#acotar6

[snowdropflowers]

Elain is not in love with Lucien and does not want her.

Elain is in love with Azriel and wants her.

Ok. Now.

We don't have Elain's perspective yet. We don't know who he is in love with and who he wants. There is no need to make such big sentences when you haven't read Elain's perspective yet.

There are many things that E/riels forget. That Elain is in love with Graysen. We don't know how Elain feels about Graysen right now. SJM likes to take her characters around before mate. Example.

Aelin - Sam, Dorian, Chaol ➡️ Rowan

Chaol - Lithaen, Aelin, Nesryn ➡️ Yrene

Feyre - Isaac, Tamlin ➡️ Rhysand

Nesta - Tomas(Asshole!), One night stands ➡️ Cassian

Bryce - Reid, Connor ➡️ Hunt

Now you're telling me SJM won't do this for Elain?

Feyre was in love with Tamlin, so she went under the mountain. How many times did she say "I love you" to Tamlin and how many times did she have sex with him?But at the end of the day, Rhys and her are mates and they have a son. And it was clear from the first book that it would be with Rhys. This did not change in the second book. SJM left easter eggs in the first book that she will be with Rhys. SJM also dropped a bunch of easter eggs for Elucien and Gwynriel. You just need to read the necessary subtexts.

He left easter eggs in all his books for all his characters. You just have to read the subtexts.

My advice to E/riels is that they should read all 16 books of SJM. And they need to read books by other authors. They should put aside the idea of ​​three sisters and three brothers and read it again. Their only thoughts are these three sisters and three brothers. They don't think about anything else.

I always say it and I will say it again. There is only sexual attraction and lust between Elain and Azriel. There is no romance or chemistry.

[heyovivi]

Guys. SJM is leaving us clues to who the next book about…

These color combos only mean one thing…

Azris confirmed. I see you SJM ❤️💙

[illusionovertime]

Haven’t seen anyone really mention this on Tumblr, so here I am putting on my clown mask hoping for an announcement soon teehee

SJM’s website has been updated with a “Reading Guide” section under her About header. It lists all her books and series in pub order (TOG, ACOTAR, CC). Then, at the end of the page it has this lil’ tidbit about following her insta to find out what’s coming next.

me thinks announcement soon??

Jkjk, unless👀

Info: tagging all ships for visibility, pls no fighting I don’t post like ever and just wanna engage in our collective delulu

[xxvalkyriesxx]

I haven’t read A Song of Ice and Fire but if The Winds of Winter releases before the next ACOTAR I’m going to cry.

[starsreminisce]

Elucien’s book is next.

I mentioned before that there is something that needed to be established in HOFAS before it can move forward in ACOTAR, and after reading it, I believe it’s the timeline and the mask, which both of them actually point to Elucien.

Of course, I also don't really care whose book comes next but these are just my thoughts as usual. I ship both so I'm winning regardless of who comes first.

Elriel's sank, time to start the grieving process.

December was when Nesta defeated Lanthys, and seven months have passed, which means that it would be around July when Bryce crashed into their world. Two major holidays pass, which are Calanmai and Summer Solstice, events headcanonned to be associated with Elucien.

SJM usually likes having mates be together within three months. Feyre was rescued by Mor in February, and she accepted the mating bond in early May. Nesta and Cassian had their bond snapped in December, and she accepted it in March. So if the next ACOTAR were to start right around Nessian's mating ceremony (probably during the reception, let's be real), then going from March to help with Spring, bring the magic back to Calanmai, to Elain accepting during Summer Solstice does line up with the other two mating bonds.

Tamlin also described Summer Solstice as when fae get to celebrate being fae, which is perfect for Elain, who had been struggling to come to terms with being fae and the implications of Lucien being declared as the Day Court heir on the longest day of the year.

Secondly, the mask. The mask was a huge part of HOSAB and ACOSF. We got more insights from Nesta about how she felt when she wore it, as well as Bryce. Rigelus also told Bryce about the effect it has on one's soul. Helion had a line about the mask, mentioning that he was more affected by it than the others were. Additionally, one of Lucien's few appearances in ACOSF was about its current owner:

Helion shuddered, and Nesta threw the cloth over the Mask. As if the cloth somehow blinded it to their presence. “Perhaps an ancestor of mine once used it, and the warning of its cost is imprinted upon my blood.” ... Lucien’s mechanical eye clicked. His face tightened as Nesta threw a spectacular left hook into the wood beam. It shuddered with the impact. “I wonder if there are some things that should not be awoken,” he murmured. Cassian cut him a glare. “Mind your own business, fireling.” Lucien just watched Nesta attack, his golden skin a little pale.

Yes, Bryce also grabbed Truth-Teller, and its surprising origins about Enalius, and how he was a creation of the Asteri/Daglan, and how he betrayed them, but it wasn't as talked about as the mask was. There had to be an incident from when Nesta wore the mask to save Feyre to her being yelled at for using it, even Azriel yelled at her for. I think this would be a subplot in the next ACOTAR, but it will be a disservice for Gwynriel to explore it since it's more tied into Nesta.

Gwynriel ties are more on time-traveling and other worlds, so it doesn't make sense to me for them to explore what that entails when their world is still struggling to be at peace.

However, there is someone else that Nesta does have to make peace with or rather Elain would have to start reassessing her boundaries with. If Nesta had to work through her feelings towards Feyre and what her love means to her and the attitude bestowed on her, Elain would need to reassess Nesta's overprotectiveness and whether it's healthy for her to do so.

I don't think the mask is going to be huge but rather a device for Elain and Nesta to settle their issues, the same way Feyre's pregnancy was used for Nesta and Feyre. How that comes about is still murky. Remember that Elain was barred from searching the trove items so it can be about its innate darkness as it's created by the Asteri, a vision she cautioned to Nesta that she channeled from Lucien, something Lucien will actually try to protect his mate from. Lucien will play a part in it, but it's Elain who will tackle it.

Currently, they would need to fix Spring, Autumn, and sign the treaty. The treaty can't be signed when the human queens are stirring up trouble. Lucien is intimately connected to all three of those, a big reason why Rhys intervened in Az's BC, and Elain has been alluded to Spring and was huge in the human social scene before she was Made, which could play a part in how she assists Lucien.

It's clear that Rhys prefers to wage one war at a time, and he was not happy with the idea of anotherworldly threat, which makes me feel like the Prythian threats are dealt with thanks to Elain and Lucien, but they would now have to contend with the threat on the continent.

I still think Koschei would be a group effort to defeat, especially with the implications that he is not of this world, has been wanting to get out, the black box is a key to defeating him, but I doubt that it's the thing to kill him.

But I also have a feeling that, with a line from Vassa saying that the Queens have dealt with worse evils than Koschei, so I wonder if it's a switch and bait where it was the Queens all along trying to get assistance to overthrow their fae overlords. It's like what Mor said, why wage a war if they can't win, and well, wars are won by the people with bigger guns.

These are my thoughts. I'm not here to argue or dismiss. It's perfectly acceptable if Gwynriel's book comes next because it follows a progression post-HOSAB. Now that they are aware of otherworldly threats, there's a possibility that they continue dealing with these issues, with Gwyn serving as a support system for Nesta following the events related to the mask. Azriel could also have an opportunity to appreciate his Illyrian identity, considering he has been the one most against it.

Why isn't this an Elriel subplot? Because Elain may not be the one to guide Azriel in accepting who he is, especially when she has only been fae for a couple of years – the same amount of time Lucien has been living among humans. If anyone can help Azriel with self-acceptance, it might be Gwyn, given her mixed heritage, including a background that may be seen as unsavory, considering the treatment of water wraiths.

[tinysassquatch]

Some ACOTAR 6 theories are wild. SJM plz hurry up the fandom got too much time on their hands.

[nikethestatue]

I have not included Rhys, Feyre,, Elain, Azriel, Nesta because I don't think they have any chance of dying. Therefore, I concentrated only on characters who have a realistic chance of being killed off.

[silverlinedeyes]

The connection to the swans is really interesting, and makes me think of Vassa and the girls Koschei cursed.

For a long time, many of us including @mrspettyferr have assumed Vassa’s story might be a retelling of the Wild Swans (other versions are the Six Swans or the Seven Ravens).

We already knew that both Mor and Vassa were queens, and that they’re connected to the continent. And they both either have or could have a bird form (given that the Morrigan has a crow form in mythology). Mor’s connection to swans in mythology gives us even more evidence that Mor’s story will be connected to Vassa’s. (Is it possible that Vassa was inspired in part by the Perchta, and Mor by the Morrigan, but they are essentially two halves of the same thing?)

For a long time, I’ve wondered if ACOTAR6 could be a ToD-style book that actually follows two couples—Mor and her love interest (Emerie?), and Lucien and Vassa. I’ve also wondered if ACOTAR5 will end with Koschei getting free and capturing both Mor and Vassa and taking them with him.

This post, and the continuing connections between Mor and Vassa, make me think more and more that ACOTAR6 is going to tell Mor, Lucien, and Vassa’s stories.

The Morrigan Part II.

This is a continuation of my post The Morrigan. In that post I talked about how Mor could be the High Queen. In this post we are gonna talk about her connection to Wild Hunt.

I went to look a the Morrigan's wiki page and found this.

It has also been suggested that she was closely linked to the fianna, and that these groups may have been in some way dedicated to her. These were "bands of youthful warrior-hunters, living on the borders of civilized society and indulging in lawless activities for a time before inheriting property and taking their places as members of settled, landed communities." If true, her worship may have resembled that of Perchta groups in Germanic areas.

we are gonna talk about two things in here -- Fianna and Perchta.

Fianna:

while I was writing my Wild Hunt post I found out that Fionn and Fianna are the wild hunt in Ireland.

and We have a Fionn in Acotar.

Rhys’s eyes flicked to Ataraxia, then to Cassian. “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” His face tightened. “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.”

So the Morrigan is linked to Fianna which is the wild hunt and we have a Fionn in acotar who has the same name of the leader of wild hunt.

now onto...

Perchta:

Perchta or Berchta (English: Bertha), also commonly known as Percht and other variations, was once known as a goddess in Alpine paganism in the Upper German and Austrian regions of the Alps. Her name may mean "the bright one" (Old High German: beraht, bereht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz) and is probably related to the name Berchtentag, meaning the feast of the Epiphany. Eugen Mogk provides an alternative etymology, attributing the origin of the name Perchta to the Old High German verb pergan, meaning "hidden" or "covered". Perchta is often identified as stemming from the same Germanic goddess as Holda and other female figures of Germanic folklore (see Frija-Frigg). According to Jacob Grimm and Lotte Motz, Perchta is Holda's southern cousin or equivalent, as they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts" and appear during the Twelve Days of Christmas, when they oversee spinning.

so she is connected to Holda(keep the red highlighted Frija/Frigg part in mind we are gonna talk about that) and with that they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts"

We have beasts in acotar, in Wild Hunt actually.

“Oh, I do not think so,” Lanthys seethed. “I rode in the Wild Hunt before you were even a scrap of existence, witch from Oorid. I summoned the hounds and the world cowered at their baying. I galloped at the head of the Hunt, and Fae and beast bowed before us.”

“We shall rebuild to what we were before the golden legions of the Fae cast off their chains and overthrew us. We shall resurrect the Wild Hunt and ride rampant through the night. We shall build palaces of ice and flame, palaces of darkness and starlight. Magic shall flow untethered again.” Nesta could see the portrait Lanthys wove into the air around them. She saw herself on a black throne, a matching crown in her unbound hair. Enormous onyx beasts—scaled, like those she’d seen on the Hewn City’s pillars—lay at the foot of the dais. Ataraxia leaned against her throne, and on her other side … Lanthys sat there, his hand laced through hers. Their kingdom was endless; their palace built of pure magic that lived and thrived around them. The Harp sat behind them on an altar, the Mask, too, but the golden Crown wasn’t there.

“The Daglan delighted in terrorizing the Fae and humans under their control. The Wild Hunt was a way to keep all of us in line. They’d gather a host of their fiercest, most merciless warriors and grant them free rein to kill as they pleased. The Daglan possessed mighty, monstrous beasts—hounds, they called them, though they didn’t look like the hounds we know—that they used to run prey to ground before they tortured and killed them. It’s a terrible history, and much of it might be elaborated myths.” “The hounds looked like the beasts in the Hewn City,” Nesta said quietly.

so Hounds/beasts= The Wild Hunt and through Pertcha The Morrigan is connected to the "guardian of the beasts"

moving on...

This next part is interesting.

In some descriptions, Perchta has two forms; she may appear either as beautiful and white as snow like her name, or as elderly and haggard. In many old descriptions, Perchta had one large foot, sometimes called a goose foot or swan foot. Grimm thought the strange foot symbolized her being a higher being who could shapeshift to animal form. He noticed that Bertha with a strange foot exists in many languages (Middle German "Berhte mit dem fuoze", French "Berthe au grand pied", Latin "Berhta cum magno pede", Italian " Berta dai gran piè", title of a medieval epic poem of Italian area): "It is apparently a swan maiden's foot, which as a mark of her higher nature she cannot lay aside...and at the same time the spinning-woman's splayfoot that worked the treadle".In the Tyrol she appears as little old woman with a very wrinkled face, bright lively eyes, and a long hooked nose; her hair is disheveled, her garments tattered and torn.

I talked about Swan maiden in my Seidr post.

In myths Frejya/Frigg(remember the red highlighted part) has seidr magic and Freyja also has:

Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, is accompanied by the boar Hildisvíni, and possesses a cloak of falcon feathers.

And swan maidens:

The swan maiden is a mythical creature who shapeshifts from human form to swan form. The key to the transformation is usually a swan skin, or a garment with swan feathers attached. In folktales of this type, the male character spies the maiden, typically by some body of water (usually bathing), then snatches away the feather garment (or some other article of clothing), which prevents her from flying away (or swimming away, or renders her helpless in some other manner), forcing her to become his wife.

So they have a "swan skin" with swan feathers which helps them shapeshift.

The question is...is Mor going to turn into a bird like the girls in Koschei's lake? Is she connected to Vassa? And more interesting thing is that in myths The Morrigan can shapeshift--into a crow.

The Morrígan is described as the envious wife of The Dagda and a shape-shifting goddess, while Badb and Nemain are said to be the wives of Neit. She is associated with the banshee of later folklore.

The Dagda...The Daglan in acotar who has the hounds and they had the Wild Hunt....

The Morrígan is mainly associated with war and fate, especially with foretelling doom, death, or victory in battle. In this role she often appears as a crow, the badb.

and lastly from Pertcha's page.

According to Jacob Grimm (1882), Perchta was spoken of in Old High German in the 10th century as Frau Berchta and thought to be a white-robed goddess who oversaw spinning and weaving, like the myths of Holda. He believed she was the feminine equivalent of Berchtold, and was sometimes the leader of the Wild Hunt.

Now I'm gonna talk more about Mor connection to Wild Hunt in acotar and some connections.

While talking about the hounds I took Lanthys's quotes. He was a part of the Wild Hunt.

“Oh, I do not think so,” Lanthys seethed. “I rode in the Wild Hunt before you were even a scrap of existence, witch from Oorid. I summoned the hounds and the world cowered at their baying. I galloped at the head of the Hunt, and Fae and beast bowed before us.”

But what is Lanyths actually? Cassian gives us this information. He is a First God.

Cassian took a bite of food. A good sign that this, at least, was acceptable territory. “When you lived in the human world, you had legends of the dread beasts and faeries who would slaughter you if they ever breached the wall, didn’t you? Things that slithered through open windows to drink the blood of children? Things that were so wicked, so cruel there was no hope against their evil?” The hair on her neck rose. “Yes.” Those stories had always unnerved and petrified her. “They were based on truth. Based on ancient, near-primordial beings who existed here before the High Fae split into courts, before the High Lords. Some call them the First Gods. They were beings with almost no physical form, but a keen, vicious intelligence. Humans and Fae alike were their prey. Most were hunted and driven into hiding or imprisonment ages ago. But some remained, lurking in forgotten corners of the land.” He swallowed another mouthful. “When I was nearing three hundred years old, one of them appeared again, crawling out of the roots of a mountain. Before he went into the Prison and confinement weakened him, Lanthys could turn into wind and rip the air from your lungs, or turn into rain and drown you on dry land; he could peel your skin from your body with a few movements. He never revealed his true form, but when I faced him, he chose to appear as swirling mist. He fathered a race of faeries that still plague us, who thrived under Amarantha’s reign—the Bogge. But the Bogge are lesser, mere shadows compared to Lanthys. If there is such a thing as evil incarnate, it is him. He has no mercy, no sense of right or wrong. There is him, and there is everyone else, and we are all his prey. His methods of killing are creative and slow. He feasts on fear and pain as much as the flesh itself.”(acosf)

So we learn quiet a few things from this quote.

Lantys is a first god.

First gods were near-primordial beings who existed before the High Fae split into courts, before the high lords.

They were beings with almost no physical form, but a keen, vicious intelligence.

But some First gods remained, lurking in forgotten corners of the land.”

Now how this connects to Mor? The Mor's acofas chapter.

In Mor's chapter we have this:

But Mor scented nothing, saw nothing. The tendril of power she speared toward the woods revealed only the usual birds and small beasts. A hart drinking from a hole in an iced-over stream. Nothing, except—.There, between a snarl of thorns. A patch of darkness. It did not move, did not seem to do anything but linger. And watch. Familiar and yet foreign. Something in her power whispered not to touch it, not to go near it. Even from this distance. Mor obeyed. But she still watched that darkness in the thorns, as if a shadow had fallen asleep amongst them. Not like Azriel’s shadows, twining and whispering. Something different. Something that stared back, watching her in turn. Best left undisturbed. Especially with the promise of a crackling fire and glass of wine at home. “Let’s take the short route back,” she murmured to Ellia, patting her neck. The horse needed no further encouragement before launching into a gallop, turning them from the woods and its shadowy watcher. Over and between the hills they rode, until the woods were hidden in the mists behind them. What else might she see, witness, in lands where none in the Night Court had ventured for millennia?(acofas)

She sees a shadows... and what we know about the first gods? with almost no physical form.

It stares back at her, watching her...and what we know about the first gods? but a keen, vicious intelligence.

She was in the lands where none in the Night Courth had ventured for Millennia... what we know about the first gods? lurking in forgotten corners of the land.

Did she saw a First God? Are there more like it? Why mor was the one to see it? This is where her connection to Wild Hunt comes from? She is connected to Wild Hunt? Maybe she is going to be the leader of the Wild Hunt?

Let's not forget that in Wild Hunt myth there are valkyries.

The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif occurring across various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by a ghostly or supernatural group of hunters engaged in pursuit. The leader of the hunt is often a named figure associated with Odin in Germanic legends, but may variously be a historical or legendary figure like Theodoric the Great, the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag, the dragon slayer Sigurd, the WelshpsychopompGwyn ap Nudd, biblical figures such as Herod, Cain, Gabriel, or the Devil, or an unidentified lost soul or spirit either male or female. The hunters are generally the souls of the dead or ghostly dogs, sometimes fairies, valkyries, or elves.

and Mor in acosf suggested that she might join them.

Mor’s brows bunched. “So you really are learning Valkyrie techniques.” Nesta nodded. They’d been so busy during their dancing lessons that the details of training hadn’t come up. Mor grinned. “You mind if I start joining you once this business with Vallahan is over? I never got to train with the Valkyries before the first War, and after it, they were all gone.”

So Mor as the leader of the Wild Hunt?

[rosenecklaces]

Elain book 2025 release I'm calling it

[snowdropflowers]

ACOTAR I will share my thoughts, you can agree or disagree with me, it is up to you, I don't care, I don't care if I get lynched.

• First of all, I don't see Nesta and Elaini as part of the IC. Especially because Nesta keeps saying that she doesn't answer to Rhys and Feyre and that she's not his High Lord and that's why I don't see her as part of the IC.

• I never liked IC, and when I read ACOSF I hated them completely. I understand why they are not liked in Prythian, frankly there is nothing to like about them and I wouldn't like them either. They are so obnoxious, judgmental, repulsive, and favoritist that I have a nervous breakdown every time I read their scenes. Lucien in ACOWAR and Nesta and Eris in ACOSF act like shit. As if these three killed their parents, as if they are the best. They're not even the last ones to judge Nesta, they eat shit and judge Nesta's sex life and so many other things. It's disgusting that they favor Elaini and know Nesta badly. There is only one wrongdoer here and it's their mom and dad and no one else. If Nesta is wrong, Elain is just as wrong, there is no need to favor someone here. I am so full of this subject that I can't even write about it.

• It's 99% IC's fault that Nesta and Elain are High Fae. Nesta and Elain have every right to be angry with them.

• Elain tells IC why Nesta is dancing. When I read this scene, I was so angry that I wanted to go into the book and beat Elain. This is Nesta's special. He can tell it himself if he wants. Why are you telling the IC that?

• I think Elain will betray IC to be human.

• From ACOTAR to ACOSF I thought and still think that Elain is an unnecessary character. His only qualification is to help kill the King of Hybern and I have never seen him do anything else. You can disagree with me on this but this is my opinion.

Oh, it felt good to get it off my chest.

[starsreminisce]

*knock knock knock* helllllooo, my tarot reading friend. so, I did a little three card pull for the timing of an announcement and I got the two of pentacles, the moon and the chariot. I asked for clarification if there’ll be announcement by the end of September and got the moon again lmao. I’m kind of interpreting it like they’re uncertain, but it could be sooner than we think? Long story short, I think they’re actively deciding right now when there will be an announcement.

How would you interpret this? Lmao.

Hello hello! All opinions, no facts here all for entertainment purposes only!

They’ll either need to strike a balance or weigh their options (Two of Pentacles) over something we aren’t aware of (Moon) in order to move forward (Chariot).

The Moon always represents something hidden or unknown to me, so its appearance before the Chariot, which signifies progress, and again as a clarifier, suggests there's a significant factor we haven't considered that is currently blocking their path. However, I agree that they are deciding on the timing of an announcement, and there are a lot of moving pieces involved.

Your deck could also be hinting that the announcement will be close to a new moon or full moon, or even within a lunar cycle, so about a month to get progress.

Astrologically, Saturn is currently in retrograde in Pisces, where she has her natal Sun, Venus, and Jupiter. With the upcoming Mercury Retrograde in August, it's plausible she’ll be using this period for reviewing the draft, gearing up for an early September announcement.

Alternatively, we might get a surprise announcement next week to kickstart the review process, or it could happen before August ends since it'll be a month from today. (if the swifties were indeed clowning over Rep TV announcement mid August lmfao)

Either way, it feels like they're ironing out something, and once that's settled, it will be go time.

Hope this was helpful! Thank you again for asking!

[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.

[lordofhaterism]

Discussions about elain and azriels endgames in ACOTAR6 will always be funny cause a lot of it is based on the idea that like. SJM. Is good at writing

[coeurdelain]

Do gwynriels know how illogical they sound when they say that Az and Gwyn are mates and then, say the next book is about them ?

It’s simply impossible because if you think that the bonus chapter shows that Gwyn and Az are mates, their book CAN’T be the next one.

And this is why :

This interview is from a court of frost and starlight special edition.

In this interview SJM said she knows who the next book is about after Nesta and Cassian but for the last novel and the last novella, she’s keeping the door open. So, at this time, she only knew what she wanted to write after Nesta and Cassian.

So, if it was Gwynriel and Elucien who were endgame because they are mates, SJM wouldn’t have said that she leaves the door open for other ideas, because the last novel would be about Lucien and Elain, so she would have known who the last book is about. Especially knowing that Elain is the only one with a book confirmation since 2015. So, of course, if Elain was the last novel with Lucien, SHE WOULD HAVE KNOW.

It’s not even a question about ships, but it’s about Elain’s book being the next one. If you think that Gwynriel are mates, you CAN’T say the next book is about Gwyn and Az. It’s also why I think Gwyn and Azriel are not mates. Because in a interview for acosf, she said that when she was writing ACOWAR, she told to her editor her plans for Nesta, Cassian, Elain, Mor and Azriel. And that’s the reason why we have three more books.

So, she already knew who was Azriel’s LI. She had plans for him. And Gwyn didn’t even exist yet. And that’s why it’s clear to say that Gwyn was only brought to be Nesta’s friend. SJM had finished writing ACOFAS but she still didn't know about Gwyn. She didn’t have Gwyn in her mind when she wrote ACOFAS. There was no book planned for Gwyn, there was no LI for Gwyn and no mating bond for Gwyn. If in her plans, Gwyn and Azriel was supposed to be mates, she couldn't have said that she leaves the door open to other ideas, she would have no choice but to write about them.

Because, once again, if it was Gwynriel (ACOTAR5) and Elucien (ACOTAR6), SHE WOULD HAVE KNOW who the last book is about. But no, at this point, she had no idea who the last novel will be about. The only thing she knows for sure while she was writing ACOFAS is Elain will have a book like a sister.

In conclusion, it makes no sense at all if you think that Gwyn and Azriel are mates and then, say that the next book is about them. You can’t have both. If you think they are mates, then it will be the last novel and not the next one.

Like ship whoever you want but denying the fact that the next book is about Elain is crazy.

Even if I actually know why some people still don’t want to accept that Elain’s book is next. It means that Azriel is Elain’s love interest. So they are the real endgame. Because SJM said that she was excited to write about Azriel’s journey but never said anything about Lucien’s journey.

You can make your own interpretation of the books if you want, but you can't deny what SJM herself says.

And a friendly reminder that SJM didn’t change her plans. She confirmed it during the ACOSF’s tour.

I made this post because sometimes I see people with a lot of confidence say « Gwyn and Az’s book is next and they are mates ». And I’m just shocked because why are you so confident when everything shows that it's not possible ?

(I did a lot of repetition and mistakes in this post so I feel the need to precise that english is not my first language)

[stardustnfreckles]

Enough about ship wars or wondering who’s pov we’ll get in ACOTAR6

Bryce is the only one that’s asking the right questions

SPOILER HOFAS

.

.

• How come TT, a literal legendary blade, that belonged to Fionn himself is in Azriel’s possession?

But most importantly

WHAT DOES AZ KNOW THAT WE DON’T? who’s Enalius??

Mr. I never lose at cards cause Lady Gaga wished she had my poker face “let out a small noise of shock” and we don’t talk about it?

I think he figured something out. He connected the dots. I also think it goes back to the time he spent working for Rhysand’s father. We know he wanted to keep Rhys, Cass and Azriel apart because he was scared of how powerful they were together, he sent his own son away but kept Azriel cause he knew how rare and precious his set of skills is. I can’t wait to see how working for him affected azriel but also what he learned in the meantime.

[snowdropflowers]

When the new ACOTAR book comes out, all hell will break loose.