#acotar5 spoilers

[athena-85]

Reflection upon coming back to the ACOTAR fandom after a couple months🤔

Ever since Sara J Mass’ TIME magazine interview I’ve noticed that the side of the fandom who are basing their predictions on their wants and emotions (Gwynr*els and Eluc*ens) has been very LOUD.

As if saying saying their feelings about what they WANT to happen will either change the current ACOTAR canon or speak their “ship” into existence ( when it never was even on the table for SJM)

Unfortunately, In response to their uproar, the side of the fandom that is heavily based on Canon, progression of the plot, and information the author has given us in interviews(the ELRIELS) , has been trying to defend themselves/ their theories. 

I get the need/want to have discussions on the Internet to refute the insanity that is happening on the other side. But in my opinion, the article was proof of who’s the next MC and who their counterpart will be.

There is NO debate anymore.

It may be better for us to just focus on the positives and what may happen, in terms of the plot.

We already know what’s NOT going to happen👀

We need to stop fuelling their insanity by ignoring them

[athena-85]

I don’t see any mention of the certain SIREN in any of these articles 👀.

Let’s think about this quote for a sec:

Who is the next book about…

“I thought it was pretty obvious.”

Now keeping that in mind, let’s see what happens when you google “Who is the next ACOTAR book about?”

Time Magazine:

“Maas has already announced that the next book she will publish is the sixth installment in ACOTAR, a highly-anticipated release that many fans suspect will flesh out the stories of Feyre's sister Elain and Azriel, just as A Court of Silver Flames did for Nesta and Cassian.”

Business Insider:

“Although she didn't specify which characters from "ACOTAR" the novel she is writing will focus on, Maas previously said in a February 2021 conversation with Eva Chen that she planned to write a novel focused on Elain Archeron, Feyre's older sister, planting seeds for the book in the last installment in the series, "A Court of Silver Flames," which was about Nesta, the eldest Archeron sister.”

Today:

“There’s a third Archeron sister, Elain, as well as another in Rhysand’s trio of friends, Azriel, whose stories are left to tell. (And Maas did say she plans to explore Azriel more.)”

Screen Rant:

“As far as characters go, it's been repeatedly speculated that the sixth ACOTAR novel will follow Elain and Azriel, Elain and Lucien, or all three.”

Culturess:

“The most obvious choice for the character at the center of the next book would seem to be Elain. She’s the Archeron sister we know the least about, and who probably has the most unanswered questions around her story.”

Fandomwire:

“The story that is yet to be told is that of the youngest*, Elain. This is why it would make sense for Sarah J. Maas to tell her story in her new book.”

Books of Brilliance:

“It’s not official what this new book will be about, but Maas hinted in a previous interview that she was planning on writing a book from the perspective of Feyre’s older sister, Elain Acheron.”

The Every Girl:

“Namely, book five is Feyre’s sister Nesta’s story, and there are rumors (pretty strong ones) that the next book in the series will be Feyre’s other sister’s [Elain’s] story.”

The Mary Sue:

“As for what this next book might be about, Maas has mentioned previously she wanted to focus on Feyre’s older sister Elain in an ACOTAR book.”

These are all the articles, blogs, exclusives, or opinion pieces that talk about who the next book is about that I could find. Now, before anyone gets on me about this, I am aware that these articles have varying levels of credibility and accuracy! If you want to take this with a grain of salt, go ahead.

Some of these articles also mention Nesta, Mor, and Amren but they also always mention Elain. Yet, the apparent “super obvious” Azriel book is never mentioned? In fact, Azriel is only ever mentioned alongside Elain.

So idk, if the author of a book states that she thought something was obvious, and then multiple news sites, blogs, exclusive interviews, opinion pieces, etc. all draw the same or similar conclusions on the topic, I would say that maybe there is some validity to that conclusion.

[bookofmirth]

What could happen to the Prison in acotar5?

As a preview, this post is going to be hella long. It focuses on things we learned primarily on acosf and hofas. It also discusses the Illyrians and the Valkyries, Pegasuses, the 8-pointed star, and the fallout from Avallen being restored by Bryce. 

The tl;dr is that I think that the Valkyries (and potentially some Illyrians) could serve as guardians for the Prison, along with being a neutral political force and army in Prythian, not aligned with a specific court but rather being a balance between them all. 

Before you proceed, be aware that I tend towards analysis of the current content of the books, not theorizing about what will happen in the future, so this may not read like theories that other people in the fandom come up with. A majority of this is facts from the books, with me tying things together to think about the implications.

Part one: what we know based on HOFAS

First, it's helpful to get some context for what we know (for sure) about the Prison:

It was the land of dusk (not a Court in the way Prythian currently has courts).

After the events with Fionn, Theia, Helena, Silene, and Pelias, the land was mostly abandoned.

When Silene returned from Midgard, she created the Prison in order to hide the Harp, using the monsters she put there to deter anyone from looking for it. Silene decided if this place was seen as cursed, then let it be cursed.

We also find out that Silene left her portion of Theia's light under the Prison, which Bryce then took.

There is also a large cache of firstlight remaining under the Prison.

When Bryce used Truthteller and Gwydion/the Starsword to heal Avallen, Pegasuses appeared again.

Avallen and the Prison are in "thin" spots in the universe that make it easy to travel from one planet to the other (fwiw, this idea is not unique to sjm. See: Stephen King.) These spots are identifiable by the mists that surround them.

These thin spots are also on the nexus of ley lines, where energy flows.

It stands to reason that when Bryce "unlocked" Avallen, the energy and magic that it now experiences will flow to other places along the ley lines, IE the Prison. It's also implied that the land keeping the power imprisoned is one of the reasons it grew sick.

Bryce's actions in hofas have implications for Prythian. While the above is related to the Prison, we also have:

Nesta now has possession of the Starsword/Gwydion

Azriel's reaction to Truthteller and the Starsword being together

The 8-pointed star (more on that later)

Part two: what we know based on ACOSF

So based on this information, we need to go back to acosf and look at what sjm left for us. 

The main thing to keep in mind is that Nesta found the Harp in the Prison, and that it was laying on an 8-pointed star. 

One of the main dangling threads from acosf - that we know to be canon, that is not a theory or supposition - is that the Illyrians and the Valkyries are going to continue training together. We know that Mor is interested in training with the Valkyries. From hofas, we know that Nesta is every bit as well trained now as she was in the months since acosf.

Now, there are a couple of partially-fulfilled statements from acosf that I think are relevant here, in addition to Valkyries and Illyrians continuing to train.

The first is the wish that Nesta made on the friendship bracelets. 

"I wish for us to have the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what." (chp 59)

We know that in the Blood Rite, the second half of that wish was fulfilled. The first half has not been fulfilled yet. That gives us very good reason to assume that the first half will be fulfilled.

All three of them, Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn, will go out into the world at some point in the future. 

There is another, much larger implication that was made in acosf:

Nesta smirked. “If we are to be Valkyries born again,” she said, “maybe we should combine the Illyrian and Valkyrie techniques.” She’d meant it in jest, but the words rumbled through the space, as if she’d spoken some great truth, something that made fate sit up. Azriel turned to them fully this time, eyes narrowed. Like those shadows had whispered something to him. A chill breathed down Nesta’s spine. Cassian stared into their faces. Like he beheld something he hadn’t seen there before. (chp 44)

And the later on:

Gwyn whispered, “I am the rock against which the surf crashes.” Nesta straightened at the words, as if they were a prayer and a summons. Gwyn lifted the blade. “Nothing can break me.” Cassian’s throat tightened, and even from across the ring, he could see Nesta’s eyes gleaming with pride and pain. Emerie said, “Nothing can break us.” The world seemed to pause at the words. As if it had been following one path and now branched off in another direction. In a hundred years, a thousand, this moment would still be etched in his mind. That he would tell his children, his grandchildren, Right then and there. That was when it all changed. Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too, had felt the shift. As if he, too, were aware that far larger forces peered into that training ring as Gwyn moved. (chp 60)

SJM used similar phrasing in the same book for which we know the consequences: 

Strike after strike, and Cassian could have sworn the world paused as she unleashed herself with the same intensity she brought to training.

This is when Nesta is Making the weapons, which we find out later is actually a significant moment, not just Cassian being hyperbolic about how great his mate is. Then, when Nesta is using the Mask and Harp to heal Feyre, the world also pauses. This phrasing is used when something important is happening - even if we don't know what the implications are, yet.

Given that we know for sure that the Illyrians and the Valkyries are going to continue training, and there are loose threads because we don't know the implications of fate/the world standing up at Nesta's, Emerie's, and Gwyn's statements and/or actions, there is a very, very good chance that the Valkyries will continue being a big part of acotar. 

My final point about the Valkyries is that in myth, they rode horses through the sky - not Pegasuses because those are from Greek myth, and Valkyries are Norse. But they fly through the sky on horses nonetheless. (This is literally the only piece of evidence I have coming from outside the books.) Pegasuses are connected to Avallen and likely the Prison. We know that Helion keeps some, but they are struggling to breed/thrive. (We also know that sjm loves to take what she wants from myth, so it’s not a stretch to think she’d shrug at the Greek/Norse distinction.)

All of this together tells me that the Valkyries have more story coming, and it is connected to the Illyrians'.

Part three: The 8-pointed star

A common thread between both series is the 8-pointed star. There are a few ways in which it is used:

Nesta and Cassian's bargain tattoo in acosf. They both had this tattoo on them - an Illyrian and a Valkyrie. 

Bryce also has the 8-pointed star on her chest that glows when she is near people who will aid her or who are part of the Starborn line. When she took the piece of Theia's light, it went into her star and powered her up.

The Harp was resting on an 8-pointed star in the Prison, where Silene left it.

In HOFAS, Bryce put Truthteller and Gwydion into the slots of an 8-pointed star in order to revive Avallen.

When training, Cassian teaches the Valkyries the 8-pointed star sequence. This is a series of moves that they make with a sword, and is an Illyrian technique. 

Cassian walked her through eight different cuts and blocks. Each was an individual move, he’d explained, and like the punches, they could be combined. (chp 38) “I’d thought today would be a good day to integrate the eight-pointed star, but if you’re already complaining, we can wait until next week.” (chp 44) Nesta lifted the sword and executed a perfect arcing slash. Her weight shifted to her legs just as she flipped the blade, leading with the hilt, and brought up her arm against an invisible blow. Another shift and the sword swept down, a brutal slash that would have sliced an opponent in half. Each slice was perfect. Like that eight-pointed star was stamped on her very heart. (chp 50)

And finally, at the end of HOFAS, Bryce gives Gwydion to Nesta and tells her to explore the 8-pointed star:

“I think that eight-pointed star was tattooed on you for a reason. Take that sword and go figure out why.”

Note that it’s not just a matter of the star, anymore. Both Cassian and Nesta were tattooed with it; Bryce used Gwydion and Truthteller to activate the star in Avallen. And now, Nesta is in possession of Gwydion with knowledge about the Prison and a connection to the star. There are elements coming together, and those elements are connected to both Illyrians AND Valkyries. 

My thinking is that the 8-pointed star is the symbol of the dusk land, the Starborn Princes in Midgard (Theia) and in Prythian, of the first and only High King. If that land is where the Valkyries will be reborn and where Starborn power is from, and we know it is the source of a huge cache of firstlight, then that star is a symbol of what has been lost - and what is about to be revived.

So now the question is - what part will the Valkyries and Illyrians play?

Part four: What might happen to the Prison?

To sum up the above, and adding on a couple of small points that don’t fit elsewhere:

We know that the Illyrians and Valkyries will continue training

We have very heavy-handed phrasing around the world/fate paying attention to the idea of the Valkyries being reborn and working with Illyrians.

We have the connection between Valkyries, Illyrians, and the 8-pointed star because it is also an Illyrian sword technique that is being taught to the Valkyries.

We know that the Prison is going to go through some changes akin to puberty.

In addition, we have Gwyn being allowed to write the Valkyries into the books she is researching. 

SJM has also said that Nesta’s story is going to continue.

Since we know that the Prison is going to change and there are these characters and groups poised for action - I haven’t even touched on Ramiel and the Illyrians being created by the Dagsteri, Azriel and his connection to Truthteller and Enalius, and his reaction to the TT/Gwydion, and will do that in a separate post - we can make some predictions about how that might look. If it’s going to make sense, sjm has to think beyond the magic system that she has… sort-of established, and past the involvement of individual characters. There are a few things to take into consideration with the Prison.

It is very likely that Pegasuses will return to the island as it is suffused with magic and energy again. 

There are also other, unforeseen magical consequences as the magic flows back into it, thanks to the ley lines being “unblocked” by Bryce. 

It may become easier for people/creatures to travel between worlds, given that it is a thin place that has been "unlocked". 

The Prison is still full of prisoners! They are monsters that Silene gathered to hide the Harp, but... does that mean they just get released? Get slaughtered? Do they now have access to the power of the island? What is going to happen with them? 

The High Lords cannot all be trusted to stay within their own courts, minding their own business. Beron is the most obvious example, as he has his eye on Spring while Tamlin is Suffering. 

If there were another court established, one that sits on a huge reserve of firstlight, that could be a huge point of contention amongst the courts. Even if the High Lords don’t want it for themselves, they wouldn’t want anyone else to have it on the chance that one of them would use it against the others. In acomaf, Rhys explains that the Prison is keyed to his blood and that he has jurisdiction of it; however:

“Do all the High Lords have access?” My words were so soft they were devoured by the dark. Even that thrumming power in my veins had vanished, burrowing somewhere in my bones. “No. The Prison is law unto itself; the island may be even an eighth court. But it falls under my jurisdiction, and my blood is keyed to the gates.” (chp 18)

We don’t know yet what that reserve of firstlight is going to mean for the island.

To me, it makes sense for us to have a more neutral third party come in. One who doesn’t have ties to a specific court, but could act in all of their interests. 

Enter: the newly reformed Valkyries. 

I have had a personal headcanon that the Valkyries, once fully established, could create another political/martial entity in Prythian that can help balance the power between all the courts, and provide support when needed. This is how they worked before, which Cassian talks about in acosf: 

“The Valkyries fought when even the bravest males would not. The Illyrians tried to forget that. I fought against males who were my superiors, arguing to help the Valkyries. They beat me senseless, chained me to a supply wagon, and left me there. When I came to, the battle was over, the Valkyries slain.”

Valkyries and Illyrians don’t have the best history, but given that Cassian tried to help them, and that they are working together now, this could be a way of righting a wrong. It could help to explain why fate/the world is taking note. 

The Valkyrie ethos makes sense for this sort of neutral position, too:

“A clan of female warriors from another territory. They were better fighters than the Illyrians, even. The Valkyrie name was just a title, though—they weren’t a race like the Illyrians. They hailed from every type of Fae, usually recruited from birth or early childhood. They had three stages of training: Novice, Blade, and finally Valkyrie. To become one was the highest honor in their land. Their territory is gone now, subsumed into others.”

An improved Valkyrie force, especially if they continue learning Illyrian techniques and recruiting from women across Prythian, could be a big factor in upcoming conflicts with Kochei or any other villain sjm comes up with. They would ensure that the firstlight would be used fairly, so that no court is advantaged or disadvantaged unfairly. It would continue the threads that sjm has left for us, while also giving us space to explore questions that have yet to be answered (such as Azriel’s connection to Truthteller and Enalius). While I think that Nesta would keep her home in the House of Wind, the Prison island would be a good place from which the Valkyries can work - both guarding the monsters that are there, and keeping the firstlight safe.

I believe that Nesta will be the most important character when it comes to reviving the island; while it is heavily implied that the island is already going to have access to its powers thanks to being impacted by Avallen's healing - it is likely already on its way to healing - Nesta with her connection to the 8-pointed star, the Harp, possession of Gwydion, and the Valkyries can help bring stability to the place.

Thank you a million times to the people who helped me fact check and keep things straight, or just listened to me rant about this: @hellacioushag @lily-thesuriel @elains @aionuel @yazthebookish @fracturedarkness and @/michaelanoelreads on TikTok :) @highqueenmorrigan (Mary I forgot you brought up the sword technique thank you for that!)

[yazthebookish]

Ruhn about Lidia vs Azriel about Elain

I don't even have to analyze the text, this immediately pinpoints to the issue I have with Elriel. Sexual attraction is absolutely normal but what else is there? and that's what we don't see with Az when he thinks about Elain.

It's a very simple thing that could've been mentioned, it doesn't spoil anything but the fact that we didn't is very telling. He doesn't even makes a comment about her joy or smile when he gives her the necklace. We don't get what Az thinks about Elain as a person and that's the issue a lot of readers have with this pairing.

I just found this to be a very interesting example.

[mayi-lau]

Shadows dance and flames dance.🔥

CC3 SPOILER ⛔⛔⛔

No, I don't mean Ruhn and Lidia. Ruhn's shadows don't even peek out when Lidia is present.

I am referring to a certain ship that believes that the powers dancing with each other are proof of the existence of a mate bond and not a recognition of powers that share similarities.

Here I share with you textual evidence of how the powers of characters who are not mates act in the same way as Azriel's shadows. They DANCE.

--The powers (Azriel's shadows) content themselves, respond and DANCE to Gwyn's voice.

--Lydia's powers content, respond, DANCE and even glow with the flames of Irithys.

*Irithys is the queen of the fire elves.

Personally I think the powers act this way because they recognize similarities between them. For example:

▪️ Lydia's powers are fire and so are Irithys'.

▪️ Azriel is shadowSINGER and Gwyn is literally a singer with a particular voice🤔

▪️Nesta's powers answer to Gwyn because Nesta has fire and Gwyn has lineage from the court of autumn(fire) and so on...

Obviously, as we can see, this is NOT an indication of a mate bond.

Sorry for English is not my native language😊

[lost-in-fictionn]

I think Nesta will give Gwydion to Gwyn because,,,,

Everyone needs a weapon that is special (to them or to the whole world, doesn't matter)

The names?? They belong to each other

With Gwydion in Gwyn's hands and Truthteller in Azriel's, the duo will be unstoppable

We know Gwydion is an important part of the next book, and the book will be Az and Gwyn's. Soooo,,,

[highladyjane]

While we're waiting for the announcement, what's your guess for the title of the next acotar book?

Lol, you sneaky nonnie! I've seen this Ask all over my dash today yestereve (I fell asleep writing my response to this)😆 Thank you for letting me join in on the fun!

I've actually had a theory about this hiding somewhere in my drafts for a couple of months now, but I've been too lazy to dig into it because 1. Structured writing, and therefore theories, is not my forte 2. I'm a perfectionist but my mind's messy - so it's all a bit messy, 3. so I might sound like a loony... 4. and I'm too insecure about my thoughts at times to even post about what goes through it 😅

But since you Ask'd... Here's a "shorter" version of that draft, at least:

My theory is that Elain's book will have something to do with ✨️Vines✨️.

Like... A Court of ✨️🌿Golden Vines🌿✨️(which I'm leaning the most towards), ACO Twining Vines, ACO Tangled Vines, ACO Blooming Vines, ACO Shadows and Vines... etc. I'm still trying to figure out where to lay my theory 😅🤣

It may sound very Elucien or even Tamlain, but ✨️Vines✨️ are described as "a plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining or creeps along the ground" which, if you read or search through the books, also hints and applies to the movement of Azriel's shadows in many instances... @wingedblooms absolutely brilliant post that I quite recently came upon, especially supports the 'Twining'... So I think it's the perfect title to confuse people about her endgame 😜

Anyways, to back up my guess/theory...

Elain's scent is of Jasmine (and Honey), which seems to be the bloom of the Night Court 👀, grows as climbing shrubs or ✨️vines✨️. But I'm feeling specifically strongly for the ✨Vines✨ because

Aaaaand because:

1. Ivy is a ✨vine✨ and Sarah has mentioned it in relation to Elain's book in an interview presented at the back of ACOFAS.

2. Nesta's drawer had flames🔥. Elain had...

🌿✨Twining Vines of flowers✨🌿

We often see the beautiful petals (Elain's softness & beauty), but we don't think about the strength, resilience, and foundation of the vines underneath and........ 👇

3. ✨️Vines✨️ symbolise:

Strength & hope & resilience = Elain's quiet strength.

Determination = Elain has shown determination to help in ways she can, but is yet to be given the chance to...

She also has shown a determined disregard and opposition to having a mate...

Connection = Goes well along with my guess on "Golden" or "Twining" Vines which are often used as adjectives in relation to bonds, threads, and even spells.

Also, Elain is an Archeron sister, Cauldron-blessed, and a Seer - connected to basically every plot and possible subplots in the books (The Cauldron ➡️ Ramiel in Illyria ➡️ Made Objects & People ➡️ The Middle & The Prison/Dusk Court ➡️ The Dread Trove ➡️ Koschei ➡️Vassa ➡️The Human Queens etc.🔁); not just for who she is and her Cauldron-given gifts and abilities, but also possibly through her LIs and family. She's the one sister left unexplored and it all leads back to her. She's basically at the beginning (She's the first sister mentioned by Feyre at the beginning of ACOTAR) and in the end (She's the last sister mentioned by Nesta at the end of ACOSF) of everything. So I don't know if that supports her book being next or last...

Life = the meaning of which also applies to her scent of Honey and "Golden" -the colour of (sun)light, honey, her eyes, her hair.

3. ✨️Vines✨️ are also mentioned/connected to the earthen powers described in CC3 that Sathia & Tristan Flynn + Bryce have, which I believe many has already theorised Elain to also have... I quite like those theories (can't remember exactly where I read them as of rn) and would like to believe that it's something the Cauldron has blessed her with since she's associated with gardening and life...

I also read somewhere in a biblical text (which I wasn't too keen to delve into tbh, so don't trust my word for it, but it's Googlable) where ✨️Golden Vine✨️was associated with Life, Rebirth, and Free Will... But if Elain turns out to be the next Messiah/Saviour/Prophet of Prythian, then it's quite perfect 🤷🏻‍♀️

So... that's sort of my take so far 🫣 Hope it makes sense to you, nonnie 😅

What's yours?

[nessianthrowaway]

SJM said on her today show Interview that she’s got the next 4 books planned and here are my predictions on what they are!!

Crescent city novella to wrap up tharion marriage, ithan/Perry, and Ariadne

Two acotar books: one for Azriel and one for elain

One acotar novella for Mor

And that’s what I have to say about that!!!!!!

[athena-85]

But we must not forget there is not one mention of Gw……

Not a word, not a passing phase NOTHING

Mainstream fandom doesn’t know she exists as anything other than Nesta’s friend if they even remember that

Outlets that have talked about Elain’s book being next and/or Elriel

- Business Insider (shared by Bloomsbury)

- Time (the writer spent the week with Sarah leading up to the HOFAS release)

- People Magazine

- Today

And more I can’t even think of off the top of my head. All I know is that when SJM said it was obvious, these publications agreed 🌸

[athena-85]

This will be my last post until after the next acotar comes out.

Elain’s book is next

Elriel is endgame (it’s obvious)

8th court is coming

This book will start the sisters’ healing process

Gwyn will have a similar arc to tamlin (not evil but has other motivations that makes her vulnerable to manipulation)

Sjm is going to throuple Lucien/ Vassa/ jurian

[emmitaaa4]

Minor HOFAS spoilers ig?

The Walmart bonus chapter just leaked and good lord some people need to be for real. I'm so tired of people picking and choosing evidence.

So you're telling me that *gasp* Azriel's shadows seem to dance when he hums?? they react to sound/music?? no way. people from all sides of the fandom have been saying that for years (and use it for different arguments), and looks like ppl are still tying anything they can to feed their ship--which is fine but at least make it somewhat accurate.

The above is the last page of the Az/Bryce/Nesta chapter, and just as a refresher, this is the oh-so controversial phrases from the Az bonus chapter:

"(...) one of his shadows went out to dance with it (gwyn's breath) before twirling back to him. like it heard some silent music." and "(...) he could have sworn a faint, beautiful singing followed him. could have sworn his shadows sang in answer."

I'm confused, which is it? Was the shadow's reaction to her breath & the singing he heard all metaphorical, thereby hinting at a mating bond between gwyn & az (as in "music between souls")? Or was it rather azriel's shadows reacting to a literal sound coming from someone who has arguably been hinted at having some voice/song-related abilities? Because if it is the first, then this new HOFAS excerpt is completely unrelated. Well unless Azriel has a mating bond with himself? pleaseee make it make sense I beg. And if the second is true, it would mean that for someone to be able of making his shadows dance, they'd have to have similar powers as him... its just gonna fuel the lightsinger theories (which btw approx 5 ppl are saying means that gWyn is eViL) so this literally changes nothing. nada. absolument rien.

Oh also.

"He says no partner right now, aka NO FUCKING ELRIEL. ELRIEL IS DEAD." (no hate to whoever posted that btw)

He literally rushes out that answer. Idk about you guys but to me the poor man still seems internally dead over the whole mate existential crisis, which as far as we know was left with him wondering "what if the cauldron was wrong". Sidenote but if I understood correctly, this all happens 2-3 months post acosf and Bryce spends ±5 days in Prythian, so it is very likely that it is all set during Acotar 5, and that the events of HOFAS in general are happening while Az is separated from the other MC (ie. the acotar5 FMC).

Regardless of all I just said, I am going to ask people once again to be for real. cause this whole chapter Azriel keeps glaring at Nes when she is about to reveal too much info, so WHY would he be mentioning Elain (or literally anyone he cares about) to someone who he is said to be highly suspicious of? make it make sense x2

Almost forgot. Last thing.

"Azriel said that Nesta killed the King! He didn't credit Elain!"

... no? for context, this is what Az said:

See my second point above. He told Bryce exactly what Nes did, and nothing more: she beheaded Hybern. We could speculate about what his look at Truthteller made him think of... but tbh I'll leave it to someone else cause perso I dont really see the point.

I am getting tired guys... guess who finally understands what "fandom fatigue" is.

-----quick edit-----

I don't mean to sound hypocritical by tagging ships, cause tbh i dont even wanna put acotar ship tags to this, mais bon c'est la vie et j'en peux plus. this fandom is kind of a mess. Goodnight loves ♡

[athena-85]

Elriel Stakes

Why They’re Important for Endgame

Ever since I read this post by @breaking-shadows a few days ago (you should all read it, it’s amazingly explained and incredibly analyzed!!!), I’ve been aching to add my own two cents from what I know as an aspiring writer, too. @breaking-shadows does a great job of showing you how the Stakes have built up from the start regarding Elriel and I will try to explain, to the best of my capabilities, what Stakes are, a few types of Stakes, how we see them in Elriel, and why that helps me confidently say that Elriel is endgame.

Because I’m not a published author or writing expert, I’m going to cite people who are and attach the links to the pages where I got the info from, in case you’d like to learn more or simply corroborate. This way no one can say I, as a newb, cannot be trusted.

This is going to be a long ass post, you were warned.

“Every story must have stakes. Stakes (especially high ones) keep the plot moving, keep the characters growing and changing, and keep your readers engaged.” – Claire Bradshaw

Keep reading

[bookofmirth]

You don’t have to post this if it could be a spoiler.

“HOFAS also takes place three months after acosf ends, not the nine months that sjm had originally said in an interview. Not sure what the implications of that are yet.”

If Azriel’s book is next then maybe that’s why she did that. I could be wrong, but just a thought.

Editing to add that the comments are full of spoilers so don't read them if you are trying to avoid them <3

100%, absolutely. There are a lot of reasons that I think that Az is even more likely to be next, but the time lapse being less than she initially said is actually one of them.

One of the issues I had before was that it felt like we had all of these urgent issues at the end of acosf:

The Spring Court being without a real leader and being prey to other courts

Eris trying patricide on for size and causing problems in Autumn

The fallout from the Valkyries winning the Blood Rite and potential related Illyrian unrest

Whatever Koschei is up to, probably regrouping after Briallyn was killed I guess

So all of those things just being on the back burner for nine months was a bit ???? to me.

Having less time between acosf and acotar5 means that the issues at the end of acosf do indeed have more urgency, to me. And those issues are relevant to Azriel as spymaster, Valkyrie trainer, and Illyrian.

If you go back to the interview where she said that hofas would be about nine months after acosf, she mentions that Nyx would still be a cute baby, but... we don't see Nyx in hofas, at all. She said that her editors would have to approve that timeline, and if seeing Nyx being cute was her main reason, then that's not a good reason lol.

And a side note, the reason we know it is three months after hofas is because Nesta mentions having killed Lanthys about seven months before. She killed him a month before Solstice, putting the events of hofas in June. acosf ended around March/the beginning of spring. That does mean that Midgard and Prythian are on different timelines, but they are different planets, so. It's either that or she didn't care about making that consistent.

[princessofmerchants]

My prediction about the next four books SJM will publish

I wanted to get this down somewhere, in part to process my angst about the possibility of what may come last in this next cluster of book releases 😫 but also to record the plot and character threads I am seeing as important heading into the next stretch of books SJM will release.

This includes HOFAS, ACOTAR, and TOG spoilers so it's after the break.

DISCLAIMER: These are just my guesses based on various interviews SJM has given both before and after the HOFAS release — THE ONLY SERIES BOOK THAT'S CONFIRMED IN THIS LIST IS ACOTAR5 BEING NEXT, and with that one, the main characters and plot threads I'll mention have also not yet been confirmed (beyond an avalanche of textual evidence 👀)

So, here are my predictions, circa 1.5 weeks after HOFAS was released:

➡️NEXT: ACOTAR5 - Az/Gwyn + Nesta and the Valkyries (which should also include Mor, ideally in a shared storyline with Emerie), Illyria / Ramiel / the Prison (and maybe a return of the pegasuses to Prythian), Gwydion and Truth Teller (not to mention the other two Made blades Nesta forged in ACOSF - also will Narben make an appearance? 👀), and I also think the first part of the Autumn Court drama may be told in this book - the truth about what happened between Mor and Eris, Beron's ongoing treachery, and Beron may die in this book making Eris High Lord (though some of these items may also be in ACOTAR6 instead - I do think the Mor and Eris story needs to come out in ACOTAR5 though, for Az to make peace with his 500 years of pining for her)

➡️FOLLOWED BY: A Throne of Glass crossover book - Shifter Fae + humans, more history and context about when the ancient Erilea Fae world-jumped to Midgard and served the Asteri, a story that creates threads and connections (of some kind, no idea how, and not sure which ToG characters it would entail) to Lidia (deer shifter with fire magic a la Aelin), Tharion (and the Mer as a people - ToG stans, remind me, were there mer in the ToG series at all? I'm pretty sure Rigelus says they hailed from the same world as the wolves and other Midgard shifters - I've read ToG in full but not as closely as ACOTAR and CC), and Ithan (wolf shifter with ice magic a la Dorian)

➡️THEN I AM THINKING: CC4: House of Many Waters - This would be the continuation of the story threads SJM did not resolve or finish by the end of HOFAS: Lidia's "service" to the Ocean Queen (and more RuhnLidia story with Brann and Ace 😍), Tharion/Sathia with Flynn and their earth magic / Avallen and the pegasuses, Ithan as the new Prime of the Wolves (and something with Perry - why did the antidote fade for her so fast?), Firstlight Zero, widespread distribution of the antidote, Ariadne (where did she go??!), and maybe more portal hopping to Prythian for Bryce, Hunt, Ember, and Randall (OH and maybe Ruhn here too, to get him in the same room as Rhys 👀) to further develop the cross-world friendships we saw forming in HOFAS

➡️WHICH MEANS FOURTH IN SJM'S AIRPLANE TAXI LINE WOULD BE (SOBS): ACOTAR6 - Elain/Lucien, Band of Exiles, Firebird retelling, Koschei, the mortal queens, and the conclusion of the big magical conflict that began with the finding of the Dread Trove in ACOSF, not to mention the Archeron sisters finally acknowledging and healing all of their familial baggage that was born from their collective and generational hardships from their time as humans (so Elain also coming to terms with her Seer powers and being Fae / no longer human - also answering the question: What happened when Elain went into the Cauldron?), I also think some of the Autumn Court drama would play out in this story Helion/Lady Autumn and Lucien's heritage (Day Court heir?), as well as more information about Papa Archeron from the time period of ACOWAR when Lucien traveled with him (LOTS of processing complex and problematic parents in this one!)

Again, these are JUST MY IDEAS - the ToG book guess is based on SJM saying after ACOTAR5 she's excited about the world her next book will be in which she implied was not the CC or ACOTAR world, and which will be emotional for her because of "who may pop up" - if that doesn't scream a return to her to the ToG universe then I don't know what would.

Then the 3rd and 4th predictions follow from that 2nd one being ToG and what I think she may focus on in it to add layers to her crossover - which seems like something she would want to do after how much work she's put into it so far.

I think there's a stronger and deeper fanbase for ACOTAR6 than there will be for CC4, so I think that could impact a decision to write and release CC4 first (since us ACOTAR stans would wait decades for the conclusion of that story and still buy a bazillion copies of it).

WHICH MEANS (SOBS), if these books are released one every 1.5 years on average... It may be quite a few years until we get our Elucien book 😭 ACOMAF came out in 2016. It would be PAST 2026 when ACOTAR6 gets released, over 10 years, until we get to see what actually comes of Elain's and Lucien's mating bond, if the above winds up bring true.

I swear, Eluciens are going to get the trophy for longest wait to see these two in their endgame, bless our patient souls 🏆

(There is always a chance the last two in the list will be in reverse order, with ACOTAR6 followed by CC4, but even if that winds up being the case, it would still be three books from now for ACOTAR6.)

[merymoonbeam]

Please make a post about everything you were right about!

hello...of course I can.

so...spoilers for cc3 under read more.

1.Lidia

I was right about her heritage. I guessed(basically joked) that she was from aelin's line from tog. It turned out to be true. I have proof but cant share them here but @silverlinedeyes made a post about alluding to it so I HAVE WITNESSES OKAY. they can back me up on this.

2. Gwydion and TT power being void

my alpha and omega post. and in my giant wild hunt post I connected it to void. I literally guessed this right. MY PRIDE AND JOY.

3. The mist and barren lands being connected to the old fae

again... giant wild hunt post. lm not gonna link it again. it is above.

not straight on point like with tt and gwydion but basically I figured out the mist and land being barren was connected to the "old fae" aka theia and her daughter and in the book their power makes the land barren.

4. daglan = asteri

this was basically everyones theory but still I was right. I dont care. I will count it as much.

look at my wild hunt post. lol. I talk about asteri and daglan as the same thing so thats my proof.

5. The void with cauldron.

In my mystics and seer post I figured out that cauldron had The Void in it. and turns out it was actually that lol. Asteri planted a trigger point to acotar and it is actually void...a blackhole.

these are the main point. like there are a lot of little pieces that were a little bit off so Im not adding those. Im keeping this as straight as possible in terms of theories. and my acotar related theories got even more foreshadowings in this book so if you wanna know them they are linked in my masterlist. we will see what happens with them.

also.......

there are A LOT of thoughts through my rereads that also came true but I didnt make a post about them. so they are only lefts as...thoughts. so I cant show proof that I was right...but with that TT and Gwydion part. nothing can top that. I GUESSED THAT RIGHT.

see you in the next theories...and more confirmed theories in acotar5. FIONN I WILL GET YOU BACK MY KING. MANIFESTING.

[lost-in-fictionn]

Truthteller to Azriel at the end of hofas