sakura :3

This is some next level petty sh*t from BB/Sjm 😂

It is fine to get carried away and be affected by echo chambers and confirmation bias and all that. But at this point there is no excuse to ignoring the writing on the wall just because it doesn't feel good. They look ridiculous.

Oh but don't you know anon? This Promo is Autumn themed and Gwyn is from Autumn so...she is being included, oh can't forget the new romances and whose joining the IC - these are ALL only about Gwyn.

Honestly tho, they're going to cling to gwynriel till the very end. They've self insterted w gwyn so hard, they refuse to accept she isn't that important.

Notice how it's both POV and POVs. Single POV or multi POV? Considering ACOSF was dual POV, most people are already expecting at least two POVs. Perhaps the "surprising" thing to SJM was telling ACOTAR 6 entirely from Elain's POV. This would give her the opportunity to keep her endgame romance a secret (which she clearly wants to do) and lead to more POVs in ACOTAR 7.

We also have this fun game included. Elain along with both of her love interests in a game meant to market ACOTAR 6. Since SJM has been so tight lipped about the romance, this leads me to believe the book will be Elain focused with teasers of both Elriel and Elucien. ACOTAR 6 will end with a cliffhanger about whether Elain will accept or reject the mating bond and we'll have to read ACOTAR 7 to find out the answer.

Not only is this the best way to keep the love triangle going, but pairing that with Elain's visions will keep readers guessing. Imagine she has a vision of her future but we don't know who it's with? Or she has two visions of two possible futures?

They are the people whom Rhys addressed in his final speech. They are mentioned by the order of who became part of the Inner Circle first.

Cassian, then Azriel, followed by Mor, then Amren, then Feyre. And then, Nesta and Elain.

“I believe everything happens for a reason. Whether it is decided by the Mother, or the Cauldron, or some sort of tapestry of Fate, I don't know. I don't really care. But I am grateful for it, whatever it is. Grateful that it brought you all into my life. If it hadn't... I might have become as awful as that prick we're going to face today. If I had not met an Illyrian warrior-in-training," he said to Cassian, "I would not have known the true depths of strength, of resilience, of honor and loyalty." Cassian's eyes gleamed bright. Rhys said to Azriel, "If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair." Azriel bowed his head in thanks. Mor was already crying when Rhys spoke to her. "If I had not met my cousin, I would neer have learned that light can be found in even the darkest of hells. That kidness can thrive even amongst cruelty." She wiped away her teas as she nodded. I waited for Amren to offer a retort. But she was only waiting. Rhys bowed his head to her. "If I had not met a tiny monster who hoards jewels more fiercely than a firedrake..." A quite laugh from all of us at that. Rhys smiled softly. "My own power would have consumed me long ago." Rhys squeezed my hand as he looked to me at last. "And if I had not met my mate..." His words failed him as silver lined his eyes. He said down the bond, I would have waited five hundred more years for you. A thousand years. And if this was all the time we were allowed to have... The wait was worth it. He wiped away the tears sliding down my face. "I believe that everything happened, exactly the way it had to... so I could find you." He kissed another tear away.” ― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin

And then, he said this:

That's it.

It's not Lucien, it's not the Valkyries, it's not Varian, or anyone else.

The original IC and the 3 sisters.

There should be no arguments about this. It's SPELLED OUT.

feyre - by tamlin after she killed andras, by rhysand when he took her from her wedding (he did save her but it could be considered kidnapping)

nesta - by hybern in her sleep, by briallyn to be put in the blood rite

His mother. Feyre. Elain. All women who have been through some form of abuse. All women who Lucien has never stood up for.

But when it comes to Tamlin ( an abuser) he’s besties with him. He even goes as far to tell Feyre to give Tamlin another chance after he was actively abusing her.

Mind you, Cassian didn’t just stop existing just because his book is done. His “role” isn’t over. That being said, why is she taking Cassians plot lines and thinking it’ll be Elains next?

Not to mention, does she honestly think Elain would go alone? Literally choosing to willingly ignore the obvious male who blends into shadows.

Try as you might, Yaz, but 1) Cassian isn’t the only reliable narrator in the series and 2) Azriel will be following Elain along wherever she goes because he’s not only a trusted member of the Inner Circle (something Lucien isn’t) but he’s also Elain’s love interest.

Cry about it.

i personally don’t mind whether elriel ends up being true mates or not, i think it’s very possible and I wouldn’t be surprised, but elriel doesn’t NEED it. if they are that’d be a bonus like how the mating bond was a bonus for Feysand and nessian, but ultimately the concept of nature getting it wrong and the fmc rejecting that bond to get with her true love is what’s intriguing about elriel

Feysand didnt need a fated bond. People didnt fall in love with the couple because of the bond, that was the bonus on top. Same with Nessian, they dont rely on needing the mating bond. None of Sjms' couples do, love is the most important thing.

Likewise, elriel does not rely on the bond. Its a beautiful story if elain and az choose each other over their mating bonds and its a plotwist for most readers if they end up being true mates, a win win case scenario.

Elucien relies on the bond because its the only thing between them. They dont have anything outside of that bond. Their whole identity is "we're mates who are uncomfortable around each other". Thats not Sjms style.

but yes! Exploring bond rejection & the fact nature can get pairings wrong - is such an interesting spin on fated mates. Its especially fascinating to explore ways to severe bonds without either mate feeling it, freeing them both completely. Elriel stans out because it challeneges the fated mates norm and clearly this is something Maas is buzzing to write as she's brought it up twice now.

I’m sorry, since when is an omission of information taken as a confirmation for something? Why would we the reader, who aren’t in Elain’s pov, hear if she kept or discarded his gifts? We only know she gave back the necklace because the focus of the BC was on the gift giving interaction. We do know Elain received a gift from Lucien in front of everyone, and we also know she would never reject it in front of everyone. When she returned the necklace, it was done privately, and since the BC wasn’t about Lucien, we have no idea if she also got rid of his gifts privately.

What we do know is that

1. She never got Lucien a gift

2. She has gotten Azriel gifts the past 2 solstices

3. Azriel kept Elain’s gift for a year and stared at it every night

“But he wanted to taste Elain" Ruhn had a female riding his face in the same book he met his mate so lust and sexy times ≠ endgame. It's not a strong argument.

This is called yearning.. “She hadn’t bought her mate a present. But she’d gotten Azriel one last year — a headache powder he kept on his nightstand at the House of Wind. Not to use, but just to look at. Which he’d done every night he’d slept there. Or attempted to sleep there.”