#I like the first acotar book but acomaf can die in a whole

[arson-09]

I think about sjm trying to say this was about rhysand in acomaf. like did she read her own writing?? god it pisses me off so much😭 Feyre hadnt even met rhysand at this point im pretty sure plus the suriel directly implicates that it means tamlin “high lords manor” like goddamn feysanders rlly hunting for scraps to justify their shitty little retcon ship.

[littlemisssatanist]

my acotar unpopular opinions

taking this time to come out as an acotar reader. yes i've read all the books and i've spent way too much time thinking about it. i enjoy the books in the sense that i enjoy hating on many of the characters and loving a few of the others.

be forewarned inner circle fans. you will not like this.

rhysand is not a 'morally grey' character. he's a rapist and a groomer. he sexually assaulted feyre utm, he groomed her (reminder that she was 19 in acotar), and he withheld important medical information from her. 'you'll always have a choice' my ass.

nesta telling feyre about her pregnancy was not a bad thing. why do people act like it is? 'oh she did it to hurt feyre' hurt her by doing what? revealing the lies that her beloved husband had woven? revealing the fact that she'd die giving birth? the fact that rhysand told literally everybody but feyre?

mor is not the champion for women everyone thinks she is. this i will give to sjm it is truly impressive to make a character like women and still be a pick me. i'm not even going to go into her whole weird ass relationship with her dad (i still don't understand why she wouldn't just kill him. 'oh rhys needed the army' rhys is supposed to be the most powerful high lord ever. either admit he's a fucking loser or give me an actual good reason for this) or the fact she's seemingly incapable of doing anything to help the women in the court of nightmares, but everytime she was mentioned, i had to let out a heavy sigh and rub my temples.

on a similar topic. i liked eris. like a lot. out of all the acotar characters sjm has written, eris is by far my favorite.

the inner circle needs to sit the fuck down. they are the most hypocritical bitches i've ever met. they like to think themselves high and mighty. reading them make fun of lucien's band of exiles while their name is literally 'court of dreamers' was the most infuriating thing ever. and then they have the gall to be insulted when called out. don't dish what you can't take.

out of all the inner circle, the only one i don't hate is azriel. this is simply because he is the only one who hasn't opened his big fat mouth and done something bad (except if you maybe count his whole thing with elain). cassian is on my hit list. it's on sight with cassian.

nessian is sjm's worst ship and i will stand by that. lucien/nesta could have been so much. 'nesta would have ripped lucien apart' and cassian was your first choice? not even azriel was considered? like be so for real right now. sjm didn't see the potential of lucien/nesta and i will forever mourn that.

sjm is a terrible writer. i'm not saying this to be mean but she seriously just sucks at it. that being said i admire her ability to still make millions of dollars off her shitty writing. as a woman, i am rooting for her. as a reader, every day i wake up a shoot a prayer to the heavens begging the gods to not let sjm write any more books from the inner circle's pov.

lucien/elain is better than azriel/elain. argue with the wall.

eris/azriel is better than azriel/elain. you can kiss my ass.

NESTA/ERIS IS BETTER THAN RHYSAND/FEYRE. i know this because i have been enlightened.

feyre is a victim to rhysand. that being said, she is also a major bitch. both can be true because these things are not mutually exclusive. i wish she could make friends outside of the ic like nesta did, but i know that's unlikely.

feyre's pregnancy storyline was completely useless and went against her whole character.

acomaf retconned everything about tamlin and feyre's relationship in order to make more money. idc.

tamlin gets a ridiculous amount of hate. rhysand is hypocritical. so tamlin locking feyre in a house because she wants to ride out with him into potential danger is terrible and abusive, but rhysand locking nesta in the house of wind for... *checks notes*... having sex and spending money on alcohol is helping her? what?

[rizzoreads88]

How do you feel about all this anti Cassian stuff coming out? And people saying Rhys wasn't SA UTM! I need SJM to give us the next book stat

Hey anon,

Anyone who’s followed me for any amount of time knows I am not Rhysands biggest fan, do I hate him? No but never have I ever considered myself a Rhysand Stan at any point . But let me be clear when I say what’s coming next…

Rhysand was absolutely SA’d UTM. He is Amaranthas victim.

It is mentioned how Amarantha used SA to punish Rhysand at times.. One example that he explains in Acomaf….

“Amarantha saw that jealousy. She saw me kissing you to hide the evidence, but she saw why. For the first time, she saw why. So that night, after I left you, I had to … service her.”

Even if you hate Rhysands character this doesn’t take away that this alone is absolutely SA. Not to mention all the other things Amarantha has done to him.

Now on to Cassian…

Everyone likes/dislikes different characters but I truly don’t understand this new wave of ultra extreme hatred for Cassian. This man loved Nesta completely and as she was when everyone else stopped reaching out. He kept reaching out his hand. He helped her, was her first true friend, trained her and loved her completely.

Was he always perfect? No (even thought he’s perfect to me🤣) but neither was Nesta. That is the beauty of Nessian. They are flawed but they love each other completely. They have that gut wrenching passionate healing love. Cassian has such a good heart and genuinely tries to help the ones he loves.

Some people try to say Cassian never defended her against Rhysand but there were times he did. Cassian didn’t defend Nesta when he though she was wrong. What people choose to forget is Nesta does not want someone fighting her battles for her. She doesn’t want Cassian speaking for her or defending her if he feels she is wrong. BUT anytime she is in actual danger Cassian absolutely defends and protects her….

*Acomaf- he literally was crawling to her with broken wings while he was bleeding out before she got thrown in the cauldron

*Acowar- He tries to get her train but she doesn’t want to

When he hears her scream during the battle of Hybern he leaves his legion to get to her

He physically fights the king of Hybern to try to protect her and then is willing to die with her

*Acosf- when she has her nightmare he sits by her bed all night to make sure she’s ok

When she’s kidnapped to the blood rite he is willing to break all the laws to go to her

When he is under mind control by braillyn he turns the knife on himself bc he would rather kill himself then hurt nesta…

*Hofas- When Bryce shows up to return the mask cassian is on the defense.. Bryce sees this and thinks to herself he’s a good mate

(These are all just things I can think off the top of my head I’m sure there is more)

I just think there is this new wave of ultra extreme Nesta Stan’s who pick him apart for everything but then act like Nesta never did anything wrong. Nesta is my favorite acotar character but when people act like she’s perfect and never did anything wrong you take away from the beauty of her journey and growth in Acosf.Cassian was in no way abusive to Nesta. Cassian is our consent King. I love him, Nesta and them together whole heartedly. They are one of my fav bookish couples of all time.

I think some people just need to accept that they are endgame. They had their mating ceremony, Nesta calls him her mate in Hofas, they are still together and happy in Hofas. Bryce even notices Cassian is a good mate.

[riorsonxaden]

I'm almost done with my acotar reread. I'm on acofas and I have thoughts. Yes, these are most likely unpopular and, most importantly, my opinions.

1. I don't like Rhys or Feyre. I know I've been back and forth on Rhys on liking him and not. I understand why now. I appreciate him from a morally grey standpoint and the healing journey Feyre goes through. Their love story is good not great just good. Beyond on that I couldn't careless.

2. Acotar is her weakest series. I know it's romance based. far more than tog or cc. Perhaps that's the issue. I'm not sure. But her writing, in general, is stronger in tog and cc

3. I've been rereading all sjm books in anticipation of hofas with my friend Rachel(@nighteyed) Throughout our long discussions, I'm taking Azriel out of the doghouse I put him in. No, that doesn't mean I agree with his bonus scene it still rubs me the wrong way and will call out his faults like I do every character. But he's alright.

4. Tamlin is 100% a red flag. But the male is depressed af and the ic should just leave him alone. What happened UTM broke him too. And changed him. Locking up Feyre, going to Hybern, and acting like a dickhead at the highlords meeting were fucked up. Him reacting over Feyre's letter in acomaf was not. When she left she couldn't read or write.

5. Eris made mistakes in the past but deep down I think he's a better male than alot of the fae. And also. Make Azris canon Sarah. Do that and I'll forgive so lorcan did.

6. I haven't liked Mor since I first met her and I still don't

7. Cassian is the superior bat boy. I said what I said.

8. It's so sad seeing how Nesta was improving in acowar. How she began changing, helping. That bite and coldness she started off with was going away and then she watched her father die. Her mate almost die, and killed Hybern. It broke her and you can see the shift in her immediately after the battle.

9. What did Elain and Lucien talk about before he left Velaris?? Speaking of them. What happened between acowar and acofas. I need answers Sarah.

10. Because I feel like I need to round this out lmao. I think the whole line Elain says to Cassian about it wouldn't take much to kill him isn't foreshadowing. He almost died three times in the series. Once in acomaf, twice in acowar. She was merely stating that he throws himself into battles to protect others without a thought to himself, and if he's not careful, it could end him. It's also possible she just saw a vision at the battle of hybern.

[xadenviolct]

personally i think an elucien book would really hit yk? like with lucien being diplomat for the night court and also the unresolved issues with helion being his father, his relationship with eris (where we hopefully find out more about what happened with mor and eris) also tamlin and lucien like tamlin was just left to die what else happens with that. all of elains powers and how she uses them, not to mention the mating bond between them. no hate to ur opinion ofc! xx

First, I'll say that chances are, no matter who ends up with whom, I will probably enjoy it. SJM is just that kinda author for me, ever since I first read ACOTAR, so yeah.

Second, if I felt like the book was going to center around Lucien as the MC, then I'd be more likely to go with this, because yes, there are several aspects of his character than can be explored and whatnot.

The problem is, I do not (personally) believe that any other character will get a "Main Character" story before Elain does. From a purely writing perspective, SJM has told Feyre's story (acotar, acomaf, acowar), she's told Nesta's story (acofas to acosf)-- why would she just jump into another character when the third sister's story remains untold?

That being said, let's (for argument's sake) say that Elain is the MC of the next story. What are the obstacles or hurdles or plot points or drama or conflict or whatever else between Elain ending up with Lucien?

Really-- nothing. Yes, there are aspects of each of their pasts that can be told, there are aspects of what their futures might bring, but at the end of the day, there's absolutely nothing keeping them apart, because "they are mates" -- according to the Cauldron*

*NOTE: And if we go by the "new information" that CC3 revealed, since we known the universes are all connected(ish?), and we find out the Daglan/Asteri "corrupted" the Cauldron in that book... What does that mean as far as mates and bonds are concerned?

We know from the earlier books of the series that ones can be considered "mates" and still not be "right" for each other. CC3 gave us the information that the bonds (corrupted by the Daglan/Asteri) chose those who would make the strongest bloodlines/powerful offspring/etc.

How will that play into the future ACOTAR books? We don't know yet, but I'd be surprised (from, again, a writing perspective) if such information had no bearing on anything whatsoever.

Also, at the very end of it all, it's a romance. Fantasy romance, romantic fantasy, etc. Therefore by definition, the characters and the romance between them is a fairly large point of the story. It's not just the background subplot like in some other types of genres.

So while you do have potential story in other characters, the romantic story has nothing to prevent Elain & Lucien. But when it comes to the romantic side of Elain & Azriel, there are hurdles. There are conflicts.

There is also a story that hasn't yet been told in the sense that what does it mean to reject a mating bond? how does it work? is there a love greater than a mating bond? how does choice play into partnerships?

Etc. Etc.

As I have stated on other posts, we know how mating bonds are accepted. So the (romantic part) of the STORY for Elain & Lucien is nothing. Accept the bond and the end.

But we would get a hell of a lot more lore, world-building, conflict (political fallout? problems b/w the courts? etc.) if Elain rejects the bond with Lucien and chooses Azriel.

An Elriel story can still give insight into the past of characters (say, for instance, in Elain's rejection of the bond and what comes of that, we find out more of Lucien's past in terms of allies in a potential political minefield, etc.), so yes, I am firmly in the belief that Elain and Azriel will end up together, and while I do like that as a fan, I'm basing it more on the simple writing process, as I've outlined.

The whole three sisters/three brothers holds appeal to me, too, but it really, ultimately, boils down to this:

Who will be the MAIN CHARACTER of the next story?

I'd find it very hard to believe it will be anyone other Elain.

(Will SJM tell more for other characters? Maybe a Lucien story or a Rhys story or one for Mor or who knows what else? Quite possibly; I'm not discounting the idea that one of the other characters will get a central focus at some point. But it wouldn't make sense to tell THAT story before you tell Elain's.)

And this got so much longer than I initially intended.

[myclematis7]

*cutely asks you about all the books you’ve read*

The Kingdom of Fantasy. I was OBSESSED with the twin fairies, Blossom and Wither. and their brother, Prince Lucky. basically, all the attractive characters. when I read book 13 (pretty sure that's it), I started off by shipping Flamelet and Winglet, but then of course, Winglet x Lorian grew on me, though I still half-shipped Flamelet and Winglet. and also Flamelet was revealed to be Winglet's sympathetic villain cousin (!) so of course Winglorian became endgame. My favorite book in the series was The Phoenix of Destiny because I was a child and didn't know of the twin thing. Long story short, my mind was blown.

The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. My grade 3 teacher read this book to us and BAM! Loved it since the first chapter. Everyone in my class loved it too, so they borrowed the only copy of the second book from the library. Since I actually had money back then, I bought it. It's still there on my shelf.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The only criticism I have for these books is Finnick. WHY'D HE HAVE TO DIE, SUZANNE. WHY. WHY. WHY. Catching Fire is definitely my favorite movie and book.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by rick riordan. I am a daughter of Athena. I like the books. I am also very tired so I'll leave it like that. Also, I can't wait for the Disney+ show.

The 39 Clues. Any stans, leave. I literally co-founded the I HATE AMY CAHILL club. Dan, however, is a different story. He's cool. I don't have very much to say about it, other than that I would be a Lucian or Ekaterina. Probably Lucian though. They need more people ever since Natalie and Isabel died.

A Tale of Magic trilogy (so far) by Chris Colfer. Yes, it is separated from TLOS because there was a four-year gap between the two series. This series made me try to draw again. I might draw Xanrik fanart soon. Very soon. I will start as soon as I get home. And I may color it. Also, I need a book with Emerelda, Tangerina, and Skylene POVs.

The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare.

The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE BOOKS AND I DO NOT NEED TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE. READ THEM NOW. RIGHT NOW. (or at least try).

The Throne of Glass series (minus Tower of Dawn and Kingdom of Ash) by Sarah J. Maas. I preferred it when she was Celaena. Now she's basically a whole new person, Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius. Fire powers are cool though.

ACOTAR by Sarah J. Maas, plus a bit of ACOMAF, ACOWAR, and ACOSF. Can I just say...wow. What is this series? Why are there so many faeries? Why is Tamlin evil now?

Lockwood and Co. series by Jonathan Stroud. The skull was great, Kipps' redemption arc was great, Holly was great, and everyone was great. I also liked Annabel's locket. It inspired me to wear my own locket every day.

[notproofread]

A Court of Mist and Fury pt. 3

Or in hindsight I know that I was blinded

hi & hello fellow book-lovers and/or fans of the ACOTAR/ACOMAF-series. After a quick break I am back to shout my thoughts into the endless void of book-tumblr. As always please remember that this is just my opinion on the books/story/characters and you do not have to agree with me. Instead please feel welcomed to tell me your thoughts on the matter & read through my other ramblings as well

Now that we have discussed Feyre and Tamlin it is only natural to move on to our third Love-Triangle-Part Rhysand and his Night Court.

Rhysand is literally perfect what the fuck? I like him so much. And I think that this is what makes me so angry about Feyre and Tamlin because obviously Sarah J. Maas is capable of writing characters that make sense, that work well within the world and story. Rhys is interesting, respectful and hard-working, he cares for his friends, his court. And while he can be a bit too cocky and overconfident at times it seems as if he knows his limits, knows what he can and can't do. He has flaws, as any normal human or fae (as perfect as they may seem) has but he acknowledges this. Tamlin seemed to be all that as well in the first book but Rhys is different in the way that he acknowledges Feyre's as well as his own trauma. He is not the picture-perfect love interest, he is a bit morally grey right from the start and he admits to it (shielding his city from everyone to protect it, telling Amarantha the fake name Feyre gave him, being brutal towards the Court of Nightmares, etc.). He talks about his feelings and obviously makes everyone else around him feel like they can own up to their past as well. This dynamic is something that is nice to read through.

Cassian, Mor, Azriel and Amren work so well with him and the Night Court. Their whole group-dynamic is fun and gives off so much found family vibes, it is simply amazing. They work so closely together, each and every single one of them plays their role, in the Court of Dreams as well as in the Court of Nightmares. Feyre gets to know and work with them all individually (some more, some less), so the reader is able to figure out all the dynamics on their own. We get to experience these characters as well as their flaws, fears and to some extent their backgrounds. And what I think is most enjoyable is that there is no "mean" character that picks on the main character just because, which many young adult books like to have (typically another female character and this trope is so old any mysogynistic but that is an entirely different topic lol). Instead we get to experience Mor and Feyre instantly bonding with each other or Feyre being able to prove to Amren that she is useful and more than just a pretty High Fae from the Spring Court. There is so much more to Mor and Amren in general that I instantly fell in love with both of them.

As for Azriel and Cassian I am really excited to see what more they can do. Because they have been established as strong fighters who would die for their friends and the end of ACOMAF has only further proven this. However even though we have been told that Feyre has been training with Cassian we don't get to see the same level of interaction we do with Mor or even with Amren. Same goes for Azriel. It seems like Feyre is kind of all up in their romantic business but not really interacting with both of the men. Since Feyre is the main character and we see the story through her eyes I hope she spends more time with Cassian and Az, so that we as the readers get to see more of them.

The Characters of the Court of Dreams are my favorite so I am glad that the focus of the story was moved to them. Of course not everything about the way they and their interactions are portrayed is perfect but it is much more enjoyable than the Spring Court in the first book. The Night Court is a clear sign that SJM is able to work this out, make characters consistent, likeable even with their flaws and trauma. And that is what I hope to see from the next book(s): characters that act upon their alleged motivation. Make the bad guys act their part if they want to see their enemies destroyed, make them evil, ruthless and cunning. Let morally grey characters be grey, let them have their reasons for doing the things they are doing. Give characters chances to heal, to be better, to turn their lives around. Let there be more to all of their lifes than mates and romantic love (is that a hint for the next part...?)

[aelin-sgalathynius]

You support Tamlin?

I don't support Tamlin in all the attitudes he's had throughout the series. But I also don't think he deserves all this "hate culture" that most readers throw at him. The Tamlin we see ourselves in the events of ACOTAR is kind, caring (a little overprotective, but I believe it was because of the moment when Feyre, who is a human, was in her turf, and creatures like bogge and attor were after her). But, of course, Tamlin ends up making mistakes in the first book of the series, and ends up making big mistakes in the second book, since, in ACOMAF, we see a Tamlin that gets, in a way, aggressive and controlling, and this ended up causing me a doubt about this character that, at first, gave me such a certain and true image, but later, it seemed to show the real and sudden proposal of the author who wanted to do everything to make Feyre and Rhysand stay together, the that was his plan from the start.

I confess that the Tamlin I saw in ACOMAF took me by surprise. I would constantly talk to some people and see them using Tamlin's overprotectiveness in ACOTAR as a harbinger.  I've seen people say that his charm and affectionate manner was just a ploy to get Feyre to trust him, whether for the sole purpose of breaking the curse or with the intention of making her his, and his alone, until the end ( in a somewhat impulsive and abusive way). These points were pretty valid for considering how Tamlin "regressed" into the figure he turned out to be (this is all just my opinion, guys!), but I've also seen that Sarah J. Maas doesn't give us an insight into the months after Under The Mountain. Basically, she gives us the vision of ACOTAR's Tamlin, who loves Feyre enough to send her back home instead of facing Amarantha, and then she gives ACOMAF's Tamlin, who won't let the feyre out of the house of Spring Court.

However, I also saw that the characters that appeared in ACOMAF also failed in several ways (as did Rhysand, since his appearance in ACOTAR), and they revealed a few points that made me question whether Tamlin, in fact, deserved all the blame.

Although Tamlin made mistakes, the other characters did too, like Rhysand who goes from villain to savior with a somewhat convenient story to explain all his flaws and his behavior in ACOTAR and Under The Mountain (as if Feyre didn't even dance, while drugged, between his legs and he didn't even apologize about it afterwards).

I'm not saying I don't like feysand, on the contrary, I love seeing them as a couple. But come to think of it, as the book is from Feyre's point of view, it's easy to get carried away by her feelings about the whole situation she's been through. But, let's try to do what Feyre didn't, and let's review what Tamlin went through during the events of ACOTAR and ACOMAF. From the start, obviously, Tamlin had put up with Amarantha for fifty years, and while it wasn't as bad as Rhysand or Kallias or Tarquin, he still had to put up with her. Furthermore, he was even forced to watch Amarantha break Feyre piece by piece Under The Mountain, and cannot interfere as Rhysand repeatedly drugs her and parades her like a cheap whore. And finally, he has to see Feyre die. His getting her back after all this, while trying to deal with her own trauma, suddenly makes it seem somewhat understandable why he won't let Feyre out of the Spring Court's house, or let her fight. He's already lost her once, he's afraid of losing her again.

I don't know, it seemed to me that Sarah J. Maas decided to do a "story progress swap" somewhere in the writing process. Tamlin, Lucien, and even Ianthe - the entirety of the Spring Court, so far - are... ridiculed. The people Feyre cared for in ACOTAR, and being cared for in return, suddenly didn't want to know. They close their eyes, ignore painful truths, and why?  So Rhysand can go to Feyre and save her. To me, these facts only reinforced that Sarah J. Maas seemed to decide to send feysand out to the public as a beautiful couple (not that they aren't) more than feylin, and left Tamlin in the background for all of this to happen.

[tamlinsimp]

Feyre - The Noble Hero & Queen of Remembering Something That Never Happened

This does not sit right with me. I’ve rolled my eyes a ton of times rereading ACOMAF between Feyre being “the only victim” of UTM and/or “the only savior.”

“All I wanted was to return to--the people around me. I wanted it badly enough that I didn’t have room for fear. The worst had happened, and the darkness was calm and quite. It did not seem like a bad thing to fade into. But I wanted to go home. So I followed the bond home.” 

Well, this is confusing. What exactly does she mean she wanted to return to the people around her? She specifically went UTM to save and free Tamlin. I quote, “For him, I had done this---for him, I’d gladly wrecked myself and my immortal soul”  (ACOMAF). The blockquote above was during her conversation with the bone carver when he asked her what it was like to die. The nuance in her recollection implies that she was this noble hero who had the intention to save Prythian as a whole. Sure, she knew that the entire SC came with saving Tamlin, but her motivation was always Tamlin--just Tamlin.  Also, home? Spring Court or the human home with the family she resents? This is honestly one of the things that annoy me throughout this book. Some of Feyre’s choice of words were so vague, it is easy to change the meaning behind them depending on what’s being forced in the story. Without fully thinking about it, I can easily assume after reading the quote above that she was talking about Rhysand per “bond” (mating bond), “home” (NC/Velaris), “people” (IC) because of when and how it is contextualized. I think it’s lazy and inconsistent of SJM. Feyre’s home at the time was SC. She did not have any plans returning to her home in the human land. Feyre came for Tamlin. Feyre did not have that many people around her aside Tamlin, Lucien and Alis--if that’s the home she was even talking about. It is absolutely OKAY to not have all her actions be destined and tied to Rhysand, Sarah Janet. Geezus. 

“And once I broke their curse, once I knew I’d saved them, I just wanted enough time to turn that dagger on myself. I only decided I wanted to live when she killed me, and I knew I had not finished whatever . . .whatever it was I’d been born to do.” 

That’s not what happened at all in book 1 LMAO. Right after feyre broke the curse, died, and watched everything through Rhysand’s eyes, she said “I wanted to get to Tamlin. I wanted to touch him, to beg for his forgiveness for what I’d done, for the other bodies on the floor, but I was so far away” (ACOTAR). First, nowhere near was it stated or even implied that at that time, she thought of killing herself. At that very moment, all she wanted to do was get to Tamlin, not kill herself nor finish whatever she was born to do. Then she was immediately resurrected. Where in that instance did she think those thoughts? It’s so d/amn out of context from the actual event that happened in ACOTAR. SJM completely trashed the details of Feyre’s thoughts at that very moment for the sake of making her this hero for Prythian as a whole and once again doing Tamlin a disservice for actually killing Amarantha and freeing the rest of them. I’m not saying she didn’t save SC, she did, but that was never the main motivation. 

[arson-09]

Why AcoMaF is a subjectively BAD BOOK

Point 1: feels like a different series

Acomaf does NOT feel like a sequel to acotar. The main reason being your introduced to a whole new cast of characters without warning. Typically, in a series your introduced to your main characters in the first book and the cast that will come and go throughout the rest of the series (ex pjo, six of crows, the cruel prince) you get new characters introduced at some points but you already know all the really important people. in acomaf though we basically forego the og acotar cast (which was small) and given a HUGE cast of important characters. Along with a new, large plot that really didn't get footing in acotar. The only thing that carries over between the two books in Feyre. Tamlin and the spring court hardly count in my mind cause its so drastically different from how it was written in acotar

point 2: characters, their motivs, and their writing

I can go on for AGES about the character assassination of Tamlin. Sjm completely re-wrote his character. There was no actually foreshadowing for this behavior in acotar and i will talk on this more in a later point. But back to our main girl Feyre. Feyre wasn't horrific in this book (shockingly) however she frequently states things that aren't true. Example, she says that "He [Tamlin] hadn't tried to kill her [Amarantha], hadn't crawled for me." which is false. to quote acotar "I found Tamlins eyes- wide as he crawled towards Amarantha, watching me die, and unable to save me while his wound slowly healed, while she still gripped his power." I could also cite early passages where Tamlin is BEGGING Amarantha to stop hurting Feyre. We are told why in acotar Tamlin couldn't fix everything (giving reason to Feyre having to do the trials etc etc) however this is promptly forgotten in acomaf to villainize Tamlin and give Feyre some sort of motive. A completely unnecessary thing. SJM can't commit to what she wrote previously, having to retcon things instead of thinking up some other motivation or reasoning. Its frankly lazy and makes the story feel cheap. I made many highlights in acomaf where something is directly retconned.

point 3: SJM and writing anger issues and mentally ill characters.

This will mainly focus on Tamlin as his character and his issues are quite personal to me.

Tamlin is written to have anger issues. these are vaguely hinted at in acotar when, after Rhysand comes and threatens the shit out of everyone Tamlin orders everyone to leave the dining room and then takes his anger out on the furniture (that is what is hinted at anyway) and then in acomaf these outbursts of anger are amped up. And used to go "look! he's actually evil and a bad person!"

As someone who has anger issues, a short temper, whatever you want to call it, finds this really disheartening. It's clear to me that sjm doesn't actually put thought or care into writing characters with tempers. Its also extremely biased as Rhysand is written to have a short temper however this is never a problem, but it is with Nesta and Tamlin. Now this is not me excusing abuse, but a character having anger issues does not equal abusive and bad like the acotar fandom heavily does with Tamlin. In general Tamlin's character is so dissolved in acomaf its just sad. SJM didn't even try to write a convincing character descent. At some point in writing acotar she fell in love with Rhysand and decided she wanted to change the love interest. (she had done this before in throne of glass) and while that's fine choosing to use Tamlins anger issues and protectiveness to attempt to write an antagonist was a cheap cop out. She couldn't even commit to making him an actual villain. Shes just capitalizing off of mental issues.

[emmafreakecreations]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. When I initially read acomaf and acowar I just didn't like Freysand. Their interactions were not fun and witty to me they were childish and stupid, especially after reading the stalking jack the ripper series which has really clever and witty dialogue. (edit: the dialogue in stalking jack the ripper series is also not always sexual in nature like the banter between Feyre and Rhys) But now that it has been months since I initially read it, I have put my finger on it. This isn't going to be about the blatant abuse and manipulation that Rhy's has done, its more about dynamics (not sure if that's the right word). Although his SA of Feyre in acotar is one of the reasons I didn't like them when I initially read.

Th first is their age gap, which was very noticeable to me a person who despite it's many, many flaws enjoys The Vampire Diaries. It honestly just feels gross and creepy especially once we get into the whole soul mate thing and how Rhys could feel her presence when she was born and that they were mentally communicating WHEN SHE WAS A TEENAGER.

Now I'm not one for soulmate plots but this one really creeped me out. But I have read a book with a soul mate plot and I thought it was well written and still gave agency to the ppl involved. The book is Roseblood by A.G. Howard and is a retelling-ish of Phantom of the Opera. The MC Thorn and Rune are about the same age-Thorn might be a year older than Rune. How the soulmate thing works is that their souls are literally two halves of the same soul that was split before their birth. Sometimes souls can be born at very different times and it's not even guaranteed that in their life time ppl will meet their soulmates. And sometimes when they do meet it doesn't always go well and they don't become a couple either bc they didn't meet at the right time. There is a binding ritual (the ritual has nothing to do with s3x) that when preformed once the soulmates die their souls will come together after death. There is a mental connection between them and Thorn unknowingly uses it when they are both children to save Rune from death. They don't figure this out until later when they meet. After meeting they have dreams about the other that tells them each other's past. After only knowing each other for about 2 months they have bonding scene that leads to making out but they stop there bc they are like, we are moving too fast, we have only known each other for 2 months ect. ect. And these are teenagers who have shown way more maturity than Rhys and Feyre in this scene. Rhys and Feyre have only been hanging out for a few months and decide quickly to mate, and one of them is hundreds of years old.

Now there is plenty of books that have hundred year age gaps with teenagers but there is a series where to me it works with the couples bc EVERYONE is an adult- not barely legal- but adults. That is The Blood Wine Sequence. The MC Charlotte and Karl have a big age gap- Karl is 120 years older or so than Charlotte, but Charlotte is in her late 20s. Karl and Charlotte also have never met each other previously at ALL, they just meet for the first time in the first book.

idk Feysand has always made me uncomfortable and these are the initial reasons why I found it uncomfortable especially since I have read other books with similar dynamics but it wasn't creepy bc either they are around the same age or if they did have a big age gap they meet when the youngest person is well into adulthood. (We are ignoring The Vampire Diaries bc that's a mess in itself)

[f-cursebreaker]

my random thoughts about acotar

bc I’m bored and why not

- I don’t want Eris to have his redemption arc and turn out to be a good guy with tragic past. He doesn't need explanation or justification. Let him be a villain, we can love him as a villain too.

- Sarah should have stuck to Illyria plot for ACOSF, it's big part of Cassian's personality and had more potential (and I don’t think we’ll learn more about there in Az’s book 😒)

- There should be more new side characters, we know like 10 people in Prythian. More servants, other people in Rhys’s, Cassian’s IC’s command idk they can't be running the whole NC on their own.

- Since starting a new trilogy with ACOSF, there should be new plot. the head of the most things is based on ACOMAF. Like Briallyn and Koschei thing should have ended in ACOSF.

- I feel like there will be a major character death and I hope it's not Morrigan

- Feyre,Nesta,Mor should use their powers. It's several times mentioned in ACOSF that even IC forget Feyre has powers, Nesta yielded most of hers, we have no idea about Mor's. I really don't understand why Sarah don't make them use. Feyre,Elain and Nesta turned into fae, did hundreds of year old faes couldn't, saved their lands but if they won't use their power why did they have it in the first place, why did these three young adult girls endure hardships that hundreds of years old fairies couldn't?

- I hope Tamlin dies and magic chooses Lucien as high lord - I don't want Helion to die

- I think Mor has someone special in Winter Court ( i wishhh! i want to learn more about there)

[fktonofwhatnow]

ok hold on. acomaf is my fave book out of the whole series (it's mostly out of emotional value, i read it when i was younger and didn't have a real understanding out trauma and abuse only that i saw a character i loved getting out of a bad situation and getting happy) so obviously i didn't mind feysand being endgame and the development all of the characters had. i can accept tamlin turned out like that is realistic due to his trauma, i can accept feyre had to flee because it wasn't right for her, but the thing is after acofs i see no point to feyre leaving tamlin when rhysand ends up doing everything they told us tamlin was evil and unredeemable for. hiding the risks of her pregnancy, putting on shields on her, having feyre need to compromise over it. i honestly felt so betrayed by that. i'm not saying feyre and tamlin were good for each other, but it doesn't feel worth it to dismiss the potential they had for what we got with feysand.

also, sarah learn to treat "ugly" trauma with respect challenge. no they don't need to learn to physically fight to fight it. no they don't need a love interest to overcome it. yes the behaviors acquired from trauma and abuse aren't pretty but that doesn't mean a person is undeserving of kindness and compassion.

i think i had a point somewhere but i can't get to it. so hope you don't mind my rambling. anyway i loved your meta about tamlin i think he deserves better too

HOLY SHIT THIS ONE IS SO GOOD OK IM SO EXCITED

Bro you are so fine, I'm the one who doesn't make any sense and I totally get what you're trying to say. (Acomaf was actually my favorite book in the series too ngl)

BUT FUCK YEAH LETS TALK ABOUT RHYSAND.

I don't think it's a secret that Rhysand is one of my least favorite characters in media, probably ever? (How do I even put this into words) He is a bad character and to me, laughably so. You know how if you've ever written a character, there's that little phase that's like "what if people don't like this character' and then you're sad for a little bit? That's how Rhysand feels to me. He feels like SJM looked at this character and thought "I can't stand the thought of people not liking this character because I love him so much" and then did everything in her power to make sure we know how great he is.

Idk if this is just me screaming into the void, but I get to this place with my characters where like, especially if they are a little more morally gray or their decisions have negative impacts, I understand that I don't need the audience to like my main character. they can stand on their own, they can own up to what they do and they can grow from it. Thats what a good character does. That's how you keep your audience rooting for them. You gotta knock them over sometimes.

SJm doesn't knock Rhysand over. She doesn't push him to make mistakes, apologize, own up and move on. Rhysand has never made a decision that ended poorly for him. Everything goes the way he wants it to, because SJm wants us to know how cool and great he is. People who are cool and great don't make bad decisions! SJm doesn't let Rhysand fail, and she doesn't let him suffer his own decisions. Everyone else suffers his decisions, not him.

Rhysand's reputation as a good person hinges entirely on the audience liking him and/or thinking he's hot. And then what happens when the audience thinks neither of those things? Ya get a rly long post like this by a lil enby who is mad all the time. Rhysand loses all credibility when you look at him through a critical lens. Not a single thing the man does makes any goddamn sense. Here I thought acosf would give us a different perspective on Feysand and I was desperately hoping that Nesta would tell us what she really sees in them and how people around them really feel, I hoped that SjM would throw us for a loop and tell us that hey, she does know that Feysand are fucking toxic as hell and ruin the lives of people around them and she wants to show us that from an outside perspective but noooOoOOOoOoOOOO...

Instead we get Nesta hating herself because Rhysand told her that she shouldn't tell Feyre that Feyre could uh die in childbirth. Hey what the fuck.

Now I don't actually ship feylin, I kinda always sorta knew, even without spoilers, that it wasn't going to work out. Tamlin isn't sjm's idea of a good partner because he's not charming and witty and dark and handsome ya know? We met Rhysand and I knew that I was going to fucking hate this romance. Which sucks because I found Rhysand so intriguing in the first book. Ngl all the time spent in the spring court was kinda boring and every time Rhysand showed up to throw dead faeries at Tamlin I was like "oooooo" and I wanted to know more about why Tamlin, this awkward, blunt and kinda shy dude had beef with this super duper sly and shady man from another court.

I don't know if I've ever said this before, but SJm doesn't let her love interests grow. Rhysand doesn't change over the course of the story because he was already a good guy and his motives were for Feyre's sake I swear, the same goes for Rowan in TOG. SJm doesn't give Rhysand room to change. She needs to get to the part where they fuck make sure everyone knows that Rhysand is a good guy and actually he was good all along so that we like him more than Tamlin. It backtracks on everything bad Rhysand has ever done because you know... He had a good reason! It's fine!

I know it's probably just because SJm doesn't actually know how to write a good character growth arc but... Like can you imagine if Rhysand stayed the bad guy? Or at least remained the bad guy through acotar and acomaf? And then when Rhysand comes to take Feyre for his bargain it really was only to spite Tamlin? What about Rhysand, taking Feyre to the night court with him once a week every month for a long time, if only to see Tamlin's eyes grow darker and emptier every time he goes, and then he really starts to fall in love with Feyre. He's been a monster all this time, angry and cold and cruel and then he actually starts to fall in love. And then to get Feyre to stay he really does try to change, he stops antagonizing Feyre, he stops throwing dead faeries at Tamlin, and he stops harassing the Spring court. He starts spending genuine quality time with Feyre, he starts to learn about her and all the things she likes and he stops trying to get her to come with him just so Tamlin will be mad. He starts asking her to come with him because he wants to be around her and he prays that someday she'll want to be around him too. What if SJm let him grow.

But nahhhhhh instead we have a character who always knows the right answer to things, and he always knows how to fix every issue, and he is always so innovative and outside the box except that he isn't. We get a character who does the same shit as Tamlin but it's ok because he had a good reason not to tell Feyre that she could very well die in childbirth. Uhhhh don't know what that is but uhhh I know he has his reasons because all he has are his reasons.

It would be so easy to hold a mirror up to Rhysand and say "look at this. Look who you are. Do you not look just like Tamlin right now?"

But nooooooooOoOOOo Rhysand doesn't get to be wrong. Rhysand doesn't get to look like Tamlin because Tamlin is evil and Rhysand is definitely NOT I SWEAR.

But yeah I think the point I'm trying to make is that Sarah thinks so highly of Rhysand that he could never do wrong. He could never be like Tamlin, despite the narrative literally telling us the exact opposite.

Like you said, we lost the potential of what feylin could have been if SJm didn't suddenly decide that her audience needs to love Rhysand as much as she does. I think feylin could have been slow and sweet and a story of true healing and learning about one another. I think it would have been kind and steady and lots of "are you ok"s and "I'm sorry"s and "talk to me"s. Everything about Feysand feels rushed and hard and fast and the rest of the world doesn't have time to catch up. It's fucking exhausting to read it ya know what I'm saying.

(also can we talk about Rhysand like dying and Feyre finding the suriel and learning he's her mate and then instead of being like "k let's put a pin in that and fuckin save his life first" she like throws him around and everyone is like "wtf woman" and she's like I neeD tO Be alOnE these people have no idea how to prioritize)

Truly, I think it's innocent to a degree. There is absolutely no harm in wanting people to like your character. The harm comes when you destroy another character with no reason or explanation other than you want people to like a different character. Villain arc? Completely out of left field. You gotta build to that shit or like... Make it so that when you look back you slap your forehead and yell at a wall "OF FUCKING COURSE I SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT"

anyways, SJm treat "ugly" trauma with respect challenge SECONDED.

WELL IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME WEEKS YO WRITE IM HAVING A HARD TIME I know it probably doesn't make any sense I can't find my braincells BUT thanks for the ask @xelly

Tell me all your acotar things I love yo hear them !!

[lily-mj-fae]

Elain Archeron Appreciation Week: Day 1; Favorite Scene

So I have multiple. I will pick one from each book. Because she’s my favorite character. And I adore her.

ACOTAR

“Feyre, you should have told us!” Elain said, still gaping. “Oh, how awful—and you had to endure losing her all on your own, you poor thing. Father will be devastated that he didn’t get to pay his respects.”

...

“Feyre, you look as dumbfounded as we were,” Elain said, hooking elbows with me. “Come inside. We’ll show you the house! We don’t have a room decorated for you, because we thought you’d be with poor old Aunt Ripleigh for months yet, but we have so many bedrooms that you can sleep in a different one each night if you wish!”

...

“You should come with me,” Elain went on. “Nesta won’t go, because she says she doesn’t want to risk the sea crossing, but you and I … Oh, we’d have fun, wouldn’t we?”

Listen. Elain’s reaction to Feyre returning home...you cannot tell me she does not love her sister. Her pure radiance and joy at seeing Feyre. Not to mention, it’s now her turn to take care of Feyre and she immediately embraces it. She tells Feyre they’ll figure out her room and encourages her to find one that makes her comfortable. She makes sure their father is able to start accessing Feyre’s new money. She even arranges a ball (because that’s the kind of thing people did) just to celebrate Feyre’s return. Even under the effects of the glamour, she wants to know about Feyre’s life as it was. And she wants to do things with Feyre. I think they could have had so much fun on the continent.

ACOMAF

“Nesta,” Elain said again, twisting her hands. “If … if we do not help Feyre, there won’t be a wedding. Even Lord Nolan’s battlements and all his men, couldn’t save me from … from them.” Nesta didn’t so much as flinch. Elain pushed, “We keep it secret—we send the servants away. With the spring approaching, they’ll be glad to go home. And if Feyre needs to be in and out for meetings, she’ll send word ahead, and we’ll clear them out. Make up excuses to send them on holidays. Father won’t be back until the summer, anyway. No one will know.” She put a hand on Nesta’s knee, the purple of my sister’s gown nearly swallowing up the ivory hand. “Feyre gave and gave—for years. Let us now help her. Help … others.”

A faint smile bloomed upon Azriel’s mouth as he noticed Elain’s fingers white-knuckled on that fork, but he kept silent, focusing instead, as Cassian was subtly trying to do, on adjusting his wings around a human chair. Cauldron damn me.

Elain’s voice wobbled as she noted the same thing and quickly said to him, “It … it is very hard, you understand, to … accept it.” I realized the dark metal of her ring … it was iron. Even though I had told them about iron being useless, there it was. The gift from her Fae-hating soon-to-be-husband’s family. Elain cast pleading eyes on Rhys, then Azriel, such mortal fear coating her features, her scent. “We are raised this way. We hear stories of your kind crossing the wall to hurt us. Our own neighbor, Clare Beddor, was taken, her family murdered …”

Elain sat a little higher as she said to Cassian, “And as for Feyre’s hunting during those years, it was not Nesta’s neglect alone that is to blame. We were scared, and had received no training, and everything had been taken, and we failed her. Both of us.”

This. I will die for Elain here. Elain, who was able to recognize her mistakes and wanting to help her sister. She wants to do better. Not to mention it’s just a great moment. We see how much good is in her. She’s terrified of Cassian, Az and Rhys. But she’s still talking to them. Defends her sister in front of them. I think it shows just how strong she is, especially compared to what everyone seems to think of her.

ACOWAR

Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.”

Listen. Even in my first couple reads when I didn’t give a rat’s ass about Elain, this moment made me cheer. When my third reread happened to have Elain grabbing me by the collar and making me love her, this scene became even better. The amount of courage she’d have had to build up. The amount on energy. The amount that she would have had to push back to make herself do something like this? Impeccable. Respect. And she deserves every ounce of respect for this moment. And you will not dare tell me otherwise.

ACOFAS

Elain floated to my side. “Happy birthday, Feyre.” My friends—my family—echoed the words as Rhys set the cake on the low-lying table before the fire. I glanced toward my sister. “Did you …?” A nod from Elain. “Nuala did the decorating, though.” It was then that I realized what the three different tiers had been painted to look like. On the top: flowers. In the middle: flames. And on the bottom, widest layer … stars. The same design of the chest of drawers I’d once painted in that dilapidated cottage. One for each of us—each sister. Those stars and moons sent to me, my mind, by my mate, long before we’d ever met. “I asked Nuala to do it in that order,” Elain said as the others gathered round. “Because you’re the foundation, the one who lifts us. You always have been.”

Listen. When I tell you this part almost makes me cry, I’m not kidding. Feyre had always wondered if her sisters ever even noticed the dresser. And the way Elain chose to show she had....absolutely beautiful. GORGEOUS. And I don’t think she gets enough appreciation for this moment Either.

ACOSF (I don’t have the E-book so copying and pasting isn’t happening. And I’m too lazy to type out everything)

Elain talking about Nesta dancing. The whole time she talks about Nesta. And commenting on how happy she is that Nesta has found something that seems to make her just as happy.

For all the wrong things she said in this book (which weren’t awful, just mistakes and it’s okay), I wish Nesta could have heard Elain in that moment. I wish Nesta could have been there to hear how Elain admired that. It just...oh my heart. I felt so much for Elain in this moment. Elain who had loved Nesta and was being pushed away. Elain who loved her family so dearly and felt like she was losing Nesta. That moment. I wanted to hug her.

[nessiansimp]

Analysis of Eris’s Character

In light of the new teaser and everyone freaking out if nesta and eris are mates, let’s analyze Eris’s character. 

This is mostly just angry, aggressive ranting, most of which is probably incomprehensible. 

ACOTAR

Remember when Lucien gets whipped in ACOTAR because Amarantha wanted to guilt Feyre into giving her name? None of Lucien’s brothers, including Eris, seemed particularly upset:

“Toned and muscled, some of them looking like warriors about to set foot on a battlefield, some like pretty courtiers, they all stared at Lucien- and grinned. The four remaining sons of the High Lord of the Autumn Court.”

“Lucien’s brothers lurked on the edges of the crowd- no remorse, no fear on their handsome faces.” 

“A ripple of laughter spread across those assembled behind us, the loudest from Lucien’s brothers.”

Eris does absolutely nothing while his brother is tortured, if anything he seems delighted by it.

“Lucien sagged on the ground, trembling. His brothers frowned- the eldest going so far as to bare his teeth at me in a silent snarl.” 

ACOMAF

“And it’s another long story, but the short of it is that Eris refused to marry her. Said she’d been sullied by a bastard-born lesser faerie, and he’d now sooner fuck a sow. Her family … they …”

“When they were done, they dumped her on the Autumn Court border, with a note nailed to her body that said she was Eris’s problem.”

“Eris left her for dead in the middle of their woods. Azriel found her a day later.”

THIS is the person y’all are shipping Nesta with? The fact that you think Eris is a better match for Nesta than Cassian?? That you even COMPARE Eris to Cassian???

I’ve also heard this other theory that Eris knew that Azriel was coming and he thought Mor would be safer with him or something like that which is why he left her. But um no??? Az came a whole day later. What if Mor had died by then? I doubt Eris planned that. 

This is completely unrelated but there’s this little line that I hadn’t noticed on my initial reading of the books:

“Azriel found her a day later. It was all I could do to keep him from going to either court and slaughtering them all.” I thought of that merry face, the flippant laughter, the female that did not care who approved. Perhaps because she had seen the ugliest her kind had to offer. And had survived. And I understood—why Rhys could not endure Nesta for more than a few moments, why he could not let go of that anger where her failings were concerned, even if I had.”

WTF. YOU’RE COMPARING ERIS TO NESTA????? THEY ARE NOWHERE NEAR THE SAME LEVEL. GIRL BYE. 

ACOWAR

When Eris tries to capture Lucien and Feyre :

“Eris would bring us to Beron, and the High Lord would either kill us for sport, sell us to the highest bidder, or hold us indefinitely. And after what they had done to Lucien’s lover, what they’d done to Mor …“

And let’s not forget that he held Feyre at knife point 🥰

“Eris lifted a hand wreathed in flame. Flame—to melt the ice on which we stood.”

Lol.... not to mention hunting his brother and Feyre down like a savage animal... 

“I’d no sooner hit the ice than Eris grabbed me by the hair, right at the roots, the grip so brutal tears stung my eyes. But he dragged me back toward that shore, back across the ice“

“I opened my mouth, but a gag of fire shoved its way between my lips. It didn’t burn, but was hot enough to tell me it would if Eris willed it. Equal bands of flame wrapped around my wrists, my ankles. My throat.”

Need I say more?

I was talking to someone today who suggested that maybe Eris puts on a “mask” the way Rhysand does, and that he’s actually a good person. I really hope that’s not true, I don’t think either of those men should have their actions justified because they pretend to be cruel, when they are, in fact, ruthless tyrants.

Also, can we talk about how similar Eris and Rhys are? Their mannerisms, their snarky attitude, even the way they walk is described similarly. And, obviously, they’re both abusers. How about let’s not let Eris become the next Rhysand everyone’s going to fangirl over? We can’t forgive them just for being attractive. 

“Something flickered in Eris’s eyes. “I don’t know who fed you those lies to begin with, Morrigan,” he said with vicious calm. “Likely the bastards you surround yourself with.” A sneer at Azriel. Mor snarled, rattling the glasses. “You never gave any evidence to the contrary. Certainly not when you left me in those woods.” “There were forces at work that you have never considered,” Eris said coldly. “And I am not going to waste my breath explaining them to you. Believe what you want about me.”

Again, isn’t this so strikingly familiar? Rhys s*xually assaulting Feyre to protect her. Eris leaving Mor to die because there are “other forces at work”. Not bothering to explain to either woman why they’re doing it and justifying it instead???

“You hunted me down like an animal,” I cut in. “I think we’ll choose to believe the worst.” Eris’s pale face flushed. “I was given an order. And sent to do it with two of my … brothers.” 

“And what of the brother you hunted down alongside me? The one whose lover you helped to execute before his eyes?” 

Eris laid a hand flat on the table. “You know nothing about what happened that day. Nothing.” 

Silence. 

“Indulge me,” was all I said. Eris stared me down. I stared right back. “How do you think he made it to the Spring border,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t there— when they did it. Ask him. I refused. It was the first and only time I have denied my father anything. He punished me. And by the time I got free … They were going to kill him, too. I made sure they didn’t. Made sure Tamlin got word—anonymously—to get the hell over to his own border.”

What do you want, Eris, a medal? Doesn’t change the fact you left Mor to bleed to death. But good on you for.... not letting your brother die, I guess. 

Eris is shown to be a cruel, hateful person, but above all I think he’s a coward. He does what he’s told without any question, and he’s too afraid to stand up to his own father. He resorts to plotting behind his back and (eventually, I assume) killing him instead. 

I certainly think there’s more to Eris’s story, and I’m excited to read about it. He’s a very complex, multi faceted character that is clearly more than he lets on, but I’m not sure what there is that could possibly make him redeemable. 

And I’m still gonna read the book... but Miss Maas u got some explaining to do. 

[roguestarsailor]

You know what since we’re still in quarantine and i have nothing else better to do, i need to obsess over ACOTAR. I don't like a court of frost and starlight. For the longest time I couldn't figure out why I didn't like it. I aggressively read the book in maybe a day and I closed it feeling frustrated and annoyed. My version had A Court of Silver Flames preview so that definitely contributed to my annoyance greatly.

It's because it felt too perfect. Everything that had happened -- after the entire war was fought and won, they just go back to their normal lives? Yes there were hiccups and yes there were still aspects that made every IC character feel like their problems aren’t solved yet...but it didnt feel right. yes i enjoyed the snowball fight between the bat boys, feyre + rhys sexy time, and those little comfort moments too, the slice of life type things and seeing feyre accomplishing her goals and how hopeful the future seems BUT its too fast. the good parts of the book did not offset the bad parts of it.

Feyre literally accomplished pretty much every single goal she made back in ACOMAF just like that?? within a span of what a few months? a year?? She really came back from an entire war -- probably the first war of many since she's immortal and just like that, after her 21st birthday: she gets a whole entire estate, wants to start poppin babies, opens her art studio and starts teaching kids and then acting like she can rule an entire court?? the timeline is sooo short esp since its been brought up over and over again how everyone is literally 500 years old and have a super “messy” history and their changes seems to come super dupe slowly. but feyre, who has only lived 0.000000002% of her fae life, is out here thriving just fine???

the war devastated thousands of illyrian soldiers where its changing the politics of the illyrains and the faes, all of whom feyre has responsibilities over too as high lady. the mortal queens are still at large who left the humans on prythian to die which is why feyre was willing to go to war in the first place! what about the rest of hybern and their land and residents?? they wanted to enslave humans for social and economical reasons! then what about integrating humans w deep hatred and fear with deeply prejudice fae??? there’s also spring and summer court who are literally in ruins. thats literally so much. so idk how feyre is just chillin???? she gonna let rhys do all the hard work???

like feyre sit down. u should not be having a baby. esp since it took u literally a 700 pages to heal from those 3 months UTM. ur telling me shes gonna whole heartedly bring in a newborn in a war devastated world, with civil unrest (illyrains, other courts), with the messiness of human and fae integration, with trauma u and rhys will have to continue to overcome esp after THIS war??? even helping ur sisters w their traumas??

this is a personal opinion on this subject (and maybe my thoughts will change on this later on; opened to other thoughts) but when i read the part about how that weaver/seamstress artist who made that dark quilt that feyre loved talked about how her mate of 300 years didn’t come back from the war and her biggest regret was that she didnt have a kid to remember him by i just thought ur kid isn’t some sort of memorabilia. don’t have a kid to keep the memory of ur mate alive; have a kid cuz u want a kid purely for the sake of having a kid. ur memories and photos and shit will keep their memory alive but its not having a kid. some primitive need to keep the genes alive maybe?? but the way it was phrased and then in turn how feyre was like oh i need  a baby pronto cuz rhys might die in the next war and regret not having a kid with him didn’t sit right with me. also the other couple were together for +300 years and have a rich life together, while shes been with rhys for literally two years THATS NOTHING IN FAE YEARS. thats still the honeymoon phase and also ur problems arent even close to being over!!!

everyone was shitty to nesta. in ACOMAF, we saw how much the IC went through and still did all they could to help feyre. what made them not think nesta deserve the same welcome? nesta is mean as a defense but did no one try to figure out what would help (amren got close but shes so under developed)??? feyre knows nesta feels too much and yet she continued to be shitty. continued to flaunt her wealth, her status, her familiarity/borderline know-it-all attitude about fae/night court, her ~estate~. forcing nest to the solstice party when nesta was literally like i dont belong, im looking at everyone through a window type of thing; the fire cracking triggering her, etc. what kind of power play was that when she made nesta come to her estate, where nesta could SEE how ~homey~ and how suscessful feyre is and fully see all the lovely paintings of everyone feyre loves that explicitly exclude her to tell her to fuck off to a war camp?? bro???? cas was a dick too and elaine was rude. i think a lot of his actions were meant to make her angry since anger keeps u fighting (as was the method of rhys for feyre in ACOMAF) but what he said was stupidly shitty and i demand that he apologize properly. elaine could have done more to help her sister but whatever. mor was definitely an ass too (and im upset for how little her character growth is). 

Lucein. that man can’t catch a break tbh. im happy that hes w the band of exiles cuz he is whole heartedly accepted there. feyre was definitely an asshole to him even tho he helped as much as he could throughout the books. he tries so hard w elaine as well and it did hit my heart a bit when she was like gloves to work in my garden?? no ?? i use my bare hands see oNly aZiReL sEeS mE fOr WhO i Am. and at the same feyre is like flaunting her mate status to lucein which is mean as shit. its like this man can’t find love in prythain. then tamlin sending him his box of his things??? thats for sure brutral. tam was literally his partner through it all; savior of sorts even. no love from IC, no love from elaine, no love from feyre, no love from tamlin, no love from autumn court rejected everywhere! also HIS TRUE FATHER?? HEllo??? 

then on tamlin. i pity the guy! was i suppose to feel that way??? it felt like he is allowed to get a redemption arc and maybe i’ll even root for a redemption arc??? i was absolutely excited for freysand in ACOMAF but after ACOFAS, im like tamlin is....not completely bad??? his relationship w feyre was bad and the controlling parts were very much a no-no. i dont truly understand the dynamics of an abusive relationship but i can understand that it can be insidious and its the little things that hurt the victim. and i felt  feyre through ACOMAF and rooted for her to escape her abuser! but then it felt like i dont think he was doing any of those things out of malice. ill say tamlin is a bad leader and doesn’t know how to run a court outside of what he sees his father do. his understanding on everything is based on the traditions of the past which i think fueled most of the things he did i.e. not telling feyre she was in danger since maybe his mom didn’t do those war planning things. ACOTAR showed how he truly cared/loved and took good care of feyre and her family. he even talked about how he didn’t believe in the enslavement of humans! i think that tam wanted to preserve what he thought was the good (aka feyre + her love of painting) and get back a sense of control that he and his entire court lost while chained to amarantha. but at the same time, i think he truly thought feyre wasn’t safe. he knows rhys can crush minds and knows feyre can’t read/write so when he got that letter telling him shes safe of course hes gonna flip shit and made a deal w the devil (although those temper outbursts were DEFINITIVELY not ok!!!). he also didn’t listen and has sense of he knows best when feyre was not the type of person. but feyre destroyed his entire court. he lost all his sentries who literally went out to die for him during amarantha’s reign. he lost lucien too; his trusted right hand man. his people were cursed for 50 years and then continued to suffer UTM and was in the process of rebuilding too!  but just seeing spring court, WHO BORDERS THE HUMANS, be in ruins where his subjects left him, his people left him and hes all alone in the manson?? that was sooo sad. so im like why does what feyre did not feel satisfactory????? im mad that it didn’t feel right??? maybe there wasn’t a point where feyre talked to tamlin -- like really talked to him esp w her new found voice and power, etc. anyways, i dont hate tamlin and was like oh shit i think feyre fucked up a bit there.

rhys is a dick to nesta. which made me think, if feyre wasn’t his mate would he extend the same love and care to her???  i loved how he tried so hard to make sure feyre was ok. made sure she wasn’t breaking! all of it! but for nesta, he had the audacity to use his high lord voice and be an ass overall. even tho he can see how cas is fucken in love??? even just how he talks to cass feels off too. 

i’ll even go as far as to say because of how terrible ACOFAS was, it created this intense divide within the fandom. i remember reading the first three books and was absolutely 1) rooting for freysand  2) curious about the sister relationship and how it will be mended 3) i definitely didn’t hate nesta nor did i hate elaine either -- but i was adament about them talking it out with feyre for those tough times 4) saw a more realistic and charming healing arc 5) was rooting for feyre to be a stronger voice and grow into herself 6) love the dynamic of the inner circle + feyre

but after ACOFAS, I have this intense need to defend nesta and was super mad at how she was treated after the war and in turn a deep dislike for elaine for both her lack of agency, lack of grit that made all the other characters interesting, and lack of care for her sisters (who showed how much they would risk for her). i dont hate rhys but i was extremely not happy with him and his attitude and behavior. feyre became more arrogant and was acting like how asshole rhysand would act. like her life is perfect now and i was not rooting for her anymore. freysand didn’t feel like they have complimenting qualities that made them interesting in the first place but rather they are merging to become the same person but in a bad way. that mind reading thing was cute in the beginning but it became insufferable since all thoughts were shared so seamlessly it made reading feel weird. 

anyways those are my thoughts on ACOFAS. it was a 1/5 stars for me and im mad those events transpired. reading the other books made me excited to know what was gonna happen and i was truly ready to accept the characters as flawed and nuanced as they are. im not mad about character not liking each other but i am mad that everything felt off. ACOFAS just felt regressive in some parts and forced in other parts. i know not everything ends in a nice tied up bow but this book single handily ruined what i thought about these characters in the worse way possible. this book wasn’t suppose to wrap up all the problems that exists in the other books but it didn’t feel hopeful like i thought it would. it didn’t feel wrapped up and didn’t feel like i should be excited about the next books. theres so many missing pieces i feel that i think need explaining and at the same time, i think it introduced too many problems at once which made it feel like its jumping around everywhere. although im still excited for ACOSF because i love nesta, and nesta deserves so much better and i want to have hope that this bad ending will either make sense later on or it was just a blimp.