This is my first post in regards to ACOSF after its release. Unfortunately, I have to talk about something negative, but this has been bothering me and I’d like to address it.
There is a big problem in ACOSF: Rhysand. Why?
Contrary to what the narrative portrays his character to be, he only comes off as extremely self-centered, selfish, and awful.
Throughout the book, he continuously refuses to inform Feyre of the complications that might happen during the birth. He does so knowing full well how much danger she would face, to the point she has a slim chance of survival.
Cassian squeezed Rhys’s shoulder. “Why won’t you tell her?“
Rhys’s throat worked. “Because I can’t bring myself to give her that fear. To take away one bit of the joy in her eyes every time she puts a hand on her belly.” His voice shook. “It is fucking eating me alive, this terror. I keep myself busy, but … there is no one to bargain with for her life, no amount of wealth to buy it, nothing that I can do to save her.”
There is a lot to unpack here. Firstly, Feyre had every right to know what might happen. She should have been informed of the risks - it was her own body they were discussing. Yet Rhysand forbids anyone from doing so.
This is where my biggest problem with all of this comes in. He didn’t want to tell her because of how it affected him. This whole exchange only proved that he’d be willing to keep secrets this important from Feyre to suit how he felt. He doesn’t bother to consider how she would feel about it, because the main point here is how informing her would make him feel upset.
Feyre’s life is on the line, there shouldn’t have been any debate whether or not to inform her. I think she would have appreciated it if she had been told rather than it being kept a secret from her. If it wasn’t for Nesta, he would have never told her about the situation until it happened. And that is not okay.
It all goes back to how Rhysand feels. The narrative essentially prioritizes him and feeds the readers dozens of excuses as to why it was fine to keep Feyre in the dark - which is harmful and toxic to the core.
His lack of basic decency towards Nesta and the treatment he gives her
No, Rhysand does not care about Nesta at all. Nothing he has ever done in the last three books has shown anything close to care. He would gladly leave her to her suffering if he had his way - but he couldn’t because she was Feyre’s sister. Any bit of "generosity” he showed her was only done for the sake of Feyre and not for Nesta herself.
In ACOSF, he either treats her like a wild, savage animal that would attack everyone or that she was an irredeemable monster. He doesn’t treat her like a human being.
Here are two examples I’d like to highlight:
She turned to Rhys and Feyre and found the former watching her carefully, the epitome of ease with his arm around his mate’s shoulders—the gleam in his eye one of pure threat.
Nesta let him see it then. That she bore no ill will toward Feyre or the babe. Some primal part of her understood that Rhys was not only male, but a Fae male, and he would eliminate any threats to his mate and child. That he’d do it slowly and painfully and then walk away from her shredded corpse without an ounce of regret.
He insinuates that Nesta would try to attack a baby. She has to confirm she wouldn’t do something like that - and even when she does he’s still wary of her throughout the book. It’s just … disgusting how low he thinks of her.
Rhys said in that voice that was like hell embodied, “Nesta saw fit to inform Feyre of the risk to her and the babe.”
Cassian’s heart began thundering, even as it splintered.
Rhys held his stare, and it was all Cassian could do to weather it as his brother, his High Lord said, “Get Nesta out of this city. Right now.” Rhys’s power rumbled in the room like a rising storm. “Before I fucking kill her.”
Here, Rhysand outright threatens to kill Nesta for telling Feyre the truth. Yes, in context Nesta did not say it for Feyre’s sake but out of spite. Does that give the right for Rhysand to want to kill her? Absolutely not. He wanted to obliterate Nesta because she told Feyre something that Feyre deserved to know. It’s crazy to think that is portrayed as “protective” when it is anything but.
After all this, in the end, she calls him her ‘brother, that had shown her kindness’? He never showed her even an ounce of true respect. In his eyes, she’s just another messed-up object they need to get rid of.
ACOSF had many problems, but Rhysand’s character was something I hated so much. He has other problematic issues (his colonialism attitude, his awful ruling system, etc.) It shows just how horrible he is as a person. Rhysand is one of the worst protagonists of YA and it time we acknowledge that. It’s sickening how many young readers have been influenced by his character and continue to support him. No one should be glorifying his behaviour - not at all.
