#for me it goes ACOMAF ACOFAS ACOTAR ACOWAR and ACOSF

[thecatsaesthetics]

I don’t trust anyone who ranks A Court of Frost and Starlight last in ACOTAR book rankings.

[stargirlie25]

Me through reading all the ACOTAR books.

ACOTAR: Ew Nesta and Elain are so annoying. This is going to be the best series, Feyre is such a baddie! Awww feylin so cute! DAMN LUCIENNN. I know she ends up with Rhysand but im not vibing with him......how can ACOMAF excuse this?

ACOMAF: Ohk feysands kinda cute but i dont think we can justify all that....Oooooo Cassian and azrielllllll! Awww i hope Mor and Azriel gets a book! *Goes to tiktok and finds out mor is gay* damn Azriel.OMG I LOVE NESTA NOWW PERIOD POP OFF SIS MY QUEENNN. Elain is there too. Ooooo Nessian. Elain and Azriel? I mean as long as its not mor! NAHHH GIRL DONT U DARE BLAME LULU BLAME TAMLIN! OMG ELAIN AND LUCIEN???

ACOWAR: Feyre isnt really feyre-ing any more :(.OH HELL NO SCREW IANTHE NO WAY YOU DID THAT TO MY MANSSS!!! MY POOR LULUUU Why feyre lowkey being such a bitach?

Awww Elucien is so tender! LUCIEN AS A MATE AWWEEEE. Damn Nessian making me sqeual. Lucien went away to find the queen from elains vision! OMG. CASSIAN IS SOOO FINEEEE, elriel is lowkey getting boring....Why is she disrespecting tarquin? He has ALL rights to be upset. Ok tamlin in the HL meeting is being pretty annoying and doing nothing but feyre did nothing as well but NESTA ARCHERON THE WOMAN YOU ARE!!!!! WTHHH HELION AND LUCIEN??????? OMG the war!!! NO THE SURIELLL. THE BONE CARVER NOOOO THE WITCH LADY I FORGOT HER NAME BUT NOOOOOO. THE ELAIN. THE FEYRE. THE NESTA. Omg i have no regrets in my life but this.Damn Nessian ur hurting me. NOOO papa arhceron diedddddddddddd. Damn Ok Elain and Nesta king slayers! Oh rhysand died........i know damn well he gonna come back......´´Be happy feyre´´ bawling. Omggg Lucien was besties with papa archeron???? THE ONLY FATHER FIGURE HE HADDDD DAMN WHY ISNT FEYRE TELLING LUCIEN?? Awww lucien and feyre hug! Cass and feyre are cute but i miss the og´s! Ok girl you flying.

ACOFAS: Snoring. YALL ARE CUTE BUT IM BOREDDD AS HELL. Ok literally no one asked for this Mor pov. Wait why did Elain invite lulu if she is uncomfortable around him? Her power? Elriel kinda gave me brother and sister but i guess elain likes him now.....HI EMERIE IVE HEARD ABT YOUUUUU!!! I just want my girl Nesta, feyre u are not feyreing.

ACOSF: I love nesta so much!!!!!!! Cassian is acting like Rhysands frikcing dog. I hate amren soo much. WHY is Elain acting like shes the victim like nesta told you to leave and now you crying?? Girl you are 23 years old! Ok respect azriel has never disrespected my Nesta. Aw nesta gwyn and emeries friendship is the best one yet!!!!!! Azriel is starting to show an actual personality.....With Gwyn? Okay Gwynriel is so cuteee *sees elucien and gwynriel theories* 100% on board with this!!!!! DAMN the Valkyries! I am so excited for all the other girls to tag along! Just imagine a MOB of nesta gwyn and emerie!!! Eris? HELLL YAHHHHHHH VANSERRAS FOR LIFEEEEEE!!!! YOU ARE TELLING ME CASSIAN DID NOT SAY I LOVE YOU ONCE? Of course nesta lost her powers and she obviously lost them for the sake of the main characters that im bored of :(

ACOA (A court of Azriel): You got her a rose flower......because she likes flowers??? Why is this man so insecure about his hands around her? That cant be right......MISTAKE? THANKYOU RHYSAND FOR STOPPING THIS MADNESS! Wow he just wanted to F**k her and thats it? WTH is Gwyn doing here? Ok creepy Azriel is gone and this new azriel is here? Aweee he is actually kinda cutie now and he is laughing? HE SINGS???? OMG SHE SINGS THO! His shadows singing and dancing with her??? Cuteeeeeee, Ok so he gave the necklace to clotho to give to gwyn, thats cute she does in fact deserve something beautiful like that but why Elains? Ig its the though that counts. SPARKED IN HIS CHEST???? THATS ROWAELIN/NESSIAN LANGUAGE!!!! HOW does her picture it proper?? Glowing and secret? Where the hell did he tuck the image bruhhh?

A thing of secret lovely beauty. AHHHHHHHH clotho and the shadows are team Gwynriel for sure! Gwynriel are sooo mates tho and i hate Elriel with every fiber in my being. How did azriel go from mr. creep to mr. melts my heart?

After finishing: Wow everybody on tiktok are elriels. They are so confident elriel is endgame? Hmmmm but none of their points make sense but i cant explain in a comment section! Maybe Gwynriel and Elucien isnt endgame :(

*Downloads tumblr*

Gwynriel and Eluciens on tumblr have their freaking masters degree DAMN

[bookofmirth]

When people say Elain is an introvert (and it’s why she’s well suited for Azriel) and is currently thriving/happy…it makes me laugh a little and it’s kind of annoying. Compare ACOTAR & ACOMAF Elain to ACOWAR - ACOSF Elain and there is a massive difference. She is traumatized. In the beginning, Elain is described as laughing, talking, interacting and dancing with multiple people at parties. She personally greets them. She can convince anyone to do anything with a few smiles. In the human lands she was happy and the farthest thing from introverted. After being turned by the Cauldron, she becomes quiet. She has unresolved trauma. I think in SF, it’s stated that Elain is overwhelmed by crowds and she didn’t use to be that way; she loved balls and parties. That joy was taken away from her. Elain in the Night Court seems out of place. Shippers argue we’re being “anti-feminist” (or that we hate her) when we say Elain shouldn’t be in the NC (or with Azriel) even though she has became friends with the wraith twins and is making a home there for herself. Elain doesn’t seem like herself and as if she’s not happy. How can someone read SF and conclude that she’s fine and is meant to be in a court that “sucks the life from her.” Also adding, shippers say we really don’t care about Elain because we say she should choose who/what she wants and when she chooses to kiss Azriel we don’t agree with it. Well, we don’t know if she really wants him, because it wasn’t in her pov. She wanted to kiss him, yes, but is it only lust or is there romantic feelings? For Az, I only picked up on jealousy and lust.

Honestly some people learned about feminism from wikipedia and it shows. That's a rich criticism coming from a fandom who can't extend that same grace to other female characters, though. Just saying. Everyone is a feminist when it comes to Elain, but Mor? Nesta? Feyre? They forgot how to read.

Elain in acowar-acosf is a shell of who she used to be. in acosf it's described a couple of times that she is starting to seem more like her old self, but that old self goes away so quickly. She's being sly about something, we just don't know what. She has zero relationship with Nesta, whom she was closest with before. She's trying to help the IC when trouble comes, but gets shut down. She's not friends with anyone in the IC, which is weird to me considering how much time she spends with them. Something isn't clicking in the Night Court!

In fact, sjm said in an interview (in the back of the paperback of acofas, I think?) that Elain has been having nightmares about vines choking her. We haven't read about those in canon yet, so where are they? I assume she's still having them because we haven't had her story yet. We haven't even had a chapter that tells us her thoughts yet, like you mentioned.

I've never seen anyone argue that Elain shouldn't have tried to kiss Az - not saying it's never happened, I just can't speak on it. Personally, I've even said that I don't really care if she was hurting Lucien's feelings by doing so. Be messy, do what you want, follow your heart or vagina or whatever Elain, do it. But like you said, we don't know how she actually feels. There's nothing wrong with her (or Az's) sexual desires, no one has ever said that that in itself is a problem. It's the utter lack of romantic feelings that is putting us off, when paired with the idea that supposedly, they are in love? I can accept that they are sexually attracted to one another, but chafe at the idea of them being so in love when Az couldn't think of a single positive thing to say/think about her beyond that physical attraction.

[xstarlightsupremex]

This is me probably giving too much credit to Feyre/SJM but to add to your post about how Feyre should have been able to see how music helped Nesta and how to empathize with her because her journey was similar to hers, I can see her in the mindset that "me and Nesta are NOT the same" because of their history and not wanting to own up to that yes they are similar (ie the wolf comment), but then again, she is pretty self-centered so idk. Continued...

One thing about SJM's books that never made sense to me was her ability to develop and build solid relationships, only to tear them down in the next book.

The relationship between Nesta and Feyre is exactly this. From book one, we are told how alike Nesta and Feyre were and at the end of ACOTAR, they were in a much better place. There was mutual awareness here, and recognition of each other that really stood out to me.

Only for that to change in ACOMAF as if all that development and communication between them meant nothing.

It happens again in ACOWAR when the sisters have developed an easy "truce".

There was Feyre saving Nesta's life and inspiring her to tell the High Lords what happened to her.

Nesta keeping Feyre's secret and allowing her to slip away to meet the Suriel.

Nesta and Feyre being aligned when it comes to Elain and helping her heal.

And Elain's rescue scene where they held onto each other through the night.

Only for ACOFAS to (once again) tear down all that development and progress to bring about ACOSF. In this book, Feyre says something along the lines of "I started to believe that she didn't hate me, but I can't be so sure now".

At this point I can only roll my eyes because the wheel SJM has these sisters on—the constant push and pull, the breaking and mending—is getting tired and old.

I really wish I can say for sure what goes on in Feyre's head and justify her actions when it comes to her sister, but because of the constant shifts in their relationship...who knows?

In the intervention scene in ACOSF, Feyre tells Nesta that she does understand what she's going through. And to an extent, this is true. But despite that understanding it doesn't make sense that Feyre wouldn't believe that Nesta sometimes goes to the bar/pub for the songs...despite knowing that she found healing through music too.

Truthfully, a lot of the ways Feyre and her court went about Nesta's healing and intervention doesn't make sense to me.

But when it comes to SJM, might as well throw sense out the window.

[huntsphury]

I've seen a lot of people saying Elain is acotar's Sansa, so continuing the acotar and got comparing I wanted to say that I feel some Theon vibes on Lucien, talking about the <<<journey>>>

They both came from important families, but never felt at home there. Then, they had to live in another place, and tried to make themselves usefull for their new "masters", besides not belonging there too. And, because they were so desperate to belong somewhere, they commited mistakes (Theon's are a hundred million times worse, there is no comparison, of course).

They both suffered horrible things, and got so broken that they lost a lot of their spirits. Everyone talks about how Lucien changed from acotar 1, but would you keep being the same after being tortured, trepted, suffering SA and being always diminuted? Remember that he was already in a bad place before, with all his backstory.

It seems very alike to Theon's journey to me. When he finally gets free from Ramsay, he is so traumatized that becomes an entirelly different man. And he tries so hard to help the good people then, even with nowone trusting or respecting him. Nothing he does is enough. Yet he tries, and doesn't say anything back to the insults, because he thinks he deserves everything bad.

After Lucien goes to the NC in acowar, the same thing happens. We still can see his fire sometimes, but he's so different from the Lucien we first met. And he makes everything to not be useless - that's a big thing to him, since he always offers his services to help and even goes to a dangerous travel alone, explaining that "it was time for him to finally do something".

Another big thing for Lucien is the feeling of home. I'm 100% sure that this is gonna be the main question in his journey. Even in acofas he says firmly that the manor at the human lands also belongs to him. He gets irritated with Rhysand and Feyre paying for his stuff. He finds himself a house in Velaris right after war just because he doesn't want to cause trouble. And with the whole thing of being usefull or not, and Rhys saying that he is very loyal... Lucien is the kind of person who feels like any help he recieves is a doubt to pay, just like it was with Tamlin.

Also, about "losing his personality"... I don't thing he lost it. He just hides his fiery side right now (it shows up sometimes, like when he calms Cassian down in acosf, or in the beggining of acowar, or in his discussion with Feyre in acofas) and doesn't feel happy or comfortable enough to make jokes and all. Because we only see him around the IC now. He was caught smiling and laughing with Vassa; even with Feyre, when they're alone and the issues between them don't get in the way. But in the NC, he has to be someone just smart and a political ally, nothing else. Nobody in there trusts him. Nowone tries to show that they like his presence there, except for Feyre, witch is the intention SJM had when she put that ridiculous scene between Cassian and Lucien in ACOSF.

So it's obvious to me that the feeling of belonging and home and who am I? will be essencial for Lucien's development. Just like... Theon.

But it seems to me that SJM has some bigger plans for Lucien. She made him the son of Helion Spell-Cleaver for a reason. Said that this information wouldn't change nothing on that first war. And she tried really hard to prove the readers that he is a good male in acowar - I could make a whole other post about how she tried to "redeem" him for acomaf in acowar and acofas, actually. She wanted the readers who didn't pay attention to his character in acomaf to know that, besides his mistakes, he is good. And she even makes Feyre say those exatly words twice in the series.

Just to finish the comparison, in the first book Theon is like an evil version of acotar!Lucien? They're both arrogant and a little traumatized, except that Lucien wore that as a mask and could be very kind. As the time passes, they change. But, when Theon got easily manipulated to do the most horrible things and became the villain in his own story, Lucien was the clever fox, never liked anything Tamlin did in acomaf - he was trying to calm things down, and was afraid of his own friend (even Feyre recognizes that). Tamlin was always dominating him, even using physical force. Yet he kept being smart. That's why I'm just talking about their JOURNEYS.

I'm so excited to read more about him. He's the most intriging character in acotar for me. I absolutely love characters that are misunderstood by other characters in the story; the ones who are lonely, and you have to pay attention to understand them; the ones who stay on the back and have so much to deal with but won't tell nobody... I love them.

Ps: I'm so excited to read more about Theon too! He was the most interesting part of A Dance with Dragons. But it seems like GRRM won't finish the next book 😭

[elainsshadows]

I want to talk about Elain today and her role in future books. I will also be talking about other ships at the end of this including: Lucien x Vassa, Lucien x Elain, and Azriel x Gwyn. These are merely my opinions and thoughts, this is not me trying to bash anyone else's opinions. I am open to having discussions as long as you are kind and respectful.

This is going to be long as a warning. Let's begin.

Quiet Strength

My friend recently start reading ACOTAR and she came to me one day and said that she had found a quote that she really liked. That quote was:

"She had looked at that cottage with hope; I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger" ~ ACOTAR, pg. 259

I know that a lot of antis like to bring up the fact that Elain didn't do anything but plant flowers and such while Feyre was out risking her life to put food on the table. Why hadn't Elain planted food instead? As someone who tried to garden vegetables with her dad one year I can tell you it's not as easy as flowers.

Maybe Elain was trying to bring some color into their drab little existence like Feyre had done with the paints. Maybe she wanted one thing to make her happy.

When Feyre comes to see them in ACOMAF, to ask for their help, it was Elain who said that they should help.

"If... if we do not help Feyre, there won't be a wedding." ~ ACOMAF pg. 247

"Feyre gave and gave - for years. Let us help her. Help... others." ~ ACOMAF pg. 248

Elain was risking a lot by saying they should now help their Fae sister. She was going to be married to someone who's family hated the Fae. If they found out what Elain and Nesta were doing it would probably be the end of her engagement to Graysen. They would become Fae sympathizers and like the Children of the Blessed we see mentioned throughout the books.

Would a coward risk all of this? Not to me they wouldn't.

When Rhys, Az, and Cassian arrive once Elain had cleared out the servants. Elain, while scared, still tries to be a good host to the four of them. I want to come back to this scene when I discuss Elriel because this was the moment that I first started thinking that they would make a good pair.

But while Nesta and Feyre are more bold with their actions like wielding swords, bow and arrows, knives, etc., Elain doesn't necessarily back down from a challenge. When given Truth-Teller she simply states that she doesn't know how to use it. She does not shove it back at Azriel and refuse it, she simply informs him she doesn't know how to use it.

Also when they had been captured by Hybern and all that mess was going down. Tamlin had been gunning for Feyre and it was Elain who did this:

"But Elain's cry - a warning. A warning to- To my right, now exposed, Tamlin ran for me. To grab me at last." ACOMAF pg. 602

Elain, despite being scared in this highly stressful situation, saw her sister in danger and tried her hardest to warn her. If it had not been for Elain, Tamlin might have been able to grab Feyre at that moment in all the confusion and chaos. Despite being in her nightgown and terrified she still tried to protect her younger sister.

Once again when people are in danger once the Wall had been taken down it was Elain who spoke up. She knew that Graysen's family's estate could help protect those closest to the Wall and from any Fae that may come to do them harm.

"Glamour me," Elain said - to Rhys. "Make me look human. Just long enough to convince him to open his gates to those seeking sanctuary." ~ ACOWAR pg. 471

"It's already ended badly. Now it's just a matter of deciding how we meet the consequences." ~ ACOWAR pg. 471

She's Fae now. If Graysen or any of his family or those working for them knew this (which we see that they did) then they might kill her on sight. She risked her life to make sure defenseless humans remained as safe as they could with the oncoming war.

When Azriel and Feyre go to Hybern's camp to save Elain they also save another human. They are being pursued and clearly, the human girl is terrified of them, but it is Elain that says this:

"Grab onto him!" Elain ordered to the wide-eyed human girl as Azriel thundered toward her. *skipped ahead* "Elain screamed at her, "If you want to live, do it now!" ~ ACOWAR pg. 577

She also does this when the King of Hybern's beasts are upon them:

"Elain moved. As Azriel battled to keep them airborne, keep his grip on them, my sister sent a fierce kick into the beast's face. Its eye. *Skipped ahead* "Elain slammed her bare, muddy foot into its face again. The blow struck home." ACOWAR pg. 577

Knowing that their lives are in danger and that if this beast does anything to Azriel's wings they are all going to die. She does not hesitate and does not back down as she goes after the beast with her barefoot.

She slays the King of Hybern as well:

"Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the King's neck as she snarled in his ear, "Don't you touch my sister." ~ ACOWAR pg. 652

She has a protective streak in her and she will go down swinging if she has to.

And this I just found interesting. Everyone seems to shy away from Amren, but in ACOFAS this happens when they're all eating together:

"Elain, to my surprise, held Amren's gaze." ~ ACOFAS pg. 108

I just like that she held Amren's gaze.

Being Feminine Isn't Boring

I see a lot of people saying that Elain being feminine is boring, that she isn't an exciting heroine. Yes, Elain isn't one of SJM's typical heroines, but I think that makes her all the more interesting. We've never seen someone who isn't like Aelin, Bryce, Feyre, and Nesta from SJM.

"Elain stood between Nuala and Cerridwen at the long worktable. All three of them covered in flour." ~ ACOWAR pg. 386

"Elain was in the kitchen, helping Nuala and Cerridwen prepare the evening meal." ~ ACOFAS pg. 101

"She'd been toiling in the estate gardens since dawn." ~ ACOSF pg. 28

"Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly faerie's garden." ~ ACOSF pg. 311

Do I think Elain's entire book will be based on her baking and taking care of gardens? No, I don't. I think she is capable of more than that and that is going to lead into my next point.

Elain Archeron, 007

This is not a new theory and it isn't even one that I came up with. Many lovely Elriels have pointed out comparisons to Azriel and Elain and how he may even teach her how to be a spy. I think it is a perfectly lovely idea. Let me show you some quotes from the book that make me think that this could be a possibility.

"Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, "Using me." ~ ACOSF pg. 230

They were talking about looking for the Dread Trove here and scrying. They were debating who should do it when Elain stepped up. She has done this before and with her seer abilities she is a perfect choice for the job. Obviously several characters aren't thrilled with the idea (Nesta and Azriel being two of the ones that don't like the idea).

"Azriel stiffened, an outright sign of temper from him as he said quietly, "There is an innate darkness to the Drea Trove that Elain should not be exposed to." ~ ACOSF pg. 311

"Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why." ~ ACOSF pg. 470

"You came," Elain said behind her, and Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach. *skipped ahead* "Wondering if she'd been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends." ~ ACOSF pg. 595

We see that even Nesta is questioning whether or not Elain has been having lessons. She very well could have or this could be a hidden talent that Nesta has never gotten to see or never cared to see because she viewed Elain as someone who is innocent and needing protection.

Nesta mothers Elain throughout the series, we constantly see her coming to Elain's defense, stepping in front of her, talking for her. And while Elain used to let that slide we can see now that she is coming into her own and not letting Nesta walk all over her.

"Elain said, "You can't have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater." ~ ACOSF pg. 232

I think Elain has been denied many things in her life because she has been seen as the most beautiful. Her own mother seeing her as nothing more than a pretty face that would be easy to marry off once she was of age. What will she do now that she has more freedom than she did before? Now that she will not become some lord's wife?

I do not see Elain as a warrior who is ready for battle, but I see her being ready for a different kind of battle.

"It took hours for Elain to work her charm on the staff to swiftly pack their bags and leave, each with a purse of money to hasten the process." ~ ACOMAF pg. 250

You know who else is charming? James Bond.

Being another pretty face has something going for Elain. No one would look at her and think "Yeah she's totally a spy." She can charm people, make them feel more at ease, and get them to open up. Maybe even enough that they think nothing of divulging things in front of her that otherwise shouldn't be overheard.

Maybe she can learn to glamour herself so that she is not recognizable to others. Who knows but I'm sure we'll find out when her book happens.

Welcome To Spring

One of my least favorite theories I've seen is that Elain will leave the Night Court and her family to go to Spring. Even going as far as saying that she will wind up with Tamlin. I don't think Feyre would let her sister wind up with her abuser plain and simple. Nor do I think Elain would fall for her sister's abuser just because he lives in a land of eternal spring and has flowers.

In ACOSF Nesta has this thought:

"Elain would love this place. So many flowers, all in bloom, so much green, *skipped ahead* But Elain... The Spring Court had been made for someone like her." ~ ACOSF pg. 454

While I do believe that Elain would love the Spring Court I do not think she would ever leave her family or friends behind.

"Two half-wraiths she called friends." ~ ACOSF pg. 595

"Cassian kissing Elain's cheek in greeting. *skipped ahead* Amren came next, giving my sister a nod. *skipped ahead* The Mor, with a smacking kiss for either cheek." ~ ACOFAS pg. 105

We also know that the sisters tend to consider one of the brothers friends. Feyre with Cassian, Nesta with Azriel, and I believe Rhys and Elain will also be friends. He seems to like Elain (certainly more than he likes Nesta).

Plus now there is Nyx in the mixture and why would she leave and miss out on her nephew growing up? What about if Nesta becomes pregnant and has a child? So no I do not believe that Elain will leave the Night Court.

Shipping Time

Here is where opinions and feelings may vary and people might not like what I have to say. Just know that these are merely my feelings on a ship. Ship what you want to ship, I am not here to gatekeep. These are merely my feelings on the matter. I'm going to start with the two ships I like: Elain x Azriel and Lucien x Vassa.

Elain Archeron x Azriel

I mentioned this earlier but I've been shipping them since ACOMAF. I saw the potential for them from the moment they began to interact.

"Elain rasped, "Nice to meet you," before hustling after her, the silk skirts of her cobalt dress whispering over the parquet floor." ~ ACOMAF pg. 253

I like the symbolism in this line. Cobalt = Azriel's siphons. Whispering = Azriel's shadows. While it might not be that deep as a writer I like the small things like this in my works. Things that later when you come back to them after something important happens that is a callback to something like this you can go "ooooh that makes sense now, yeah." We also do see other mentions of Elain wearing blue, but this post is long enough and it's only a few more times so I don't think it's worth noting. This part just sticks out to me because it's the first time they're meeting and like I said I love symbolism.

"Elain said to Azriel, perhaps the only two civilized ones here, "Can you truly fly?" ~ ACOMAF pg. 256

Elain who has been taught to fear the Fae is talking to him, also probably leaning around Cassian - who she is seated next to and also has wings - and asking if he can fly.

Azriel responds on the same page saying, "We're born hearing the song of the wind." And her response of, "That's very beautiful." This is the same male who famously said he wouldn't need poetry to woo a woman. Maybe he's not trying to woo her here, but he's trying to impress her.

"Elain, noticing Azriel's ease as proof that things weren't indeed about to go badly offered one (a smile) of her own as well." ~ ACOMAF pg. 258

She seems mighty comfortable with a Fae she just met. Which leads my into my two mate theory that I've had for some time now.

We know the tweet where SJM says that someone can have two mates. This was during a time when one of the TOG novels was about to come out and was probably referencing something in there, but I think it would be interesting to see play out in this situation as well.

We've seen several times people questioning Elain and Lucien's mating bond. Feyre and Azriel both do it. Feyre during ACOWAR and Azriel in his bonus chapter from ACOSF.

We also know that not all mates are happy pairings ie. Rhysand's parents and Tamlin's parents. We also know that sometimes it's based on who would have the strongest offspring. We can see this reflected in both Rhysand and Feyre's mating (he's considered the most powerful High Lord and she has abilities from all seven HLs).

But what if Elain and Lucien aren't true mates? True mates to me is a happily mated pair like Feyre and Rhys as well as Nesta and Cassian. Azriel questions why his brothers were mated to two sisters while the third was mated to another. (Pardon me for not using quotes here, I do not have the bonus chapter so I am going from memory.)

Why indeed? And I think it was because he was on the floor dying at the time. We know that the Cauldron loves Elain, so if her true mate was on the floor dying and there was no guarantee for survival it would make sense for the Cauldron to gift Elain another mating bond.

I will talk more about this in the section where I discuss them as a ship, but I wanted to briefly mention it here.

We also know the scene where Azriel hands over Truth-Teller to her, something that shocks all of them. I think of Truth-Teller like Azriel's security blanket. Something that brings him comfort and he never ever wants to part with it. But he gives it to Elain.

After she was taken by the Cauldron and held captive at Hybern's camp. After she says this:

"She shook her head, devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it. "You came for me." The shadowsinger only inclined his head." ~ ACOWAR pg. 573

Why did she look only to Azriel? Why did she seem so surprised that he would come for her? Kind of like how a princess might not believe that her prince has come for her. (Love me some Disney princess movies)

To me these two just fit together. And to me they are more like Hades and Persephone than Feyre and Rhysand are. And hear me out: Elain as Persephone, goddess of spring. Azriel as Hades, god of death. (Feyre once calls him Death when thinking of a painting of him and Elain. Death and the lovely fawn she called it). Some might see Azriel and Elain falling in love as stealing her away from her mother (or mate in this case).

Also if you want another mythology reference. Paris (Azriel), Helen (Elain), Menelaus (Lucien). Helen was considered the most beautiful and was stolen away from her husband Menelaus (though I think she went with Paris willingly so there's that.)

I see so many parallels and signs that point toward an Elriel endgame. We know Elain's book is in the works and I'm pretty sure it's next since Sarah has talked about doing research for her book. We also know that Sarah is excited to work with Azriel as well.

Moving on.

Lucien Vanserra x Vassa

I've been shipping them since ACOWAR. So not as long as Elriel, but since a bit. I think this was the line that did it for me:

"Indeed, Vassa still remained inside, chatting with Lucien animatedly. *skipped ahead* Lucien, surprisingly, was chuckling, his shoulders loose and his head angled while he listened." ~ ACOWAR pg. 690

Unlike with Elain, he seems comfortable around Vassa.

"Even with Elain here, he's become close with Jurian and Vassa. He's voluntarily living with them these days, and not just as an emissary. As their friend." ~ ACOSF pg. 57

I'm a sucker for the friends to lovers trope (it only falls after the enemies to lovers trope). And while we do not have a lot on them I can see the two of them being happy. I can see Lucien trying to find a way to make her immortal if that's what she wants. And I just want the two of them finding their HEA together in the final book.

My theory is that Vassa will be the MC of the last book and will deliver the killing blow to Koschei (as she should). I would love to see their journey together and their time together in the mortal lands especially since the mating bond would be severed at this point if Elriel is the book before this one. I want Lucien to be happy and I think that he could be happy with Vassa.

Elain Archeron x Lucien Vanserra

We know that Elain and Lucien are mates. He announced this on page 608 a little bit after Elain had come out of the Cauldron. But these two do not seem to fit together in my opinion. Now please note I have nothing against Elucien, I even like some of the fanart and the theories I have read are wonderful. I'm just personally not a fan of these two because of how they were thrust together.

When comparing Jesiminda and Elain, Lucien says this:

"Elain had been... thrown at him." ACOWAR pg. 249

I know Lucien wants to be happy and I know mates are special, but I don't necessarily think that Elain will be his happiness. I think that the way they met ruined that for them.

"But Elain blinked slowly, "You were in Hybern." *Skipped ahead* "You betrayed us." ACOWAR pg. 250 - 251

Lucien, however willing or unwillingly, did play some part in Elain being turned Fae. He was one of the reasons she could no longer go home or marry Graysen. I don't know if that's something that could be overcome especially since Elain is still dealing with the events of that day.

We also know that Elain tends to avoid him, shrinking in on herself when he's around. Another reason why I can't ship this is because I've been in a similar situation where people were pressuring me to be with someone I had no interest in. I know what it's like to hear "you two are perfect for each other", "you should give him a chance", "just try".

Their relationship is not evolving naturally like Feyre and Rhys's did or Cassian and Nesta's. I don't think Lucien would ever push the mating bond onto Elain, but I do think since it's something special to Fae he may cling to it more than she will.

Another thing about their bond that doesn't sit with me is how it is described.

"It felt... strange," Elain breathed. "Like you pulled on a thread tied to a rib." ACOWAR pg. 301

"There's a bond - it's a real thread," he said, more to himself than us." ACOWAR pg. 301

Other bonds have been described as "so much golden thread" or an "unbreakable chain". But Elain and Lucien's is described as a singular thread that feels as though it were attached to a rib. To me mating bonds are like soulmates, why would that bond be attached to a rib and not the heart or her being?

I believe that once again either the Cauldron created this bond between them or maybe they are not what's considered a "perfect match" like Elain's sisters with their mates are.

I will say this: If Elain and Lucien do wind up together I won't be mad. Sure they are not my preferred ship, but they both deserve happiness and can find it together then good for them. We will just have to wait and see where SJM takes them.

Azriel x Gwyn Berdara

I've lowkey been dreading talking about them because of how toxic this fanwar between Elriels and Gwynriels gets. Once again this is just my opinion and my theories. No hate or shade to any of the shippers. I will not be bashing theories. If you don't want to read my thoughts then please just leave now and pretend you never saw this.

I do not like Azriel and Gwyn as a ship for one very big reason: power imbalance. Azriel saved Gwyn from a highly traumatic experience. Now before I go any further let me say that I brought this up to my mom who also reads the series but isn't a shipper, she just reads them to enjoy them. I asked her what she thought of Az x Gwyn as a pairing and if she would like to see that and she said no that she also felt there would be a power imbalance.

Gwyn is a strong character, but I do not think I could get behind her and Az as a couple because of how they met.

I also do not believe that Gwyn will be the MC of any of the last books there are. We still have Elain's book, possibly a Mor book, or even Vassa. There are too many people from the original trilogy that we need to see books for. While I will not rule out a book in the future I don't see her getting one now.

I know the necklace is a hot button issue, but I also don't believe that Clotho gave it to her. We never hear it mentioned in the main portion of the book and I think Clotho knew how troubled Azriel was and thought that she should hold onto it just in case.

"You're the new ribbon, Az," ~ ACOSF pg. 623

Gwyn is a competitive person, to me this line that Nesta says is here merely telling Az that Gwyn's next challenge would be to prove him wrong about the training course. Nesta knows of Azriel's feelings for her sister by this point, so I don't see this line as her teasing Az about Gwyn possibly having a crush on him.

But again these are just how I interpret things between them.

These are all my thoughts at the moment that I'm going to share. If you would like to have a discussion my ask box is open. Hate will not be tolerated though.

[psychee92]

Why ACOTAR 5 Is (Without a Doubt) Elain’s Book

Warning: This post will be a long one, and will analyze the series as a whole (including ACOSF). As you read it, please consider taking your shipping goggles off, as none of this has anything to do with shipping and everything to do with character development/plot/the overall narrative of the series/good storytelling. Thank you!

Main points: 

Elain’s role in the ACOTAR series

Elain’s character evolution throughout the series

The foreshadowing in ACOSF (+ bonus POVs)

The overarching plot 

SJM’s own words

The ACOTAR Series and Elain’s Role

We have multiple interviews of SJM saying that Nesta and Elain’s role started off as a fairytale trope: that of the evil sisters. Then, Nesta surprised her when she decided to go after Feyre in ACOTAR, and the rest is history.

The sisters went from being a trope to being an instrumental part of the series. In ACOMAF, they were a link to Feyre’s human life (a final thread that she needed to let go of), as well as a means to an end (first, by being a bridge between the IC and the Queens, and then, as leverage, or weapons that were used against Feyre in Hybern). The final scene in ACOMAF was the catalyst for everything that happened in ACOWAR—and everything that is yet to come—but, most importantly, it also opened the door to two new character arcs/journeys—two new protagonists.

The protagonist exists as a sympathetic device to drive a story. To be effective in this role, they are usually there from the inciting moment to the end.

The similarities between their journey and Feyre’s are astounding: human made into something that she was raised to fear; coming to terms with trauma; letting go of the past; accepting her new condition; and the list goes on and on.

Now, who had more to lose by becoming fae?

And who lost more than anyone else?

Elain lost a future.

She was happy, content, in love.

Then, everything was ripped away from her in the span of a few minutes.

She was turned into something she had been raised to fear, something that her own fiancée had been raised to hate.

And, if that wasn’t enough, she was also forced into a bond neither her, nor Lucien, wanted. Mated to a man who participated, even if unknowingly, in the loss of her life—of her future. A man who did not know her, want her, love her.

This, right here, is good storytelling. It sets the stage for what is to come—for Elain’s future story and character arc.

ACOWAR is centered around repercussions:

For Elain, this book is one of healing, at least on the surface. SJM built the foundation of Elain’s journey, evidenced by:

Elain hitting rock bottom

Erasing any hope of a future with Graysen

Severing the last thread to her human life (with the death of her father)

This book also emphasizes Elain’s vital role in future books by:

Making her powerful (a seer)

Making her instrumental in the war against Hybern (due to her visions)

Having her save both, Nesta and Cassian (the protagonists of ACOSF)

Creating a connection between her and Vassa (and, ultimately, between Lucien, Vassa, and Jurian)

Having her introduce the next big bad (Koschei)

Hinting at her being the only one who can locate the one thing that can kill Koschei (the onyx box)

So, when you add everything that we know from ACOMAF and ACOWAR, what do we have? Potential.

We also have a character whose journey has been building since ACOTAR. The most significant hint is the constant use of the “dirty hands” imagery in reference to Elain. But more on that later.

Once the ACOTAR series wrapped up, we learned that, while Feyre and Rhysand’s journey was over, Sarah had more stories to tell—specifically, Nesta, Elain, and the ICs. As such, ACOFAS had two purposes:

To wrap up Feyre and Rhys’s story.

To introduce the future plot/main conflict and, with it, the next couple.

ACOFAS, however, also served to set up the stage for future protagonists, as well:

We saw some progress in Elain (her keeping busy with gardening and baking, her still having bad days, her friendship with Nuala and Cerridwen, and her slowly finding her place within the IC)—all of this was brought up again in ACOSF.

We got hints about Azriel and Elain’s growing feelings for each other (a storyline that was present throughout ACOSF, and confirmed in Azriel’s Bonus POV).

We learned about Azriel’s estate—Rosehall.

We got Mor’s POV, and learned some new things about her which will probably factor into her future book.

Again, SJM spent time focusing on Elain, fleshing out her character (while still giving Nesta and her journey center stage), which only solidifies the fact that she will be getting her own story soon.

It’s interesting to note that Azriel was not given a POV like Mor, and had very little character development (in comparison to Elain).

Now, let’s look at ACOSF. We have:

New conflicts—with the Queens and Beron

A new villain—Koschei

An overarching plot that connects the conflicts with the villain—the alliance between Koschei, the Queens, and Beron

A secondary, but related, plot—Vassa and, with her, the Band of Exiles (Lucien and Jurian)

Potential weapons—the Made objects

A potential solution—the onyx box

What do all of these have in common?

Elain.

She is directly tied to both, the Queens and Beron (and the Autumn Court). She’s had ties to Koschei since ACOWAR (she was the first to tell the IC about him, after getting visions about him). Her visions, in turn, led to the introduction of Vassa, which created a link between them both (and Lucien, because of their mating bond). She is the only one, apart from Nesta, who can find the Made objects (and a 4th one was introduced in ACOSF). She is also the only one, apart from Nesta, who can Make an object. Finally, she is the only one who can locate the onyx box (an image she’s been seeing since ACOWAR).

As a seer, Elain is arguably the most valuable character in the NC. She has been having visions about both, Koschei and Vassa, since ACOWAR.

Most importantly, however—her journey has been hinted at since ACOMAF:

Her role in future books having already been established, what about Elain as a character, as a protagonist? 

Let’s begin by looking at what a character arc is:

While main characters might face big challenges, character arcs have to do with internal, personal change. Characters will find their strengths and weaknesses tested over the course of the story—so that by the time they arrive at the story's end, they are a changed person.

When the protagonist overcomes external obstacles and internal flaws in order to become a better person, it becomes a hero’s journey.

At its core, this arc is made up of three points:

The Goal: Every character needs to have a goal. It might be to fall in love. Or it might be to make as much money as possible. Either way, their journey will be hindered by...

The Lie: A deeply-rooted misconception they have about themselves or the world that keeps them from reaching their true potential. In order to reach their goal, they’ll need to acknowledge and overcome the Lie, by facing…

The Truth: While the character may have their own plans, the positive change arc has its own goal: self-improvement. This is achieved when they learn to reject The Lie and embrace The Truth.

Now, let’s look at what we know about Elain:

The Goal: To defeat Koschei/the Queens/Beron.

The Lie: That she doesn’t have what it takes. That she is not as strong as her sisters. That she is the weak link, too gentle and sweet to get her “hands dirty.”

The Truth: That she is just as powerful AND capable as her sisters, and that she can do anything she puts her mind to (find the 4th object, discover the location of the onyx box, fight against Koschei/the Queens/Beron).

We already see SJM start to break down the Lie in Feysand’s Bonus Chapter:

This is followed by Feyre saying:

So not only is Elain not afraid to get her hands dirty, she’s also not afraid of getting hurt in the process.

ACOSF is filled with moments that hint at Elain becoming just as powerful (if not more so) than her sisters. She has a very important role to play in future books, because she is the only one who can locate Koschei’s box and the 4th object. Her visions have been instrumental in the series so far, and there is a big hint that she might have more than just seer abilities:

Powers. Plural.

It makes sense for Elain’s book to be next. SJM has been scattering crumbs for her story since ACOTAR, and she is the character who would add the most to the plot—the only character who can move the plot forward.

You cannot ignore all the foreshadowing:

= a literary device that writers utilize as a means to indicate or hint to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story.

Clear foreshadowing in ACOSF (it would take too long to list all the passages in previous books, as well): 

These are just a few examples but, for me, the one that gives it away is this passage (that can easily be overlooked) in Feysand’s Bonus POV:

SJM is basically telling us that, once Nesta’s journey ends, Elain’s will begin.

And it makes sense!

This series is about the Archeron sisters. About human women turned fae.

The first three books were about Feyre. The fourth about Nesta. It would not make sense to skip Elain, only to return to her story in the final book. Why?

Because, in order to defeat Koschei, all three sisters need to have reached their full potential. All three need to be healed, and strong, and fully in control of their lives and powers. You cannot cram everything into one book: Elain’s healing journey/character arc, Vassa’s own journey (because there is no way that SJM will NOT write a Swan Lake retelling—just look at her Pinterest board!), finding the 4th object, finding the box, and, ultimatly, defeating Koschei.

Feyre had a whole book to heal—ACOMAF

Nesta had a whole book to heal—ACOSF

Elain will have a whole book to heal, as well.

No other character adds as much value—or has as much untapped potential—than Elain.

Also, there is no way that SJM will postpone telling her story in favor of a male character (Azriel). If you’ve read any of her books, you know that it is always the female characters that eclipse the male characters.

Also, if Elain will become dark or even a villain (temporarily), then this will take place in her own story, and will not be used as a plot device for angsty!Azriel or for another couple to make sense/be pushed together.

If we look at the pattern in ACOTAR, we have:

The first book ends with a happily ever after. The MC has defeated the big bad and has walked off into the sunset with her LI. There are hints about a future conflict, but nothing is fleshed out (in ACOTAR, Feyre’s bargain with Rhys + a potential conflict between the courts and with Hybern).

The second book is all about development (both, character development, in the form of the MC’s healing journey, and plot development). The scene is being set for the final conclusion (the war/battle), and everything that takes place serves to bring the characters closer to the main conflict resolution. The book ends on a false happily ever after (Feysand’s mating bond, having what they need to annul the Cauldron’s powers), followed by a cliffhanger (the sisters turning fae, Feyre returning to the Spring Court).

The last book is centered around defeating the big bad and ends on a happily ever after for (almost) everyone involved. It brings the main players together in a final showdown that ends with good ultimately defeating evil.

If we are to look at this pattern, then:

ACOSF - Ends with a happily ever after (Nesta has healed, reconnected with her sisters, found her place in the IC, and has a family outside the IC—Gwyn, Emerie). She has defeated Briallyn, but the biggest threat—Koschei—has barely made an appearance, and there is no ending in sight.

ACOTAR 5 - Elain’s healing journey. Finding the 4th object. Knowing exactly what has been happening behind the scenes with Beron, the Queens, and Koschei. Finding the 4th object and uncovering the location of Koschei’s onyx box. Cliffhanger: Koschei has been freed/has found a way to free himself.

ACOTAR 6 - The journey to find the onyx box or a way to destroy whatever is inside. The repercussions of Koschei’s freedom. Vassa’s story coming full circle. Now that all three Archeron sisters have reached their full potential, they will most likely join forces/powers to hold off Koschei long enough for Vassa (because she NEEDS to have the killing blow) to finish him off.

This post is already long enough, but here are some honorable mentions that I haven’t spoken about because I wanted this to be a mostly character-driven argument:

The mating bond—Elain needs to either accept it or reject it, and I cannot see this happening in the last book because it would lose its effect (considering that they need to defeat Koschei in this book)

Elriel—The unresolved feelings between them need to be addressed/dealt with.

The Blood Duel—There is no way this isn’t happening. SJM wouldn’t mention it without it playing some sort of role in Elain’s book.

I might make another post (because I still haven’t addressed everything I wanted to), but Elain’s book is (without a doubt) next.

As a reminder: SJM has recently said that writing about characters that are hated/disliked is something that she loves doing. I think it’s safe to assume that, given the recent wave of hatred/dislike towards Elain, we are in for an epic journey.

[kingandfireheart]

The Lady of the Autumn Court: what the fuck is happening in Autumn (part 2)

As I said in my Eris Vanserra post, it seems that the Lady of the Autumn Court is a bigger piece to the Eris and Lucien puzzles.

We don't know what the fuck has been happening in the Forest House but we do the following:

The Lady of the Autumn Court is/was extremely powerful

Lucien (and to some extent Eris) are mama's boys (even though Lucien has been exiled for centuries)

The Lady met Helion before she was married to Beron

At least one of the seven brothers - Lucien - is Helion's child, but Helion saved the Lady after she had already had some kids (so Eris probably isn't his, even though they both have amber eyes)

The Lady chose to stay with Beron

Beron is aware of the affair between Helion and the Lady

Beron is physically abusive towards the Lady and had tortured Eris

Helion does not know Lucien is his heir, but Eris seems to know Lucien isn't Beron's son

Things that aren't mentioned below the cut, but are interesting:

Eris is the ringleader of the brothers, the commander of Beron's forces, and is Beron's most trusted son (the other three don't even have names)

In ACOWAR, Eris says has never denied Beron anything - except to save Lucien - but is angling for the throne and betraying him in ACOFAS and ACOSF (this reminds me of Lorcan betraying Maeve for her own good in TOG)

Beron wanted to kill Lucien for wanting to leave Autumn and marry Jesminda (this doesn't seem like a good reason if he isn't in line for the throne - or isn't part of their bloodline, but I guess Beron doesn't need a reason to be cruel)

Helion alludes to having trouble at home in ACOSF

The remaining unnamed brothers are all angling for the throne (this reminds me of the Khaganate in TOG and the Cruel Prince)

I got a little carried away with the color coding, but here's every major scene involving and discussing the Lady of the Autumn Court (and some breadcrumbs because I'm convinced SJM is purposeful in her writing)

Rhysand uses the Lady of the Autumn Court taunt Lucien in ACOTAR:

Rhysand’s venom-coated smile grew. “You draw blood from me, Lucien, and you’ll learn how quickly Amarantha’s whore can make the entire Autumn Court bleed. Especially its darling Lady.” The color leached from Lucien’s face, but he held his ground. It was Tamlin who answered. “Put your sword down, Lucien.” Rhysand ran an eye over me. “I knew you liked to stoop low with your lovers, Lucien, but I never thought you’d actually dabble with mortal trash.” My face burned. Lucien was trembling—with rage or fear or sorrow, I couldn’t tell. “The Lady of the Autumn Court will be grieved indeed when she hears of her youngest son. If I were you, I’d keep your new pet well away from your father.”

The Lady of the Autumn Court also helps Feyre with one of her tasks:

A door clicked open somewhere down the hall, and I shot to my feet. An auburn head peered at me. I sagged with relief. Lucien— Not Lucien. The face that turned toward me was female—and unmasked. She looked perhaps a bit older than Amarantha, but her porcelain skin was exquisitely colored, graced with the faintest blush of rose along her cheeks. Had the red hair not been indication enough, when her russet eyes met mine, I knew who she was. I bowed my head to the Lady of the Autumn Court, and she inclined her chin slightly. I supposed that was honor enough. “For giving her your name in place of my son’s life,” she said, her voice as sweet as sun-warmed apples. She must have been in the crowd that day. She pointed at the bucket with a long, slender hand. “My debt is paid.” She disappeared through the door she’d opened, and I could have sworn I smelled roasting chestnuts and crackling fires in her wake.

Rhys (while wearing the mask of hte High Lord) uses her to taunt Lucien again in ACOMAF:

“Little Lucien,” Rhys purred. “Didn’t the Lady of the Autumn Court ever tell you that when a woman says no, she means it?”

“Prick,” Lucien snarled, storming past his sentinels, but not daring to touch his weapons. “You filthy, whoring prick.”

Lucien explaining how he was treated since Beron may suspect he's Helion's heir and as we know from Tamlin: future high lords have physical markers:

His jaw tightened. “As the youngest of seven sons, I wasn’t particularly needed or wanted. Perhaps it was a good thing. I was able to study for longer than my father allowed my brothers before shoving them out the door to rule over some territory within our lands, and I could train for as long as I liked, since no one believed I’d be dumb enough to kill my way up the long list of heirs. And when I grew bored with studying and fighting … I learned what I could of the land from its people. Learned about the people, too.”

“I’d say that sounds more High-Lord-like than the life of an idle, unwanted son.”

A long, steely look. “Did you think it was mere hatred that prompted my brothers to do their best to break and kill me?”

This may not relate to the Lady of the Autumn Court's relationship with Helion, but I'm gathering all the crumbs (why does Eris hesitate before calling his brothers brothers?)

“You hunted me down like an animal,” I cut in. “I think we’ll choose to believe the worst.”

Eris’s pale face flushed. “I was given an order. And sent to do it with two of my … brothers.”

Eris has no love for Beron (he literally asks Rhys to kill him), but he does seem to protect the Lady during the High Lord's Meeting:

“If you want proof that we are not scheming with Hybern,” Rhysand said blandly to them all, “consider the fact that it would be far less time-consuming to slice into your minds and make you do my bidding.”

Only Beron was stupid enough to scoff. Eris was just angling his body in his chair—blocking the path to his mother.

Helion and Lady of Autumn lock eyes:

The violence simmering off my friends was enough to boil the pool at our toes as the High Lord of Autumn filed through the archway, his sons in rank behind him, his wife—Lucien’s mother—at his side. Her russet eyes scanned the room, as if looking for that missing son.

They settled instead on Helion, who gave her a mocking incline of his dark head. She quickly averted her gaze.

The High Lords discuss the past war:

(also reminder: Eris has Amber Eyes like Helion)

Helion shrugged, the sun catching in the embroidered gold thread of his tunic. “Indeed, though it seems Tamlin is already ahead of me. The Spring Court must be evacuated.” His amber eyes darted between Tarquin and Beron. “Surely your northern neighbors will welcome them.”

Beron’s lip curled. “We do not have the resources for such a thing.”

“Right,” Viviane said, “because everyone’s too busy polishing every jewel in that trove of yours.”

Beron threw her a glare that had Kallias tensing. “Wives were invited as a courtesy, not as consultants.”

Viviane’s sapphire eyes flared as if struck by lightning. “If this war goes poorly, we’ll be bleeding out right alongside you, so I think we damn well get a say in things.”

“Hybern will do far worse things than kill you,” Beron counted coolly. “A young, pretty thing like you especially.”

Kallias’s snarl rippled the water in the reflection pool, echoed by Mor’s own growl.

Beron smiled a bit. “Only three of us were present for the last war.” A nod to Rhys and Helion, whose face darkened. “One does not easily forget what Hybern and the Loyalists did to captured females in their war-camps. What they reserved for High Fae females who either fought for the humans or had families who did.” He put a heavy hand on his wife’s too-thin arm. “Her two sisters bought her time to run when Hybern’s forces ambushed their lands. The two ladies did not walk out of that war-camp again.” Helion was watching Beron closely, his stare simmering with reproach.

The Lady of the Autumn Court kept her focus on the reflection pool. Any trace of color drained from her face. Dagdan and Brannagh flashed through my mind—along with the corpses of those humans. What they’d done to them before and after they’d died

After Nesta makes her speech:

She looked to Beron and his family as she finished. Only the Lady and Eris seemed to be considering—impressed, even, by the strange, simmering woman before them.

After Azriel attacks Eris:

Beron struck—only for his fire to bounce off a hard barrier of my own. I lifted my gaze to the High Lord of Autumn. “That’s twice now we’ve handed you your asses. I’d think you’d be sick of the humiliation.”

Helion laughed

---

Eris, wisely, averted his eyes. And said, “Apologies, Morrigan.”

His father actually gawked at the words. But something like approval shone on the Lady of Autumn’s face as her eldest son settled himself once more.

Thesan rubbed his temples. “This does not bode well.”

But Helion smirked at his retinue, crossing an ankle over a knee and flashing those powerful, sleek thighs. “Looks like you owe me ten gold marks.”

Feyre loses her shit:

Beron shielded barely fast enough to block me, but the wake singed Eris’s arm—right through the cloth. And the pale, lovely arm of Lucien’s mother.

---

The Lady of Autumn was clutching her arm, angry red splattered along the moon-white skin. No glimmer of pain on that face, though. I said to her as I reclaimed my seat, “I’m sorry.”

Her eyes lifted toward mine, round as saucers.

Beron spat, “Don’t talk to her, you human filth.”

Helion tells the story of the Affair:

Helion tapped a finger against the carved arm of his couch. “He played games in the War and it cost him—dearly. His people still remember those choices—those losses. His own damn wife remembers.”

Helion had looked at the Lady of Autumn repeatedly during the meeting. I asked, carefully and casually, “What do you mean?”

--

Helion’s jaw clenched. “The Lady of the Autumn Court was sent to stay with her sisters, her younger children packed off to other relatives. To spread out the bloodline.” He dragged a hand through his sable hair. “Hybern attacked their estate. Her sisters bought her time to run. Not because she was married to Beron, but because they loved each other. Fiercely. She tried to stay, but they convinced her to go. So she did—she ran and ran, but Hybern’s beasts were still faster. Stronger. They cornered her at a ravine, where she became trapped atop a ledge, the beasts snapping at her feet

--

Helion didn’t so much as shift in his chair. “She was still young—though she’d been married to that delightful male for nearly two decades. Married too young, the marriage arranged when she was twenty.”

---

But it was Mor who said coolly, “I heard a rumor once, Helion, that she waited before agreeing to that marriage. For a certain someone who had met her by chance at an equinox ball the year before.”

I tried not to blink, not to let any of my rising interest surface.

The fire banked to embers and Helion threw a half smile in Mor’s direction. “Interesting. I heard her family wanted internal ties to power, and that they didn’t give her a choice before they sold her to Beron.”

--

“How long did the affair last?” I asked. That withdrawn female … I couldn’t imagine it.

Helion snorted. “Is that a polite question for a High Lady to be asking?”

But the way he spoke, that smile … I only waited, using silence to push him instead.

Helion shrugged. “On and off for decades. Until Beron found out. They say the lady was all brightness and smiles before that. And after Beron was through with her … You saw what she is.”

“What did he do to her?”

“The same things he does now.” Helion waved a hand. “Belittle her, leave bruises where no one but him will see them.”

I clenched my teeth. “If you were her lover, why didn’t you stop it?” The wrong thing to say. Utterly wrong, by the dark fury that rippled across Helion’s face.

“Beron is a High Lord, and she is his wife, mother of his brood. She chose to stay. Chose. And with the protocols and rules, Lady, you will find that most situations like the one you were in do not end well for those who interfere.

I didn’t back down, didn’t apologize. “You barely even looked at her today.”

“We have more important matters at hand.”

“Beron never called you out for it?”

“To publicly do so would be to admit that his possession made a fool of him. So we continue our little dance, these centuries later.” I somehow doubted that beneath that roguish charm and irreverence, Helion felt it was a dance at all.

But if it had ended centuries ago, and she’d never seen him again, had let Beron treat her so abominably …

The Lucien Paternity Revelation:

While we spoke, I said down the bond, Helion is Lucien’s father. Rhys was silent. Then— Holy burning hell. His shock was a shooting star between us.

I let my gaze dart through the room, half paying attention to Helion’s musing on the wall and how to repair it, then dared study the High Lord for a heartbeat. Look at him. The nose is the same, the smile. The voice. Even Lucien’s skin is darker than his brothers’. A golden brown compared to their pale coloring.

It would explain why his father and brothers detest him so much—why they have tormented him his entire life.

My heart squeezed at that. And why Eris didn’t want him dead. He wasn’t a threat to Eris’s power—his throne. I swallowed. Helion has no idea, does he?

It would seem not.

The Lady of Autumn’s favorite son—not only from Lucien’s goodness. But because he was the child she’d dreamed of having … with the male she undoubtedly loved.

Beron must have discovered the affair when she was pregnant with Lucien.

He likely suspected, but there was no way to prove it—not if she was sharing his bed, too. Rhys’s disgust was a tang in my mouth. I have no doubt Beron debated killing her for the betrayal, and even afterward. When Lucien could be passable as his own of spring—just enough to make him doubt who had sired his last son.

I wrapped my head around it. Lucien not Beron’s son, but Helion’s. His power is flame, though. They’ve mused Beron’s title could go to him.

His mother’s family is strong—that was why Beron wanted a bride from their line. The gift could be hers.

You never suspected?

Not once. I’m mortified I didn’t even consider it.

What does this mean, though?

Nothing—ultimately nothing. Other than the fact that Lucien might be Helion’s sole heir

[darklove9314-blog]

how do you feel about canon cassian? do you still ship nessian?

i feel like nesta, as a character, would understand that she deserves someone that will always put her first and not choose his friends/her sister over her. i know cassian is loyal and bla bla bla but rhys put feyre over everyone very soon after they met so why doesn’t nesta deserve the same?

nesta probably thinks that she’s a horrible person and cassian is more than she deserves so she just accepts how he treats her sometimes. i was really shocked by him never apologising to nesta. even when they visited her old human cottage and she brought up him telling she’s unlovable, he remains silent and doesn’t try to even backtrack that statement let alone apologise.

and i was confused why him telling her that he was shackled to her wasn’t a bigger deal. nesta literally felt like she had no choice in the mating bond and felt like they were forced together so her not really taking his words into consideration was surprising. especially being with him again without cassian apologising for that. sure he backtracked quickly after saying it but why doesn’t he say “i’m sorry”? and don’t even get me started on her feeling like that whole situation was her fault and she needed to apologise.

he’s never even explained the mor situation to her or spoken to her about hybern and all their previous moments. their relationship felt very shallow and if it weren’t for their moments in previous books, it would be very strange that they suddenly wanted to be together forever.

i think what bothered me the most was nesta bringing out lines like “and his voice was her favourite melody” bla bla bla and having vulnerable confessions with him while cassian is really just lusting over her and has never opened himself up to her.

i know a lot of people don’t like nesta and think cassian deserves better but i felt like ACOSF was so sad? if it weren’t for gwyn and emerie her story would have been really sad. hopefully in the next books sarah janet can fix this mess.

You see anon I’m very conflicted over canon Cassian. I feel like this is where SJM fails as a writer. She sees the bat boys as the epitome of perfection, people who can do no wrong while the Archeron sisters and others have to constantly forgive them for their shitty actions without them doing much to make up for them. That’s why I hate when people call SJM a feminist because her books seem far from it. As far as Nessian goes, they’re still my favorite ACOTAR ship. I loved the idea of their ship in ACOMAF because two people who come from separate worlds falling in love with each other is my favorite thing and Nesta and Cassian fit the character archetypes I love. And ACOWAR was peak Nessian. There’s no denying that. I was apart of a small fraction of people who hated Cassian’s behavior towards Nesta in ACOFAS especially since her father had just died 6 months prior and he was more concerned with the fact that she rejected him??? I know it hurts and she pushed him away, but their fight made him seem more like a dick to me then Nesta. Because while I do acknowledge that Cassian suffered a great loss in ACOWAR as well (the loss of the illyrians) Cassian has always had a support system to help him from drowning. To open up to. Nesta didn’t have that. She had never felt like she could truly open up to people and trust them and after the things that happened when she was human with her parents, grandmother, Tomas, and her “friends”, I don’t blame her.(And yes I know she pushed others away, but the only people realistically trying to talk to her were Elain and Amren. Well before their fight on the barge that is) and honestly Nesta’s self worth being the way it is doesn’t shock me considering the IC has always put her on the top of the blame list. And no one can tell me otherwise because while I acknowledge that Nesta should be held accountable for her part, I felt like Elain, their father, and their mother got pushed to the background. They also played a part, but Nesta’s part always seemed to play a bigger role. And yet characters are shocked that Nesta hates herself?? When no one has ever truly acknowledged the things she’s done to make up for her actions??? But I’m getting off topic. The only reason Cassian isn’t in the same boat as Rhys when it comes to characters for me is because there are scenes that prove he loves and cares about Nesta through the whole series and I can appreciate how Nessian isn’t this perfect ship. I do believe that he gets forgiven way too easily. He should have to work just as hard as Nesta to get forgiven for things. And I hope on future books he does because canonically it seems like Nesta loves him more than he loves her. (I mean this girl has saved his ass from dying three or four times, told him she loved him, opened up to him about her feelings for him, apologized for her behavior towards him while trying to become a better person overall, and even changed her anatomy for him) but I also have to remember that Nesta is a character who loves more fiercely than others because she opens herself up to very few people. I just feel like SJM didn’t focus enough on developing Cassian as a character in ACOSF and I hope he improves in future novels, but there are points where he defends her to the IC in this book, is concerned about her safety, is happy that she had made friends and for her successes, and is protective over her. So I’ll admit I’m at a standstill when it comes to him. I feel like Hunt (Crescent City) was what canon Cassian should have been and I feel like SJM writing Crescent City is what made ACOSF suffer because she didn’t put as much effort into this one and you could tell (even though Nessian is a more established ship at this point, she even makes Hunt call Bryce Sweetheart which was originally a Nessian thing) but we shall see what happens with Nessian in future novels, SJM has claimed she could write 1000 more pages about Nesta alone and that she was getting a big arc in the next few books. So hopefully we’ll see more wholesome Nessian scenes where they’re in love with each other.

[witching-by-the-willow]

Right! So now that I've somewhat collected and organised my thoughts about ACOTAR, here we go:

First of all, I feel like this is one of those books where the plot is not the highlight, at least for me (that's not a bad thing at all), and is honestly starting to fade from my mind already (I almost never forget plots, but then again, I've also never binged a whole series in a week 🙃) I went into it looking for some steamy romance, not a whole lot of brainstorming, and a relatively easy-to-follow plot and world. That's exactly what I got.

I'm breaking this into 3 parts: the ACOTAR Trilogy, the ACOFAS novella, and then ACOSF.

This can get long, so I'm gonna put a wee cut here.

The ACOTAR trilogy

I don't really have much to say here, actually...I had a good time with it and finished the trilogy in 4 days.

I liked ACOWAR (4 stars) the most, ACOTAR (3 stars) the least and ACOMAF is in the middle (3.5 stars). (For reference, I take 3 stars as "fine"/ a good time but no strong feelings.)

I have heard this before while I was looking up reviews of this series, and I agree that SJM is very upfront with which characters you should like, and I feel like if you don't love them, the series will fall flat. I, for one, liked Feyre throughout these 3 books, but didn't blindly love her, so there were many points where I was annoyed at everybody worshipping her and Rhys, even when they were in the wrong. But I did enjoy her character overall.

I knew what was going to happen with Tamlin, so I didn't really bother getting attached, but Rhysand intrigued me in book 1, then I didn't like him much for most of book 2, but liked him in book 3.

I liked Lucien as well! He has some sassy one-liners and when have I not loved that?

The inner circle seemed cool to me until ACOSF (except Azriel, I liked him all throughout but even more after it)....but also, does anyone in the IC ever question anything Rhys does? Because that sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. These people need to get their heads out of Feysand's asses, if they're going to have any actual debate.

Nesta extracting revenge in the cauldron, like the queen she is. Like, go Nesta, pillage death! 😌 (oh god did I just quote Rhys?)

I loved the moments between Nessian in ACOMAF and ACOWAR.

I never want to see the words 'velvet' and 'steel' in the same sentence again, or I will lose my mind. Also goes for "bowels loosening" or some shit. It might sound sensual to SJM but to me, it sounds like Diarrhoea.

I'm sorry, but I literally cannot take the Cauldron seriously...the fact that they worship a magical pot is just hilarious to me.

ACOFAS

Now, I know a big part of the fandom didn't like this book, but I actually did. I'd say 3.75 stars. It's probably because I didn't read this series for the plot to begin with, so I didn't really care that it was altogether absent here.

I still liked Feysand at this point (this wasn't going to last long...), but I was still annoyed at Feyre for making Nesta attend the party, and then doing nothing about everyone ignoring her. Like, what was she trying to achieve with this?

I really wish they hadn't brought up Rhys' parents age-gap as a justification of the one between Feysand. It just wasn't needed, and was a little weird that we needed to be told this.

I really felt for Nesta in this book. She was my favourite Archeron from the get-go. Listen, I almost always get protective over traumatised women with terrible coping mechanisms, and who push people away. I still think she and Elain were way too passive while Feyre was out hunting to feed the family, but I think Nesta gets WAY more hatred than Elain.

And about her, I low-key forgot Elain and Tamlin existed. It's not that I hate Elain, it's just that she isn't fleshed out as a character. She's just there (other than the stabbing scene, of course..that was cool). I really hope she gets some sort of arc in the upcoming books. And Tamlin, well... I'm just tired of him at this point.

And yes, like most people, I too am irked by Rhys climaxing to an image of his unborn son. A part of me is aware it's more because he is thrilled by PROSECT of having a child, but it's still weird.

I like that the bat boys have snowball fights and I want more of that!

ACOSF

Now, this. This one I have quite a few things to say about. I liked it a lot, and I'd give it 4 stars if I had to rate it.

How ironic that my favourite book in the series is also the one that made me SO angry at many characters.

I'll start with things I hated, and then move on to things I loved to hopefully end it on a positive note.

*takes a deep breath* okay, let's go.

First off, Feysand really pulled a Tamlin in my eyes. I hated them here.

Rhysand hiding the death-sentence part of her pregnancy from Feyre? Excuse me, I thought he was a self-proclaimed Feminist? Oh right, his feminism is highly selective.

And then Feyre just moves over it so quickly? Why isn't she more pissed? 🤯

And the Suicide pact...(Feyre is what? 22? And what about the court? Or their son? Does nothing else matter?) I can't even get myself to believe that SJM thought it was romantic. It's co-dependant and nothing else. I'll leave this here, because I can write a whole essay on this topic and this post is already long enough.

And the IC. Oh, god..where do I start? They feel entitled to make decisions FOR people and then try to justify it? And Feyre defends this? Honestly, Nesta was right to be pissed. And as terrible as it was for Feyre, when she found out that the IC had made a decision for her without her knowing, just like she was a part of doing for Nesta, I felt truly sorry for her, because no one should have to go though that, but a part of me was also couldn't help but see that she basically got a taste of her medicine.

Rhys told Cassian to get Nesta out so he doesn't kill her? He does realise he wouldn't be able to even if he tried, and that with the power she had at the time, she could end him on her worst day, right?

And Feyre, I thought she wanted to do whatever she could for the people who had suffered during the war, but somehow can't find anything to do for them (rehabilitating people, for example?) with one of her and Rhys' FIVE houses? I wouldn't have minded this so much if only SJM hadn't painted Feysand as the most charitable people alive when they don't do shit where it matters.

Also, how do they make money in this world?

And Cassian, I liked him later in the story, but initially I was so annoyed at him for defending Rhys when he was clearly being terrible. (This is what meant when I said the IC needs to get their heads out of Feysand's asses.)

The way the IC shames Nesta is just abhorrent. Like, these people have been alive for 500+ years and still don't know how to treat a person who is very clearly in depression.

And Nesta fucking Archeron apologising ON HER KNEES? To Amren?! What was that? I'm choosing to erase that part from my memory.

Okay, Rant over. Now onto the stuff I liked.

The Valkyries. Gwyn, Emerie and Nesta have my whole heart. I love them so much.

The Valkyries>>>>>the IC, and that is a fact.

The blood rite and the Valkyries coming together was a great scene. Emerie and Gwyn's stories hurt my heart.

The sleepover and the friendship bracelets! ❤️

Nessian. I don't think I need to say more. I really liked them after Cassian started calling Rhys out for shit-talking Nesta. I like them way more than I ever liked Feysand, just because I feel like they don't idolise each other to ridiculous degrees. They keep it real.

The smut definitely improved. I've still read better, but it's a leap from the torture that was the trilogy.

Also, while I love Nessian, I just want to say that Nesta and Eris Vanserra would have taken over the Fae world if they had come together. Not that I wanted them to, but I'm just pointing out how badass it could be.

The friendship between Azriel and Nesta. I didn't know I needed it, but I did. Again, I like this friendship more than Cassian and Feyre, because they don't idolise each other. They're two people who've been outcasts and understand what it's like, and found comradery with each other. And his gift was so considerate!

Azriel the chaperone. Poor guy. 😂

So yeah, Az is my favourite bat-boy.

Helion being Sellyn Drake was the best reveal in this entire series. I really do wish he gets Lady Autumn back, because their story is making me sad...

Now, I could see why people shipped Elriel in books 1 and 2, but after ACOSF, I NEED Gwynriel to happen. They could very possibly become my favourite ACOTAR couple, if it happens.

I have conflicting opinions on Nesta giving up her powers to save Feysand. On one hand, I do think they were eating her alive and she was tired and didn't want them. But on the other hand, I feel like she gave them up without ever understanding what she could do with them...? It just feels like SJM took the easy way out with this plotline instead of exploring Nesta's powers. Because let's be honest, ACOSF was a very VERY long book and this exploration was quite possible at the expense of a little less smut. Just saying.

Rhysand kneeling and bowing to Nesta was the one good thing he did in this book.

The house reads and recommends smut. I stan.

OKAY I'M DONE! (I think...for now.)

If you read this all the way...Wow. Much respect to you.

Anyway, as of now, the only characters I actually like are Nesta, Gwyn, Emerie, Azriel, Cassian, Lucien and the House. I don't really care about anyone else.

So those were my thoughts that absolutely nobody asked for, but here we are.

I'd love to hear everybody else's opinions!

[iamnotafraid]

So with ACOSF almost out there’s something I’ve been needing to get off my chest.

I really dislike Nesta.

No, really, I can’t stand her.

I don’t want to say I hate her because hate is such a strong word; but- okay fine I hate her. I’ve been trying for the past months to reconcile myself with her and get myself to like her because I really am so excited for the new book, but I CAN’T. And it’s been so frustrating how I can’t even think of her without wanting to jump into the book and punch her in the face; especially when I keep seeing so many people defend her and blame the IC for how they treat her. And I have to say I’m usually someone who likes hearing different opinions that oppose mine because they make me question myself and make sure my opinions are well founded. But as much as I’ve been trying, I can not get people who actually like Nesta.

Let me clarify that this is coming from someone who has a loooong history of falling in love with bad, fucked up, morally grey characters. I mean, Damon Salvatore, the Darkling, Zoya, Legend, Kaz Brekker, Maven Calore, Aaron Warner, Manon Blackbeak, Nicasia... you name it, if they’re toxic assholes who are too bad for their own good, I’ve probably fallen for them. So why can’t I even tolerate Nesta?

Simple, it’s not even about anything she actually did when the story started. I mean, did I hate everything she did in ACOMAF and ACOWAR? Absoluely. I hated how she seemed to not understand what feyre went through, and how feyre was ready to do anything for her and Elain and that what happened to them was not her fault. BUT.. I can look beyond all that and how she acted because, well, it IS understandable. She wasn’t very willing to help feyre & co in ACOMAF because she was trying to protect herself and Elain. She was a bitch in ACOWAR and ACOFAS because she was probably having some major PTSD from everything that went down and was lashing out. I can understand that, I can even LIKE that about her.

Which is why I realized that my intense dislike for Nesta goes back to before all the action even started. It all actually happened in the very first chapters of ACOTAR. Nesta was... well she was an ungrateful, irresponsible, intolerable raging bitch. AND FOR NO SECRET DEEP HIDDEN REASON. Nesta (and Elain, yes, I hate her too) let her baby sister go into the woods, risk her life daily, to keep the whole family from starving, and didn’t even have the decency to treat her like an actually human being even after all she did. Defend Nesta and hate on Feyre all you want, but feyre did nothing to deserve years of mistreatment, isolation, and cruel jabs from her “sister”. And you can’t justify it as a result of her mother’s death and the loss of their fortune because, a) that’s a bullshit reason, and b) she still coddled Elain so clearly she was still able to show love, just apparently not to Feyre.

So Nesta’s actions in the rest of the series might be understandable and redeemable, but the fact that they only add up to years of abuse that feyre had to endure for NO REASON is the reason why it will probably take one hell of a redemption arc for me to be able to stomach Nesta. She might not need to redeem herself for her actions during or after the war, but if she had an inkling of decency in her she would’ve used the war as a chance to support her sister and mend their relationship, not just do the bare minimum to save everyone. She owns the IC nothing, because, yes, she did do the right thing by risking her life and saving the world, but she does own Feyre one hell of an apology, but she’s too proud to even say one nice thing to her.

So, there you have it. My essay on why I hate Nesta’s guts and nothing but a hell of a lot of her groveling to Feyre (which is probably never happening considering she’s, well, Nesta) will ever fix that, much less make me even consider shipping her with my favorite bat boy Cassian.

[kevin-day-is-bi]

Here are my fave scenes/sections from all my fave books cause I’m putting off doing schoolwork

ToG

TAB: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. perfect. glorious. Celaena is stunningly awesom as usual

ToG: Her being on her period and Dorian 

CoM: I honestly don’t think I have ever reread CoM but probably right after Nehemia’s death where Celaena lets loose and attacks Chaol. This is my least fave of the series soooo......

HoF: The bit where she is in the kitchens with Luca and Emrys. So pure. Such growth. 

QoS: The end where Manon attacks her grandmother OR Arobynn dying

EoS: The whole thing All the Elide chapters. All of them. If I had to pick one bit, them being in the circus

ToD: Haven’t reread it yet, but probably whenever someone mentioned a random girl that helped them and it was Aelin. That happened at least 3 times if I remember right. 

KoA: Now idk why this is my fave...but. When Aelin is trapped in the coffin and Fenrys stays with her and helps her

ACOTAR

ACOTAR: The trials

ACOMAF: Training with Cassian

ACOWAR: Her dismantling the Spring Court

ACOFAS: uhH-....The solstice dinner

ACOSF: Probs hiking, but I gotta reread it 

HOEAB

CC: The whole end bit; the vacuuming, ‘My friends are with me’, ‘Light it up’. the most stunning thing ever written

TFOTA

TCP: Like- The entire end. We stan Jude’s plots here

TWK: Oddly enough, I have to say the Undersea and the whole sneaking-into-the-palace-afterwards scene

TQON: Pick one???? I’m gonna say either Jude and Cardan going and talking with all the ppl or just hearing Taryn say she killed Locke

HTKOELTHS: AAAAAAAAAAA Cardan describing Jude. Also the entire end, where he’s negotiating and in the pit of iron like ‘when will my wife save me’

SoC

SoC: Breaking into the Ice Court. 100%

CK: Honestly.....when they’ve kidnapped Alys....loved it to pieces

AFTG

TFC: The Kathy Ferdinand Show

TRK: You know, I get it

TKM: how. do. i. pick. I gotta say probably the sleepover and the whole recuperation bit, but the Trojans and ‘you know I’ve never been skiing?’, as well as the epilogue really make it hard to choose

TRC

TRB: I gotta say....Gansy comparing Blue to a prostitute and that entire scene. Ronan imitating a car crash? Stunning. Adam’s reaction? stunning

TDT: This one is my least fave of the series and, as such, I’ve only reread it like twice, so i cant think of what my fave is

BLLB: The whole book. I mean it. I genuinely can’t pick, the book is just amazing and perfect. Maybe “Now she’d had this kind, she didn’t want the other”. maybe

TRK: Toga party

TID

CA: Six-Fingered Nigel

CP: Either them being at Starkweather’s or Tessa being brought before the Consul and Council

CP: The whole thing is pain so let me try to find something fun...... "What did Magnus mean by asking you if I knew you were in love with Tessa?”

TDA

LM: The shopping scene in Hidden Treasures

LOS: The TID guest appearances when they’re at the London Institute

TQOAAD: The camping scene right before the battle. Wholesome. Pure. Only bit without murder or emotionless Julian

TLC

Cinder: Just- every time her foot caused her problems. I have an injured ankle so reading those scenes was just amazing

Scarlet: Honestly like. When Cinder just popped up inside Thorne’s cell and he’s like....’tf??’ and just goes with it and tries to flirt

Cress: The whole bit where Kai is awkwardly on the Rampion, scared out of his mind of Wolf, who is moping over tomatoes

Winter: Jacin’s inner thoughts. He’s sad and abused and deserves to be loved by Winter so much

RWRB: Thanksgiving/Turkeys

This Savage Song: Them on the run from literally everyone, right after they left Colton

[colesartandbooksandstuff]

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)- Sarah J Maas

Background: ACOMAF was a lot better than ACOTAR in my opinion. I almost loved it. There were a few parts that had me rolling my eyes but I gave it a strong 5 stars. ACOWAR is longer by about a hundred pages and honestly its gonna be a stretch to get through it before I head back to school (Along with ACOFAS). I will not be reading ACOSV until the summer and I’m done with classes for the semester, but I am looking forward to it.

Princess of Carrion (Part 1/ Ch. 1-10): Holy shit Feyre is a bad bitch. We already knew this but she has progressed so far from the “I just want to paint and be a housewife”. Homegirl is telling lies upon lies, has everyone wrapped around her finger, and is absolutely leading everyone exactly to where she wants them. This part ended with her leaving the spring court to return to Rhys, so I’m not sure how much more of a spy novel we’ll be getting, but if we do this could very well be one of my favorite books. I am very much enjoying this so far.

Cursebreaker (Part 2/ Ch. 11-50): Part 2 was very long. It took me a couple days to get through. It started off pretty strong, but this is the first section of any of the books where I feel like it could have been shortened. There have been a lot of small side plots and information revealed about backstories and other characters. Side note, it is so hard to keep track of the different high lords. (One of them is Bi and another is gay? Either way, nice rep). I’m not hating it by any means and depending on the last part, this will either be a strong 4 or a 5 star. Other thoughts include- Nesta is so much better than in the past books; SJM is setting up so many girls up for disappointment in their romantic lives; and Istg if I have to read “mate” 1 more time im going to DNF.

High Lady (Part 3/ Ch. 51-82): A lot happend in the 200ish pages at the end. They went to war. We had a coming out scene (to which Feyre responded- let me be your wingwoman; we love an ally). This part was on par with the first part, and the last 100 pages were the best part of the book. I usually take a break every 50 pages to check my phone, or just recharge when reading- especially when the pages have font as small as SJM books. I didn’t even consider it during the last 100. There were a lot of twists at the end. I don’t know if I would consider them to be “plot twists”, but people will surprise you. And then surprise you again. Lucien dipped out for a large part of this book, so I’m interested for his and Elain’s relationship.

Overall: Everything ended with a nice bow. That is fine if ACOWAR was the end of the series. However, that is not the case. No one die. They fixed everything. I don’t know really where it goes from here. This might be a good thing and helps to separate ACOSF from the original trilogy. Overall, this was my favorite of the three. I really liked the spy aspects, the adventure/heist themes. I really liked that SJM diversified the cast and we got a political novel. 5/5 stars.

*I am going to attempt to read Frost and Starlight before I leave for college (for reference, I posted this at 2:45 am on a Friday morning and leave saturday afternoon, but I also work and have to pack). We’ll see if I can do it

Favorite Quote: “ ‘It is no waste,’ I said. ‘One life may change the world. Where would you all be if someone had deemed saving my life to be a waste of time?’ I pointed to Rhys. ‘If he had deemed saving my life Under the Mountain a waste of time? Even if it’s only twenty families, or ten… They are not a waste. Not to me- or to you.’ “ (pg. 598)