ACOSF thought

Okay, I haven’t seen anyone mention Balthazar in ACOSF so far. The Illyrian guy who’s in the cave with Nesta and Emerie during the blood ritual and is actually nice to them. Like he’s there for a couple of pages and then literally dissapears. I actually want to read more about him, I think he’s got potential as a character. Hopefully we’ll read more about him in the upcoming books.

Them: “You can’t fall in love with yet ANOTHER fictional character!”

Me:

Sarah J. Maas: “ACOSF is my smuttiest book so far”.

Me:

Rhysand, Cassian and Casteel when their girls do literally anything:

Nesta: “just sex, there can’t be more than that”

*Also Nesta, internally*:

So excited to finally drop this! A design for the latest LitJoy Crate Add-On collaboration bookshelf alley, this time featuring a visit to Prythian from the ACOTAR series! This is such a fun project to work on! These bookshelf alley are a clever amalgamation of a lightbox and a book nook, so you can get a fun peek into an illuminated illustrated world on your bookshelf!

Here we’re spying on a fun little flirty moment between Feyre and Rhys from across another balcony in the House of Wind.

I don’t know how many times I’ve illustrated star fall / Velaris at this point, but this was truly one I was excited to design with the prospects of having the sky actually light up!

This will be available as an add-on purchase for LitJoy’s upcoming May 2021 YA box! Thank you so much LitJoy Crate for the use of the product photos! (slide 3 & 4)

You know the Halloween sleepover with your older sisters is lit when you break out ACOTAR themed MASH we are 12 year olds, clearly….

Lineart hits different sometimes

And darling Elain. What you hiding, girlie, inquiring minds want to know……

This is the first time I have painted Azriel and actually felt like it comes close to how i picture him in my head ‍

First of all… dont come at me with the “But Azriel’s shadows danced with Gwyn but they disappear when he’s with Elain” bullshit because let me tell you something:

HIS SHADOWS DO NOT LIKE THE LIGHT.

THEY DONT LIKE SUNLIGHT.

THEY TEND TO DISSAPEAR WHEN IS BRIGHT DAY.

Az said, his shadows lingering in the archway, as if fearful of the bright sunlight in the ring.

A shadow curled around Azriel’s neck, the only one brave enough to face the sunlight.

Because his shadows were born in the dark, in that dark cell when he was a kid.

Born in a lightless, airless prison meant to break him. Instead, he had learned its language.

In the centuries I’d known him, he’d said little about his life, those years in his father’s keep, locked in darkness. Perhaps the shadowsinger gift had come to him then, perhaps he’d taught himself the language of shadow and wind and stone.

But what was it one thing that he desperately needed when he was in that cell? More than his mother? More than a friend?

LIGHT

And who is always described as the sun? As the day? Who’s always described as full of light?

ELAIN

Why do his shadows disappear when he’s with Elain?

Because she’s the light he needs the most.

Because his shadows are not needed.

He doesn’t need to hide from her.

He doesn’t need his shadows to help him get through her company. To protect himself.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing on that face, on his scent. The shadows, whatever the hell they were, hid too well.

The shadows gathered around his shoulders, like they were indeed whispering to him, shielding him, perhaps.

And don’t get it twisted… his shadows might take some time off when he’s in her company but they are always ready to throw hands to protect Elain.

They’re always ready to strike, ready to help him protect her.

Nesta saw the blow land, like a physical impact, in Elain’s face, her posture. No one spoke, though shadows gathered in the corners of the room, like snakes preparing to strike.

And this scene here makes me think she used Azriel’s shadows. There’s no more explanation.

Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.”

Why Elain’s actions are always compared to Azriel or his shadows? Unless…… unless she might have her own and this is all foreshadowing.

“Don’t,” Elain said flatly, starting once more into a walk, veils of steam drifting past her shoulders from the roasted rosemary potatoes in her hands, as if they were Azriel’s shadows. “She won’t listen.”

And why Azriel’s shadows always try to hide his emotions when Elain’s is brought up?

“You and Nesta are wanted down there.” “Because of the shit with Elain?”

Azriel stilled. “What happened to Elain?”

Cassian waved a hand. “A fight with Nesta. Don’t bring it up,” he warned when Azriel’s eyes darkened.

Cassian blew out a breath. “I take that as a no regarding the meeting topic, then.”

“It’s about what I discovered. Rhys said he requires you both there.”

“It’s bad, then.” Cassian surveyed the shadows gathered around Az.

“You all right?” His brother nodded. “Fine.” But shadows still swarmed him. Cassian knew it was a lie, but didn’t push it. Az would speak when he was ready, and Cassian would have better success convincing a mountain to move than getting Az to open up.

Not you all out there trying to convice yourself and others that these two are not endgame.

Cassian:

Nesta:

Amren:What?

Varian:Haven’t we talked about this? About … being nice?”

Amren:

Feyre became High Lady and partnered up with Rhysand while matching her powers to him.

Nesta became a Valkyrie and she’s on her path to become general one day of the female legion, matching Cassian powers and rank.

Elain will become a full Seer and she will match her powers with Azriel, making the best spy couple in history.

Wait a minute yall… we’re not gonna walk away from ACOSF without talking about Eris.

Is no one going to point out that he was tortured by Beron to get information after he was kidnapped by the Mortal Queen? Who was supposed to be his ally?

That the first thing he did when Eris returned was tortured him instead of being glad to see his son?

Like we knew he was an awful male.. that he clearly beat the Lady of Autumn and that he killed Lucien’s lover in front of him and was willing to kill him so I’m not suprised to know he also beat his children. But fuck… I need Eris to either kill him or get away from him and take his mother on his way.

“Beron tortured you?.”

“Who cares what my father does to me”.

Cassian unpacked each word. Beron had tortured his own son for information, rather than thanking the Mother for returning him. But Eris had held out. Fed Beron another lie.

“Get that pitying look off your face, I know what sort of creature my father is. I don’t need your sympathy.”

Also the whole Morrigan situation:

“Don’t believe the lies they tell you about me.”

“Oh?”

Eris nodded to where Mor watched them from beside Feyre and Rhys, her face neutral and aloof. “She knows the truth but has never revealed it.”

“Why?.”

“Because she’s afraid of it.”

Then is the matter of Lucien:

“And what of the brother you hunted down alongside me? The one whose lover you helped execute before his eyes?”

“You know nothing about what happened that day. Nothing.”

“Indulge me.”

“How do you think he made it to the Spring border. I wasn’t there— when they did it. Ask him. I refused. It was the first and only time I have denied my father anything. He punished me. And by the time I got free … They were going to kill him, too. I made sure they didn’t. Made sure Tamlin got word —anonymously— to get the hell over to his own border.”

I’m really hoping Beron dies and he becomes High Lord!!

JUSTICE FOR ERIS!!

I’m calling it now:

ERIS AND GWYN

ARE

✨ MATES ✨

She likes to sing and he likes to dance. I have no more reasons and no, I have no more explanations for now.

Cassian:

Nesta:

ACourt of Silver Flames without context:

Cassian: “Breathe”.

Rhysand:

Friendly reminder that although Persephone was the goddess of Spring, and she loved her “little” gardens and flowers… she was also the Queen of the Underworld and she was more vicious than Hades when it came to issue punishments.

Do not underestimate the power of a “feminine” woman… just because she doesnt wear leathers to fight, does not mean she cannot handle herself. As we have seen in Acowar.. that delicate depressed girl who couldnt stomach the screams in the battlefield, was also the one to jump into stabbing a powerful fae. Without using powers, or having any training.. just her “delicate feminine” hands.

I love that people choose to focus on what they want but you cannot deny canon not matter how strongly you feel.

I don’t understand why some people cannot accept that you don’t have to be a warrior to be strong. What part of feminism says we have to tear women down when they dont fit your feminist narrative?

So I’m very very excited to see Elain’s journey and whatever you like it or not, Azriel is in love with her. He doesnt have a crush.. HE IS IN LOVE with Elain. And she loves him back.

You can villainize Elain all you want, but you cannot deny real canon from the books.

Elriel has been cooking for the past four books, even before she was mated to Lucien.

Gwyn is a nice girl but she’s not more important as a background character than Mor, Amren, Emerie, Lucien or Eris. And if you going to bringing up the bonus chapter… please remember Cassian also had a whole chapter with Emerie in Acofas.

She will have a nice friendship with Az just like Cassian has with Emerie and that’s about it.

I understand you hate Elain with passion (god knows your reasons) but canon is canon.

My most controversial take regarding Acosf now that we’re starting a New Year:

I loved Nesta’s journey into accepting herself but we cannot deny that SJM writing has changed to serve the current market when it comes to have heavy smut on books. Nessian relationship could have been so so much better. I’ll never forgive her publishers and editors for it.

I would have preferred a thousand times to have a well developed romantic relationship with a sub-plot and only one sex scene… than having the shit that was ACOSF.

If CC2 is going to be ACOSF 2.0… Im giving up on her next books.

There’s something that people missed from Sjm interviews regarding Acosf timeline towards the rest of the books in the serie.

The reason we barely got any Elain, Azriel, Mor or even Lucien interactions or development in this book is because they’re meant to have their own stories which will be happening at the same time of the events that are happening in Acosf.

For example:

Mor spending huge amounts of time in the other continent, yet we dont get to know what she’s doing. That’s cause is left for her own part in the next books.

Lucien’s conversations with Feyre every time he visits Velaris and his shown annoyance at Julian and Vassa constantly fighting. We saw some glimpse from Cassian’s perspective but we’ll get full show once we get his side of the story. Same as how he really feel about Elain’s as his mate.

Elain and her secret rendezvous that she has going on…there’s loads of secrecy around her and we had loads of hints about her being stealthy.. could be that she’s secretly training with the twins.

Azriel and his job. Rhys and Feyre keep repeating that he has lots on his plate at the beginning of Acosf, so we should be able to get more insight into his missions and what’s really bothering him beyond his feelings for Elain.

We need to remember that from now on all acotar books will be stand alones that will cover one couple each.

My money is on:

Elain + Azriel

Lucien + Vassa

Mor + Emmerie

Eris + ??? (I honestly think Gwyn will have something to do with the Autumn Court)

The next books will either pick up where Acosf was left off and then fill the gaps with flashbacks or will explain from the start of Acosf.

Leaving aside ship wars for a second, has anyone noticed how silent SJM is lately?

Like we’re not even getting any type of news about CC2 and is coming out soon? This time last year we were at least starting to get snippets for Acosf, she engaged more on IG interviews, etc… but seems this year we’re not getting anything?

What’s going?

Too much silence is unnerving me for some reason

Yall are fighting for Elriel, Gwynriel or Elucien to show up next book and all I want is the three Archeron sisters working together on a mission or something.

It’s a shame we never got to see their true dynamic, but I keep hoping in Elain’s book, we got to see their relationship much better.

Feyre wont be pregnant anymore so she would be able to use her powers again. Nesta is finally embracing her fae side, and she still has her powers plus she’s on her way to become a Valkyrie. Also, her mental health is in a much better place.

Once we get to see Elain using her powers and getting out of her shell… it’s going to be incredibly seeing them working together.

I want a true Charmed moment, when the three sisters join their powers together to defeat evil.

First meeting with Azriel from Feyre’s POV:

But the second male, the more classically beautiful of the two … Even the light shied from the elegant planes of his face. With good reason. Beautiful, but near-unreadable.

He’d be the one to look out for—the knife in the dark.

Indeed, an obsidian-hilted hunting knife was sheathed at his thigh, its dark scabbard embossed with a line of silver runes I’d never seen before. Rhys said, “This is Azriel—my spymaster.” Not surprising. Some buried instinct had me checking that my mental shields were intact. Just in case.

Elain in Acowar:

Elainstepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neckas she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.”

“Don’t,” Elain said flatly, starting once more into a walk, veils of steam drifting past her shoulders from the roasted rosemary potatoes in her hands, as if they were Azriel’s shadows. “She won’t listen.”

“You came,” Elain said behind her, and Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach. She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends.

Not sure how many more evidences we can give of Elain becoming a spymaster in the future or having shadowsingers powers. Or Elriel happening. Like is so painfully clear.

Azriel walking in the House to get some dinner and sleep after a long day of spying:

Then hearing Nesta is about to start giving Cassian a BJ:

I know this snippet is not exactly new but now that SJM confirmed that Azriel sings… it made me think a lot about this theory:

So in ACOMAF when the inner circle gets hold of the second half of the Book of the Breathing, said book starts singing some curious things. If you dont know what I’m talking about, here’s the little snipet:

Each line, each description relates to a sister:

Life and death and rebirth. Feyre after she died and was reborn as a Fae.

Sun and moon and dark. Nesta and her death powers.

Rot and bloom and bones. Elain, and the bones most definitely represent the fourth trove that links it with Koschei.

• (“There was a fourth object in the vision, but it was in shadow—was there ever a fourth part of the Trove? All I could make out was a bit of ancient bone.”).

Lady of Night.Feyre

Princess of Decay.Nesta

Trembling Fawn. Elain

• Sweet Thing. Mor
• Fanged Beast. Rhysand

Love me. This represents Feysand. Rhysand’s biggest fear was that Feyre could never love him, and how they express their love but saying it to each other again and again because none of them ever thinks would be enough.

Touch me. This represents Nessian. They only managed to express their love through touching. Cassian and Nesta know how to express love through physical contact.

Sing me. This most definitely represents Elriel. We know now that Azriel sings. So what are the bets that it would link together at the end of their book? I mean.. is self explanatory at this point.

We know Elain will be linked to Koschei, I mean she was the one that found out about Vassa in the first place. We also saw how Azriel confronted Koschei.

How is it hard to believe that the next book wouldn’t be about Elriel!???!? Even if let’s say by some twist of the universe, SJM decides that they won’t end up as a couple, you cant deny they would be the main characters in the next book! Like come on now! All the clues are there!!

I gotta address this because some of yall are getting on my nerves lately.

Now I know the romantic side of Acosf let everyone down.. and YES EVERYONE because let’s face it, it was shit. There’s was like 1% of romance out of it? But that’s a story for another day..

So we desperately needed to hold to our next ship but the worst that came out of ACOSF is actually all of these fandom wars.

Elriel and Elucien have been minding their own business for the past four years.. we never had any major issue between us. We love Elain, we love Azriel and we love Lucien. It’s a fucked up situation because the three of them deserve better. But we got along, we have open debates, good comebacks, we respected each other so far.

Everyone is entitled to ship, love, hate, dismiss, or do whatever you want with your opinion when it comes to fictional characters. But some of yall are straight up bullies and frankly quite childish.

Gwynriel you guys showed up out of fucking nowhere and mostly because you hate with passion Elain. Admit it, is the only reason you like the ship. Because explain to me why out of one or two interaction you decide to ship them but never paid the same attention to Mor and Emerie?

In fact.. I dont see Emerie getting the same love and support as Gwyn does. Why is that? Is it because of Azriel? Or is it because she’s white? Or is it because she’s not into women? But I’ll leave this conversation for another day because it needs to be addressed too.

Elriel are acting up because you guys started in the first place. We’ve been listening to all of your “I hate Elain, she’s useless, she’s boring, all she does is cooking, she’s this, she’s that.. blah blah”.. and we let it go because, fine, you’re entitled to your opinion.

But when you straight up bully people, start making up fake canons to support your claims, literally stalk other people feeds to push your point, and get angry when people dont agree with you.. then that’s when we have a problem.

You think I hate Gwyn because of Gwynriel? You think the reason I dont ship her with Az is because I hate her?

FUCKING NOOOOOOOO!!!

I freaking love Gwyn, and Emerie but you guys are seriously making me hate her same as you made me hate Rhysand when all the anti-nestas where going around!!!

This pedestal that you keep on your back to hold your fictional characters needs to stop.

I will ship whoever the fuck I want. And you go ahead and ship whoever the fuck you want. But what I won’t do is purposely go into a tag with a ship that I have no business going to drag people down just because we dont have the same opinion. I said “drag people down” not debate different perspectives. They’re are two different things.

I already fought for two years for Nesta.. I’m tired, I just want to enjoy this shitty serie in peace. And if I want to write a whole essay on why Elriel is my favourite couple and deserve a happy ending then leave me be as I’ll leave you to do the same.

Now that has been months since the release of A Court of Silver Flames, I can safely put out my two cents that absolutely no one asked about.

I will start with things that I really enjoyed:

• Nesta’s journey into self-healing, and more into accepting herself and the past mistakes she has made. I think SJM did a great job into describing her mental health journey and I loved loved loved every single bit of it. Did I cry when she broke down in the mountains? Yes, but dont tell anyone.
• Nesta and Azriel friendship. That was something that I was manifesting into the universe and I was glad to see it become canon.
• Nesta’s new circle of friends. I loved how she was immediately accepted by Gwyn and Emerie, how the three of them complement each other.
• Nesta’s journey into becoming a Valkyrie and how she’s planning to one day lead a female unit.
• Nesta’s saving baby Nyx and Feyre. That was an emotional crazy scene and I loved it. (However, I wished we had a scene where she was holding baby Nyx).
• Eris. That’s it. I just love that he had a bigger role and I’m hoping to see more of him in the future.
• I loved seeing Elain stand for herself. And I’m here to see her journey. (Note aside: I loved those little crumbs we got from Elriel)
• The House of Wind.
• Helion.

Now let’s get into things that I found lacking or absolutely unnecessary or I just simply hated. And oh boy, it might be a big list:

• Cassian and Nesta’s relationship. Now, I shipped these two idiots since the moment Cassian showed up. I just vision them together (same with Elain and Azriel). I loved them in Acowar, and the bonus chapter but my god their relationship in Acosf was shit. The whole story. I hated every second of it. I’m gonna give Nesta a pass when it comes to her showing emotions because she’s a 24yrs woman who has been raised to be an Ice Queen, but Cassian!? A +500 warrior scared to ask if he can stay after sex to save his feelings? Naaaaaah that was pretty shit. And Nesta deserved more.

Dont get me wrong, I loved them training together, I loved them being protective over each other, I loved Cassian’s words in the mountains (on that punishing hike that I wont even comment)… but Cassian let me down in this book.

I was expecting a whole love speech coming out of his mouth that would make me cry for weeks. I was expecting him actually telling Nesta why he loves her, or at least a better mating revealing.

All we got was sex, sex, sex, sex, oh and did I mention sex already? It became so boring at one point that as soon as they went at it again, I just skipped the whole paragraph/chapter. (And yes, this is coming from a pretty dark romance reader).

• Rhysand and the inner circle are the perfect people who can never do any wrong. I hated that we never had a conversation between Nesta and Feyre where they fixed their issues, or Nesta and Rhysand, or Nesta and Mor? Or Nesta and Elain!???

Nesta took dancing lessons with Mor for a month and yet we never had a scene between the two of them at least bonding? Or letting some shit out? I mean, the same Mor who at the beginning was “toss her to the Night Court, we dont need her here”. Couldnt we just have a scene of Mor regretting saying that? No, we just had Nesta apologising to everything and everyone for what?

• Nesta’s and Amren relationship. What the fuck was that!? Nesta asking Amren for forgiveness on her knees. That rage me for days.
• Nesta asking Cassian to forgive her because of how she behaved last Solstice and Cassian was like “oh no worries, I already forgave you”. Dafuq!? Excuse me sir, shouldn’t you also ask Nesta to forgive you because of what you said to her that night too!?
• Nesta losing her powers. I get that she didnt want them, but considering she was in a journey to accept and love herself, I hated that she had to get rid of that part of her.
• The whole “Rhysand you should be High King”. That shit better never fucking happen. That’s the weakest plot ever.
• The Blood Rite was unnecessary. The stairs scenes were unnecessary.
• The Illyrian rebels plotline that was so important in Acofas but somehow got all washed away in Acosf as if it was a fever dream.
• We can all agree that sex was the main plot in this book and everything else was a background noise. Does anyone know anymore where the fuck is this serie going? Cause I dont. But will I still read the next books? Abso-fucking-lutely.
• The fandom wars. The Nessian story was so fucking bad in Acosf… everyone needed to jump to a next ship. And who we got? Elucien? Who can’t stand to be in the same room? Elriel? Who are not allowed to be in the same room? Or Gwynriel? Who only exists because people hate Elain and they finally have someone else than Mor or Emerie to ship with Az? (And yes, I said what I said and you know is true).
• Amren was a bitch in Acosf and I dont know why she keeps getting away with it. She has no powers now, someone better shut her up. Which is a shame cause I really liked her in Acowar.
• Tamlin storyline. Leave the man alone. You got your happy ending, no need to rub it on his face every damn second.
• Lucien and his band of exiles. Do we even know what the fuck is happening in that house they live?

In conclusion, Acosf was a 6/10. I think there were so so many opportunities to make those 800 pages memorable and all we got was sex, stairs, and more sex?

I get that the smutty scenes sell better, but not when the sex are just used as a refill. The reason why smutty scenes are so popular, is because they are the culmination of a well developed relationship. But if they’re starting as friends with benefits that turns into “ups, now we shackled together forever and I didnt even ask if that’s what you want but why dont you want it?”… you know it’s going to end up with a bad taste.

Anyway, as I said.. this is how I personally felt regarding Acosf. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings.

Cassian:“I see. I get a little too close and you shove me away again. Back to where it’s safe. Better to marry a viper like Eris than be with me.”

Nesta:“I am not with you, I am fuckingyou!”

Meanwhile outside the bedroom: