A Novel Bunch

Welcome to A Novel Bunch , your new favorite modern-day book club! Hosted by besties Molly Burnett and Alyssa Tabit Smith, this podcast dives into one book per month, broken down chapter by chapter. New episodes drop every Tuesday, so grab your copy and read along—right here on A Novel Bunch .

A Novel Bunch is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 79 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts A Novel Bunch, a arts show with 79 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #78

  The Assassin's Blade: Full Book Recap, Deep Dive & Theories: "My name is Celaena Sardothien, and I will not be afraid."

  Sep 22, 202643 min

  078: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re diving into The Assassin’s Blade in FULL, and BUNCHIES, knowing where Celaena’s story is headed makes this one HURT. *SPOILERS AHEAD* We meet 16-year-old Celaena Sardothien, already Adarlan’s most notorious assassin, and finally get the full story of Sam Cortland. From Skull’s Bay, where Celaena and Sam defy Arobynn and free hundreds of enslaved people, to the Red Desert, where Celaena trains with the Silent Assassins and survives Ansel’s betrayal, these novellas show us exactly who Celaena was before Endovier. Along the way, she meets Yrene Towers, unknowingly changes the course of her life, encounters Stygian spidersilk, rides an Asterion horse, and even crosses paths with two VERY familiar strangers: DORIAN AND CHAOL. But eventually, everything comes back to Sam. After years of rivalry, bickering, and feelings neither of them will admit… CELAENA AND SAM FINALLY GET TOGETHER. They buy their freedom from Arobynn and plan to leave Rifthold behind. One final job. One chance at a new life. And then... SAM NEVER COMES HOME. His death absolutely destroys Celaena (and us). Lavender soap will never smell the same... *cue tears* Celaena goes after the men responsible, only to walk straight into a trap. And the betrayal cuts even deeper when we learn Arobynn was the one who orchestrated it all. Celaena Sardothien is handed over to the King of Adarlan. Which means we officially know how she ended up in Endovier. Bunchies, Let’s get into it!

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #77

  The Assassin’s Blade: Live Reading | The Assassin and the Empire, Chapter 12

  Sep 15, 202633 min

  #77: This week on A Novel Bunch , we’re doing something a little different: a special LIVE reading of the final chapter of The Assassin’s Blade — Chapter 12, plus the “Before” and “After.” And Bunchies… safe to say, we will never be the same. “My name is Celaena Sardothien, and I will not be afraid.” Yeah. We’re not okay. Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #76

  Crown of Midnight: Full Book Recap, Deep Dive & Theories: Meeting Aelin Galathynius, the Lost Heir of Terrasen?! MIND BLOWN

  Sep 8, 202659 min

  #076: This week on A Novel Bunch, we’re covering Crown of Midnight in FULL and Bunchies, this book just changed the entire game. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Celaena is officially the King’s Champion, but surprise: she’s secretly not killing his targets. Instead, she’s helping them disappear, including her latest assignment, Archer Finn, a childhood friend who reveals that rebels are searching for the lost heir of Terrasen: Aelin Galathynius. OH RLY. Meanwhile, Celaena and Chaol are getting VERY close. Nights together, dancing, birthday dates, talking about leaving Rifthold and yes, they finally become a couple. Alyssa is suffering. Dorian deserves JUSTICE. Speaking of Dorian… DORIAN HAS MAGIC. During a council meeting, his anger literally cracks stone and shatters a window. He also notices that the King, Duke Perrington, and Roland are all wearing matching black rings. Nothing ominous about that!!! Then Baba Yellowlegs drops some MASSIVE lore: the Valg are demons from another world, there are three Wyrdkeys capable of opening Wyrdgates between realms, and the King may already possess one. MULTIVERSE ALERT. And then everything falls apart. Nehemia begs Celaena to fight for Eyllwe, but Celaena refuses. Nehemia’s final words to her? “Nothing more than a coward.” Chaol later learns about a threat against Nehemia but keeps it from Celaena. He gets kidnapped, Celaena races back to the castle… …and Nehemia has been murdered. Celaena completely snaps and nearly kills Chaol, until Dorian uses his magic to stop her. From there, we finally see the assassin everyone has been warning us about. Celaena hunts down Grave, walks into the King’s council carrying his head, and declares war on everyone responsible for Nehemia’s death. But the BIGGEST betrayal is still coming. Celaena eventually learns Archer ordered Nehemia’s assassination. He planted the threat, kidnapped Chaol, and manipulated Celaena into blaming him. Then he TAKES FLEETFOOT INTO A PORTAL. Obviously we lost our minds. Celaena follows and TRANSFORMS INTO FAE. She kills the creature inside the portal, saves Fleetfoot and Chaol, and then kills Archer. After everything that happened, Chaol realizes Celaena is no longer safe in Rifthold and arranges for her to be sent to Wendlyn. Before she leaves, he tells her: “I love you.” Her response? “I’m sorry.” Then Celaena whispers a date into his ear, the day her parents died. Chaol finally puts the pieces together. Celaena Sardothien isn’t just Celaena Sardothien. SHE IS AELIN ASHRYVER GALATHYNIUS. THE LOST QUEEN OF TERRASEN. Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #75

  Throne of Glass (Ch. 43–55): "Blood Ties Can't be Broken"... WHAT!?

  Aug 25, 202629 min

  #075: This week on A Novel Bunch , we’re diving into Throne of Glass chapters 43 through 55, and BUNCHIES—we’ve got Kaltain on our LAST nerve, portals opening, MORE Wyrdmarks, and Celaena officially becoming the King’s Champion. *SPOILERS AHEAD* But first—Wyrdmarks in ACOTAR?! Feyre describes the faded markings around her family’s human cottage as whorls, swirls, and runes carved around the doors and windows for protection against faeries. Now that we’ve seen Wyrdmarks used for protection, portals, and crossing between realms in Throne of Glass ... could those cottage markings actually be Wyrdmarks—or some forgotten version of the same ancient language? WE HAVE QUESTIONS. Back in Erilea, Celaena finally reveals her true identity to Nehemia, who gives her the name Elentiya, Spirit That Could Not Be Broken. Then it’s time for the final duel. Celaena takes down Grave in under two minutes, but before she faces Cain, Kaltain poisons her wine with bloodbane. As Celaena becomes weaker and more disoriented, Cain begins taunting her with horrifying details about the night her parents died. HOW DOES HE KNOW THAT?! And somehow things get even worse. Creatures begin surrounding Celaena during the fight, creatures no one else can see. Elena appears through a portal, drives them away, removes the poison from Celaena’s body, and gives her the chance to fight back. Celaena defeats Cain, a Wyrdmark glows across her forehead, and when Cain tries to attack her from behind, Chaol kills him—his first kill ever. CUZ HE’S IN LOVE. I SAID WHAT I SAID. Nehemia then reveals she knew WAY more than we realized: she drew the protective Wyrdmarks beneath Celaena’s bed, could see the creatures during the duel, and opened the portal that allowed Elena to save her. Meanwhile, the King and Duke Perrington basically confirm our worst suspicions, the King knew what Cain was doing, and Perrington is using some mysterious “power” on Kaltain. And then...DORIAN HEARTBREAK. After the books, flirting, dancing, Fleetfoot, and KISSING, Celaena tells Dorian they can’t be together, even after he says he would tell his parents about them. Finally, Celaena thanks Elena for saving her, only for Elena to respond: “Blood ties can’t be broken.” UMMMM... WHAT BLOOD TIES?! Celaena signs her contract and officially becomes the King’s Champion for four years before earning her freedom. But with portals opening, the King experimenting with mysterious powers, and Celaena’s past getting more suspicious by the chapter... Something tells us becoming Champion was only the beginning. Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #73

  Throne of Glass (Ch. 15–28): We Found the First Major Maasverse Connection!

  Aug 11, 202635 min

  #073: This week on A Novel Bunch , we’re covering chapters 15 through 28 of Throne of Glass , and BUNCHIES… the competition is officially underway, the Champions are being hunted, and the clues are starting to point toward something much bigger beneath the glass castle. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Before we dive into the chapters, we found an old video of Sarah J. Maas sorting her characters into Hogwarts houses, and obviously, we need to discuss. From Ravenclaw Dorian and Hufflepuff Chaol to Celaena’s Slytherin-Gryffindor mix, we’re breaking down whether we agree or not! Then it’s back to the competition as Celaena deliberately hides the full extent of her abilities, survives increasingly brutal trials, and risks everything to save Nox after Grave pushes him from the castle wall. Meanwhile, Dorian and Celaena continue growing closer through books, music, and one very flirtatious game of billiards, while Chaol sends Dorian away from her rooms, only to give Celaena his amethyst ring moments later. The love-triangle energy is officially here, Bunchies. But romance may be the least of Celaena’s problems. Nehemia reveals that the mysterious symbols around the clock tower are ancient Wyrdmarks, and Celaena discovers they can be used to open Wyrdgates into other realms. After finding secret passages behind the tapestry in her room, she is led beneath the castle to the tomb of King Gavin and Queen Elena. There, Elena warns her that the eight gargoyles guard a portal between worlds, and that something evil is already inside the castle. We’re connecting the Wyrdmarks, Elena’s protective amulet, and The Walking Dead to major Crescent City moments, questioning whether “Ah! Time’s Rift!” could connect to the Northern Rift, and asking just how early Sarah J. Maas began planting the seeds for a much larger crossover. And just when the mystery could not get any bigger… Cain reveals that he knows Celaena’s true identity. Let’s get into it, Bunchies!

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on A Novel Bunch. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.