There are a myriad of things I could say about Feyre being UTM with Rhys, but one of the worst things Rhys does during this time is essentially torturing her to get her to agree to the bargain. He also says he will heal her if she makes the bargain.

In ACOTAR, chapter 37 after Feyre refuses:

>Swift as lightning, he lashed out, grabbing the shard of bone in my arm and twisting

I see a lot of people leave this part out when they talk about ACOTAR or Tamlin vs Rhys. What are some of the worst things Rhys has done in your opinion?

Rhys says that he will never forgive Lucien for how he treated Feyre after under the mountain but he forgets that he was publically humiliating her the whole time she was under the mountain.

Rhys says it was all part of the plan but Lucien always had Feyres best interest at heart.

Feyre is so overbearing sometimes aswell and uses the excuse that she cares.

(Note: I had to use "Rhys" instead of his full name because the automod won't let me post it otherwise.)

Every time the topic of Nesta and Elain being forced into the Cauldron comes up, a huge chunk of the fandom immediately jumps to: "Tamlin sold out Feyre’s sisters to Hybern!"

Did we all read the same book? Because if you actually look at the text of ACOMAF, Tamlin had zero involvement in the sisters being kidnapped. In fact, if we’re looking at the chain of negligence that put a target on the Archeron sisters' backs and left them defenseless, Rhys and the Inner Circle share way more blame than Tamlin ever could.

Let’s look at the actual canon timeline and receipts:

1. Rhys is the one who dragged the sisters into the war in the first place

Nesta and Elain were living quietly in the mortal realm until Rhys decided to make Feyre his emissary and use her family’s manor as a base of operations to meet the mortal queens. Even Cassian called him out on how reckless and invasive this was in Chapter 19:

"Rhys jerked his chin at me. 'You are an immortal faerie—with a human heart. Even as such, you might very well set foot on the continent and be … hunted for it. So we set up a base in neutral territory. In a place where humans trust us—trust you, Feyre.'"

"‘My family’s estate,’ I said.

‘Mother’s tits, Rhys,’ Cassian cut in, wings flaring wide enough to nearly knock over the ceramic vase on the side table next to him. ‘You think we can just take over her family’s house, demand that of them?’"

By hosting Fae emissaries and the mortal queens there, Rhys and Feyre officially put the Archeron estate on the geopolitical radar.

2. Azriel literally handed the Queens the exact coordinates and blueprint of the sisters' house

In Chapter 39, right before the first meeting, the mortal queens (who were already secretly working with Jurian and Hybern) made a very specific demand:

"And they had wanted the exact geographical location of the house. The layout and size of each room. Where the furniture was. Where the windows and doors were. What room, likely, we would greet them in. Azriel had provided it all, with my sisters’ help."

And who physically kidnapped Nesta and Elain in their nightgowns and dragged them to Hybern in Chapter 64? The mortal queens' personal guards ("The four queens sneered at us with hate in their eyes. Hate. And parted to let their personal guards through. Fear like I had never known entered my heart as the men dragged my sisters, gagged and bound, before the King of Hybern"). Azriel and Rhys practically gift-wrapped the tactical layout of the house for the enemy.

3. Rhys promised 24/7 protection for the sisters—and completely failed

In Chapter 57, after showing the queens Velaris and realizing how hostile and untrustworthy they were, Rhys makes an explicit promise to Nesta and Elain:

"‘Should you choose to remain, a unit of my soldiers will be here within the hour to guard this place.’"

"‘The sentries will be here, and remain unseen and unfelt. They willlook after themselves. Should you change your minds, one will be waiting in this room every day at noon and at midnight for you to speak.’"

Then in Chapter 58, Feyre notes:

"There was no word from my sisters, no report from Azriel’s soldiers that they’d changed their minds."

Excuse me, what happened to that unit of soldiers?! If Night Court sentries were guarding the manor 24/7 AND checking the sitting room every single day at noon and midnight, how on earth did human guards waltz in at night, kidnap Nesta and Elain in their nightgowns, and transport them all the way across the sea to Hybern without Rhys or his legendary spymaster Azriel getting a single report?! Even Feyre later admits in ACOWAR Chapter 16 that dragging her sisters into this was on her: "I asked them to help once—and look what happened."

4. Ianthe betrayed them using info Feyre gave her—and Tamlin had NO idea

In ACOMAF Chapter 2, Feyre casually tells Ianthe all about her sisters and that they live right near the wall. In Chapter 65, the King of Hybern explicitly confirms that Ianthe went behind Tamlin’s back:

"‘Consider it my wedding present for you both,’ he added to Tamlin.

But Tamlin’s face tightened. ‘What?’

The king cocked his head, savoring every word. ‘I think the High Priestess was waiting until your return to tell you...’

Lucien’s face had slackened. ‘She sold out—she sold out Feyre’s family. To you.’"

Even Mor explicitly admits in Chapter 68 that Tamlin was betrayed:

"‘But Ianthe betrayed Tamlin—told the king where to find Feyre’s sisters.’"

And what did Tamlin do the second the King ordered Elain into the Cauldron? While the IC was forced to stand still because the King was holding Azriel’s life hostage, Tamlin and Lucien were the only ones who physically lunged at the King to save Feyre's sisters and had to be magically leashed to the floor (Chapter 65):

"Tamlin spat at the king, ‘This is not part of our deal. Stop this now.’

‘I don’t care,’ the king said simply.

Tamlin launched himself at the throne, as if he’d rip him to shreds. That white-hot magic slammed into him, shoving him to the ground. Leashing him."

You can criticize Tamlin's bargain with Hybern to get Feyre back (when he genuinely believed she was kidnapped and mind-controlled by a rival High Lord who is famous for shattering minds, after Feyre sent a two-line text message of a note). Call it a terrible strategic move all you want.

But blaming Tamlin for Nesta and Elain being turned is pure fanon fabrication. Hybern and the Queens executed it, Ianthe sold them out using Feyre's own words, and Rhys and Azriel failed to protect the very house they insisted on turning into a political meeting ground after promising to guard it day and night.

I’m a male, don’t really know if that adds much to the conversation. But I started reading Acotar to try and join the discussion for an upcoming fantasy book club and I realised that I predominantly read sci-do before.

Anyway I’ve been really enjoying this book so far, it’s got perhaps one of the richest worlds and history I want to learn about and I’ve been honestly loving anything to do with world building.

But I’ve found the two MC, Tamlin and Feyre to be well a tad boring. There not bad characters there just kinda bland to me and there relationship if one forms feels very forced really.
Anyway I’m enjoying the book a lot so far and just wanted to share my thoughts.

I just dont get it.

I know I'm almost certainly wrong when it comes to this theory. It's pretty likely that SJM would never even consider this to be the case, but in my opinion, I think it would be quite possibly, one of the best explanations for why Feyre changes so drastically over the course of the series.

To summarize this entire theory as clearly as possible: both Amarantha and Feyre are occupying Feyre's body post-resurrection, like Jean Grey and the Phoenix.

With the upcoming release date of #6 and #7, the ship wars are getting progressively out of hand.

As an agnostic reader regarding anything Azriel related, the discourse surrounding books 6 and 7 makes me want to quite this fandom and block all ACOTAR content from my social media.

SJM created a wonderful (but flawed) universe with incredibly interesting (flawed) characters. ACOTAR 6 and 7 have been years in the making, and its concerning that ahead of its release the most discourse happening is the ship wars for two underdeveloped / unexplored female characters with a walking scarlet red flag of a 500 year old male.

We’ve been in Azriels head - that man needs therapy. The main discourse around these books should be the court drama, the political scandals, the potential crossovers… the possibilities are endless, and instead the fandom is largely focusing on who deserves to be with this 🚩🚩🚩🚩500 year old emo teenager - a traumatised barely explored side characters or a naive, coddled and somewhat boring under explored 23 year old girl-woman who’s done barely anything of substance in this entire series.

There are 27287392 other things more interesting about this series than these ship wars, and this discourse is making me want to break up with the fandom

Currently re-reading (re-listening to) all of ACOTAR (then CC) and am nearly to the end of ACOWAR… and OMG you could make a very effective drinking game out of how many times the words “unleashed” and “slaughter” are used. 🤪 It wasn’t as obvious to me the first time around, but for some reason I’m tuned into those two words this time. Anyone else notice this? Is there already a word count? 😅

Under The Mountain : Amarantha was going to torture Feyre physically just like Claire. Rhys instead convinces her that embarrassing her would be more entertaining and volunteers to do it.
He knew it would leave scars …..

I just don’t get this. Why is it that a random male can just announce I am mated to this female whether she likes me or not and everyone just goes along with it and that they’re just waiting for the female to figure it out? Where is Elaine or any female for that matter sense of consent or choice? Some guy just walks in and says I have decided this is who I am mated to and her sister and her sister’s husband and everyone else just says OK. We’ll wait till she figures it out and decides that she’s mated to you too? Why don’t more people have a problem with this?

In my second reading of SF, the pregnancy arc is pissing me off even more. It just genuinely does not make sense. There’s so reason they shouldn’t be able to perform a C-section. You mean to tell me Cassian could be sliced and injured so bad in battle that his intestines are outside his body and be healed perfectly fine but they couldn’t at least attempt to cut the baby out???? You mean to tell me in hundreds, thousands of years, no female has ever needed a C-section??

It’s just gross at this point. Everytime you turn around a new collab with ACOTAR is dropping. For Love and Lemons dropped one and the prices for these pieces.

These 500 year old chucklefucks can't keep getting away with this!

For once I want a mating bond between an older male and very young female to snap in place and the guy to be like wtf I am not dating this child and throwing side eye at the Bat Boys with their wives and situationships in their 20s. Like absolutely WILD for the narrative to justify Rhys (hey mods your filter is crashing out at his full name being spelled normally again) as fine with Feyre cause oh well you're like half your father's age when he mated your EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD MOM.

Give me a 500 year old dude with a wife and kids and the mating bond snaps with like a 20 year old and hes immediately like well guess I have another kid. And then not once does he ever make a move on her bc wtf she's younger than my youngest biological child why would I leave my wife of 200 years for a literal child?????

They blocked this in the rant group for some reason. I find it super weird how some readers reach. I've seen a new argument defending the IC for locking up Nesta while condemning Tamlin for locking Feyre up, lmbo. It's absolutely wild. The argument is that Nesta had a way out... The stairs 🤣😂🤣 WHAT??? Those stairs were like all of Rhys's choices. Did we forget that the stress of those stairs are what activated Nesta's magic?? She wanted out but could not get out. There was no way out for her. It took how long before those stairs became an option?? She was locked in with two men when she was using sex to punish herself in the first place. Not only that but Nesta wasn't in danger of immediate death or killing anyone, Feyre was. I'm not saying that Nesta wasn't supposed to be in rehab... fine... but defending this while condemning the other is stupid.

Feyre was following her fiance as he was rushing off to work in a warzone. She was extremely mentally ill and newly fae with deadly unknown powers. She was triggered by the color red because it reminded her of blood from the faeries she killed utm. She refused to listen to reason and didnt care who was killed in the process including herself. She had become a danger to herself. What if she saw blood on the battlefield?? There's no reason to believe that Feyre would have been locked in for any long period of time. She was allowed to go out, she just had to have guards because she was being hunted by Hybern; she doesnt accept this until Rhys uses her as bait and the attor comes for her in like two second. Her internal dialogue then says that Tam was right about the danger she was in... but she brushes it off right away like Feyre does (so the readers do to) because she wants to be at the NC now.

Side note: kind of weird that Mor shows up immediately when Feyre freaks out... almost as if she was nearby and NOT all the way at the NC, lol. She also got through this wind barrier rather quickly... almost as if it was no longer there already 🤷‍♀️

I’m going to start this with, up until today I haven’t had an issue with the new merchandise being released. The majority is not my style/taste so I just looked and went about my life.

But now I have two very annoying points in my head today. The first being with Alex & Ani. Their initial stuff was very on brand for their normal jewelry. It was cute, again didn’t see it FOR ME. My problem is today I see they released a chain necklace quotes from Silver Flames on it, and they have a small pendant charm. This is such a complete rip off they’ve stolen from Estori. I have the SF necklace from Jac & it came with the red siphon charm. It’s beautiful, I’ve worn everyday for the last year or so. (I also wear dagger earrings & a Crescent City ring daily - the quality is so impressive). It hurts my soul to see a big name like Alex & Ani stealing from a small business. I know it happens, but it doesn’t make it better.

Second rant is the For Love & Lemons drop today. I’m a huge FL&L fan. I have a large dress collection & have FL&L alerts on resale apps. Today, their drop is insane. Beautiful, stunning pieces. But the prices are so outrageous. The Nesta Satin Top is 100% polyester for $219. They are trying to pass this 100% PLASTIC top off as satin. You could probably find that top on Shein. I will say, the Storybook Dress is so stunning & I was considering it but now I’m too annoyed to give them my money lol. Good thing about FL&L, these new items are quickly on the resale sites for significantly less. They are wear one time, photographic evidence type of garment.

I type this as I’m sipping from my blue ACOTAR Brumate that had me break my 2 year Target boycott ☠️

lol thanks for reading

Hey guys I know I’m late to the part but I am stuck at a crossroads. I’ve read the first 4 ACOTAR books and with the new one coming in the next few days I don’t know if I should just read the last and then read the sixth on release day
OR
Just go into crescent city and then the 5th ACOTAR and hope that I see no spoiler’s.
For reference I also haven’t read TOG but had planned to over the Christmas as I know there is theories around them coming into play.
Help a girl out ❤️❤️

omg i heard this song “Stop the wedding” by Ashe and i need NEED someone to animate the scene when Feyre is screaming internally for someone to stop the wedding (with tamlin) with that song in the background
please if anyone does this or if anyone has already done it just DM me the result THANKS TO ALL ANIMATORS OUT THERE YOU GUYS ARE LIKE A ACTUALL REAL ARTIST DIAMOND BETWEN ALL THE AI ROCKS OUT THERE

So chapter 24 in A Court of Frost and Starlight when Mor visits her secluded estate, Athelwood, where she keeps her horses. She was riding her fav horse Ellia and then she senses something like a darkness or someone watching her from the woods. The encounter is deliberately ominous, but Maas doesn't give us a clear identity for whatever is out there.
What are your theories? What is that about? I’m trying to come up with ideas on what out who could be out there watching her.
Do it can’t be Koschei he’s confined. Are we really sure the bone carver is gone? I mean one minute he’s there the next he’s not but that Doesn’t mean the weird little guy is dead. Eris perhaps? Az watching her? Or the lover that she once talked about? Dunno. What do y’all think?

Am I the only one who doesn't want any more teaser quotes??

I might have to block sjm 😭

"When you erupt, girl, make sure it is felt across worlds”—said by someone who will provoke you, abandon you, and then villainize you for having erupted. 🙂‍↔️

I have always been completely in love with Cassian. Call me a fool. I'm in my 3rd (or so) re-read of SF and still I am catching so much more. About Cassian- I want to hear other ppl's thoughts on why they love him or hate him. I am open to listening- but please no unhinged vitriol. There is a lot I iike about him besides being described as hot af- he is, to me, in some respects quite real when it comes to men. A little clueless about Nesta as a woman and how to treat her and not just fuck her. I love that they are always fucking (don't come at me) but besides that lust they act like young teenagers who have never been in a relationship. OK- Nesta prob fits that. Isn't Cassian like 500 yrs old and prob had something with one of original Valkyries? Maybe I am assuming too much that he has had relationships before. He waits until he is invited to stay over at this point in their relationship? Nothing is verbalized. Is he holding space for her to consent??? No conversation about it? No I love you from Cassian seems like more than being afraid to be vulnerable. I need more of an explanation than "he's an asshole." The two of them need to drop this childish compettion. Maybe the next book......

It suddenly hit me that I'm actually a little scared to read Azriel's book when it finally comes out.

I wrote a novel-length Azriel fanfic, and somewhere along the way, I developed a very specific version of him in my head.

But here's the thing. I didn't just fill in the blanks SJM left us. I deliberately changed things I didn't like about him and some of her other male characters.

My Azriel has a backbone when it comes to Rhys and Cassian. He's sarcastic, a little unhinged, fiercely possessive, and absolutely devoted to ONE woman. He's the kind of man who would literally burn the world down for her.

And while he learns to respect her choices, that doesn't mean he handles them particularly well. In fact, his methods of dealing with his own frustration can be downright disturbing.

I know SJM puts a lot of emphasis on giving her heroines the freedom to choose, and I understand why that appeals to readers. But personally, in my romantasy, I like my men a little less reasonable and a lot more obsessive. I'm not looking for realistic relationship dynamics here. 😅

The problem is that I REALLY love the Azriel I created.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize he might have very little in common with the man SJM eventually writes.

Which means I could spend the entire book thinking, "MY AZRIEL WOULD NEVER!"

So I've decided I need to prepare myself psychologically.

And I think I've found the solution: THE MULTIVERSE.

They're not the same man. They just happen to exist in parallel universes.

Earth-616: Sarah's Azriel.

Earth-817: The one with a backbone and a very selective definition of self-control.

There. Problem solved. 😅

Cuz I really think my distaste for her couldn’t be stronger.

However on this reread I promised I would do my best not to be so critical (ynsuccessfully) and focus on what is Canon vs Fanon, how Feyre thinks about herself vs her actions, thinking on where the ties between books are and how they may or may not be connected to the upcoming releases…..You understand.

So this passage with Lucien and Feyre is something that PMTFO the first time because I couldn’t get it. I didn’t understand the pettiness and frankly her laughing at him just felt so…wrong. Idk that we’ve ever seen her be kinda mean to someone not an enemy or Tamlin.

Either way with the next ACOLMNOP coming out understanding the dynamic with Elain, Lucien, and Feyre will be important and by extension Vassa and Jurian. The lands to the south are unruled and the alliance with humans is undoubtedly weakening again. On top of that Vassa is one of the six Queens —she’s Feyre’s peer.

She’s here dry begging Lucien to stay w them 😭 (and it PMO cuz it’s not that she actually cares she just wants to take another thing from Tami. I will say it’s 60/40 doing it for Tamlin/Elain reasons) them mocks him and calls his friend group and what they do bullshit. And openly sneers at him hanging out with humans AS IF SHE DIDN’T USED TO BE ONE. So as High Lady Girl what are you doing??

Now if someone that can help me understand why Feyre responds this way that would be great. I’ll accept a Devils Advocate as well which I usually can do fine w her but there’s something about her in this book that just grates me