#bookfandom

Let’s talk about Tamlin. No, seriously. Not Feyre’s Tamlin, not the fandom’s Tamlin, not villain arc Tamlin — just Tamlin as a character. Because I think something strange happened to him narrativamente… and it’s worth unpacking.

When you reread A Court of Thorns and Roses, something becomes glaringly obvious: Tamlin isn’t evil — he’s uninformed. Like, painfully, repeatedly, narratively left out of every important thing that happens. He doesn’t know about the curse specifics. He doesn’t know what Lucien knows. He doesn’t know Feyre can read. He doesn’t know how to communicate. He doesn’t know how to process his trauma, either. He’s not malicious — he’s stuck. Emotionally, developmentally, narratively.

And what makes it all more telling is that he starts strong. The first few chapters are trying to make you like him — the wounded fae lord with the tragic past, the slow-burn protector, the mysterious-but-gentle stranger in a beast’s mask. We were going Beauty and the Beast-coded! And then… mid-book… the tone shifts😬 And the shift is NOT subtle: there's no awkward moment of silence here, no vague discomfort there, but rather, suddenly, the writer decides that Tamlin is not a viable option. And we never really get him back.

Let's be clear: Sarah J. Maas does improve her writing as the books go on, and in the beginning, the development of most characters is pretty weak. In my opinion, the first book is written around two major events (meeting the fae and the Under the Mountain arc) that are somewhat awkwardly stitched together. That's probably where a lot of the poorly handled of Tamlin as either a villain or a morally gray character comes from. In fac...

🧍‍♂️ Ironically, his moment of greatest developmenthis is the one where he stops speaking entirely — the Under the Mountain silence. He’s paralyzed by fear, guilt, helplessness — and it’s frustrating, yes. But it’s real. It’s the closest he gets to an arc, and we skip over it. Because the narrative doesn’t stay with him. He becomes an obstacle to Feyre’s growth — not a participant in his own.

So is Tamlin the villain? Narratively, sure. Emotionally, he’s a failed promise. A character who could’ve been complex and tragic and redeemable — but instead was dropped halfway through the book, never fully picked back up, and handed to the discourse with a “do what you will.”

😔 And it’s a shame, because the story could have explored something deep and painfully real — the kind of people who, while believing themselves to be good, end up sustaining toxic relationships. But instead, we’re left with someone who’s simply never told anything, never given any real explanation, and therefore can’t logically be expected to act differently.

In ACOMAF, Tamlin actually introduced Feyre to some of his friends, but we barely got anything about them because she didn’t really pay attention. She even mentioned forgetting their names right away. Which is kinda wild, considering how much focus was put on Rhysand’s inner circle later.

It’s like the story never really gave Tamlin’s friendships a chance to exist on the page.

And what’s even wilder is that Feyre herself described them as noticeably more chaotic and untamed than the other party guests. Isn't that a glimpse into Tamlin’s real personality? the person who was never meant for this polished, stiff royal life the person who all what he wanted is freedom from royalty stuff.

He hated being a High Lord stuck in a gilded cage of rules and expectations. And yet, somehow, he still did his duty, even when it was killing him inside.

But the real kicker? When Feyre met Rhysand’s Inner Circle, her first thought was, Wow, his friends aren’t afraid to challenge him. Not like Tamlin’s.

Hold up—how would you even know??

You never saw Tamlin with his actual friends! You only ever saw him interact with soldiers, servants, and Lucien.

and Lucien never was the kind of soldier or emissary who's too afraid to challenge Tamlin, I think we can all agree on that. They were actual friends, without all the rank nonsense between them.

In fact, in ACOTAR, Rhysand himself told Tamlin to stop being so friendly with his sentries, and Tamlin was the one who straight-up said, I don’t enforce ranks in my court.

And what did Rhys do? He laughed. Of course, we know he was putting on his mask at the time 🙄, but the point is—Tamlin wasn’t ruling like some untouchable king on a throne. He actually wanted to be close to his people.

And now here’s my biggest question

where were those friends when Feyre left the Spring Court?

The same ones who fought alongside Tamlin for years? The ones who, according to lore, begged him to let them die to break Amarantha’s curse? They just vanished.

Either they actually abandoned him (which, tbh, I doubt because why stay through Amarantha’s reign and beg to let you die to break the curse only to dip when Feyre peaced out?), or—and hear me out—they died during Hybern’s attack. Because ofcourse Feyre weakened the wall, dipped, and never looked back. She wasn’t there to see the aftermath.

If that’s true? That’s just another tragedy on Tamlin’s shoulders. The guy already lost everyone once. Imagine finally breaking free from Amarantha, trying to piece your life back together, and then boom—war comes, your people die, and the one person you thought you saved leaves you to drown in it.

Him: “Team Titus or Team Will?”

Me: slams book “TEAM ASTER! She doesn’t need a man to define her! 💥📚✨”

Move over Edward & Jacob—Aster is here to steal the crown 👑

Who’s your favorite: Titus, Will, or the queen herself?