#acosf thoughts

Readers- i think sarah mentioned it because eris is nesta's true mate and eris will challenge cassian for the blood duel in the next book.. and then nesta and eris will live together forever after.

And this is because sarah discarded tamlin and chose rhysand over him for feyre! 🤨🤨🤨

like are people really that traumatized by book 1????????? like i as a reader was rooting for feyre and lucien until rhysand showed up!

What makes people think that nesta will choose eris over cassian! the man who literally held her through her trauma and outbursts he sat there listening to nesta's fears, her traumas, made her put herself back together.... they literally accepted their mating bond!!!!

How people come up with such weird theories!!!! 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

At least that’s what she tried to promote in the interviews after a court of silver flames.

prior to ACOSF, sarah never really talked about nesta that way. then suddenly, around this book, her interviews shifted — focusing much more on how much the character meant to her personally rather than on the strength of the story itself.

when a book pulls away from the core dynamics of a series and asks readers to re-anchor to a different character, marketing steps in hard. the “favourite character” narrative isn’t some deep truth — it’s a tool to build trust and keep readers invested.

especially when, from a critical standpoint, the book was more divisive and didn’t fully stand on its own the way earlier entries did. Look at what the critics actually said about it… authors and publishers look at that.

so instead of the story carrying itself, the messaging does some of that work: this matters, trust it, the author cares about this the most. That is what her interviews around ACOSF sounded like.

that’s not favouritism. that’s reinforcement.

YEP! Further evidence that not only is Mor unprincipled, she also doesn’t have nearly as much power as Maas claims. Maas likes putting characters in important leadership positions, but cares little about what they do in those positions. Because all its only ever the aesthetic of power that actually matters. Mor’s power does not function as a tool she has at her disposal, rather, it functions as another way of showing the audience how progressive Rhysand is.

Ps I’d post from my acotar sideblog, wolfnesta, but I can’t /: tis I though!

One of my pet peeves is when readers try to headcanon the hell out of the narrative and then argue with you about why you must accept their version of the story. Many such cases with ACOTAR, as I expressed in another post.

You’re completely right, Nesta’s addiction really isn’t part of the story. Maas uses Nesta’s alcoholism and hypersexuality as a means of justifying the inciting incident of her so-called “healing arc” but doesn’t actually care about exploring it any further. We hardly see Nesta truly craving the things that numb her pain, or tangible negative consequences that aren’t a minuscule dent in Feysand’s joint account. She experiences next to no symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, and her having sex with Cassian while confined in the HOW is never regarded as a coping mechanism. This is why I roll my eye whenever people try to act like Nesta was a genuine depiction of an addict.

The people who portray Feyre’s struggle as one of a family member’s to an addict are not serious people. I’m partially joking about that remark (but I’m also partially not). Feyre’s real struggle is that Nesta is embarrassing her in front of her tenuous new friend group who she doesn’t yet feel secure enough with to stand up to. Hence why Nesta’s “recovery” is centred around the comfort and sensibilities of those with the power to control her. This is evident from the fact that Nesta’s forced confinement was justified by…*checks notes* heavy spending, promiscuity and drinking. It was an extreme measure in a situation that was not severe enough to justify it. The only way I could even potentially justify this kind of approach would be if Nesta was an active (and imminent) danger to herself and others. This is another example of SJM’s laziness and lack of imagination. Nesta’s new and unpredictable abilities coupled with PTSD, frequent inebriation and emotional distress could genuinely pose a serious threat to the public. We know that one’s emotional state can impact their powers, and I could easily see Nesta’s powers flaring up because of that. However, no such thing ever happens and her threat level to the public is mild at best. Making the drastic measures taken by the Inner Circle completely unwarranted.

But back to the main point…you’re completely right about the selective interrogation of the narrative and its logic. Trying to paint Feyre’s actions as an acceptable way to respond to a struggling individual is just another way to absolve her. It elevates Feyre in a way that is very generous and helps these fans reaffirm their ideas about Nesta’s treatment. It’s a counter argument that conveniently ignores the lack of weight Nesta’s addiction had in the story and fills in the gaping holes that Maas didn’t bother to fill in. All this to say…I completely see it.

It’s genuinely insane that such a plot line was read by her editors and approved for publishing. It’s so bad that it utterly obliterates the small shred of credibility that had been built up for Rhysand. I said it on my other blog, but I genuinely believe that Maas doesn’t grasp how much of a massive (relationship-ending) betrayal it was on the part of Rhysand. She most likely sees the pregnancy lie of omission as somewhat severe, but ultimately forgivable as it was done because Rhysand loves Feyre so much that he wants to spare her from any pain. Maas would never have Rhysand do anything she feels is unforgivable because Rhysand is her special boy.

Feyre’s situation taps into a horror that is not only specific to pregnancy, but also based in the historical reproductive/medical abuse women have experienced for centuries. It taps into the terrifying idea that your body could be subject to the whims of your husband/male guardian and you would have no means of stopping it. It’s a stunning example (and endorsement, if we’re being honest) of benevolent misogyny and it effectively confirms that Feyre’s friends don’t respect her at all.

Eris: I’m not so cruel and unfeeling that I would think about giving up my future child to be raised in an unknown environment. However, you can have my armies to fight the real evil threatening our chance to even have a future.

39 y.o. Women do not think like Gwynriels, they do not think like:

Pitting woman against each other is the best form of female story.

That one woman is “better” than another woman or more deserving.

That a woman’s worth is related to her ability to give a man a child.

That stories about women are just about who they end up with romantically.

That being a girl boss is the only version of a woman that deserves love. Or that is the only type of woman that is strong and deserves recognition.

That it’s OK for one sister to end up with the abusive ex of another sister

That relationships heal people. (The only person that can heal you is you)

The winged horses were rare—so rare that it was said Helion’s seven breeding pairs of flying horses were the only ones left. (ACOSF, pg420)