#it's bc acotar fandom is very basic

[praetorqueenreyna]

/Never read ACOTAR but follow several people who have/. Honestly one thing I’ve sort of… felt is that Nesta is one of the few female characters to have legit fans in this fandom of yours. Feyre doesn’t seem to have any which aren’t tied to shipping. And I mean I guess it’s a romance series and all but… still. Major fanfic vibes where the most popular pairing is only such because they use the girl character to project onto for their fictional crush. Tale as old as time. Or fandom anyway.

GOD YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!! Feyre really is such a self insert for people who want to date Rhys and don't actually care about her. And yeah, really does give the fandom vibes of people flattening out the female character into a shell of her former self so that she can be a self insert. Except this time it happened in canon. Which I GUESS explains how these books got so popular even though they are terrible.

And like you said, Nesta is much more divorced of the shipping drama. I know lots of Nesta fans who hate her canon ship (ME INCLUDED) and enjoy her without her being paired with anybody. But then again, Nesta is an actual three dimensional complex character, and Feyre is a flat mirror reflecting the reader and their desires.

[arson-09]

just saw an art from an artist who worked with sjm during acomaf, basically her work is the closestof the character's actual appearence, like, the anon who said sjm looked at natalie alyn lind for description, that is basically what happened, and in a cartoon style she made, lucien is kinda almost the same color as tamlin, and cassian and azriel are the same as rice.... it is all funny considering that in arts were they (except tamlin) are not "darker" some people complain about white washing...

also, gonna mention helion, bc he actually has a persian/iranian appearence, and there were people complaing with the official artist that she white washed him, in the official acotar coloring book... y'know, """"""""""""""""the official artist instead of drawning the character as my headcanon, no, she did as close as they are supposed be, that must be white washing!"""""""" like, people are so dumb

I hate when people hate on artists when they're just doing the best they can with the information given and what the author has said.

on that note, the issue comes down to what I call implied diversity. SJM almost never straight up says a character is a PoC, especially if they are a main character. She may describe someone's appearance one way, usually with flowery and ambiguous language then lets the fandom do the heavy lifting. She lets the fandom make the diversity.

Its why people attack artists for 'whitewashing' even if they are just doing their job. Because people read and interpret it how they like and canonize their perceptions. Its why there's so much skin color variation in Rhysand art (for example) ((it's also why there's so much discourse in this 'fandom' over characters in general but I digress))

Sjm is a bad author when it comes to writing diversity in her cast of characters, and when she tries its very halfhearted. People get their panties in a twist over everything in acotar. She fumbles writing cohesive characters (rhysand changing skin tones acotar-acomaf, tamlins whole character) but the majority of the 'fandom' can't handle discussion over that lmao.

anyway, kinda went off but yeah!! whitewashing is a serious issue when it comes to character art but it's a moot point in the acotar fandom because of sjm lmao.

[goddessofwisdom18]

your favorite character being largely disliked by both the stans and the antis is actually so devastating. where am i supposed to go

there are three main opinions about mor in this fandom:

1. she’s fine bc she’s feyre’s bestie but you don’t really care about her personally (probably bc she’s queer because the stan girlies used to LOVE mor when moriel was semi-canon. i remember. i was there)

2. she’s fine but annoying bc she ~lead azriel on~ (main opinion on the acotar subreddit). never mind that if this was true, it would be as a result of a retcon, because again, pre acowar, moriel was going to be canon. sarah made mor sapphic because we were asking for more lgbt characters. (again. i was there.) and besides, i frankly don't think it is true, because azriel is the fucking spymaster with a million chances of knowledge at his fingertips and mor spent 80% of her time at a gay bar so idk how he couldn't have fucking known?

3. or she’s the fucking worst because she was. idk. mean to nesta. you know who else was mean??? and people love that about her because it's a result of trauma, it makes her flawed and relatable? literally nesta T_T this is not anti nesta i just don’t get it.

4. she's the fucking worst because she… supposedly lied about eris? ?? i'm not even going to begin to unpack this. why y'all IMMEDIATELY take the man's side and think what he's saying is bible… i don't fucking know. learn to decenter men in your life my friend. sometimes women ARE telling the truth even if they're basic or pick mes or whatever.

mor’s traumatized as hell and definitely has as much to back up her occasional cattiness as nesta had to back up her literal life long bullying. but few people will give her a feminist reading. few people will analyze how sarah wrote her story or what that means. few people will even give her credit as a real villain. she’s just an annoying pick-me bitch and that’s the end of it.

think about the lack of grace rhysand gives nesta. think about what that might mean for mor, to whom rhys (and his friends) was a sort of savior, because her life in the hewn city was that bad that somehow dealing with rhysand is better. that was who she grew up with; that was what she was taught to see as good because at least it wasn’t keir.

not to mention that her life is shaped around her survival via her desirability to males. ESPECIALLY as a sapphic woman can you imagine what that would do to her psyche?

but no. no fan posts about her. no headcanons. nothing nada. just me and the mor week posts and the occasional obligatory stan reference bc she's part of the main cast.

i understand being annoyed bc of the double standard in canon between her and nesta's heavy drinking, but even then i see posts all the time about "i would love rhys if it weren't for the narrative's worship of him!" and none for mor because she's just a ghost. she's nothing to anybody. despite being A MAIN CHARACTER!

not to mention but like. generally positioning yourself perpetually in opposition to the paradigm rather than just having values whether they're popular or not is not a great way to go about things. i completely understand liking eris regardless of what he's done - i am a tamlin stan despite the fact that he was very well abusive in acomaf - but the fact that there are antis out there who are so convinced mor is lying, or who want sarah to write that storyline, is so digusting to me. women in groups you don't like, political sides you don't like, women you think are annoying - they still deserved to be believed. don't give into respectability politics. come on now.

[blacktreacle22]

Elriel design choices?!

!!!!! Spoilers for ACOMAF, ACOWAR and ACOSF

Just some thoughts that may have been voiced already somewhere on here (or on tiktok, or instagram, or reddit (where i have also posted this….):

Just a small context: I am new (NEW) to the fandom (finished the series a couple of days ago, read them in about 2 weeks, now I am listening to them bc I am feral- next stop: ToG and CC!!)

So, when listening I either find myself rewind to listen to specific wording OR find myself wanting to do something else with my phone or just my hands or anything (like a sudoku or something).

Literally a couple of minutes ago, I was like “hmm what do I do, do I just sit in bed and listen? I don’t want to fall asleep and not know where I left the audio off” so I just stared at the picture of the book cover for ACOWAR (I read them on kindle) and as I was staring (really looking this time) i thought: “Is that Truth Teller? I mean, silly me, of course it is, it is the weapon that killed the King of Hybern, the big bad of the trilogy, duh!”

But then, on closer inspection I noticed something in the lower left corner that very much resembles a rose, imo. We already know what the rose is a symbol for, so I will spare you the Elain imbibed with spring-like qualities description. After that, I looked at the intertwined shapes of smoke, mist, tendrils, whatever you wish to call them and realized the one forming the rose is particularly lighter and the ones in the back are particularly darker- just like, you guessed it, shadows and light.

“Oh well, it could just mean that the Shadow D*ddy offered the really important weapon to the person that killed the king, not that big of a deal” (again, I will spare you the she’s-the-only-one-he-has-ever-entrusted-the-weapon-to discourse).

Or, dare I say, it was a really conscious design choice?

(REALLY IMPORTANT MENTION: when i started voicing this post in my head, the ACOTAR cover in my memory, had Tamlin’s beast on it, which I realized is actually Andras but I still made it work, I think)

I thought:

“hmm, interesting that you should have Andras on the first cover, serving as the event that triggered the whole story AND a testament to Tamlin’s power (shapeshifting- dual nature);

“interesting that you should have Rhys’ beast form on the second cover, him being the main love interest (on the book that the mating bond snapped in place and changed the story further) AND a testament to his dual nature (especially him being half-Illryan);

“interesting that you should have a dual symbolism (light and shadows, Az and Elain) both of them having a second nature of sorts, on the third cover, them being the people that basically made the story end;

So, not only are we keeping in line with the “dual nature symbolism” (which will most likely play a big part in Elaine’s book- with her being a seer) but we are also adding a duo on the center stage;

Not only are we referring to pivotal people/moments in the story, but we are putting them together in the spotlight;

If we are also to consider the fact that, in ACOTAR, we are hinted at Feysand (it is true, it happened, it is on page) in ACOMAF at Nessian (happened), I wonder what could possibly be hinted at in the third? Specifically now, that I have seen this book cover more clearly.

++++ the cover of ACOFAS is a flower, which again, great symbolism for… you guessed it, ELAINE. I do agree that it can also suggest spring, but what I think is even more important is that in spring, things are REBORN. So rebirth, a new beginning, a new story to tell, a new cycle of books.

And if you think about it, there is a new story to tell for each sister (even tho we had Feysand for the trilogy, they will still be there, and with Nyx that is a new beginning).

We have ACOSF, with friendship, love and healing.

And we have whatever is in store for us with Elaine’s book (bc I am so tired of bashing on her as a character, like it is going to CLEARLY be her book).

PS: I know it is not necessarily a good worded theory but this is my first ever post on reddit and it is currently 3 in the morning so I do hope I made sense for some people at least 🙏🥲

PPS: I am a hardcore Elriel shipper, THO, if everyone is happy and it is well written, I could eventually (months later, warm up to other ships- I am only here to read and appreciate amazing posts so please no ill-thoughts)❤️

[yaralulu]

Thank you for tagging me @the-darkestminds @zenkindoflove <33

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Veryyy new to all this so 4 rn !!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

24,076 (like i said im still a baby to all this )

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Dressing Room Dilemma 

A Ghost We Both Know

Just A Tug

Want By Proxy

5. Do you respond to comments? Definitely!! Comments are such a serotonin boost and I love responding to people and thanking them for commenting because it genuinely means the world to me.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? A Ghost We Both Know has a very angsty ending. I’ve had a few people even ask for a second chapter but I fear the angst is the end of it.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I’d say Just A Tug has a very fluffy ending.

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. I’m very new to it and quite frankly I have no idea what I’m doing and it sometimes feel like torture but I can’t stop writing it LOL. I’m learning as I go on so every time I write something I’m basically experimenting but I do feel most comfortable writing queer smut.

9. Do you write crossovers? No. Not something I read or write.

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? No

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No but sounds very fun.

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? If we’re talking ACOTAR it’s Tamcien 🤭🤭

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have this very unhinged tamcien/elucien cheating fic that’s just dialogue in a document somewhere and it’s never seeing the light of day.

14. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue!! Most of my fics stem from random dialogue scenes I’ve made up in my head and I think I do a good job writing realistic fun dialogue. I think I’m fairly good at writing the overall scenes too—speech tags and tones,character expressions,introspection between all that. I like my dialogue scenes to be very detailed.

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  Still very new to writing so to me everything 😅? But mainly descriptions of sceneries and surroundings. It’s such a specific skill to be able to capture surroundings into words and articulate it well and make it sound beautiful and I’m just not there yet.

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? The idea of using google translate and someone noticing its all so off is just a big no to me. I do however speak arabic so 👀👀

17. First fandom you wrote for? ACOTAR

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? Surprisingly my most recent luzriel fic. I really struggled with writing it bc I was going through probably the most stressful weeks of my life but I somehow finished it and it was exactly what I imagined?? I had such a vivid image of what it looked like and I feel like I conveyed that really well. 

It’s also such a rarepair and there’s no scenes of them even remotely interacting so I had to build their dynamic from the ground up. It was a challenge to write a character like Azriel who I don’t really read too many fics about and is also so enigmatic in the books. I had to do so much research on that man like I was out here searching what he smells like. I know him too well now.

Ok i’m done talking.

Pretty much everyone has already done this but if you haven’t, pretend I tagged you 🙏!!

[the-shadowsingers-whore]

warning: i'm about to be controversial

so i very rarely talk about controversial acotar opinions (i.e. gwynriel vs elriel) outside of mumblings in my own tags bc i don't really feel like arguing with people. i'm just here to have a good time and talk about books, but for some reason the acotar fandom can get real heated (and low key toxic) sometimes.

that being said....

i can't not talk about nesta.

i know so many people do not like acosf and absolutely hate nesta, but honestly i think her character is so real and validating to a lot of people.

yes, her behavior in acosf (and also acofas) is absolutely not okay and she is horrible to so many people. and while that's not cool in any regards you have to remember: she is suffering

her entire life was turned upside down and then she went through a shit ton of traumatic, gruesome events all in like a month or two. she didn't even have time to come to terms with her new body/new world before she experienced some of the worst things possible (not to count the terrifying powers she knows she has, but doesn't know how to control).

so she reacts by coping in horrible ways. as people do before they learn how to handle their trauma in healthy ways.

and before you come at me and say "well everyone else has experienced trauma and didn't act like that" i would like to remind you that all of them have had their moments before finally starting to heal. elain turned into a shell of a person, not eating or doing anything for months. cassian literally slaughtered dozens of people and decimated an entire village when he found out what happened to his mom.

i'm not excusing her behavior in any way shape or form. but i have such a deep appreciation for the way her character is written and how much she struggles to heal. the inside look into her thoughts and feelings is so validating.

i think a lot of people felt so seen reading some of things nesta thinks about herself/her life (i know i did). here are just a couple examples of times when i was reading that i actually had to stop for a moment bc the words hit a little too hard.

"i am worthless and i am nothing. i hate everything that i am. and i am so, so tired. i am tired of wanting to be anywhere but in my own head." acosf p. 78

she had failed in every aspect of her life. utterly and spectacularly failed, and keeping other from realizing it had been her main purpose. she had shut them out, had shut herself out, because the weight of all those failures threatened to shatter her into a thousand pieces." acosf p. 267

"it scared her more than anything. that utter lack of feeling. how good it had felt, to be so removed." acosf p. 383

like.......damn.

also i know she was a pos to feyre both growing up and throughout most of the books. she's absolutely terrible to her. but, i would like to just point out that people change. and watching her slowly realize her mistakes and start to rebuild her relationship with feyre throughout acosf is really beautiful.

anywhooo i know this post is getting really long, but basically all of this is just to say that i think having a character like nesta is so important to a lot of people. i truly appreciate how sjm writes her characters to be real people with real experiences (minus the magic and horribly gruesome torture) that her readers can relate to.

thanks for actually reading this whole post and if you still don't like nesta that is totally fine (everyone has a right to their own opinions), but please don't bombard me with hate. this is just meant to be me sharing my own thoughts and feelings. 💜

[shitwillnotbegiven]

You think that if the sjm publisher sees that there is not so much hype for the next book, they will say beforehand who the protagonists will be (although it is pretty obvious)

Like i should be sad that the fandom is dead(at least compared to last year) but I'm very happy bc this just proves the bad marketing BB is making

I don't think they will 🙃. They are basically reaping what they sow. They have a shitty marketing strategy and i don't think this will change. It also seems they don't really care about the fandom dying out 😒.

For Acotar 5, they will probably only say that it's Elain's book. Her love interest will remain a mystery until very close to the publication date.

Maybe CC3 will hype up the next MCs, who knows.

[eco15]

medoran chronicles thoughts bc idk..🕺🏽

•Hunter is one of the best characters in the whole series I wish we saw more of him and (I KNOW I’m not the only one thinking this)…he was def hot I mean Alex basically said it herself in akarnae (she acknowledged that he was handsome)

•whoever wrote that Hunter/Alex smUt fanfic on Ao3…I’ll never forgive you. Scarred. I got ptsd from that.

• Jordan should’ve said motherf*cker in We Three Heroes (I’m pretty sure that’s what he was going to say) while hunting for hyroas

• Though this fandom is pretty small (it’s growing) it’s one of the best ones I’ve been apart of as there are no arguments about who should’ve ended up with who and it’s just rly chill and nice

• the medoran chronicles will always be my favourite book series. I was pretty young when I started reading the books so I kinda grew up with them. It introduced me to the world of YA fantasy. Reading the books just makes me so happy and medora is 100% my comfort place

• For those who have read both Acotar and the medoran chronicles…what race of immortals would you say is more powerful: Acotar faeries or meyarins?

• I never got to read the novella (a very medoran kaldoras) and I’m praising god that I didn’t cuz the stress I see the rest of the fandom going through due to whatever crazy ending is not something I could handle.

• In my head, I see Alex with middle eastern and central Asian features (am I the only one?)

• I really wish we could’ve seen more into the teachers lives outside of Akarnae (especially the headmaster, karter, and Caspar Lennox)

• I would love to read a maturer version of the medoran chronicles (not disrespecting the original in any way I just think a version with more mature topics and more detail would be so cool since the main characters are teenagers who should be going thru all those teenagery journeys yk)

[bookofmirth]

i haven't read any sjm book series aside from acotar so i figured i might ask you, since you seem to have read all of her book series AND engaged with their fandom: had there ever been a non-antagonist as widely disliked as elain at any point in either of her book series? and if so, did that opinion of them change at any point further into the story (especially by means of sjm simply developing the character to give more depth to who they are)?

i'm just scared bc elain is a character that i think has a potential for a very interesting and unique story compared to other archerons and i'm so nervous i'm gonna end up disappointed....

Yes - Mor has experienced her fair share of dislike. And Nesta. And Aelin. I've seen a lot of Feyre hate lately.

If you're a female character in a fandom, basically you're fucked at some point.

I'm not sure if I'd say Nesta's character has improved in the eyes of the fandom or not, since you mentioned character development and we just had her book. I don't think that development or page time necessarily helps the way that people view a character, since sometimes it's just a gut reaction. And character development should still reveal the same person in the end. So like I don't expect Nesta to start being sweet and cute and nice any time soon, that would be ooc. She learned and we learned more about her, but personally I still have the same conflicting feelings. They are just better informed conflicting feelings!

I'd say, if you feel a certain way about Elain - e.g., if you think her story has potential to be super interesting and engaging - don't let the fandom dissuade you from that. Fandom is fun for getting other perspectives, but it ceases to be useful when it sucks the joy from what you love!

My hope for Elain in the books is that we get to see her become more assertive when she needs to be, and she figures out who she is when she stops letting her family/emotional obligations determine her actions. And in terms of the fandom, I hope that her story stops people from using her character like a battering ram against one another. We shall see.

[gwyns]

What leaks??

here's a warning to anyone who might not want to read potential leaks: scroll while you can!

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someone posted some cc2/acotar 5 "leaks" to reddit (they're deleted now) a few days ago and the basic gist of it was that bryce and hunt would be revealed to be mates and are pretty much endgame but that hypaxia and tharion would explore their feelings for one another ??? with no mention of ruhn.

as for acotar 5 they said it's gwynriel and the plot would be very autumn court centric.

everyone has pretty much written them off as fake and they likely are tbh but they're not claiming anything outlandish?? like i could see all of this happening. especially considering how involved eris was in acosf, we're definitely going to autumn, it's just a matter of when.

so while i'm aware these are probably fake, it still makes me worry bc i love ruhnpaxia so much and i was so happy to have finally contributed a ship name to this fandom lmfao

[mediocrebiscuit]

I think a discussion needs to be had about how misleading a lot of the Acotar tiktokers can be. Obviously I’m using Gwyn/riel as an example here. I will not be getting into fanart, bc people pay artists for what they wanna see. It’s a form of income and I’m not going to shit on people for trying to make bank. 🤨

There’s several comments on that thread, saying the same things. That they were confused and bamboozled about where characters stand, romance-wise. TikTokers have perpetuated this narrative (and I do believe it’s a narrative, as at this stage gwyn/riel is mostly just speculation and assumption. I don’t know if that’ll change in the future, but as of right now..imo, it’s just not a lot..) of this glorious, intense and powerfully healing and smutty romance between two broken characters. On paper, that is amazing. I’d read that book!! In reality, people have seemingly taken to wielding their own fics, headcanons and theories as fact.

Very few will acknowledge that what they’re portraying or discussing are their own ideas and desires for the series — often based very loosely on canon, or just a complete HC. I’ve seen comments deleted bc people asked about which book or page this event occurred on. A valid question, especially if you haven’t acknowledged it’s your own personal HC. Like, ship who you like, theorise what you want, depict whomever you vibe with, but please don’t shut people down and out bc they ask valid ✨neutral✨ questions. It’s really weird, and frankly confusing that you wouldn’t simply clarify, that you’re acting out your own narrative/what you wanna see in the books?? (As say “you”, but this has played out SO many times on the daily.) 🥴

I dunno. When I come across these posts, they always just make me sad. Bc I can understand that feeling of “oh, have I missed something? Have I done a big derp?” I’ve been there. I’ve bought into the hype of innumerable fandoms. I get it. I think a lot of people have been there. This is however, the first time I’ve come across a fandom that kinda likes to almost lie and mislead, especially on such a large platform?? I don’t know if those are the right words, but yeah, idk.

Ultimately I think tiktok is causing more harm to the fandom than good. Ive not been in the Acotar fandom long, but I do consider the rise of tiktok to be a primary source of the increasing toxicity. (I say as someone who was lured into this fandom by fanarts and TikToks💀)

(My belief is furthered by the amount of tiktokers I’ve seen basically copy + paste theories from here and reddit, without credit. Like, damn. Y’all stealing now too. 🤨🥲)

I’m not gunna tag this, bc I don’t know what to tag it as, and I don’t wanna be yelled at if I get it wrong. 🥲

[exciting]

As requested, books / series I read in 2020 in the order I read them, with a few brief thoughts. (This took me a hot second because there are a few and also I moved cities) Should I keep a consistent goodreads? Yes I should but I didn’t think of that at the time, so bone apple teeth & sorry if I offend you abt your faves x

P.S. I can’t figure out how to do a read more on mobile so long post ahead!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas - This is one of the most vivid published fantasy books I have ever read... I read it twice in rapid succession. The fandom POPS off. I must say I have issues with certain aspects e.g. fae lore completely ignored à la Twilight, all love interests 500+ years old and technically a different species, etc (I’m not going to deconstruct the entire series here but just know that I could... Nesta deserves better)

Cruel Prince by Holly Black - This fucking slaps, HB clearly has done her research, the lore is near immaculate, and it explores the Fae in such a unique way, tying it to the modern world subtly and seamlessly. My only qualm was that the books felt quite short; truly wish there had been more content.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas (6/7) - So basically I read this in one single, hyperfixated fit which meant I literally locked myself in my room for three days straight and read all six books back to back in a row from morning to the wee hours. Which is not to say it was spectacular; although it was a VERY rich world, sometimes it was too much... this felt like 6 stories in one. Ik she was young when she wrote this but it is my humble opinion that SJM needs a better editor & I personally think Rowan is a grade A asshole / straight up abusive (& personally think the ACOTAR Tamlin plot was born from that?). It’s good but not as good as ACOTAR. Skip-read the last book. 

Grishaverse (Shadow and Bone) by Leigh Bardugo (3) - This is essential to read before SOC but was very much simply a YA fantasy book, although the world was cool and the way the love plot played out was, imo, a subtle middle finger to the fantasy trope. Felt very much aimed at younger readers though? Really liked the sandwhich structure of the Proluge and Epilogue, especially in #2

Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo (2) - INCREDIBLE continuation of Grishaverse, better than the original series by a mile. It has the range, the diversity, the representation (the male lead is a disabled asexual and still the most cunning of the entire cast of characters), the plot is phenomenal, and it manages such a well rounded plot in only two books which means nothing is stretched out or squeezed in more than need be. Deserves all the praise it gets.

King of Scars series by Leigh Bardugo (0.5/1) - Personally I don’t consider this book canon, and while it’s nice to see the rest of Nina’s journey & the world again & everyone else, I don't like it. I will, however, be reading book 2 when it comes out, so shame on me, I suppose.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (1/1) - this was incredibly cool although it went off in a completely different direction than I thought it would based off the first few chapters? One of my favourite YA-author-debuts-New-Adult novels in 2020 though!

Crescent City by Sarah J Maas (1/1) - This was supposed to be SJM/s New Adult debut, although personally I would put her other series in New Adult, and I can’t say a remarkable amount was different with this except they said “fuck” and “ass” a lot. WHY is the romantic interest 500 years old AGAIN. I just... don’t... I just don’t think it was necessary... the world was cool though, and the last half of the book was riveting, but the beginning was quite slow and I thought the sword thing was predictable. I am interested to see where this goes though.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (3) - This world is so fucking cool... four Londons aka parallel universes & the one in ‘our’ world is set in industrial era London. Magic, girls dressing up as boys, thieves, pirates, royalty... it all just slaps. Schwab is an incredible writer & I was completely immersed.

Midnight Sun by SMeyer - I didn’t think anything could possibly detract even further from the Twilight story but I was sorely mistaken... seeing the stalking from Edward’s POV - and it was worse than depicted in Twilight, for the record - completely obliterated any sort of romance the first half of the original book may have portrayed. I still hold the opinion that the entire series would have been better if some kind of vampire lore had been abided by, if only to see all of the villains thwarted by someone dropping a bag of rice on the ground, forcing them to have to count them all.

An ember in the Ash by Sabaa Tahir  (3/4) - This was just a very stereotypical ya fantasy series, emphasis on the YOUNG... it wasn’t anything to write home about but I remember quite enjoying it at the time. 

The Power by Naomi Alderman - This book is FUCKING incredible and EXCEPTIONALLY thought provoking... essentially women alone develop a power of electric shock etc. and then take over the world from men, and it explores feminism and the balance between equality & tipping the scales in the other direction. Written by a friend of M.Atwood in a similar tone to handmaids tale, I would say? Content warning; there are some exceptionally graphic scenes in the latter half of the novel. 

Hamlet by Wllm Shksp - I can’t believe it took me this long to finally read it but Ophelia is my favourite name in the entire world & we love to see a woman go batshit (although she didn’t deserve that). 

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas - this was unsettling in the best sense of the word... it was a little slow & honestly more of a concept than a big reveal, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I finished it? A Secret History vibes but make it blurry like the memory of all those dystopian novels you read when you were young?

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab - This is without a doubt my book of the year, and probably the best book I read in 2020? I stayed up all night on a friend’s couch reading it, got a book hangover and reread the ending, and then thrust it upon my mother who doesn’t usually read but read this, and loved it just as much. HIGHLY recommend and you HAVE to read it, it’s beautiful and endearing and just plain wonderful.

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat (3/3) - I went into this knowing it was going to be terrible, because I had received a blow by blow telling me as much; although I must say that it did learn a remarkable amount of new words, the books did get better as the series went on, and it did have a rather charming ending? BIG content warning for almost everything.

Sapiens by Yuval Harari - mind-expanding & must recommend for everyone, there is everything in this and I daresay everyone should posses this kind of knowledge? I listened to it as an audiobook (which I recommend because it’s rather hearty) but will be buying this in hardcopy & rereading it with annotations. 

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful novels I have ever read, and certainly the most beautiful portrayal of the story of Achilles and the battle of Troy I have ever seen. Patroclus deserved the justice that was given to him in this book; indeed, all of the characters were written with justice and grace. Highly recommend.

Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan (3/5) - Apollo is my favourite Greek God, and the sexiest greek god, and Rick Riordan’s writing slaps, as always. It did pain me to see Apollo, the sexy immortal, have to be forced back into a 16 year old’s body but everything else? Whimsical & wonderful, as expected. 

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong - a retelling of Romeo and Juliette, except it’s set in Shanghai in the 1920′s, and the protagonists already have a history. Very well done, characters are incredibly diverse in race, sexual orientation, gender, and ability / disability (and honestly, representation has never appeared so effortless and elegant). Also it includes a monster and possible magic. Incredibly underrated and highly recommend.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix. E Harrow - this was such a unique concept, and truly captivating, the story was charming, and felt like the kind of beautiful fairytale you would read as children but with more grit? ABSOLUTELY recommend this one

The Pisces by Melissa Broder - I hated this so much, not my vibe at all. Mermaid smut x therapy but make it cynical and judgemental (I know there was a moral in there but that’s not my point) also the dog dies.

Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (1/2) - really interesting & unique concept (all unwritten novels / ideas reside in a special library that is part of Hell and then sometimes the books can come to life) however, my first thought upon reading this was “this reads as if it’s stemmed from one of those writing prompt tumblr posts” bc of the tone and whatever and as it turns out I was somewhat correct, it did stem from a short story (not bad just obvious). It did kind of settle down as it went on but I found reading it kind of a drag, and I don’t think I will read the second one.

Abandon by Meg Cabot - 1. Meg Cabot’s writing always fucking slaps 2. Hades and Persephone but make it modern & very 2000′s & somehow kind of unique 3. I literally loved this, sue me

Medusa Girls (Sweet Venom) by Tera Childs - Like Percy Jackson except they are descendants of Medusa so they are Gorgons and have fangs & venom (hence the title). Gave me very 2000′s vibes? Quite cool but tbh I found the books quite short (like two hours each, if that)? Do NOT read the GoodReads description of the book before you read it, you will spoil it for yourself.

Bring me their Hearts by Sara Wolf - In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated YA series I read in 2020. The heroine is endearing, self aware, witty, and loves to look pretty even while kicking ass which in my opinion is an incredibly underrated trait. Also, immortality without being hundreds of years old? VERY sexy. HIGHLY recommend. 

A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova - High commendation to be given for the fact that it is a standalone and yet manages to fit in the plot of what would usually be a full fantasy trilogy without cutting corners or being a million miles long? Also sweet storyline & beautiful ending? If you liked ACOTAR you should read this as a “what would have / could have been had SJM had a different editor” (No shade I promise).

The Iron Fae by Julie Kagawa (4/4 + novellas) - Incredibly detailed faerie set around the modern world & our current use of technology & iron in it. Very neat adventure-style series, by the time I read the last novella I was well and truly done with the world (aka provided enough content to be fulfilling). Was definitely aimed at a younger audience though, NO smut / smut was brushed over.

The Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black (3/3 SS) - This is technically the prequel to Cruel prince, set in the modern world, but with the fae world inside it as it traditional? All I have to say is that it is excellent & I highly recommend it.

Bridgerton series (The Duke and I) by Julia Quinn (9/9) - I read this after watching the Netflix show twice through and I am obsessed, although the books were not quite as elegant as the show, and some parts that made me cringe either by their portrayal (it is very firmly set in the 19th century and thus some things are not handled with tact or grace), the characters were exceptionally loveable and I am so excited to see where the show takes them! Lovely language & an abundance of words I had never seen before (always a plus). 

[vidalinav]

I always enjoyed reading your blog, but I have to say that I feel like a lot of us Nesta fans are going to leave the fandom after this book. Not necessarily because of disappointment, but because a bunch of us only stayed with the series to finally get to her story. And to be honest, I think BB and SJM themselves know that. I can't think of any other reason why they kept postponing the books and basically tricked us into purchasing acofas, since they marketed it as a 'bridge' that seemed important to not leave out. I personally will only keep up with fanfics about Nessian, but not really with the fandom as a whole, as there's constant fighting and victim-blaming going on. I'm sure a lot of us are still going to check on your fics

**** POTENTIAL SPOILERS, but I don’t think so. Everything is vague. (Just in case)

Oh my god thank you! I appreciate it though I’m not going to lie I am also only in this fandom for nessian/nesta and I’m like if Nestas story is over... and the next book will probably be in two years. I’m not sure how much I’ll be writing fanfiction or even participating in this fandom. Unless I choose to finish the fics I’ve already started and maybe a couple of one-shots here and there. 

It’s not the book that I have problems with itself (though I will have some problems that I will save to discuss later when I’ve read the book thoroughly and others have read it). Lies! It’s the book I have a problem with, but not for the reasons of disliking or liking it. 

Maybe I jinxed it. People overhyped it. I set out unrealistic expectations. But those do have to come to an end eventually and quite honestly this whole experience was a lot that I don’t aim to repeat. So I either have to detach myself or decide that I don’t care too much and go on. I’m not sure. I have to read the book. No character fascinates me that much outside of Nesta. Nesta to me was a character that no one had written before. Because she was ugly and good. Like she has such disliked traits that make her so hard to deal with but she stands up and overcomes and rages and storms and loves her sisters and the common good. Which was already proven in the whole series. So I don’t know why that was a plot point in here. Sigh. I feel like a lot of the plot is fixing or forming relationships. Which is okay (if they needed to be fixed). But it’s not what I wanted to read. I thought too much about this book and her character that I set it up for failure Bc my expectations would never be reached. I’m sure I will like the book. But I know I will not extremely love the book. And that’s my own opinion. I’ve read spoilers (MASSIVE AMOUNTS) before of books that I liked less and I loved the book and knew it immediately. This is... ehh not was what I was expecting. Which is okay. That happens. No hate to people who absolutely love it. Different books for different people. Styles change and all and this continuing series was a style change. But to me personally, It’s not really my thing. 

But also I hate, hate, hate endings. I didn’t read the last book of TOG for three years, because I could not handle it. It made me want to cry. And Nesta’s and Cassian’s story, their main story ends, and it’s set up to end. I wanted to see their relationship develop of course, but honest to god I wanted plot. I wanted to see and feel and know Illyria like I know Crescent City, and I wanted to see other places and learn other cultures, and I really really wanted to see magical, scheming plot. Because this is the girl who stole from the f*** cauldron. I wanted her to heal, but I also wanted to her to discover more power than fighting (brute force). I wanted her to learn how to scheme like a politician or to really let everyone know that she gave no fucks and to be powerful and a liar or a cheat or show her wits and wiles, because this girl seemed smart and she to me was the antithesis to Rhysand, who was all of these things. And honestly, I wanted the Inner Circle to accept her because they understood her and she understood them, not because of what she does. Because they learn each other, because all of them suck so bad. And that’s perfectly fine if you admit that you all suck and love each other anyways. But that requires more than one book and this book is supposed to be a standalone. It also requires this to be less romance affiliated, like TOG or even ACOTAR, where romance is there and central but not the center, and that wouldn’t have happened. So all in all, unfortunately I might have to take an L on this. Seems horrible to me to thinks it’s so disappointing, but I know what I like and I know what’s in the book and how it’s written. And I don’t mean to say this to discourage anyone from liking/loving the book. I’m just trying to explain my own rationality about whether or not I continue with this fanfiction and this blogging stuff. I already don’t feel as obsessed with nessian anymore. I honestly want to read another book. I don’t read SJM for the smut, I think honestly she adds too much, so unfortunately L on that too.  

But I’ll always have my imagination. I just don’t know how much effort I want to put into this series that I don’t feel is satisfying to me anymore when I was so obsessed with it for the longest. I always knew I would reach this point. I did for so many books. I think maybe we grow out of them, and sometimes they grow out of us. I’m not sure which one this will be. But it’s bittersweet I think. I feel like this was my emotional support book/OTP/character and now I need therapy. I don’t mean to make light of that, but that’s literally how important this character was to me, and it feels horrible. I feel like I’m breaking up from a three year relationship and unfortunately, I don’t handle change so well. But I’m sorry for breaking down in a post that was very nice! I really appreciate you reading my fics and wanting to keep up with them in the case that you leave also the fandom. I don’t know if I officially will, I change my mind every few seconds. But thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk, this made me feel better :)

[lightwormlol]

ACOFAS REVIEW -INC SPOILERS

4.5 stars.

Okay, so! This was the first book I was able to finish in 2021. I've kinda been in a reading slump, and struggling to get past the 30-50% of books. I think its because I took essentially 3 months off my normal (daily) reading schedule and have been prioritising other things (health, fitness, job applications etc) - I think it's a testament to how addicted I was to this that I finished and consumed this at the rate I did! I recently went back and added some things to my ACOWAR review. To briefly summarise, I feel that, at the time I read it, it kind of gave me what I needed, but it definitely isn't getting a re read - my love for feysand has definitely lessened over time, but honestly i'm not that mad at sarah for this, as I find that whenever I've passed the sexual tension part of relationships in books, I tend to get bored of the domestic bliss. Like, leave that shit for an epilogue and keep it at that? As someone generally averse to relationships, but there is definitely a grace period for how long I can actively be smitten with a couple... before it becomes sickly. Taking all this into account, I honestly was nervous for this book, its release date totally took me by surprise, and I read it on a whim. As a Nessian shipper (I mean we didn't really have a choice after acomaf but to delve into the world of fanfic to keep us going) - this book gave me most of what I wanted and needed from them! I think,(some) kudos to SJM, for not disappointing in their relationship. This was definitely a character > plot driven story. In terms of the plot, I wasn't really invested until around the 38% mark? I'm not sure if I was adjusting to the writing style (lots of dramatic. sentences. that. are. so. abrupt. Nesta Archeron. Death etc) - or if it was bc I hadn't read an SJM book since the novella, which I basically skimmed. I was obviously reading for Nessian, but I didn't really feel intrigued by the wider plot (death gods, the human queens? Given I had lost my previous obsession with the world/ have outgrown 'fandom' culture, that made me actively update my knowledge, I couldn't remember a lot!) I think its clear that SJM excels character driven stories, but I think her worldbuilding and execution is significantly better in the throne of glass franchise. Now, I did say this was a character driven story. This is mostly regarding Nesta, Cassian and Azriel. I loved pretty much any interaction they had! I love a good training montage. Ngl though, I think, unless you possess an ardent love for Nessian, you're not going to be particularly wowed by this, if you've read heir of fire, or even acomaf. I obviously am never going to be able to be objective, because I've loved nessian so much from 2017-now, but I loved the dynamic those two (and three - friendship wise between nes/cass/az). One of the highlights of ACOWAR for me was the snippets of Az, showing tenderness, and opening up to the newer members of the inner circle (and i'm excluding any hint of an Elriel ship because FUCK THAT LOL) For me, the tip with SJM books is: once you outgrow them/the particular mode of narrative style, is to not anticipate anything other than a character driven story, albeit one riddled with smut. I personally am a romance heavy reader, so I'm honestly deconditioned to it at this point, (like, when I see reviewers scandalised I'm like... wow, the amount of trash I have consumed in the last five years loool.) While I disagree with the fact SJM marketed this series as y/a (or maybe it wasn't her per se, but the key booksellers definitely did this for her) - I think its clear enough now she's descended into the adult/borderline erotica genre.(very mild imo). I personally like to adopt a policy of skimming sex scenes when I find the dialogue cringy (most the time it is lets be honest any talking is v second hand embarrassment). Cassian and Nesta were definitely better than Rhys and Feyre post chapter 55 though! I was so glad there weren't a million moments of Cass/Nesta betraying their arousal with their scents, in front of everyone (like feysand, the voyeuristic pda pricks they are). I found the slowburn ish nature of their relationship great, and I actually think if you're a virgo/emotionally stunted reader, you will be happy with their relationship dynamic. It contrasts with the daemati sexual snark of acomaf, but it felt right, and authentic. This book was a journey of personal growth, for Nesta. It is clear SJM loves books about strong women, and maybe thats what makes me love this book so much. I think, out of all the archeron sisters, I love Nesta the most. This is for my Rose Calloway fans, my misunderstood, somewhat cold/left out girls, who are less receptive to being vulnerable. If you're a slowburn fan, it's not Mariana Zapata levels of slowburn, imo it's the perfect combo. Addictive enough that I don't want to put it down, but not so fast moving that I couldn't believe it. I loved the sex without emotion relationship they had!! This is honestly never done in mainstream n/a fantasy, unless its a caricature of a 'slut' that normally rivals the main character, lmao. Even if their inner conflict was p transparent, this gave me everything I needed! I know this is vapid lol but I also love the physical dynamic between the two, they just look so good together, the amount of fanart I'm going to reacquaint myself with after this review!! I adored seeing Nesta grow, (even if towards the end I kind of resented her sudden acceptance into the inner circle, i get SJM loves her and just wanted a fluffy ending, but, as a Nesta like character, it's awkward and stilted on her end to adjust to the inner circle like this - i mean, hugging rhys, really??)

I think, if I had to compare this to any other SJM book, I would say Chaols book (though I obviously preferred this). That being said, I felt less attached to new characters in this book than I was in even Chaols book (and even then ngl I remember nothing?) Obviously I loved what it represented, as a trio of traumatised women. I just, didn't love this the way I loved other inner circle members! I get that they gave Nesta exactly what they needed, a family that doesn't hold the history of her sisters, who she doesn't have to worry about holding preconceived notions of disappointment. I loved this for her! Even then.. I just wasn't attached to either of them. I found their interactions cute - but boring. Towards the end, when their stories/pasts are revealed, I couldn't help but cringe slightly, I can't put my finger on why, but I just didn't buy it. Maybe it's the brit in me but I couldn't be moved by this slightly forced bonding moment.. which was so anticlimactic. My 'aww how cute' tolerance is defo deserved for characters whose tropes I love. Maybe they just didn't fit into this list. Maybe I'm just being a cow here?

Now, let's speak about the real star of the show.... A FUCKING MAGICAL HOUSE FRIEND??? YESSSSSSS. IF YOU ARE AN ILONA ANDREWS INNKEEPERS CHRONICLES FAN, U WILL LOVE! How was the animation of this somehow more touching than all of nesta's other friendships combined? Exactly what I ordered, thank you. This trope somehow touches more than any material bonding!! The cute witch x house dynamic (also maybe howls moving castle vibes?) I loved the trying to reach the target of 10,000 steps (a little Celaena HOF). I think this, heir of fire and acomaf are my favourite SJM books for this reason. Gripes: I definitely had some personal gripes with how other members of the inner circle treated Nesta (rhys i'm looking at you. Disappointed doesn't even cover it.) I inherently take offence to any elain scene, as i'm so over bland characters whose existence is reduced to wanting to fucking plant flowers?? like?? really? To go from moriel to that is such a downgrade, even if I fell out of love with Mor due to the way she snubbed Nesta (you're a 500 year old being and you can't see someone is clearly traumatised?). I adore Az so much, but if it aint polyamorous, I cannot see any pairing with Elain making me happy. (wouldn’t mind gwyn though) I think the whole mating bond that I do not want is a good dynamic, but I really hate that everyone has to be mates in this world. I don't think we were that surprised, but it would've been nice if the somehow, idk, developed a strong bond over time, without it being preordained? Like, even if they do not all actively stay with their mate, given how disproportionate mates are among the general population, what's the likelihood 6 members of the inner circle (including lucien) have mates?

My advice? Read this book if you love nessian and the acotar world in general, but don't expect the world building to be consistent with greater fantasy series'. This style of story is obviously what to expect. She writes what she likes, and if her fantasy is this - then who are we, as readers, to expect otherwise?

Final rating: 4.5 (no, i'm not objective, but objectivity does not exist if you are a real, human being, lol)

Original Characters: 5/5 (nessian/az/house wise) 1/5 (feysand - really over how they essentially take over the very end of the book - ugh, I wanted nesta's arc to be wholly separate from them) Writing style: 3.5 Cringe Scale: Low, with the exception of some dialogue. New Characters: 2 Plot: I went into it with a 2 and came out with a 4. Not in terms of complexity, but in terms of how addictive and enjoyable this reading experience was! (less)

[accidental-rambler]

Tag Games

I was tagged by @feyre-cursebreaker. Thank you :)

1. Last thing you watched on Youtube?

Well, since the only way I can listen to music at work is YT, this is the last video I played:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPp3Qh-GRqs

2. Favorite beauty product?

Anything from Yves Rocher, really. Oh, and there’s this orange + chocolate body scrub from Ziaja that basically smells like Christmas which I love ;)

3. Go-to Starbucks order?

LOL. I never really buy at Starbucks given they have exactly one coffee-shop in a city where I live and it opened recently xD I don’t drink that much coffee but when I do, it’s black with 2 little spoons of sugar ;) Sometimes I might order something more fancy when I’m out to get coffee with my friends but I don’t have a “go-to” order.

4. Favorite class in school?

History, English and Polish. Oh, and I loved Chemistry too!

5. Childhood celebrity crush?

Hmm...I remember being very much into Tom Felton bc Draco Malfoy 🔥 Also Harmon Rabb (played by David James Elliott) from JAG - like I started watching this show at the completely inappropriate age of 7 and this crush continued well into my late teen years, haha. Then there was Colin Firth because DUH FREAKING MR DARCY. To be honest, I have more celebrity crushes now, back in my childhood I was more into the characters they played, you know?

6. Favorite lip color?

Red, but more on a darker side, like crimson?

7. Favorite obscure movie?

Hmm...I will go with the one I’ve seen pretty recently - “Ostatnia Rodzina” (’The Last Family’). It’s about Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński and his family. It’s just so...raw and simple in a way that it shows an ordinary life of a not-so-ordinary man and a ordinary life of a family that’s...both ordinary and far from it in a way it goes through its everyday life and tragedies and just...this description probably doesn’t make much sense but suffice to say, I left the cinema silent, shaken and in a dire need of alcohol.

8. Last TV show you watched?

Recently I’ve been re-watching some fav Twin Peaks scenes in preparation for the upcoming new season, wohoo 🙌🙌🙌

9. Favorite ACOTAR fanfic?

I don’t read that much of ACOTAR fanfiction, tbh 🙈🏃🏃🏃 Just what pops up on my dash or recs from my friends :)

I could give a list of my fav authors in the fandom but then I would surely forget someone and I would feel awkward af.

10. Opinion on fish as pets?

Pretty but boring.

11. Last time you touched glitter?

See, it wasn’t actually that long ago, haha, probably around Christmas, I made a few cards for my friends xD

My questions:

1. What’s your favourite book/movie/TV show character ever (choose one or from all three fields)?

2. What’s your happy childhood memory?

3. A place you would love to see?

4. Words/quote that really resonates with you?

5. Some books, at least to me, feel like a longtime trusted friend. We reach for them when we want to relax, when we feel alone or we’re just in need of comfort, sth familiar. Do you have a book like this?

6. Something that never fails to annoy you?

7. Warm summer rain or first rays of spring sun in winter? *does that even make sense, lol*

8. Crowded bus or a long walk home?

9. Beer or wine?

10. Favourite scene from ACOTAR/ACOMAF?

11. Do you have any habits you wish you could get rid of?

Tagging - if you want to ;) : @eloquenceisnotyourthing, @maevelin, @paigemarie007, @lynyrdwrites, @madswagswaggers, @klarolinedrabbles and @austennerdita2533 ;)

[it-is-i-mommy-milkers-1000]

I definitely agree with you that a lot of folks from the ACOTAR fandom are too overprotective when it comes to characters and choices made in the book that others don't particularly agree with because they might not view it with the same rose colored glasses.

I, for one, adore the books, I think they are really good and I thoroughly enjoyed the binge reread a couple of weeks ago, just so I could refresh my memory and finally read ACOSF. But despite that, I wont deny that there's plenty of issues you can find in the books. The most awful one being sjm's use of "shredding/shredded to ribbons" instead of using just the good ol tearing. /jk (i just dont like it, but then again some ppl hate the use of purring, and i love that one lmao)

I can see your point where it feels like there's so much push and pull from the fandom that you can't really say anything without earning someones death wish. And yes, it was like that with twilight too lol, altho I was too young and didn't know enough english at the time to fully be in the thick of it. But boi, i remember.

It does suck that you can't just have a normal chat with someone over the books. It's fun to compare your likes and dislikes! As long as everyone is respectful, I like seeing different opinions on them. It makes me see and rethink certain things in the book that might have flown over my head otherwise, and it makes me learn. How else will you learn if you don't discuss it? How else will the author learn whats good or bad if they don't get the info back from their readers? What works and what doesn't? What the author is willing to let go of and improve on, and what everyone might think is cringe, but fuck that, the author likes, and they will leave it there bc they think it's cool af? Whats problematic? I will definitely fuckin lose it if Az ends up with Elain oH My GOD. ...So on.

Discussions like that are important, where you can just talk it out without it immediately turning into a bloody battlefield. But then again, this fandom is still very new, fairly young, and very BIG. So of course, there will be plenty of toxicity.

I honestly don't know which side is worse? The ones not allowing any bit of criticism, or the ones just straight up hating that the story even exists? Hell, remember how much people HATED twilight? Bruh. Some people still hate twilight because of how much bad rep it got back in the day. And not because they read the book, or watched the movies and didn't like them. They just hopped on the hate train and never left, because it was the most popular thing then, and I can clearly see this happening now with ACOTAR too. Or just hating on the author.

Which I don' really get? Like yeah sure, hold people accountable, I'm all for that. But just hating on the author because you don't like her books? What? I don't know if she was actually trying to be problematic. If she was, then my bad lol. Otherwise, lets all calm down a smidge, yeah? Listen, the thing is, I've read sooo many bad smutty fantasy romance novels, you wouldn't believe, and honestly? Sarah is doing a pretty decent job with her books. While I'm sure everyone can see there's a lot of things that could be improved on (like adding more diverse MC's, lgbtq+ content, etc), she is a really good author. I love her flow of words. She knows what shes doing with her stories. And with each books she improves little by little. I don't know if there will be a day where she will not be writing only about straight main couples, I truly hope it happens. But again, I know of so many smut writers like her, who solely focus on the straight white couples for each damn book, that I would not be surprised if she doesn't change anything. She's mainly getting the backlash because her books are so popular.

...it's almost 5am, im rambling too much dsjksdfkl im tired

Anyways, to wrap it up, I feel like this love and hate war within the fandom is basically a snake eating itself. People are so protective over the books because I can see just how much unnecessary hate they get from those who don't like the books, and then the people who criticize the books get so much backlash from the fans because the fans want to protect the books they hold dear to their hearts. And here we get the world were you can't say anything without getting completely mentally annihilated from one side or the other. It's the reason why I 99% of the time try to stay out of it lol.

I hope that in 10 years time we can all mature as a fandom, just like with twilight, where we can all acknowledge and laugh at the bad things in the books, sigh lovingly at the guys epic wingspans, while chanting tamlin the tool love song.

Twilight and ACOTAR Pipeline

So I had this thought the other night in the shower (where people do the most thinking, ofc) and it occurred to me that ACOTAR is the new Twilight. Let me explain:

In 2008, when Twilight was the shit everyone ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, anyone who made an ounce of criticism was considered a hater. I remember at the time how intense the drama got between fandoms when they’d start arguing over if Edward was good for Bella, or if Jacob was. There was so much beef that no sensical argument could be made. It’s kind of like how the ACOTAR fandom is now. 

I consider myself an international super spy. I joined an ACOTAR Facebook group a few months ago because I wanted to be nosy (and frankly so my friends and I could make fun of the cringe. It was very cringey) though lately I actually enjoy being a part of the group. Not because I like ACOTAR, but because it’s a repetitive pattern from 2008. The majority of the people in that group cannot have a debate over this series without getting emotionally upset. There is the term ‘Tamlin Apologist,’ which is coined for anyone who makes an argument on Tamlin’s behalf. If you criticize anything Feyre does or Rhysand, you’re considered an idiot. And do not get me started on Nesta. She is a hot topic in that group, and people either love or hate her. Rarely is there an in-between. 

I’m not going to say where I stand on these topics, other than I’ve always watched from the sidelines when these arguments go down. It’s always so intense, and sometimes I see the worst takes imaginable. People go to the ends of the earth to defend their favs who may have committed SA, or refuse to believe that’s what it was. I’ve seen people write about how they were disappointed with Rhysand and his actions in ACOSF, and then a swarm of people start a collective hate train against the original poster. It’s absolutely bizarre. 

In 2020, Twilight had a massive resurgence with the return of smeyer and her releasing Midnight Sun, which is Twilight from Edward’s POV. How I feel about the book doesn’t matter here, (though I will say it was awful. Edward was not painted in a good light) but it kickstarted new conversations, new covers for the original books, and a repurposed joy over watching the series from the beginning. People pulled their Twilight merch down from their attics and re-decorated their rooms. The only difference this time is the maturity. Now we can recognize the problems in the series. Jacob imprinting on a newborn child, Jacob kissing Bella without her consent, Edward manipulating Bella in New Moon and lying to her in Eclipse. Honestly, the first half of Breaking Dawn was just a mess of issues. Not to mention the domestic abuse theory when you look at the whole timeline from Charlie’s POV. And most of all, the cultural appropriation of the Quileute tribe throughout the whole saga. The way the werewolves were depicted as angry brutes (just look at the way Jacob’s personality changes in New Moon. He goes from sweet and gentle to enraged and predatory). 

I say ACOTAR is like Twilight because I believe after its hype has died down, people can look at this series and truly understand the critical flaws of it, even if it is a favorite of theirs. I still love Twilight, but I recognize it has major issues. Smeyer said she is either writing- or plans to write- a book on Jacob and Renesmee. That’s going to be a huge problem if she decides to make them fall in love (because that can always change). I will have issues with that and so will many others. One thing that I already find interesting is that Rhysand is already being criticized because of how SJM wrote him in ACOSF. People are seeing him when he’s not being described from Feyre’s perspective. People are taking issue with romanticizing Rhysand’s toxic behavior. They are drawing the patterns from the first book to the last. I can only hope that down the line these issues aren’t erased, and that they’re still prevalent topics. It is the same how people can criticize Twilight now, while still loving the series. 

I think part of the issue with the ACOTAR fandom now is how attached many are to the books. How they cannot process a criticism without it feeling like a personal attack. No one is attacking you for loving the books. We are freely expressing our thoughts on a book that we didn’t have the same relationship with. Critical thinking and deep analysis is not the same as trashing. 

This was a random rant I felt like dropping because it’s been on my mind for a little while. Wanted to get these ideas out while they’re still fresh. What do you guys think?

(Also, I totally spent time writing this out instead of working on an article for work)