#thomastair deserved better

[im-out-of-it]

I’ll forever love that whole “IM IN LOVE WITH ALASTAIR CARSTAIRS AND IM GOING TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH HIM” moment

because Gideon is seriously like “I didn’t even think you liked Alastair, not much at least” because he’s actually genuinely confused 😭 he’s not being homophobic and he’s not angry but he’s like when did my son start liking this boy he previously hated? what am I missing here?????

and Eugenia is so protective of her brother that “if anyone condemns Thomas for who he is or who he loves, he and I will renounce the rest of you as my family”. she’s so proud of her brother and misguided as the attempt is, (I’m giving her all the points) she’s prepared to leave the family for him. like what a wonderful sister Eugenia is. she’s so underrated and we don’t get many moments with her 🥹

then Sophie is all “no one here is going to condemn Thomas” PROTECTING AND LOVING HER SON

and Gideon says no like the fuck Thomas, you think your father would be ashamed of you???? 💀

“Thomas, my darling, we love you and we want you to be happy. If Alastair makes you happy, then we are delighted. Although it would be nice if you introduced us. Perhaps you could bring him to dinner?” Sophie 😭

I do wish this scene was longer and we could’ve seen a whole chapter of the dinner and the lightwoods bonding but I will admit- I like this page. Eugenia and Thomas think their parents won’t accept Thomas being gay and they’re both just confused why Thomas never introduced Alastair lmao WE NEED AN AUTHENTIC PERSIAN DINNER PLEASE (I’d love to see Thomas cook for him)

in a way, I feel that Gideon secretly knew because what kind of man stalks someone to make sure they aren’t getting murdered and then when that person is accused of murder, they go and defend that person and say HEY HE KILLED NO ONE AND I KNOW BECAUSE I HAVE SECRETLY BEEN FOLLOWING HIM BUT JUST AS A FRIEND FOR MY SISTER NOOOOOO OTHER REASON

so I feel that Gideon just KNEW. but Gideon and Sophie are both confused because why haven’t you introduced us yet???????? WHY HAVENT WE HAD DINNER WITH HIM THOMAS? it’s just so cute and wholesome. Gideon is one of my favorite characters and he doesn’t get the treatment that he deserves so I feel robbed that we don’t get to see him parent all that much 🥹

[im-out-of-it]

SOMEONE PLEASE LET ALASTAIR JUST VENT OR SOME SHIT LIKE MY BOY WAS GOING THROUGH IT AND MATTHEW NEEDS A SHRINK SO BAD IM SORRY MATTHEW BUT YOU DO AND MY POOR GABRIEL AND GIDEON LIKE IMAGINE KILLING YOUR FATHER AND ALSO WILL NEEDS TO BE HOSPITALIZED ALREADY LIKE ALL OF THEM ARE SO FUCKING TRAUMATIZED

SOME OF THEM AND IM NOT GOING TO NAME NAMES (jace, will, I’m sorry math) BUT NEED TO STOP USING TOXIC COPING SKILLS AND NEED AN HOUR LONG THERAPY SESSION

(just a side note, I hate how none of them can work through their trauma at all like ???????)

(but it’s also the writing because they can work through their trauma and still have a very compelling story and be fun)

[boredfangirl16]

Thomastair: -making out in a carriage-

Christopher: -literally dying-

[rinadragomir]

My thoughts on the couples included in Better in Black for those who care

I expect you to write down yours so work work

📍Wessa

You know, as a dedicated Jessa stan I wanna say that it's okay~ Because these two were together for 50 years or sth, there's still some things to add. We might watch them in their 30s, 50s, 60s. I guess at this point both camps have around the same amount of content. Plus I'll have Jessa in twp so I'm in peace 🌱

📍Clace

All my first thoughts are over here. I'm a Clace defender, I'm their oldest stan, I'm a veteran👩‍🦳 So I feel like I have a right to say that...it was kinda unnecessary. We've witnessed every step in their relationship so far, beginning of it in TMI, gentle transition to adulthood in TDA and Tales of Shadowhunter Academy, adulthood in SOBH and proposal. So if the story isn't about their wedding then WHAT THE HELL IS IT ABOUT REALLY? And we know that they won't get married until twp.

📍Anna & Ari (Arianna!)

Hey🥺that is nice, we've seen so little of them in chain of thorns and I've loved them since their debut in 2018 in that short story. I'm very biased when it comes to TLH, cause I'm their mother. So YAY🌱they have a long way to go, Anna still needs to change a tiny little bit for them to be healthy, so I'd love to witness it

📍Jordelia

We all have known about it, because Cassie kinda promised us their story a while ago. Wedding runes scene, honeymoon, kids, mortgage etc. Go kids, slay, serve, eat and so on, I'm excited for u!

📍Sebastian & Seelie Queen

🤨🧐🤔👁👁

Yeah... That famous Sebastian &Fanbase. Like... I'm conflicted, because it's useless and doesn't make any sense even tho it might slay. Listen up, I'll show you.

Lots of people defend it by saying that it might be important for Ash's background in TWP. But... No it's not. Because this is exclusive book made for few people who were lucky and financially stable enough to get it. It won't be posted online. So most people won't read it unless someone leaks it. So there's no point for that story to be important for the plot, therefore it has nothing to do with it.

And it's definitely not "one of the most beloved" couples. BUT LIKE... WHAT IF IT SLAYS? Toxic, unhinged romance, what if I'll love it? 🤡

📍Jemma

So you see the problem? Because it's the same as Clace. What else might she add, because there's nothing. SoBH ended like yesterday. We know exactly where they live rn, their daily routine, their plans. So there's nothing to add between SOBH and twp. What will it be about? Hard to say, but I hope Cassie will come up with sth interesting for them.

📍Thomastair (why did Cassie say Alistair instead of Alastair, I'm lost help me)

Yay🥺slay, serve, eat and leave no crumbs, go, kill it idk you're doing great boys, there's so much to add and explore because they've just started dating. I'm so excited ^-^

📍Kierartkina

That is fine. No matter what I think about their relationship, because in my point of view Cristina and Kieran fell in love because Cassie said so apparently, I still don't mind them being there. Because there's also lots of things to discuss and explore. I hope the story will be soft and warm☀they've just started their advantage so it definitely makes sense

📍Sizzy

Even though we've had lots of them in TMI and Shadowhunters Academy I still think they deserve to be here. They are famous (I guess? 👁👁) and I'd like to know more about their plans for future. Simon was still a teenager in the stories collection and now I'd love to see him as a grown man being in relationship with the woman he loves.

📍Luke & Jocelyn

👁👁🤨🧐🤔👀

Well... That was... Unexpected. I guess... I've just never met their fandom but I hope it's huge af, because I don't know why else would they be here. Sophideon, Gabrily and Charlotte with Henry were supposed to be here, let's be honest. But since they're here, I do think Cassie is able to make a decent story. I expect it to be bittersweet, angsty and somehow heartwarming. I think there's nothing to say except let's wait and find out.

OVERALL I think it's pretty fine. Maximum 7/10 from me. I was ready to face the worst, but it turned out to be... Fine. So it's fine☺🌱

[the-merry-thieves]

TLH Couples as Taylor Swift Songs

Because I wanted to connect two things I love :)

Cordelia & James: "You’re Losing Me" (throughout CoG and CoI) and "Lover" (end of CoT)

You're Losing Me: Cordelia had to pretend that she was fine and didn't love James for so long, and thought she needed to endure it alone. She gave James her "best mes", "endless empathy", until she couldn't anymore. Seeing James embrace Grace at the end of CoI was the final straw after years of slowly "losing" her because of Grace's spell

Then I threw in Lover because after all the emotional turmoil they've been through, they deserve a cute little love song now that they're finally happily married for real

Cordelia & Matthew: "Wonderland"

This song just captures the mood of their lil spontaneous Paris getaway - trying to escape reality by throwing themselves into the wonderland of Paris (also, Cheshire cat smile and green eyes; come on, this song was made for our favorite charming, tortured-soul green-eyed boy)

Thomas & Alastair: "Begin Again"

This song is Thomas giving Alastair everything that Charles could never, and helping Alastair see that he is worthy of love and deserves the world (someone please give me more Thomastair x Taylor Swift suggestions, I could definitely do better but I can't think of more rn)

Lucie & Jesse: "Enchanted"

Every time I hear this song I think of the scene where Jesse tells Lucie to command him to dance, and then they dance together, and "the night was hushed, enchanted". One of my favorite Ghostwriter (do people use this ship name) scenes. Truly only the very first page; Lucie was determined to see him (*alive*) again...

Grace & Christopher: "Mine"

Because Grace & Christopher deserved to live in happiness together and we can just pretend the last 200 pages of CoT never happened! I think of this song as their story that *could* have been. It represents how Kit brought out the best in Grace and forgave her past wrongs, and how Grace didn't think she could have true romantic feelings for anyone ("wondering why we bothered with love") until she met Kit

Anna & Ari: "Untouchable" and "I Can See You"

I imagine Untouchable as Ari talking about Anna and how she's this emotionally guarded, beautiful but unattainable figure; in CoI she describes Anna as "hard and bright as a diamond. Untouchable" & "like starlight... it seemed warm and radiant and near, but was in truth uncountable miles away". I think this song depicts how Ari sees Anna so perfectly

As for I Can See You, the sensual, clandestine romance in this song is so Anna & Ari. There's just something inherently sapphic about a secret love

(Bonus?) Tatiana & Rupert: "right where you left me"

No explanation needed for this one...

---------------------------------------------------

Give me all of your favorite Shadowhunters-inspired music suggestions!

The blue text is quotes from the songs and the purple text is quotes from the books, if anyone cares

[edwinspaynes]

okay, i lied. in addition to a thomastair novella in better in black, i'm also manifesting one about matthew and his new love interest in basically equal measure. i really want to see them together more because i know matthew's going to bring it in a relationship and idk i think i deserve to read more about him being happy and healthy. i'm hereby declaring that i'm distributing my manifesting efforts 50/50 between thomastair and matthew/LI. but like, the 50/50 is actually 100/100 because i've charged a lot and get to cast the spell as powerfully as possible

[jemsbitch]

My chain of thorn thoughts (obviously cot spoilery)

Okay first of all: it was disappointing. Tlh was so hyped up I don’t think it could have ever lived up to its expectations. And the biggest problem is it huge cast of main characters that cassie couldn’t really develop and focus on everyone. And the fact that it’s set in the past, she is very limited by what she can do with it so that’s already all not of to a good start.

Now cot. I know she changed it to make it happier but honestly I’d much rather a realistic heartbreaking cot than this.

I’m not saying it’s very bad. The writing is still the same cassie writing. It’s the plot. The way everything shifts too fast or is dragged on too long.

Okay now let’s actually discuss cot:

Cordelia, James and Matthew:

The beginning of cordelia and Matthew in Paris was so good. I wanted and dreaded them kissing. And the most unexpected part for me in the entire cot is James in the room just when they were making out (I kind of what to find out what would have happened if James wasn’t there but then I feel like cordelia would have regretted it so much so I’m glad it didn’t go on)

And then James not telling cordelia is dumb as fuck. But then in my opinion it was in character? (But also it’s dragged on for too long that it just makes it frustrating. But i guess the theme in tlh is miscommunication so what did we expect) And lucie was right. But cordelia and James are too proud and they both could not see it and refused to be seen as weak

Proud of cordelia for having the conversation with Matthew no matter how hard it was (“am I hard to love?” Broke me made me feel as bad as cordelia felt)

Matthew FINALLY addressing his alcoholism and Alastair helping and it being realistic and all his friends there to help makes me so damn happy

I’m glad cassie didn’t shove a love interest at Matthew

I like how James and Matthew friendship have the time to mend (and cordelia and Lucie friendship too)

Lucie and Jesse:

Can’t think of anything bad about them to say

Cassie did give them many scenes so that’s a win for luciejesse fans

(Not really a ship I care about so idk what else to say about it except I can’t find a problem or anything especially good to say about so)

Oh I like their subplot like the problem with Lucie touching him and stuff and the way their relationship are honestly they are just very good

Grace:

Favourite Grace in tlh so far

You can see how much she has grew and changed as a character and honestly I feel so bad for her but I do not blame anyone’s reaction towards her at all

So proud of the tlh characters for treating her accordingly

I just like her in cot lol

Proud of her for having the guts to tell Jesse knowing he will hate her forever

Christopher:

Let me be brutally honest

I’m glad it was Christopher (as I only care about Alastair)

Because all the other characters are fan favourites or not that important

Think about it. Cassie cant kill Matthew James or cordelia, she cant kill tid characters. She absolutely cannot kill thomastairs. She cannot kill lucie and Jesse as well. I guess she could have killed Charles but then the impact will be nothing. Or Anna and Ariadne but I don’t think she will kill off a lesbian couple and Anna is an icon so. So of course it will be christopher

but honestly I feel so bad for Christopher stans

Like boy he is given dogshit

Literally he wasn’t even mention that much after the grief part and he was like briefly mentioned in epilogue but not really

We didn’t see his parents reaction to his death

And cordelia was way too focus on Matthew and James (understandable for her) then Christopher in the grief part, taking away most of the focus

I get how the book is already way too long (even tho I feel like it’s dragged on I feel like so many more things should have been included but at the same time idk what could have been cut) but Christopher does deserve better (even from a person that does not care about him I just feel bad)

Anyways rip to Christopher and his fans. Thoughts and prayers with you😔

Thomastairs:

Literally perfection

Cassie saw how mad we were about the lack of thomastairs in coi and apologised to us LMAO

We got everything we wanted and everything we could ever need (I mean Obv I wouldn’t mind more thomastairs scenes BUT I understand how she already gave us so much and we cannot be too greedy now can we)

I love Thomas lightwood so fucking much (before I only care about him for Alastair but he is so goddam cute)

Thomas lightwood is literally the only character that did not hide his feelings at all throughout cot (even in coi he didn’t hide it from Alastair (he just didn’t tell the others but he aren’t obliged to so)

He keeps confessing and reassuring Alastair no matter how many times Alastair makes excuses and doubts them

He spoke Farsi to Alastair. Thomas lightwood spoke Alastair’s mother tongue to him.

All the kisses and dialogues and scenes with them is just perfection

Alastair is as witty and useful as ever and Thomas is so nervous and cute and not him being one of the only ones grieving for Christopher

Anyways can you tell how much I just love them

Now the fucking plot:

It’s such a typical cliche ya plot that yeah it make sense for a ya book and i guess in some ways it is fathomable but at the same time it’s cheap it’s predictable it’s nothing unusual or exciting

It’s like the book cannot decide between being an action focus and character focus so it’s just a weird uncomfortable mixture between the two

And because readers have so much expectations because it’s about characters we already know and love and that’s why cassie had to be so careful

Ngl, I feel like she did her best with the limits she have (that she sets for herself in her previous books and shit)

But I just want the sadder version (unless it’s sad for thomastairs then im glad it’s this version)

(I didn’t mention ari and Anna because idk what else to say for them except same as how I feel about Lucie and Jesse)

I cannot say im satisfied but I also cant say im disappointed. More like I expected this and it’s just what I expected and it’s disappointing that it didn’t surprise or exceed my expectations

So yeah this is my cot thoughts.

Am I happy with cot? Not really? Am I disappointed? Maybe? Am I glad/relieved about the ending? Yeah

[dreaming-in-alicante]

Thoughts on Chain of Thorns

I've had a few days to process now and I think the word to sum up my thoughts on the book is simply underwhelmed

A lot of this has been said already by others, but my own two cents:

I think Cassie should have either 1) taken more time to write or 2) kept her original ending

There was SO much to tie up and I feel like it was done in the most inefficient way possible. She spent half the book resolving Jordelia in the most painfully drawn-out way, then the other half actually defeating Belial.

Not to say it was all bad though, which is most frustrating because that means it was possible for the rushed parts to have been better! Matthew dealing with his alcoholism, Matthew and James getting back in sync, the clever way Lucie and Cordelia got rid of the Cordelia-is-Lilith's-paladin problem - all really good!

But there was just so much I was unhappy with.

1)Too many things felt rushed:

the 'Charles was with Alastair' reveal - I expected something dramatic but Matthew just casually drops "oh I knew about everything" in like the 5th chapter, even though there was no sign of him knowing before? We did get that hilarious scene with the four guys all together, but then later on it's just 'oh and Charles told the Clave everything and it's fine'

Thomastair getting together - they had like 2 conversations and suddenly Alastair was over all of his reservations?? Cassie should've saved some of the tension she used on Jordelia and put it towards Thomastair

Arianna getting together - same as with Thomastair! Ari leaves home, has like one conversation with Anna, and boom they're together

Matthew telling James and then later his parents about what he did - this is a devastating secret! It has separated Matthew from his loved ones for years and driven him to alcoholism!! Yet all we get is a page of him telling James and James giving him a quick reassurance, then a short paragraph about telling Charlotte and Henry and they're just like, 'oh glad we know, we forgive you, also we're having another baby surprise'. Where is the emotion? The catharsis?!?

Lucie and Cordelia becoming parabatai - we just don't get even a paragraph of the ceremony? Just a mention in the last chapter that they're parabatai now

2) Christopher dying

One of my biggest grievances is Christopher's death. I thought maybe I was just biased because he's one of my faves but after looking at other posts, I see it's not just me! It feels like Cassie killed him off solely because she thought 'well someone has to die' - and that's just not a compelling reason! What was the purpose? To show that Tatiana was evil beyond redemption? To show that the stakes were high? We already knew both those things!

Also to my point #1, the reactions to his death felt rushed. We got one short scene with Thomas and one short scene with Anna that were actually emotional, then a moment with Grace. Other than that it was like - 'wow I can't believe Kit is dead, I miss him'. Where's the emotional weight??

3) Then there were the things that just didn't make sense to me

Grace and Jesse. Oh Grace my poor girl. Again, she's one of my faves so I recognize I'm biased but - she deserved so much better, especially from her own freaking brother. This post and this post put it way more eloquently I can.

Cordelia killing Tatiana - I feel like it was mainly to explain the "paladins blade can heal wounds made by it" plot point but - it just didn't make sense?? Literally the second Tatiana has done all the plot-related things she needs to, poof she's taken out of the equation. Also. One of Cordelia's strengths, something we see over and over, is her kindness. I mean, despite being wronged the most besides James by the gracelet, she is one of the kindest to Grace after the fact. I expected some moral crisis for her after killing Tatiana. Yes, it was forced by Lilith and yes, there was a lot happening at the same time - but she still killed someone! And there's no exploration of those feelings!

Lucie and Cordelia's friendship - if they need prompting from a demon in the latter half of a final book to truly reconcile? Then they're NOT besties, I'm sorry. Not that they aren't friends, but I was not convinced they were on the level of friendship that would make them good parabatai

Overall I think my issue is at that too many points, it felt like Cassie ticking off the boxes of events that needed to happen, rather than letting us experience things through the characters.

[tys-kitty]

im really sorry ppl decided to be jerks and send you hate you deserve so much better :( i also dont understand why people cant just have their own opinions about the book and respect each other's opinions like why attack someone for liking the book and vice versa

ive gotten a few comments that were getting mad at me for having an opinion they didn't agree with and i just dont get why people go so far as to type out something rude and hit send over a book

personally i was split on it, theres certain things i absolutely loved that had laughing and/or happy crying *cough* thomastair in particular *cough* and theres also certain things i didnt like and thats fine because its my opinion and since its been like two weeks since ive read it (wait no its been 23 days exactly since ive finished it) i feel like my opinions on it arent as strong as they were so it especially doesnt make sense to me that ppl are sending you hate for literally enjoying a book. where is the logic. there is none.

anyways, i love you and im sorry and people should do better because youre one of the sweetest people i know on here and you deserve so much better than this <3

Thank you so much sweetheart! <33

And I personally think that this isn‘t just about some hate I got for liking a book but about people getting hate for their opinion. It‘s extremely valid to not like a book, it‘s perfectly fine to think it‘s average and it‘s totally okay to like it.

So yeah for everyone out there: Please feel free to post your opinion! Tumblr should be a safe place for everyone, so let‘s make it one!

I won‘t let people make me dislike the book or change my opinion and you guys shouldn’t either. <33

And bestie @walkingaftermidnight07 I love you so muchh! Thank you for your sweet words and your support!

Love you guys!

Michi

[imherongraystairstrash]

Dd you like it? I hated chot because that death was done so dirty no funeral no mourning no reaction from his parents nothing

Ok, I'm gonna tag this as spoilers, just because you added that the death was a he (since we all knew Cassie would kill a MC) if you are reading this and haven't finished the book, I suggest you stop reading rn, because you're about to get spoiled:

I LOVED chot (I gave it 5 out of 5 stars) I loved the character development we see with all of the characters, we can just see how much they've grown. I thought Thomastair was done PERFECTLY, and out of all of the characters, I think their story was the best; it was consistently amazing and I'm super satisfied with them. I liked Anna so much better than COI (thank GOD). Jordelia didn't disappoint, Matthew's arc— though, I do feel it's incomplete and that cassie is gonna write a series of novellas on him (!!!!)— was nice to read.

Now, I'm just gonna skip to what you really want me to answer:

Did I think Kit's death was necessary? No, but I understand why she did it. What made me angry was exactly want you said: I feel like his death was brushed over, and that we needed closure that Cassie only partially gave us. The final Gracetopher scene was amazing, but we needed to see more of his family. We needed to see Cecily and Gabriel and their reactions because, yes, this series isn't about them, but that doesn't mean that most of the fandom cares deeply about them. Or, at least, I care deeply enough about them that I want to see how they took the news. I think we only ever got about three scenes in the entire TSC where Christopher is interacting with his parents, so we didn't really get a feel for their dynamic as much, and a scene, where we can see just how much Gabrily loved Kit, would have had us all bawling. We got to see a little of it in Chog, after he's attacked by that demon I can't remember the name of and I think we were missing that. And yeah, cassie sort of brushed over Barbara's death too, but this is different because we have been with Christopher for three entire books. We all care about him, and I think he deserved wayy more than a single mention in grief.

That being said, there were many things about Chot that I thought were absolutely perfect (I'll be posting them shortly), it's only this that kills me

[julesblackthorns]

idc how deep in your queue it is. for the tsc ask game 1 2 4 6 7 26!!!!!

girl i just had to SEARCH.

fave series? tda - my fave location, my fave set up (the blackthorns and emma in cohf u will always be famous), my fave couple, my fave main male and female characters, my fave family, my fave romantic conflict. not my fave execution in the end, but i cannot win them all. in a world where emma broke the parabati bonds i would never ever have stopped talking ab this series for a single second

least fave series? tlh - i really enjoyed books 1 and 2, but this series managed to have very low interpersonal stakes by virtue of most of the characters being friends from the get go (this is why alastair and grace and charles deserve knighthoods for their work), the romantic stakes in the first book were excellent - but even by the end of coi i was wondering how she was going to drag thomastair out further - but in the end i think it was a shame that james' feelings for grace weren't real and that she had never had any for him - it would have added some much needed grit to their dynamic in cot. also cot.

4. fave short story collection? i genuinely don't know. i like but don't love them all also just checked goodreads and apparently i only rated ghosts of the shadow market 😭 i think i'm going with tftsa tho because i have the strongest memories of those stories - also jace telling simon that he and alec have some bad blood between them and simon who has lost his memories BELIEVING HIM.... u will always be famous

6. fave main girl? was this even a question? EMMA!!!!!!!!!!!! *plays when emma falls in love*

7. top 3 overall?

julian blackthorn - he is my everything <3 no one is touching him ever i fear the most beloved covered in blood boy to ever be covered in blood

jem carstairs - before julian he was my baby forever and he still is. when he's dying like a victorian man should and still ripping tessa's dress off so they can fuck in a carriage that was iconic of him.

emma carstairs - my loveeeeeeeeee my coffee hating queen my sunshine moonbeam girlie who is so so so obsessed w revenge and killing and trying to become a better shadwhunter than a guy w literal angel blood in him and who can jump off buildings bc his adopted (using that term loosely) daddy experimented on him in the womb and she scares me

26. what useless item am i stealing from my neighbourhood shadowhunter? church.

[im-out-of-it]

“Alastair. Alastair had saved matthews life.”

and do we ever get either of their povs about this? no we don’t. I’m not saying stop in the middle of a battle and have a deep discussion about their whole thing

but I honestly forgot that Alastair saved matthews life. but I mean, alastair gets no mention of trying to help Matthew and their whole feud gets thrown to the side. I’m sorry but it’s been at the center for about two books and now we’re just going to forget it?

and that’s why the battle should have started in the beginning of chain of thorns. because this other stuff could have been handled and had more time at the end. everything is rushed because CC thought it would be fun to waste 400+ pages on Cordelia James Matthew Lucie not communicating.

all the important stuff from Alastair’s trauma, matthews childhood to what he has bottled in, matthews drinking, Charles treatment of Alastair, Charles telling the clave he’s gay and that he was blackmailed, James trauma, grace becoming their friend, how Jesse is doing after his shit mother, how Thomas is after losing a sister brother/cousin/bff all in the span of a year, how Gabriel is doing after losing a child, how Gideon is after losing a daughter, thomastair together, Ari losing two families technically but with Anna and actually watching Anna mature and have conversations with her about their life, and much more that I’m forgetting. all of this stuff is quickly “wrapped up” in less than 50 pages but it could have been spanned out in 800 pages if CC didn’t waste those pages

I’m not sorry because who truly wants to read 400+ of why James Cordelia have pity or see Matthew get pushed to the side or why Lucie and Cordelia shouldn’t be parabatai???? it really didn’t need to last half the book. because now a battle, the aftermath, everyone’s experiences and trauma is rushed in three hundred pages and we’re all left unsatisfied

and no one actually talks about what Alastair and Thomas go through and all Alastair has done for his friends. Cordelia is hardly a sister to him (YES IT MAKES ME MAD) and Alastair has so much that he’s bottled and PLEASE LET THIS MAN HEAL ALREADY. but in my heart, Thomas is there supporting him, and he’s got Gideon + Sophie + Gabriel + Cecily being there for him. they all know what it’s like to lose a childhood and they will all support and love Alastair 🥹 just such a waste that Alastair never gets any credit and a lot of his and Thomas’s stuff gets pushed to the side just so we can read about boring James and Cordelia ewwwwwww (if you’re a Cordelia and James fan I’m sorry but if the writing were better, I could possibly get on board) it’s just not fair to leave everyone out just so we can read about them

[thepictureofsdr]

if i wasn’t so attached to thomastair i genuinely wouldn’t mind if the series ended with alastair fucking off to some random country and never speaking to anyone in london ever again none of them deserve him

[a-dream-dirty-and-bruised]

Probably a very unpopular opinion but Alastair deserves way better than canon Thomas

[rinadragomir]

Hi, I know you're taking a break from the fandom rn, but feel free to answer this ask whenever it suits you (no negativity I promise!)

I finished COT, and I felt like it gave off different vibes from other books (not just COG or COI - CC's books in general). I feel like it was darker in the beginning, what with James being sullen and Matthew being withdrawn and Cordelia being exhausted. And the part with London being all dark and silent and lonely and the Watchers going around - that kind of aura, I don't think anything like that was prevalent in other books.

I was just wondering what you thought about that? Did it feel kinda different from the usual too? The tone of the book, especially in the beginning, seemed to give off despair and used hope, though that could be due to James' gloom and all the miscommunication and cracked relationships-

What are your thoughts on the vibe of COT, especially compared with the other books in the series and in general?

HIYA! Oh it's alright ~ for you I'm always available🤗

Yeah the first half was really dark. Golden trio was in their Twilight New Moon Era

You're absolutely right about James's perspective but I'd also add Cordelia's. Everything seemed really dark through their eyes till chapter 23, I haven't felt this level of depression and hopelessness for a long time.

Oh oh I should mention that I absolutely loved the "Dark London" part with everyone losing their minds. Downworlders clapping for so long their hands start bleeding, mothers singing lullabies to empty prams😳

Yes, I certainly feel the same about the different vibe. Some of the chot scenes seemed more.... mature? comparing to her other books. The way the whole Matthew's alcoholism situation was handled, Grace's regrets, Cordelia's depression, Thomas trying to find the healthiest ways to build his relationship with Alastair, Charles's fears and lack of confidence in himself and everything around, James and Matthew's moments in Edom. The way it was written feels different, but I like this particular change.

And for some reason this book feels shorter than the first 2. Maybe it's because my personal favs had less pages than something else, but it's just me. (Arianna deserved as many pages as Thomastair, MAYBE EVEN MORE I SAID WHAT I SAID). And maybe since I'm reading pretty fast, especially when it comes to Cassie's books, I can finish this whole book in a day. I'll be completely satisfied the day Cassie's books have around 1200 pages ☝🏻or more😡

So, about the "mature" part. Years pass, Cassie's audience grows and I'm really happy that her books sorta "grow" with us? Dude idk why thinking in English is so hard😞 if it was a Russian platform, I'd slay😤So! Cassie added mature topics before, some of the TMI moments were really dark, but the way these topics are written/handled is just getting better. My personal opinion is that TLH characters just feel more real than others and this is the result of Cassie developing her writing. I feel like she's still in the process of trying new things/ways to describe and create sth. And this is why the books have a different vibe.

It can be confusing sometimes, but I'm actually glad these changes happen. I understand that writing one series for decades can be exhausting and I know Cassie has big plans for the additional TLH content, TWP and stuff, but I was so afraid one day she can just give up on it (+ all the hate she received after chot release 😒). So knowing that she's still trying new things gives me hope cause it means she's still invested in this series. So I'm really looking forward to her future TSC project👀+ I'm continuing sending her nice asks

I'd write more, but I wanna eat and I'm lazy☺️

[thestarkster1465]

You know that feeling? Where you really really wish some fictional characters were real? 

Just so you could push them into the mud and pour a can of worms into their hair and clothes.

Yes, this is about Charles Fairchild.