The Hot Nuance Book Club

Ali, Aradia, and Bree•www.hotnuancebookclub.com

A podcast in which a novelist, a screenwriter, and a podcaster walk into a book, diving into its craft and impact in their mission to bring nuance back.

Join your hosts Ali (@92aliboo), Aradia (@BestFirstChair), and Bree (@mostlybree) as they take you back to the 1990s to read one of Bree's childhood favorite fantasy novels: Exiles: The Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn. Grab your own copy and read along with them each week as they ask important questions like: what was going on with the wind in the 90s? and can you boyboss too close to the sun?

Join us for our book club discussions on our discord, or let us know the answer to each Monday's most pressing questions by tweeting at us.

Last refreshed: July 12th, 2025 at 2:07 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Ruins of Ambrai (Betrayal sections 1-5): Medieval Banksy - S01 E07

Welcome to episode 7 of the Hot Nuance Book Club, where it's time for Betrayals (parts 1-5) in The Ruins of Ambrai. We learn more about Glenin's great ambitions and tackle that light topic with absolutely no current real world urgency: reproductive rights. == Buy the Ebook == Amazon: https://amzn.to/3p0jU3k Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/exiles-58 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ruins-of-ambrai-melanie-rawn/1101213569?ean=9781101666319 Once you’re caught up, come han...

Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Ruins of Ambrai (Ladders, part 2): Gender-Flipped Locker Room Talk - S01 E06

Welcome to episode 6 of the Hot Nuance Book Club, where we are swimming through Ladders (parts 7-15) in The Ruins of Ambrai (pages 246-285). We go on side-quests, dig deeper into the Ladder Song, and dissect sexism reversals that don’t quite land right. == Buy the Ebook == Amazon: https://amzn.to/3p0jU3k Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/exiles-58 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ruins-of-ambrai-melanie-rawn/1101213569?ean=9781101666319 Once you’re caught up, come hang w...

Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Ruins of Ambrai (Ladders, part 1): If It’s In Italics I’m Not Reading It - S01 Ep05

Welcome to episode 5 of the Hot Nuance Book Club, where we are climbing the first half of Ladders in The Ruins of Ambrai (pages 209-245). We start with a digression into the blurb on the back of the book, then turn our attention to all the discomfort that is a “marriage market.” We discuss paternity rights there and here, and experience Aradia having their first real cliff-hanger moment as a first time reader! == Buy the Ebook == Amazon: https://amzn.to/3p0jU3k Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/e...

Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Ruins of Ambrai (Cailet): Maypole of Death - S01 Ep04

Welcome to episode 4 of the Hot Nuance Book Club, where we are tackling the Cailet section of the intro of The Ruins of Ambrai (pages 154-208).Here is where we open up the worldbuilding firehose! Aradia and Ali continue to send Gorynel Dessee to jail over his manipulation of children’s memories, much to teenage-Bree’s chagrin. The bad guys clearly took notes in Evil 101 because they built a secret base in a volcano. Caitlet loses her book money, and gains insights that are confusing. == Buy the ...

Jul 10, 2023•2 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Ruins of Ambrai (Sarra): I’m Going to do the Home Install - S01 Ep03

Welcome to episode 3 of the Hot Nuance Book Club, where we are tackling the Sarra section of the intro of The Ruins of Ambrai (pages 95-153). Sarra fails all facial recognition tests but still gains a profound insight into her purpose in life. Ali gives us marathon advice, Aradia reminds us that we’re all time travelers, and Bree helps us unpack some contradictory attitudes towards sex and marriage in the worldbuilding. == Buy the Ebook == Amazon: https://amzn.to/3p0jU3k Kobo: https://www.kobo.c...

Jul 03, 2023•2 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Ruins of Ambrai (Glenin): You want to have Murder Punch-Card Lady in your corner - S01 Ep02

Welcome to episode 2 of the Hot Nuance Book Club, where we are tackling the Glenin section of the intro of The Ruins of Ambrai (pages 49-94). The genealogy is hitting hard and fast in this week’s episode, as are issues of biology and control. We spend some time on publishing in the 1990s and get tangled in the philosophical differences between the Weavers of the Loom and the Wheel of Time. == Buy the Ebook == Amazon: https://amzn.to/3p0jU3k Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/exiles-58 Barnes...

Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Ruins of Ambrai (Collan): Fine, we'll allow the boy - S01 Ep01

Welcome to episode 1 of the Hot Nuance Book Club, where we are tackling the Collan section of the intro of The Ruins of Ambrai (pages 3-48). The use of self-contained POVs to start the story is something Bree knows can turn new readers away from the book, but Ali and Aradia are already deeply invested in the boy saved by the wind. We agree with his dislike of hats, identify his Main Character Hair, and come up with our first character nicknames. == Buy the Ebook == Amazon: https://amzn.to/3p0jU3...

Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Hot Nuance Book Club: Season 1 Trailer

Welcome to episode zero of the Hot Nuance Book Club! Today we’re just letting you know that we’re here. (We’re also queer! Happy pride month!) And we’re inviting you to join our book club! Each week, we’ll be reading ~50-100 pages of Exiles: The Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn, and breaking down what we read and what we think about it. Bree read the book in her teens in the 1990s when it released, but Ali and Aradia are reading it for the very first time. How does it hold up? How does it compare...

Jun 08, 2023•3 min

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