sakura :3

A Gwyn book

A Gwynriel book

A Gwynriel crossover with other Maasverse books (Gwyn as a translator for Bryce)

It's Azriel's book

Azriel's book with Gwyn equally

Azriel's book with Nesta as the FMC, and Gwynriel developing

A massive crossover with Nessian and Gwynriel as the main couples

A Valkyrie book

Elucien first, then a Gwynriel book

Gwynriel first, then an Elucien book

A Gwynriel novella between book 6 and 7

An Elucien novella between book 6 and 7

Elain can't carry a book

SJM changed her mind, book

Coping begins:

Equal POVs, Gwynriel and Elucien book

It will start with Elriel, but then they'll move on to Gwyn and Lucien respectively book

Elriel ended in the Bonus Chapter book

It will be Elriel, but then Gwyn will be revealed as Azriel's mate and he'll dump Elain book

Elain will be humbled and will crawl back to Lucien book

Elain doesn't deserve either Lucien and Azriel, so it will be a Gwyn and Azriel book, and Elain will be with Tamlin in Spring, and Lucien will get a new LI

Elain dies book

'SJM can write anything' book

Azriel and Gwyn leave for Midgard book, Elain stays behind with Lucien

It's still a Valkyrie book

Post CHD podcast:

It's multi POV

First book WILL be Elriel, but then it will split into an Elucien book, and a Gwynriel book, and an Emorie book

Elain might be the FMC, but it will be an Elucien book

'I don't care about ships' book

It will be a Valkyrie book with Gwynriel in book 7

Short 1st book will be Elucien and then it will be Gwynriel for 1000 pages

SJM can write anything book

It's all one big ruse by Bloomsbury, book

'I didn't know it was a romantasy' book

Elain doesn't need a male LI, she is a strong independent woman

Elain will never forgive Azriel book, so she will go to Lucien because she has no choice

"I am no longer discussing ships. SJM can write anything' book

Elriels bullied SJM into writing an Elriel book

I will set myself on fire if it's an Elriel book, book

This week:

It's an Autumn Court book

Gwyn who, book?

Gwyn will not be in the first book at all, and maybe in the second

This might be a Elain, Azriel and Lucien book

Could it be a book with a triangle of Azriel, Elain and Lucien? I never considered it

Bloomsbury is just keeping everything secret, but the big reveal will be a Gwynriel book

Guys, what if it's an Elriel and a Vassien book?

It's a multi-POV book!

Sarah j Maas, 2026:

“Im interested in exploring the concept of free will in mating bond”

this came rightafter Alex asked the question abt Elain’s mating bond situation.

Im not creating this out of my ass, this is literally the one and only, straight from the author, the new info we got for acotar’s future. Treating this info as nothing and ignored it just show how bias u are and that all of ur theories is based on WHAT YOU WANT and not WHAT THE AUTHOR INTENDED TO HAPPEN.

Antis dismiss it by claiming “free will in mating bond” meant Elain accepting the bond. If thats the case then why do SJM also discuss abt lucien and his “betrayal”. Why does she put the bond in negative light and purposely said that its different from what Feysand’s and Nessian’s have. And the iconic quote “nature made a mistake“.

So when I see #those fan made canva on what might be the future plot is, and they blatantly never address Elain’s mating bond situation, its bcoz they know that its heading towards the rejection plot per sjm’s comment.

Elain rejecting the mating bond or departure from what she has with Lucien was always hinted and intended to happen as proof from Acowar:

“Why not make them mates?”

“Why Lucien?”

What if”—I jerked my chin toward the window, to my sister and the shadowsinger in the garden—“that is what she needs?

“Is there no free will?”

The biggest theme if not the MAIN PLOT of the next books would be the free will in mating bond especially where Elain is concerned. Antis who made it seems that the plot will happen to LoA instead, they know theyre coping like…

Not to mentioned the introduction of the idea of blood duel as part of the Autumn court tradition and Az also used to want to invoke it??? Yea we def getting it in the next book

So excluded Elain from ur lil theories or lump her into Lucien’s journey make it so hard to take yall seriously.

Again, not surprised. E/uciens don’t actually like Elain. They just want her as some sort of prize for their “sweet foxy Lulu baby”

As always, take this with a grain of salt, but this new Dread Trove Puzzle has me wondering, what are those things in the background?

Let me zoom in…

A blue stone(and egg?!)-looking object, a hexagonal black box, and a spindle (more technically called a distaff) of thread or yarn?! What’s going on here…

Their “favourite moment” of Elain that just won on their subreddit was…

“His name is Lucien.”

Their favourite moment is a moment that was heartbreaking for Elain. When she was already at her lowest after dealing with having her body violated by being forced in the cauldron, her ex-fiancé broke her heart by not accepting what she had become.

And that’s their favourite moment…

Just say you only want Elain to be a tool in Lucien’s story because nobody is buying that you actually care for her.

this is what i think some online readers nowadays seemed to ignore and i hate it because there is a huge importance on establishing a woman’s agency with her life in the stories being told.

ex.

how rhys lets her decide/have agency of her own — “But he would, I realized. He’d shove down his need for me and take me to them, if that was what I wanted. My choice. It had always been my choice with him.”

and with her sisters — “But I won’t force them to help, if they do not wish to participate. The choice will be theirs”

- she asks nesta to join them, and feyre still respected her choice when nesta said no about sharing her experience with the cauldron. aside from asking how elain is, feyre left elain alone out of respect

clearly choice is an important theme in the series (since book one) but SJM is making an emphasis on it again. i wonder why?

then in chapter 24, the iconic “why not make them mates?”, and feyre bringing up “free will”; “Is there no free will? What if Lucien wishes the union but she doesn’t?” with rhys.

to which he replied, “There is choice. And sometimes, yes—the bond picks poorly.” — it is literally written there in the books, that despite it all, women will have a choice about their journey.

kind of crazy how SJM has shared time and time again how she wanted to explore the concept of free will to which even feyre (aka SJM) has mentioned in ACOWAR, and repeatedly, by SJM.

but sure, rejecting the mating bond and exploring female agency will go to some background characters OR how elain will be an irrelevant character who won’t be a part of the next books, sure.

SJM isn’t obligated to spell out the obvious because it is in the books, not her fault some want to interpret it differently

Even in acosf, when Nesta forbids Elain from scrying, Feyre tells her it is Elains choice.

Choice has always been an essential theme in the Maasverse.

Each couple chose each other. For feyre and nesta - they both had that moment where they chose to accept their bonds AFTER falling in love with their mates and knowing they would choose them regardless of a bond.

Thats the thing antis don't understand or want to understand. Elains choice of love was ripped away because of a bond that was forced on. She didnt ask for a mate. She lost Grayson to this bond. Azriel has been forbidden from her due to this bond. Its a pressure on her, that she should give him a chance - clearly elain felt that pressure when in acofas she snapped back saying Lucien wasn't entitled to her. And even now, yes she has the "choice" to accept or reject the bond but is it really a free choice when she knows rejecting the bond carries a lot of consequences? it isnt.

Maas wants to explore free will and it is a very interesting concept. You have mating bond...but like...you dont want it. So what happens then? You feel the bond for the rest of your life? That's not fair. You run the risk of having your lover killed in a blood duel? Thats not fair. You mate might go ballistic because of you? Again, rejecting a bond is not an actual available choice. Challenging that idea and exploring what it could mean is a refeshing take on the "fated mates" trope because sometimes, nature does get it wrong. So what happens then?

The fact eluciens deny this element of choice as anything meaningful for elain is honestly weird. Instead, they double down on how important and sacred the bond is - a belief Sjm wants to challenge.

OF COURSE since we’ve heard from Feyre and Nesta we would hear from Elain.

OF COURSE SJM has laid the foundation for the next storyline in ACOFAS and ACOSF.

OF COURSE Lucien would be a part of Elain’s story (he’s her mate).

OF COURSE Azriel would be a part of Elain’s story (they wanna fuuuuck).

Gwyn is not a part of Azriel’s story she’s a part of NESTA’S story! “But Azriel was a part of Nesta’s story in HOFA—“DO YOU KNOW WHO ELSE IS A PART OF NESTAS STORY ALWAYS?? ELAIN!