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acourtofthought · 1 year ago

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Counter to all those Elain's book arguments

Contains TOG Spoilers

"Elain's book can't be next because she was barely in SF"

Throne of Glass - Chaol 492 mentions

Crown of Midnight - Chaol 604 Mentions

Heir of Fire - Chaol 400 Mentions

Queen of Shadows - Chaol 480 Mentions

Empire of Stroms - Chaol 12

Tower of Dawn - Chaols Book

The book before Chaol got his own he wasn't even on page. His name was only mentioned through other characters. Though he had previously had his own POV in other books, SJM chose to completely eliminate his POV in Queen of Shadows in favor of waiting until his own book.

"Elain's book can't be next because she isn't connected to the plot"

In Empire of Storms Aelin, Rowan, Aedion, and Lysandra rearrange a meeting with the surviving lords of Terrasen but they reject her as a ruler due to her age.

Witch armies fly to Rifthold so Aelin send Rowan to rescue Dorian while she leaves for the coast to gather allies.

Elide is hunted by Ilken.

Aelin wants an alliance with the pirate king.

There is a battle scene and Aelin is taken by Maeve.

If Elain can't have the next book because she's not connected to the plot then how was it possible for Chaol to have his own book when he had nothing to do with the plots of EoS?

Not to mention Elain is connected to some of the major plots of ACOWAR / FAS / ACOSF:

ACOWAR - She went on before I could answer. "I do not have much time left - before I must return to the lake. To him."

ACOFAS - But Vassa's freedom would end. Lucien had said as much months ago, and still visited her often enough that I knew nothing in that regard had improved.

ACOSF - He should have asked someone before coming here how much time remained before Vassa would be forced to return to the continent.

Koschei said, "Tell my Vassa I'm waiting"

Elain had always wanted to visit the continent to study the tulips and other famed flowers.

Elain is the only one who had visions of Koschei, the girls along with Vassa who are trapped at the lake, as well as visions of the onyx box that's important to him. Elain is connected to Lucien who is living with Vassa who is a captive of Kochei and who is the driving force of a lot of the unrest in their world, whispering on the winds to stir up trouble. Beron now wants to ally with him and that also involves Lucien and Eris as his sons. Az may have always hated Eris but he's Lucien's brother and SJM started building the idea that they'll be reconnecting back in ACOWAR and continuing through SF while SF basically had the NC using Eris as a pawn.

ACOSF - With a new war possible and Briallyn up to her bullshit with Koschei, we need a strong ally. We need the Spring Court's forces.

"No. But we need to summon Lucien." "We need to tell him the news and permanently station him at the Spring Court to contain any damage and be our eyes and ears."

Nesta's throat constricted, and she surveyed the swaying cerry blossoms overhead. Elain would love this place. / But Elain...The Spring Court had been made for someone like her. / Too bad her sister refused to see her. Nesta would have told Elain to visit this place.

So yes, Elain is connected to some of the most pressing concerns in the ACOTAR world. Not to mention with the peace treaty remaining unsigned, that's definitely more of an Elucien story than an Azriel one.

"Cassian and Chaol had Bonus Chapters and got the next book so Az will get the next book since he got a Bonus"

Cassian's Bonus hinted at his mating bond but it wasn't accepted until 2 books and almost 2 years later on the timeline. He didn't actually get the next book after his bonus because Feyre got the next book (ACOWAR).

Azriels Bonus did hint at his mating bond but just as Cassian and Lucien's bonds were introduced / hinted at but not accepted for years, it's possible Az's bond won't be accepted for years.

Neither Lucien or Elain needed a bonus to hint at their mating bond because their mating bond was introduced into the actual series.

Also, the Chaol bonus chapter had nothing to do with hinting at his endgame love interest and is different from either Cassian or Az's bonus because on the timeline his story picked up immediately after his bonus while neither Cassian or Azriel's did.

"Elain hasn't hit rock bottom"

Throughout SF, Elain faced pushback from Nesta. They had the worst fight they'd ever had in all their years, Nesta tried blaming Elain for their fathers death, she faced opposition from Nesta on choices Elain made for herself, and she dealt with rejection from Azriel, ending his bonus with hurt and confusion.

In comparison, Azriel began his bonus with feeling put out at his lack of a mating bond, jealousy toward Lucien, then mad at Rhys and himself. But by the end of his bonus he left feeling more hopeful and at peace. And in the actual book there was nothing to indicate that Az was at rock bottom.

I'm not sure either is truly at rock bottom (Elain already reached hers in ACOWAR and I don't think she's ever going back to that) but Az is definitely not worse off than her. Especially when his issues were a sum total of "why don't I get someone to love" while Elain's dealt with people calling her entire character into question.

"Elain isn't ready for a book, she hasn't had enough development."

Elain cocked her head. Didn't dissolve into the crying mess she usually became when Graysen came up.

Elain, surprisingly held her ground.

Challenge filled each word. Challenge - from Elain, of all people.

"Using me."

"You do not decide what I can and cannot do, Nesta."

"I am not a child to be fought over."

Feyre said to her, gratingly gentle, "It wasn't an easy choice for me to ask Elain to endanger herself like this."

"You think Elain is boring?" "I think she's kind, and I'll take kindess over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven't yet seen all she has to offer."

"Let's focus on helping one sister before we start on the other."

"Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don't underestimate her."

When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court - and would do whatever was needed.

Wasn't the entire point of the first half of the Feysand bonus chapter telling us all about Elain? How she surprised them? How she's probably capable of more than they had given her credit for? How Feyre didn't mention anything to her but thought how if Elain had accepted Lucien's gift (metaphor for Lucien himself), no harm would have come to her? How after they help Nesta they'll focus on helping Elain? Didn't SF also demonstrate the same?

People keep saying Elain needs to be more involved in the ICs business to have a book but Nesta began her journey refusing everything to do with the IC. And if Elain is not staying in the NC, why would she be majorly involved in what they're doing?

Elain herself said she's ready for more. Rhys and Amren confirm it as well. All that now needs to happen is her putting that into action in her own book.

"Elain isn't connected to the crossover"

First off, Az isn't connected to the crossover in the ACOTAR series, there were no hints that Truth Teller was part of prophecy in SF. I imagine SJM will eventually merge the two storylines but we don't know if that's going to happen in the next ACOTAR book. As it stands, these series are still marketed on Bloomsbury and SJMs websites as standalone series and SJMs website still says you can read them in any order you want.

If you look back over SJMs interviews she once said she knew who the first two books of the spin-offs were going to be about but was leaving the third open (and was considering a book set in the past). She had already done research for Elain's book at that time which to me logically means the Koschei storyline was never going to extend past book 2 and she wasn't sure whether Az would have a spin-off book.

In another interview she said her initial pitch for the spin-offs hadn't changed and that SF simply expanded the world. You can interpret that a few ways but one of those interpretations is that Elain's book is still second as she originally intended and now that the world expanded she knows who the third book will be about (and any books beyond that). And that does mean Koschei could still be dealt with in the second spin-off, paving the way for possible crossover storylines to be introduced in the third (and later dealt with in any future ACOTAR books she may have signed on for). Remember, the point of SF was to try to stop another war in their world from happening, they are trying to prevent a repeat of ACOWAR.

Everything above is based on facts though my own interpretation.

This part is a complete personal opinion and not based on any fact but, I truly don't think Az deserves his HEA right now. He called Elain a mistake yet he gets to end up with his mate in the next book? That would be a little like Tamlin finding his HEA before Feyre after what went down in book 2. Az barely blinked at the thought of killing Lucien and is insanely jealous of him yet Lucien deserves to continue suffering for another book while Az gets rewarded?

I don't think Az is deserving of anyone until he realizes that Lucien is a good male and that he's happy for Elucien.

Cassian was jealous of what Rhys and Feyre had but he was still happy for them, still felt no one deserved it more. When it comes to Lucien, Az is resentful through and through and until he can see Elain happy with Lucien and not feel bitter, I don't think he's in a position to end up with his own mate.

Also, the series started with Feysand and I know some feel the series should end with an Archeron sister but that makes less sense to me. The series started with Feysand and the Night Court. The series should end with the Night Court.

Chaol's journey took us away from Aelin and Rowan to a part of the continent only he had reason to travel to then SJM brought all the characters back together in the final book in the main lands. It doesn't make sense to me to have an Elucien book that would end the spin off series in Spring, Day and the continent as I don't think much of their storyline will take place in the Night Court. To me it makes the most sense to step away from the NC in the next book then eventually bring it back to where Feysands story started. Az is part of the IC and I imagine his book will deal with Feyre and Rhys a bit more than Elain and Lucien's will.

Then if there is going to be a more major crossover storyline down the road, the current spin-offs will have ended with Feyre and Rhys in the mix of things (they represent the "Dumbledore" or "Gandalf" of the series, nothing new happens without their involvement).

I think either an Elucien or Gwynriel book is still a possibility but I don't agree with the arguments as to why Elain's can't be next. And I really hate the arguments claiming that anyone who thinks Elain could be the next book is delusional.

And it's not just about Elain. Lucien's story has been coming since book 1 and when the author talked about getting into the groove of writing ACOTAR 5, where she's got that feeling of having a crush, a possible Elucien book that would most likely feature Lucien (with fire in his blood), Helion (who she's weirdly obsessed with), Eris, Elain (who shares her own real life energy), Jurian and Vassa could absolutely be a reason for her to feel smitten. That is a book filled with a whole lot of sass, snark, and side characters who she'd finally have a chance to explore in greater detail.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #pro lucien vanserra #pro elain archeron #elucien book #acotar 5 #acotar series #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #elain and lucien #helion acotar #vassa acotar #jurian acotar #eris acotar

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ominisgoldie · 1 year ago

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If Sam Cortland Lived

In this au, I think Sam was still tortured. They never found his body, but Farran confessed to killing him and there was so much blood that nobody except for arobynn thought he survived

Celeana goes to Endovier, and Sam regains his strength in arobynns dungeon. He fights to get stronger so that he can break her out.

He tries, once. And realized he couldn't get to her. He spends literal months coming up with a plan to get her out

But alas, she is called to the champions tournament. He waits a few months to scope out the castle, to get a layout to rescue her

But she's happy. He sees that she has moved on from his 'death' and is flirting with Dorian. He's crushed and doesn't really know what to do with his life

Arobynn sends him on missions still, and is the only person who knows he's still alive. He becomes very depressed. About the time of Heir of Fire, he goes apeshit. He tries to kill Arobynn, and when he fails, he runs. He takes the hell off. His POV in the book is about him surviving and evading Arobynn. But he runs into some valg and we learn more about them in his POV.

Then in queen of shadows, Aelin has fallen for Rowan. The revolution is forming. Literally three days after killing Arobynn, Aelin feels like she's being hunted. She and Sam have a huge fight scene and then she realizes. Nobody else has this skill. Nobody else can tumble like that.

Cue an emotional reunion scene

Sam struggles because he very much still loves her. Aelin struggles because damn, she missed him. But she's moved on.

Sam learns to accept this and move on.

Magic falls and he learns he has powers. He can control the earth itself. Where Aelin is fire, he is earth. He helps take down the castle.

Empire of Storms, he rides with Aelin and the rest of her court into Terrassen, but then when they race to go to skulls Bay, he knows what he needs to do. He has to go to the southern continent and meet up with Nesryn and Chaol

He and Chaol do NOT like each other. They are just too similar.

He just loves the ruk riders! He and Sartaq become good friends. If it wasn't for his home being in Adarlan, he definitely would have stuck around.

When he gets back to Anielle with the others, he has a whole arc with his powers. He swallows half the army with his powers, and then gets gravely injured or something. Like half of KOA, he is unconscious.

I haven't read the other half yet but FEEL FREE TO ADD ON

#sam cortland #tog #throne of glass #throne of glass sam #celaena sardothien #samleana #sam x celeana #aelin ashryver galathynius

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stumbleonhometomycats · 5 months ago

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Hi! This may be a bit of a foolish question, but since we’re both tog girlies, what TTPD songs represent certain characters and couples/ships to you? You can choose any character or ship, but I kindly ask you to include Aelin and Rowan, and Rowaelin🥺.

My dear friend I am so sorry that this took me forever. I have been jotting down thoughts for weeks and finally today was able to really compile them. I ended up assigning every song to someone because I was having fun.

Would love any additions or suggestions from anyone who has read the series!

So with out further ado, TTPD songs as Throne of Glass Characters:

Fortnight Chaol pov during Heir of Fire and the beginning of Queen of Shadows

The Tortured Poets Department This was quite literally the hardest one for me, like maaaaaybe a little bit giving me Chaol and Nesryn at the beginning of Tower of Dawn???? Maaaaaybe Kaltain in the first book

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys Chaol is the boy who is always breaking his favorite toys But also Maeve is the boy breaking all her favorite toys (The Cadre)

Down Bad Lorcan at the beginning of Kingdom of Ash

So Long, London I can see this a few ways, mainly Aelin shedding her Celaena skin and leaving Rifthold. Also, Nesryn and Chaol’s paths diverging when they are in Antica. A little more of a stretch, but The Cadre leaving Wendlyn to serve Aelin.

But Daddy I Love Him Elide being in love with Lorcan against literally everyone’s wishes

Fresh Out The Slammer Stay with me, “I’ll bleed whatever color you tell me to”. Essentially, Dorian being so in love with Manon he breaks his mind control

Florida!!! Skull’s Bay is Florida, so I guess this is Captain Rolfe’s song

Guilty As Sin? Aelin / Rowan in QoS while they were dancing around being fully in love with each other and while Rowan was trying to maintain his flimsy boundaries

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me? Aelin / Lysandra / Kaltain / Yrene / ABRAXOS

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) Dorian about Manon

loml This can go a couple ways, if you focus on the loss of it all : Gavriel, The Thirteen, Asterin’s farmer and child, Sam Cortland, Sorscha, Nehemiah, Aelin’s parents, Rowan’s fake mate, etc. But if you focus on how horrible the guy being song about is: Aelin about Arobynn

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart This song sooooo specifically makes me think of the “I’m so tired, Rowan” scene in Kingdom of Ash

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived AROBYNN HAMEL

The Alchemy Aelin and Rowan, obviously. Specifically the gold nightgown.

Clara Bow Aelin / Lysandra / Evangeline / Elena

The Black Dog Stay with me….. Chaol and Dorian when they were nawt seeing eye to eye

imgonnagetyouback Lorcan about Maeve? LOL

The Albatross The Thirteen as a whole, but super specifically Manon. Also perhaps how Dorian views himself after the end of Heir of Fire and all of Queen of Shadows

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus Sam about Celaena

How Did It End? Could go Chapter 99 of Kingdom of Ash Could go Sam Cortland

So High School Fenrys

I Hate It Here Yrene in Assassin’s Blade?

thanK you aIMee I guess it could be about Arobynn??? The King of Adarlan??? Elena???

I Look in People's Windows Aelin in KOA knowing what she has to do and what she stands to lose Also Lysandra before Queen of Shadows

The Prophecy Rowan, gods it is sooooo Rowan. And very Aelin as well. It is them separately and together. With a sprinkling of Elena having to spend an eternity watching the consequences of her actions unfold

Cassandra BABA YELLOWLEGS? Kind of Nehemiah and Elena??? And the general just not being believed or listened to is obviously Aelin

Peter Vaughan HAHAHAHAH But also from the pov of the mortal man Asterin’s loved

The Bolter I MEAN THE OPENING LINES….IT IS AELIN……. It’s kind of a beautiful combination of Aelin and Celaena

Robin Gavriel for Aedion And then Evangeline

The Manuscript Elena

#throne of glass #the tortured poets department #ttpd #megan reads #sjmcu

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tothestarsinvelaris · 6 months ago

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(please no spoilers if interacting w/ this post. i have somehow avoided all TOG spoilers and know nothing more than the lil blurb on the back of the book and what i have read so far. thx <3)

{Just finished chapter 34 in Queen of Shadows} oohhhh mmyyyyy its an emotional rollercoaster!!

Every single Dorian POV makes my heart hurt. poor thing :(

Chaol deserves a punch in the throat. I cannot stand his POV. I barely liked the man prior to this book, and he is doing is absolute best to piss me tf off.

Manon, Abraxos, the 13, and Elide are badass and I am ready for them to start kicking ass. Their whole storyline is great, can't wait to see where it goes.

ROWAN!!!! This man stowed away on a ship to go to Aelin?!

looorrddddd have mercy! These two!! She washed his hair??! and let him use her expensive lavender soap! The one she used to get on to Sam about using ugh. I love them so much!! She played her favorite song for him on the pianoforte and he asked her to teach him ugh pls kisss!

#no spoilers please #queen of shadows #i literally love this series so much

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385bookreviews · 10 months ago

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1.72.5 Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

SPOILERS

Pages: 645

Time Read: 11 hours and 23 minutes

Overall Rating: 5★ Storyline: 5★ Dialogue: 5★ Characters: 5★

Genre: YA Fantasy

TWs for the book: Violence, blood, death, murder, gore, torture, injury, grief, war, confinement, slavery, fire, physical abuse, vomit, miscarriage, emotional abuse, body horror, pregnancy, s*xual abuse, kidnapping, death of a parent, genocide, su*c*de, child death, child abuse, su*c*dal thoughts, trafficking, colonization, mentions of r*pe, s*xual violence, medical trauma, classism, domestic abuse, self harm, gaslighting, s*xual harassment, ableism, cursing, misogyny, panic attacks, stalking, alcohol, execution, xenophobia

POV: Third Person

Time Period/Location: Rifthold, Adarlan; Morath; Oakwald Forest; and Terrasen on the fictional continent of Erilea

First Line: There was a thing waiting in the darkness.

Aelin lands in Rifthold from Wendlyn and goes straight to The Vaults, the seedy underground tavern/fighting pit/pleasure house in order to find Arobynn Hamel. She is surprised to discover Chaol, with an unknown woman, meeting with Arobynn. He leaves without noticing her, and Aelin confronts Arobynn. He informs her of Aedion's capture by the king, and that he is set to be executed at a grand party for Dorian's birthday. He offers to help her free him, in exchange for her capturing one of the Valg soldiers now infesting the city. Arobynn leaves, and the city guards Aelin had led there break in, and she wrecks the entire place. She then leaves to hunt down Chaol in the sewers, and encounters the woman who was with him. Her name is Nesryn, and she is a member of the city guard now aiding Chaol and the rebels. Chaol sends Nesryn and the rebels and the captives they freed ahead, and explains to Aelin what happened with Dorian, Sorscha, and Aedion. They part angry with each other after Chaol refuses to tell her how to free magic. Aelin goes back to her apartment, and the next day finds Lysandra and a child named Evangeline outside. Lysandra insists she has changed from when they were children, and gives her a letter written by Wesley, Arobynn's former bodyguard, and Lysandra's deceased lover. In the letter Wesley explains everything Arobynn did involving Sam's death and Aelin's capture. Chaol and Aelin argue about whether or not to kill Dorian now that he has a Valg prince possessing him. Aelin swears she won't, and so Chaol tells her how to free magic. Aelin sneaks into the castle with a troupe of dancers set to perform for the King and Dorian at his birthday party. She spills water to wash away Wyrdmarks that would notify the King of her presence. Madame Florine, Celaena's dance teacher for years, aids in the ruse, and gives all of the dancers black glass roses. Aelin sneaks through the crowd, disguising herself as a man to get close to Aedion. When the dancers smash the glass roses, the whole hall goes up in smoke and Aelin uses the distraction to free Aedion. Everyone rushes out, and Aelin and Aedion run through the gardens until they are confronted by Dorian. Aelin uses a Wyrdmark to freeze him in place and tries to kill him, but is stopped by Nesryn. Her and Aedion run, and with the help of Lysandra, manage to make it back to the apartment. Chaol and Aelin fight over her almost killing Dorian, and Lysandra finds out that Aelin is Queen of Terrasen. Aelin discovers that the eight creatures on the clocktower, that she dubs Wyrdhounds, are living in the sewers and that the King uses them to speak to his Valg commanders. She goes out for drinks with Aedion and Nesryn, and on their way home, they are stopped by Rowan. They tell each other of what has occurred when they are back in the apartment. Rowan then reveals to Aedion that his father is Gavriel, and also lets it slip that he took the blood oath to Aelin. Aedion believes it was his right to be the only one to claim the blood oath, and him and Aelin fight and he storms out. Rowan then finally tells Aelin why he came to Adarlan against her orders: Lorcan is hunting her and the third Wyrdkey.

Aelin sneaks out at night to lure Lorcan into the sewers. He is attacked by the Wyrdhound and kills it, and follows Aelin, threatening to kill her. Rowan puts a knife to his throat, and Lorcan warns them that Maeve let them walk out of Doranelle, and that she isn't done with them yet. Rowan meets Lysandra and reveals that she is a shape-shifter. She warns them that Arobynn wants his demon tomorrow, so they go out and capture one and interrogate it themselves. They manage to talk to the man the demon is possessing, Stevan, and tell him a plan. The next day, Rowan, Aelin, and Aedion go to the Assassin's Keep. Arobynn tortures the Stevan for information, and Stevan tells him that the King put him under his control by putting the ring on and licking his blood. Arobynn cuts the ring off Stevan's finger before killing him. The three then have dinner with Arobynn, and he becomes jealous at seeing how close Aelin and Rowan are. He then pulls her aside to talk to her privately, and gives her the Amulet of Orynth containing the third Wyrdkey in exchange for her working for him again to take down the King. She agrees, but he then puts on the Valg ring and licks her blood. She becomes his slave, and he sends her back to the apartment. She is silent until they arrive there, and then she takes off the ring, revealing that Stevan lied about the blood and that Arobynn just revealed his true intentions. That night, Lysandra kills him in his sleep. The next day, acting as Celaena, the trio goes back to the Keep and Celaena demands from the other assassins and Lysandra to know what happened. They determine it wasn't anyone among them, and Arobynn's will is read. All of his fortune, lands, and the Guild are left to Celaena, much to the dismay of the other assassins and Clarisse, the brothel owner that owns Lysandra. Aelin kicks them all out, and tells them to come back with money if they want to buy it from her, which they do. Aedion and Rowan figure out she switched the will so that way they would have money for an army.

Aelin, Rowan, Aedion, and Chaol go into the sewers in search of hellfire, a potent mixture that would blow up the clocktower and free magic. They find the hellfire, but also an old temple built of bones, where wicked people carved their confessions onto them. They go through the temple till they find the confession of Gavin Havilliard. He explains that him and Elena fought the Valg king Erawan and that they could not kill him, so they entombed him in Morath and sealed it using the Eye of Elena. Nesryn finds them and tells them that the King is building a dark army in Morath, and tells them about the witches and wyverns. Aelin storms off and Lorcan pins her, telling her and Rowan the true reason he is here. He isn't on orders from Maeve, and plans to find the Wyrdkeys and destroy them to keep Maeve from becoming a monster. He offers to exchange Athril's ring, which grants protection from the Valg, for the Amulet of Orynth. Then he leaves to let them think it over. When they arrive home, Evangeline breaks in and tells them that as part of Arobynn's will, he had a letter sent to the castle informing the King that Lysandra was a shapeshifter. The guards came and took her and she was being taken into Oakwald forest for the King and Dorian to have a meeting with the witches.

Manon, the Thirteen, and the other Blackbeak covens have been stationed at Morath for months, taking endless orders from Duke Perrington, a collared and lifeless Kaltain at his side. The Duke demands that Manon chose a coven to be implanted with Wyrdstone so that way they can bear witch/Valg offspring. Manon initially refuses, but a Yellowlegs coven volunteers. Elide Lochan, daughter of Marion and Cal Lochan and niece to Vernon Lochan, is chained and crippled, working as a slave in Morath. She is assigned to serve Manon, and when Manon gives her a small cut and tastes her blood, she discovers she has witch lineage. She tells Elide to choose whether she is human, or whether she is a witch. Elide says she is a witch, and so Manon sends her to go and check on the Yellowlegs coven. She discovers that the witches are being bred multiple times, and producing monsters as babies. Manon is angered and writes to her grandmother, to no avail. Asterin, her Second and cousin, grows increasingly angrier with Manon and they fight multiple times, and it ends with her being demoted. but is then summoned by the Duke to meet the King and her grandmother in Oakwald forest.

The Matron shows the King a new weapon, a wagon covered in mirrors on the inside, meant to amplify shadowfire, a dark fire that doesn't physically burn but kills and injures regardless, that is wielded by Kaltain. Manon and Dorian instantly connect, the Valg prince in him immediately fading away and giving Dorian control at the sight of Manon's gold eyes. Dorian tries to goad her into killing him, but she doesn't oblige him. Meanwhile, Aelin, Aedion, Chaol, and Rowan free Lysandra and are about to escape but Chaol disappears to go try and mercy kill Dorian. He runs into the witches instead. Aedion, Aelin, and Rowan run after him. Manon is about to let them go but Aelin doesn't believe her and goads her into a fight by revealing she killed Baba Yellowlegs. They run through a temple and Aelin and Manon fight. The temple begins to collapse and Manon is trapped and going to die, but Aelin decides to save her life and then leaves. While Manon is gone, Elide is captured by Vernon and thrown in a cell. After the fight, Asterin tells Manon they need to talk, and she tells her how she fell in love with a human man, and went back to the witches when she was pregnant. Her baby was stillborn, and Manon's grandmother, the Matron, beat her, branded the word "unclean" across her stomach, and threw her out to die. Asterin never told Manon, and that is why she had been acting out. Manon is angry, and decides that she will not give another coven to the Duke for breeding. She then realizes that Aelin was probably trying to rescue Dorian, and that Chaol was trying to mercy kill him, so she flies to Rifthold with Asterin and paints all around the city a warning that Dorian is still alive despite the demon.

Aelin reveals to Lysandra that she has paid off all of her debts and she is now free from Clarisse and the brothel. Rowan is recovering from the battle with the witches, but smells Lorcan out on the roof and goes to meet him. Lorcan says he killed all the Wyrdhounds and offers the ring again for the amulet. Rowan agrees and they trade. Rowan gave him a fake though.

Aelin sees Manon's message and runs to tell Chaol. Aedion and Rowan sneak through tunnels underground to install the hellfire at the base of the clock tower to blow it up. Aelin pretends to be Celaena again and leads Chaol through the gates as her prisoner. As they are walking through the gates, they see all of Chaol's men, tortured and dead, strung up on the gates. They go to the throne room to meet with the King and Dorian. Aelin pretends as though she has killed the Wendlyn royals and gives the king two fake seal rings to prove it. He then reveals he knows that she is Aelin, and he sends Dorian to attack her. She runs, and Chaol faces off against the King. Lorcan lied about killing the Wyrdhounds, and Aedion and Rowan are attacked by them when they are supposed to be lighting the fuse. Lorcan, after seeing that Aedion is Gavriel's son, saves them. Aelin faces off against Dorian, and puts Athril's ring on his finger to try and get the Valg out. Rowan and Aedion blow up the clocktower, and magic is freed. Rowan and Aedion are targeted by soldiers, and Lorcan flees, but Lysandra appears in the form of a ghost leopard and helps them fight them off. The King appears and taunts that he killed Chaol, and Dorian breaks free from the Valg. Him and Aelin combine magic to kill the King. The King then breaks free from the Valg that was controlling him and reveals that Perrington tricked the King, raised Erawan, let Erawan possess him, and then possessed the King with a Valg prince. He claims that he got rid of magic to help protect Aelin and Dorian so the Valg wouldn't find them, and that he magically attacked Aelin when she was a child in order to provoke her into killing him. Dorian doesn't believe him and uses his magic to kill him and shatter the whole glass castle. Aelin uses her fire to melt the glass into a wall so the city is saved. She proclaims herself as Queen of Terrasen and Dorian as King of Adarlan. Lorcan steals back Athril's ring from Aelin. Chaol is alive, but he is paralyzed from the waist down. Dorian makes Nesryn his Captain of the Guard and Chaol his Hand, but immediately sends the both of them to the Southern Continent so Chaol can be healed at the Torre Cesme. Aelin makes Lysandra a Lady of Terrasen. Aelin, Lysandra, Aedion, and Rowan all leave for Terrasen.

In Morath, Manon arrives to discover Elide missing. She immediately hunts her down in the dungeons, being dragged away to breed with the Valg. Manon slaughters the guards, and they run into Kaltain. She reveals that she had killed the Valg that had been possessing her a long time ago, and takes Elide's clothes to pretend to be her to give her time to escape. She then cuts open her arm and takes out a Wyrdkey and gives it Elide, making her swear to give it to Celaena Sardothien. Manon, Elide, and the rest of the Thirteen run, and Kaltain uses her shadowfire to obliterate a third of Morath. Manon gives Elide supplies and tells her to go north to Terrasen to find Aelin and Celaena.

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius (Celaena Sardothien/Lillian Gordaina/Ansel of Briarcliff/Aelin Fireheart/Aelin of the Wildfire): I know a lot of people find Aelin's endless scheming and plots to be annoying, but one of my favorite parts about this series is watching her schemes and subtle plans come together. None of it comes out of nowhere, it was all well thought out and planned (a theme I wish SJM had kept in her Crescent City series).

Storyline: Once again, I love watching the intricate pieces and subtle hints all come together in this series, but especially in this book. She also lays the groundwork for later schemes in this book. The entire story was engaging and entertaining the entire time, and I loved seeing Lysandra, Rowan, Aedion, Aelin, Chaol, Dorian, and Manon all come together. I do wish Dorian hadn't killed the King as quickly as he did, as there was so much more information they could have got from him.

Representation: Ghislaine, one of the Thirteen, is described as being POC. Characters like Rowan, Lorcan, and Dorian are left up for debate as to whether they are POC or just tan.

Quotes: "She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph." (p.142) "'But would you bleed red, or black?' 'I'll bleed whatever color you tell me to.'"-Manon and Dorian (p.463) "You make me want to live, Rowan. Not survive; not exist. Live."-Aelin (p.527)

#book review #book blog #books #book reviews #fantasy #sarah j maas #sjm #throne of glass #the assassin's blade #crown of midnight #heir of fire #queen of shadows #empire of storms #tower of dawn #kingdom of ash #aelin ashryver galathynius #celaena sardothien #aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn

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lia-land · 9 months ago

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Queen of Shadows

4/5 stars

*Spoilers for Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas.

I had fun reading this. As awful as Arobynn was, I was sad that he died. He was such an interesting character and I would have liked to see more of him. His death felt underwhelming. To be honest, I was so excited about him putting the ring on Aelin because it felt like a really good plot twist and I was so ready to read about how he’d control her without the others knowing somehow. But no, another one of Aelin’s convenient secret plans saved the day. Again. It’s getting old at this point.

Aelin is easily the most annoying main character I have ever read about. I just can’t bring myself to care about her, Rowan, or Chaol. I felt like there were too many POV’s at first, but now I’m really enjoying it because I don’t think I’d be able to get through this series if it was all from Aelin’s POV. I’m far more invested in Manon, Dorian, Elide, and Lorcan. At this point, I care more about Asterin and Abraxos than I do about Aelin. The chapters from Dorian’s POV were very well-written and I genuinely felt sad for him while reading them. Looking forward to seeing the stories connect.

I truly cannot tell if Aelin is written to be annoying on purpose, or if she is supposed to be portrayed as badass, but that’s just not how it has come across. I’ve been waiting for her to improve and she’s just gotten worse, in my opinion. In saying this, I do also think it’s refreshing and necessary to read about a main character in fantasy who isn’t the shy stereotype who’s never fought a day in her life, etc. I don’t like or care about her, but I enjoy reading about a different character to what we normally see in YA.

I wasn’t expecting the friendship with Lysandra. I think her personality change from Assassin’s Blade is a full 360 in this and I don’t love it’s execution, but she is an interesting character to read about and I like her and Aelin’s friendship.

Chaol is just an ick of a character. I don’t know what it is, but everything he does annoys me. That's all I have to say about him in this book.

This is my favourties book in this series so far. It was fast paced, had a strong plot, and good twists.

#sarah j maas #queen of shadows #throne of glass #book review #celaena sardothien #aelin galathynius #dorian havilliard #rowan whitethorn #chaol westfall #arobynn hamel #manon blackbeak #aedion ashryver

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ravendruidreads · 10 months ago

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House of Flame and Shadow - Review

Author: Sarah J. Maas Saga: Crescent City (#3) Date Read: January 31, 2024 - February 3, 2024 Format: Physical Pages: 838

Characters: 8/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Writing: 6/10 Plot: 7/10 Intrigue: 8/10 Logic: 6/10 Enjoyment: 7/10 Rating: 7.1/10 (4 stars) Spice Level: 4/5

I'm not really sure how to start this review, because I forgot to write it when the book was still fresh in my mind, but I will do my best.

The review is hidden below due to spoilers.

Let's start with the characters!

ACOTAR is not my favorite series in the Maasverse, but it was my first, and, like many people, it opened the door to Romantasy. Because of this, I was very excited about Bryce's Arc in Prythian, and SJM did not disappoint. It was interesting to see things from a different perspective. Rhys, who we know wants nothing more than to protect his people, being seen as a potential bad guy from Bryce's eyes was emotionally conflicting. I loved every moment of it, except when Bryce left Nesta and Az to fight the Middengard Wyrm alone (I could kill Bryce for that).

Moving back to Midgard, and onto our MMC. My opinion about Hunt has not changed with this book (I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm not a Hunt girlie). In a universe with Rhys and Rowan, Hunt is lacking badly, and not even the fact that he's a lightning wielder (which is my soft spot) makes up for it. I think the most interesting characteristic that he has is that he was literally made by the prices of Hel for Bryce. Not gonna lie, that's kind of romantic (I'm choosing to ignore the red flags of this).

Hypaxia, baby, thank you for breaking up with Celestina for snitching on your friends. Hypaxia is one of the MVPs in this story because she ticks off all my bingo slots: she is hot, she is smart, she is a necromancer and Queen of the Dead.

Another MVP is Jesiba. I knew there was something big about her, but I never imagined she was one of the priestesses of Parthos. Saying that I cried and smiled and fell completely in love with Jesiba is an understatement.

Do you know who is not a MVP? Ithan and Tharion. Once again, boring. I could not care less about their plot and POVs, and, unfortunately, I have a feeling that CC4 will be an Ithan and Tharion based book.

I've been avoiding talking about Bryce, but I'm running out of characters. I know she's the main character, but she was annoying as fuck in this book and I lost count at how many times I rolled my eyes at her. I was especially displeased with her behavior toward Hunt's PTSD and feelings in general.

This story would have been so much better if the main characters were Lidia and Rhun. Lidia is such a badass and her plot twist made her even better. She reminds me a lot of Aelin (duh) with all the fire inside of her (literal and figuratively). Her backstory tore my heart apart. Her and Rhun's relationship is everything to me and so, so much better than Quinlan. The only reason I gave this book a 4/5 spice level is because of Lidia and Rhun. They carried not only the spice, but also the entire book on their backs.

Let's move on to plot and writing!

The plot was kind of predictable, at least the end was. Some parts felt rushed, others felt too dragged on and everything related to the wolves and Tharion was just unnecessary to the story. I feel like SJM could have easily avoided using their POVs and subplots in these three books to create a spin-off with just them.

The battle with the Asteri was very disappointing and anti-climatic. There was a big hype for it but it was over before it even started and I never felt truly concerned about any of the characters (not even when it was obvious that Bryce was dying because I knew she would be brought back to life. SJM refuses to have a melodramatic end for her main characters-even though I'd prefer that in this story). Another thing that was disappointing about the battle was all the concern for the antidote and trying to get it to Bryce and Hunt to unleash their ultimate powers, only for Bryce not to have taken it until after the story was over. Like... what the fuck? What was the point of it, then?

Speaking of POVs, there were too many POVs to keep count of and too many abrupt changes within the same chapter. I felt lost at times. However, thankfully, for this book there was a physical demarcation of POV change (I think my previous issues were due to reading a digital copy).

A good thing about the plot was all the lore we got about the Daglan/Asteri. Learning more about the story of Prythian and Midgard was very fun, especially when comparing the truth to what we had been told in previous books. Although there were a few moments during all this lore dump that felt a bit too real with real life, and I didn't need that identity crisis, thank you very much. I read to escape reality, not to be confronted with the harsh truths of my existence.

I think overall I enjoyed reading this book. I read 300 pages on the first day, because I couldn't set it aside, which is an improvement from the previous CC books. I definitely think my rating could (and will) be lowered to three stars with a re-read since it's on the cusp (for those who don't know, in the CAWPILE rating system, 3 stars is an interval score of 4.6 to 6.9, and 4 stars starts at a score of 7).

Honorable mention:

With that, she pulled Nesta to her in a tight embrace, and Bryce could have sworn something like pain and longing crossed Nesta's expression. Like she hadn't experienced a mom-hug for a long, long time.

Ember and Nesta's goodbye had me in tears. As someone who has lost her mother, I definitely relate to this.

A quote Quotes that stayed (don't ask me to pick one):

I love you. I fell in love with you in the depths of my soul, and it's my soul that will find yours again in the next life.

A world where people loved and valued books and learning so much that they were willing to die for them. Can you imagine what such a civilization was like?

#raven's reviews #crescent city #house of flame and shadow #sarah j. maas #4 stars #this review contains spoilers #this took so long because I was dreading writing it :x

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separatist-apologist · 2 years ago

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I HEAR you on Empire of Storms 😂. It's one of my least favorites because of the way Aelin treats her allies (or the people she's trying to sway to her side). The multitude of povs didn't help tbh because I didn't care about all of them equally

THIS IS SO VALIDATING TO ME. like god I don't care about ANYONE (maybe Dorian? I haven't gotten to him yet). Aelin is being INSUFFERABLE and like. She is NINETEEN. OH MY GOD SHES NINETEEN when I was nineteen I was also a dumb asshole but I also wasnt trying to be president either. Like she won't take ANYONES advice and is operating on a "live laugh love" type of philosophy when these much smarter people try and tell her ANYTHING.

Like great you embraced yourself but you're still 19 no matter how mature for your age rowan says you are.

And I know people love Manon so don't come for me blah blah indoctrination but I HATED HER all through Queen of Shadows

#asterin was the only real one

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sofiasjornal · 8 months ago

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I would die for Heir of Fire or Queen of Shadows in Rowan’s POV! Or Empire of Storms!

Also! I can’t with all these TOG content on my feed 😭😭 I just wanna read the whole thing again!

"Don't do that. Don't— don't touch me like that " -QOS by sjm

ROWAN BROKE MY HEART IN THIS SCENE

And I knew... I really knew that he didn't mean to act like that because it was obvious that he felt something for Aelin.

Later I understood how miserable he felt when he realised that finally he started to feel alive again, through love, when his mate and his baby were dead.

Sjm usually doesn't explore in depth the man trauma in her books (Rhys- just a certain lvl, Hunt, Fenrys, Lucien...) but I would love to see her write more about it in her future books because I trust in her way of writing and explaining and develope things.

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cicada-bones · 4 years ago

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The Warrior and the Wildfire

Chapter 8: A Golden Afternoon

Its the middle of the night - so Im definitely going to post this again in the morning - but here you go! thanks for the nice words I really appreciate it ❤︎

word count: 4120

Masterlist / Ao3 / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Barely five minutes had passed before Lysandra was sauntering down the stairs, arms now empty and her gaze lazily sweeping over Rowan’s bare chest. Her eyes burned with intent, but he knew she was cataloguing him, marking the strength, height, weapons in his hands – the gaze of a spy. And Rowan couldn’t help but wonder if she really was just spying for Aelin. With those wildcat eyes…who else would she be serving but herself? Was there a chance she might betray them?

Rowan could practically feel Aedion’s eyes on him from behind, his scent burning with jealousy. Rowan had to keep his own eyes from rolling.

Lysandra shot Rowan a wry smile as she passed them, and Rowan caught a whiff of her scent on the breeze. It was strange, almost…layered. He couldn’t quite figure it out, and before he could get a full breath, Lysandra had wrenched the rolling door open and left the warehouse, pulling it shut behind her.

Then Aelin appeared on the stairs, a pile of garments in her arms. “These are for you,” she to Rowan. “Looks like I owe Nesryn a favor, she asked Lysandra to bring them this morning.”

Aelin continued as Rowan started up the stairs to take the clothes off her hands. “She also brought news. Arobynn received a report last night that two prison wagons were spotted heading south to Morath – chock full of all those missing people. We need to send for Chaol.”

Aedion nodded, already heading out the door, while Rowan continued into the apartment to see if the new clothes would fit. When he passed Aelin, she smirked at him.

So that’s a no on the fit. Rowan held in a sigh. Knowing Aelin, she’d put him in tight clothing on purpose.

···

To Rowan’s relief, the clothes hadn’t been all that tight. The pants were loose enough that they no longer restricted his movement, even if they were nearly four inches too short at the ankle. But Aelin had still given him an overly-pleased once over when his back was turned. She was spending too much time with Lysandra.

By late morning, Chaol was standing in the middle of the clearing, his eyes fixed on the map between his fingers. His steel, cotton, and birchwood-flavored scent was exactly as Rowan remembered from when he’d first tasted it in Aelin’s blood all those months ago, in that reckless first bite.

The memory alone was enough for ice to crack through Rowan’s veins, freezing his expression in place. This man had been responsible for sending Aelin across the sea, with no warning and no protection, right into the arms of his former queen. Who had been responsible for the broken heart she had arrived with. And then, when she returned here, he had the impudence to tell her that it was her fault he had failed to protect his King. That it was her fault her cousin had ended up in prison and Dorian the walking dead.

Rowan wanted to rip his face off with his teeth.

But instead, Rowan just stood guard by the door. Keeping his eyes locked on the former captain of the guard.

The man was of slightly higher than average stature, with brown eyes and hair, and hardened features. He held his broad shoulders straight back, his spine rigid, but his limbs were unsettled. He couldn’t stop shifting in place, discomforted.

Rowan suppressed another grin.

The man’s eyes also kept shifting to Aelin, and as he moved in place yet again, Rowan caught the slightest hint of jasmine and flame in his scent – Aelin.

Even though he couldn’t detect even a trace of the captain’s scent on Aelin anymore, the captain was still holding on to her. Still carrying her scent. Fury bubbled in Rowan’s gut.

Despite the vile words he’d hurled at her, the captain still wanted Aelin, and now that Rowan was looking for it, he could see the pain from her rejection written all over him.

Rowan almost regretted being polite to the man. But he knew Aelin would be rightfully furious with him if he attacked Chaol when their alliance was already so fragile. So he stuck to the door.

But that didn’t mean Aelin didn’t notice his icy stare, nor the captain’s discomfort. Her eyes glinted. “You know, he won’t bite,” she crooned.

Chaol leveled a stare at her. “Can you just explain what these maps are for?”

“Anything you, Ress, or Brullo can fill in regarding these gaps in the castle defenses would be appreciated,” she said.

His lips pursed as he folded up the map, tucking it into the inner pocket of his tunic. “For you to bring down the clock tower?”

“Maybe,” Aelin said flatly.

Chaol bristled. He was still obviously avoiding Rowan’s gaze. “I haven’t heard from Ress or Brullo for a few days,” he said tersely. “I’ll make contact soon.”

Aelin just nodded, pulling out a second map – this one of the sewer network. She weighed it down on the table with two of the daggers hidden up her sleeves.

Chaol shot her a disapproving look that made Rowan want to snarl.

Aelin ignored them. “Arobynn learned that the missing prisoners were taken to Morath last night. Did you know?”

Chaol tensed. “No.”

“They can’t have gotten far. You could gather a team and ambush the wagons.”

“I know I could.”

“Are you going to?”

He laid a hand on the map, his face darkening. If Rowan didn’t know any better, he might have felt sympathetic. The man was obviously in pain.

His words were low, but hard. “Did you bring me here to prove a point about my uselessness?”

Aelin straightened. Rowan leaned forwards slightly, readying himself. Aelin spoke, choosing her words very carefully, “I asked you to come because I thought it would be helpful for the both of us. We’re both – we’re both under a fair amount of pressure these days.”

“When do you make your move?” the captain asked, his eyes roving over the map.

“Soon.”

Another purse of the lips. Apparently, he didn’t like her non-answers. “Anything else I should know?”

“I’d start avoiding the sewers. It’s your death warrant if you don’t.”

“There are people trapped down there—we’ve found the nests, but no sign of the prisoners. I won’t abandon them.”

“That’s all well and good,” Aelin said calmly, even as Chaol slammed his teeth together, “but there are worse things than Valg grunts patrolling the sewers, and I bet they won’t turn a blind eye to anyone in their territory. I would weigh the risks if I were you.”

The captain was angry, but he kept silent as Aelin combed her fingers through her hair and asked, “So are you going to ambush the prison wagons?”

“Of course I am.”

Rowan couldn’t doubt the sincerity there, and it seemed Aelin couldn’t either. Her eyes softened in concern, her scent flickering. And Rowan knew that there was still some affection left for the old captain of the guard. But how much?

Aelin sighed softly. Then said, “They use warded locks on the wagons. And the doors are reinforced with iron. Bring the right tools.”

It was Rowan’s turn to clench his jaw. Aelin would know, she had spent weeks in one. Chained up and in the dark. On her way to slavery.

It took all of his self control to remain still and standing.

The captain straightened up, making to leave.

“Tell Faliq that Prince Rowan says thank you for the clothes,” Aelin said. And even though confusion passed over Chaol’s face, he nodded his agreement. Rowan stepped aside with a murmur of farewell as the captain stepped into the bright sunlight of the golden afternoon.

···

To his great surprise, Aelin told him that there wasn’t anything pressing they needed to take care of that day, so instead, she spent the time showing him her city.

She took him through the slums, keeping to the shadows whenever possible, and they walked all the way through the capital to the elegant residential districts and the busy markets squares, now crammed with vendors selling goods for the summer solstice in two weeks.

She talked all the while, pointing out paths and walkways, busy intersections and guard postings, along with all those little details that made this place her home, the good and the bad. And so much of it seemed to be connected to Sam.

Places they had walked together, ate together, laughed together – where they had grown up. She even pointed out the place Sam had rescued her from the sewers when she had been kidnapped and nearly drowned.

The cobbles were warm with the afternoon sunlight, and despite the darkness of the Valg guards, the pair of them walked through the city as if belonged to them. As if the streets and buildings were but a carpet unrolled before their feet.

“The man who runs that store always used to give me free tarts.”

“That dressmaker was my favorite, she always knew exactly how to alter a garment to suit you perfectly.”

“I had dance lessons here for years, the instructor is an amazing woman, you would have loved her. She let me play her piano, even if my back was never straight enough for her. She helped me rescue Aedion.”

They even spent almost half an hour in an old music repair shop, wandering among the aisles of old instruments and piles of music sheets. Even if, in Rowan’s opinion, no piece of music could be more beautiful than the sound of her laugh as he nearly tripped over some twisted pieces of metal she told him belonged to a broken brass horn.

Aelin also took him to one of Nesryn’s family bakeries, where she tried force him to eat some of a pear tart, no matter how many times he told her that it smelled sickly sweet to him.

At the docks however, Rowan actually managed to convince Aelin to try some pan-fried trout. She cringed and swore at first, but once she’d tried it, she finished her fish in record time and soon was trying to sneak bites of his. Rowan snarled at her, but he couldn’t keep his lips from twitching into a smile.

After their late lunch, they sat at the edge of the docks and cooled by the water. They were mostly silent, instead listening to the sounds of the shipyards, seabirds and waves.

Rowan found that his thoughts kept sliding to Sam. He’d been just a boy when he died, barely eighteen. They’d had so little time together. And before Aelin had gotten a chance to deal with his death, she had been sold into slavery.

Rowan tried to find the words to ask her about Sam, about how she felt for him, but before he could, the sound of a whip cracked through their pleasant silence.

Aelin met his eyes, her face grave. Soundlessly, they stood and walked away from the water and back to the shore, where they watched as a cluster of chained slaves hauled cargo onto one of the ships. People who, no doubt, were captured and enslaved because of their opposition to Adarlanian rule. Rebels in chains, allies of Terrasen and its queen.

They watched, and could to nothing.

A cold, endless fury burned in Aelin’s eyes; a fury that made him want to call a storm of ice and wind so strong it would turn the shipyards to rubble, the slavers with them. But he couldn’t, and not only because his magic was locked inside his body. Instead they just stared. And swore to themselves that soon, perhaps very soon, those slaves would be freed.

He and Aelin wandered away, back through the market stalls from which they came, though now the silence between them felt heavy with darkness.

Now the wooden paths were full of the scent of roses and wild lilies, the ocean breeze sweeping petals of every shape and color past their feet as the flower girls shouted about their wares. Husbands leaned over bouquets to bring home to their wives, bachelors picked out arrangements for their intended, while girls giggled over daisies and shot the boys looks from beneath their lashes when they thought no one was watching.

Rowan stopped in his tracks. The smell, the laughter, the color – it was all so familiar that it made his heart wrench in two.

There was a woman across from them in the center of the square, a basket of hothouse peonies on her thin arm. She was young, pretty, and dark-haired, and her eyes sparkled with something hidden – twin to his mate of two centuries earlier.

Memories began flashing behind his eyes – a mountain home in smoke, arms digging a grave, blood running tracks down the backs of his hands. The face of a woman in a market across the sea, flowers in her arms and hair, a smile lighting up her face. Even the queen by his side couldn’t dull the screaming reverberating in his head.

Rowan didn’t hear what Aelin said as she turned to him, but he saw her face. Her eyes widened, and she clenched and unclenched her fingers, any words lodged in her throat.

Rowan just stared at the girl, who was smiling, alight with life and a vibrant energy that sliced through him like a knife. She smiled at a passing woman, holding out her peonies for a sale.

Rowan breathed, Aelin’s anxiety brushing past him with a wash of flickering embers. Truth. The only thing he could offer her.

“I didn’t deserve her,” he said quietly.

Aelin swallowed hard. A long pause. Then, “I didn’t deserve Sam.”

Rowan turned to look at Aelin, her eyes downturned, her mouth soft. He would do anything to keep that sadness off her face. Anything.

Rowan reached out to brush her fingers with his, maybe to hold her hand, or pull her body into his. But at the last moment, he remembered himself, and dropped his arm back to his side.

He must have invented that glint of disappointment in Aelin’s eyes.

“Come,” she said. “I want to show you something.”

They left the flower girls behind, moving deeper into the city, but Rowan was unable to completely let go of the pain wrapping his heart in ice.

···

Aelin scrounged up some dessert from the street vendors while Rowan waited in a shadowed alley, then she pulled him deeper into the city proper, until they darted into a side alley and ducked into a hidden entrance that led to a rickety wooden staircase.

Now, Aelin was munching on a lemon cookie while they sat on one of the wooden rafters in the gilded dome of the darkened Royal Theater, Aelin swinging her legs in the open air below.

The space was dark and silent, unnaturally so. As if the very seats and aisles longed for the return of the music that had once blanketed them. Sunlight poured in from the roof door they’d entered through, illuminating the rafters and the golden dome, gleaming faintly off the polished brass banisters and the blood red curtains of the stage below.

“This used to be my favorite place in the entire world,” Aelin said, her words full of a loving nostalgia. “Arobynn owns a private box, so I went any chance I could. The nights I didn’t feel like dressing up or being seen, or maybe the nights I had a job and only an hour free, I’d creep in here through that door and listen.”

Rowan finished the cookie Aelin had foisted on him, still just gazing into the dark space below. He still hadn’t said anything since they’d left the flower vendors, and he could smell the scent of Aelin’s worry wafting around them. Wanting to ease her tension, and to turn away from the icy marble deep in his chest, he turned back to her.

Aelin seemed to practically sigh in relief as he said, “I’ve never seen an orchestra – or a theater like this, crafted around sound and luxury. Even in Doranelle, the theaters and amphitheaters are ancient, with benches or just steps.”

“There’s no place like this anywhere, perhaps. Even in Terrasen.”

“Then you’ll have to build one.”

“With what money? You think people are going to be happy to starve while I build a theater for my own pleasure?”

“Perhaps not right away, but if you believe one would benefit the city, the country, then do it. Artists are essential.”

Aelin sighed, seemingly unable to handle another burden, small as it was. “This place has been shut down for months, and yet I swear I can still hear the music floating in the air.”

Rowan angled his head, studying. “Perhaps the music does live on, in some form.” It was almost as though he could feel its absence, in the taste of the air and the flutter of the curtains. The space wasn’t just empty, it was waiting.

A silver lining appeared in Aelin’s eyes. “I wish you could have heard it – I wish you had been there to hear Pytor conduct the Stygian Suite. Sometimes, I feel like I’m still sitting down in that box, thirteen years old and weeping from the sheer glory of it.”

“You cried?” he blinked, watching as the memories passed behind her eyes and wishing he could see them as she did.

“The final movement – every damn time,” she sighed, almost laughing at herself. “I would go back to the Keep and have the music in my mind for days, even as I trained or killed or slept. It was a kind of madness, loving that music. It was why I started playing the pianoforte – so I could come home at night and make my poor attempt at replicating it.”

“Is there a pianoforte in here?” he asked, looking back into the darkness without waiting for an answer, the ghost of a smile passing over his face.

···

“I haven’t played in months and months. And this is a horrible idea for about a dozen different reasons,” Aelin complained for the tenth time as she finished rolling back the curtains on the stage.

Rowan kept quiet, focusing on lighting the single candle he had found backstage. He knew that the space had once been grand and beautiful, but now, amid the gloom of the dead theater, it felt like standing in a tomb. The chairs were still perfectly arranged for a massive orchestra, though they were now covered in dust. No one had been in here in weeks.

Rowan turned and walked over to the pianoforte, which was near the front of the stage. He had never learned to play, his court lessons not extending so far as learning an instrument.

Rowan had been to his fair share of balls and events, but it had been a rare thing for him to have an opportunity to listen to music just for music’s sake. Much of those events had been heavily overshadowed by the annoyance of dealing with court maneuvering. And after Lyria’s death, he had avoided such things at all costs.

He could barely remember the last time he had been able to listen to any kind of music and just listen. To have the pleasure of experiencing the art, the magic of it. He ran a hand over the smooth surface of the instrument as if it were a prize horse, marveling at the potential the lay within.

Aelin was hesitating at his side. “It seems like sacrilege to play that thing,” she said, her words echoing too loudly in the space.

“Since when are you the religious type, anyway?” Rowan gave her an encouraging smile. He just hoped that it wasn’t too crooked. “Where should I stand to best hear it?”

“You might be in for a lot of pain at first.”

“Self-conscious today, too?” Maybe teasing would get it out of her.

“If Lorcan’s snooping about,” she grumbled, “I’d rather he not report back to Maeve that I’m lousy at playing.”

He just grinned as she pointed to a spot on the stage. “There. Stand there, and stop talking, you insufferable bastard.” He chuckled, and moved across to the center of the stage.

She swallowed as she slid onto the smooth bench and folded back the lid, revealing the gleaming keys beneath. She positioned her feet on the pedals, but made no move to touch the keyboard. “I haven’t played since before Nehemia died,” she admitted, the words heavy.

“We can come back another day, if you want,” he said softly.

“There might not be another day. And – and I would consider my life very sad indeed if I never played again.”

He nodded and crossed his arms. So get on with it then.

She sighed, but turned back to face the keys and slowly set her hands on the instrument, a great beast of sound and joy about to be awakened.

“I need to warm up,” she blurted, then plunged in, the notes soft and light.

It was just a random selection of chords and scales, but still, the music filled the hall with its caring whisper. The whole space seemed to breathe again, as if soaking up the music like light, or air.

And then she began for real.

The piece she played wasn’t merely happy or sad, calm or excited – it was far, far more than that. The complexity of the notes, the way they layered together and bounded off each other – it felt like the melody of life itself. Of the love and glory and pain and beauty in simply breathing.

It filled Rowan up with its warmth, and he felt Aelin’s fiery heat overflowing within each note. The music seemed to be made of her fire, and together they burned. All the while the music built, up and up and up and up, until the sound breaking from the instrument was like the heart-song of a long lost goddess.

Rowan stood and waited, letting the sound wrap around his form like a blanket, letting it slowly melt the ice around his heart. Aelin had always been able to do that, melt away his pain and resistance, without even realizing she could. And now she did so not with words, but with this music that flew from her fingers like small winged creatures, into the empty seats behind them.

Rowan drifted over to stand beside the instrument. He was drawn to her, to the fire that made him feel so alive. Then she whispered to him, “Now,” and the crescendo shattered into the world, note after note after note. The music crashed around them, roaring through the emptiness of the theater.

She brought the piece home to its final explosive, triumphant chord, and Rowan could feel tears lining his eyes. When she looked up, panting slightly, he just gazed at her, at the queen who had lit up his darkness, and marveled.

He struggled for words, but then finally breathed, “Show me - show me how you did that.”

···

They spent the better part of an hour seated together on the bench, Aelin teaching him the basics of the pianoforte – explaining the sharps and flats, the pedals, the notes and chords. At last when Rowan heard someone coming to investigate the music, they slipped out.

On their way back to the apartment, they stopped at the Royal Bank. Aelin went inside alone, having ordered Rowan to wait in the shadows across the street, impatient and pissed off. Luckily she only took a few minutes, returning with a bag of gold clasped to her belt.

“So you’re using your own money to support us?” Rowan asked, masking his irritation as best he could.

“For now.”

“And what will you do for money later?”

She glanced sidelong at him. “It’ll be taken care of.”

“By whom?”

“Me.”

He clenched his teeth, anger mounting. “Explain.”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” She gave him a small smile that drove him completely insane. Rowan made to grab her by the shoulder, but she ducked away from his touch.

“Ah, ah. Better not move too swiftly, or someone might notice.”

He snarled viciously but she only chuckled. “Just be patient and don’t get your feathers ruffled.”

Rowan clenched his jaw, stopping another snarl in its tracks. This conversation could wait until they were both home. Maybe then he would be able to convince her that he absolutely needed to be let in on her plans. It was the only way to keep her safe.

But would she listen?

Rowan scowled at that thought, and took off into the shadows behind Aelin, following her back to the warehouse.

···

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