#acosf reread post hofas

[princessofmerchants]

Just a reminder that Cassian lends Nesta, the consummate book lover, his favorite book, The Dance of Battle. And Nesta proceeds to inhale it and later discuss it with him, along with reading more books like it, when she realizes its subject is a common interest of hers too.

That alongside the sex and the training, these two also became friends.

(And you know the moment Nesta realized Cass left his personal copy of that book for her, some part of her was a goner, even if she did try to deny it for a while longer, bless her.)

[princessofmerchants]

I don't engage in the ship war, so this is rarely the kind of thing I RB, but this analysis of Azriel's bonus chapter in ACOSF illustrates what my exact reading experience of the BC was from the first time I read it. (The only difference is I never saw Elriel romantically before the BC (like the ask-er in this post) — I always saw them as friends.) But the BC is written the way it is, in my reading, for precisely the reasons in this post. What an excellent analysis.

Genuine question but if elain and azriel weren’t going to have some romantic relationship, why did SJM even write that first half of the bonus chapter? Elucien are already mates, she could’ve written a scene with them or not mentioned azriel and elain at all.

I’m not saying that gwynriel half of the bonus chapter was meaningless, they DID have good banter and the language used was eyebrow-raising at the very least, like something is def hinted there but I’m just confused about it. Like if she’s going in gwynriel direction, she could’ve JUST written the second half of the scene. We didn’t even KNOW elain and azriel were interacting before. Like why write a scene with Az + elain and then wreck them in the same chapter?

It’s so weird?? It could’ve easily been a set up for elucien and gwynriel but now it looks more like she was setting up for a love triangle between Az Gwyn and Elain.

I don’t know what to make of this 🤷🏻‍♀️ it just felt unnecessary lol bc if the next book IS azriel, I really don’t think she is going to have him move on from Mor to Elain, then Elain to Gwyn over the course of one chapter that didn’t even make it in the book?

It makes me so annoyed to think about that stupid BC. She should’ve never released it bc whether it’s gwynriel or elriel, that bonus chapter doesn’t make sense.

Like yeah yeah, we see how toxic elriel could’ve been and we see how they would never work - but like… tbh I didn’t think anything was happening between elain and azriel UNTIL the bonus chapter. I literally read that and was like HUH when did they—??? And then he was like “this was a mistake” and they went their separate ways and he ended the chapter with Gwyn. If SJM is going for Gwynriel endgame, it would’ve been so much better if she just didn’t even include the first part of the bonus chapter?? And vice versa.

If she hadn’t written the first part, I wouldn’t think elriel was a thing. If she hadn’t written the second part I wouldn’t think gwynriel was a thing.

I don’t think she did it just for drama either so I literally dunno what purpose it serves.

Hey!! That’s a great question, let me dive into it…

I think the bonus chapter has three parts, one with Elain, one with Rhys, one with Gwyn, not only to cement Gwynriel but also to give an end to Elriel. This also while deep diving into Azriel’s thoughts and motivations.

I for one, never really considered Elriel as strongly as their shippers do, but I could tell there was something going on there, in Acowar we got some winks at Elain being comfortable with Azriel (even if kind of in a childish, innocent way) and in Acofas we got the beginning of them acting awkward with eachother, Elain showing Azriel her plans etc, I remember thinking it was at best cute and Elain obviously had a crush on Az (but he was still pretty much still hung up with Mor and she was still mourning her fiance). When I read the BC I was so shocked and uncomfortable with Azriel’s purely sexual thoughts about Elain, it was deliberate, to show the reader Azriel is probably confusing lust with romantic feelings. That’s I think why you say the BC was the first time you saw them as a couple, but this shock to me was more in the way Azriel himself actually viewed Elain, until then we all at least agreed it was in a more tender way, and this was absolutely crushed with his pov (and we actually see this tenderness in the way he thinks about Gwyn instead).

Now to your main question: Why add Elain in his chapter? And to that we first need to answer why SJM wrote Elriel at all.

As an Elucien I can’t come here and say Elriel never existed because it did, but the reason SJM wrote it is not to lead them as endgame, but to add layers and tension to these characters. Firstly, Elriel for me was there to add some will-they-won’t-they to Elucien’s mating bond. Look, with no other couple did we have a mating bond snapped and proclaimed even before the two characters even spoke to each-other. This the first time we have this scenario, and things need to go one way for the tension to be there.

If Elain was just mourning Graysen (which relationship was ended in the same book Elucien gained traction) then it would have been too given that they would inevitably find their way to eachother. So she adds Azriel to the mix, who at that point had only ever been interested in Mor for 500 years, with absolutely zero possibility of her ever mirroring his interest. It just makes sense for his character to also find that fixation on Elain, another unattainable female. This was another way Azriel continued his self sabotage behavior, and so we had the first real stepping stone into what his character arc will be when he gets his book.

But we can agree Elriel started (to act as a red herring for Elucien, add character tension, give Az an arc), gained traction in Acofas, and when Sarah introduced us to Gwyn and had the realization she was perfect for Azriel, she had to close the Elriel thread. So here comes the BC.

As readers we needed to see with our own eyes why exactly these two characters weren’t good together, just like she did this with Tamlin in a more dramatic way before Feyre could see Rhys in a romantic way, Sarah gave us all the clues in the way Azriel thought about Elain hyper sexually, how he called their encounter a mistake, how he focused too much in her mating bond, even in ACOSF we got winks of him limiting Elain when she clearly wanted to help, because she should not be exposed to darkness. Then comes Rhys, asking Azriel the questions we as readers were asking him: what about Mor? No answer. Do you think you deserve Elain? Diverting the answer to say Lucien doesn’t (showing us his possible insecurity towards him). And then we have the Gwyn part, in which we see Azriel’s character actually shine, even if he still can’t see this is actually the way, not the doomed self sabotage relationship he was entertaining with Elain.

The thing is it IS a set up for Elucien and Gwynriel:

Elucien: Lucien was there in the same house when the almost kiss happened, this is a calculated thing, the chapter could have happened a day after and it would have worked perfectly, but no, Lucien was there too. Something tells me Lucien knows what transpired, he probably could feel it, hear it, smell it or at least have some perception of it. And this just adds more angst to what Elain and him are going to go through.

Gwynriel: the obvious banter, exact opposite of Azriel’s and Elain’s interaction (for the better), and the hints of their potential mating bond.

To sum it up, Elriel was a thing before the bonus chapter, thats for sure, but Sarah needed to end it before she could continue, however small and insignificant their relationship actually was. And I don’t agree that this set up a love triangle between Elain/Az/Gwyn, when Azriel said “this was a mistake” Sarah ended any possibility of that, Elain gave him back the necklace she was at first eager to receive, Lucien was there and probably knows something happened, Azriel thought he had been right to stay away, and it ended with him thinking about Gwyn’s glowing eyes and smiling about her.

I hope this answers your question, I actually think the bonus chapter was masterfully written to tell us everything we need to know about what was actually happening inside Azriels head, and give us a hint of his future and the future of the other characters.

If she hadn’t written the first part, then we could’ve never gotten those rich pieces of information into Azriel’s trauma, red flags, jealousy and thought process that will play a part in his own book (because they’re far from resolved). By having both we could see how Elain brings up the worse in him, while Gwyn calms the restlessness inside of him instantly.

[yazthebookish]

Maybe I'll spoil you guys and talk about Gwynriel and ACOTAR5 and anything related to it overall. I recently finished my HOFAS reread and have some fresh thoughts. I'll let my thoughts guide me and some of these points I've already addressed in my insta stories yesterday. I just rather share a lengthy post here since I'll only tag under #gwynriel.

I often see arguments about how Gwyn and Azriel can't move the plot forward because the series is centered on the Archeron sisters.

First, that's not true because Sarah is following what she called "a traditional romance route". She's following the same patterns of Nalini Singh, Kresley Cole, and Lisa Kleypas where they publish multiple books in the same series following different couples.

This is fitting for a series like ACOTAR because it's romance-centered. And Sarah have already said that each couple is getting one book and there will likely be more books beyond ACOTAR6.

Saying that doesn't dismiss the importance of the sisters to the story, Feyre already has a trilogy centered on her. The spin-off just follows different characters including the sisters.

I won't try hard to convince people on this because I've already posted almost everything Sarah said about the spin-off series and what's it's about. So if the next book is not centered on an Archeron sister, that's for Sarah to bamboozle the fandom with.

One thing that stuck out to me is when I compared the ending of ACOSF with the scene of Bryce giving Nesta Gwydion and seeming like she left Nesta with a new quest.

First, this is what the text says, and this is Chapter 80, the very last chapter in ACOSF:

Succeeding in the Blood Rite didn't mean the training stopped. No, after she and her friends told Cassian and Azriel most of the details of their ordeal, the two commanders had compiled a long list of mistakes that the three of them had made that needed to be corrected, and the others wanted to learn from them, too. So they would keep training, until they were all well and truly Valkyries. Gwyn, despite the Rite, had returned to living in the library.

1. The Valkyries are not yet a unit.

2. SJM only and specifically highlighted that Gwyn, despite the Rite, returned to living in the library. It was like "hey, remember all the talk Gwyn did about wanting to leave the library after two years? Yeah that's on hold a bit but keep that in mind". She didnt even add Emerie or the other priestesses to that sentence.

With Nesta being left with Gwydion to find out why the 8-pointed star was tattooed on her, I don't think the next book will start with "hey Elain take this sword and deal with it". Who are Nesta's main companions now? Gwyn and Emerie.

I'll be back to the Valkyries but let's just talk about Azriel for a bit.

It is so painfully obvious to me that Azriel is being handed the Illyrian plot on a golden platter. How big or small of a plot it is depends on SJM, but it's important based on the fact that she fleshed out the Illyrian's origins and tied them to the crossover AND making Truth-teller the knife of Enalius.

That is a big deal for an Illyrian like Azriel.

And I quote my friend Lacie on this, it is very poetic for Azriel to be the owner of the knife that originally belonged to the person who freed his own people from the Daglan's clutches, perhaps because he saw his people are more than just slaves to the Daglan—how powerful would it be for Azriel, who loathes his own people, to parallel Enalius.

And for years some people were against Azriel dealing with this plot because he shouldn't make peace with his "abusers", its true his own family and some Illyrians failed him but he is condemning an entire population. Good people like Emerie and Balthazar. Even Rhys's mother, who had valid reasons to hate her people especially as a female, still made sure to make Rhysand connect with his Illyrian heritage and he even goes on to say that his mother didn't forget what they did to her but still loved her people.

If both Cassian and Rhysand (and by extension the author) continue to flag Azriel's hatred of the Illyrians as an issue—then it is a damn big issue for it to be addressed repeatedly.

Okay so to address my final point about Gwyn and Azriel and how they can move the plot forward.

Now I didn't detail out much about what the next book will deal with because that's another post (and I already have a post on that).

All of our theories and predictions are based on information that is available to us. Saying Azriel and Gwyn cannot move the plot forward does not make any sense because the central plot is tied to multiple characters, Archeron or not.

If SJM wants to make a character move the next book's plot forward, she can do it because she's in control of the story. She's in control of the narrative. She's in control of the characters.

The characters are puppets and this is an unfinished story. If some characters would add more value and make for a more interesting story before the others, she can decide on that. If she wants to make Eris the protagonist of the next book, she can easily do that whether the fandom wants it or not.

Let me give you an example of minor characters that pushed the plot forward and became main characters: Yrene Towers and the Hind. These kind of arguments could've been used for them in HOEAB or HOSAB and Pre-TOD. Before HOSAB/HOFAS and TOD, could we have predicted that they would have played a crucial role before those books? Not likely because they had minimal appearances and were not part of the main cast. This is what I'm talking about.

You can't know how a character will contribute to a story until you see how it all unfolds. We can make guesses on the information we have which is why I believe three characters are likely to join the main cast: Gwyn, Emerie, and Eris.

Why is it so easy to accept that Emerie might be sharing a book with an original character like Mor but it's hard to comprehend the fact that Gwyn could also share a book with Azriel? Because Emerie showed up in ACOFAS? To me that's not really a strong argument based on Sarah's writing and what we have in the books, she doesn't really pick based on who showed up the earliest. Here's a good example: Hypaxia, who showed up earlier, didn't even get her own chapters but the Hind did.

And there's one argument I recall about how I need to rely on Nesta to have a plot focused on Gwyn or the Valkyries in the next book. Nesta's arc is clearly not over based on HOFAS, but does that mean she's getting a POV? Not necessarily. I don't think she is. Gwyn is the perfect candidate for us to see what's going on with Nesta post-HOFAS and how they all deal with the Valkyries and whatever Sarah will set up with them.

There is this whole Valkyrie/Illyrian conflict that could be triggered as a result of the Blood Rite, with Ramiel definitely being an important location to explore in the next book, we also have the Pegasi and the Prison and the implications of the crossover. It makes sense to have an Illyrian and a Valkyrie POV to deal with some plots in the next book.

"Gwyn contributes to nothing" we can't know until the book is out. How sure are we that maybe SJM won't connect her to the crossover by making her mysterious father a Worldwalker? Or Prince of Hel? Or an Asteri? Maybe I'm right maybe I'm wrong.

"But Koschei! And the Human Queens!" Koschei will always be a background player pulling on the strings until the final book as it's obvious he is the big bad in the series, unless someone even worse is revealed. But no one is dismissing Koschei or the Human Queens messing around.

Literally what's the point of the story or the fun elements of surprises or plot twists if you need Sarah to list down everything that the next books will deal with. That's not how a story develops to me. I don't need to know everything in advance to just know how it will go. That's like knowing spoilers early on and checking off with each book what happened and what didn't happen. I feel like it's close to how a lot of readers were disappointed with not having enough ACOTAR in HOFAS, because Sarah implied half of the book would be set in Prythian. So by the time the book came out and it wasn't that, people were vocal about it.

In my opinion, SJM set a good foundation for Gwyn's arc to build up on in ACOSF and her arc is not over. We won't get mentions of her still carrying the guilt of her sister's death or not leaving the library after she said she's sick of being there for two years without us seeing resolution for that. She wouldn't be in Azriel's bonus chapter if she is not involved with him.

To conclude, my reread still affirms to me that the next book with an Azriel/Gwyn book. Azriel is clearly being set in the forefront.

[blodgmonster]

Thoughts while rereading ACOSF. The first half of the book so that my post isn't a novel in itself.

-- Nesta falls into one of my favorite categories of female characters. Spiky, hurt, hiding their wounded hearts behind extremely high walls. I adore her. Always have. Even more now that we get her point of view. Though I sort of wish it was in first person like Feyre.

-- It's terribly ironic and funny that Feyre's solution to her sister spiraling out of control is to LOCK HER UP against her will. Gee, didn't someone do that to her and we all hated him for it? Who was that again? Oh, yes, Tamlin. "You will not be a prisoner" but there is like...no way out. Why doesn't the fae world have therapy?

-- "My Nesta. Elain will marry for love and beauty, but you, my cunning little queen...You shall wed for conquest." What the fuck was Mama Archeron's deal?

-- Mor comparing Nesta to Kier and the others in the Hewn City is bullshit.

-- Nesta's relationship with the House is so cute.

-- Nesta's self-hatred makes me cry. I've had the same thoughts that she's had. And when Cassian tells her that everyone hates her and it rings in her head like a bell...it's like a punch to the stomach.

-- Merrill is researching "the existence of different Realms -- different worlds. Living on top of each other without even knowing it....if it might be possible for worlds to overlap." Oh my God. "Some philosophers believe there are eleven worlds like that. And some believe there are as many as twenty-six."

Me:

-- "Maybe you'll become interesting at last, Elain." SICK FUCKING BURN, NESTA.

-- "I'm pissed off that you can't seem to believe even one good thing about her. That you REFUSE to fucking believe one good thing about her." Yesssss, Cassian. Where was that attitude in HOFAS when Rhys treated Nesta like SHIT and Cassian just...stood there and let him?

-- I know Nesta was drinking to excess, but so does everyone else in the Inner Circle. Hypocrites.

--' "Her trauma is..." Rhys's throat bobbed." Yeah, bud, yeah. Stop being a dick to her.

-- pretty fucked up that "you always have a choice" and "no secrets between us" Rhys won't tell Feyre about the risk the wings pose. Also, how is it that magic can REGROW WINGS, REVIVE THE DEAD, and heal someone who's GUTS ARE HANING OUT but a C section is beyond their healing capabilities. Make it make sense, SJM.

-- NESTA CLAIMING THE MASK, RASING THE LEGION, AND KILLING THE KELPIE!!! FUCK YES, LADY DEATH!!!!!!!

[acourtofthought]

Hello!

First, thank you so much for your posts. They give me so much comfort.

I'm a huge Elucien girlie. I've loved them since Acomaf and I have been hoping the next book will be Elucien. I think their personalities and similar trauma fit so well together. But i just reread all Acotar books over the summer, and just finished Hofas and now I'm so worried that sjm will make Elucien's mating bond wrong somehow. I wonder if you can give your thoights on this?

in Acomaf, Feyre questioned mating bonds when she was watching Az and Elain. We already knew some mating bonds are not good (like Rhys or Tamlins parents) so she didn't need to include that info or am i missing something? And then in Acosf bonus Az also questioned the Cauldron. I am so worried because sjm has questioned mating bonds in reference to Elucien twice. Why would she do that? Also there's the times interview where she talked about it. .And then she made Az be there in Hofas to learn daglan tampered the Cauldron. Spepcifically after she made him confront Rhys and say "you can't order me to do that" about staying away from Elain. I was so disappointed in Acosf and Acofas becuase of how sjm made Elain completely ignore Lucien. I know sjm is a fated mates author so i shouldn't worry, but I am worried sjm is making Elain's story about her mating bond being wrong because of all this. I used to be sure this was a red herring, but after the Acosf bonus and Hofas I am really starting to be worried because its so much about the theme of their bond being wrong and i'm getting worried.

Sorry for such a long message. I would really love your thoughts.

Thank you for sending me a message!!!

To address that not all bonds are a good fit, that's valid. But I think what's often overlooked is that there's no way to know if a mating bond is a poor fit if someone refuses to get to know their mate. They can choose to ignore them forever simply to prove a point but it can't be proven whether they'd be right for each other unless they take the chance to find out.

The only reason Rhys and Tamlin knew their parents bonds to be a poor fit is because their mothers ended up in a relationship with their mates, had a family with their mates. And therefore were able to see the negative attributes of their mates.

To assume Elain and Lucien would be a poor fit without Elain giving Lucien an actual chance wouldn't be a fair. Especially when you consider that Lucien is NOTHING like Rhys's father or Tamlin's father.

As far as Az questioning the Cauldron....the Cauldron is the mother in essence, something confirmed in HOFAS.

"And she was not a goddess, but a force that governed worlds. A cauldron of life, brimming with the language of creation."

The Cauldron was used for evil things during the reign of the Asteri but the Asteri no longer wield the Cauldron. Just like the Cauldron was used for evil when Hybern got his hands on it but we've got no reason to believe it would now create only evil if used by someone good. As we were told in ACOTAR, when the Cauldron is held by female hands, it is the creator of all things. It's pretty clear that Lucien knew Elain was his mate before she was turned because he was the one who tried to step toward her therefore it's farfetched to claim Elain being put into the Cauldron is what created their bond in that exact moment. Could we not say the same about Nessian's since their bond didn't snap until after Nesta was also turned? I think it's pretty clear that the mother, when creating all life, set into motion who was going to be mates with who in the same way that Rowan's mating bond to Aelin was determined prior to her birth.

There is no proof that tampering with the Cauldron effected mating bonds. If that was the case then every single bond in every world will prove false. It's pretty out there to believe that only Elain and Lucien's bond which wouldn't be revealed for a thousand years is the only one to suffer.

Az questioning the Cauldron is him questioning the language of creation itself. Which just makes him look like a silly young man in comparison to the giver of life, the language of creation. He's 500 something years and a bitter man wanting something he didn't get the way his brothers did yet somehow his temper tantrum over what he didn't get should somehow change FATE??? Fate doesn't care about Az's jealousy, I hate to say it but it's true. Fate / the Mother cares about the events she set into motion (via the Cauldron) when she created everything. Az is no more special to "the Mother" than Lucien is, than Rhys is, than Cassian and the thousands of others she granted bonds to.

I think the questioning of mating bonds is to keep some in suspense. I'm not sure how many Fated Mates books you've read but I'd say 99.999% of them do end up together, regardless of how long it takes. The second Elucien's bond snapped is the second all Fated Mates fans went "they're endgame!" But in order to keep things a bit more interesting, Sarah has created more anticipation and suspense with all the dialogue surrounding their bond.

As far as the whole "why not make them mates?" argument. Sarah does not often write something like that about two characters only to have that exact thing happen. She often presents information which she later puts a twist on. Sort of like the Suriel telling Feyre to stay with the High Lord, where we all assumed it meant Tamlin since they were just talking about Tamlin when it actually meant Rhys. Or the prophecy of Ruhn where some assumed it meant Ruhn would die only for Sarah to later reveal that the prophecy meant he would kill his father and pass the mantel onto Bryce.

Feyre isn't in the best state at this point, especially in regards to Lucien and the fact that she feels the need to ask Rhys whether Lucien (her friend) and Elain (her sister) are a good fit kind of proves she doesn't know what she's talking about.

Also, that was all presented to us on page 257.

We later find out that Rhys, Feyre's mate, tore apart the "Ravens" with his bare hands on page 328. Rhys could have simply misted them but instead he felt the need to get more physical over the attempted assault on his mate.

On page 453, we're later presented with this:

Helion didn't break my stare. "I tore the beasts apart with my bare hands."

Feyre follows this up by saying, "Why?" He could have ended it a thousand other ways. Easier ways. Cleaner ways.

In this scene we also find out that the LoA and Helion had an affair, resulting in Lucien. That regardless of their love she chose to stay with Beron and her children, that her family pretty much forced her to marry him in the first place despite her possible romance with Helion when she was young. And we later see that maybe, just maybe Helion has never gotten over her. Where Feyre thinks he may be masking his own emotions with the sex he has.

So the order of progression is Rhys and Feyre talking about poorly matched bonds with his parents as an example. But we know Lucien is nothing like his father while Elain does sound a bit like his mother. Then we have Rhys mention how even if a bond is rejected, there will ALWAYS be a tug, that you will never not feel drawn to that person. That's followed up by a mate using his hands to tear apart someone who wronged his mate with that followed by another male who used his hands to tear apart someone who hurt a female he shared an affair with and who it seems there is some still yet unresolved business between them.

Then in SF we're given hints of a possible mating bond between Eris and Mor which, if it does exist, we know she would reject because of her preference for women.

I'd be willing to put money on the whole conversation surrounding Elain's bond with Lucien has absolutely nothing to do with them and everything to do with the bond the LoA and Helion still feel to one another, the possible reason why Mor and Eris are still so odd around one another hundreds of years later.

As far as Elain ignoring Lucien, this was Nesta and Cassian before their book:

Nesta had made it clear enough she had no interest in Cassian - not even being in the same room as him.

And that continued on for nearly a year between the events of ACOFAS and ACOSF. So Elain ignoring Lucien? I'd say they're right on schedule to get their HEA in the next book.

[gwandas]

Hey! I saw your Nessian commission and I think it’s beautiful art. I was wondering what your stance is on Nessian because I found it intriguing. I know you’re very Cassian critical (me as well). How do you manage it while still holding love for and engaging with the ship? I have a hard time doing it (as a former nessian shipper) and it made me wonder. What parts of Nessian do you enjoy, what makes it still worthy of love, what do you wish for them in the future? Such interesting topics.

Anyway love your blog have a nice day!

Hello!!

Uh honestly I don't love it 😅 and even pre-ACOSF I was neutral on both the ship and Cassian as his own character. The extent of me engaging with it is reblogging art where I think she looks hot. I commissioned that piece because I'm a big fan of that particular artist's versions of both Cassian and Nesta and I wanted to participate in a Nesta-centric event.

The redeemable parts of canon!Nessian to me are all Nesta. I'd even say all the way back in ACOMAF she was doing all the heavy lifting to make the ship look good (@ae-neon wrote this post on pre-ACOSF Nessian that I think summarizes it perfectly). I've never once doubted that she loves that man. His POV feels very empty to me compared to hers. At the end of the day, she's stuck with him, so when I'm in an optimistic mood I'll try gaslighting myself into liking it 👍🏾 it's hard though when I was never obsessed with the ship in the first place. Like, I barely read fanon!Nessian because I'm not clinging onto what the stans wished it was (and because I'm picky and can't read fics where he's the exact opposite of who he is in the book. I basically only read the post-ACOSF/HOFAS fix its where there are some consequences for canon events)

I am pretty optimistic about the Ember and Randall chapter leading to some sort of reckoning for them. Although what gives me pause is that they're probably not getting another book, so I'm not confident SJM would write something as dramatic as Nessian temporarily being apart or whatever from another character's POV. I don't know. It's the only reason I'm interested in her finally announcing what the next book will be about because I'm hoping? It'll give us some clarity on what direction Nessian is going in? It's funny because after ACOSF I was ready to move on because I assumed SJM would pull her usual move and just make them randomly healthy going forward after the atrocities committed while getting together but then she wrote HOFAS which both pissed me tf off but also gave me an ounce of hope for some actual growth for Cassian who has been the exact same guy as when we were first introduced to him but like I said that all depends on what the next book is. My Roman Empire is SJM saying her reaction to rereading ACOSF was "wow I was really mean to myself back then" which made me go HUH like,,, should I get my hopes up that she sees something wrong with what she wrote? Maybe! The HOFAS bonus chapter makes me think there's a chance.

TLDR I'm not just Cassian critical I hate his ass but she's stuck with the guy so I'm willing to make the best of it.

[deathsweetblossoms]

ACOTAR 6 Theory

Here's my crack theory in it's barest form. This is meant to be fun, since now we know magic beans exist, so nothing matters anymore. But here is what my mind has been churning around since my CC reread and preview on SJMs website.:

(Spoilers for CC2, ACOSF, and the Prologue and First Chapter of HOFAS)

The girls in Koschei's lake are mystics and he's using them to glean information about the trove via going into people's minds or outright spying inside spaces that should otherwise be warded. Hence, "shadows can be blinded". I think he needs some combination of the Trove and Truth Teller to break his confines (for what? Here's where I'm not sure. At present, I do think he is Asteri, which is another word for Daglan and Death God, and he was entrapped by one of the OG fae rebellion who threw the Asteri out. Yes, this means his "siblings" the Bone Carver & Weaver would also be diminished Asteri not at their full powers)

Rigelus drops hints about having a masterful plan that he completely orchestrated via manipulating every event to work into what the Asteri need. This includes "tugging" people to do what he wanted (Hunt & Bryce joining the rebellion to activate their gifts etc) without them even realizing what was happening. He was aware of everyone's actions, because of the mystics. So nobody willingly betrayed Bryce/Hunt/Ruhn & co. It happened because he simply had access to that information and he played them like chess pieces on a game he was always going to win.

My theory banks entirely on Koschei playing the same game, which I believe was hinted to us via the "I've been preparing for you for a long time" line in ACOSF. Bearing that in mind, if he does truly want Truth Teller and the trove, who else is conveniently looking for information about the trove? Merrill. Who conveniently got information about the trove from TWO PEOPLE who were asked NOT to share said information? Merrill. Seems like the type of strings some overarching Big Bad would pull to get the chess pieces to align in such a way to bring the trove to himself without him doing any of the work. **

Also conveniently, what does the IC have at their disposal to also be able to glean information about a shadowed foe? A Seer. Granted, Elain has already said that most of Koschei is all "mist and shadow", but perhaps there will be a way to break through that mist and shadow (maybe using truth teller, which she was able to wield and possibly winnow with........But that's a theory for another time). Perhaps she will need to start shielding her unwarded mind of "tangled vines" to keep him out. Perhaps she can use tangled vines to get through his mist and shadow.

There's other pieces to this theory that I'm not discussing because they involve spoilers for CC3. But I wanted all of this in one place so I can come back to it later and adjust/erase/refine as needed once I have the actual book in my hands tomorrow <3

** The Merrill-is-Compromised Theory has already been discussed by several other beautiful people in this fandom, and if you can tag them in the comments, I'll add to this post. TY!!!

[princessofmerchants]

Nesta rolled her eyes and the gesture was so normal that Cassian's smile became more genuine, edged now with relief.

You wear your heart for all to see, brother, Rhys said without turning Cassian's way.

Cassian only shrugged. He was past caring.

—ACOSF, ch. 37

[princessofmerchants]

"Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn's—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn that she couldn't quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world."

This is how Sarah J. Maas writes artistic expression in her main characters. Aelin. Feyre. Bryce. Nesta. A description of them like this is in every one of their book arcs—where artistic expression originating from that character needs to be in the world.

I don't think SJM gifts this experience, this need to express artistically, to women characters if she doesn't plan to give them the space to tell their own story, where typically artistic expression is a key into who her main characters are and what they need.

[princessofmerchants]

In ACOSF, SJM writes about the priestesses training to be Valkyries with Gwyn, Emerie, and Nesta, as though SJM has an entire future plot for all of them already in her head as she wrote it.

Probably not a controversial observation for most of us, but it bears saying because, wow, it's so clear to me as a reader, I'd be shocked if they aren't central to one of the future books.

[princessofmerchants]

I just had a revelation as I continue to reread ACOSF post-HOFAS...

The bargain between Nesta and Cassian, that produces their eight-pointed star bargain tattoos, is what finally causes Nesta to start training.

(HOFAS spoilers after the break)

I know this sounds obvious. I've read ACOSF a bazillion times at this point.

But in the past, whenever I thought about their bargain, I have always had at the forefront of my mind the personal impact of the bargain on both of them — how much it means to Cassian that she give training a try, and the fact that Nesta calls in her side of the bargain as part of their lovers' quarrel about their mating bond.

But without this bargain (i.e., Nesta trains for one hour in exchange for a favor from Cassian), Nesta Archeron would not have begun to train.

And if she had not begun to train, the priestesses, Gwyn, and Emerie would not have begun to train.

And (you see where I'm heading with this), this means that without this bargain, the Valkyries would never have been reformed.

The fact that in HOFAS, Bryce connects Nesta's eight-pointed star bargain tattoo to Gwydion/the Starsword, and challenges Nesta to go find out what they may have to do with each other... 🤯

And also given the fate-laden way the scene where Gwyn cuts the ribbon is written, as a turning point that everyone senses but can't fully understand yet...

I'm one of those readers that absolutely thinks the Mother / Urd is a deity who acts in and through the lives of those in these stories. (I would probably be a priestess if I lived in Prythian...)

I'm just in awe and totally hyped to see, on this post-HOFAS reread of ACOSF, all the ways SJM has imbued Nesta's personal story of healing with significance related to the wider magical conflict.

And maybe part of what Nesta will find out is that the eight-pointed star tattoo represents the moment she made a choice that would change everything, and that maybe the Mother made the tattoo that shape to both honor and reveal that change.

[princessofmerchants]

Not me just crying and crying every time I reread the moment Gwyn signs up for training (at the end of "Novice"), and the precious, delicate scene that follows (at the start of "Blade") in which she exits the House of Wind for the first time in years, enters the training ring in her robes, hands shaking, eyes soaking in every sunlit detail, and Nesta and Cassian are buzzing with excitement but are also just so open and responsive to whatever she needs because they believe in the training as a thing that can help a person feel strong and no longer helpless, and as they get started they just get it right (meaning, there is no judgment, only openness, from both of them, toward Gwyn, striking the exact balance of respect and care) and everything about this stretch of scenes just makes me cry because I love all three of these characters so much and it's SJM's writing at it's best as far as I'm concerned 🥹😭🥹😭🥹

And when I can manage to zoom out of my comfort place that is the ACOSF story, it's evident to me that the treatment Gwyn gets by SJM in this story, in which Gwyn is first introduced to us through her friendship with Nesta, screams of an investment in a character whose full story she plans to tell in the future.

[princessofmerchants]

The way Sarah J. Maas writes Nesta working through her anxiety, fear, and PTSD triggered by the sound of a fire crackling...the scene in ACOSF ch. 56 where Nesta asks the House to light a fire so Nesta can work through her responses to the sound, and begin to retrain her brain to accept the discomfort and separate the sound from her memory of her father's death......

This is written in a way that tells me SJM has probably experienced something like this before. It's accurate in a way that exceptionally matches my lived experience of having to work through these same things.

And it means the world to me to read a strong, badass main character experience this same thing I do.

[princessofmerchants]

It's remarkable and almost breathtaking the trust Nesta has in Cassian.

In ACOSF chapter 47, Nesta is approaching the lowest she's ever been in her life, running through Velaris away from a confrontation in which she hurt her sister and herself in the short span of a few minutes.

That Nesta allows Cassian to swoop down from the sky and carry her up and away, flying for hours curled in his arms, when she's feeling how she feels in this moment of her life...

Nesta needs to save herself — no one else can do it but her.

But to me there is no question her relationship with Cassian transforms her and pushes her to grow in the ways she needs so that she can save herself.

(And while the physical combat training is a great metaphor for what I'm referring to, it isn't precisely what I mean when I say "save herself" — I mean having the courage to face her mistakes, realize she cannot be perfect, that this fact is okay, and that choosing to live and not dissociate is the braver, stronger choice, even when doing so makes her feel weak and broken sometimes. It's coming when they reach the lake in three chapters, and then continues through the rest of the book, but it begins here with a safe person with which to begin walking toward those truths...)

Having a person like Cassian in Nesta's life who has the strength to create a scaffold of support around her at her lowest and most vulnerable...

It is a treasure and a gift. (I am speaking from personal experience here as well.)

Because as we will see as they begin to hike in the Sleeping Mountains, Nesta's will is beaten to the ground by her own broken thoughts, to the point where she isn't able to decode the world around her accurately. She requires care and a firm, loving accompaniment through the darkness she needs to traverse to get to the other side. That person for her is Cassian.

[princessofmerchants]

Nesta and the Cauldron 💫 - a list of questions and puzzle pieces post-HOFAS

"... Wrapped in black eternity, Nesta and the Cauldron twined, burning through the darkness like a newborn star."

—from "Beginning," the prologue of A Court of Silver Flames

(HOFAS spoilers after the break)

I began rereading ACOSF post-HOFAS and boy was I shocked and delighted by what I found in the very first scene of the book, which is also one of my favorite scenes in all of SJM canon...

Here's a screenshot of the last part of the prologue to ACOSF, called "Beginning".

After reading HOFAS, and learning what we did from the Starborn Princess Silene, along with the events of that book as well as those in ACOSF and going all the way back to ACOMAF,

I have new questions!

What could it mean that Nesta and Elain, both humans, were submerged in the Cauldron in the same way the magical objects of the Fae like Gwydion, Truthteller, and the Dread Trove items were? Does the fact that they were alive themselves first, and human at that, make a difference? (We know from the Blood Rite magic that Nesta is not recognized as a Made magical object in the Rite because her magic is suppressed like everyone else's...)

Was the Cauldron in Hybern different (more corrupt, perhaps from Fionn's death and his potential link to the health of the world in which Prythian resides), than it was when it Made Gwydion, Truthteller, and the Trove items? Or was its corruption (wrongness) the same kind that originates from the Daglan poisoning it before Gwydion and the Trove were Made?

When Nesta stole a large portion of the Cauldron's "raw power," was there more to the power besides its connection to Death, that somehow ties in to either the Starborn power that originates and thrives in the island of the Prison, or perhaps instead to the ancient Fae power that predates the seasonal and solar elemental power affinities that evolved after the time of High King Fionn? Is it similar or different to the way the Starsword/Gwydion and its imbued Made power has an affinity for the Staborn line of Fae?

We know at the end of ACOSF and from HOFAS that the Mother prevents all of Nesta's stolen power from leaving her when she bargains with the Cauldron and the Mother to save Feyre - and here in the ACOSF prologue Nesta and the Cauldron together are described as a newborn star. In being Made by the Cauldron, then first stealing its power but later being gifted back with some of it by the Mother - is there a connection or affinity here also to the power of the land on which the Prison sits that was forged through this process?

Regarding Nesta's bargain tattoo, which was an eight pointed star, the symbol of the Starborn power and its people - is the Mother (Urd in Midgardian parlance) the source of bargain magic in Prythian? As Bryce asks to Nesta - Why was Nesta's bargain tattoo with Cassian an eight pointed star? And also, why do the Illyrians (who were created by the Daglan but led by their ancester Enalius in alliance with the Fae in defeating those same Daglan) have a sword technique and sequence that takes this shape too? And what do any of these details have to do with 1) Gwydion and its Making in the Cauldron, and/or 2) Nesta and HER Making in the Cauldron?

And don't think I've forgotten about Elain - the longtime question of What happened when she went in the Cauldron? remains but with the added layer of how her own experience in the Cauldron and its gifting of Seer powers may or may not be similar or different to not only how the ancient Fae Made objects were imbued with power but also how her sister Nesta was imbued with (that same?) power?

Put differently, is this newborn star imagery (experience?) of Nesta and the Cauldron unique to Nesta because of the amount (and kind) of raw power she took, or is it shared among all humans who have been immersed in the Cauldron (of which we know of three - Nesta, Elain, and Briallyn, though Briallyn is now Unmade - and Jurian we can assume was brought back using the Cauldron with his eye but from what we can tell he has come back human and not Fae, and so we can presume while he was brought back from a terrible half existence, he wasn't Made, at least we have no evidence he has been...)

I'm just really, really interested in the following puzzle pieces:

-Gwydion, Truthteller, and the Trove were Made in the Cauldron

-Nesta and Elain were also Made in the Cauldron, but when Nesta was made she stole raw power from the essence of the Cauldron itself, enough to disable it for a time

-This transfer of power from the Cauldron to Nesta reminds me of how Silene talks about the power of the ancient Fae of Prythian including the Starborn power, and the material way Theia's Star power gets divided into three parts that are reunited by Bryce but that had actual physical locations for thousands of years (pointing out as well that the Cauldron has also always had a physical, material location throughout history)

-The Mother gifted Nesta with some of the power she had stolen then offered back in a bargain to save Feyre - we see that gifted power in action in HOFAS to great effect

-Nesta's bargain tattoo with Cassian was the symbol of the Staborn people and their power and also the symbol of an Illyrian sword technique

-Bryce, Starborn Heir, thinks these things connect Nesta to Gwydion, which was Made by the Cauldron just like Nesta was and which can be wielded by those who possess the Starborn power in some capacity

-Nesta can move through the wards in the Prison in a way no one else in Prythian seems to be able to, and in a way Bryce (Starborn line descendent) could too

I'm not going to actually predict any concrete theories from all of this. But we also know SJM committed to the existence of a multi-verse when KoA was published, after which HOEAB was published, followed by ACOSF....lots of time to think through how she was going to describe Nesta stealing power from the Cauldron in this scene.

I think there's meaning in this ACOSF prologue we are only just beginning to understand, about what the consequences of this tangling between Nesta and the Cauldron will in fact be. 💫

(And, it's the year of our Lord 2024 and there are new things to write and think about Nesta and the Cauldron - what a time to be alive 💃)

[princessofmerchants]

Cassian dreaming of Gwydion and foreshadowing Ataraxia and his own HEA 😭🙌🏻

[Cassian observing Ataraxia on Rhys's desk]

"The great sword's hilt was a simple cross guard, the pommel a rounded bit of metal.

Gwydion, the last of the magic swords, had been dark as night and as beautiful.

How many games had Cassian played as a child with Rhys and Azriel, where a long stick had been a stand-in for Gwydion? How many adventures had they imagined, sharing that mythical sword between them, as they slew wyrms and rescued damsels?

Never mind that Rhys's particular damsel had slain a wyrm herself and rescued him instead."

—ACOSF, ch. 42

My absolute favorite HOFAS spoiler after the break as I lose my mind over this moment in ACOSF after having read HOFAS 🥹

I am screaming at how this moment is in ACOSF, Nessian's book — then cut to HOFAS where Cassian's badass mate Nesta slays a damned wyrm with the same magical sword he's looking at here (which she herself Made by the way 💁🏼‍♀️), the same one that makes him think of Gwydion, which in fact is in his very same mate's possession by the end of HOFAS 😭🙌🏻‼️

All the times I read this before HOFAS, there was always something kind of bittersweet and sad about the way Cass's train of thought here ends on Rhys and Feyre and how badass his High Lady is, and how grateful Cass clearly is for the way she saves his brother by loving him...

I always assumed SJM was partly leaning into the fairytale trope of dragon slaying by looking back to that very first book in the series where she brought the Middengard Wyrm onto the page and used it to further characterize her main heroine at the time, Feyre.

Little did we know SJM, with this moment in ACOSF, was also pointing to the future and, for Cassian in particular, creating an echo simultaneously forward and back in time to when his own mate would go on to not only slay the same kind of wyrm, but would do it wielding the immense power of the very same new magical sword, Ataraxia, on the table before him — and only because he loves her and trains her to wield it 😭🙌🏻

Cass is filled with such longing in this moment. I'm floored in the most amazing SJM-induced way that this longing ABSOLUTELY gets fulfilled.

And again, in past readings of ACOSF that fulfillment was legible in part by how at the end of ACOSF Nes finally claims Cass as her mate then literally saves him when she erupts and Un-Makes Briallyn, in whose thrall he is trapped. That was always amazing enough, a beautiful HEA in its own right.........

BUT TO THIS CASS OF ACOSF CH. 42 I SAY: YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF THE RICHES OF DREAMS FULFILLED YOUR HAPPILY EVERY AFTER WITH NESTA HAS IN STORE 😭 JUST YOU WAIT MY DUDE

(Can you even imagine how Cassian must have felt, what his reaction was when Nesta came home after her adventures with Bryce in the tunnels under Prythian, and he learned what Nesta did to that wyrm with Ataraxia? He must have melted into a mated puddle of goo to the tune of "That's my fucking mate, y'all!" 🥹)