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Happy diwali 🎇🪔

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“She had attracted a grand total of four customers to her little tent so far, mostly young men looking to know which of the village girls fancied them, barely noticing that Elide—beneath the makeup pasted thick as cream on her face—was no older than they were. They’d scampered off when their friends had rushed by, whispering through the star-painted flaps that a swordsman was putting on the show of a lifetime, and his arms were nearly the size of tree trunks”

Chapter 40, Empire of Storms

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relatives are fucking snakes

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Welcome to another one of my long rants!

Media has been violence porn for men since forever with female characters reduced to no more than an object to project their fantasies onto. So, when I read a book written by a so-called feminist woman who writes about badass female leads and feminist characters, and uses major societal issues to push her narratives, I’m expecting her to treat them for what they are and not brownie points for her creativity and aesthetics for her characters.

I'm glossing over every abuse mentioned in the ACOTAR books. I won't be taking responsibility for your reactions if you choose to read.

SJM loves trauma dumping, especially on her FCs. Whether a lead or a supporting role, every one of them undergoes a form of abuse.

Feyre is sexually abused by Rhysand for two months on top of being starved and imprisoned and made to participate in life-threatening games. After this, she becomes a victim of domestic violence at Tamlin’s mansion. But in her apparent safer life with Rhysand, she’s thrown into the house of the Weaver, a death god whom even the ‘most powerful HL’ himself is afraid of. From there, the amount of physical violence she suffers is lessened though she becomes a perpetrator herself. And then, there is the impossible pregnancy (because even in a book about her sister, Feyre can’t take a fucking backseat) that even the best minds in the Prythian can’t save her from (since apparently these two bigger-than-thou are the only ones to ever mate or crossbreed).

Nesta is abused at the hands of her mother and grandmother, and neglected by her father. She’s sexually abused by the man she intended to marry. She’s thrown into the Cauldron against her will and killed—which is equivalent to SA. She’s exploited in a war when she has no experience or training. She’s verbally abused by her sister’s family and disrespected. She’s imprisoned, tortured and tamed like an animal by the man she’s meant to end up with. She’s emotionally manipulated and psychologically abused by Cassian in the entirety of SF. She’s sexually abused by a Kelpie and to some extent by Lanthys. She’s kidnapped again and thrown into a game where she’s hunted and expected to kill.

Elain suffers the same fate as Nesta during the transformation. She’s again kidnapped by Hybern and the Cauldron. (And in her book, I will bet anything that either some heinous abuse she suffered in the past from Graysen/his father or before her rescue from Hybern’s camp will come up, or she will be abused somehow by at least one man. Given how Rhysand abused Feyre and Cassian abused Nesta, I won’t be surprised if SJM drags Lucien down the same path as well because that woman’s idea of romance is hurting someone and apologising which is the equivalence of vulnerability in her stories. She would even use the ‘fire in his veins’ to push this, something he couldn’t control or whatever.)

Morrigan is brutalised by her father and dumped naked in unknown lands. Her abuse is so grotesquely described and too twisted for her crime of sleeping with a man out of wedlock.

Emerie loses her wings to wing-clipping, an improper method no less. Later on, she is abused by her father after he killed his wife in the same way. She even digs her own mother’s grave on his orders. She’s kidnapped and forced into Blood Rite for being a woman and wanting to never be abused by men again.

Gwyneth is r*ped by Hybern men. And she suffers the same as Nesta and Emerie for wanting to grow stronger and defend herself in the future.

Lady Autumn is abused by her husband.

Cressida suffers under Amarantha’s rule. (I don’t remember how exactly but I know it was mentioned somewhere. Remind me if you know.)

Clotho, other priestesses—all of them end up in the library after they suffered at the hands of men. They are too afraid of the world and broken by their trauma that they are content to spend the rest of their years never once leaving the library even for daily lives.

Almost every woman in SJM’s books is tormented in so many ways and it’s always the men who perpetuate it. And this is a theme that spans over all of her books, not just this series. Micah abuses Bryce. Pollux SA’s Lydia. I haven’t read TOG nor am I planning to, but I know there’s something in there to pick about.

I don’t mind a little violence and I don’t mind representation of such issues in a female oriented books, what I can’t tolerate is the idea is that a woman has to endure such things and rise above it all and only then she can be labelled ‘strong’. Elain is the only soft character so far as SJM wants to keep that ‘inclusive writer’ status, and this pattern is also seen in the CC series where June is the only soft-spoken female and every other woman is either rageful or a fighter.

These characters are introduced with violence, their whole identity revolves around this. Their emotional intelligence, capacity and growth all stem from the violence and how they heal from it. Feyre’s MO is her hunting and her trauma. But there’s no self-reflection to drive her growth. It’s her relationship with Rhysand that takes precedence and even then the SA is swept under the rug. Same with Nesta. Her trauma is on the forefront while her healing is so vague and none of her real issues are ever addressed. In fact, violence is a core part of her healing. During majority of her screen time, Elain cries, suffers and gets rescued. Morrigan is all hatred and trauma and wine. Emerie and Gwyneth have depth but the first thing anyone recognises in either of them is their trauma—Emerie’s wings and Gwyneth’s indefinite abode in the library.

Clotho’s trauma alone is enough to prove SJM’s obsession with women’s pain. Clotho is not a major character and she has little screen time and yet her abuse is described in such detail for pages and often. Even a fleeting character like Lady of Autumn suffers the same fate. Her idea of cruelty in men is perpetuating physical violence against women.

Moreover, all of these characters have the sense of justice and power which are strongly rooted in these abuses. None of them see the cruelty in the world and choose to stand up to it or fight it unless they have suffered too. As if one can have strength and courage only if they have been broken down by a man first. Like their fight can’t be driven by kindness and compassion for the people around them.

See, my female hero doesn’t have to be abused by every man as a trial for her to overcome. She doesn’t have to be a siren 24x7 seducing men left and right. She doesn’t have to sleep around with different men every night to let me know she’s likeable. She doesn’t have to kill in every chapter to be strong or brave. She doesn’t have to be sex on stick to be beautiful. She doesn’t have to have big boobs or ass in leathers to be beautiful. She doesn’t have to be thin and fair to desirably moderately tanned or dressed in skimpy dresses to nothing at all times. And she doesn’t have to have miracle sex with her abuser partner to heal every one of her traumas.

It’s infuriating how criticising these books calls for such hatred when these topics are exposed to young audience without proper warnings or sensitive measures. These are defended as written for and marketed to NA as if the brains of the 17 year olds level up to the full functioning adult brain overnight when they turn 18. The first book is still sold as YA and there is no warning in it either for the amount of violence, gore, SA in it. Even if the latter books are NA, someone who reads the first one in a series is bound to pick up the next ones too.

SJM hides behind these technicalities and refuses to educate herself or take accountability for all these toxic narratives she’s passing off as feminism and ideal romantic relationships. She shouldn’t be writing about these topics as she herself has a warped concept of violence and she can’t recognise the different kinds of SA and uses it freely to pass them as sexual tension like in case of Feyre and Nesta.

She’s not the best fantasy writer out there. She’s not a progressive, feminist writer. She doesn't even respect her own female characters. She uses them instead for playing out her fantasies with these 'ideal' men she created in her head.

In truth, SJM writes like a man who hates women.

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Indian Slytherin Aesthetic

And power-hungry Slytherin loved those of great Ambition

Other aesthetics: Gryffindor | Hufflepuff | Ravenclaw

@padfootastic @narcissa-black-supermacy @gracelesslady23 @in-flvx @fiendishfyre @mycupofrum @mmavverickk @the-chaosbringer @remen-nyoodles @ji-jii-visha

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I can't believe this is even a discussion. How is calling rhysand a sex worker or prostitute somehow a defence for such a tone-deaf and insensitive argument? Do they not realise that way too many people are stuck in situations where they feel like they can't say no? I always looked at rhysand and his experience in utm like that. That doesn't make it okay. I am all for hating rhysand but please that's not an argument.

“Rhys wasn’t raped”

“Rhys wasn’t raped”

“Rhys wasn’t raped”

“Rhys wasn’t raped”

“Rhys wasn’t raped”

Rape is both emotional and physical abuse and anything that is not 100% consent is rape. Being forced to have sex with someone out of fear is rape. Being forced to have sex with someone for “benefits” such as going outside is rape. Being forced to have sex with someone to prove your loyalty to them is rape.

If you’re put in any sexual situation where you are forced to do things and not because you genuinely want to, that is rape. Rhys did not 100% consent to his “relationship” (if you could even call it that) with Amarantha. He literally talks about how he was suicidal for a while because of what was happening to him Under The Mountain but it was all consensual? He was just a sex worker?

Two of the most ridiculous points this person makes is one, saying rape isn’t emotional abuse. And two, insinuating that being a “sex worker” made everything that happened to Rhys completely fine.

Sex workers are taken advantage of all the time. That’s one of the most dangerous parts of it. Being a sex worker does not always equal to consenting to everything you do. It’s not this glamorous job where you’re just consenting to everything and having sex for the fun of it. Therefore slapping the term “sex worker” onto Rhys as a way to invalidate his decades of sexual abuse is nothing short of demented.

And rape is most definitely emotions abuse. A lot of the time rape is used to control someone as seen with Amarantha and Rhys. She wanted to punish him because his father killed her friend and she wanted to prove his loyalty to her. It was literally about breaking him down and that’s why he still has trauma from it. You can’t look at the mental scars Rhys has because of Amarantha and boldly claim that wasn’t rape. You can’t read him clearly saying “she made me fuck her” and boldly claim that it wasn’t rape.

This person is not a child so there’s no valid excuse for this mentality. It’s just blatant vile ignorance and a nasty soul.

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haha... FUCK CALEB

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My Eng. Prof. has now said for the fifth or sixth time that women are the root of fights and drama. She is a woman. I admire that lady. She is incredibly smart and is a feminist herself but says that she has observed around her that women, especially above middle-age and old women are very problematic and are always engaged in petty squabbles. She says that it's a fact based on her seeing the behaviour of women around. It's an all girls college mind you.

I don't agree with her at all. I mean I know that women also have the tendency to be nasty to each other but saying that they only cause fights and drama is wrong. Maybe she has the misfortune of being surrounded by terrible women but i only know one woman who is genuinely deranged and a horrible person. I believe men have if not more than just as much tendency of being completely terrible. They have just become more covert in doing so. I mean I see my older male relatives who talk so much bullshit but always put it off by saying they are just joking, doesn't matter what utterly vile things comes out their mouth, the men laugh heartily and women uncomfortably, I mean I wouldn't blame their wives for snapping at them. Most older women with husbands have the same experiences. They have bad in-laws. Unsupportive husbands who enjoy mocking and demeaning them, their children don't care much for them, of course, they become unpleasant. I understand there are many people who are the exception. Many women have good families but are still insufferable to be around. But this is my experience. People with bad relationships after a while become unhappy to be around. Understandably so.

Also, she is teaching at an all women college, of course, she sees more concentration of female conflicts. She has bad in-laws so obviously the women their aren't good. She taught for three months at a co-ed college and that's not enough to proclaim men are just easier to work with. Both fight just as much. Again, I cherish that teacher but this pisses me off on so many levels. Just my opinion.

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I swear if they further villainize Tamlin(a character I don't even like) and romanticise and justify Rhysand, I'm going to roit. Rhysand has red flags throughout the books. In fact he is the only consistent character from the beginning to the end. He started as an awful person, he ended as an awful person. If you aren't going to address that then your opinion isn't trustworthy to me. It isn't a competition of who was worse. I genuinely have no faith in sjm's writing or her characters but fuck, I hate the selectivity the fandom shows when talking about themes that have not just heavy sway in the books but possess real life implications. Grow a brain!

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It's like when I need someone to say "I understand. It's a sucky emotion. You're not alone in feeling this" they say "oh it'll be fine. Just stop thinking so much" and when I need reassurance that everything will indeed be fine, I'm brushed off and not paid attention to. And then of course, it's why don't you share what you feel. I do! You don't want to listen because you have no answer so you don't want to be inconvenienced. You don't even bother to try to understand.

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Now that I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series, I've realized that the way I was besotted with sirius black never really went away. I hate jk rowling for way too many things and one of those things would always be her not making wolfstar canon(even though in my head it is)

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"if he doesn't like you, this is all a moo point"

"huh. a 'moo' point?"

"yeah, it's like a cow's opinion. you know, it doesn't matter. it's moo."

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This might just be the best thing I've read in a while. The Poppy War trilogy is a grimdark fantasy trilogy. It draws parallels with Chinese history, mainly the Sino-Japanese war and the politics with Western powers. The plot throughout the books remained strong with the characters developing in somehow both ways, upwards and downwards, in my opinion. It doesn't shy away from showing the brutalities and heartlessness of wars. Not just on the battlefield but on civilian grounds too. The characters, oh the characters, were some of the most well-developed characters I've read in a while.

This post will be mostly about the characters because they're the main part of books that I focus on. That's not me saying anything bad about the writing because it's R.F.Kuang, the woman is brilliant. The constant presence throughout the three books was of, obviously, our main character,

Fang Runin

“I will die with flames in my hand and fury in my heart."

Fang Runin, nicknamed and mostly called Rin, starts off in the first book as a sixteen-year old girl desperate to escape the looming threat of an arranged marriage with a man about three times her age. She prepares for and aces an entrance exam to an elite military academy. Upon reaching there, realises that just getting into the academy won't do. She needs to survive and thrive in a place where everyone seems to have it out for her based on the colour of her skin. The elite students look down on her for being from the south of their nation. It's basically colorism and racism. But Rin isn't going to let that go. She studies hard, beats up an elite student, burns off her uterus, and awakens the power of gods in her. She turns out to be one of the only two survivors of a dead nation. She calls a god that grants her the power of fire with an addicting hunger to destroy. She gets thrown in a battle before even finishing her academy years. Calls the power of her god and single handedly wins the battle.

But that wasn't going to be the end for her, was it? She fights enough battles that they become a habit for her. She refuses to bow to her opponents, no matter the cost at stake. She becomes a legend that leaves a legacy of destruction in its wake.

Rin is quick to anger, initially prone to trust the wrong people, later becomes too paranoid to trust anyone, goes from a girl scared of the power coursing through her, fearing that she'd lose her mind, but couldn't deny the rush of power and became addicted to it, she is resilient and determined, whether it be about being good at studies or at winning battles. She is willing to sacrifice almost anything in order to achieve her goals. She turns out to be a little naive and a lot like a lost child looking for gaurdians to trust and follow. Those people always let her down. By the end of the last book, Rin, who was pretty much resigned to the fact that she would slowly lose her mind to the hunger of her god, does actually end up becoming what she didn't desire in the beginning. She progressively falls into a pattern of destruction and wars that she couldn't let go off. Her dependence on the power rush and her paranoia develops to such an extent that she realises that she couldn't live like that but also couldn't let go of it. All things said, one of the most well-written female characters in the books published in recent years. I like her because she is traditionally unlikeable and monstrous. She's one of those characters that makes you sad that if she was in different more peaceful circumstances then she could've had a better life.

Chen Kitay

"Power dictates acceptability."

The above photo taken from pinterest explains my feelings completely when it comes to Kitay. The strategic genius with a photogenic memory, Rin's conscience with a strong moral compass, she proposes the plans and he follows her and even when at some point everyone around Rin betrayed her or let her down, he stuck by her. I, just like Rin, would protect Kitay with my life. Rin's character may have gone through a corruption arc but Kitay's character remained steadily stable. He was Rin's voice of reason. A genius meant to be a scholar, who excelled at statesmanship and administration. If you doubt how much I love him, please look at the above given photo.

Yin Nehza

"She’s the only divine thing he’s ever believed in. The only creature in this vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes, in his loveliest dreams, he imagines she does."

Nezha, you little bitch(kind of lovingly). Starting off as a racist bully who got beat within an inch of his life by Rin, Nezha grew on me. If Rin, Kitay and Nezha were on the same side of the war, they would've been unstoppable. Their parallels with the trifecta could've been seen from a mile ago. Nezha and Rin loved each other like Daji and Riga but it was doomed from the start. The Drowning Faith and the snippets from the other books that were from Nezha's pov were great to read. It really puts Nezha's behaviour in perspective. The son that was usually treated with indifference by his father, his mother's intolerance to even look at him for a year after his brother's demise, losing a cherished baby sibling, older siblings hateful treatment, all that but still feeling duty bound to fulfil their ambition. Compelled to support and fight for their cause despite witnessing the destruction brought by it. Even with their nation falling around them, keeping a hope for its better future. Though, regardless of foreign relations and diplomacy and stuff, I really wanted him to punch some imperialists and as Rin said, to have some pride. He loved Rin but also recognized that she is too far gone in bloodshed. I hated how their story ended but it was objectively the best way to complete it.

Spring Venka

"Sring Venka was a prim, spoiled Sinegardian princess turned lethal soldier turned brittle survivor; of course she’d walk into a war zone with red paint on her lips simply because she felt like it."

Venka, my goddess, my main girl, the love of my life. After starting the first book I didn't think I would like her at all. But her character has now latched onto me in a way I think is unhealthy. She is a warrior. She is a survivor. She alongside Rin castrated two men left them to die with their penises in their mouths for attempting to SA a girl. She is an absolute icon. Her snapping at people, giving blunt replies, re-training her archery, staying allied with Rin and Kitay until the end, even though her allegiance at the very end is a matter of question but still, I'm not stopping thinking about her for a long time.

So, that was all. This trilogy was R.F.Kuang's debut books and she fucking nailed it. I had previously read her Babel: An Arcane History, so I had already known I would absolutely love this one too. She has a way to balance the emotional side of the story very efficiently to the dark one. She is extremely talented when writing books with heavy themes like oppression, slavery, racism, colonization, etc as seen in multiple of her books. I'd always look forward to her books.

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(LONG POST)

I recently read the entire ACOTAR and the first book in CC. Both series are praised for their strong female leads and the feminist characters which is the sole reason I picked these up. And now I have opinions.

Here’s my take on the female characters, mostly ACOTAR.

Feyre

In the beginning, Feyre heavily radiates masculine energy from her choice of hunting as occupation to the tired breadwinner mentality. She lacks empathy for her sisters and expresses her disdain clearly in her attitude and inner monologues, though it’s clear they do the household chores, which translates to her disregard for the ‘feminine’ work. She falls under the ‘not your typical girl’ archetype with her preference of pants over dresses and apathy towards her appearance. She makes an exception when she intends to please Tamlin. In the first book, it’s a one-time occurrence but over the course of the series, this becomes more prominent once Rhysand enters her life.

A woman, who refuses to be controlled, willingly plays Rhysand’s whore, wearing the same dress he forced her into UtM as he SA’d her. In SC, Feyre expresses her hatred towards getting dolled up and reduced to a breeding mare. While in CoN, she takes pleasure in flaunting her body and putting on a sex act in front of an entire court. This transition apparently marks her taking back her power. She describes in great detail in her inner thoughts how she enjoyed kneeling to Rhysand as part of the act and the power he held over her and the room. This is the same woman who refused to bow to any fae in the first book. She feels empowered being reduced to a sex object for Rhysand and enjoys the discomfort it causes to the court, which she radiates as she walks down from the throne. Moreover when Keir disrespects her for it, she is angry at the insult but not for being put in the position. She even enjoys how Rhysand violently punishes him for it. This becomes a role she actively and pleasurably plays in CoN for the rest of the series.

Her femininity never translates to her emotional state. Except for the one scene in the mountain cabin where she heats a soup for Rhysand, she’s not portrayed indulging in ‘womanly’ activities or mannerisms. Moreover, Feyre only embraces this side when she pleases a man. Tamlin, Rhysand, Tarquin. Despite her overtly masculine traits, she is equated to a goddess in Cassian’s monologue the moment she’s pregnant and paraded like a ‘breeding mare’ in CoN.

Feyre’s story heavily pushes the idea that being feminine is only acceptable when it satisfies a man and his desires. Over and over again, a woman who doesn’t appreciate this way of living only ever embodies it to please her partner.

Nesta

Nesta is raised and groomed to be a housewife. But she sheds that part of her life to become a warrior. This isn’t a choice of hers but thrusted onto her by the ones, mostly men, around her as this is seen as the most contributing or ‘healthy’ way of living. Where healing through softness and compassion is an option and most needed given Nesta’s trauma and history, she’s subjected to more and more violence.

Nesta begins as someone bound to be a lady, using her wits and charms as her weapons. But as the story progresses, she becomes a sword swinging warrior who becomes a close-enough reflection of Feyre. A woman who won’t wear anything but dresses as it’s not lady-like becomes someone who only wears pants and slays demons for a man. A woman who wants to travel and read and enjoy simple life with her girl friends finds purpose becoming a weapon.

A woman who’s taught to treasure her body and never has sex for the same reason until she’s into her mid-twenties turns to it when she’s hurting and becomes sexually hyperactive to the point it’s considered an ‘embarrassment’. What’s interesting here is that she’s forgiven for this when this sexual energy is focused towards the man(Cassian) everyone approves of.

Nesta enjoys reading romances, a classic hobby associated with women, which is either dismissed or joked about by Cassian. But the moment she trains to fight, he starts appreciating her. The same is seen during Eris’s seduction. Nesta’s dancing skills are known even before that and Cassian doesn’t acknowledge it until he sees her dancing with another man. Everything Nesta does or indulges in are somehow appreciated when they align with Cassian’s interests or what he desires in a woman.

Elain

The one character who is highly feminised in the series is Elain. She loves gardening, small talks and connecting with people, surrounds herself with beauty. She learns to cook and enjoys feeding/nurturing her family. She’s often described as ‘kind’ and ‘delicate’. Even in Feyre’s POV, her body is sensualised and described in ways that imply sexual allure while her emotional traits are equated to child-like innocence. She’s the epitome of femininity and she’s the damsel that needs to be saved and protected by everyone at the end of the day. Sure, this could change in her book but the bottom line is her womanliness is very much in parallel with the misogynistic standards of what and how an ideal woman should be.

Morrigan

Morrigan is very in touch with her feminine side as her interests are wearing red dresses and painting her lips red and having sex. (please hear my sarcasm) She uses men to hide her true sexuality to the point of using one of her close friends as her personal flirting companion and leading the other on who’s been pining over her for five centuries. She also enjoys to lord this over her parents and everyone in her court by wearing provocative dresses and this is her ‘expression’ of her liberation.

Amren

Throughout the series, Amren is more masculine than the male characters in some ways from the way she talks and behaves. She’s an ancient creature trapped in a fae body. She’s so disgusted by it that she can’t even grasp the need for eating specific food or relieving oneself. But the one thing she truly understands and embraces is having sex. It is ultimately the one thing that helps her to bond with another person in her long life. Even if sex is considered as a universal act among all creatures or whatever, she should feel the same about eating and shitting which she doesn’t.

Bryce

Though she fares better than the ACOTAR (except SF) women, Bryce still falls victim to this pattern. She’s introduced as someone who parties and has sex, her entire personality revolves around it that everyone perceives her as such. This soon changes but the idea often lingers. She’s always found in her underwear (which could be considered a character quirk but I highly doubt that was SJM’s intentions given everything in ACOTAR) and all the male characters tend to love her or be attracted to her body at first sight. Over and over again, her sex appeal is brought to reader’s attention and one of the ways Bryce claims her feminine nature is being very confident with her sexual prowess.

Here are some common themes which heavily contradict the foundation of feminism.

Equality & Strength

Feminism in simple terms is equality of genders. In this series, it’s anything but that. Again and again, the words are mentioned but there’s simply not much proof of that.

Feyre and Nesta have no true autonomy. Rhysand and Feyre share three different connections with each other the majority of the time which gives him control over her to some extent. In Nesta’s case, Cassian transforms her into his ideal partner when she’s at the lowest in the name of healing. He often sees her as an animal to be tamed, and so far, he’s succeeded. Not to mention, Nesta has no financial independence or agency to choose how to live.

In SC, Feyre who explicitly expresses her desires to be an equal to Tamlin complains when the opportunity is given to her to shoulder the responsibilities—socialising with the people serving her, dressing to be part of her court, sitting through a tax collecting ceremony. In NC, she becomes Rhysand’s soldier and goes on missions where she kills and maims in the most brutal ways possible. Though she is a ruler, her training and life is always focused on the arts of warring rather than administration which was what she was requested to do in SC. And once the wars are over, she complains about answering letters which are again tasks expected of a ruler. Which shows what Feyre truly sees as equality is the chance to be violent.

Also, these female characters are considered equal to male counterparts only when they are progressively aggressive. Except for some side characters, almost all women prove their strength through their fighting abilities—Feyre, Nesta, Bryce, Morrigan, Amren. (If Elain gets her own book, she will possibly perpetuate this too because SJM literally thrives on writing violence in her fantasy books. And she already did it with Hybern’s death.)

Also Feyre is only considered an equal to Rhysand after she inherits the powers of other HLs. The same is seen in Nesta’s relationship with Cassian when everyone sees her as an equal of him after she trains to be a warrior. All this implies the strength of the men is the standard to which these women have to aspire to be. None of the men are expected to change or challenge themselves to reach the level of their partners’.

Appearance

They all possess extraordinary beauty that every male character is charmed with at the first sight and they either directly pursue these women or it’s implied. And at some point or the other, their partner relish or wield this desirability against the said men—Rhysand with Tarquin, Cassian with Eris. This is prominent in SF as we don’t get much of Rhysand’s inner thoughts in the first books. Cassian objectifies Nesta even when she’s emaciated, when’s not fit—physically or mentally. The value of these women are reduced to how appealing they are to the male gaze.

Sexuality

Most of these characters come with a sheltered view of world about how a woman should be or behave. And when they finally come out of that bubble and embrace themselves and their new world view, they also become sexually proactive.

Every female character at least at one point describes being seen as a prey by their male partners. This can be attributed as the fae’s ‘primal nature’ although it is a recurring theme in every relationship. Especially for Feyre (she’s got the most books), where she describes Rhysand’s gaze as predatory. She revels in this objectification to the point she derives pleasure by entertaining and putting on a show for him.

All these women exhibit hyperactive sex drive and have multiple partners with no emotional attachment and this is seen as a sign of their empowerment. They also always use sex as a means to ease their emotional trauma, including sexual abuse. And they all have endured one variation of trauma at the hands of a man, mostly sexual, which they eventually explore and overcome being sexually active. Feyre and Rhysand. Nesta and Cassian. Morrigan with her multiple partners. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Elain’s attraction towards Azriel also falls under this category somehow with her struggle to accept her fae life and mating bond with Lucien, and SJM loves trauma dumping.)

There’s nothing wrong with owning one’s sexuality and putting one’s pleasure first, but seeing it as the only path to empowerment is absurd, which is common theme in all theses women’s growth.

Life outside their romantic relationships

The female characters either come with a set of girl friends who are her ‘ride or die’ as in case of Bryce, or bond without much depth like in case of Feyre/Morrigan/Amren. The Valkriyes are the only exception to this where the women organically grow and build genuine friendships. Given the 4.5 books are dedicated to the Archeron sisters, there is no bonding among the three except for the blame shifting and one minute heartfelt conversation where their life-long trauma is erased and forgotten.

These women have hobbies which only exist to offer that touch of femininity to them—painting, gardening, reading smut, dancing, dressing themselves in pretty clothes (while male characters have no hobbies except for Tamlin and Lucien, and in case of CC, all those men are into the same sport). Their ‘softer’ traits only rear its head when the narrative calls for proof of their kindness or empathy or reserved for their partners but not in the way of living or their character itself.

Here's the bottom line. Feminism in these books is masculinity masquerading as female empowerment. Throughout the series, what makes these women powerful is their ability to match the men in their lives. They are equal because of the brute force they embody on par with them which is basically the masculine ideal of strength. The faux feminism propaganda is blatantly obvious with the woman’s value constantly reduced to how much she is desired by men and her hyperactive sex life. These books are nothing but a mockery of feminism.