#ianthe is a fantastic character I just love to hate her

[morally-grey-girlbosses]

(Art for Commander Wake, John Gaius, and Ianthe Tridentarius used courtesy of @midnightcrows. Check her out, her art is fantastic!)

The top two characters will be eligible to proceed into the bracket!

Propaganda under the cut. Be warned, it is extensive - Locked Tomb fans are apparently... verbose.

Commander Awake Remembrance Of These Valiant Dead Kia Hua Ko Te Pai Snap Back To Reality Oops There Goes Gravity:

Leader of a terrorist organization devoted to killing God. After she died she hung on as a revenant through sheer self-righteous hatred, tried to kill two different saints, and tried charging God with crimes against humanity. Also she carried her daughter to term solely for the sake of killing her as a ritual sacrifice, and referred to the child only as "the bomb" throughout the series. She's morally ambiguous (instead of just awful) because she's probably right, but it's honestly a close-run thing.

She was the leader of an insurgent force who hate necromancers and want to destroy God, who are descended from filthy fucking capitalists. She was the most successful leader in years. She fucked a guy ordered to kill her and the guy's dead best friend who sometimes inhabited his body. She allied with two of God's saints to unlock the tomb. The saints fucked god and stole his cum. All the eggs the saints gave her died so she impregnated herself with the god cum and gave birth to a baby. She called the baby bomb. Her lover pushes her out of the airlock. Her ghost angrily recants his name and the people who find her baby name her after him. She possesses her daughter's two handed sword. Her daughter jumps on a fence to sacrifice herself for her homoerotic archrival slash best friend, and said best friend becomes one of god's saints. She possesses the body of one of god's dead saints to rekindle her relationship with the girl possessing the body of the guy who killed her. She invades her daughter's rival slash lover slash friend's mind and attacks ghosts contained in her fucked up dream bubble. She starts moving around the space station they're on in the real world while her daughter's consciousness possesses her arch rivals body after her arch rival enters said dream state. she saves her daughter with god's life. She argues with god and tries to charge him for war crimes. her ex kills her. but none of that matters what really matters is that “I KISSED YOU AND LATER I WOULD KISS HIM TOO BEFORE I UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU WERE, AND ALL THREE OF US LIVED TO REGRET IT—BUT WHEN I AM IN HEAVEN I WILL REMEMBER YOUR MOUTH, AND WHEN YOU ROAST DOWN IN HELL I THINK YOU WILL REMEMBER MINE” this quote. this quote is amazing. “I WILL REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME YOU KISSED ME—YOU APOLOGISED—YOU SAID, I AM SORRY, DESTROY ME AS I AM, BUT I WANT TO KISS YOU BEFORE I AM KILLED, AND I SAID TO YOU WHY, AND YOU SAID, BECAUSE I HAVE ONLY ONCE MET SOMEONE SO UTTERLY WILLING TO BURN FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVED IN, AND I LOVED HIM ON SIGHT, AND THE FIRST TIME I DIED I ASKED OF HIM WHAT I NOW ASK OF YOU” also this one. anyways vote commander wake

Awake Remembrance of These Valiant Dead Kia Hua Ko Te Pai Snap Back to Reality Oops There Goes Gravity is commonly called Commander Wake. Her people are being colonized and oppressed by the Emperor Undying, the immortal emperor of a society of necromancers. Commander Wake is the leader of the resistance against this occupying force. As for her character: Commander Wake is unscrupulous and unyielding, definitely more prone to "the power of incredible violence" than "the power of love". She will use any methods at her disposal to fight back against the necromancers. She is described as proud and unforgiving. She never backs down and her strength of will and determination are unmatched. Some of her girlboss moments (spoilers for the entire The Locked Tomb book series): She is the only one the Emperor and his people consider a worthy foe. She colludes with the Emperor's most trusted soldiers and in fact has sex with two of them (who share a body but that's not important right now). She needs the Emperor's blood to defeat him, so she gets her colluding buddies to get her some of his semen to grow a child. When it doesn't go quite to plan, she simply decides to carry the child herself, fully intending to kill it for its blood when it is born. After she is killed, she haunts a sword (and the narrative) for years and years. Later she possesses a corpse and comes face to face with the Emperor, where she proceeds to argue with him about his warcrimes and never backs down. The woman she slept with is still obsessed with her a full book after her double-death. She had no necromantic powers but with technology and military strategy worked to understand and mitigate how necromancy works and what it can and cant do. She insists that the Emperor Undying use her full name, to his face, even when she is completely at his mercy! Her determination is strong enough to bend the genre of an entire haunted dream to her will! When the necromancers come at her with swords she comes at them with. Gun

John Gaius, His Celestial Kindliness, the First Reborn, and The Necrolord Prime

John Gaius, His Celestial Kindliness, the First Reborn, and The Necrolord Prime is the Emperor and primary deity of The Nine Houses. He is perhaps (major spoilers for The Locked Tomb) not technically a girl, but by god does he - Gaslight (Erasing his friends' memories then telling them lies about their past and imposing his perceptions of their personalities onto them) - Gatekeep (Telling his closest followers they need to kill their life partners in order to become immortal WHICH IS NOT EVEN TRUE. John keeps the method of how HE became immortal a secret from them!) - GIRLBOSS (creates a multi-planetary society that worships him as a God) He is also morally grey: He necromantically resurrected millions of people after a planet-wide cataclysm. He caused said cataclysm by nuking the earth. He only nuked the earth because he wanted to stop the billionaires from escaping the planet, because in doing so they left everyone else to die. He wanted to save everyone. He loves the Earth. Even though he is a man he is SUCH a morally ambiguous girlboss

Prince Ianthe Naberius the First, the Lyctor Prince, the Saint of Awe, previously known as Ianthe Tridentarius, the Princess of Ida, heir to the House of the Third, Mouth of the Emperor, the Procession, House of the Shining Dead:

shes tall pale and has no ass. she has the ability to manipulate her fat distribution so she chooses to look like a wet cat. everybody forgets about her because her sister is so hot, but while everyone else is fucking around and trying to figure out whose been killing people, shes been figuring out the secrets to an ancient necromantic theorem. it turns out her hot sister isnt actually a necromancer and ianthe has been doing the work of two necromancers her whole life. she regularly does cannibalism. she eats the soul of her cavalier, who nobody cares about, and becomes a saint of the king undying. her sister is deeply upset that she did not eat her. she gets her arm ripped off by one of the original states. she performs a lobotomy on one of the main protagonists because she asks her to. they have immensely homoerotic tension but its entirely one sided. she cries every night. her soup recipe amounts to burning onions on the bottom of a pot. the scene in which said main protagonists creates her an arm out of bones is the closest the series has to a sex scene. she meets the other main protagonist and says "but your fist is so large and my ass is so small". she stops god from being killed, which everybody hates. in the space between books, she has a terrible terrible no good friend ship with the main protagonist i mentioned before. i love it. they probably fucked and it involved chussy. they have friendship bracelets. she possesses the body of her dead cavalier who nobody cares about to gallivant around in. shes dangerously obsessed with her sister, who after not being eaten has been radicalised and now is a leader in an insurgent cell. she is the target of "then perish" during the epilogue. apparently in the next book she is going to do something horrible. i love her immensely. she has very few redeeming qualities. she is my best friend

listen. she ate a man's heart to become immortal. she is described as the shadow of her twin sister. she calls the protag a fruitcake. she will betray anyone and anything to get what she wants.

Wet Rat who sucks commits cannibalism for won her way through the lyctor olympics of the first books ate her cavalier to go to gods party swinger yatch. She has no fucking idea of what she's doing but she's slaying all day everyday, literally and figuratively. Made everyone believe that her twin sister was a super good necromancer while her sister has no powers by necromancing for her in secret. Idk she's just. She's just so.

The uglier of the supposed pair of the genius necromantic princess twins. Jk, she’s the only necromantic one she's just so good she seems like two geniuses combined, she flies under the radar, doesn't take part in gruesome lessons on powerful necromancy but just figures everything out by thinking alone, kills a dude she known her whole life the moment she learns it will give her more political and magic power, does a truly villainous monolouge when caught for that murder cause who cares about a male dying why are you so mad. Then later murders her much stronger beloved mentor the minute she's asked to gain even more power and prestige and from a princess of one planet becomes a saint and prince and military powerhouse of a divine empire, loyal only as long as her hotter twin sister is safe, truly an inspiration for all feminists everywhere

Harrowhark Nonagesimus was submitted without propaganda.

#poll #tournament poll #qualifiers #the locked tomb #commander wake #john gaius #ianthe tridentarius #harrowhark nonagesimus

[mayasaura]

can i ask why you have an ianthe cw? ive seen it around tlt tumblr and im just curious

Warning: this post contains greater than the reccomended dose of Ianthe Tridentarius. Talk to your doctor if you or your loved ones begin presenting signs of Ianthelioma.

It's a joke that orginated on one of the Locked Tomb discords!

#just a warning that the post contains Ianthe #cause she's toxic and most of my friends are slipping under it #I can't tell you in more detail than that #I saw the tag being used and thought it was hilarious so I started using it too #ianthe is a fantastic character I just love to hate her #i think the joke was something like Ianthe deserves a content warning all on her own or something like that #for all the fucked up shit she does #the locked tomb #harrow the ninth #cw ianthe tridentarius

[commander-minkowski]

very messy first thoughts on “as yet unsent”

gideon’s body “fails to rot” and “animals refuse to touch it” first of all, interesting; second of all, this is before harrow and cam met, bc cam still has pal’s bones around her neck. so that means for at least several months, gideon’s body was empty; whoever is narrating at the end of htn didn’t swoop in immediately

the rebellion has been “consorting with” the nine houses for “much of the last myriad” (!) is anyone we know secretly an edenite?

the phrase “shepherd planets” makes my skin crawl!

they played imaginary chess with the ceiling tiles in the hospital. that is so in character oh my god. “only the princess gives Hect a good game” <- corona is good at chess? be still my heart

“the princess, always so quick to sympathy and so quick to violence” “the princess called me a number of names I will not reproduce here” “she is being taught to fire a gun [...] Camilla says she has a good eye” “[she] asked me if at any point blood had ever flowed in my veins or if it had always been graphite shavings” “she was a princess. a king” <3 your hand in marriage, ma’am

“the main grievance is the resettlements” wow ya think

“the first four weeks [cam] remained nonverbal” “we do not begin to understand each other’s grief” “they brought in camilla and put their gun to her head” :( let camilla rest PLEASE

“the tips of [corona’s] ears go pink when she is genuinely impassioned” OK judith .... kinda gay of you to notice that

all three hate the texture of paper. lol

corona offered to cut herself open so judith could use her thalergy to heal herself?? oh so it’s not just a special bond with ianthe. she’s just Like that

gideon and the edenites clearly get their porn from the same place....... I don’t know what to do with that information

“I thought it [a necro-cav pair having sex] was a natural development” given how much magnus and abigail seem to be scorned, this is really interesting!

“an obsessive fusion of halves” boy oh boy if that isn’t griddlehark in a nutshell :/

corona and judith mutual pining childhood friends with cutesy nicknames??? oh TASTY

“wretched, cack-headed children” “ugh! eugh” “good luck!! not!!!” oh a cameo from mercy!! yes yesssss my horrible ancient wife

“the ninth was sweet [...] she was yummy, too. fantastic body” a little creepy, corona. have some respect for the dead. not wrong, but a little creepy!

“having desired her [corona] already for twelve long, stupid, fruitless years” JESUS everyone in this series is so REPRESSED

anyway. I loved this. fascinated to know how we get from here to cam, corona, judith and not-gideon sharing an apartment

#my ramblings #locked tomb #as yet unsent #judith deuteros #coronabeth tridentarius #camilla hect #tlt #long post #eh it's not that long but I want people to have the option to blacklist it #tlt spoilers #100

[thetypedwriter]

Harrow the Ninth Book Review

Harrow the Ninth Book Review by Tamsyn Muir

This book is a pretentious trash fire. 

...in my opinion, of course. 

One of my favorite things to do when I finish a book is to look at reviews on Goodreads. Usually, I try to formulate and write down my own thoughts first, as I don’t want to be influenced by others’ thoughts and opinions, but I couldn’t help myself this time. 

As I envisaged, the reviews were mostly positive with sporadic one or two star ratings. Unfortunately, my review will emulate those fellow abysmal ones. Trust me when I say that no one is more disappointed than myself and my best friend. 

As I buddy-read Gideon the Ninth with her, so too did we also accompany each other while reading Harrow the Ninth. However, because of things like life and jobs, she was well ahead of me and warned me quite succinctly that I was going to hate this novel. 

And she was right. 

Now, I can still appreciate Muir’s writing skills, her creativity, her myriad vocabulary, and the sheer guts this novel probably took. Muir is a fantastic writer. She’s obviously skilled, highly detailed, and unimaginably creative. Her vocabulary is insane.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with so many unfamiliar words in my life. And just like the first book, Muir continues to advance her world-building, the magical universe of necromancy, her character base, and the conflicts. 

All of this being said, the book was still atrocious. 

You might be wondering how I could spout all these lovely compliments at Muir and then turn around and stab her book through the cover. It’s quite simple really. The book was absurdly confusing. 

Not confusing in a hahah, what a cool mystery! kind-of-way, but in a what the hell is going on for 2/3rds of the book kind-of-way. This feeling as a reader is dreadful. 

Now, I like mystery as much as the next person. I don’t like to be spoon-fed every morsel of information from an author that doesn’t think I can comprehend a little ambiguity, but this novel in particular takes this idea and chucks it off a cliff. 

Things are so ridiculously intentionally confusing from the get-go, a feeling I thought would go away once we got 15 pages in. Then 30. Then 75. Then 100. This book makes no goddamn sense until, no joke, maybe the last 100 pages. 

Now. The last 100 pages were phenomenally entertaining and especially titillating when we actually started getting answers, but for me, wading through 300 pages of absolute nonsense, over-the-top language, and purposefully perplexing scenes in which the readers are given no kind of payoff or even the chance to understand was not worth it to me. 

We see no hair nor hide of Gideon Nav until the end, we don’t even really get the real Harrowhark until too late in the narrative, the plot doesn’t make sense until near the finish line, and the payoff just isn’t worth it. 

I also especially loathed the second-person-point-of-view. I always wondered why more books weren’t written in the 2nd POV and now I know why. It’s the absolute worst. Even after the twist at the end in which the POV genuinely has an explanation, it didn’t make the fact that I had to read 300 plus pages from that viewpoint any better. 

I really wanted to like this book, I really, really did. 

And for the most part, it seems like Muir’s risks paid off as most people praise it highly and enjoy the jumbled mess that is the narrative, including my friend. I get that. I acknowledge that. I also acknowledge that this book isn’t for me. 

I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t get to see the characters that I had grown attached to. I didn’t understand the burgeoning whatever was happening between Ianthe and Harrowhark, disliked the idea that Harrowhark was incapable of loving anybody except “The Body”, and I abhorred the feeling of being in the dark for so long.

I grew bored, irritated, and uninterested, a feeling that lingered even when I started to see the light of the end of the novel. 

The only pinprick of hope for me was God. I found him almost sickeningly enjoyable. I have no idea why. I’ve always been a huge sucker for the all powerful character with immense stature that seems banal and ordinary on the outside.

I mean his name is John for god sake, John when we have other characters called Harrowhark and Mercymorn. I found him unironically enjoyable. 

Other than that, however, this book was quite an unfavorable experience for me. 

Now, the question begs: will I be reading Alecto the Ninth?

Honestly...I’m not sure. I’m still strewing over the train-wreck that I found this sequel to be and the thought of the third novel makes me want to cry. Unless it’s more reminiscent of the first novel. If that’s the case, I’d be more than happy to read it. 

I suppose I’ll have to wait for it to come out, read the reviews, and then ultimately decide if the next installment of The Locked Tomb will belovedly return me to the universe of Dominicus or end it for me permanently. 

Recommendation: Read Gideon the Ninth, then read my review, and then peruse many more before deciding to pick up the sequel. Maybe read an Amazon sample before purchasing. I highly recommend you taste a sampler of this story before deciding to purchase it yourself.

Or, better yet, check it out from your local library and save yourself the cash and the potential heartbreak. If it ends up being your next love, you can purchase it after-the-fact and not before like me. 

Score: 4/10 

#gideon the 9th #gideon the ninth #harrowhark nonagesimus #harrow the ninth #harrow the 9th #tamsyn muir #adult fiction #Popular Books #popular fiction #LGBTQ fiction #lgbtqbook #necromancer #book blog #book blogger #book review #Book Recommendations #book rec #book recs #4/10

[monstrousgourmandizingcats]

mercymorn for the character ask meme!

omgosh sorry I sat on this for so long! Yes, let's do the Saint of Joy.

favorite thing about them

She's so raw, angry, and hurting. I admire her for being unable or unwilling to control or regulate that. It's the kind of sincerity one wouldn't normally associate with a character like her, and it's really quite something to read about.

least favorite thing about them

Straight-up killing Harrow was just too far. In general the way she treats Harrow is incredibly cold to the point of being downright abusive. We don't see much of her and Ianthe, but I would be willing to bet money that that relationship isn't much better.

favorite line

Tie between the Acid Rant and the Stele Rant (which has the advantage of leading into an almost-as-fantastic Ianthe line).

random headcanon

Mercymorn actually hates peaches the fruit despite her strong association with peach the color.

unpopular opinion

I don't like Mercymorn that much more than Augustine, although I like both of them rather than disliking both of them.

song i associate with them

"Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair," for some reason. I guess I picture Cristabel as a brunette?

favorite picture of them

My favorite visual depiction of Mercymorn is that one animatic of the Acid Rant, as is seemingly everyone else's. That and just, you know, that one Leyendecker painting.

☆°● — character ask meme

#the locked tomb #mercymorn the first #give me love give me memes #tar miriel

[deacons-wig]

Fallout 4? Or The Locked Tomb, whichever you haven't done yet? :

I'll do the locked tomb since I don't talk about it enough!!

1. The first character I first fell in love with

Gideon, like on like the first page. I love a character that a) makes me laugh, b) makes me fear deeply for their safety. Tamsyn Muir you are diabolical.

2. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now

John/God??? I fucking hate love him so much. His crown is stupid, he's a tacky DILF and I want him to DIE. I love an affable and reasonable villain who can engage with people and have actual (if completely fucked up) relationships with them. I love that you expect some untouchable, all-powerful Necro and he’s just...a guy? He’s not even....creepy. He’s weirdly adorable? With his tea and cookies, FUCK YOU, GOD.

3. The character everyone else loves that I don’t

Mercymorn. I don't hate her but I would not touch that bitch with a 200 foot pole. I don't seem to get a kick out of her the way others do and I think she's kind of a scene eater.

4. The character I love that everyone else hates

Yahhhh. I don't know that anyone hates characters in TLT but hm... I think Colum doesn’t get a ton of attention. I really loved the scene where Gideon enters the 8th house apartments and speaks for the first time and Colum is just so stoic and I think he understands way more than other Cavs what it’s going to mean to become a Lyctor’s cav, because as a human battery, he’s already half way to being one. 

5. The character I used to love but don’t any longer

Ianthe. I really thought that was gonna go different (I didn't actually but I was hoping...) I think the direction her character will take is going to be fantastic but still </3

6. The character I would totally smooch

Cam. And Palamedes. I have two hands.

7. The character I’d want to be like

Cam. It's the gender envy.

8. The character I’d slap

Harrow. But like...with love and concern. 

9. A pairing that I love

Magnus/Abbigail seems obvious but like... Himbo husband and brilliant wife. Middle aged, loving couple who mentor the Awful Teens. Nothing but love and adoration and support from those two to everyone around them, and for each other.  Didn’t expect that to come slap me in the feels in HtN, either.

10. A pairing that I despise

Dulcinea/[Spoiler] x Gideon. I hated it from the start, and I guess with good reason. No hate but I cannot get into any content exploring that ship. 

[Name a fandom and I’ll tell you...]

#the locked tomb trilogy #tlt #the locked tomb spoilers #asks

[ghostmartyr]

/clears throat/ so, Immi, I hear you like the locked tomb, which is fantastic! from one person also escaping the snk series into TLT to another, what did you think of the characters and plot in HtN? are there any things you're most excited to see when Alecto comes out in 2022?

-pats lifeboat- This baby can fit so much trauma.

SPOILERS, naturally.

With another paragraph informing the curious that unspoiled is the way to go into HtN, since if you aren’t lost and confused, are you really reading Harrow the Ninth?

I read it all in one day, and that was a choice. It does mean my memory and understanding of what all went on is slightly dependent on someone else on the internet exploding over a particular set of paragraphs and explaining their significance to me, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it.

HtN disappointed me on one front in that I was hoping seeing more of Harrow 1.0 would help out any future fic endeavors. On everything else, like the first one, being told the story is such a good time that I’m willing to wait on a full comprehension of where it’s going.

I also really like second person.

What I loved most about HtN is how even without Gideon mentioned until very, very late in the book, you can feel her absence everywhere. In the wrong bubble flashbacks you’re commanded to examine the strangeness, but even in Harrow going about her day, the isolation and the wrongness of it decorate her every action. She’s alone, and she shouldn’t be, and the loss she’s unaware of bleeds into a constant echo of grief.

I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated absence as a narrative tool so much. Obviously griddlehark hours go hard once they start in HtN, but even before then, there is so much power to their connection that looking into a world where it never exists still manages to punch you in the heart with how much each one inhabits everything the other is.

The whole series is amping me up with a few thoughts on loneliness, honestly. Gideon and Harrow grow up alone on the Ninth, save for each other. It takes leaving for that to be any kind of good thing. The first book is tag team Among Us with everyone in their little clusters, slowly learning what other people are about as they all drop dead.

The second book has a different vibe and different plot things going on, but it’s similar in that the protagonist gets thrown into a world they don’t fit and have to put on a show. Only now there are even fewer people to familiarize with, with that number correlating directly to how they all killed the person closest to keeping them from being alone.

Lyctorhood is taking the person dearest to your heart and trapping them there forever while they’re stripped of everything that made them who they are.

...Also Ianthe is there.

Gideon, Mercy, and Augustine are the last Lyctors standing after 10,000 years. There were only seven, starting out. Sixteen acolytes who came to the First. The only pair who didn’t succeed in condensing themselves is separated from the pack and sent to live away from their peers on a tiny planet that no one has anything good to say about.

Alecto is John’s -- who even knows, past A Lot, and he puts her to sleep and locks her in a prison no one but he can get past.

God has seven friends. More if you want to count the people in the Cohort, but realistically, he has seven friends. Then they keep dying.

Harrow spends HtN in a spaceship with five people.

One is trying to kill her.

One ordered that one to try to kill her.

Two could not care less about the useless baby Lyctor.

One is Ianthe.

There is no real endgame. There is surviving life, and life has become a game of running as far away as possible so you don’t share your ruin upon your inevitable death.

It’s bleak and sad.

Harrow’s healthiest relationships are with dead people, and some of them she didn’t know at all in life.

Reiterating it, the most plot significant bit of the world is finding someone else in the world, swearing yourself to them, and smashing your souls together until you’ve lost the connection entirely.

My brain’s not in the best place so I can’t do more than gesture loudly at it, but a few people have mentioned that the series’ thesis is a counter to Ianthe’s statement that love is acquisitive.

Harrow tightens her hold around Gideon until Gideon would rather she just strangle her and get it over with, all things considered. It fucks them both up, and when they start working to get past it, circumstance wraps a chain around both their throats.

The necromancers who become imperfect Lyctors have all acquired their cavaliers, and besides the cav, it kills that bond.

Harrow’s rejection of that is why Gideon’s soul is still in the world of the living (and John blood).

She has spent her entire life eating pieces of Gideon to keep herself a horrid imitation of whole, and when she is finally offered that, she refuses.

Grief and how Harrow just can’t are active elements of the book, and Magnus gives her more therapy in five minutes talking about it than she has ever had in her life, but the reason why that isn’t the end of Gideon is because, unlike all the other Lyctors, Harrow turns the offer down.

With the exception of Babs and Ianthe, the relationship between cavaliers and necros about to do the Lyctor thing is cavaliers promising to burn for an eternity while their necromancer lives off the fumes.

Fuck that is Harrow’s response.

Cytherea says, in the aftermath, that they had the choice to stop.

Harrow stops.

A lifetime of doing exactly what Gideon is telling her to do with her death, and Harrow chooses to stop.

Harrow remembers Ortus’ poetry. She regularly sees her congregation off to their deaths. She keeps Gideon’s glasses. She views Palamedes, head exploded and all, as an infinitely better person than she is because of the quality of his exemplary character. She pulls Gideon the First from the incinerator on the night she plans to kill him.

Kiddo has so many fucking issues, but somewhere, she has learned to respect people for being people. That’s why she and Gideon are the heroes of the story, ultimately, and Ortus saying that they’re heroes worthy of the Ninth doesn’t fall flat. They’re actually trying.

Where that puts us for Alecto, I don’t pretend to know.

Since the first book is the temptation of an end to isolation, only to have it snatched away, the second book is the continuation of isolation with a few promising sparks of human connection that pave the way for hope...

That leaves the third book to shed the isolation and allow the connections to thrive.

With Gideon and Harrow MIA.

I know that the books kick things up into high gear in the final acts each time, but if they’re both gone for the majority of the book, no matter how much fun it is, I’m going to miss them. They’re the core leads, and I don’t want to be without them in the final part.

The 2022 release date has aged my soul. I deliberately planned my GtN read to land a month before HtN came out, then suffered when that was delayed. When really that was nothing at all. I hate waiting.

(Insert note that I’m very glad they aren’t forcing Muir to rush anything out. It’s been a rough time, but also, just in general authors should have the opportunity to create the best versions of their art they can, so the extra time hurts, but it’s obviously for the best.)

What I’m most excited for is probably the cover art. The first two have been awesome, and the artist said he’d likely do print sales for all three when the third’s revealed. My wallet cries but my heart does not.

What I dare not be excited for is the potential for Gideon and Harrow meeting again and perhaps hugging. In their own bodies.

I’d take other bodies, but ideally, y’know.

Also I would love for Harrow to finally meet her popsicle girlfriend.

I doubt it would be a wholly positive experience, but by golly I want it. Maybe they could hug too. It would probably kill Harrow again, but who doesn’t expect several people to die again in the third book?

However it plays out, I’m expecting to enjoy AtN. The writing’s the sort that I’ll happily follow wherever it goes. For everything else, there’s fanfic. The only real worry I have is the whole book will be narrated by Ianthe, and while I mentally groan at that, I actually find Ianthe’s commentary delightful, so even in the worst case scenario I’m having a good time.

Thank you so much for the ask.

#Harrow the Ninth #Gideon the Ninth #The Locked Tomb #asks #oh I don't have an ask tag for the tomb yet #should work on that #tl;dr #viva la pluto

[highqueenofelfhame]

acowar reread thread

so i think i’ll update this post every few chapters unless anything super major happens that i want to immediately react to, that way you get my commentary but i’m not totally flooding and flooding and flooding your feed with a super super long post. i think i’m going to edit it under the cut and reblog it every time it gets updated and i’ll also number every update so it’s easy to find where i left off. if you guys prefer the other way i’ll transition back to the other way for acofas.) this is super fun i’ll start doing this for more books if you’re interested, including books i read for the first time. (after acofas, crescent city is next and it’ll be my first time reading it!)

UPDATES UNDER THE CUT.

1) chapters 1-5 I’ve read up through chapter five and so far my favorite thing is just how DONE feyre is with literally everyone in the spring court. the amount of times she’s had to like look away and not roll her eyes is just hilarious, her dry inner monologue, she just made a comment about having to remind herself to laugh and not strangle tamlin while they were dancing at the summer solstice and it just is so funny to me. 

i miss rhys. but the few times they’ve spoken through the bond is enough to tide me over. he told her he loved her once and i sighed out loud. i’m such trash for this bitch. 

feyre hijacking the summer solstice ceremony is COMEDIC GOLD. like you kNOW ianthe was fuming and furious and trying to save face the best she could but like hats off to feyre man. her character development from book one to where we’re at in book three is fantastic. she’s not a simpering little girl anymore, she’s a bad bitch and she kNOWS she’s a bad bitch and it’s just.. fucking great. 

i also, as much as i don’t want to, feel for lucien A LOT. i think a lot of his behavior is heavily influenced by how he’s been treated by tamlin for most of his life and i feel genuine remorse from him and the fact that he can like tell something is up but isn’t saying anything just shows, to me anyway, how much remorse he’s genuinely feeling. 

also alis knowing that something is up is just a testament to how attentive she is as a faerie and a friend and i really love that about her.

“I was the nightmare” YAS BITCH. FUCKIN YAASSS.

2) chapters 6-10 feyre is so goddamn clever. the entire time she’s bringing down the spring court she’s witty and fierce and clever and really just iS THAT BITCH, HUH? 

i don’t like jurian but the fact that he still has compassion within himself for his kind despite being literally insane for being just AWAKE and aware for like 500 years is... nice and pleasantly surprising because i feel like you wouldn’t think that of him being that he’s siding with hybern so that he thanked feyre when she tried to get the children of the blessed out of there... i don’t know why i’m bringing this up, it’s just something that stuck out to me and that jurian also vouches (to feyre) about rhysand’s character and how decent of a person he found him to be. it’s just very interesting and i feel like speaks leaps and bounds about rhysand as a person. 

feyre pushing tamlin to explode again... just CHEF KISS. like she really thought of everything. she thought of everything to internally make his sentries doubt him and then completely hate them by orchestrating the ianthe vs sentry debacle. she made herself seem very compassionate and kind and and showed tamlin and ianthe for what they were by doing genuinely so little. like all she did was make them show their true colors on their own and it didn’t take tOO much manipulation. idk feyre is just incredible in the spring court. 

forcing ianthe to hurt herself and molding her mind to make her think she’s always afraid is so much better than just outright killing her.. (if i remember from my last read, it doesn’t hold up, but the thought is there and it’s genius) I also think that this shows a lot about feyre and her character because despite everything she couldn’t just leave lucien alone with ianthe and the unwanted advances. she stayed and fought for her friend (and by extension her mate) even when lucien wouldn’t really fight for her and so feyre is just a fuckin real one like... she’s the kind of friend that you want in your corner. 

killing the hybern twins: glorious. such badassery from lucien and feyre both. 

and i think it’s nice that she let lucien come along with her on her journey back to the night court despite maybe not wanting to but i also think that she knew if she left him behind he could get in serious trouble or wind up dead and so again, i think it says a lot about her character as a person. 

3) chapters 11-15 i’m kind of reading and recapping every 50 pages or so which typically ends up being 4-5 chapters and it’s a good system so far so we’re gonna keep it up! 

the first thing of like, real substance to comment on is lucien saying his father will kill feyre for wielding his power but feyre just responding with “he can get in line.” like her sass is sO GOOD In this book, especially in the spring court chapters.

uhhh big fuck you to eris, i don’t know why people want him to have a redemption arc, he is literally a fat sack of shit that deserves to burn and i’m not sorry for saying so. he’s abusive and cruel and doesn’t deserve like, anything at all. although i will say good on him for balking a bit when feyre revealed she’s high lady. 

CASSIAN AND AZRIEL SUPERHERO LANDING ON THE ICE AND KICKING ASS!! I remember vividly the relief i felt when cassian showed up and was able to fly and i still felt so much victory when it happened again. it’s one of my favorite moments of the book so far and just really gets me. also feyre just dropping the “I’m high lady of the night court” bomb is DELICIOUS and i can’t get enough. i read it like six times. because you know as soon as the illyrians yielded to her that the autumn bitches were like “shit.”

“My love.” kILLS ME. you guys, i’ve only read this book once but i’ve reread their reuniting multiple times because it’s just so soft. rhys is so goddamn soft. he loves her so fucking much. i want rhys to call me my love and lick my tears away. goddamn. 

something i think about a lot is how in acotar when tamlin had feyre alone after months of torture he just tried to fuck her despite knowing things weren’t safe. however, knowing she was home and safe, rhys didn’t try for that immediately. like yes, they kissed, but there was so much conversation before they fucked that it just, says a lot about their relationship. tamlin also always demanded to know everything about feyre’s visits as soon as she was back, not even bothering to kiss her hello but rhys was like ‘that shit can wait’ AND THEY’RE ABOUT TO GO TO WAR. rhys loves her so wholly that he wanted to make sure she was okay before he ever bothered to ask about the spring court and how everything unfolded the last few weeks. idk i’m trash for rhysand, y’all. let’s make that a shirt.

the way that rhys threatens lucien, “i won’t bother to explain it again, and i will rip out your fucking throat.” is so sexy. like how casual it was, so sexy.#ripmythroatoutrhysand

amren being a bedtime story but irl is just a cranky aunt lmao.

nesta’s ferocity is, yes, frustrating, but also so heartbreaking to me. for a very long time i had a really rough relationship with my sister and i can see my own sister in nesta (who, by the way, would murder me if she found out i said this so, kara, if u see this, i love u endlessly and i love nesta with my whole heart) especially nesta’s behavior more so in acofas which i’ll talk more about when we get there. but i just, i feel for her man. she’s been traumatized and life as she knows it has been ripped away from her and some people respond to trauma with bite. and i know it doesn’t make it right or okay but it still just makes me feel for her.

cassian and nesta’s banter just gODDAMMIT SLAYS ME. i cannot wait for an entire fucking book of this shit and an entire book of their back and forth. i think nesta loves him and doesn’t know what to do with it because she’s scared so she’s acting like a cornered animal. like nesta is a snake that will strike when cornered and threatened and i just god i can’t wait for their book. 

elain... broke my heart a lot more than i remembered. as someone in the midst of my worst depression i find myself able to relate to that hollow and empty feeling like...all too well and it struck a cord and i almost cried at how empty she was. 

4) chapters 16-29 there is the whole meeting at amren’s apartment and cassian defends nesta, saying that he understands her actions, her snark, why she is the way she is, and it just honestly reinforces my love for cassian. i don’t have much to say about it but that i just really love the respect that he has for others. more cassian things: feyre brings up again how even broken and literally bleeding out and on the ground with his wings completely shredded he was still crawling toward nesta and reaching for her and trying to get to her. “because i can’t stay away.” fucking cracks my heart open every time. 

i love everything about the first family dinner back together. i love all the banter, i love that nesta sat in and even contributed to dinner conversation a little bit. lucien being so uncertain of the dynamic is hilarious. amren like opening herself up in a way to nesta and telling her that they’re the same, and to make sure her eruption is felt across worlds, i love it. i’m marking a lot more from amren than i thought i would. cassian at one point, he points to az and says “don’t try to blend into the shadows” and it actually made me chuckle to myself because hE DOES THAT. and it’s funny that cassian calls him on it. 

i don’t think nesta gets enough credit (for like anything, we all been knew i’m a slut for her and stan her with my life) but even as broken and angry as she was she did still offer to help explore magic that she doesn’t want and got as a result of trauma so that she can try to help. she isn’t completely useless. and i like that she has backbone and isn’t just a pushover little bitch. (that isn’t directed toward elain. like i previously mentioned, i’m finding that i relate a lot to her in her current state.) i just mean that i’m glad she sticks up for herself and doesn’t just like, do what people tell her to do. ya know?

rhys being so open to feyre pushing back on him about things like, again man. tamlin erupted and got angry, rhys is like “hell, i deserved it.” just, the differences in their relationships and the toxicity that comes from tamlin and the devotion rhys has for feyre is (say it with me) DELICIOUS.

i also like that just because feyre is high lady that the IC doesn’t just like flop over and bend down and take shit (i’m looking at you, spring court.) like cassian isn’t afraid to be like “you pissed me off by sacrificing yourself.” because he cares. LIKE, AGAIN WITH HIS DEVOTION. his loyalty is just so pure. it isn’t blind but it is pure and i just, god i love it. 

also everyone forgets that azriel has a dry ass sense of humor and i don’t see any of y’all writing it into your fics. “In order to fly, you’ll need wings” he said drily. IT’S DELICIOUS. dry humor is some of the best. and i like that feyre is learning more and getting to spend more time with him. 

5) chapter 20-27 this one will be a bit of a dump because i accidentally read too much today so far to try to catch up from my lack of reading yesterday so... oops. 

“Let’s see what names you call me when my head is between your legs, Feyre darling.” ugh. i wish a mans would say that to me. not really. i wish rhys would say that to me and only rhys. maybe rowan. or aaron warner. or cassian. or -- you get it. 

amren is SO FUCKING FUNNY without doing it on purpose. like genuinely hilarious. “she’s fine. stubborn as an ass, but as you’re related, i’m not surprised.” rOAST THEM. also amren makes nesta almost smile and she makes her laugh all in the span of like ten seconds AND nesta almost smiles when amren brings up cassian. coincidencE? i tHINK NOT.

again with rhys soothing her nightmares. like god it’s so good i dont even have to say anything else abt it.

feyre realizing that the bone carver is her and rhysand’s son. SO GOOD. like SERIOUSLY SO GOOD. and this doesn’t matter at all rn but i think that rhysand’s son has the potential to be more powerful than even him but that’s a thing to get into for another time.

EVERYTHING THE BONE CARVER SAYS ABOUT NESTA. also that it’s directed at cassian is very interesting and i think the bone carver knows they’re mates. like i wonder if cassian is seeing what feyre sees: his own son. WOULDN’T THAT BE INTERESTING. “How she calls to you.” also the comment about “what did you wake that day in hybern, prince of bastards?” what did cassian wake. the wording here is interesting and i have... a lot of questions. does anyone else just also really fucking enjoy the bone carver as a character? like he’s excellent i’ve never read anything quite like him.

“nothing about nesta could frighten me” UGH MY NESSIAN HEART CAN’T FUCKING TAKE IT.

also cassian stepping it later when nesta is furious with rhysand about the flying. like, one when he sighs and says she’ll never fly again is just... funny and adorable but how nesta was charging for rhys and he casually stepped in front of her and he talked her down. “It was amren’s fault, of course, but no one believed me. and no on dare banish her.” like just babbling a bit to bring her back down to earth. absolutely fascinating and delicious that it worked, wouldn’t you agree? ;)

court of nightmares is always a pleasure. fuck eris. 

also later at the town house when amren and mor and rhys are kinda going at it a bit and cassian gets nesta’s attention and nesta sidles over to him without questioning it... like. god if they aren’t endgame i’ll never read an SJM book ever again and i wholeheartedly mean that.

so i’ve seen the posts about amren being an angel i’m not sure if you guys have but yeah i think that’s a really solid theory. i think she very well could be a biblical angel because she mentioned that according to some they were perfect, that they laid waste to twin cities (sodom & gamorrah if this theory is correct) and she also mentioned yielding her grace and that she would fall. she also says she was a messenger and soldier assassin for a wrathful god ruling a young world and all of that, in my opinion, lines up with a lot of what is in the bible and what christians believe to be true. so i really really like this theory, i doubt it will ever be outright confirmed, but i think this is going to be my canon tbh. 

elain is.... out of her mind. it’s fucking weird everything she says is so cryptic and odd. like it’s just weird. i don’t think she’s insane and i can’t remember exactly where elain’s storyline goes in this book but like... rn it’s just weird and cryptic and a little unsettling and also interesting that she only really responds directly to azriel because everyone else she kinda ignores but she talks to him. interesting. 

6) chapters 28-49 clearly i accidentally read A LOT so we have a lOT Of ground to cover. 

NESTA WAS TOTALLY CHECKING CASSIAN OUT AND THAT’S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT.

azriel has fucking jokes, man. page 303 (hardcover us edition)  “That pine tree wasn’t there a moment ago.” “Judging by its size, i’d say it’s been there for ... two hundred years at least.” feyre even notes that he has a dry sense of humor and it comes out more when they’re alone. i can’t get enough of it. i wish he talked more. 

“Cassian finished the muffin, licking his fingers. I could have sworn nesta watched the entire thing with a sidelong glance. He grinned at her as if he knew it too.” i just love nessian so much i’m going to point out all of their cute reactions this is turning more into a nessian reaction thread SUE ME.

I think that nesta has a lot of regret and guilt over her life.over how she treated feyre because it comes out when nesta brings up to feyre that she didn’t know she couldn’t read (and again at the high lords meeting when she says they would have starved if it wasn’t for her.) i think she feels deeply and just doesn’t know what to do with it, doesn’t know how to express it. 

When they almost get taken in the library, and cassian gets there and nesta “launches herself at him.” my heart. she was scared and she didn’t care she was just so relieved. like fuck me up that’s the shit i like.

nesta asking where cassian is the moment they get back from the battle in adriata and she was worried and scared for him. later when she does see him i think this is when the mating bond clicks into place. it’s page 398 and she says “You didn’t come to -” and then cuts herself off. they have a really fucking intense moment. cassian takes her hand and laces their fingers and they don’t really say anything for a beat until he says “Next time, emissary, i’ll come say hello.” but his voice is low and rough when he says it. “The world seemed to go utterly still at that interrupted sentence, nothing and no one more so than cassian.” i think this is when it clicks for him. maybe not for nesta but definitely for cassian. 

RHYSAND RIPPING TAMLIN’S ABILITY TO SPEAK AWAY LIKE YES WE STAN A MOTHERFUCKING KING. fuck tamlin. fuck eris. and fuck beron. also nesta defending cassian in the high lords meeting (page 438, because beron calls him a bastard.) again, i’m just saying, she’s defending her fucking mate i can’t deal. feyre also exploding in the meeting and rhys just being like “You’ve proved your point, my love.” SO DELICIOUS. “I made her high lady because i love her. her power was the last thing i considered.” like fucking hELL that is how you treat your woman.

after the meeting, helion being like “You handing eris’s ass to him will be my new fantasy at night, by the way.” DELICIOUS. fucking hilarious. 10/10 recommend helion as a high lord and a mans we love to see it. 

also cassian being so concerned when nesta starts to have that feeling about the cauldron being used before the wall gets shattered.he didn’t doubt her feelings for a second, i mean no one did, but he was completely unyielding when he sensed her fear and immediately looked for any sign of an immediate threat.

nesta saying she’s never worn pants and cassian saying “i have no doubt you’d start a riot if you did.” he’s thinking bout that ass. also cassian giving her a quick lesson in defense before they yeet off to the human lands to see graysen and his family. IDK I REALLY LOVE NESSIAN OKAY?!

7) chapter 50-the end. i accidentally finished the book. oops. 

super intersted in nesta’s powers and if she is a witch. i can’t remember acofas at all and if nesta’s powers manifest in that book but i’m eager to see if the fracturing of the cauldron didn’t effect whatever powers she took from it. i think that could also be part of what ultimately is wrong with her on top of all the trauma. 

nesta helping cassian after that first battle when his wrist is hurt. she didn’t take no for an answer and helped him and it was just really soft until mor showed up and cassian pulled his hand away. i’m conflicted about what it means to be totally honest. what it means for his feelings for nesta and what it means where mor is concerned. i don’t love how morrigan treats nesta and cassian’s... relationship? but i don’t dislike mor. i think she’s dealing and coping and has her reasons that we will likely find out about. 

“Only you can decide what breaks you” is something i’d like to get tattooed. i dont really have anything else to add to it. 

i was sobbing during rhys’s battle speech to everyone. i dont rlly have anything else to say about it other than i’m emo. 

nesta saving cassian. again i don’t have shit to say about it other than like it makes me so emotional.  she just started blinding screaming, hoping that he would come. i can’t even begin to think what his death would have done to her.

the bone carver smiling at feyre before he did hits a very specific piece of my heart and i’m not sure why or what but i had chills all over my body. 

cassian telling rhys to let him return the favor/repay the debt. HURT. another thing i cried over. like shut the fuck cassian AIN’T NOBODY DYIN TODAY. 

tHE Nessian moment to end all nessian moments when they would die together. like big fucking wow. you can’t tell me they’re not mates. that they don’t love each other despite how complicated all of it is. like cassian is so soft in the most unique way for her because he knows she bites and he lets her and he bites back and i just think it’s what he needs.

“tell the high lord to leave out a cup for me” AMREN SHUT UP. like fucking christ i teared up then too because i really really love her character. she’s unique and funny and dry and cranky and i just love her so much. 

i’m tired of rhys sacrificing himself. there, i said it. i cried like a fucking baby and of course he woke up being a snarky little shit.

i love the end of this book. i don’t know what i’ll do with myself until january when the next one comes out. i’ll probably go back to the other format for my next read through because it’s easier and less longwinded and i think you guys liked the other way better. anywho, thank you for coming along on this lil journey!!

#acowar #acowar reread #acotar #acomaf

[figofswords]

ok ive been meaning to read those Gideon the ninth books for a while and then i saw the phrase 'lesbian necromancers in space' and learning more got bumped to the top of my priorities. i think i know its a series (?) but could you tell me a little more abt it, amd where i should start?

Ok so yes! The Locked Tomb trilogy is a trilogy by Tamsyn Muir. The third book hasn’t come out yet but the first two books are Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth and they are INCREDIBLE. I spotted GtN on a shelf at Barnes and noble and picked it up because of the review on the front cover which reads—and this is a direct quote and sums up the book pretty nicely—“Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!”

Yes, it is canonically gay. The author, Tamsyn Muir, is a lesbian herself, and I think it shows pretty clearly in the writing! The first book centers on Gideon, irreverent buff butch lesbian cavalier, and her necromancer, Harrow, extremely emotionally repressed goth as hell heir to the Ninth House and bone specialist, as they compete with the other houses to fill the position of lyctor to the emperor. It’s sci-fi but also fantasy. Necromancy. Space travel. Sword fights. Complicated lore and masterful world-building. Also it’s enemies to soulmates which is beautiful and also it is some of the best writing I have literally ever read? You wonder what’s happening the whole time and then by the end you have answers but now you just have MORE questions but even though you have questions the conclusions to each book are satisfying and it’s all very masterfully foreshadowed and makes you wonder how you didn’t figure things out sooner. It’s also very funny because in this dramatic world of magic and death, Gideon is,,,,a bit crass and it’s DELIGHTFUL. (“We do bones, motherfucker!”) Plus it has a larger cast of incredibly compelling and interesting characters, some who you will love and some who you will Not love and some who you will swing wildly back and forth between loving and hating ianthe. anyway yeah that’s my pitch PLEASE read the locked tomb trilogy it’s fucking fantastic

#it’s SO FUCKING GOOD please read it #if you’ve read a darker shade of magic it’s got kind of a similar energy? #side note please read the shades of magic trilogy too djdkfkfj #asks #geometric-rose #anonanonanonanah

[scorbleeo]

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3) | Book Review

by Sarah J. Maas

Synopsis

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23766634-a-court-of-wings-and-ruin

Thoughts

You know when a book is SO good, emotions just overwhelm you as you take in the book’s content? You know when a book is SO good, you become utterly lost and empty upon finishing the book? You know when a book is SO good, the book does not only reach your high expectations but exceed it? A Court of Wings and Ruin is that said good book.

I was afraid to go into this book because A Court of Mist and Fury gave me such unrealistic high expectations, I really did not want to be disappointed (not even a tiny bit) by this book. Which was why it took me a while to pick this up. I can only say, I am glad I did not let my skepticism put off me picking this book up for too long.

If it’s not obvious enough, I LOVE A Court of Wings and Ruin.

Plot (storyline, writing style, and flow of story etc.)

I lowkey had to pause writing this review for a day to collect all my thoughts. And if this does not further emphasise my point that A Court of Wings and Ruin is one of best out there, I don’t know what does. With that down, let’s proceed shall we?

Considering A Court of Wings and Ruin is the “last” book for this part of the story, there really is not need for anymore character building and whatnot. The book mainly focused on the politics of this fantastic fantasy world, Prythian, and the preparation for the war against Hybern.

I did wonder myself if it was wise to have such a thick book circling around the war. Having read many books with wars or battles in them, some authors really screwed their books up because they tended to go on and on, tended to build the hype around this big battle. Yet when it happened, the battle is finished within a blink of an eye (in this case, perhaps a chapter). Fortunately, Maas is an expert. She built so much hype around the battle and it did not disappoint at all, not even a tiny bit. You want action, there was plenty. You want magic, more than half of it was magic. You want romance, oh, there was. You want emotions, the entire battle scene overwhelmed me with all sorts of feelings. There really is nothing bad for me to talk about in terms of the entire storyline for A Court of Wings and Ruin.

Which brings me to the flow of the story. I really do not know what magic Maas has because this book kept me on edge the entire time I was reading it. It did not flash through nor was it working through the book with a snail’s pace. Let me repeat this once more, the book circles around politics, preparation for the war and the war itself. One would think Maas would beat around the bush and slow down the entire story so as to make the book such a thick one. Yet NO, none of that happened whatsoever.

I cannot stress this enough. Sarah J. Maas is a genius writer.

Characters

Initially, I really contemplated whether to review the characters or not. I love so many of them, hate a couple but at the end of the day, I have so much to say about majority of characters in this book. But, I am going to try to keep this short and sweet if I am indeed planning to review most of said characters.

If you had read this review up to this point, I believe you would have scanned through an earlier statement made by me. I know I said there really was no need for anymore character building. When I said that, I was referring to the main characters of this series. However, what surprised me was the big roles the other High Lords played in A Court of Wings and Ruin. Apart from Tamlin, Beron and Tarquin, we really did not see much of the other High Lords until this book. Yet Maas was able to bring in Kallias, Thesan and Helion without so much as stumbling with their character development. Needless to say, I fell for Helion immediately, even before he shed his mask. You know what? Not only that, Viviane’s character was such a pleasant addition too. How does Maas do it? I have absolutely no idea.

Okay, there is one character I really wanted to talk about: Tamlin. Back in A Court of Thorns and Roses, I liked him despite his attitude problem. Then in A Court of Mist and Fury, I was so frustrated with him. However, I must say, I never actually hated Tamlin. I do not like his temper but I understand where his temper comes from. Just remember, Tamlin was not meant to be High Lord of the Spring Court, he was never prepped for it. He had family issue and a lack of friends. The Amarantha curse problem was brought down on all of them because of him. For that, I can oversee his anger. What kind of annoyed me was that Feyre made him out into the worst villain out there. Tamlin and his dead family murdered Rhysand’s mother and sister but Rhysand still believed Tamlin. Feyre on the other hand, she just judged Tamlin on all his worst qualities. Don’t get me wrong, I love Feyre and Rhysand together but let’s not forget Feyre GHOSTED Tamlin after everything they had been through. Sure, Tamlin was not empathetic with Feyre when she was suffering from PTSD but it was like Feyre did not realise Tamlin had to fight his own demons too. Feyre broke Tamlin’s heart (which led to making the wrong mistake of allying with Hybern), ruined his entire court and took his best friend away from him too. Yet with all that, Tamlin still saved Feyre (along with Azriel, Elain and Briar) and helped her revive Rhysand. I think he deserves more than what he got from Feyre.

Next on my list: Lucien. I am going to keep this shorter than Tamlin’s bit. How is he so f***ing under appreciated? I loved that Feyre hugged him like a friend would at the end of the book. I liked that the Inner Circle listened to his inputs and would ask him what he thought about their plans. But Maas did him dirty. Lucien can be so much more. He is beautiful, intelligent, humble, kind and a skilled fighter. Yet he was off finding Vassa because he was not essential among the Inner Circle. He was mated to Elain, everybody knew it but he stepped back because he was empathetic like that. Many want Azriel with Elain but you know what I am seeing? I see Azriel and Elain as close friends. And I want the Lucien-Elain mating bond to click in place already.

Finally, last on my list: Eris Vanserra. I don’t know how I never truly hated him, even before we saw a sliver of his true personality. Some of the things he had done were absolutely cruel. But Eris (a bit like Tamlin) is a true cinnamon roll there. I want to keep this part short because this review is long enough but I see Eris, I see why he is who he is today and I do not hate him. In fact, I like that bad guy.

There’s so much more Maas can do to so many of her overlooked characters and I will be looking forward to it in her next three/four books.

Conclusion

Yes, I am a little annoyed at Maas for her negligence on some characters. However, that does not mean she is not a genius writer. And I am definitely still in love with A Court of Wings and Ruin. It had been two/three days now that I finished the book but I am still replaying what I read, scene by scene. How is that not a good book, right?

Rating: 5/5

PS: This review is dedicated to the magnificent monsters in A Court of Wings and Ruin. To the Suriel, your death made me tear up. To the Bone Carver, it was a bittersweet moment for me but I am happy you finally get to go to the place you are oh so curious about. To Stryga, the Weaver, you annihilated that bitch Ianthe and cleared a path for some of our heroes, ultimately, you died a hero. To Bryaxis, my dear, my beautiful adorable dear, where are you enjoying life at right now?

#book review #a court of wings and ruin #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #acowar #acotar #acomaf #sarah j maas #fantasy #romance #young adult #new adult #prythian #hybern #feyre archeron #nesta archeron #elain archeron #rhysand #cassian #azriel #morrigan #amren #lucien #inner circle #helion #tarquin #thesan #kallias #tamlin #beron

[transfemmbeatrice]

For the fandom meme - Psych and/or A Court of Thorns and Roses? :3

I already answered Psych here so I’ll do ACOTAR!

my all-time ultimate fave character: Rhysand, obv, my SON, he’s so GOOD

a character I didn’t used to like but now do: Feyre honestly? she didn’t sit well with me in the beginning (she was so….weak for lack of a better word, and i was expecting another Celaena) but now I love her, and really appreciate that she is very different and distinct from Celaena. But also Nesta; obv she was rly bitchy in the beginning, but even now that we know more about her/she’s grown, she’s STILL bitchy and I really appreciate that she didn’t have to become soft and kind to be likeable, and I love her and can’t wait to see what she does in ACOWAR.

a character I used to like but now don’t: Ianthe. I was hoping she would be a great friend but lol not so much. (I would say Tamlin, but tbh I never had a great feeling about him…I didn’t hate him, he was just kinda bland.)

a character I’m indifferent about: Elain. I hope she gets growth and development in ACOWAR but thus far, I just don’t care about her that much? She doesn’t have a strong personality, which isn’t *bad*, but it means I didn’t get a strong impression of her of any kind on first readthrough, and what I did wasn’t good, so I’m just. Meh.

a character who deserved better: normally I answer this with someone I think the writing did a disservice to, but that hasn’t happened yet? So like… basically the whole Night Court has had a rough life and I’m sad for them but if I had to say one? Mor, probably.

a ship I’ve never been able to get into: Feyre/Tamlin, tho I don’t think that’s really a ship anymore…. so Lucien/Elain I guess? Maybe once I see more I could get on board, but having them be mates when it’s supposed to be a super rare thing felt weird and too convenient and idk.

a ship I’ve never been able to get over: FEYRE/RHYSAND IS THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH 

a cute, low-key ship: Mor/Amren 

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: idk how popular ships in this fandom are but maybe Azriel/Elain? (Could also apply for the one above.)

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: …I mean realistically Feyre/Tamlin but, that is an integral part of the story so like I’m glad it happened in that sense (and because I like that SJM lets her protags have multiple relationships instead of a one true love thing?). Nd I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole Mor/Cassian thing tbh (or Mor/Azriel for that matter. I’m reserving judgement.)

my favourite storyline/moment: A;LSDKJF so many… honestly the very end of ACOMAF when she reveals she and Rhys still have their bond AND she’s high lady… I lost my mind, I have never felt elation like that moment. But also, when she used her powers to make it look like she had wings. And so many others……

a storyline that never should have been written: Again, I really don’t like Elain being Lucien’s mate, but I guess I’ll see how that develops? There’s always more than meets the eyes with SJM.

my first thoughts on the show: I’m not gonna lie, I probably wouldn’t have made it through ACOTAR without my friend assuring me it gets better. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t great….

my thoughts now: …but NOW I think that was on purpose; like, ACOTAR is more or less a typical YA novel, and ACOMAF is the deconstruction of the YA novel, pulling apart how ridiculous and harmful a lot of those tropes are, and I love it for that (and because it’s just an amazing, well-written story too, ofc.) SJM is a fantastic author who writes deep and varied characters who go through some of the most realistic character growth and development I’ve ever read honestly.

#feel free to send more my dudes #acotar #acomaf #asked and answered #Anonymous

[jennywren-7]

I am so sorry guys! This is quite a long list but I have so many favourites this month; not all of them are beauty related either. So I will keep everything as brief as possible whilst trying to explain why I love all twenty of these things so much.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear

I bought this foundation at the end of last month after hearing Love Shelby rave about it so much. This is such a beautiful satin finish foundation that lasts a really long time on the skin without breaking apart. It’s also medium coverage so covers quite a few sins on the face. It’s a brilliant product!

The Red Tent

This is a two part drama on Netflix. It follows the story of Dinah, a sister of Joseph (from Joseph’s Technicolour Dreamcoat) and her life. It will make you cry and laugh and cry out in anger, but it’s so beautifully written and acted. I loved every minute of it.

Zoeva Matte Spectrum Palette

This is such a creamy product that blends out beautifully. I love the choice of colours in here, which makes it a great palette for creating a gorgeous coloured smoky eye. It’s fantastic.

Benefit Ka-brow

I have mentioned this on other favourites lists, but I haven’t used it for a while. This gives really gorgeous natural brows that last all day. It is such a fantastic brow product.

Line of Duty

I am officially obsessed! There are so many twists in this series that it will have you second guessing yourself throughout the entire series. I can’t wait until the next series.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation

I do have a few foundations on this list. This Bare Minerals foundation has been my go-to for night shifts. It lasts a really long time and has buildable coverage. I have used this as a powder on some days, but it is a brilliant foundation if you do have a lot of redness in your skin.

Nars Narsissist Palette

This is going to appear in a haul post next month but I bought this at the beginning of May. I already have quite significant dips in some of these pans. The shades are beautiful and blend like a dream. If you haven’t got this palette, you need it! It’s a thing of beauty.

Lancome Cushion Blush in Rose Givree

You guys know that I am obsessed with the shade Sorbet Grenadine. Well, I finally purchased another shade. Rose Givree is a paler pink but still gives a very natural flush shade. It’s absolutely stunning!

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

I am officially in a book hangover now. This book blew me away; I loved it! It was such a great way to end Feyre’s story arc but left enough openings for future stories. I will do a full review on this in June, so I won’t mention too much here. Just know, that this book was all that I wanted it to be and more. Well done Sarah!

Models Own Hyper Gel in Lilac Sheen

I have really been enjoying pastelly shades on my nails this month.This has been one of my more  reached for shades. It’s such a flattering pastel lilac shade. It dries really quick and looks amazing.

Chanel Soleil de Tan

This has been my go-to bronzer this month. It blends really naturally and gives a nice healthy glow to the skin. You only need a tiny amount of product for this to work too.

New Look HD Finishing Face Powder

If you do have an oily t-zone I would recommend getting this. This does help foundation stay put longer and doesn’t affect the shade of your foundation. It hasn’t broke me out yet, and I’ve really enjoyed using it.

Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Paint in Bikini

This is a beautiful pastel mint shade. It smells amazing and looks so beautiful. I love mint shades and Barry M Nail Paints are some of my favourite nail polish formulas. I love them.

Pur Fully Charged and Triple Threat Mascaras

These mascaras are fantastic. The Fully Charged Mascara is brilliant for giving thicker and longer looking lashes. It is gorgeous and works well without a lash primer. Triple Threat is perfect for lower lashes. It doesn’t smudge and makes my skimpy lower lashes look amazing.

Liz Earle Light Reflecting Concealer

I’ve started re-using this concealer under my eyes and it does a brilliant job at making me look more awake. This does give more coverage that the Touche Eclat if you do want a cheaper alternative to that product.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Colouring Book

I had to buy this. The images are fantastic. I just love have images there of my favourite characters. I only wish that there was a picture of Ianthe. As much as I hate her, I still wanted to see how Sarah actually pictures her in the books. These are really easy to colour in too.

Bare Minerals Gen Nude Matte Lip Colour in Boss

If you like deeper neutral shades this colour is amazing. It lasts such a long time and feels so comfortable on the lips for a matte liquid lipstick. I absolutely adore this formula.

New Look Matte Lipstick in Orchid

This is such a beautiful colour and really cheap. Again, for a matte lipstick, this is so comfortable and quite hydrating. I love it!

W7 Nail Polish in Matte Fuschia

My friend Lynz bought me this, and it’s such a gorgeous nail shade. It dries so quickly and lasted quite a long time without chipping. It’s stunning!

Jonathon Young

I came across this guy on YouTube this month. He is fantastic. He does his own covers of famous songs. I am in love with his version of Shiny from Moana. If you enjoy rock music you should definitely check him out.

And those are all of my favourites. What were your favourite products this month?

I hope that you all have a lovely day guys, and that you survived this super long list!

xxx

May Favourites 2017 I am so sorry guys! This is quite a long list but I have so many favourites this month; not all of them are beauty related either.

#Bare Minerals #Barry M #BBC #Benefit #chanel #Colouring Books #Drama #Drugstore #High End #Lancome #liz earle #Makeup #May #Models Own #Monthly Favourites #Music #nars #Netflix #New Look #Novels #Pur Cosmetics #sarah J Maas #Spring 2017 #w7 #Youtube #Zoeva