acourtofthought - Tumblr blog

[acourtofthought]

is acotar third person limited? because i am seeing posts about feyre being unreliable and being influenced by rhysand. has the author said anything about what kind of POV the series will be having? i think a clarification from her could set some things straight about the series because i am seeing very valid yet conflicting interpretations of the series.

also can you recommend anybody who makes good character analysis in the fandom? this is more for enrich my reading experience with the books. thnx

The first three books are a first person POV and SF is a dual POV but from a third-person limited style of writing rather than a third-person omniscient POV

"First-person perspective typically takes on a limited perspective—the story is told directly, and only, from the narrator's internal thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences. This means the entire story has a limited view of how the character sees and experiences the world."

In third-person limited: "There’s a clue in the name of this point of view: limited. In third-person limited, you stick to one character’s perspective and are “zoomed in” on them.

The only way there's not going to be some bias to these characters' perspectives is if the style were written in third-person omniscient (which this series is not).

"In third-person omniscient, we still use third person (he did this, she did that, they did this). However, omniscient is “zoomed out”. The narrative doesn’t come from the point of view of any one character. It comes from the point of view of an external, godlike narrator, who knows everything about the story and its characters.

This means that the narrator can enter anyone’s mind, and is more detached from the story. This narrator can provide a perspective that the characters can’t. For example, they can give knowledge of future events that haven’t happened yet (to use a very hackneyed example: “little did they know, the worst was yet to come…”). They know everything about the characters and their situations."

While I don't think Feyre has been brainwashed by Rhys, I do think that it's evident she's seeing him through biased lenses, which is colored by her emotions at any given time throughout the series. At first he was evil, wicked, someone to fear. Later he was good, kind, self-sacrificing, etc. Tamlin was at first someone to fear, then someone to love, then someone to hate. Lucien was at first arrogant and vain, then a loyal friend, then someone whose training had "festered" and who had abandoned her, then he was back to being a good male, Elain was at first someone who didn't quite grasp things and never thought to get her hands dirty than later she was someone who was wise and generous, someone who does act with bravery when she has to.

The same can be said of Nesta, even from a third-person POV. At first she hated Feyre, hated Amren for siding with Feyre, thought Cassian was a bastard-born nobody, thought Elain was a dog, hated Rhys, he was a preening asshole and Feyre was only there spending her mates money. Later Nesta loved Feyre, realized Amren had only ever tried to be her friend, acknowledged Elain was the only person who had maybe truly grasped who Nesta was, wanted Cassian from the moment she met him, acknowledged that Rhys had only ever tried to help her (etc).

These characters opinions might be valid for them at various points throughout the series but it doesn't mean they're actually able to see the other characters as they truly are. The other characters aren't the ones who drastically changed over the course of Feyre or Nesta's stories, it's Feyre and Nesta's thoughts that changed because of the growth they have and that's reflected in how they view the world around them. But even now, we can see they're not capable of seeing things through a truly unbiased lense. For example, Feyre embraced the "Court of Dreams" nickname while making fun of the "Band of Exiles" for their name. There's really no difference between the two, it's two groups of people giving themselves a moniker yet Feyre insults only one and that's because she's experiencing emotions over the thought of Lucien choosing to live away from the NC which hurts her. Similarly, Nesta experienced this heartfelt moment with Rhys in SF, notes how he was showering her with mating presents, proclaiming she'd found her home in the NC, her home in the HOW, how she was finally where she belonged, but all of a sudden there's this weird tension between Nesta and the IC in HOFAS, how she's always in trouble with them.

At this end of the day, I think the reader has to step into the role of the third person "omniscient" narrator looking, not at the thoughts of Feyre or Nesta or Cassian, but the overall actions of all the characters to sort through their personal bias from what is actually true.

I am primarily be a Elain / Lucien blogger and most of who I follow are primarily Eluciens and Gwynriels so I'm not sure I could give any good recommendations of bloggers who deep dive into Feyre though @olenvasynyt has a few TikTok videos on her (but they're mostly in relation to her relationship with Lucien). However, I'll add on that if anyone who sees this can make a suggestion, please add a comment for my anon ❤️

[acourtofthought]

If you’re comfortable answering this-

What does your hubby think of the silly ship drama in our silly fandom? Is he aware of it?

He is aware of it, he tends to get an earful when we're walking our dog 😂 He understands that ship wars exist because he says it's no different than two people arguing over their favorite sports teams (which can get heated to the point that there are physical altercations. Funny story along those lines. When I first met him, his friend was living with him at the townhome he owned and when one of the players on their favorite football team threw an interception, his friend ripped his jersey down the middle of his chest and kicked his coffee table, breaking it 😂 I guess that makes this fandom's reactions look a little less wild at times). Though he understands the back and forth disagreements, he finds certain arguments ridiculous. Kind of like the one that led me to create the post yesterday. He says an argument is only going to hold any weight when you can turn it back on itself and it still holds up. He also thinks people need to remember that these are fantasy books therefore you can't claim some sort of superior real life moral high ground over them. I'm sure he's secretly hoping we get an announcement any day now though 😂 He said if it's good news we'll need to run out to buy a bottle of champagne.

[acourtofthought]

Inside Elain's chest is a confirmed thread connecting her to Lucien and inside Az's chest is the hint of one connecting him to Gwyn.

Friendly reminder that the picture of Gwyn’s smiling face is still buried in Azriel‘s chest.

[acourtofthought]

This is canon too.

Mor's gift is truth, something that should hold some weight compared to Rhys's guess at where mating bonds come from, Feyre questioning why Lucien was made Elain's mate, or Az questioning the Cauldron. She might struggle facing her own truths (don't we all) but it's her power to see it elsewhere.

She didn't say, "She has no interest."

She didn't say, "I think Az likes her."

She didn't say, "I think she likes Az."

She said Elain was not ready. That Lucien was not ready.

They weren't ready in SF so that can only mean one thing.

[acourtofthought]

You know what this post made me realize?

Elain isn't really asking about Az alone. She's asking about the two fae within her house that have wings (which is in line with what OP stated).

She's curious about a people.

Gwyn's question showed an interest in Az and Az alone, his response cannot be applied to anyone else. But Az's response to Elain's question can be applied to an entire race of fae.

To me, that could have even been SJM giving us just a tiny crumb for Elain's future arc. It was in ACOMAF that it was revealed Elucien as mates and, even in ACOTAR, crumbs hinting at the possibility of Lucien becoming a future HL (though she changed the court where that would be happening once she retconned Beron as his real father). If she'd always know what role Lucien would someday play that means she'd have to start building up his love interest to have characteristics that would make her a good High Lady. There was even more to suggest this possibility:

In ACOWAR:

In ACOFAS:

In SF:

All the times people try to romanticize Elain paying attention to Az, it's not about Az. Elain observes people. She takes an interest in what is important to them (not just him), she cares about their customs, their differences. I'm not saying she didn't develop an attraction Az, of course that's canon, but the headache powder, asking whether he could fly, it's not because Az was anybody more special to her than the rest. In every single place she's been forced to live, she has adapted. She made the best of her time in poverty, maintaining relationships with her father, Nesta, and even Feyre. She easily fit back in the socialite scene though she was completely aware of how the others acted as if they'd never been gone. Though she herself struggled with becoming fae, she quickly adjusted to respecting the traditions and the customs of the place she was now living, she's gone out of her way to help fae and human alike. That is High Lady material, someone the people of a land would love. That's not someone who should go to waste reporting to the IC as a side kick to their spymaster.

✨✨Friendly Reminder✨✨

DISCLAIMER: This is no hate to Elain, I don’t hate her, I do like her. Take your shit elsewhere. The question was kinda dumb…imo at least.

Gwyn got Azriel to reveal something PERSONAL when he admitted that he could in fact sing. Versus Elain Archeron and her “can you truly fly?” Thats the big deal. We learned something NEW from a question Gwyn asked vs. a duh kinda question from Elain.

Also tell me you don’t know what a Shadowsinger is without telling us. Being a Shadowsinger isn’t anything to do with singing, it’s a type of fae. Please put the books down and step away from them cause girliepop 😳 no he’s never mentioned that he can sing, unless….are you claiming he did it OFF PAGE? 🤭…and while we are on the topic of off page….

sweetheart off page means it wasn’t WRITEN in the book. Like in ACOSF we know the boys had their snowball fight, Cassian tells us it happened, Azriel tells us it happened but we never see it on page. On page we see it happen on page. Like Nesta’s slumber party with Emerie and Gwyn, it’s actual text we can READ. Bless your heart. 🫶🏻

[acourtofthought]

I don't know if you talked about this, what are your thoughts about Elain being Queen of Hel? I see this from the other ship of the fandom and I kind of thought its more of a reach?

Did you see the tarot about the books? Thoughts? I kind of thinks its leaning Elucien.

Post 1 (elucien potential): https://www.tumblr.com/starsreminisce/748554974609489920/what-can-you-tell-us-about-a-possible-elucien?source=share

Post 2 (Prediction for next book): https://www.tumblr.com/arcanareads/748833982511267840/can-the-cards-tell-us-what-to-expect-for-the?source=share

Hope you have a good day!!!

Post 1 definitely seems to lean Elucien and on Post 2, this: King of swords: someone who is comfortable in the role of a leader but is not power hungry. A sign that someone who is a trusted advisor may enter the situation or that you, yourself, are the reliable source of information that will benefit others -shouts Lucien to me though the rest seem like it could be applied to multiple other characters. However I'm not very knowledgeable in readings so I'm probably not the best person to give feedback. As far as Elain as a Queen of Hel I definitely don't see it. First, what is the point of her character living in a completely different realm? It's not like ending up in a different court, Hel is not supposed to be a place where the inhabits can roam to Prythian whenever it suits them. I also think her being a Queen of Hel completely erases what makes Elain Elain, what makes her special. Feyre mentioned she had a different sort of strength, that is is her loving and generous nature that sets her apart. That she chose to, regardless of the hardships of the world, remain kind. The author herself mentioned Elain as having a different sort of strength, that she's a quiet dreamer. A Queen of Hel might be a badass creature of course but she's not gentle, loving, kind, or a quiet dreamer.

Nesta as a Queen of Hel? Absolutely. But not Elain.

[acourtofthought]

why do you always get involved with posts that have nothing to do with you? no one cares about your opinion nor do they want to be attacked by some e*ucien gremlin. get a life.

[acourtofthought]

Whenever I see an Elriel say: SJM told us the mating bond could be rejected for a reason! Elain is going to reject Lucien to be happy with Azriel!

The only thing I can think is: Yes, she did tell us that, but she also told us the consequences of that, and that's the part Elriels always seem to forget or ignore.

Even if Elain does reject the bond, she will never be able to be fully happy with Azriel because she will always feel the remnants of the bond lingering deep inside her chest. Even if she loves Azriel and wants to give him her heart, mind, body, and soul, a piece of her will always be tied to Lucien. There's no getting away from that. It's a simple fact, and as interesting as a rejected bond could be, it doesn't seem fair or right to have Elain end up with Azriel when they will both be eternally haunted by the shadow of Lucien.

And it doesn't seem fair or right for Lucien to suffer a rejected bond, even if somehow the Vassien shippers are right and he ends up in love with Vassa, he too will forever feel the lingering bond and then what? Vassa is human and will die much sooner than Lucien. So I guess they want him to be "happy" only for a few decades, then just go on living the rest of his life alone, haunted by the loss of Jesminda, Elain, and Vassa.

You're so right! If you ask me for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I take away the peanut butter and jelly, I'm just feeding you bread. Sarah has given us a ton of information regarding the bond yet E/riels cling to the random snippets of information that suit their narrative while acting like the rest doesn't matter.

"You said your mother and father were wrong for each other." "What if - that is what she needs?" They love that line and it's used exhaustively in arguments. But they don't bother to think on why Rhys's parents were a poor matched. Bonds do not make poor matches. Personalities make poor matches. Rhys's father was vicious and cold, his mother was soft and fiery. We KNOW Lucien is not vicious or cold. Az is the one with a temper, an icy rage, a hatred of many people, a torturer. Rhys's mother managed to have two children with her husband and we're not given hints that she was forced against her will, it says she eventually grew to resent him. Why don't they focus on that part? That their downfall came about from their personalities? And with that awareness, how they can they claim the same won't happen to Elain and Az? She might be fine with him for a bit but what if she eventually grew to resent him too? You don't need a mating bond for that to happen, it happens all the time in the real world without bonds. They focus on how Sarah mentioned she has turned the idea of bonds over in her head, is there choice? Once again, proof for E/riels that Elain's choice has been taken away and she's decide to be with Az instead! But they ignore how she goes on to say "or is it both?". For every character so far, it's been both and she even tells us she's not saying whether she'll explore a rejected bond or not which is not a confirmation that it's what we're going to see for Elain. As always, they ignore how Elain and Lucien will always feel a tug to one another even if they reject the bond. They pretend that one doesn't exist but what that means is that no matter how long Elain and Az are together, no matter how happy they might seem, they are BOTH going to know that Fate chose Lucien for her and she'll have a connection to him that she'll never have with Az. That sounds depressing to me and will prevent many readers from ever feeling confident that it's not going to become an issue for them at some point. It raises too many questions, how often will Az be jealous because of it? How many fights will they have where Elain needs to reassure him that she's not thinking of Lucien? That she didn't sense him through the bond? What will E/riel do if Az comes across his own mate some day?

[acourtofthought]

I like the potential of elucien but they currently have no chemistry. How do you think Sarah will go about their story?

For Elucien it's really as simple as forced proximity. Put them in a situation where they're forced to spend "two weeks alone together" (quote from ACOMAF) and I'm 100% certain that we're going to see exactly why SJM mated them. Heck, give me a day with them alone together, no sisters hovering near by, Elain having no choice but to speak directly too him without the heavy shadow of recent loss hovering over it and we'll see it.

I think some in the fandom are confusing Elain's physical attraction to Az as proof that she has chemistry with him but when physical attraction is used to build romantic chemistry between characters it will always result in a shallow love story. Lucien did find Elain to be the most beautiful female he'd ever seen so I'm not saying attraction can't be there but when you have characters giving into that attraction before something deeper has been established, true chemistry is going to fall flat. Having Az tell us he's avoided Elain for a year while she's still recovering from trauma doesn't call to mind that he's someone she was able to lean on, it doesn't make me believe that he feels anything for her because she could have used his friendship during that time (since she wasn't asking for distance) but he chose to stay away.

It calls to mind desperately crushing on someone in high school, where you watch them from afar, hoping for the day you can be together, and then finally you get your wish but you realize you actually don't know this person at all. You're infatuated with the idea of them rather than the real them.

I'm not saying Elain and Lucien have any sort of wild on page chemistry right now but it was kind of difficult for there to be any while she was mourning the loss of her humanity and Graysen. And though there was a little bit of hope that she was ready to move past that by the end of ACOWAR, she regressed in the novella Likewise was zero chemistry on page between Nesta and Cassian in ACOFAS, when she chose to push him away after the war.

Characters can't have chemistry when they are ignoring their possible love interest, you actually have to see them talking.

As far as how Sarah will go about their story, I think there are a few options.

Right now we have already had Elain volunteering to help with the Trove, Rhys saying that Elain is capable of more than they've given her credit for, that gardening results in something pretty but involves one getting their hands dirty along the way, and Elain saying she'll do whatever is needed.

The options are limitless because of the above.

The issues they currently face are:

Beron allying with Koschei and setting his sights on Spring.

The NC reminding us that they need Springs army as an ally but that Tamlin is even worse after the announcement of Feyre's pregnancy.

Koschei preparing to call Vassa back.

Koschei trying to get his hands on the Trove to free himself so he might rule their world.

The NC could decide they need to utilize Elain's Seer powers and send her to Day Court to help her train her powers. They don't seem very knowledgeable on Seers so Helion's library's might be the best place for her to learn how to train her powers.

The could decide a marriage alliance between themselves and other courts might benefit them and Elain could volunteer to marry Lucien because she's so over the concept of love and men after Graysen and Az's rejection that she's decided she'll simply focus on helping the courts rather than marrying for love (the concept was introduced in SF after all and SJM carried it out an arranged marriage trope in HOFAS).

They could send Elain as an emissary "spy" to the Spring Court. Not in the shadows or anything, just acting as their courtier, where she would gather information on the situation there, to be sure Lucien's reporting has been unbiased.

Elain could end up dreaming of the drums of Calanmai and find herself pulled to Spring on her own.

They could send Elain to the continent to retrieve Mor since Feysands daemati range does not work that far and have Lucien accompany her.

Or something SJM imagines up! I don't think any of us guessed how Nessian would end up being forced together in SF.

[acourtofthought]

My husband finally put into words for me something that has been the main problem with this whole Anti Gwynriel because of Gwyn's past narrative.

According to Anti's, it's not ok to ship Gwyn with Az because she's not healed enough and hasn't shown that she's ready for a relationship.

According to Anti's, fanart of Gwynriel in provocative positions are not appropriate because it's disrespectful to Gwyn due to her SA, that she needs to first give verbal consent before we're allowed to imagine what a HEA for Gwynriel might look like.

And at first, it almost feels like a gotcha for them because you question whether you're disrespecting real survivors by saying, "she doesn't need to give consent for us to ship them since it's a book." This statement is true, I don't think readers should be forced to abide by real world morals when it comes to possible paths a characters arc might take, however it makes you pause for a moment to question whether what you're saying is disrespectful to those who have been victims.

But he actually flipped that entire thing on it's head when he said, "if the issue is about consent, then why is only being applied to a SA victim? Shouldn't consent be applied to everyone?"

It was kind of a lightbulb moment for me because those Anti's never vocalize how it's wrong for people to ship Eris & Az, Mor & Emerie, Vassa & Lucien (SA victim), Lucien, Jurian & Vassa, the LoA & Helion (because at this point they are not a consenting pair), Nesta & Eris. There are a bunch of non canon, non consent ships in this series and nobody has an issue with those. Nobody takes up the crusade arguing that it's wrong for people in the fandom to imagine those pairings together or drawing fanart of them in NSFW positions. Most of the time they're celebrated but has Emerie consented to having a sexual relationship with Mor? All she did was call her beautiful and Feyre had done the same in ACOMAF. Why do they never call out fanart of that pairing? Or Neris after Nesta harshly rejected him? Where Eris is currently suffering torture at the hands of Beron and we've got no clue as to his sexual preference. Also, Elain only consented to a fully clothed kiss in the bonus (remember, she grew up with human morals which she still holds fast too, she didn't jump right into bed with Graysen), we have no evidence she wanted more yet there's plenty of NSFW E/riel artwork out there and I'm betting some existed before SF, before she even consented to a kiss.

The only time I've ever heard anyone argue for consent or argue against NSFW art is in relation to Az and Gwyn and the message they're sending is that only female characters who have been SA need to give consent before fans should be shipping them.

That's when the shipping agenda makes itself known because if no other non-canon / non-consenting pairing disturbs them to the point they need to create post after post surrounding how wrong people are for shipping them, then it's clear to see that it's only Gwyn being shipped with Az that they take issue with and when only E/riels make these arguments, it seems highly suspect.

Gwyn's SA is irrelevant in terms of consent because EVERYONE should have consent before engaging in physical acts with others no matter their past. However, Gwyn's SA should not be the weight dragging her character down, the scarlet letter on her chest that means the fandom isn't allowed to give her the same treatment that all other characters receive. Where we're free to imagine and create fanart / fanfiction / headcanons (even the NSFW variety) for any pairing that we desire, regardless of their past or preference, even those who have never expressed romantic interest towards one another, except for Gwyn.

Consent in the actual book will be important but consent having already been given in our imaginations so we can imagine possibilities beyond what is currently written is the right of any reader.

[acourtofthought]

Just wanted you to know that we love you and you’re doing amazing 💖💖

I never knew how much I needed to see a capybara wearing a giraffe ear headband! 😍

My day has been made and I heart you so very much for this. You're honestly one of the treasures of this fandom ❤️

[acourtofthought]

@starsreminisce posted these comments on their blog:

And the last paragraph really stood out to me.

Something I've seen said by a certain side of the fandom is that a bonus chapter should not change the trajectory of what is in the actual book. I disagree with that because I look at the bonus chapters as a sneak peek of what's to come in future books (with this particular bonus following the pattern talked about in a post yesterday, with the resolution to the small story pointing us in the direction of Gwynriel), things that Sarah will at a later point expound on within the actual series even if they weren't initially clear to us without having read the bonus.

But say that's the truth, say the bonus chapters are only in line with that which we already know (which still works for Gwynriel because though the bonus hinted at Gwyn having a curiosity towards Az and him possibly having a bond with her, we do see bits of that in the actual book as well, there are scenes with her staring in his direction and scenes where he's staring in hers, where he shows admiration for her, where she's teasing him, where Nesta calls Az her new ribbon).

One of the big arguments is that it's extremely clear that Elain has no interest in Lucien, that it's been the case for multiple books. It's said Elain does not owe Lucien an explanation, that she does not owe him her time or attention.

So why not write an Elain bonus chapter in SF where she and Lucien have a conversation discussing how they don't want to explore their bond? According to E/riels there's no need for it in the first place since she's made herself clear but they have also claimed that she won't break the bond until we have her POV. Then wouldn't a bonus in Elain's POV before her book be the perfect place for something that's so obvious so that when she starts her own book "with Az", there's nothing standing in their way and the focus can be on their romance and the plot and not the emotional toll that her severing her bond with Lucien would take? If the Elucien bond is as much of a non issue as some claim it be be, then why not deal with it in an Elain Bonus Chapter? When her book starts, Sarah could even recap the events of the bonus for those who had missed it.

Elain thought back to that conversation she and Lucien shared shortly after Solstice. Where after Azriel's rejection, which had cut her deeply, she realized there was no place in her heart for anyone but Az even if she wasn't sure he still wanted her.

That would have actually be a perfect way for SJM to move us past the Elucien bond with very little in the way of feeling devastated on Lucien's behalf, where his heart is not being broken in real time within her romantic arc.

But the author didn't do that. She gave Az and FEYRE a POV. Feyre who already had 3 books and a novella and Elain with a total of 0.

We know Az doesn't think Lucien is good enough for Elain but we don't know if Elain agrees with that.

We know Az questioned the Cauldron because of his brothers and her sisters, that he hadn't thought of being with Elain beyond his sexual fantasies but we don't know where Elain stands on the whole "just wants one taste / why wasn't Az made my mate" debate.

We know Az thought of Elain as too trusting and hopeful but we've no clue whether Elain was really thinking anything of the sort.

We've got Feyre thinking back on how she made sure to keep her mouth shut on Elain not wearing Lucien's gloves, how had she put them on she would have never been pierced in the first place but we still don't know whether Elain's actions with the gloves actually line up with her thoughts.

If Sarah wanted to continue on with what is apparently so evident in the four books of buildup for E/riel there was nothing preventing her from finally giving us Elain's POV in SF and having her tell Lucien that there's no reason for him to hold out hope any longer.

The more likely explanation for why Elain wasn't given a bonus is because everything that E/riels and Az claim that is so very obvious regarding Elain's character might actually not be as obvious as they think.

If she's so happy in the NC, then why hide her thoughts?

If she's so in love with Az, that it's clear as day, then why hide her thoughts?

If she's so disinterested in Lucien, then why hide her thoughts?

If we're supposed to believe that Elain's choice is Az, that there is no competition and that it should not be a mystery to anyone at this point, then why has she been so reticent to put us into Elain's head?

[acourtofthought]

This is where Lucien will ask Elain to be his wife. She'll tell him she would rather call him mate.

Spring in Holland

[acourtofthought]

YOU'RE SO TALENTED!!!!! 😍😍😍

She needed him, more than the air she breathed, and that terrified her.

Kissing is so hard to draw for me! But have this Elucien kiss! I cannot WAIT for their book! So excited!!

[acourtofthought]

If Elain didn't want Lucien to say something to her, she shouldn't have been staring at him. 🤷😂

That's a joke of course but there's truth in it.

When you stare at somebody and they notice, it's going to prompt a response. "Do I have something on my face?" "Do I know you?"

Elain had no reason to be ignoring Nesta in favor of Lucien and I'm guessing it wasn't because he had something in his teeth. She was clearly drawn to him, somehow knew him in that moment and as she "stared" at him he simply responded to what I'm guessing were her unspoken thoughts. Lucien's hands slackened at his sides. His voice broke as he whispered to Elain, "You're my mate".

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“But Elain was staring over Nesta’s shoulder. At Lucien—whose face she had finally taken in.”

“BUT ELAIN WAS STARING OVER NESTA’S SHOULDER. AT LUCIEN—WHOSE FACE SHE HAD FINALLY TAKEN IN.”

[acourtofthought]

I’ve got this bad feeling that SJM is going to announce the next book as an “Azriel book” only, not giving any other info. It would be the ultimate marketing move, since it hype both the sides of the fandom.

I know that for you the next one will be the Elucien book ( AND IT IS the most rational choice because all the major plot lines are connected to them and their journey), but I fear that it will be Gwynriel.

It’s just that in the last years we had his pov and he featured in Hofas, so I feel that Sarah is setting him as the new main character.

The problem with this is that I can’t really see what his book will be about in terms of development of the story, since his only personal connection with a place in the story is the Illyria. So we could have to read 800 pages of an healing journey with some secondary events on the background that set the next book.

In the meantime, Elain will have a conversation with Az where they understand that between them there can’t be anything, maybe after a period of secret “forbidden” romance. We could also have some Elucien moments across the book.

Personally, I find it a very boring plot, but somehow that woman can make me read anything she writes despite I hate most of her characters ahah. But I fear that this is how she has planned to do.

And if I’m right (hope not), the book will be announced as Azriel’s, and the whole fandom will be on fire.

And that’s it, I just wanted to share my fear with you, since you are the strongest pillar in the temple of “Elucien book next”, hoping you could reassure me that my fears won’t come true and I can sleep sweet dreams.

I love your resilience against E/riel harassers, stay strong!!!💪🏼

I think the biggest discord in the fandom would come from SJM / Bloomsbury announcing that it's Elain's book next without confirming the love interest. If they announce Az being next then I think that would be a big indicator that Gwyn is his sharing in his POV because E/riels, Elucien's, and Gwynriels tend to agree that the debate is between Elain getting the next book (with an Az POV), Elain getting the next book (with a Lucien POV) or Az getting the next book (with Gwyn POV). Most arguments do not claim Az will get the next book with an Elain POV. Though I'm sure there will be those who argue regardless, we've still got people claiming Bryce and Hunt won't end up together.

As far as who is next, I think all opinions are valid because they're based in some sort of logic. SJM definitely gave Az more attention since SF as well as a POV bonus and that's a good reason to think he's next. But.....it doesn't really guarantee it. Eris got a lot of attention in SF too yet he's probably not getting a book anytime soon and Nesta received more attention than even Az in HOFAS and she already had a book. She's connected to both Az and Gwyn so there's a chance that still suggests a Gwynriel book next however she's Elain's sister and the reasons Nesta was built up in HOFAS, her possible connection to the Starborn fae, is something that could indicate Elain and Lucien. Nesta is an Archeron and a Made fae by the Cauldron. Elain is an Archeron and a Made fae by the Cauldron. If Nesta has the Starborn tattoo then it's logical to consider that Elain could share one as well. And we know Lucien, through Helion, probably has a connection to the Trove.

Though Az got a bonus chapter, Lucien had a POV back in ACOWAR. Though Az was built up in SF / HOFAS, Elain and Lucien were built up in ACOWAR / ACOFAS. Some will claim that because Az had recent buildup it means he's next but when we look at the below from an interview SJM did, recent buildup doesn't actually mean anything:

Yrene towers was in a TOG novella, set before the events of the TOG series but she played no part in books 1 - 5. Chaol was in books 1 - 4 but was completely absent in book 5 (same with Nesryn). Yet they were all given main POVs in book 6.

Sarah spoke about how everyone thought she hated Chaol after a time because she suddenly took her focus off him but she went on to say that "No! I always knew the story I wanted to tell for him but I just had to wait until it was time!" That is something that could easily be applied to Elain and Lucien's characters right now. So many have said she's forgotten about them, she got bored with them, she's more excited for Az's story. But what if, just like Chaol and Yrene, she's been biding her time, setting them to the side until it was time to pull them off the shelf? Sure, that could mean they'll come after Gwynriel but it also doesn't exclude them from being next just because Az played a larger role in Nesta and Cassian's story.

As far as plot, I do think Elucien makes the most sense. SF and HOFAS dropped hints as to what Az's book might be about but those things are not actually plot issues at the moment. The Illyrians are not a bigger threat than Koschei. The threat of new villains entering their world from outerspace is now in their peripheral vision but not something that's actually presented itself as a problem. But Koschei stealing Vassa back is a concern. The NC needing Springs army is a concern. Beron is a real concern. Koschei and possibly the remaining queens are a concern.

Unless the Valkyrie and the Illyrians are going to tie into Elain and Lucien's book, I am still unclear on how they'll set up Elucien's story. Unless Koschei is going to be tied into time travel, I'm not sure why a time travel plot in the next book would make sense. And you summed it up perfectly with how you mentioned that once again, another ACOTAR book would feature two characters healing journey's, their individual plots but with "secondary events in the background that set the next book." Elucien's plotlines are already well established, from ACOWAR through SF and they were not resolved in Nesta's book, they played the backdrop to Nesta's main story. Having those same plots play in the background again with no resolution seems extremely drawn out.

To me it would make the most sense for Elucien to restore Spring, bring the life back to the land where it's dying, defeat Koschei, stop Beron and secure peace through the treaty. At that point the IC can turn their focus to the Illyrians, continuing the formation of the Valkyrie and protecting their entire world from threats from outside it.

But.....these are SJMs books and only she knows what her grand vision is for the series so I could be way off base!

Edit: forgot to add thank you! ❤️. I hope you start having sweet dreams again soon!