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fernwehreader · 19 days ago

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"They Call You Shadowsinger": Parallelism and the Power of Being Seen

I’m currently doing a Crescent City re-read and am really enjoying spending time with this series at a slower and more deliberate pace. As a result, I’m seeing threads between Crescent City and ACOTAR that I didn’t fully notice upon earlier readings. I think this is in part due to the fact that I spent a great deal of time with ACOSF and its bonus chapters immediately before returning to Crescent City.

So, as I’ve just wrapped up HOEAB, there’s one topic that keeps rolling around in my head: parallelism!

Literary Parallelism

Hang with me for just a bit as I explain a little about what parallelism usually looks like--I promise this is going somewhere! Parallelism can be a literary device where parts of a sentence/paragraph/stanza have the same grammatical structure, intended to emphasize or draw attention to something in particular. When I teach parallelism in my high school literature classes, I often include it as part of a rhetoric unit because it’s not uncommon to see it combined with rhetorical devices such as antithesis or repetition--which are also meant to emphasize something in order to persuade or to draw attention towards a specific detail.

When I teach my rhetoric units to highlight the effect of using these devices, I usually use Disney songs since there is a general level of familiarity with them. For instance, when the Muses in Hercules sing the song “Zero to Hero,” they say:

He was a no one A zero, zero Now he’s a honcho He’s a hero Here was a kid with his act down pat Zero to hero, in no time flat Zero to hero, just like that!

Here, parallelism is achieved through repetition of the phrase "Zero to hero" and its variations, which emphasize Hercules’ dramatic transformation. This repetition, combined with antithesis to show opposite meaning, is meant to draw the audience’s attention to the theme of personal growth for the story’s protagonist.

So, we often see parallelism like this, used how it is in Disney songs, in notable speeches like MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech, or in dramatic moments like Mark Antony’s funeral speech in Julius Caesar. But it can also be used in literature through mirrored scenes. Instead of focusing on grammatical structure and patterns, it instead relies on parallel dialogue and imagery to highlight thematic connections or character development.

In my opinion, this is exactly what we see upon closer examination of HOEAB and ACOSF, where SJM crafts deeply intimate character moments in two separate scenes--belonging to two separate books and worlds. One scene occurs between Bryce and Hunt in HOEAB, and the other between Gwyn and Azriel in his ACOSF bonus chapter.

These scenes possess deliberate literary parallels between their pivotal moments along with what they reveal about identity, emotional intimacy, and the quiet beginnings of a relationship found through deep understanding. It's also worth noting that these two books were published a year apart, with HOEAB released first. I always found it interesting that SJM didn't release ACOSF after the ACOFAS novella--so it's worth considering why we were introduced to Bryce and Hunt first before jumping back to Prythian to meet Gwyn and get Azriel's first (and only) POV.

Again, this is part of the narrative framing in which I’ve previously written about, as my contention remains that this is all to serve the purpose of character development (the romantic pairing of Azriel and Gwyn) and narrative continuity (establishing ACOTAR5 as Azriel’s book).

I know that many readers have already made comparisons between Bryce/Gwyn and Hunt/Azriel. I’m not sure what more I can add to that particular conversation. However, I do have some very specific thoughts regarding how parallelism is being used by SJM to further establish the runway being laid for Azriel’s book--as well as to continue spreading the seeds for the romantic pairing of Azriel and Gwyn. In these mirrored scenes, SJM uses parallelism to draw our attention to show how a single interaction can begin to redirect a protagonists’ narrative.

Parallel Structure & Phrasing: HOEAB vs. ACOSF

The literary structure and phrasing of the two interactions in question are strikingly similar--enough so to discourage an argument of pure coincidence.

In the HOEAB scene, Bryce is sitting alone on a bench overlooking the Istros River with a box of chocolate croissants to commemorate Danika’s birthday. Hunt soon flies in to join her, and they share an emotional scene where Bryce laments how everyone else seems to have moved on from Danika’s death--yet, she cannot. Hunt then shares details about Shahar, her death, and how it has impacted him over the years. A realization then hits Bryce after Hunt’s admissions:

She looked to the river. “I never realized it,” she murmured. “That you and I are mirrors.” He hadn’t, either. But a voice floated back to him. You look how I feel every day, she’d whispered when she’d cleaned him up after Micah’s latest assignment. “Is it a bad thing?” A half smile tugged at a corner of her mouth. “No. No, it isn’t." “No issue with the Umbra Mortis being your emotional twin?” But her face grew serious again. “That’s what they call you, but that’s not who you are.” “And who am I?” “A pain in my ass.” Her smile was brighter than the setting sun on the river. He laughed, but she added, “You’re my friend. Who watches trashy TV with me and puts up with my shit. You’re the person I don’t need to explain myself to--not when it matters. You see everything I am, and you don’t run away from it.” He smiled at her, let it convey everything that glowed inside him at her words. “I like that.”

We will be comparing this scene to Azriel’s bonus chapter from ACOSF, shortly after he arrives at the training ring and unexpectedly finds Gwyn. After Gwyn teases Azriel about needing his dagger to sleep and they exchange some pleasantries about celebrating Solstice, Gwyn has a surprising question for him:

She angled her head, hair shining like molten metal. “Do you sing?” He blinked. It wasn’t every day that people took him by surprise, but . . . "Why do you ask?" “They call you shadowsinger. Is it because you sing?” “I am a shadowsinger--it’s not a title that someone just made up.” She shrugged again, irreverently. Az narrowed his eyes, studying her. “Do you, though?” she pressed. “Sing?” Azriel couldn’t help his soft chuckle. “Yes.”

The parallel structure of these interactions is not by accident. For starters, both scenes are in the male POV, which gives the reader particular insight into their (albeit limited) perspectives. Additionally, both Bryce and Gwyn are alone as these scenes begin--they are interrupted by Hunt and Azriel flying in:

Hunt landed quietly before sliding onto the bench’s wooden planks, the box between them.

Azriel landed in the ring a few feet from where Gwyn practiced in the chill night . . .

Both Hunt and Azriel literally descend from the skies, landing quite near Bryce and Gwyn. In my opinion, this isn’t just coincidence or logistical--this reflects a descent into emotional vulnerability. These are male characters known for their emotional detachment, and their flights into these scenes could symbolize a movement downward from their hard shells into more intimate emotional territory.

Additionally, there is deliberate phrasing in both these interactions which supports the literary parallels taking place. The male characters are both known by fearsome titles: Hunt is the “Umbra Mortis” (or “Shadow of Death”), and Azriel is the “Shadowsinger.” These epithets reflect how the outside world perceives them--deadly and dangerous. Both males are warriors, assassins, and instruments of power used by others. Additionally, they bear the weight of countless deaths and trauma associated with their freedom being stripped away. Their identities are often defined by others.

Bryce and Gwyn then continue their conversations with Hunt and Azriel built around these monikers and identities.

After Bryce notes that she and Hunt are mirrors, Hunt says:

“No issue with the Umbra Mortis being your emotional twin?” But her face grew serious again. “That’s what they call you, but that’s not who you are.”

This line cuts to the heart of Hunt’s struggle with being defined by the darkness of his past and his violent role in a broken system. Bryce, however, sees all of Hunt in this moment and does not hesitate to tell him. What follows is an emotionally intimate declaration:

“You’re my friend . . . the person I don’t need to explain myself to—not when it matters. You see everything I am, and you don’t run away from it.”

Similarly, in Azriel’s ACOSF bonus chapter, Gwyn presses Azriel about his title:

“They call you Shadowsinger. Is it because you sing?” “I am a shadowsinger--it’s not a title that someone just made up.”

There is an intentional parallel in the exact phrasing here by using the words “they call you”--that is not an accident. SJM is relying on parallelism to do what it does in more typical contexts: to emphasize or draw our attention to these specific words. Both Azriel and Hunt are often viewed through the lens of the outside world, and we can begin to see how that might weigh on each of them.

Interestingly, Gwyn immediately shrugs off the reply, irreverently. Her casual dismissal of Azriel’s deadly title is a pivotal moment . . . very much so mirroring Bryce’s refusal to allow Hunt to be defined by his title. Gwyn is unafraid, unfazed, and unmoved by Azriel’s reputation. Like Bryce, Gwyn sees something more in the male before her.

Perhaps this is even why Gwyn proceeds to call Azriel “Shadowsinger” instead of by his name later in ACOSF--she is teasing him, almost as if to tell him: If you say this is what you are, then that’s what I’m going to call you.

And, in these two scenes, Hunt and Azriel are not left unaffected by these comments from Bryce and Gwyn. Hunt smiles at Bryce in response and “let it convey everything that glowed inside him at her words”--while the notably stoic Azriel “couldn’t help his soft chuckle” when Gwyn continued to ask if he sings.

Hunt opens up to Bryce in a moment of shared grief as they discuss Danika and Shahar. Azriel, fresh from a painful confrontation with Rhys and his interaction with Elain, finds unexpected comfort in a late-night encounter with Gwyn. Yet both males, defined by death and duty, find themselves smiling and laughing--softened by these females who refuse to fear them.

Ultimately, in both scenes, the titles for Hunt and Azriel are named and then rejected. Bryce and Gwyn see past the labels to what lies beneath. This mirroring is a prime example of narrative parallelism and intertextual echoing. The same emotional arc is achieved through different characters across different texts–but with identical purpose.

Glowing Hearts and Emotional Intimacy

Another example of parallelism cements the lasting, emotional importance of these interactions: the mirrored imagery of something glowing inside both Hunt’s and Azriel’s chests. After Bryce tells Hunt who he really is, he let his smile “convey everything that glowed inside him at her words.” Likewise, at the end of Azriel’s bonus chapter, after Clotho agrees to give the necklace to Gwyn anonymously, Azriel buries the imagined image of Gwyn’s joy in his chest--where it “glowed quietly. A thing of secret, lovely beauty.”

The glow is not accidental; it’s symbolic of something dormant being awakened--compassion, hope, perhaps even the beginning feelings of something more romantic. These descriptions are not just parallel in phrasing; they symbolize something profound. Both Azriel and Hunt are males trained to bury everything--perhaps partly out of self-preservation. So, these glowing sensations are not fireworks or passionate explosions, but quiet illuminations--a spark of something soft and sacred awakening inside them. Maybe something they didn’t know they still had the capacity for. It is the literary embodiment of intimacy, not lust.

These mirrored glowing moments also represent hope, potential, and the beginning of self-forgiveness. Notably, in both cases, the glow is inside of Hunt and Azriel. Both males are not ready to act on it yet, but they protect it. It is a seed planted in their hearts by Bryce and Gwyn who have started to become the safe harbors that Hunt and Azriel didn’t realize they needed.

“SO WHAT?”

My favorite literary question to ask my students comes last, as usual: SO WHAT?

Why does this matter? Why would SJM intentionally echo such specific literary structure, phrasing, and emotional beats across two different texts and series?

Because she is building a broader thematic through-line across her multiverse by juxtaposing Bryce/Hunt against Gwyn/Azriel. These scenes are not throwaway moments--they are turning points. They suggest that Azriel, like Hunt, is on the cusp of transformation. The glow in the chest is symbolic of a soul rekindling itself, and the females who see these males are clearly not afraid.

I believe that Bryce is trying to flash a neon sign indicating the importance of this parallelism. She point blank says to Hunt: “I never realized it . . . That you and I are mirrors.”

Yes. They are mirrors--to Gwyn and Azriel, setting up crucial parallels in anticipation of their own story together.

And these parallels are more than just fun literary hijinks. It’s not SJM just showing us how clever she is (although she is very clever). These are deliberate seeds of narrative intent. Despite some fandom theories to the contrary, Hunt and Bryce’s relationship is established by the end of HOFAS and they are thematically framed as equals (perhaps another post for another time). So, if we accept that these two scenes mirror each other in structure, tone, and function, then the bonus chapter between Azriel and Gwyn is not a throwaway interlude--it is a setup.

And so, while Gwyn presses Azriel with questions while shoulder-shrugging, and while Bryce gently corrects Hunt by calling out the person beneath the helmet, SJM shows us a paralleled pattern: that the power exists to choose who you are. To laugh again. To let something glow quietly in your chest and not extinguish it.

"They call you shadowsinger" becomes not a question of power, but of identity. And in that question--posed by a female who doesn’t tremble in his presence--Azriel, like Hunt before him, begins the slow process of reclamation. Not of title. Not of duty. But of self.

#acotar #acosf #azriel bonus chapter #crescent city #house of earth and blood #hoeab #gwynriel #pro gwynriel #gwyn x azriel #azriel shadowsinger #gwyneth berdara #bryce quinlan #hunt athalar #hunt and bryce #sjmaas #acotar5 #bryce and hunt #gwyn berdara

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fernwehreader · 21 days ago

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Let's do an activity today

Gwyn was the most mentioned character after the main couples in A Court Of Silver Flames.

Share with us your favorite moment of Gwyn

Art by stylusismystyle commissioned by @freyjas-musings

Kindly do not repost

#gwyneth berdara #gwyn berdara #acotar

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fernwehreader · 22 days ago

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One of the biggest hints that Elain and Az won’t happen isn’t talked about enough. After Azriels encounter with Elain, he doesn’t think about her once. While he is talking with Gwyn, he doesn’t think about her once. He doesn’t compare her to Elain or think of Elain at all.

When Cassian was talking to Emerie in acofas, he kept on thinking about Nesta and kind of comparing them. Nesta was always on his mind.

I’ve already read so many other romance and romantasies where there is another person involved. But whenever they interact, the mmc always thinks about their endgame and contrasts them. It shows their endgame is always on their mind.

The fact that Az doesn’t think of her once when interacting with Gwyn, tells me enough.

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fernwehreader · 22 days ago

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🪽 Valkyrie Appreciation Week 2025 Prompts are here!

We are so excited to celebrate with everyone in October. If you have any questions about prompts, please feel free to send us a message or drop a comment.

These prompts are just suggestions & we welcome all sorts of content (within our guidelines) celebrating our Valkyries! ⚔️

Cover 🎨 @brielyasmin

And a special thank you to all artists, commissioners, and cosplayers who allowed us to use their works! All credits can be found in the prompts!

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fernwehreader · 22 days ago

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Absolutely! The “Azriel’s shadows disappear when he’s calm or happy” argument always baffles me and is just willful disregard of what’s on the page.

Not only does the post above provide perfect textual support against that argument, but we are also told in Azriel’s bonus chapter that “the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would.”

As his constant companions, why would it be a good thing if the shadows disappear? The text point blank tells us that Azriel’s shadows will always be with him. Based off everything we know about his characterization, I struggle to believe Azriel would want such a critical part of himself hidden away every time he is truly content or happy.

So, now, let’s combine this knowledge with the evidence in the original post—after Gwyn jokes and smiles at Azriel, “something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watch.”

Two things are now crystal clear in the text:

1. Azriel’s shadows are a constant part of him and always will be.

2. When Azriel settles, the shadows also calm while remaining visible.

If we accept the text, then I’m not seeing how Azriel’s shadows disappearing around Elain can mean that he is settled or content. It contradicts what the text tells us.

Why should we believe what the bonus chapter says? Well, ultimately, that chapter should actually hold the most weight when it comes to understanding Az’s shadows. It should be our primary reference point compared to all the books. Why? Because it’s in Azriel’s POV, and it’s the first and only time we’ve been given that insight. It’s coming straight from the source instead of through other points-of-view.

So, we can only use this textual evidence to then infer why Azriel’s shadows disappear around Elain. Either they are reflecting something within Azriel which is not calm around her, or they are perhaps acting independently in a way that’s not in alignment with what is described with Gwyn in the bonus chapter. Either way, understanding more about Azriel’s shadows is one of the things I’m most looking forward to in his novel.

There’s something uniquely frustrating about the ACOTAR fandom—where you can present a scene straight from the page, word for word, and people will still twist themselves into knots trying to deny it.

Not question it. Not interpret it differently. But outright deny what’s right there in black and white.

Some readers aren’t engaging with the actual story—they’re just projecting what they wish had happened. And when canon contradicts that fantasy? they harass and manipulate (yes it's about e/riels)

This is coming from the “Azriel’s shadows disappear when he’s calm or happy.” A flimsy excuse to salvage a dynamic that has no depth, no development, and no future. But let’s look at what the book actually says:

Azriel snickered to himself, to the listening shadows around him.Sleep, they seemed to whisper in his ear.“I wish I could,” he answered silently.

Azriel dipped his head in a sketch of a bow, something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watch.

The shadows didn’t vanish. They calmed. They remained. Present. Loyal. A part of him—not an on/off switch for emotional states. The author has already shown how they respond to his mood, not flee from it.

And Clotho didn't give Gwyn the necklace??(This level of delusion is insane)

She deserves something as beautiful as this. I thank you for the joy it shall bring to her.”

It’s not a mystery. It’s direct acknowledgment that Gwyn was the recipient. Period.

When your ship depends on rewriting canon to stay afloat, that alone should tell you everything.

#acotar #azriel’s shadows #gwynriel #pro gwynriel #sjmaas #gwyn x azriel #azriel shadowsinger

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fernwehreader · 24 days ago

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This is great! I absolutely agree and find that I’m always coming back to these small interactions between Gwyn and Azriel in ACOSF (all the glances, shifting closer, etc.). And it starts with this first greeting at training.

We are privy to all these little moments in ACOSF despite not having their own POVs . . . and I for one want to know what the hell is going on in the minds of Gwyn and Azriel—and off the page. 🤣

I’m so curious how SJM is going to address all of this in ACOTAR5 (or, if she even will at all) . . . I’m currently putting some thoughts together on a post about this because I’m so eager to hear what other critical SJM readers think.

One of my strongest headcanons is that Gwyn meeting Azriel in the training ring for the first time and not returning his polite smile is because she’s testing his waters. We know Gwyn hates sympathy of any form or being reduced to her trauma and coddled up for it. Az was the sole witness at her absolute worst. She was likely waiting for Azriel to give her a scent of sympathy upon arrival and ready to pounce at him for doing so. But Az just strode in like nothing and treated her like a next door female despite their shared history. My HC is that Gwyn kept looking at Az partly relieved that he didn’t treat her like others did when they all first met her, but also 🤨 partly curious if he remembers her at all cuz he just dismissed her with a smile. Also, imagine openly gawking at the deadly shadowsinger without a hint of shyness or fear😭. Did the shadows whisper in his ear that she was distracted that day and kept staring at him ? And did he not return those stares because he wanted her to feel comfortable in his presence without kindling anything from her past ? Arghh, I want both their povs so bad.

#acotar #acosf #gwynriel #gwyneth berdara #pro gwynriel #pro gwyneth berdara #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #sjmaas

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fernwehreader · 24 days ago

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“. . . from the bonus chapter the only one pursuing Elain out of obligation is Azriel.” Couldn’t have said it better myself! 💯

I’m not inherently against three brothers ending up with three sisters. If it’s done well, that is.

My problem with three brothers three sisters is that it was the only argument Azriel could come up with when asked about why he was pursuing Elain. If three brothers three sisters happened organically, I would have no issue with it. However, someone only wanting you because your two sisters are with his brothers is something I do have a problem with. If Azriel listed up all the things he admired and liked about Elain as a person, I’d have been the first to ship them. If he talked about her personality, how she makes him feel so calm/happy I would love to ship them. But instead we only got him having to use math to justify his reasons for pursuing her.

E/riels often say Lucien only wants Elain out of obligation, but from the bonus chapter the only one pursuing Elain out of obligation is Azriel. Because in his mind, if his two brothers are mated to her two sisters, she must be his mate. That’s not love. That’s forcing yourself to like someone because you’re desperate for a mate and lonely.

#pro gwynriel #Gwynriel #gwyn x azriel #azriel #azriel bonus chapter

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fernwehreader · 26 days ago

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The Narrative Framing of the Ribbon in ACOSF

Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the intentionality of SJM introducing the mating ceremony ribbon in the same book we first meet Gwyn, who introduces the Valkyrie ribbon. Because, to me, the decision seems wholly purposeful rather than coincidental. The presentation of these two details in the same text would be significant enough on its own--but it goes beyond that. I think it’s mostly about the narrative framing taking place within the context of the ribbon, which sets the scene for Azriel and Gwyn. There is a “story within a story” being introduced, even if it is limited by the points-of-view we’re given access to in ACOSF.

To start, I find it incredible that we were given 3.5 texts set in the ACOTAR world which included detailed information about mating bonds, but our first mention of the mating ceremony ribbon is not until ACOSF when we are told that, for Nesta:

. . . all that mattered, she realized, was the male who would be standing with her, first as they swore their vows, then as they offered each other food, and then as their friends and family bound their hands together with a length of black ribbon to remain until the mating was consummated.

Prior to ACOSF, we were already aware of the vows and the offering of food as necessary components of a formal mating bond acceptance. But the information about the binding of hands with a ribbon is new. And not only does it take four books to let the reader know this new information, but it's introduced in the same text in which Gwyn establishes the Valkyrie ribbon:

“Done,” Gwyn declared, the white ribbon fluttering in the wind where it hung from the beam. Behind them, a few of the priestesses working with Azriel had turned to see what the ribbon business was about. The shadowsinger crossed his arms, angling his head, but remained in his half of the ring.

I love this moment because we not only get this great visual of the ribbon in the wind, but we also get these extra details about Azriel amid Gwyn’s successful installation of her ribbon. Why do we need to know all of this about Azriel? What does it matter how he responds?

This intertwining of Azriel and Gwyn within the introduction of the Valkyrie ribbon continues, however, when Cassian asks Gwyn and Emerie to show him what they learned with blades while he and Nesta were away on their hike. Cassian says:

“Az told me you also started preliminary work with the steel blades while we were gone.” He nodded to Gwyn and Emerie, the former glancing toward Azriel, who watched in silence. “So show me what you learned. Cut the ribbon in two.” “We slice the ribbon in two,” Emerie asked Gwyn warily, “and our training is complete?” Gwyn again glanced to Azriel, who drifted closer. She said, “I’m not entirely sure.”

Once again, narrative framing is happening here--something separate from the main narrative between Nesta and Cassian. Why does the reader need to know that Gwyn is glancing at Azriel repeatedly? Why does Azriel drift closer the second time?

We must keep in mind that this scene is in Nesta’s point-of-view, and she and Cassian have just returned after being away from the House of Wind for a week. It’s clear that the reader is missing some context which happened off the page. I think this is even more obvious a little earlier in the chapter, before Gwyn finishes hanging the ribbon:

Gwyn snickered, her attention fixed on tying a length of white silk ribbon to a wood beam jutting from the side of the pit. Neither the ribbon nor the beam had been there a week ago, and Nesta had no idea how they’d even anchored the wood into the stone, but there it was.

This paragraph has always stood out to me (I actually made a pencil notation next to it during my first reading of ACOSF in 2021). I have a lot of questions here.

I do believe Nesta’s narration is in part meant to clue the reader in to the fact that the wood beam and ribbon are new additions to training for everyone, not just for her and Cassian since they missed the prior week. We have no idea what has taken place during Valkyrie training in their absence--so the confirmation that all of this is new is important. But, I do think the specificity of what Nesta is focused on during this observation is notable. She wonders “how they’d even anchored the wood into the stone.”

I’d argue this is Nesta trying to nudge the reader to wonder about this, as well (perhaps also in the same way she is nudging the reader in HOFAS that, yes, we should be curious about Azriel after Bryce’s questioning about his romantic life, lol).

But, Nesta does bring up an interesting point here. In fact, I’d also like to know how the wood beam was anchored into the stone. This seems to be Gwyn’s project given the fact she answers all questions about it. So, did Gwyn do this all by herself? Is Gwyn skilled with masonry tools to make this happen?

While the answers to those questions aren’t known, what is perfectly clear is that there is some important information that the reader is missing in Chapter 51 of ACOSF. But, we can only make inferences at this point--we have to evaluate the evidence given to us in this chapter to figure out what pieces we are missing from the puzzle. Even though conclusions aren’t explicitly stated in the text, I do think there are enough literary clues to point us in a likely direction. And, I think this is most easily accomplished through the process of elimination.

Gwyn clearly is the project leader when it comes to this entire business with the ribbon. As noted in the excerpts above, she is the one who hangs the ribbon, who explains it all to Cassian when he asks for clarification, and who answers Emerie’s question about it.

But, who else knows what is going on in these moments based on the evidence we are given?

Cassian and Nesta have no idea what’s going on: through their POVs, we know they have been away from training and the House of Wind for the past week, and Cassian tells Gwyn to “explain” when he sees the ribbon.

Emerie has no idea what’s going on: we know this for sure when Gwyn answers Cassian’s request to explain:

Gwyn squared her shoulders. “This is the Valkyrie test for whether your training is complete and you’re ready for battle: cut the ribbon in half.” Emerie snorted. “What?”

But, Emerie’s lack of awareness of what Gwyn is doing is also emphasized in the earlier excerpt where she asks Gwyn warily if their training is complete once they slice the ribbon in two. Emerie clearly has no idea what Gwyn has been up to or the purpose of the ribbon.

The other priestesses have no idea what is going on: this is shown when Gwyn finishes hanging the ribbon and “a few of the priestesses working with Azriel had turned to see what the ribbon business was about.” It’s obvious that these priestesses are as clueless as Nesta, Cassian, and Emerie in this moment.

So the last question remains: Does Azriel know what’s going on?

This is where we have to make some inferences based on our context clues and literary evidence from this chapter. I would argue that, yes, Azriel has some understanding of what is happening regarding Gwyn and the ribbon. He doesn’t seem particularly confused or curious when he “crossed his arms” and “remained on his half of the ring” when Gwyn finished hanging the ribbon. We see elsewhere in ACOSF (and in his bonus chapter) that Azriel’s eyes narrow when his shadows whisper to him or when he’s trying to understand a situation. However, his body language in this moment after the ribbon is hung does not indicate to me that he’s caught off guard in any way.

At the very least, he is aware of what Gwyn was planning to have ready for training this day. After all, he is the spymaster. But at most, he was actively involved in helping Gwyn with these preparations.

Am I willing to make the claim that Azriel anchored the wood beam to the stone (or at least helped) because Gwyn asked him–or because he mentioned it to her in the first place? Well . . . kind of? It’s an inference based on the evidence the text has given us. Somebody had to set up the wood beam. It’s possible Gwyn did it alone--but anchoring a wooden beam into stone is likely a two-person job.

So, based on that, I argue that Gwyn did have help. If Nesta, Emerie, Cassian, and the other priestesses have no idea what is going on with the ribbon, we are left with very few options for who Gwyn would feel comfortable asking for help. So, who may have helped her with this? I think we all know who.

I believe we also have another context clue to help answer this question. When Cassian asks Gwyn and Emerie to cut the ribbon, the narration tells us that Gwyn glances at Azriel two different times. The second instance seems quite notable after Emerie ask if their training will be finished if they cut the ribbon.

Gwyn again glanced to Azriel, who drifted closer. She said, “I’m not entirely sure.”

I cannot fathom why Gwyn is continuing to glance at Azriel here for any other reason than affirmation--or, perhaps wanting backup. She seems unsure in this moment. Cassian notes that Azriel informed him that Gwyn and Emerie also started training with blades while he was away. That doesn’t sound like it was part of the training plan. So why the change?

Gwyn glances to Azriel when Cassian says this about the steel training, so it leads me to wonder whose idea it was to hang the ribbon in the first place. How does Gwyn find out about the Valkyrie ribbon cutting? I could be mistaken, but I don’t recall her discussing that information during any conversations with Nesta. Does she discover it off page and bring it to Azriel’s attention? Does Azriel tell her about this Valkyrie training method? Essentially, there are valid questions.

We are left with some answers, however, because Gwyn is admittedly unsure of how to answer Emerie’s question above--and Azriel “drifted closer” to Gwyn after Emerie asks it. We can’t be entirely certain what has happened off page in Nessian’s absence, but if we look closely at what Nesta’s POV is giving us in this chapter, I think we can make two, strong inferences:

Something happened off page related to initiating the Valkyrie ribbon cutting method

It’s intentional and meant to provide specific context around Azriel and Gwyn

Which brings us back to the narrative framing conversation from earlier. Although a traditional frame narrative is set up to be a true “story within a story” like what we see in Wuthering Heights or The Princess Bride, I argue that this narrative is establishing a frame around Azriel and Gwyn through the ribbon symbolism in ACOSF. Their “story within a story” can’t quite fully happen here given the narrative constraints of ACOSF--but it is being set up and framed in the background despite these constraints. I feel like I keep coming back to this in all of my posts, but it’s just one more reason why I think ACOTAR5 is Azriel’s novel. The narrative threads in ACOSF, setting up the continuity for the next novel, are too great to ignore in my opinion.

And while Chapter 51 is a fascinating study on the development of this narrative framing, it doesn’t just end here. The Valkyries continue working towards the goal of slicing the ribbon, but we are given key information about Gwyn as things progress:

“You and that ribbon,” Nesta muttered, shutting the tome. Of all of them, Gwyn had become the most relentless about succeeding.

This is interesting because, yes, it is showing us how competitive Gwyn is--but SJM is making sure we understand that Gwyn is persistent about this and wants to be the first one to accomplish it. It’s reiterated further in Azriel’s bonus chapter when Azriel stumbles upon Gwyn late at night, alone at the training pit.

“I was trying to cut the ribbon.” She pointed with her sword at the white ribbon, which seemed to glow silver.

Of all the things for Gwyn to be doing when Azriel comes upon her on Solstice, he finds her practicing her ribbon cutting technique. Once again, their “story within a story” is being picked up within the narrative framing of the ribbon. Gwyn is at the training pit because of the ribbon. So, then, it is a deliberate choice--SJM could have had Gwyn performing any other training task, or Azriel could have found her reading within the House proper. Instead, their entire interaction is based around the ribbon.

Then, because of this impromptu ribbon training session, Azriel gives Gwyn the corrections needed to successfully cut the ribbon. Again, Gwyn is determined and likely would have cut the ribbon on her own at some point. But that’s not what happens. She completes the task only a few days after her Solstice encounter with Azriel, where his corrections are directly tied to her success which follows soon after. There is a narrative thread connecting Gwyn to Azriel during this momentous accomplishment.

But, of course, SJM doesn’t just leave it alone there. The narrative framing around Gwyn and Azriel continues in very intentional ways in this scene. Before Gwyn cuts the ribbon:

Cassian glanced over at Az, but his attention was fixed on the young priestess, admiration and quiet encouragement shining from his face. . . . Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too, had felt the shift. As if he, too, were aware that far larger forces peered into that training ring as Gwyn moved.

While Nesta and Emerie have interactions with Gwyn in this scene, and Cassian notes his own emotions at watching Gwyn, the descriptions we get of Azriel within Cassian’s POV might as well have flashing neon signs around them. As everyone watches Gwyn and waits for her to move, no other character gets this type of attention. SJM wants us to be aware of this “story within the story.” She wants us to know what Azriel is doing in this moment--and what he is doing goes beyond an interested observation. Specific language is being used to show the reader that Azriel is focused on Gwyn, invested in her success, and easily affected by the enormity of the moment . . . which is, again, entirely centered around the ribbon.

Finally, even one of Azriel and Gwyn’s last scenes together in ACOSF plays by the rules of their narrative framing--it provides context to their story setup by invoking the ribbon once again. When the Blood Rite qualifier is arranged and the Valkyries fail their first attempt, we get a twist on how the ribbon is used . . . perhaps intentionally to further establish the narrative continuity for their upcoming novel, since this is one of the last moments we get between the two characters.

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder. Az stared after her, brows high with amusement. When he turned back, Nesta grinned. “You have no idea what you just started, she said. Az angled his head, hazel eyes narrowing as Gwyn reached the archway. “Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?” Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder. “You’re the new ribbon, Az.”

So, while the narrative framing around Gwyn and Azriel remains intact and ready to serve as a bridge to ACOTAR5, we have a shift in how the ribbon is being used--it is now a symbol to indicate what Gwyn is now focused on. And, I’ll take it a step further to suggest it is a clue for readers to know what to expect as the “story within a story” becomes the primary story being told. It’s providing a prologue, and setting expectations, for what can be anticipated as the couple’s narrative framing begins to take a different shape.

Ultimately, the ribbon’s recurrence throughout ACOSF works as a subtle but deliberate narrative device. In a book where Nesta and Cassian’s bond takes center stage, SJM still takes the time to weave in the image of a ribbon being tied, sliced, and shared between Gwyn and Azriel. Their encounters with it are quiet, yet loaded with so much narrative weight. And these moments carve out that “story within a story” . . . one that is not quite in bloom but in which the seeds have been planted. The framing is unmistakable: Gwyn and Azriel are characters on the threshold of a story that will belong only to them.

Finally, that this symbolism shares space with the notion of a mating ceremony ribbon is no coincidence. The mating bond ribbon is framed as a sacred act of a union–intimate and final. Gwyn’s ribbon, by contrast, is one of defiance and shared effort . . . a nod to perhaps how one ribbon might one day become something more.

#acotar #acosf #sjmaas #gwynriel #pro gwynriel #gwyn x azriel #gwyn berdara #gwyneth berdara #pro gwyneth berdara #azriel shadowsinger #acotar 5

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fernwehreader · 26 days ago

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Just absolutely stunning. The shadows. The ribbon. 😭🩵💙

“And all along I believed that I would find you.”

The mating bond is a sacred concept in this world—a bridge that exists between souls. Both Azriel and Gwyn have been dealt cards that have laid the foundation for their journey and I am so very excited to see that journey unfold, both individually and together. I think it will be so very special once their bond officially snaps and they realize just how worthy they truly are and that acceptance comes from within. Love is idle, but true.

Enjoy Azriel and Gwyn’s mating ceremony!

ART CREDIT luciaarandart

COMMISSIONED BY @oristian

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST

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#pro gwynriel #gwynriel #gwyn x azriel #gwyn berdara #azriel shadowsinger

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fernwehreader · 1 month ago

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The Lasting Impression of "A Thing of Secret, Lovely Beauty"

I was thinking more on the “thing of secret, lovely beauty” phrasing and the final words in Azriel’s ACOSF bonus chapter. For SJM to end the chapter with these words, as a callback to their prior use early on, I believe she is hitting us over the head so we pay close attention to them. They are literally the last words we get from Azriel’s one-and-only POV so far. That alone should add an air of gravitas to them. So, I want to explore why the end of the bonus chapter matters and why it indicates that we’ll see the continued development of Azriel’s relationship with Gwyn in their book (which I believe will be ACOTAR5).

But, bear with me a bit as I first touch on considerations that lead up to Azriel’s POV and help support the significance of those final words . . .

I know there is criticism from some readers who claim there is “nothing to Gwynriel”--that there are no developing feelings between Azriel and Gwyn during ACOSF, he never thinks of wanting her like he wants Elain, he wouldn’t even go as far as to call Gwyn a friend, etc.

While I disagree that there is no proof of something shifting between the two of them (and I’ll explain why in more detail below), I would agree that there is nothing overtly romantic established between Azriel and Gwyn by the end of the novel. However, for me, that’s a moot point. And it’s also a strong indicator that there is “something to Gwynriel.”

Although ACOTAR is published in the fantasy genre, it also has a foot planted firmly in the romance genre--and there is an unspoken agreement between author and reader that, for romance arcs, the romantic development happens on the page and is experienced through the POV of at least one, but ideally both, members of the pairing. This is necessary for readers to understand authentic connection, to allow the relationship space to breathe, and to provide intimacy for emotional investment. Otherwise, the romance can feel unearned or like a plot device.

SJM has already been on record that each ACOTAR book moving forward will focus on a different romantic pairing. So, assuming Azriel’s book is next based on ACOSF and HOFAS in particular, why on earth would SJM lean into an end game romance for Azriel during Nesta and Cassian’s book? There would then be little room for growth or challenge in Azriel’s own book--no tension. How incredibly boring. Plus, I’ve been reading SJM since 2012, and if there is one thing I’ve learned when it comes to analyzing her writing, it’s that she loves giving characters the space to change along with a healthy dose of tension. Characterization (and to a certain extent plot) is all about tension. For example:

what a character WANTS vs. what a character NEEDS

where a character STARTS vs. where a character ENDS

what a character BELIEVES vs. a character confronting a TRUTH

We can clearly see how Azriel’s tension is being established within each of these examples--to foreshadow both his personal growth and his romantic arc with a potential mate in Gwyn. When it comes to the developing shift in how Azriel begins to see Gwyn, SJM says everything we need to know in the bonus chapter. We know he's noticing not just her physical features (ex: her eyes, her “hair shining like molten metal”), but who she is as a person (ex: how much she has changed, her “charming irreverence”).

By the time we reach the bonus chapter/ Solstice in the ACOSF timeline, Azriel is also no longer observing Gwyn from a distance. There HAS been a change and plenty of indicators that something is beginning to shift between them. It isn’t romantic, yet; but, it honestly shouldn’t be if we’re playing by the romance genre rules. What it should be, however, is a clear signal that something natural and genuine is happening between two characters who are slowly beginning to understand each other.

As a reminder, when we first see Azriel and Gwyn interact, it’s during training when Azriel has been brought on board to help Cassian with the increase in new priestess recruits:

“Gwyn had been distracted today--one eye on the other side of the ring. Cassian could only assume she was watching his brother, who had given Gwyn a small smile of greeting upon arrival. Gwyn hadn’t returned it. . . . She’d said nothing about it during the lesson. Only glanced every now and then toward Az, who remained dutifully focused on his charges.”

We have no reason to believe that Azriel and Gwyn have had any interactions since Sangravah (although I guess their book could contradict that). So, if we’re to assume this is the first time they have seen each other since then, it’s a notable moment. It establishes a baseline for Azriel and Gwyn so that the reader can begin to measure their developing growth and comfort with one another.

That first growth measurement takes place during Azriel’s bonus chapter. We eventually end with the final words of Azriel’s POV, where the image of Gwyn’s joy is “a thing of secret, lovely beauty” to Azriel that he buries “down deep, where it glowed quietly.” That seems like quite a jump on the measuring stick from the first interaction at training.

So, how does this jump happen? Well, friends, it happens very gradually and naturally--almost as if there is intentionality behind it.

Azriel goes from:

→ "dutifully focused on his charges" during their first interaction at training;

→ to turning his attention away from his charges ("Gwyn let out a high-pitched noise that was nothing but pure excitement. Azriel, on the other side of the ring with the rest of the priestesses, half-turned at the sound, brows high.");

→ to moving closer into Gwyn's physical space by training her and Emerie together while Nessian were on their hike:

→ to what we can infer was one-on-one training with Gwyn alone when Azriel "hadn't lingered" when winnowing Nesta and Cassian to the human lands because "Gwyn wanted him to go over dagger handling";

→ to, finally, the bonus chapter in Azriel’s POV where Gwyn catches him by surprise (in more ways than one), and they share a moment of soft laughs and contentment before he envisions her eyes lighting up upon receiving his gift--where the image of Gwyn glows quietly inside his chest as “a thing of secret, lovely beauty.”

So not only are those final words an interesting literary juxtaposition in a bonus chapter filled with incredible juxtapositions, but they hold significant meaning. They show the reader that this is not coming from left field; nor is it a casual gesture for Azriel in the name of just being kind. A progression has taken place since that first meeting where Gwyn did not return his smile. Canon tells us that Azriel is one of our most stoic characters. So this is intentional, even if he tries to brush off the action to Clotho, our weaver of Fate--who “was smart enough to see through his deflection.”

Now, I mentioned earlier that a romantic arc in the romance genre needs to develop on the page within the characters’ POVs. So we are in luck, then, that we’ve been gifted a tiny sliver of Azriel's own POV. Therefore, we truly should be paying it close attention since it can act as a sort of prologue to what we can anticipate for his actual book.

So what does that POV ultimately tell us? I wrote a bonus chapter analysis to help answer this, so I won’t rehash all of it here. But the last words of Azriel’s POV are, in my opinion, important enough to warrant an analysis of their own. If I were SJM, and I knew that it was going to be a long while before we got Azriel’s POV again (with two Crescent City novels and a 5-year gap in between), I’d make those last words count. That’s our “lasting impression.”

And when we think about the lasting impression that Azriel is leaving us with, it has nothing to do with Elain. It has nothing to do with his anger at Rhys. It even has nothing to do with his own self-loathing.

That lasting impression is entirely, and intentionally, focused on Gwyn.

And, I don’t think we can truly understand the weight of that without considering everything that leads up to those final words--how the refusal to return a smile turns into gradual awareness of each other, which then leads into personal training sessions and a Solstice encounter that shows Azriel contentedly (and selflessly) thinking about Gwyn.

If Azriel’s POV left us there (thinking about Gwyn as “a thing of secret, lovely beauty”) with no other interactions or acknowledgements of what is shifting between him and Gwyn, I believe that alone would be enough to tether the reader to what’s to come in Azriel’s book. But that’s not what happens in ACOSF. As I mentioned before, the bonus chapter is just the first measurement we take in how much growth has happened since that first interaction at training.

We must not forget that after Azriel’s POV and the acknowledgement of what has now settled inside his chest, it doesn’t just end there. Instead, we get the following:

Cassian glanced over at Az, but his attention was fixed on the young priestess, admiration and quiet encouragement shining from his face.

Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too, had felt the shift. As if he, too, were aware that far larger forces peered into that training ring as Gwyn moved.

Gwyn asked Az, her teal eyes bright, “What do we get if we finish the course?” Az’s shadows danced around him. “Since there’s no chance in hell any of you will finish the course, we didn’t bother to get a prize.” Boos sounded. Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.”

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder. Az stared after her, brows high with amusement. . . . "Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?" Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder. "You’re the new ribbon, Az.”

She [Gwyn] wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s.

And when Gwyn reached the finish line, bloody and panting and grinning so wildly her teal eyes glowed like a sunlit sea, she only extended her battered hand to Azriel. “Well?”

“There are plenty of other unspeakable things that could be happening to her,” Cassian said, voice thickening. “To Emerie and Gwyn.” The shadows deepened around Azriel, his Siphons gleaming like cobalt fire.

Succeeding in the Blood Rite didn’t mean the training stopped. No, after she [Nesta] and her friends told Cassian and Azriel most of the details of their ordeal, the two commanders had compiled a long list of mistakes that the three of them had made that needed to be corrected . . . So they would keep training, until they were all well and truly Valkyries.

This is a litany of proof for how much Azriel and Gwyn continue to circle around each other after Azriel’s POV as they observe, interact, and think of one another. It’s not stagnant. They are not just sharing the same “charged glances” time after time. It’s also why I view any “the bonus chapter doesn’t matter” arguments as unserious--to believe so is to discount everything that comes before it, the lasting impression of the bonus chapter itself, and all the moments listed above which come after it.

In my opinion, there is no denying the gentle arranging of chess pieces within ACOSF in particular, aided in large part by Azriel’s own POV. There is a direct sense of narrative continuity which can now be picked up immediately after ACOSF in regards to Azriel and Gwyn. The seeds have been planted and when they begin to bloom in the next book, the reader feels like they were there when everything started. So, as Azriel goes on his healing journey (in which there is A LOT of healing that needs to happen), the hope is that we also see how he and Gwyn grow together and challenge each other--and it will feel earned as a reader because we will have seen the journey evolve.

But, none of this can happen without the final moments of that bonus chapter. Just as important as Azriel noting Gwyn’s “secret, lovely beauty,” we must also note that Azriel “buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.” It suggests to us that he isn’t ready to consciously acknowledge the depth of what Gwyn might mean to him. He lives in shadows (both literally and metaphorically), and we have seen that emotional vulnerability does not come naturally to Azriel. Burying that image of Gwyn is perhaps a defense mechanism–protecting that fragile, new feeling from scrutiny, rejection, or even his own self-doubt. And as readers who have spent a great deal of time with Azriel, we know how much he struggles with these things (and will hopefully be working through them in his novel).

However! The fact that Azriel treasures the image at all, means that it matters deeply to him. He hides it away, instead of discarding it altogether. He is just not ready to look at it head-on yet. And, honestly, I find that exciting and THAT makes me want to keep reading about Azriel and Gwyn. It makes me want to scrutinize their shared moments after Solstice, as well as the tiny clues which may be present in HOSAB AND HOFAS (I’m doing a Crescent City re-read now, and trust that I have lots of new thoughts, lol).

In closing, for the reader, this act of internal burial is a quiet promise: there is something blooming beneath the surface, even if Azriel can’t say it out loud yet. It keeps us emotionally tethered to his journey, because we know he feels more than he lets on. Once again, it is our lasting impression. When he eventually does confront what he buried, it will be that much more powerful--not just for his romantic arc with Gwyn, but for his personal growth and healing. The fact that SJM ends Azriel’s POV with Gwyn’s image and light, even if kept in secret, invites us to hope--and to wait--for the moment he finally lets it rise to the surface.

#ok sorry #i think that's my longest analysis yet #acotar #acosf #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #gwyn berdara #gwyneth berdara #pro gwyneth berdara #gwynriel #pro gwynriel #gwyn x azriel #acotar 5 #sjmaas #azriel bonus chapter #literary analysis #literary criticism

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