#SJM female characters deserve better

[yoddhasblog]

So it really is true. The people who hate Nesta are the oldest parentified daughters who resent her for not going through what they did willingly with a smile on her face. They're also the people who would forgive a man for anything as long as he is conventionally good-looking.

[b00kdiary]

Across the Pages: SJM MEN + PLUS SIZE OC MASTERLIST

This is a multiple part series with Sarah J. Maas male characters and a plus size female reader.

The series will take place in the ACOTAR, TOG, or CC worlds and be 18+ with sexual themes, mature language and will have a plus size fmc (Because we thick girls deserve the love too!) I am taking requests!

Crescent City

Ithan Holstrom- Euphoria

Ruhn Danaan + Tristan Flynn- Better Than Any Fantasy

Acotar

Rhysand + Cassian + Azriel- Wildest Dreams Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V

Rhysand + Cassian + Azriel - Relax

Cassian - Hurt me

Cassian- Mirror, Mirror

Rhysand- Stay With Me, Part II, Part III

Azriel- Cauldron Blessed

Cassian + Azriel- Take it Part I, Part II

Azriel- Unworthy

Rhysand- Yours

Cassian- Mine

Eris - Fire Night

Rhysand + Cassian + Azriel - Cautious, Part II

Throne of Glass [coming soon]

TAKING REQUESTS FOR ALL SJM MEN AND MORE COMING SOON!

[maybeiwasjustjade]

The High King theory truly makes me ill.

And knowing SJM and her obsession with making certain characters superior and/or have some kind of divine right to rule, I know she’ll try to make it happen at the expense of literally everyone else.

Moreover, I don’t see how it can happen without a major war. They just got out of 50 years under Amarantha, I doubt the courts are itching for another incompetent warlords’ attempt at HK/HQ.

Who exactly would bow to Feyre and Rhysand? The High Lords meeting showed that barely anyone tolerated them, nor did they have any actual allies that wasn’t Helion. And I doubt Helion would be so forgiving when he finds out about Lucien. Tamlin and Eris would never, so they’d have to die. Neither would Tarquin or Kallias agree, so that’s a given war with the Seasonal Courts. Dawn would stay neutral, or end up the rebel court. It really is the only toss up.

And even with Gwydion (which rightfully belongs to Nesta alongside the Trove) as some kind of divine symbol, feysand genuinely sucks at ruling. Conquer Prythian—yes, conquer because the other HL would never submit if they asked nicely—when they can’t even rule or play nice with their own people. Enough with the HK dreams, Amren; Rhysand would be lucky if Illyria and Hewn City don’t band together soon to stage a massive uprising.

(Y’know I’m not surprised nobody in the IC can empathize with the CoN citizens. They were all trapped in Velaris for fifty years, where they were free and the sun still rose. Imagine if they’d been UtM with everyone else; maybe then they’d get it. That life where even the sun and trees and anything worth living is out of reach at the whims of a dictator is no life at all.)

And I’ve seen theories floating around that the HK plot is set up for Nyx instead, because he’s destined to inherit all seven powers of the court. Yeah, that’s equally terrible. Divine right to rule and conquer is bullshit. Balance is something that should exist but doesn’t in Acotar. If it did, Feyre wouldn’t be as powerful as she is. 7 drops is not a lot of magic; so tiny and miniscule that each HL didn’t even really notice they lost it. It doesn’t make sense that she could go toe to toe with them with just a singular drop.

Which is baffling when the same author wrote ToG. Everything that was given was scraped together and fought for miserably, and even in all that power, they had to sacrifice so much. Aelin Settled and got her kingdom back, but at the price of losing almost all her fire and getting to keep one drop of water. Dorian still has most of his magic, but at the price of being made a demon slave, committing fratricide, and having the sole responsibility of redeeming his kingdom ala Zuko. Manon fulfilled the prophecy and united her people, allowing them the chance to return home for the first time in 500 years. All it took was losing the Thirteen, who would never see that dream come to life.

Nothing came without cost.

And while yes, Feyre deserved to be remade after her death saving Prythian, the amount of magic she wields is the issue. Nesta having so much magic made sense given she stole most of it; we have yet to really see how much is left. But where’s the balance if Feysand does end up HK/HQ, or Nyx does. What have they given up that makes them more worthy to rule the entirety of Prythian than literally any other character? Because I can argue that they’ve lost a lot lesser. Whatever rights feysand believes they have is no more than a lot of other characters.

And the bloodline of Theia? Yeah, I’m pretty sure the important ones are her female descendants, like Bryce. And Bryce gave Gwydion to Nesta for a reason. If SJM wanted me to believe Feysand was the best choice, she should’ve made Nyx be born full Illyrian. Or better yet, mostly High Fae but with no magic. That would’ve been a much more interesting story to follow, given that Nyx might not be the next inheritor of the Night Court. And what it would mean for the Hewn City. She’ll never do it of course, but it would be fun.

[dustjacketmusings]

I see your point (and agree) but tbh many people also think cassian deserved better, nesta was treated with kiddie gloves in acosf and didn’t make amends she needed to with characters bending over backwards to just accept her being an asshole and hurting people without making her actually apologize or change and so on and I never see this energy the other way around. Criticisms of nesta’s mistreatment of others being whitewashed as “people experience trauma” and ignoring the pain she caused in the narrative are dismissed all the time.

I mean this fandom is super toxic obviously but it’s a bit annoying to constantly see defense of “nesta deserved better” while people dismiss the other viewpoint as unacceptable

Yeah I think you'll remain unsatisfied there. I dont think nesta was treated with kiddie gloves, and you kind of inadvertently proved my point that we do need to keep criticizing these things and talking about it, particularly for this reason.

It's rare that I'll side with a male character over a female one, primarily because even if a female character is in the wrong, media rarely portrays them as equals. Sjm in particular shows a heavy preference for her male characters, even if she focuses on fmc's. For example:

Cassian and nesta have a fight. Cassian gets comforted by his friend. Nesta stays up all night shelving books and feels miserable.

Cassian and nesta have a fight. Nesta tells her friends that she's horrible for fighting with him and thinks that she'll do anything to make him smile again. Cassian thinks of apologizing but never does

Cassian decides he needs space, so he leaves for a week without telling her, and Nesta misses him. He doesn't explain this she just has to accept that he can leave with no notice

Nesta decides she needs space, so she invokes a powerful magical bargain to get him to leave her alone for five seconds and cassian immediately thinks of ways to circumvent it

Nesta and cassian make up, so Nesta tells him she feels horrible for ever making him feel inferior and that she regrets it. Cassian is silent. Thank God his suicidal girlfriend who thinks she's worthless is here to talk about his feelings of inferiority. This is seen as an equal give and take conversation.

Nesta may have moments where she mistreats cassian but you will literally never see me talking about it because she feels bad for it EXCESSIVELY and everything cassian does is brushed aside. He gets babied to an extreme degree

[bright-side20]

MMC not thinking of a Future with the FMC :

Zsadist from Lover Awakened, one of SJM's favorite books :

"It doesn't matter, how about that? Pretty damn soon she's going to snap out of this post-traumatic whatever she's got going on and she's going to want someone real."

Jason from Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh, SJM's idol :

It took every ounce of control he had not to accept the silent invitation at once. "You must understand," he said, and his voice was a harsh scrape, "this won't make me stay with you, won't make me commit. I don't have that ability." To bond, to open his heart, to trust that the one he gave it to wouldn't savage it.

Azriel :

Azriel said nothing. He hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to.

What do all these MMCs share?

Childhood trauma, dark past, dark job, sense of unworthiness... they're literally the same character who falls in love with the soft, kind FMC.

We've read about this in many romance books, but somehow, when it comes to Elriel, these very famous tropes become a big problem. Before what happened during the solstice, Az didn't even know if Elain would let him kiss her. How is he going to already plan a future with her, plus he's aware of the political complications that prevent him from being with her, plus his struggle with self-worth.

Which, by the way, I saw some people saying that Azriel can't be with Elain because he feels unworthy of her, and it made me question whether they are joking or have never picked up a romance book. We've read about this over and over: a dark MMC who thinks he's damaged goods and believes that the female he loves deserves better and that he can't give her the life she deserves....

Azriel thinking he's unworthy of touching Elain isn't her fault, it's related to his trauma and will be a part of his healing journey. The fact that, despite his inner conflict, he can't keep himself from touching her, taking her hand over and over, savouring the texture of her skin, already means a lot.

[zenkindoflove]

So I wrote this post about Lucien deserving Elain in a fit of anger. And now I'm back with more anger because guess what guys.

Elain ALSO deserves Lucien.

I see it all the time. "Lucien deserves someone who actually likes him." Followed by bashing Elain as if she is the worst person ever and doesn't deserve love.

Please stop pretending like you're making this argument because you care about Lucien. Lucien deserves his soulmate. He deserves to have that HEA with the one person who he has a soul to soul connection with. Don't throw side characters and randos at him that do not make sense at all to his narrative or how SJM had canonized how mating bonds work. Do you honestly think Lucien is going to care that some other female wants him???? Do you even get that Lucien can easily get any female in Prythian and has gotten many of them but none of them really mattered to him the way Elain matters to him.

Listen to his words. He tells everyone he's a mated male now for a reason. He is loyal to Elain regardless of whether she is showing him desire.

Elain is a GOOD person. Just like Lucien. She is kind and thoughtful. Careful and empathetic. Strong and resilient. Elain loves with her whole heart. She loved her father when no one else could see as worthy. Not even her sisters. She loved Graysen faithfully even if he was a scumbag who didn't deserve her devotion. So, I think Elain knows what it means to love, and she is not ready to give away her heart so fast again. Especially not to someone who can see all of her.

Yes, it's hard that she isn't ready to love Lucien yet. But girl has been THROUGH it. She has been struggling with a loss of her autonomy, her future, and her identity. And all of that with the pressure of a soulmate who is a stranger. None of you can say you'd handle it perfectly either.

And guess what. Lucien, my brave and soulful man, understands that. He is the only one who acknowledged when Elain was severely depressed in ACOWAR that she suffered a trauma. He is the only one that gives her space rather than pushing his opinions or desires of what he wants her to be onto her. He knows she isn't ready. And he's waiting. Giving her space but also being present enough so she knows he is there when she is ready to get to know him. That is all he has wanted.

Jumping to the assumption that Elain "doesn't even like him" is bold. You don't know Elain's thoughts. You don't know how she really feels about Lucien as a person. We have some inklings about what she thought about the bond right after her terrible breakup that she was still mourning. We know that before Lucien left on a dangerous mission, she took a half step as if to stop him. We know that she has shown genuine care over whether he's hurt. And we know that she feels the connection to him (I can hear your heart beating through the stone) and that is never going away. We know that Elain is affected by Lucien and it's not a leap to think that she feels as drawn to him as he is to her, she just has to be ready. And maybe Elain can tell Lucien is a good male who she doesn't want to inflict her messiness on just yet. Maybe she knows to jump in too fast wouldn't be fair to him either.

So many denigrate Elain and say she is boring, selfish, or mean all because she is struggling through a tough time in her life. And even in that struggle, she still maintains her kindness. She still searches for hope. She still wants to better herself. Which sounds a lot like that mate of hers. And when she is ready to fall in love again, she will get exactly the man that she deserves. Lucien Vanserra. Because Elain deserves the unconditional love that he has to offer. Finally someone will return it back to her.

[nickel156]

How most of the fandom treats Gwyn is fucking disgusting. Someone who risked her life to save the children of the temple, who is one of the reasons why the Valkyries were revived, who became one of the first female Carynthians and someone who is so kind, sweet, brave and headstrong. Imagine creating that type of character only for a huge part of the fandom to only see her for her trauma. So fucking shameful and disgusting. Gwyn deserves better treatment from the fandom and all of the acts that she has done shouldn't be shunned but recognised.

I do not think it's most of the fandom.

Elriels are not the majority, they just scream the loudest.

The Elriels though, are so toxic. Anyone who says Gwyn isn't ready for a relationship or to have sex because of her SA should legit say this to my face!

She is an amazing character with so much potential. She went from being a simple priestess, never leaving the library. To a total fucking badass!

And the way they treat Gwyn simply because she's a potential love interest for Az and messes up their ship..

Getting upset with artists who draw her hair lighter. It's the most idiotic thing. Like, have they seen the many shades of the Archerons?

They'll call her ugly when she's described equally as pretty as Mor. (Who is described as being gorgeous)

Their behavior is truly disgusting!

Your ship sunk, which sucks. I get it.

But taking it out on a fictional character and the people who love her is abhorrent.

Harassing us isn't going to make your ship magically float back to the surface.

Making fun of a character who sjm has worked hard on creating and wants us to like her. Will only make yourselves look bad.

[korkiekenobiconfirmed]

acotar is a YA fantasy romance series intended for teenage girls, where ASOIAF is a 90s fantasy intended for an adult audience. i don't really think they're similar enoufh to make comparisons.

it’s not about about the specifics of the genres they belong to. it’s that sjm’s books are marketed and celebrated as #girlbossfeminism when the actual content of her series says otherwise. meanwhile grrm gets a lot of flak for how women are treated in his world (some of deserved, I’ll admit) except he actually manages to actually portray a very wide range of strong female characters without relating their entire self-worth to the men they’re in love with.

if it’d make you feel better I could always draw up a similar comparison between acotar and six of crow’s FMCs, but my point would be the same. sjm’s work is NOT feminist.

[acourtofthought]

WHY is Azriel, canonically, the most problematic out of the four people involved in the shipwar yet he gets the least hate? Everyone keeps eating his ass and asking for seconds and I can’t understand it. He doesn’t need a personality upgrade, he needs a personality, period.

I refuse to accept any criticism of Gwyn and Elain. Both of them have been recently traumatized and they’re trying to get better without bothering anyone. All the hate I see for them is from the mouths of obnoxious shippers. Sentences that start with “Azriel deserves” are not acceptable unless they end with “a punch to the throat”.

"Sentences that start with “Azriel deserves” are not acceptable unless they end with “a punch to the throat”."

😂😂😂😂

It is strange, isn't it?

E/riels hate Lucien. They claim he's aggressive and pushy and makes Elain uncomfortable (first off, he's neither aggressive nor pushy and second, while Elain is uncomfortable we don't know exactly why that is. It's likely that it's not Lucien himself that makes her uncomfortable but the thoughts Lucien's presence causes her to have that make her uncomfortable).

But somehow it gets ignored that Azriel actually makes Mor uncomfortable which is confirmed in Mor's POV as well as when she explains to Feyre why she acts the way she does. Somehow it gets ignored that every time Azriel has an opening to communicate his feelings about something important we get "Azriel said nothing" or "Azriel left the rest unsaid." He's the one who disrespects Rhys and Feyre's orders half the time while still choosing to hide Feyre's pregnancy concern and the swords Nesta made even though he felt Nesta should be told (so basically he does what he wants when it's not the right thing but won't fight for something when it is). In SF, he's the one who is in love with one female, got fixated on another only because she represents what he wants most (mating bond), all while showing admiration for a third, deciding to give Gwyn a gift he originally got for Elain while being jealous of Helion asking after Mor. 🤦

To me he's no prize. He's fine, he'll be better after his book but I'm not quite sure where the appeal lies with Az and really both Elain and Gwyn deserve a better love story.

He's sometimes funny but no funnier than any of the others. He sometimes says something insightful, but no more insightful than we've seen from any of the others. He's brave but no less brave then the others who are a combination of brave and prudent while Az leans towards reckless.

Maybe because he's the "prettiest" of the brothers and is "kinky" in bed? Maybe because he's what in real life would be the "broody bad boy" that girls hope they can tame and be the one to bring out the soft and gentle side of him? Maybe because we don't actually know Az all that much and some are filling in the blanks with what they'd like to see?

A lot were up in arms over his POV saying it was out of character but....what if that IS Az's character? What if his default mode is rage and self loathing and fixation? SJM has said on a few occasions that Az scares her so I imagine when she writes his story, she'll be writing with that in her mind.

But it is weird how E/riels will trash talk both Gwyn and Lucien, some Gwynriels and even Elucien's will tear apart Elain yet Az is the most unscathed of all even though there is nothing "better" about him.

It's fine to like Az despite his flaws but shouldn't the courtesy of looking past ones flaws also be extended to the others? Lucien, Gwyn and Elain have never purposely set out to hurt anyone. They make mistakes but they're trying to learn from them. They're no more selfish than anyone else. So what exactly makes their "crimes" so unforgiveable while Az reigns supreme despite his? It's not that anyone has to love a character but it would at least be nice if it wasn't a pot calling the kettle black scenario.

[nikethestatue]

It’s kinda crazy reading gwynriel theories because, and I’m trying to be as objective as possible here, I do think elriels try to get a good understanding of gwynriels’ arguments and try to look at the text as objectively as possible. And that’s part of why we like elriel, because we see the story is going in that direction. Whereas I find that when I’m reading a gwynriel’s analysis, they make SO many assumptions that are just WRONG and easily disproven in the text. They just make these sweeping claims like “Azriel and Elain don’t actually care about each other” ?? Usually what they are saying seems to be parroted from someone else or from fanfics and don’t use the canon text to back it up. For them it seems to come down to personal preference whereas for us it goes beyond preference and we base it on canon.

And they get mad when we say Azriel doesn’t care about Gwyn even though we have “he wouldn’t go as far as to call her a friend” and how he acted when they were in the Blood Rite. Yet they’ll turn around and say Elriel don’t actually care about each other despite all of the caring behavior they’ve shown each other.

Just a rant but I guess I’m just saying I love that Elriels have canon backing us up. In my opinion tik tok has led to a rise of readers who are not able to consume literature that doesn’t involve a man with shadows who is considered “morally gray” but actually has a heart of gold and never does anything wrong, and a feisty sword wielding female character. They need everything to be a trope and need it all spelled out for them. They cannot think critically about what they are reading. I know we all joke that SJM books are not very complicated, and that’s true, but I do think she is able to write in a way that doesn’t fall into the tik tok style…probably because she’s been in the game for a decade. Anyway. Rant over haha.

I agree that there are a lot of 'feelings'. Well, I don't feel like Elain is good for Azriel. Or Azriel/Lucien 'deserve' better. Or I feel like Azriel wants a mate and not Elain.

Lots and lots of 'feelings'. And 'interpretations'.

Well, that's not how I interpret it.

Some things don't need to be interpreted at all. They just are. Words on a page which don't need anyone agonising over them. There are facts, which don't care about feelings. And facts that don't need interpretation.

You could, for example, opine on something like 'What if the Cauldron was wrong?" You could interpret it in a variety of different ways. That's totally fine.

However, some things are just there because SJM put them there for a reason. A guy who is dreaming about giving a woman oral is not open for interpretation. It also isn't really a debate to assume that an author is not going to have this same guy just dream of how a woman is going to sound when he enters her, get mated!! to another woman in the same chapter.

This is SJM, not some twisted dark romance, though even in the very darkest and twistiest of romances, it's one chick per dude. Dude becomes obsessed with one chick. Not multiples. SJM is especially not gonna write about a dude choosing a woman from a bunch of contenders. Not how this game is played.

And I wish sometimes, this basic logic was applied to Gwynriel. Step away from fanfics and cosplays and whatever else, and think about the genre and what SJM is trying to write here. Even if you don't like Elain. Even if you hate her. SJM doesn't share your feelings.

[theboarsbride]

A Court of Mist and Fury Reading Update I

Page 133 - 21%

!!SPOILERS AHEAD PERTAINING TO EVENTS IN ACOTAR - read ahead at your own risk!!

-I'm enjoying my time with ACOMAF more than ACOTAR........though not by much. Admittedly I just feel bitter entering this book aware of the character assassination that occurs and the fact that Rhysand is the endgame love interest.

-Feyre's trauma from her time spent Under the Mountain feels genuine and adds depth to her character. She can't stand seeing certain colors (especially red), she had night terrors, she feels like she is no longer capable of being a good person because of the faeries she was forced to kill, etc. It makes her feel more fleshed out and interesting to me!

-I still hate Rhysand - bro literally mind r*pes Feyre and has the audacity to be like 'what I did UTM was for your own good' and 'I'm not a monster.' Like bro shut the fuck up I do not care. Also do not get me started on the 'it's your choice' bullshit-

-AND I GET IT. Rhys is meant to be the edgy, tortured love interest that has a redemption arc but uhhhh with what he did to Feyre UTM??? Fuck that noise. He assaulted, drugged, invaded her mind, tortured, and objectified her ALL WHILE SOBER AND WITHOUT THE INFLUENCE OF ANY MAGIC OR DRUG OR WILL THAT WAS NOT HIS OWN. I refuse to redeem a character like that. Feyre deserves someone better than him - and Tamlin. PLS I SHIP HER WITH LUCIEN UUGHHHH!!!!!!! LUCIEN x FEYRE FTW

-Boo to Tamlin's character assassination (especially for the scene with the Tithe and having Feyre on house arrest). Like I get that he is traumatized, too, (which in of itself would've been so, so interesting to explore!!! fuck you SJM for not allowing us the same opportunity to explore Tamlin's traumas like we do Feyre's and Rhys's - who is arguably a more abusive character than Tam - and instead villainizing him just to make the abuser from ACOTAR a more appealing love interest.) but like.....it is so outside of Tamlin's character as was presented in ACOTAR to become such a control freak? Sure he was always somewhat possessive, but he was always willing to allow Feyre as much freedom she desired?

-And I know. Basically locking Feyre in his manor is not a great look but think about it... Tamlin saw Feyre get tortured by Amarantha and sexually abused by Rhysand right in front of him, he witnessed her die, a war is coming, and now Rhysand is essentially kidnapping her one week a month (I am considering it kidnapping because 1. Feyre was forcuefully coerced into this deal while halfway delirious with infection and 2. she doesn't want to go with Rhysand) in a deal he was never aware of. While I feel like house arrest is overkill, I cannot wholly blame Tamlin for wanting to go through the extra lengths of keeping Feyre safe. It's not the best thing for his character, and he definitely isn't the most charming guy in this book (and I am by no means excusing his behavior), but I think it's unfair to his character, and the traumas he's faced, to instantly vilify what he's done to Feyre while, at the same time, SJM is trying to convince us that the truly heinous bullshit Rhysand did in ACOTAR was a good thing, actually, and that he's an upstanding dude.

- SJM why are you saying "males" and "females"??? :( I hate it. This gender essentialism is icky and is making me uncomfortable. (which as a worldbuilding thing this isn't a wholly bad thing..........this just makes me uncomfortable because these faeries in SJM's world are essentially just humans in shape and demeanor, and it just feels unnecessary.)

-The faeries in this world still lack feeling truly FAERIE...so this is just a really bland and boring fantasy world

-Basically this is just boring, overall, lmao - I can already tell that getting through 600 pages of this is gonna be.... a lot

Anyways!!! This is my first update for ACOMAF, and I shall see you all in the next update!! (also I am very slowly but surely putting together a more in-depth review of ACOTAR so stay tuned for that).

Happy reading!💛

[bookofmirth]

When I came to the realization that this fandom fights over characters and ships, created by an author that made one of the MCs legit come to the Image of his own baby son during sex with his mate, or wrote the same "mind blowing" sex scene over and over again (acosf), doesn't even give a flying damn about plots and logic and more bs that the author wrote and said... My first thought was to start to move on from anything sjm related.

This lady is so problematic and doesn't give a damn about what she writes since she knows her fans will eat it up regarless and no one bothers to cancel her, as if most stans didn't try cancel an author because they dared to like gwynriel over elriel. It bothers me that everyone seems to fight like it's ww2 for an author that doesn't give a damn. Whenever I read a book or watch a show, I always somehow compare it to her works and realize even more that she doesn't deserve to have this much love and attention for bs work.

Started watching a show that has amazing plots and the characters are very likeable (The legend of vox machina on amazon prime). It's clear that each character is flawed but they lern from their mistakes and actually suffer from the consequenzes of their own actions. I actually feel for these characters and would join this found family over that bs wannabe family that is the IC or Bryce's gang. Aelin's gang is better than those two but still not so good that I'd want to join them if I could. When I read one of Sjm books, the female lead always feel like self Insert characters, ESPECIALLY Feyre. Aelin, Bryce and Feyre are praised by every character and other characters that have every right to be mad and call them out on their bs are painted as the "bad guys". It's just so frustrating, lele. I hope I move on from Sjm because I did use to love her work until acosf and my acotar reread and realized how bad it actually is + the fandom toxicity.

Maybe I'm just upset over the fact that good authors with well written works get less praised compared to authors like Sjm, Cassandra clare Collen hoover etc.

Friend, although this is largely an acotar blog, I agree with you. Those of you who are friends with me on Goodreads or follow my book blog know that I read pretty widely beyond SJM or similar authors/genres, and it's so, so hard to compare her to the wider book world because there are so, so many authors who are better writers and getting zero attention.

The rest is under the cut, sorry I lost all self control in this response

Sometimes I catch myself comparing her worldbuilding to Brandon Sanderson and think wow, that's not fair. That's comparing the model of worldbuilding to someone who admittedly doesn't plan that much, so it's apples and oranges.

Then I compare her prose (holy sentence fragments, Batman!) to Elif Shafak, Marie Rutkoski, Max Porter, Maggie O'Farrell, et cetera, and I think well that's also not fair, she isn't known for her turn of phrase.

At a certain point, you just start wondering what the fuck is going on because the more widely you read, the easier it is to see how much better other authors can be lol. It annoys the shit out of me that she wins every Goodreads award for books that aren't good! Crescent City has really good climaxes in each book so far, but they are a mess! The books that she goes up against every year are so much better, but you know she'll always win. I totally understand your frustration.

I will say that, in her defense, she is very engaging. She writes characters who are very easy to root for, she's really good at writing climaxes, she does bring a certain vibe or aesthetic that people connect with. She's not popular for nothing. I do sometimes wonder if her flaws are what keep people hooked, though, even if we don't always realize it. What I mean is that a lot of her stuff in acotar is just a ~vibe~, so it's easy to insert our own interpretation, to come up with our own headcanons that fill in the blanks, and that's what we actually connect to. Meanwhile I'm constantly wondering if she put as much thought into it as the fandom has.

I think the thing that annoys me the most is when you can see the author in their work. What I mean by this is that a plot, world, or character choice that doesn't feel natural, but instead feels like the author trying to manipulate the plot/character/world in order to get to a specific spot. The pregnancy plot in acosf is a perfect example. It makes zero fucking sense, but I know exactly what Sarah was thinking when she did it, because of what it accomplished. I've just been seeing this happen a lot more in acotar - it feels like a constant since acowar. Everything is being written to set something else up, and that's also why I hate the crossover.

I have been re-watching Lost for the first time in 10+ years, and I'm actually noticing a lot of half-assed characterization and random coincidences show up that just feel... lazy. Not planned. Just there for the shock value or so that we can get from Plot Point A to Plot Point B. My point is that yeah, when you watch other shows or read other books, like you said, you start to get a much better feel for what is and isn't working in other stories. So catch me 10 years later watching Lost and wondering what the fuck, all of these characters are so damn annoying (except for Sayid) and this love triangle is stupid.

It bothers me that everyone seems to fight like it's ww2 for an author that doesn't give a damn. Whenever I read a book or watch a show, I always somehow compare it to her works and realize even more that she doesn't deserve to have this much love and attention for bs work.

Sarah J Maas is Not That Deep. I am fairly convinced that a lot of the arguments in the fandom come from people who don't have much exposure to other authors or genres, because once you start to get that comparison - once you start getting used to much better crafted stories - it's really hard to forgive the flaws. I know this makes me sound like a snob and I am okay with that haha

Don't feel bad for getting hooked in the first place. Like I said, there are definitely reasons we are here, and why her books are so massively popular. She is doing something right, for sure! I'll never be anti because I find that a waste of my time, but... sometimes I wonder what percentage of my participation in the fandom is because of genuine interest, even after all these years, and how much of it is just being used to being here and FOMO. The fandom isn't a great place to be, as you pointed out. But I've found it shockingly easy to ignore the fandom mean girls via the block button.

This is live footage of all of us stuck in this fandom against our will ^^^

PS I'm so glad you told me what show you started watching because I was curious 👀 I have heard good things!

PPS sorry this response was long, I have been thinking about these things for a long time! I like sjm's books, I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking and writing about them, but sometimes I step back and think "what the actual fuck though".

[theladyofbloodshed]

I support anyone who ships Gwynriel even though I'm neutral on the shipd. (Honestly, I just despise Elriel and prefer Elucien. Something about Elriel feels wrong to me but that's another discussion). However, I don't think Azriel deserves Gwyn and I hate how everyone has to be paired off ALL THE TIME. Ever since her traumatic experience Gwyn has been stuck in the library. She deserves time to find herself (outside of the library and with her friends) before starting a relationship. I also hate how she became another sword girl along with Nesta and Emerie (why do we need so many sword girls?? we don't!) I know that Azriel and Gwyn are the most likely to be paired up and I hate it (for Gwyn's not the ship itself). Leave Gwyn alone, let her flourish on her own or with her friends.

I agree that I don't like how everybody has to be coupled up. It happened in ToG, it is happening in ACOTAR, and will happen here. It's one of the reasons that I am very anti-Emorie because they're just not a good match but oh look they both like women, pair them together because that's the only thing they have in common.

I think Gwyn definitely needs time to recover and that should not be through a sexually-charged innuendo-laced conversation whilst training with Azriel which is SJM's go to way of starting a relationship. If Gwynriel will happen, I'd love it if Azriel actually spent time doing HER hobby, learning about her research, falling in love with her when she gets excited to tell him what ancient tome she has found that day, or being happy to make friendship bracelets with her.

I do find something very beautiful in the fact that Azriel saved Gwyn so she likely saw him covered in blood and terrifying (Keir cringes from him and I think Beron or Eris? Even Lucien says he's intimidating when he has to speak to him) but she isn't at all scared of him. In fact, she teases him. That's probably the thing that wins me around about those two.

I love the term "sword girl" bestie. I hope Gwyn stays as a pegasus girl though and is just utterly obsessed with horses/unicorns/pegasi. I agree though, although I love the Valkyries, it would be better if they just wanted to do some meditation, hang out and read books, and have cute sleepovers. No more sword girls. Society has moved past the point of the female characters giving up all of their hobbies to train with a sword to please the male character.

[pearblossommina]

ToG Read-a-Long, Queen of Shadows, day 2

Ch 8

Manon, omg she’s here omg

and so is DUKE PERRINGTON that mf. never ever thought I’d see him again.

This stuff with Kaltain really upsets me

In the first place sexual violence really upsets me - even if it’s just implied and not directly on screen - I am soft, and I am EASILY DISTRESSED - and I don’t like to read novels where stuff like this happens. It upsets me even more if this is supposed to be her comeuppance for being unlikeable in book one. Nobody deserves what this poor woman went through. (The addiction. The dungeons. And forced to marry the Duke, of all things.) (now she’s a mindless minion wearing one of those collars)

Why does Kaltain have to wear a collar, though…?

Is she a magician like Dorian? Is she secretly a princess, is she actually his sister and he didn’t know it? IS THAT WHY THE QUEEN DIDN’T LINE HER UP AS A MARRIAGE CANDIDATE FOR DORIAN IN BOOK 1

Maybe not, lol, she’s probably only wearing one so we’ll get to learn a way to free someone from a collar without beheading them… I refuse to just accept now that Kaltain is probably going to lose her head…

Anyway, I feel awful seeing her like this, it feels real icky and I hate everything about it.

ch 9

Ok

I formed some private opinions on Lysandra while I was reading The Assassin’s Blade but I wasn’t sure if she was going to be a returning character or not.

I think she’s fine????

And

I don’t

Understand

Why she and Celaena hate each other

Like - is it just because of Sam????

Sam wanted you to be friends! So! Stop hating each other it doesn’t MAKE ANY SENSE you’re both victims of the same twisted system and you could murder Arobynn together if you could get over your petty grudge.

“Not the sword-no, she wanted the intimacy of a knife, wanted to share breath with the courtesan as she ended her.”

Hot

PLEASE share breath with her

I mean

(I know - I’m sorry - but my brain is like (maybe they should kiss) end this tension the good old fashioned way)

"Unfortunately for you, I don't have any interest in women. Even when they're paid for." My ship sinks, womp womp

(Screw you SJM can’t I ever have anything I want)

(Let Aelin kiss a girl damn it)

The ending of this chapter is so fast

Um

But yeah I agree! Quit dismissing people, Aelin? You’re not better than everyone else. You could have been friends with Lysandra instead of enemies, you could have been friends with Kaltain instead of judging her instantly, you could have GOTTEN TO KNOW Sorscha instead of just letting her fade into the background like she was beneath your notice.

IS THIS CHARACTER GROWTH oh my goodness (I am rooting for you so hard honey) (MY QUEEN)

Ch 10

“The least you could do is take me to dinner before looking at me like that.” I love you Aedion lol

But AHHHHHHHH this villain! I hate him

I hate him when can he die

Ch 11

Hehe

I kinda like Nesryn too

I hope she saves Dorian, I really do like him, and I’m team save-his-neck. Would like to see Chaol and Dorian get reunited as best-bros-who-are-totally-platonic-and-not-in-love.

Ch 12

“Humans were for sport and blood and the occasional, very rare siring of witchlings.”

I still wanna know if there’s any such thing as a male witch

Ok - so there seems to be some plot happening. Duke wants to implant stones in their belly buttons to make new soldiers….

And witches are already partially valg?

I swear to god I was paying attention before but this feels like brand new information.

(I don’t care. The more SJM makes them seem like scary unredeemable villains the harder I simp)

“Witchlings were so rare, and all of them female, as a gift from the Three-Faced Goddess.” Oh so the witches ARE all female

That’s pretty nifty and I like it as worldbuilding. I don’t like Harry Potter anymore, but it reminds me of the Veela. It’s just fascinating to have a fantasy race that can only be passed through female lineage, like they can have sex with human men, and procreate, but a male child will never bear the full features of the race. For some reason this sort of thing is really engaging to me. Also I just like high fantasy lesbian allegories, fight me.

“Manon poked an iron-tipped nail beneath Elide’s chin, tilting her head up.”

I am so down bad, Manon, PLEASE

(she- SHE!!!!) (i’m so gay) (I’m gonna lose it if she keeps being so effortlessly sexy)(I’m sorry) (guh) (she’s very hot though)

I’m like, really having a hard time not devouring this book

The struggle is real

[mistwraiths]

3 stars

WHAT EVEN WAS THIS? Major spoilers ahead.

I heard somewhere that SJM rewrote HOFAS and I feel like maybe that's why this book feels not as good, like Curse For True Love did with Stephanie Garber. House of Flame and Shadow is by all means a decent and engaging book, I read through it extremely fast, but there is something unsatisfying about it all.

This book felt a lot like Bryce goes to this location and learns a bunch of information, meets up with people to explain said information, and then goes to another location to get more information, wash rinse repeat. Why is this book FULL of info dumps with the reasoning being "oh you weren't ready" or whatever. For the majority of this book, I kept thinking why is all these side characters just hanging out in the scenes with Bryce because they aren't important??? Bryce could have been alone in the majority of her scenes and things would have been the same.

HOFAS felt super plot driven which felt a little different from SJM's usual more character driven stories. I didn't feel or recognize much development of any character in this third book. If anything, Bryce felt a little more colder, a little more bloodthirsty than normal. I felt like she felt out of character with a little Aelin-level schemes because Bryce has always notoriously hasn't been a BIG thinker or plan ahead. The girl who didn't pay attention to Fae rules and customs and got herself in trouble; the girl who asked a criminal to find a boy and was shocked when said criminal did any means necessary and killed people? Bryce, who cares deeply about babies and children, told a mother worried about her kidnapped sons to let go of her baggage?? Bryce who has always been pretty understanding emotions and "we're a team he gets me" tells Hunt who is struggling to get over it??? There's just some weird things that felt off here. Especially when Bryce tells Hunt who NEVER wanted to a part of the fight, who still showed up anyway that "its like you don't wanna be here". NO HE DIDN'T WANT TO!!!!

Tharion and Ithan, I enjoyed their characters in the first and second books. But they were completely a drag in this one. For almost 60-70% of the story, it was repetitive and boring and just brought the mood down. Tharion's story gets better when Sathia joins up and I love her, I hope we see more of her. Ithan's story was mostly nonsense. What the fuck was the point of the Viper Queen and Sigrid. It was so obvious where his story was headed but we had to do inane circles and waste stupid time to get there. By the time Ithan finally became Prime I daresay I couldn't care and don't think he truly deserves it. Give it to Perry. She cares about the wolves.

I LOVE Lidia and Ruhn, they were a bright spot in this book, but I do think we deserved more of them and their romance. HOSAB kind of touched it but they deserved more. And Ruhn shooting Lidia was absolutely stupid in my opinion. They're Vanir, don't they heal fast???? Stupid! Lidia deserved to be more furious at him for that.

Bryce and Hunt felt off too, and I think because they didn't 100% (in my opinion) discuss or go back over their arguments. They needed to talk and move through together but they both seemed to afraid to do so. Plus, the reunion between Bryce and Hunt was 100% disappointing. Hunt felt a little sidelined here too in my opinion, his lightning was helpful but like that's it? And when he pulls an Iron Man: eyeroll.

One of my biggest problems is that we get constantly told how bad ass Fury Axtar is and she gets SIDELINED? Here??? As a babysitter??? Juniper who yelled and held the doors as long as they could during book 1 gets sidelined too. This series has been about female friendship too so why?????

Hypaxia could fix way too many problems too easily. Antidote was easily, TOO EASILY solved. Hypaxia just casually bringing people back from the dead and then easily toppling over the Under-King was so eye-rolling.

The whole battle was just really easy? In SJM's books I never once worry about main characters and that really kills the big stakes mood. KILL CHARACTERS AND LEAVE THEM DEAD!!!!! Big main characters. The Bryce and Rigelus grappling in front of a black hole in space was just very ridiculous, and Hunt in a mech suit grabbing her in space felt silly. It's ACOWAR all over again with Bryce coming back to life too.

I do think the crossover was done well. I love that it was pretty much only Nesta and Azriel. But tell me why it takes Rhys so damn long to get to the House of Wind??? He can't fucking winnow?? Nesta was just a huge highlight and I loved the moments with Ember and her.

Also: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COMM CRYSTAL RUHN DROPPED IN BRYCE'S POCKET? IS IT IN PRYTHIAN? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE LIBRARY OF PARTHOS?? WHAT WAS THE POINT ABOUT JOINING THE BLADES IF SHE COULD SUMMON A BLACK HOLE? REALLY HUNT'S DICK BEING TOO BIG TO FIT UNDERWEAR IS THE STUPIDEST THING. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE HARPY COMING BACK TO BE LITERALLY DEAD IN SECONDS? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ARIADNE AND THE DRAGONFIRE CAN HARM PRINCES OF HEL? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ADOPTING COOPER TO LEAVE HIM BEHIND??? BAXIAN SERVED NO PURPOSE??? THE DUOLINGO MAGIC BEAN??? SINCE WHEN DID ACOTAR HAVE THAT BUT NO C-SECTION KNOWLEDGE.

I did enjoy this book, I know people struggled with the jumping around but I really did enjoy it.

[acourtofbooksandshadows]

I’m gonna some points onto this.

Rhysand:

•Literally is fucking furious that tamlin locks up Feyre then turns around and locks up Nesta.

•GETS UPSET WITH NESTA FOR HAVING HUMAN EMOTIONS. Like let’s not forget she’s in her early to mid 20’s, just got turned Fae against her will because her sister couldn’t fucking leave shit alone. While everyone else in the IC excluding Feyre and Elain have had hundreds of years to grow and regulate emotions and be big kids or whatever.

•Tells Az to fuck off when it comes to Elain even though he purposely got Feyre drunk and has sexualized her on multiple occasions in front of groups of people. Like Elain is showing Az interest he’s not forcing her into anything(I am a Gwyn and Az shipper though)

•The fact that he seems to be all progressive and wanting to a change yet doesn’t actually implement any key changes. I.e. Hewn City and the way that Illyrian females are still treated like fucking trash.

Cassian:

•Knows Nesta is his mate but precedes to treat her like shit.

•He out of everyone should understand PTSD since he’s literally the General of Bloodshed blah blah blah. So how did he not think that Nesta could possibly have PTSD and this was how she was treating it?

•He got mad at Nesta for telling HER sister something about HER body that no one else would fucking tell her. Then preceded to punish her for it.

•Also tries to seem all progressive and shit but also turns a blind eye to the way Illyrian females are treated even though one of them is his mates best friend.

Rowan:

•I honestly will never understand the hype around him. He is one of my least favorite male characters out of all of the SJM books.

•He didn’t deserve to have the blood oath from Aelin first. That is something I will stand on until my last breath.

•He is supposed to be all about like tough love or whatever but like he’s a massive fucking prick. People just sugarcoat it. Like yea he has hundreds of years of experience on Aelin but she’s also a fucking badass all on her own.

Now onto all the men I adore.

Az:

•Even though we don’t see much of him. He stood up tamlin when he made that comment about Feyre.

•He consistently tries to save women and I think that if he had a different job that wasn’t just spymaster that he would have fixed all the issues in the Illyrian camps.

•Why doesn’t anyone ever seem to care about him? He literally tortures people and you know that has to be triggering given his past?

Tamlin:

•He was frantic to save the women he loves. Especially after someone who has repeatedly shown the world he is evil and cruel spins her into a bargain.

•Wanted to give Feyre a life she wasn’t able to have on the other side of the wall. Even made sure her family was taken care of which is something Rhysand didn’t really do. Though I know that he turned around and then made them unsafe but still.

•Didn’t want Feyre put into harms way. I’m just really wanting a redemption arc for him okay.

Choal:

•THIS MAN HAD REAL HUMAN EMOTIONS AND GOT SHAMED FOR THEM WTF?

•I heard all the hate for him before reading the books and I kept waiting to see why everyone hated him and it never happened. He just did what he thought was right throughout the series.

•He didn’t deserve all the hate for what happened to Nehemia either. Like she was a two faced snake and he was JUST DOING WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS RIGHT.

Dorian:

•That boy deserved so much better.

•He didn’t deserve the way Manon talked to him or the way people constantly dismissed him.

•He went through some very traumatic experiences and no one really truly cared except for Chaol.

Aedion:

•I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed when he talked about how he couldn’t wait to be Aelins one and only blood sworn. Just for her to turn around and dismiss him wanting that like it was just a speck of dust.

•That meant everything to him but she turned around and gave it to grumpy grandpa instead?

•Then proceeded to just kinda throw it at him like a little bone at the very end of KOA?

•Also he did not deserve for Lysandra and Aelin to treat him the way they did. He had so much of himself taken away and they were really going to take that away as well?

•It was supposed to be him and Aelin against the world but she shows up with grumpy grandpa and just kinda pushes him aside like he hasn’t been living and holding out hope for her return.

Sartaq:

•He was a respectful, loyal, badass, woman loving, warrior who deserved way more story time in KOA than he got.

•We deserved to see so much more of how he could lead and the way that he and Nesryn would become an absolute fucking force to be reckoned with.

•He never balked at Nesryn being a badass. He was very patient with her and admired her dearly. He was the MAN of the series.

at this point i'm wondering what sarah is thinking when writing her love interests, like ok it's clear she finds them hot but like....are they good people

Rhys:

UTM lap dance shenanigans

throwing Feyre into danger constantly (Weaver, destroying cauldron, getting the book from Adriata, etc etc)

Still not doing jack shit about wing clippings in Illyria?? Emerie is right there, Rhysand, go enforce your damn laws

Insulting his wife's sister constantly

Almost killed his wife's sister cause she dared give her important medical information

Locked Lucien (MY BOY!!) in the house of wind

Locked Nesta in the house of wind

Didn't give Mor any warning that time he made her face her abusers and she cried i think (ngl i forgot most of it)

Ignoring Hewn City even tho...Kier is like the only bad guy we've seen from there?? Surely there's decent people in Hewn City, don't gotta make everyone suffer

Nesta windhaven kidnapping intervention so she stops spending Rhys' money (if it was really about her own sake, they would've put a stop to it much earlier)

Seemingly alienates everyone in Feyre's life that could and would stand up to Rhys for Feyre's sake. Lucien? Nah, shoo. Nesta? Nah, shoo. Weird thought but Tarquin? Yeah, makes her steal his book.

And last but DEFINITELY not least; demon baby wife death

HE COULD'VE TOLD FEYRE... OR ATLEAST NOT THREATENED TO KILL HER SISTER FOR TELLING HER WHEN HE HOULD'VE TOLD HER IN THE FIRST PLACE??

THERE'S PROBABLY MORE BUT MOVING ON

Cassian:

Barely ever stands up for Nesta in the IC

Aids in kidnapping Nesta to Windhaven so she stops spending whysand's money

Laughs at Nesta when she falls down the stairs

Aids in punishing Nesta for daring to tell Feyre important medical info

Constantly going agaisnt Nesta's wishes and trying to "save her" when she doesn't want him to

That one time Azriel asked Nesta if Cass had pushed her down the stairs...Like are we gonna ignore that?? Personally I'd have a quarter life crisis if my closest friend, who is like my sibling and has known me most of our lives, seriously entertained the idea that i would physically assault the girl I like

general aggressiveness all of ACOSF

aids in bulldozing Nesta's apartment

Rowan goddamn Whitehorn (Who I've yet to see people bashing him somehow,,, HoF rowan was like if ACOSF cassian had a horrific murder baby

Left his pregnant mate alone during a war cause he wanted to prove himself....like..idk man if i had the choice between war and taking care of my pregnant wife i'd pick the wife (did he know she was pregnant? i've kind of forgotten by now)

Rowan's kid would've been hundreds of years older than Aelin.....just think abt that

Literally everything he did to Aelin during training in HoF

Their argument where he PUNCHED HER IN THE FACE

Threatened to whip Aelin...I repeat....Threatened to whip Aelin, an ex-slave....

Told Aelin it'd be better if she died 10 years ago (unprovoked?? bitch you met her like 2 weeks ago just cause she's getting on your nerves doesn't mean you gotta wish DEATH upon her)

Literally was relieved to find out she was only 19 because if she was a few years older she could've been THE CHILD OF HIS BEST FRIEND.

No issue with marrying the cousin of his best friend's child....Imagine if he hadn't met Aelin first.. If he'd met Aedion first, Aelin would've always been the relative of his friend's son to him

FOR THE RECORD i hate all of the SJM age gaps but rowan and aelin's specifically irks me because Aelin LITERALLY CALLS HIM OLD throughout the WHOLE SERIES

Literally tells Aelin he doesn't care about what she's been through and that she is nothing to him after she confronts him for leaving her

Puts Luca in danger by sticking him on to a frozen lake with a monster inside where he'll DIE if Aelin can't save him

Funnily enough, some of the only seemingly decent person guys in SJM 1. Are completely forgotten about in the books or 2. SJM had to make them violently unlikeable

Like we've got:

Tarquin, seemed like a pretty good guy, rightfully pissed that the IC stole his family heirloom, shows up like twice in the books (LET HIM COME BACK SARAH I LOVE HIM)

Tamlin, was pretty decent in book 1, was made violently unlikeable in book 2 onwards

Chaol, very strong morals, generally a good person, loves his wife, made violently unlikeable and boring in late CoM, HoF, and QoS (ToD is one of my favorite books in the series, will praise ToD till the day I die, my boy EARNED his own book)

Aedion, seemed like a good person, strong morals, spent years trading his dignity for the sake of Terrasen, loved his cousin above all else, made violently unlikable in KoA (even tho I think he was justified in being angry about it, i'd be SO pissed)

Sartaq, good guy, strong morals, Nesryn's chapters were some of my favorites in ToD, Sartaq is one of my favorite SJM love interests, i'll never forgive author lady for forgetting about him in KoA (tho i guess she forgot about everyone from ToD? Yrene and Chaol are the only important ones, she barely even mentions Nesryn even though Nesryn's BEEN an integral part of the gang since QoS, giving her the Suki from ATLA treatment)