#i struggled a little with rhys' pov so i hope it was ok

[eyra]

…a rider without their dragon is dead.

Hiyaaa it’s me, acotar anon!! do I rebrand to fourth wing anon? because YES I’ve read it, I’m in the middle of onyx storm rn.

you have just made my day. the pipeline from acotar to fourth wing is tried and true (and next up is the crescent city trilogy). I was going to recommend this to you but you are steps ahead as I should’ve expected.

firstly, congrats on finishing acosf, it was definitely my fave of the series too. Nesta is my Queen, lady death for the win, her haters can fuck right off. I want to be a Valkyrie when I grow up. I want to join the house of wind book club. I want Cassian. There’s so much to love in there.

Your loathing of Rhys is so real, so valid, so right. I personally don’t think he’s as bad as Tamlin bc he would never physically harm or publicly humiliate Feyre, and he made her high lady, and he’s a better high lord to his people, so for me he gets some points for that. But I do respect your feelings on the matter bc that whole “males are protective of their mates” shit was icky fr. Some people are into it but he was doing too much. I will never forgive him for withholding medical information from her. Like bro it’s literally HER BODY WHY ARE YOU ACTIVELY LYING TO HER. And how tf can we heal Cassian when his guts are literally spilling out of his body in the war and repeatedly magically revive people, but we can’t perform a bloody c-section?? don’t pmo. that’s what I meant when I said the bar tab bankruptcy was not the only dumbass inconsistency. anyway….

Also don’t worry, Nesta didn’t give all of her power away. There is definitely more we will see from her, I feel like she’s just getting started. I can’t tell you how I know this. Trust though. AND have you read the bonus chapters?? There are two acosf bonus chapters that you should absolutely read. I think you might hate them lol (I did). There’s a Feyre pov and an Azriel pov. A quick search should pull them up, they’re also floating around tumblr somewhere. (I would send you the screenshots I have but idk how to do that on here)

Oh and here’s the link to a Nessian bonus chapter from acomaf! https://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/wings-and-embers-by-sarah-j-maas.pdf

Ok on to the next!

FOURTH WINGGGGG ahhh im so excited to talk about this with you. I’m very glad to hear you’re enjoying it. I mean it’s dragons, how could you not?

I would love to hear more of your thoughts on Violet and Xaden’s characters. I’ve seen many complaints about the typical “I’m so tiny” narrative from the fmc, but imo with Violet it feels more like disability representation than a pick-me vibe, given she has very real struggles with her joints that cause a lot of pain and disadvantage, and it highlights her intelligence and ability to adapt. I definitely found her annoying at the start lol, but I actually kinda love her.

I won’t even get into Xaden.

I love the whole found family squad trope. That shit gets me. Not Dain though ew. And yeah her mom sucks. I’m so in love with Mira.

I won’t say more since idk where you’re at now. Please keep sharing your thoughts! I’m so pleased you’re on this journey. (and please please please read the crescent city trilogy next, you simply must! ik im getting ahead of myself there but you’re just so speedy lol)

ok luv yaaaa xx

hello my dear acotar anon! I'm so thankful to have you here as my little fantasy book sage and I do hope you'll stick around.

so one thing that I CANNOT get past since I started Hating Rhysand is the whole thing under the mountain where he was like forcing her to drink whatever and then dressing her up and making her dance at the fairy disco or whatever was going on... was there a reason for that?? book 1 was such a fever dream I genuinely can't remember if this was explained but looking back, that was BAD. anyway tip of the iceberg with that man. the more I think about it the more I truly crave a Tamlin redemption arc. let my man live! let him find a hot wife.

also I do sort of get the Azriel/Eris thing now! I see the vision.

ok Fourth Wing... spoilers below the cut...

loved:

Violet. she's so fun and I really liked the disability rep.

the setting - I do love an academic setting and there's something about a story taking place over an academic year that has always appealed to me (I imagine growing up with HP had something to do with this). there's something so cosy and nostalgic about it.

Liam.... my mans... the way I SOBBED. I was not okay. I'm still not okay.

THEM DRAGONS. my friend kept saying "just wait, the dragons are amazing" and I was like I mean it's a dragon, how interesting can it be... well I want two dragons now. Tairn is such a big grump and I love him, and I picture Andarna as Toothless but yellow. idk if I'm doing that right but that's what I'm seeing, and I adore her.

my jaw legit dropped at the last line. I honestly thought the twist was going to be that Xaden's dad was still alive and I was being so cocky with it like yeah yeah we know, I can see this ending coming a mile off ��� reader, I did not see it coming.

did not love:

Violet's mum. girl what. get over yourself.

Dain - as soon as he showed up I was like ohh the Gale character. he was successfully annoying.

Xaden - like.... I guess. whatever. like I said in my review(ish) post, I just really wasn't that bothered about the romance at all. Violet is more interesting when she's not with Xaden and the only thing that really makes him interesting at all is the whole Violet-Tairn-Sgaeyl-Xaden interconnectivity thing. outside of that, I just don't really care about him. it also felt a bit like insta-love, like she hated him but thought he was hot and then suddenly she was in love with him but then I do have to remind myself that she's 20 (I think?) and when you're 20.... I mean I used to think I was in love with my uni lecturer who was in his 40s and had like 4 conversations with me. sometimes at 20 it really is That Serious. anyway I picture Xaden as Theo James which again, idk if I'm doing that right, but I'm blaming Divergent since it's sort of the same character I fear.

I was going to read a few shorter books before Iron Flame but I can feel it calling to me so I imagine I'll start it soon... like tomorrow.... or tonight.... or right now.

[radientwings]

Of Puppy Love (Feysand Fluff)

Written for this prompt: ‘What about Rhys giving a puppy to Feyre and then him getting jealous af because of all the attention she's giving to it?’

Rhys had always considered himself a skilled gift-giver. He enjoyed being one in fact, liked that he was able to make his friends, his family, smile with whatever trinket he had found for them. Oftentimes, he didn’t have a particular reason for doing so either, just finding something that he thought would suit one of his Inner Circle. For Mor, this mostly consisted of expensive clothes and the other luxuries she so liked. For Cassian it was always weapons. Azriel most often got the same, though Rhys knew that the spymaster appreciated information above all else. Amren, of course, loved her jewels.

And then there was Feyre – Rhys didn’t limit himself in the slightest when it came to giving gifts to Feyre. His mate had spent too much of her life going underappreciated or disrespected or even ignored… and there were moments when Rhys wanted to make sure that she knew just how much she was truly appreciated, truly loved. And Cauldron, there was this smile she’d give him when he got a gift a right, making her eyes light up in a way that he once thought he might never witness, not after all she’d been through.

Rhys would do almost anything to keep that smile on her face, directed so lovingly at him. (How anyone could willfully turn away from beautiful, brilliant Feyre Archeron, Rhys would never understand.) So he tended to give Feyre all sorts of gifts… though they were always things he was sure she’d enjoy, things that had meaning. What Rhys had never considered, however, was that there was such a thing as being too skilled a gift-giver.

But apparently there was. As was evidenced by the fact that his lovely, gorgeous, amazing mate was absolutely and completely ignoring him in favor of her gift. 

“Aren’t you a good boy?” Feyre cooed, actually cooed, at the little hound she cradled in her arms. The pup responded by licking his mate in the face, her laughter spilling out into their sitting room.

Rhys shook his head with exasperation. He had found the puppy mere hours earlier, abandoned by one of the waterways that ran through Velaris, fur matted with dirt and clearly hungry. The little hound clearly belonged to the Night Court, looking nothing like most dogs that could be found in the mortal lands. Underneath the filth, his coat was a midnight blue, fur sure to be shiny and downy soft when clean. His ears pointed up, tufts of that dark blue fur spilling from the ends. His tail was long enough to wag, the tip speckled with white – like stars against the night sky. And then there were the eyes, big and deep and violent and staring up at Rhys soulfully.

Rhys knew then and there that he couldn’t just leave him there, alone by the water. He’d picked the pup up without another thought, wrapping him carefully in his cloak to ward against the chill. He also knew he wouldn’t be able to lift this little hound for very long; this particular breed grew to be very large, waist-height at a minimum, with jaw-strength to rival even the biggest beasts in Prythian.

The hound would be quite the hunter when he was fully grown. And Rhys’ first thought to that was, of course, Feyre. What could be better than a little hunter for his favorite huntress? It was decided then – he wouldn’t just find the pup a new home, he would bring him to his home, to his mate and her earth-shattering smiles. 

Of course, Rhys hadn’t expected for that smile to be directed at the puppy. And to not even be invited in on the cuddling. Not that Rhys particularly wanted cuddling. (Alright, so that might be a bold-faced lie, but it was also besides the point – also, who wouldn’t want to spend a day entwined with their mate? Especially if that mate was anything like Feyre…)

But even though Rhys wanted some of Feyre’s attention, he didn’t do anything to interrupt the moment. Rare was the day that Feyre laughed so freely; she was still haunted by Hybern, even a year after the war’s end. Rhys could therefore perhaps forgive the pup for his attention-thievery, if only because of the happy shine in his mate’s eyes.

But that didn’t mean Rhys wasn’t going to brood about it. So he did just that, sitting on one of the armchairs with a loud sigh, watching as Feyre continued to cuddle and play with the pup on the carpet.

Nearly two hours later, Feyre finally deigned to speak to him.

“Never thought I’d see the day where I had a new male in my life,” she said with a happy sigh, nuzzling her face against the puppy’s. 

“That’s it, the little hound is out,” Rhys exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the pup, who only stared at him with big, curious eyes. “He’s clearly trying to steal your affections from me.”

The pup barked in what seemed like agreement. Despite himself Rhys felt a smile tug at his face. The little hound had personality. 

His mate laughed at him, peppering the hound’s snout with kisses. “Rhys, my love, he really doesn’t have to try. He won my affections the second you handed him over.”

Rhys sighed dramatically, coming to sit by them on the carpet. “I knew it. I’ve let a thief into our home.”

Feyre considered him for a long moment (a part of Rhys rejoiced at the feeling of her eyes on him again… it felt like it had been an eternity). “I’ll make you a deal, High Lord,” she announced.

“Will you now, High Lady?”

“If you promise to let the little thief stay,” Feyre tapped Rhys briefly on the chin, grinning, “I’ll let you name him.”

He raised a brow in response, shifting closer. “And what makes you think that little gift will tempt me?

“Rhys,” she said, giving him a look as if to say ‘please, I know you want to name the puppy’.

Damn, he thought, quietly awed at the realization, she really does know me. Almost too well, at this point.

After all, he did want to name the hound, had wanted to ever since he first picked the him up by the waterway. In all honestly, the puppy had only had to give him one soulful look with those big eyes and Rhys had already been utterly lost to him.

Not only a thief, but apparently also a damned good one… He’ll fit right in. 

“Very well then,” Rhys acquiesced, tucking some of Feyre’s stray hair behind her ear before trailing his fingertips softly down the side of her bare neck, touch feather light. Feyre shivered slightly under his hand. “However, I do think the deal could use a little sweetening, don’t you?” 

Feyre narrowed her eyes, though it was belied by the mischievous glint in them. “And how, exactly, would you want me to sweeten the deal?”

“I have some ideas.”

Rhys sent a few of those ideas straight into Feyre’s mind, watching triumphantly as her eyes dilated, as her breath stuttered momentarily. She sent him another glare at that. And yet she still put the puppy down for the first time since she’d gotten her hands on him… before promptly grabbing Rhys and winnowing them both into their bedroom. 

Rhys would have made a comment on her eagerness were it not for the fact that his mouth and tongue were suddenly very busy doing other, far more enjoyable things.

A few rather successful hours later, Feyre was once again holding the pup – only this time she lay cuddled with him in the middle of their bed, Rhys curled around them both. Feyre had brought him up mere seconds earlier, not having the heart to leave the hound to sleep downstairs alone. The puppy let out a yawn now, eyes shuttering as he lost his valiant battle against sleep.

“How about we call him Little Rhys?” Rhys whispered, smirking.

Feyre scoffed. “We already have one of those.”

“You didn’t think it was so little a few moments ago, Feyre darling.”

His mate only laughed at him in response. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Not sure whether I should be offended by that,” Rhys remarked drily, uncertain whether he was referring to the laughter or the comment. (Both, he decided.)

But Feyre did what any good mate would. She just continued laughing, only attempting to stifle it for the sake of the puppy lying asleep against her chest. And there was that smile again, blinding in its brilliance. Rhys couldn’t help but press a kiss against Feyre’s neck, reaching around her to gently ruffle the fur atop the hound’s head for good measure.

Both he and Feyre joined their new friend in slumber not long after.

In the end, the choice of name was actually rather a simple one. Rhys thought of it immediately upon waking to the hound slobbering over his face, licking at Rhys’ chin and neck. He huffed a laugh as he pushed the puppy away from his face, instead picking him up and standing silently from the bed, where Feyre still slept on.

“Come on, Thief,” Rhys said softly as he headed to the door. “Best let Feyre sleep.”

Thief only continued to lick at him. Rhys found that he didn’t mind.

[whats-a-jarjar]

ACOTAR SHIPS

okay i don’t know if anyone will see this... probably not but i wanted to get it out and state my thoughts. these are just my opinions so please don’t be mad if you disagree with me! obviously we don’t know everything so most of it is up in the air clearly. but here we go...

⚠️Acosf spoilers obviously 🤪⚠️

OK obviously this is about Elain Gwyn and lucien and azriel and you know that whole discussion.

so let’s start with Elain. OK I liked Elain a lot in the first couple books and I actually did like Elriel. I shipped them pretty hard. but after reading a court of silver flames and the Azriel POV bonus chapter my thoughts have changed.

I don’t think Elain and Azriel are meant to be together anymore. I just don’t think they love each other.  I think they like each other and are infatuated with each other but most of all I think they like what the other one represents. 

for Azriel I think he struggles a lot with his self acceptance and belonging. like in the Azriel chapter I think that became clear when he was talking about how he was jealous of Cassian and rhys. all his life he’s been an outsider, with his brothers and his family and with the people of the night court like the citizens, and even in the inner circle. I don’t think the inner circle sees him as an outsider nor do the readers but I think honestly Azriel sees himself as an outsider even with the inner circle. as well as the fact that he’s never really accepted himself and accepted the things he’s been through over the past 500 years. he still struggles with who he is, what his shadows mean, and with love especially. I think for him to see his brothers end up with two of the archeron sisters, he already feels like an outsider and that made him feel even more so. I think he is hopeful that Elain could be his mate or that the cauldron was wrong because he desperately wants to feel that love and feel that belonging plus it doesn’t help that now Cassian and rhys are like actual brothers by law. for Azriel I think Elain represents that belonging and how they can all be one big happy family(in his mind bc to us they already are). and that’s what he so desperately wants and loves. Because in the Azriel chapter when he was talking about Elain or thinking about her he didn’t really seem to talk about her personally or her personality but rather sexual attraction and then what she represents (to Rhys). and along with the conversation with rhys I don’t think azriel believes he has a claim on elain or that he deserves her I just think he really wants to fit in. and although Azriel was looking at her gift of like the powder every night before bed Which don’t get me wrong is pretty cute I still think he’s doing that out of his need for love and belonging rather than love for Elain. 

now Elain. OK for her I’m not sure if she likes Azriel. I think she does but I don’t know if she loves him either. I think she also likes what he represents. For her Azriel is her own choice and her rebellion. Since going into the cauldron she’s lost all of that: her humanity her choice her control. I think she wants to be with Azriel because she can control it. I mean I think she is sexually attracted to azriel as he is to her but I don’t think there’s any love.

as for Elain and Lucien because it ties in as well, whether they end up together or not I think they could be good for each other. i saw this in another post but I think Elain connects lucien to her trauma with the cauldron. Especially with her lack of choice and control because the cauldron took away her humanity, it took away her life, her friends, all that she had in the human world and then right when she came out Lucien was like im your mate which  immediately took away her choice in relationships and her control with love. I want Elain to give Lucien a chance whether that’s romantically or just getting to know him because I think that could help her with her trauma and you know if she wants to reject mating bond for whatever reason I hope that she at least tries to get to know Lucien. but I also think elain‘s being a little cold to Lucien because he was just thrown in it the same way she was. He thought he found his mate already in jesminda and then Elain shows up and is his mate and he’s almost as opposed to the idea as she is. I just want her to give him a chance because I think he could help her overcome her trauma and he can be open to love again since i think he’s fearful of it negates of jesminda. I just think the pairing could be cool for both of them.🤷🏼‍♀️

okay here’s why i don’t think elriel are a good pairing (aside from love). OK Elain represents flowers light bright colors life. Azriel represents shadows dark colors the night death. they’re opposites. And while i’m all here for a forbidden love opposites attract story, I just don’t think it works with them. for instance azriels shadows disappear around Elain. While I thought that was cute at first and I was like “aww she’s the light in his life“ looking back now i think they shouldn’t disappear around his “person”. azriels shadows are a part of him and although obviously he didn’t want to go through what he went through and no one should have to, they still remain an extension of who he is. if he were to end up with elain he’d have to change who he is. he wouldn’t be able to be the spy master or the shadow singer or the introvert with the dark past which we all know and love as Azriel. I don’t think elain can be with that type of person either. Despite hearing about her getting her hands dirty referring to gardening I don’t think she can be with someone like Azriel who is a torturer and could be seen as merciless. (which is one of my favorite things about him which is slightly concerning for me but anyways...) Azriel would just have to change who he is to be with elain for his sake and for hers... which is really toxic so… as well it was mentioned by Cassian and Nesta that Elain looks terrible in black. Well they said she looked pretty but that it just didn’t suit her and like was pulling the life out of her. And nesta mentioned she’d be happy in the spring court as she likes gardening, she thrives on light and life. so I don’t think the night court is for her as well as azriel isn’t for her as he represents the dark and literally black and the night court. 

now i think it would be cool if she did end up with lucien and he either became the high Lord of the Springcourt or the day court (which I’m still really pissed that we’ve been through a whole other book without anyone telling Lucien helion is his father like hello he’s an important character... rude). it would just allow her to thrive as,in my option, we haven’t really seen her do so far. [Plus I think a possibility of an evil elain would be so cool. I don’t think she would actually go against her family with evil intentions, but if she made a bargain of some sort and ended up being an antagonist but not a villain I wouldn’t hate it. At the moment she’s a little boring, but then again we don’t really know her personality so I’m open to an awesome character arc]

OK now it’s Gwynriel time!! OK not to start any fights, but I’m not gonna lie, the few interactions we’ve had between Gwyn and Azriel has started a whole feud because it has so much more chemistry compared to the few Azriel and elain moments we’ve had over almost four whole books. but gwynriel. ok no matter who you ship, I think we can all agree that we love gwyn and gwyn is a great character.  Plus I think she’s perfect for az. now I know a lot of people don’t like the proof about azriels shadows, but I actually think that’s really important. like I mentioned earlier, azriels shadows are a part of who he is and extension of him.  now clearly they like Gwyn, they are the president of the Gwynriel fan club, and they ship them hard.  they interact a lot with her a lot. Now I think because of this Gwyn and however azriel will cope in his book will allow him to embrace his shadows and except himself. this is really important to his character in my opinion. I think, and I’m not sure how to be honest, but his shadows liking Gwyn and Gwyn seeking comfort in the dark ( which probably means she likes his shadows) will allow Azriel to see his shadows and his scars and his past as not some thing that will bring him down but rather something almost to be proud of since he went through so much. I think once Azriel learns to accept himself and all parts of him, he will better be able to see that his family accepts him, because no one is really able to see that they’re accepted unless they accept themselves. and I think he would finally feel that he belongs somewhere which is such a good story to me and I don’t know if that’s just because I personally connect or I just want Azriel to be happy with himself and his life and whoever is in it but I think that sounds awesome☺️

so there’s a lot of possibilities about what will happen in the next book which we still don’t even know who’s point of view it is because apparently it’s so “obvious” but actually sarah it’s not so please tell us!! I do think in Elains book her trial, whatever that may be, is going to happen at the prison because feyres happened under the mountain and nestas happened on ramiel and there’s an extra mountain and an extra sister so I feel like that could definitely be a thing that happens but who knows?? I don’t know but these are just my thoughts and I missing points obviously I’m not perfect spoiler alert, but yeah. 

if anyone has any opinions let me know!! I love discussing things especially books!

okay thanks for coming to my TED talk 🙂

[shadowhunterssizzy]

One last thing

I’m going to take a much needed break after this because i’m not sure i’m gonna continue on with the series. I’m running on 4 hours of sleep so probably my thoughts are incoherent and don’t make sense, so bare with me. 

I’m not gonna lie, the Azriel POV felt like a blow and a slap to the face all at once. I kept rereading it because i love pain and I felt mora towards Gwyn than elriel, and this comes from someone that has been shipping elriel since acomaf. I love them. I truly do. I wanted to explore the mating bond not working, the choosing someone over your mate, but azriel’s pov didn’t give me anything like that. It just reforced the fears I had once I knew about gwyn some days before. Now I’m sure Gwyn is great. I’m sure she will be great with Azriel. Sarah loves to explore healing dynamics and i think azriel and gwyn fits that. A victim of assault healing and a guy who has been in love for 500 years and obsessed with another girl he can’t have but finally finding love and healing as well. And this is where my thoughts starts to ramble again:

1. Why didn’t we get elain’s pov?. In the previous book we got Nesta’s but in this one we get Azriel’s , why?. Why not make the sister POV and see her struggles with the mating bond and her attractions towars azriel?. Well, in my eyes it’s because the next book is not about her

2. The 3some situation. Let’s be honest. We all knew it will be a threesome but this isn’t even one. Now we have a mating bond and gwyn. All of this in one book. Tamlin, rhysand and rhys conflict was resolved in two, not in one, and sarah said that each book will focus ON ONE COUPLE. Not two potentials couples. ONE COUPLE EACH. This has been stated by Sarah on her lives, so pardon me but I’m not seeing this going anywhere.

3. Gwyn and Azriel: We know that Az saved her. It’s clear that meant something to Gwyn and he was amused by her. Now people said Gwyn’s arc is completed but is it?. IT’S NOT. Gwyn is not a Valkirie yet and Nesta states that Az and Cassian will still train them and keep an eye on them. Gwyn goes back to the library but her story is nowhere to be completed. The valkyrie training and their dynamic to fight Koschei is still there. Her story might be almost completed but there’s something else to tell. She will still train and Az will monitor. The link is there. Meanwhile we don’t know much about Elain. Like we know Koschei wants her but it doesn’t seem like that’s the next plot, it seems most likely the last one

4. Azriel is horny: When i read his interactions with elain i was like ok.... they had an attraction but is there anything else?. Sure, we got crumbs for 3 books but Nesrin and Chaol did and look where they end up with. Chaol with Yrene a character that was introduced later even though he had a story with Nesrin. Now azriel seems to be angry at the cauldron for not pairing him with elain but is it really about her? Or is it because he wanted a mate so badly after spending 500 years with Mor?. Is it because his brothers found mates and he was like what about me?. Maybe this is exactly what sarah was trying to told us all the time. 3 Ylirians with the 3 sisters its not okay. Azriel questions the mother, and maybe that’s the conflict. He wants a mate so badly and someone who will love him and he will lust and be attracted to complicated but what happens when he will find something different?. Something that is healing and it’s there and he never expected?. Maybe the cauldron and the mother didn’t link him to elain because it wasn’t mean to happen. 

5. but..what about elain?. A lot of people said she’s been avoiding lucien and it’s right. We don’t know how she feels towards him really, mostly indiference and I hate the idea of her being forced into something. But we forget lucien and elain’s story is not finished and there’s a TRUE mating bond there plus Gwyn. It’s too much... Maybe elain needed to pursue someone else before realizing the world and the cauldron gave her a mate because that’s how it works. Maybe both elain and azriel needed to find each other to realize what really was there for them. Gwyn and Lucien. Now i don’t like the idea of neither of them and I won’t be reading that for sure. Bceuase 3 books of crumbs and little built up and a chapter of azriel confirming he is into elain just to be taken away after 5 minutes to pursue the gwyn narrative feels LIKE A SLAP INTO MY FACE. It feels as if sarah is saying well you know what you were right for 5 minutes but YOUR TIME IS UP, DING DONG DING WAKE UP!. It feels like she wanted a quick solution for the crumbs and she was like sure, they want to fuck but you know what they can’t because elain is with lucien and the mating bond will show her eventually and now az has someone who will make him realize elain and mor were nothing so let’s continue because elriel is over. You got your 5 minutes now let’s go back to the mating bond

6. Gwyn. Sarah has always stated her books are about healing and a personal journey. Gwyn is a victim of sexual assault and azriel saved her. By the end of the book azriel looks..happy. He seems comfortable with Gwyn. Eased. His shadows sing, he is a singer and so is she. He can imagine her face while getting that necklace and HE IS TREASURING THAT THOUGHT. He has hope again because gwyn is there and he can see her gleaming eyes and theres a true beauty there... Now we can agree it’s shitty what he did with the neclace but was he that moved about the fact that elain gave back the neclakce? He didn’t look that bothered. And it’s clear there’s a seed for gwyn and elain and it’s a strong one otherwise he wouldn’t have smiled thinking about her or end the chapter thinking about her face or slept perfectly. 

7. Going back to the mating thing. Rhys said that usually males will go crazy and females can’t be completely unaffected. There’s a story with Kodschei, Vassa and elain seems like the key. Maybe they will need elain to fight Koschei in the end and elain will be willing to go with lucien since azriel hurted her. Maybe realizing az is not there will finally allow her to open her eyes and at least try. Let’s be honest, elain was not fond of meeting lucien but maybe it was because she felt like she had no choice. Maybe in the end azriel it’s just the push for her to finally try to give lucien a try. Without azriel elain probably wouldn’t have talk to lucien. But if she is hurt maybe she will try to give lucien a chance and azriel and her will part ways. Maybe az and elain are just the push they needed to move on.

8. I know there are crumbs. I know he is protective of elain and he cares about her. But honestly in his POV it doesn’t look like it. It’s just look like a 5 year old kid who was pissed at the cauldron. And let’s be honest all his brothers has mates, az will find one, specially since sarah said she is excited to give him a story. I believe az and elain are the nesryn /chaol/yrene of all this. Sarah loves love triangles but usually they always end up with the later: aelin with rowan, dorian with manon, chaol with yrene.... usually the first one it’s never the option. Chaol had development with celaena. There was attraction but in the end neither of them were together. Feyre had a relationship with tamlin. They were in love and yet she needed time to realize rhys was the one. It took her some time to heal and yet she find her mate. This is the exact same thing. Crumbs for elriel but at the end there’s someone else, and the mother is there. Maybe that’s why the cauldron didn’t connect them. Because there was someone else

9. But..the mating bond rejection?. Rhys forgot about that one. There’s a trial. There is no way lucien is going to die and there’s no way azriel is gonna challenge him with a war coming. That would be too messy and we would need lucien present to see everything. Lucien will have to go back, see azriel and elain, accepted it and fight or not Az. is all of this going to happen in one book?. Withour gwyn maybe but gwyn is there.

10. How is elain feeling?. I haven’t forgotten about her. I’m surprised we didn’t get her POV and we got azriel’s. She gave the neclace back and she is avoiding him at all costs. We don’t know what is going through her mind and she is alone now. Her sisters are happy. Azriel seems happy with gwyn. She is alone with a mating bond and koschei after her and nesta. I don’t know how she is feeling and honestly i believe elain and az deserved better. Deserved better that this poorly written narrative where they lust after each other, give gifts to each other just to end up separated and azriel having other woman, his shadows singing and him treasuring the image of her and the blossomed beauty. A secret, treasured beauty. That’s about gwyn. And i think in the end sarah j maas got what she wanted. The mating bonds all in place at the expense of elriel. I know there’s a chance I’m wrong. But it feels like elriel was there for a minute and then it was crashed. The pov is not about elriel It’s about azriel finding someone else and having another crush. It’s about rejection and healing again. It’ about az being pissed at the cauldron for not getting a mate but maybe not realizing the true one is out there. It’s all about elriel being attracted to each other but for what?.

I’m sure i’m missing a lot of stuff. I’m sure gwyn is great and lovely and her story with az will be epic. I’m sure the mating bonds work and elucien will be great in the future. But it’s the same thing over and over again and i’m tired of couples being hinted just to be the realization of other couples being the true endgame. And elriel feels like a temporary thing sarah wrote.

Now i know i sound like a hater or someone who doesn’t like elriel. But it’s quite the opposite. I loved them for years. I knew they had all the odds against them, just like chaol and celaena did. I know they found great lovers. But i can’t help feeling like losing because nothing about his POV seems right and i’m failing to forget the last part of that chapter and az’s feelings towards gwyn. And i think deep down i truly lost with them

[susannadlpena]

Gonna casually check your privilege and say that Emperor Palpatine was resurrected in the Star Wars EU and it worked fine. But trust me not here to talk trash! Authors should be able to do what they want for the good of their stories and one series I’m heavily involved (I even talk to the author) has a character that some would say is favored most of all by the author, but her purpose within her universe has captivated the audience in such a way that we do not want her to fail. Part 1 of 2 >.>

PART II: psychotic-mouse said:I was just wondering what you’d consider is crossing the line into something that’s destructive for the story’s greater picture? While I love the world in ACOTAR, I can’t help but role my eyes at everything Feyre and Rhysand nowadays. I can’t and won’t say they’re obsolete, ACOWAR raised the roof in terms of possibilities and I’m sick of being stuck with Archeron and friends. Like, there’s a universe where GOD EXISTS! To me, ACOTAR needs TOG’s 3rd person pov or a fresh protagonist. Am I crazy?

Hi there! 

Hoo boy, so this is a lot to talk about (and you’re in luck, because I love talking, yikes, sorry if this ends up being more than you bargained for, friend). First of all, you’re totally right. I totally forgot about the Star Wars EU. My experience with the EU is all the books involving Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel-Ka (who I still actively dislike), so it’s a bit limited, and I was going strictly off the movies. Maybe a better example is like if Suzanne Collins resurrected President Snow, or even President Coin. Poor Katniss. 

So, doing something destructive to the story’s greater picture is different than doing something actively destructive. Since we’re on the subject of SJM, we’ll just use her. SJM killing off not only Nehemia but ALSO Sorscha to further two white protagonists is actively destructive. Was it malicious? I honestly don’t think so. Was it ignorant? Yeah. And though I’m of the personal belief that intent does need to be taken into account when examining things like this, I’m also of the belief that impact is more important than intent. I would’ve side-eyed a bit if it was JUST Nehemia, but Nehemia AND Sorscha? That’s a lack of self-awareness that hurts large groups of people. 

SJM does very well, in my opinion, of staying true to the story and not destroying its greater picture. Ex: There are certain characters she couldn’t have killed without irreparably damaging the main characters. Basically any of the main squad. She had to take other things away from them, (Gavriel from Aedion, Aelin’s powers and the human form she’s used as a crutch/security blanket for years, Connall from Fenrys, Dorian’s humor and easygoing personality etc), because despite the criticisms that nothing was lost because no one important died, if she DID kill someone important, the entire message of the story–hope, happiness even when the odds are impossible–would be less impactful. Veronica Roth with Allegiant? Not so much. Killing the heroine in a somewhat pointless death that you’ve lead your readers to root for and want a happy ending for is maybe not the best narrative choice. 

(For the record, though I don’t personally like it, I’m not against authors killing their main characters, but it’s gotta make sense. I’d be surprised, for example, if Jude survives Queen of Nothing. And, to use a character I love instead of someone I dislike so y’all can’t accuse me of being biased, Sam Cortland dying made sense to the narrative arc. It killed me. I low key still ship him with Aelin. But it made sense and it served the purpose of the narrative WELL. I mean I guess he’s not a main character, but he FEELS LIKE IT TO ME OK. *runs to a corner to cry and mourn … still*)

So, you used the ACOTAR world for illustration, so let’s run with that. A little bit of it is perspective and personal taste, right? I personally could read little tidbits about Feyre and Rhys for the rest of my life, because I love them very much. ACOWAR was meh for me, but I know a lot of people who REALLY HATED it, and a lot of people who REALLY LOVED it. And those things that people who really hated it take issue with tend to be things that the people who really loved it, loved. 

That being said. SJM writing a book about Feyre and Rhysand would destroy the series narrative, just like we were saying. Why? Because their arc is over. They’ve gotten their happily ever after (relatively: I mean, every stage of life brings its own problems, and in fantasy that means WAR). But they’ve grown into themselves as characters, so trying to write another book about THEM means one of two things: Either SJM is going to beat a dead horse and there will be nothing compelling because they won’t grow or struggle enough, OR, she’ll have to pull them back in terms of development to create new problems (which to be fair, happens to people IRL, but it usually isn’t something we want to read in escapist fantasy). 

So, you’re right. The ACOTAR world can only continue if it has a fresh new protagonist, and SJM has pointed to the fact that, there will be THREE fresh new protagonists. Each couple will get its own book, and my guess is she’ll start with Nesta and Cassian, because they have the most explosive problems (notice I didn’t say biggest), and she needs to use them to propel audience interest forward to read the others. If she starts quietly, like with Azriel and Elain (sue me, I’ve been an Elriel shipper since ACOMAF), she won’t hold her audience as well. That would be destructive to the story line a little bit. 

I hope I answered your question? All in all, while I’m ‘eh’ about the plot twist in King of Scars, it isn’t destructive to the storyline. It has the POTENTIAL to be, mind you. It will all depend on how it’s handled. If Alina is dragged back in? I’m going to say it destroys, not its own storyline, but the storyline of the Grisha trilogy. If Alina is left tf alone, I’m still side-eyeing, but I’m side-eyeing because of my own tastes, not because I think there’s a fundamental issue with the plot. 

Different things can destroy stories for different people, and those same things can MAKE stories for others. Again, I LOVED Rhys and Feyre’s cameo in Kingdom of Ash. I am a SUCKER for stuff like that, even though it’s silly (it’s a book people, let your hair down, ok). It really ripped other people out of the world, and that’s ok. They can side eye it for all those reasons all they want. My issue is that there’s a double standard (sometimes–not all the time!) with some of SJM’s antis, where they tear her down or ridicule her for making a similar choice to what they praise other authors for.

TL:DR–> There’s a difference between being destructive to your audience and being destructive to your story, and one is much more important than the other. It’s important to criticize. But be aware of your critiques. If you’re slandering an author for something you would praise another for, don’t be surprised when some readers/viewers stop assigning your critiques credibility and ascribe half of what you say to bitterness.