And this was part of it readdressing values, reassetting values to match the situation she's in and the expectations she's in while still holding true in her heart that she really truly desires, which was really interesting to watch.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

Because she never compromises herself, no, she compromises on situations, you know, when you she learns to work with other people very, very well, um, and how to kind of get around a lot of bullshit. Um, but she never compromises who she is, and I really like that. I also really loved all the little nods to her meeting Anakin for the first time. You know, she mentioned once or twice like she was thinking about that little boy who mistook her for an angel, um, wanting to find his mom. Uh, you know, like it was little small parts of the book, but I really did like how they just showed so much of her humanity.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Yeah. Yeah. I was really hoping that I would see him in this book. Me too. Yeah, and I did not, although there was one I had questioned. So whenever uh oh, her first handmaiden, the one who went to Tatooine. Sabe when Sabe had first got to Tatooine, I remember them talking about her either walking in or walking off the the ship or whatever, and that there was a boy who walked by and kept looking at her and giving her like a side eye. And I was thinking my mind, could that have been Anakin that was confused as to is this Sabe or is this Padme? And so kind of looking at her to see because they do look so similar. And so I was wondering if that may be him, but yeah, outside of that, yeah, I didn't because he just wasn't part of her life yet.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

Yeah, there's a part to where things happen in space that I was hoping he would appear there, and he did not appear there either.

SPEAKER_01 21:15

So overall, uh I like the book just fine, but it's not my favorite, like out of the three, it's my least favorite.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Yeah, so I like that Sabe came back into the picture. I did like that. I was happy for Sabe that Sabe found a companion, and so because we're not really titling it, right? I love that, and so but I was so happy for them that they they found that companion, and then they also got to get involved more. I found it interesting that Sabe needed one more time to be Queen Abidala when they are invited to the party, yeah, yeah, and so she wanted to be Queen Amedala and then pass. Me realize I can't do this anymore because I need to maintain this trust and allowing you to do it. So they even had to do a switcheroo, yeah, in the middle of the party, which was noticed. Someone by Bale. Yep, someone did catch on.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

And he you just get a little glimpse of that in that scene. Yeah. Uh Bail just sort of like smirks and laughs a little bit and keeps going.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Yep. He knows. He talks about it after in the book. He even out in the courtyard when she met with him. He was like, So, what was that about?

SPEAKER_01 22:30

But he he told her too. He was like, I wouldn't have caught you had you not just happened to cross my path. Yeah. I never would have known.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Yeah. Yeah. It would just happen to be the way that they both glanced at each other at the right moment that he recognized. But other than that, he wouldn't. So mean good job. But yeah, I I really liked it how then we shifted back into that. So now that transition of back and forth, Sabe wanted there was a part of Sabe that she was missing. She felt like she was longing for something. And then she got to be quant Queen Amidala again. And she realized that it was that excitement that she needed one more chance. And she got that. And I think that allowed her to be at peace, at least in that way.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

Yeah, move along and find the next thing.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

Yeah, which I really like that. Um, I did also like the the space fight scene. So we have the scene. One thing that again saw Padme realized that they were not going to choose to save a planet. Like this, this became a thing. Like a planet's a planet. There was tons of them. If one gets demolished or taken over by the pirates, and then allow it to be, whatever that might be. And so she came and she figured out and worked really hard to find a way to be able to present a solution to address overall problem with the pirates.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:50

And how to do this. And so, and then that result created them all this. Well, there was something what happened. Was it that party that they went to where all the senators were on the were there? We're all in space. That's not like I don't remember where they were leaving, but they at one time maybe they called it emergency senator meeting. Maybe that was it.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Because ingether with the other book.

SPEAKER_00 24:19

And I haven't read the other book, so uh so they believed that people knew, so they had to have known because they believed that the people were waiting for them in the right place and the right time. So when they appeared, boom, there was a pirates and they were ambushed, right? And Jedi's were there. This is why I hope that I could see Anakin because Jedi's were there. Those crossing fingers didn't happen. But so this was this was a very but the way the fight took out, the way that Padme came about it and handled all, and then went in the back to tell the senators, hey, this is what happened, but don't you worry, I got it all.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

Yeah, got it covered.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Her girl is a badass. She is, she is. So I really like that aspect of it and just how confident she was to stay up there in the battlefield. She didn't go hide, she was right there in the front line up there with them, watching the ship take take uh I guess we call it a ship. I don't call it a ship, I don't know what to call it. Don't judge me. Ship works, okay. Cool. Spaceship. Oh, that's right. Yeah, okay. So my when I said it, my brain pictured a cruise ship, and all of a sudden we went.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

No, we call spaceship, spaceships. That's not right, spaceship.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Yeah, so but then the ship was taking damage and so and all of that. So then that was very interesting to watch her still staying where and staying with and what they can do and how they can rely on it.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Staying calm and like just taking charge.

SPEAKER_00 25:40

Yeah. So I really like that. I mean, I like that the book itself was really slow, but I like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

So next we have I forgot the name of it. Um excuse me. Well, Amber looks up what the name of next month's book is. Um is it? That's the one I had started. Yes. Yes. Hope. Queen's Hope. That'll be next month. So grab Queen's Hope by EK Johnston, read it, and then come back and hang out with us while we talk about it next month.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

It'll be my first time reading it, except for the first five chapters that I accidentally read. Read. Didn't make sense. And now it'll make a lot more sense.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

Now it'll make sense. So, yeah, um, I think that's what we got for you guys. We uh what do we have coming up? We've got Oklahoma Comic-Con coming up. Yep, that's the eighth and ninth, I think, or something like that. That seems right. Yeah. So that'll be coming up soon. You guys can expect some stuff from us. We we didn't put in for like a panel or price passes or anything. We are going to be at the real okay superheroes table. We are gonna be helping out with our friends over there, and you know, we'll walk around, we'll get some footage, we'll see if we can snag you guys some interviews or you know, I don't know. We'll see what we get. Yeah, it'll be a lot of fun. Uh is there anything else coming up? I think that might be it for the foreseeable future. Right?

SPEAKER_00 27:21

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it might be it. Uh I mean, there's there's other comic-cons just happening, but for us, I think that might be it.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

Yeah, and then you know, like we usually put in for uh the smaller conventions. We really like um the LibCon and Stillwater. Um didn't make it up to Jomo, but Amber did go to Jomo last. I did. You want to talk a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Um, so it was it was really good. It was at the expo center at the mall in Joplin, and so I didn't really meet a whole lot of the uh of the um authors that were there this time, but I did get to talk to a lot of the artists that were there, and so I see some amazing work. Crocheting was a big thing. I saw a lot of crochet things, and so I really like that. There were some really great snacks, it was really so yeah, there were some boots that had some snacks and some coffee. So the growth of Joe MoCon has really just to think if you don't know years ago, Joe MoCon started in Jroplin, Missouri, and on on uh the main street in two separate buildings where you had to go outside and walk, and then we went to the library and now they are in the mall, and so it really has expanded into a two-day con that is just a lot of fun to engage in. It's a lot of more of like what people are making themselves and bringing it to the booth as as much as there is celebrities, um, but you get to really support local artists and local creators and stuff like that. That's there, and that was a lot of fun to see. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:59

Can we do you have any pictures of you from the cone? Can we post up a picture or something?

SPEAKER_00 29:03

I have pictures of from the booth okay that that we had, but I don't really have pictures of like walking around in the other place. I didn't think about that. I apologize. Yeah, we'll throw up some pictures. Um used to be in part of this too. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's still new. We should put in for a demo con next year. Okay. Yeah, yeah. At least I get a one day thing or something like that to try to go through. Yeah, I think if we do that, I think a one day would be that'd be perfect. Yeah, yeah. Cool, I like it. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

Um, I think that's all we got for you guys. So may the force be with you always.