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bookaboutabook · 3 years

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dress by ts= rowaelin

this might be long but i thought of it and it has to be done :)

“our secret moments in your crowded room they've got no idea about me and you”

okay so literally in QoS they communicate basically entirely in silence, like they’re the only people in a crowded room, especially at arobynn’s party they are basically flirting without anyone knowing because at the time things are basically all platonic to everyone else. no one knows that they’re growing feelings or having secret conversations.

“there is an indentation in the shape of you made your mark on me, a golden tattoo”

this is EoS and KoA energy-- the claiming marks, and the tattoos that rowan gives aelin. ALSO the choice of the color golden screams rowaelin because as we know thats the nightgowns color and i feel like it comes up a lot when describing aelin-- golden eyes, hair etc.

“all of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation my hands are shaking from holding back from you all of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting my hands are shaking from holding back from all this ”

QoS is almost entirely sexual tension so i think this is very self explanatory. they were both holding back the way they felt about each other when they both clearly wanted something more. this gives me vibes of rowan needing to cool down from aelin’s presence and taking forever to fall asleep with her so near yet so far away.

“say my name and everything just stops i don't want you like a best friend”

um please so several points-- 1.) rowan is the first person that starts calling celaena by her real name, aelin ( if i remember correctly i don’t think he really ever calls her celeana?? only aelin and she gets mad, but i may be wrong bc it has been a while since i’ve read HoF) he makes her comfortable with her real identity and helped her come to terms with who she was and her name. 2.) fireheart. that’s it. it’s who she was to her family and its who she is now to rowan. ALSO “i don’t want you like a best friend” their relationship goes from basically entirely platonic in HoF to something more in the late books. in QoS, it took them forever to get together bc they had to break through the past definition of their relationship which was strictly friends, carranam, and fighting partners. but they obviously wanted more, and started feeling more comfortable with their past trauma and relationship baggage to face that.

“only bought this dress so you could take it off take it off carve your name into my bedpost 'cause I don't want you like a best friend only bought this dress so you could take it off”

ALRIGHT HERES THE KICKER. so this is obviously referring to the golden nightgown that rowan requests. i KNOW that he technically doesn't even take it off her and they don’t go there but she literally only bought it for him bc he said he would love that color. in conclusion it still counts and the sexual tension was there so.

“inescapable, I'm not even gonna try and if I get burned, at least we were electrified”

SO i feel like they both know that they are inevitable and i think it kinda ties into the idea of the mating bond being something that you can’t break or avoid. they subconsciously knew that being apart would not work. AND we have a reference to aelin’s fire... she might burn too brightly, but at least she burned.

“i'm spilling wine in the bathtub, you kiss my face and we're both drunk everyone thinks that they know us, but they know nothing about”

HAHA we have a little reference to aelin bathing rowan and washing his hair in that one scene. tbh this doesn’t really fit that well but it’s not too out of place-- i also may not be thinking of anything bc i havent re read them in a while. anyways, we also have another moment where rowan and aelin are kind of keeping what is blooming between them a secret from the rest of aelin’s court.

“flashback when you met me your buzzcut and my hair bleached”

their haircuts at the beginning of QoS... rowan cut his long ass hair and aelin had to dye her hair red to go undercover and not get caught... WHY DOES IT WORK SO WELL I--

“even in my worst times, you could see the best of me”

in HoF aelin was at the lowest point of her life. even though he was closed off was dealing with his own baggage, he saw the power aelin held. the light that had been snuffed out inside of her. he pushed her because he knew what she was capable of. and i forgot who said this, but rowan was never afraid of aelin the way chaol was. he saw every part of her and loved all of it.

“flashback to my mistakes my rebounds, my earthquakes”

rebounds??? *cough cough* CHAOL AND DORIAN *cough* okay but for real these weren’t really mistakes but she had made plenty of other mistakes around that time. he helped set her on a better and clearer path. and i guess we could technically consider chaol a rebound...

“even in my worst lies, you saw the truth of me”

her keeping the mating bond from him? her keeping so many of her plans a secret? her pretending she’s okay and KoA and him seeing right through her? yea <3

“and I woke up just in time now I wake up by your side”

I think around nehemias death she was kind of in a trance where she felt like nothing mattered and her life was useless (the whole “i do not care” scene where she was lashing out is a good example), but he helped her out of that. she has that one quote that im gonna paraphrase about how he held her hand and walked back into the light with her. He essentially woke her up from the nightmare she was living and now she wakes up next to him. this literally also happens in HoF because he starts letting her sleep in his bed, which was a huge step in the right direction for their relationship. he started seeing her as a friend and he literally falls asleep with his hand over her heart bye.

“my one and only, my lifeline”

mates are truly each others one and only and i think it’s beautiful that she says “lifeline” because that’s literally what it is to them. they are stronger together and even the forces of their existence are tied together <3

anyways if you read this whole thing thank u lol i just had to get that out:)

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aelinbitch-archive · 5 years

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You've probably said this before but what's your favorite aspect of the TOG series? I've only read like ten pages of the first book lol

aaaaa thank u for asking!! this sort of leads into something i’ve been meaning to talk about for a while so i hope you’re prepared for An Essay No One Wanted By Me. anyway this is a two-part answer, read below:

1. Aelin. Celaena. The main bitch, whatever you wanna call her lol. Without her I probably wouldn’t have cared about the series at all and wouldn’t currently be trapped in ToG tumblr hell reluctantly stanning a racist and homophobic series, but unfortunately when I was like twelve years old or whatever and read the first book I literally imprinted on Celaena like a baby duckling. To the extent that she became, like, the default avatar for all my maladaptive daydreaming and If I Don’t Project On Her At All Times I Will Die. It’s not like she’s the only thing I like about the series (I loooove a lot of the other characters, especially the gals, and the writing can be really great and engaging and cinematic) but Aelin has always been the supermassive black hole at the center of it all for me. I wouldn’t know how to even begin untangling her character from my psyche at this point. It’s honestly a little disturbing. Anyway.

2. Part two is a quality of the series that I feel was unprecedented in its strength in the first five books of the series (ToG-QoS plus the prequel novellas) and really really disappointingly weak in the last two books (EoS-KoA). Like I said above, Aelin has always been my main interest in tog so I read and enjoyed the last two anyway, but I definitely felt the loss of this - “this” being the detail and attention paid to all different types of relationships between characters, and how rich and unpredictable those relationships were as a result.

That sounds like kind of a broad, vague thing, but what I mean is that (in my opinion) rarely are romances and friendships and rivalries explored with such nuance, complexity, drama, and realism in most YA as they are in ToG. I remember reading Cassandra Clare’s books (lmao.) as a pre teen and loving those as well, but totally being able to predict who was going to end up with who, and finding the character dynamics to be pretty cut and dry.

In ToG that’s not the case at all. Like, you’ve got Celaena and Sam, a really complex example of enemies to lovers to….. Tragically Dead Boyfriend Whose Demise Fuels My Guilt and Self-Hatred For Seven More Books, Lysandra and Aelin, two girls pitted against each other by their abuser who team up a year later to unlearn their internalized misogyny and kill him, and Aelin and Chaol, who… how do I even describe the ups and downs (and downs. and more downs) of their relationship.

And that’s just three pairs! Pull the names of two characters out of a hat and I can almost guarantee essays worth of material could be written about them. Arobynn and Aelin? Aelin and Nehemia? Chaol and Dorian, as much as I hate both of them and feel that their relationship as been widely mischaracterized? All fascinating!!! No two people in those first few books are just friends, or just lovers, or just enemies. It’s always more complex, there’s always a history or tension or competing agendas or viewpoints that Fuck Shit Up.

And benefit of that is twofold: one, everything that happens between the characters just…. lands so well. The betrayals and triumphs and losses and victories of The Assassin’s Blade and Crown of Midnight and Queen of Shadows (especially TAB) are fucking heart-stopping. It’s great character-driven entertainment!! Gripping and engaging and vivid to the point of being painful.

And two, there’s no way to predict where a relationship is going to go. Aelin and Lysandra teaming up in QoS instead of returning to their rivalry? Who would have thought! Ansel and Celaena’s summer fling (they were in love. fight me.) ending like That? Holy fuck. Nesryn and Chaol breaking up in ToD? Oh shit! I fell for it again! Rowan and Aelin ending up together after everyone swore they were brotp in HoF? Hell yeah! Chaolaena seeming like endgame and then ending forever, with Chaol and Aelin realizing that the rift between them that began in CoM was something that would never sufficiently heal? Unprecedented. Fucking badass for a YA book to curve everyone like that. Tween me was shook out of her mind.

(Important to note, though, that the downside of this style was that SJM couldn’t tell where ~unpredictable relationships and characters~ ended and fridging began, and as a result, not one but two woc were killed off to make white characters sad and it sucked beyond belief).

Aaaaaand then QoS, the peak of literature, turned into EoS, and SJM just… gave up on all of that. I remember the first time Dorian and Manon met, and I was like oh, okay. So they’re going to end up together. And I was right. I remember that on this site, before EoS came out, before Lorcan and Elide ever fucking MET, people predicted the existence of Elorcan!! And they were right!! Like how fucking boring? Everyone is just paired off into completely predictable heterosexual ships and those are now the only relationships we get to read about (with a few exceptions, like Aelin/Aedion, Aelin/Fenrys, etc.).

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: my least favorite thing about Manorian is not that I find the relationship to be shitty (although I do, I really do). It’s that Dorian is suddenly the only character Manon gets to interact with in any meaningful way.

Like, are you kidding?! I want to read about Manon and Elide, Manon and Asterin, Rowan and Lorcan, Aelin and Lysandra, Aelin and Nesyrn, even if it’s not romantically (although some of them, like Manon and Elide, absolutely should have been, and the fact that not only was that ship very thoroughly sunk, but also they didn’t even get to TALK after QoS, felt like a real slap in the face to gay fans, but I digress), because those pairings previously had hella complexity and drama. But we don’t get to.

And this trend that’s so painfully present in the last two books Sucks for two reasons: one, every relationship that isn’t romantic (which were previously some of the most interesting ones) is abandoned so that more time can be made for The Hets™ and two, the relationships that are romantic, now the only ones left, are totally fucking boring and predictable!! If two characters are interacting at any point (if one is male and the other is female, of course) then you know for a fact that they’re not only love interests, but endgame.

And that makes me not care even when there is drama between them. Elide giving Lorcan the cold-shoulder for three hundred pages, and Manon and Dorian arguing, and Aedion being cruel to Lysandra weren’t compelling narratives to me like they should have been, because the whole time I was just thinking “but it doesn’t matter. I know it’s still endgame. There are no stakes here whatsoever; it’s a done deal.” Whereas Chaol and Celaena’s devestating breakup in CoM felt like (and was) suuuuper Real. An all-in bet on the wrong person. Crazy shit.

And not that I think two characters should never have a happy ending together (I really like rowaelin and nestaq and I would have loved malide!) but imagine how much cooler and subversive and entertaining it would have been if Elorcan, which seemed soooo totally cute and endgamey and borderline like fanfiction throughout all of EoS just ended forever right there and then on the beach, with Elide turning to Lorcan and saying “I hope you spend the rest of your miserable, immortal life suffering. I hope you spend it alone. I hope you live with regret and guilt in your heart and never find a way to endure it” - and BAM. She never speaks to him again. He’s dead to her.

I mean, talk about shock value! (See, Sarah, you can have shock value without killing of a person of color to make a white character sad 🙃). And I totally get that relational twists like that alienate fans more than just going the expected route and having them kiss and make-up does (I mean, the ending of Chaolaena in QoS certainly did, Jesus Christ) but I, Bella aelinbitch, personally live for that shit, and isn’t it only fair that all media cater directly and specifically to me? Lmao. But seriously, I do think it’s objectively more interesting, and that it keeps readers on their toes (I was on my ASS in EoS and KoA. Like. I was flat on my back sinking into the Earth).

And there are still sort of… glimmers of the old way she wrote in the first few books, but it just feels like a tease rather than something that’s really explored and indulged in the way it was before, and it just ends up being more frustrating (like what was the point of Manon and Dorian not getting married at the end of KoA if I would bet my life savings that in World of Tog it’ll be confirmed that they’re either married or still together) and sometimes downright problematic? Like to return to a previous example, I think all the drama between Aedion + Lysandra was a result of Sarah’s previous (good) instincts to shake stuff up and complicate the character dynamics, but it backfires because when they end up together, it’s not ever… worked out? Or addressed? If you create really intense drama between two people, then that needs to show up in their relationship, no matter how happy they end up together. It doesn’t just disappear.

And despite the fact that her understanding of that concept (that shit between two people doesn’t just disappear like magic) is one of my absolute favorite things about the first few books, Sarah even went as far as to use the last two books to retcon some of the original complexity away, which makes me want to rip out my hair!! Like Aelin at the end of KoA just going “Love you Chaol and Love you Dorian xoxoxoxoxox best friends forever!!!” instead of having, like, any type of mixed feelings about the way these boys treated her? I mean, come on! 100 pages earlier Chaol was openly saying she should die instead of Dorian! Why is everything just peachy-keen instead of fraught with tension!! (I know why. I know. It’s because she introduced way too many characters/POVs/storylines as the series went on and didn’t know what to do with them all besides sideline the nonromantic ones and pair off everyone else boy-girl boy-girl down the line). Or if it has to be peachy-keen, why is the peachy-keeness never critically examined as, perhaps, a repressive mechanism for Aelin to avoid dealing with painful truths from her past? Now that would be interesting.

(My ideal World of ToG would be just a transcript of the characters’ therapy sessions where Aelin realizes that her insistence that “Chaol and Dorian Are Her Friends!” is actually a way to keep herself safe emotionally and that she has plenty of reasons to hate them, and Lysandra realizes she should divorce Aedion lmao).

Anyway tldr: The variety, complexity, depth, and unpredictability of the relationships in Throne of Glass was simultaneously the most realistic (sometimes relationships of all kinds fall apart or veer off in unexpected directions and love is temporary and the boy you met in the first chapter isn’t actually your soulmate and it doesn’t mean he’s a villain) and the most gripping and dramatic (I would have been totally chill if maeve and erawan weren’t a thing and tog was just like a medieval soap opera, that’s how entertaining the character dynamics were) thing about the series, and to lose that in the last two books because of Heterosexuality (and introducing too many POVs and not knowing what to do with them all)…. kinda devastating.

This ended up being waaaaaay more complaining than it was talking about what I loved, but the only reason it bothers me so much is because it used to be so good!!! So just imagine the inverse of all the frustration I just vomited into this ask and you’ll have a good idea of how much I loved the series when things weren’t this way.

#im SO sorry for how shittily worded/ranty/emotional/long this is but *antoni from queer eye voice* a shitty YA series is actually something #that can be so personal...#greatest hits: hot takes

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bloody-aelin-archive-blog · 6 years

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@orynthburning brought up an amazing point about how Aelin never slut-shamed Manon Eos. Ever.

Because really? yes, Manon saved Dorian's life Twice and that’s why he trusted her on the ship. But so did Aelin in the glass castle and by sending Rowan (Who made sure Dorian escaped while Manon kept the witches distracted) and Dorian doesn’t respect her one bit for this (bringing me back to my belief that Dorian and Chaol only respect women they’re attracted to and aren’t the gentlemen the fandom portrays them to be)

Also, Dorian knows better than to try and “Seduce” Manon. She is imprisoned by them. That could’ve easily led to rape with Manon saying yes out of fear of her life and Dorian not getting in trouble because she technically said yes (which parallels my complaints about TOG and how Dorian, The Crown Prince who can get whatever he wanted, kept flirting with Aelin, the slave who was afraid of being sent back to Endovier at a moments notice)

But suddenly Aelin being wary of A WITCH THAT TRIED TO KILL HER IS SUDDENLY BAD???? SAYING AELIN DISCRIMINATES AGAINST MANON AND COMPLETELY IGNORES THAT MANON HAS KILLED MEN FOR SPORT (which, same, but that’s besides the point)???

For gods sake, Aelin was not trying to say “Don’t have sex with her Dorian, she’s a slut” also, where did dumbasses get that interpretation from? She was saying “Your penis isn’t going to magically make her loyal to us to our cause” (Which is peak straight man)

Y'all were bending over backward to defend white boi privilege Kale when he discriminated against everyone but the Ardalanions and treated Aelin like dirt??? You say he got better but clearly, TOD shows us he didn’t. He’s taking credit for Yrene and Nesryns hard work for fuck's sake. He never changed

Aelin fucking apologized to Manon and began to trust her so much THAT SHE LITERALLY GAVE MANON THE WYRD KEYS SO MAEVE COULDN’T GET THEM

Y'all hate Aelin cause shes everything you love in men, and that makes you uncomfortable

Chaol apparently had everyone reason to hate Aelin but Aelin didn’t have a reason be wary of Manon? Also, Dorian still retains some of his spoilt prince personas

#rant #tog #aelin galathynius #chaol westfall #dorian havilliard #manon blackbeak

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rhysand-vs-fenrys · 7 years

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My ToG Playlist (With Lyrics)

I know I have weird taste in music (and a low-key obsession with Galavant and Breaking Benjamin). I included lyrics... Under the cut!

(If you are on mobile, go to the top of this post and click my URL, it will take you to the full post)

"Across the Universe of Time”-- Hayley Westenra (Rowaelin)

There’s a star, calling my name; it’s echo is true and the song is not the same. Take my hand and lead me away, bring me back to you; in your arms I’m going to stay.

“Angel’s Fall”-- Breaking Benjamin (Lysaedion)

When angels fall with broken wings, I can’t give up, I can’t give in. When all is lost and daylight ends, I’ll carry you and we will live forever.

“The Animal”-- Disturbed (Aelin’s Song)

For the animal’s soul is mine. We will be completed right before your eyes. I have no control this time, and now we both shall dine in Hell tonight.

“As Good as it Gets”-- Galavant (for some reason this song always makes me think of Elide...)

“Ashes of Eden”-- Breaking Benjamin (Celaena Sardothien)

Are you with me after all? Why can’t I hear you? Are you with me through it all? Then why can’t I feel you? Stay with me, don’t let me go; because there’s nothing left at all. Stay with me, don’t let me go; until the ashes of Eden fall.

“Battle Cry”-- Imagine Dragons (Lorcan)

Stars are only visible in darkness. Fear is ever changing and evolving. And I- I feel poisoned inside. But I- I feel so alive.

“Believer”-- Imagine Dragons (Aelin Galathynius)

Third things third, send a prayer to the ones up above. All the hate that you’ve heard has turned your spirit to a dove; your spirit up above.

“Blame”-- Bastille (Aelin Galathynius)

You go sleep with the fishes. There’s no room for you here, there’s no room for you here. Wrap your teeth around the pavement, ‘cause your bodie’s a message: send my regards to Hell.

“Breath”-- Breaking Benjamin (Rowan Whitethorn, HoF)

So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what’s left. I know that I can find the fire in your eyes. I’m going all the way, get away please. You take the breath right out of me. You left a hole where my heart should be.

“Close to Heaven”-- Breaking Benjamin (Dorian Havilliard, EoS)

So I’ll stay unforgiven, and I’ll keep love together, and I’ll be yours forever. I’ll sleep close to heaven. Hate lost inside, I dare to dream, faithless lies, caught in the web, I will face the weak within.

“Come With Me Now”-- Kongos (Celaena Sardothien, TAB)

Afraid to lose control, and caught up in this world. I’ve wasted time, I’ve wasted breath, I think I’ve thought myself to death. I was born without this fear, now only this seems clear: I need to move, I need to fight, I need to lose myself tonight.

“Defeated”-- Breaking Benjamin (Aelin Galathynius, EoS)

As I fight for one last prayer, I keep holding on. No love to believe in. As I drag the Devil down, I will stand alone. No longer defeated.

“Failure”-- Breaking Benjamin (Chaol Westfall, QoS)

Look for the light that leads me home. Tired of feeling lost, tired of letting go. Tear the whole world down, tear the whole world down. Tired of wasting breath, tired of nothing left. Tear the whole world down, tear the whole world down. Failure.

“A Good Day to Die/ (Reprise)”-- Galavant (EoS)

It’s a good day to die- -we won’t, there’s one more episode.

“Goodnight My Friend”-- Galavant (Sam)

Stay by my side and we’ll sail away, off to the shores of another day. All set to go once I hear you say ‘goodnight my friend, until the morning’.

“The Great Divide”-- Breaking Benjamin (Aelin Galathynius, EoS)

So I’ll wait for you, as I keep your faith alive. And I’ll pray for you, as we cross the great divide. And I’ll break for you, as I open up the sky. And I’ll stay for you, as we cross the great divide.

“I Really Want It”-- A Great Big World (Lysandra)

I’m feeling the world go round. It’s spinning me upside down. I’m finally homeward bound. I’m not giving up. It’s crawling under my skin, and I don’t care if I sin. I really want it, I really want it, I really want it right now.

“In My Head”-- Jason DeRulo (Manorian)

In my head, I see you all over me. In my head, you fulfill my fantasy. In my head, you’ll be screaming loud. In my head, it’s going down.

“The Infection”-- Disturbed (Aelin to Celaena, HoF)

I was forced to walk alone, living in an empty home. All I wanted was to hide and try to numb the ache inside. And I’m still afraid of the light, and a thousand voices share their laughter at my demise. Now if I am to survive, the infection must die. Murder the beast that’s been eating me alive, the infection must die.

“Inside the Fire”-- Disturbed (Maeve)

Give your soul to me for eternity. Release your life, to begin another time with her. End your grief with me, there’s another way. Release your life, take your place inside the fire with her.

“Jackass in a Can”-- Galavant (Celaena to Chaol, ToG)

Your average knight in armor, he’s utterly the pits. His ego’s so humongous, his helmet barely fits. He wears two tons of padding and thinks he’s quite the man. He’s nothing but a jackass in a fancy metal can.

“Leave Out All the Rest”-- Linkin Park (Aelin Galathynius, end of EoS)

When my time comes, forget the wrong that I’ve done. Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed. Don’t resent me, and if you’re feeling empty, keep me in your memory. Leave out all the rest, leave out all the rest.

“Let Me Lie”-- Hayley Westenra (Rowaelin, QoS)

Heal me through as I lie here with you. Heal me through. Let me sleep, and keep me close.

“Love Makes the World Brand New”-- Galavant (Manon Blackbeak about Dorian, EoS)

My lip-ends, look how they twist up. And hark, a laugh-sound ascends (ha!). I’m always opening my fist up to flap my fingers at friends. And there’s sparkly fizz in my nethers whenever (s)he is around. And I’ve never quite said what I’m trying to say. Love make the world brand new.

“May it Be”-- Hayley Westenra (Nehemia)

May it be an evening star shines down on you. May it be when darkness falls, your heart will be true. You walk a lonely road. Oh how far you are from home. Mornië utúlië (Darkness has come), believe and you will find your way. Mornië alantië (Darkness has fallen) a promise lives within you now.

“Never Again”-- Breaking Benjamin (Dorian Havilliard, EoS)

Take the color from your eyes. I bleed for you, I bleed for you. Bring the broken back to life. We’ll make it through, we’ll make it through. Never again, never again, time will not take the life from me.

“On the One Road”-- The High Kings (Aelin & Co, beginning of EoS)

We’re on the one road, sharing the one load. We’re on the road to god know’s where. We’re on the one road (and maybe the wrong road) but we’re together now, who cares?

“Rise”-- Katy Perry (Aelin Galathynius, the Valg battle, HoF)

When, when the fire’s at my feet again, and the vultures all start circling. They’re whispering “You’re out of time”, but still I rise. This is no mistake, no accident. When you think the final nail is in, think again. Don’t be surprised, I will still rise.

“Serenade”-- Galavant (Lorcan with Elide)

Gaze at the person across from you now, feel the sweet spark of connection. If you don’t screw up this moment somehow, maybe you won’t die alone.

“Something Wild”-- Lindsey Stirling (Elide)

Even though you’re scared, you’re stronger than you know. If you’re lost out where the lights are blinding, caught and all the stars are hiding, that’s when something wild calls you home, home. If you face the fear that keeps you frozen, chase the sky into the ocean, that’s when something wild calls you home.

“Today We Rise”-- Galavant (Aedion, I don’t know why, but Aedion)

And the brave, lucky few who will somehow make it through; scarred for life and missing limbs, and needing help to pee and poo. They can stand ‘neath these skies, begging change from passerbys. Is it hopeless? Yep, you said it, we might as well forget it, tomorrow we’ll regret it, but today we rise.

“What Am I Feeling”-- Galavant (Manon)

What am I feeling? Is it a feeling? Could I be feeling somehow? All this time I’ve never truly had one, why would I be starting now? If it’s a feeling, truly a feeling, why is it hurting me so? Could it be my first one is a bad one? How am I supposed to know?

“What I’ve Done”-- Linkin Park (Aelin Galathynius)

In this farewell, there’s no blood, there’s no alibi. ‘Cause I’ve drawn regret, from the truth of a thousand lies. So let mercy come and wash away what I’ve done. I’ll face myself to cross out what I’ve become, erase myself, and let go of what I’ve done.

“Whatever it Takes”-- Imagine Dragons (Aedion)

Whatever it takes, ‘cause I love the adrenaline in my veins. I do whatever it takes ‘cause I love how it feels when I break the chains. Whatever it takes, you take me to the top I’m ready for- whatever it takes, ‘cause I love the adrenaline in my veins. I do what it takes.

“Where Do We Go”-- Lindsey Stirling (Aelin Galathynius, EoS)

Now that I’m older, now that it’s colder, life keeps on crashing. Day after day, like a wave after wave, we did everything right and now I’m asking- where do we go when our prayers are answered? Where do we go, when our prayers are answered and the answer is no?

“You’ll Never Walk Alone”-- Josh Groban (Elena Galathynius)

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky, and the sweet silver song of the lark. Walk on, through the wind. Walk on, through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone. You’ll never walk alone.

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nashville-escort · 7 years

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WHY THE HELL DOES EVERYONE LOVE AELIN GALANYTHIUS SO MUCH?!?!

The girl who turned her back on her kingdom and changed her name for 10 years cause she didn’t want anything to do with them. The girl who wanted to take the life of the man who got her out of Endovier and offered her friendship when she had no one, who gave her Fleetfoot and continues to support her cause. Who got her out of prison and was her friend when everyone else was afraid of her, offered her support after Nehemiah died and when she was alone, and freed the continent because they were friends. 100% the fact that she even ATTEMPTED to take Dorians life and THOUGHT that it was hers to take just made me hate every being of her and wishing she dies. Dorians life didn’t belong to her. Yes she fought for him in the end but that’s only because of what Manon wrote and Chaol changing the plan at the last minute. Before that she basically dismissed him. Chaol, absolutely, but a bitch who just used him???? I WANTED TO SEND HATE TO SARA J MASS. (But I didn’t) She’s so obsessed with Aelin and Rowan that she forgets that Aelin is not better Meave, or any of the bad people in her books. She acts like she’s all high and mighty but since she got her powers she’s just as arrogant. I don’t understand why ANYONE thinks she would make this MARVELOUS AND AWESOME queen. I actually think people only worship the ground she walks on simply because she’s AELIN ASHRYVER GALANYTHIUS. I have to say I LOVED watching her get kicked out of Terrassen by Darrow because it served her right. She changed her name and then all of sudden DECIDES that after 10 years she finally wanted to be queen and expects people to see her as that. Bitch please. It doesn’t work like that. She was too young to even remember anything about her people, and while they were being butchered she was training to be an assassin. People want her as queen because she’s sassy and has a good heart but so does everyone else. She’s a tyrant. That vision the Valg demon gave her was a warning. Then Meave saying saying about Aelin and Rowans children could rule empire’s. She’ll either become a great ruler or a maniac. And that alone makes her a threat. Dorian would definitely be the better monarch. He’s the the most amazing person in the books. Pissed that SJM had him free the continent just so she could hand it over to Aelin whenever she wanted. Dorian deserved it. He deserves everything. Aelin has had it hard, yes, but so has he and he didn’t turn out like she did. Yes she was a child when she left but she is a woman now and has been for several years. She got by for a long while without the king recognized who she is. The point is she never went back to her people. She never forget it no, but she never helped them either. The minute she had her period and became a woman she could have sought out her cousin and did SOMETHING to help her people. But she chose not to. She CHOSE to stay with Arobrynn and become an assassin and leave that life behind. SHE EVEN CHANGED HER FREAKING NAME. That’s how much she wanted to escape her birthright. You don’t leave for years, enjoy killing people, then meet some fae Prince, then come back and think just because of who she is now people should accept her. Her BEST FRIEND HAD TO STAGE HER OWN DEATH TO GET HER OUT OF HER SELFLESNESS, and even that didn’t work. It wasn’t until she met Rowan a while after Nehemiah was killed, that he talked her into it that she FINALLY decided to wanted to be queen. She can’t just come back and call herself Aelin after all that time away and expect people to see you as their queen and your NOT. At least SJM has enough sense to realize that. And so do her fathers court. They see how reckless, unpredictable and immature she is. I loved her in the first 3 books but in the 4th she was insufferable. Cocky, arrogant, and more than a little cruel. I love Celena but I hate Aelin. They’re two completely different people. When she came back in the fourth book after she honed her magic and accepted who she is she was a completely different person. But what she did to Arobrynn and those assassins….I hated her so much I swear I was reading red. What she did to them was completely uneunessecary and horrible. That screamed cold blooded. And psychopath. So was Arobrynn yes, for what he did to her but no one cares about him. He made her what she is. If he hadn’t trained her she never would have been what he is now. Everything was her choice. What she seems to be so proud of. Amazing with a sword, smart and cunning. Always having a plan. But that doesn’t make what he did to her okay and same goes for her. That was more than cruel. And she’s very self absorbed. Do you really think that if her friend wanted her to free the continent do you think she would do it because she is kind? Hell no. She didn’t even want to allow Dorian to let Manon out of that cabin on the ship. She would never give that power up. Once again why Dorian is better than she is. All she cares about is Terrassen and her court. She puts them above EVERYTHING. Nothing and no one else. I’m sure she’d sacrifice her own mate. And everyone who can read between the lines knows the real reason she sent Rowan to rescue Dorian from the witches. It wasn’t because she cared about him and he was her friend, but because if he died her kingdom would lose it’s support from Adarlan. Now WHY THE HELL WOULD I LIKE SOMEBODY LIKE THAT. Why even think that about him after he’s done so much for her. The way she’s treated Dorian since the 4th book really ticks me off. Would he have done her like that? No. Because even If his court was at risk he would try to save her AND his court. Like now. He’s choosing to stay with her instead of taking back his city. Because he continues to support her and all she gives a damn about is Terrassen. She never forgot about it but at the same time never returned. That combination plus the way she was in the fourth book is why I hate her. I’ve never felt this strongely about a fictional character. Now that she has her court and Rowan by her side she doesn’t care about anyone else. Her court is super powerful and no one will challenge her.👎 If she ruled the continent it would be terrible. Her kisses her ass so there’s no one who would stop her from becoming a tyrant if she wanted to. Rowan even said he would lay the continent at her feet and asked her if she wanted it. Or if she would stop at Terrassen or take more. It says says something that Meave, a powerful fae queen, could take over the continent as well but chooses to stay in Doranelle. If SJM does let Rowan and Aelin take the continent I’m burning all her books. Because there is nothing Aelin has than Dorian doesn’t. Not to mention the way she treats her own cousin. She gave up his blood oath because she said she thought he was still faithfully serving the king. But she was Kings champion and he never gave up on her. She lied to him and made it seem like it was his fault. And then she basically told him she is queen, he is just her General and he can fuck off. That was his blood right. He’s family. He grew up with her and loved her but Rowan, who she’s only known for a FEW months, who SJM started writing and fell in love with apparently, tells her to give him the blood oath just so they can stick it to Meave and she does it. In the book she wants even THINKING about her cousin. And yes she can do what she wants but then she lied about it and when she got caught she brought up the I’m the queen card. Like no. Every guy in the book is worshipping her, they’re all wanting to serve her knowing she can protect herself just fine. I just don’t understand what makes her so better than Dorian. Every guy is basically having a pissing contest and she’s just amused by it. Is she really that intelligent?? In EOS she treats Dorian, the KING, like he’s one of her warriors and orders him around and treats him like shit when he’s a valuable ally. “The battlefield is no place for a king” STFU. I wish Dorian told her then that she doesn’t give him orders. I get that he’s in that dark place right now but he needs to snap out of it. That’s not smart. If I were him I would have been done washed by hands with her. But as we all know he’s better than she is. She wasn’t THINKING about how Aedion would feel when she gave away his blood oath. She wasnt THINKING about what would happen when she chose to always flaunt her magic, not thinking about all the monsters it drew to them and put them in danger. The books try to tell us that she is super intelligent and an amazing strategiest but we don’t really see it. Nehemiah was killed off just for her character development. And if your queen cared about Erila at all she never would be thinking of conquering it. People who want to conquer a continent only care about power. I just don’t think she deserves the world like everyone thinks she does. Dorian has hard it as well. Been imprisoned, had a demon inside his body, violated, forced against his will, seeing the woman he loved beheaded, his best friend’s paralyzed SJM takes him away from Dorian, and then Aelin and her fucking court leave and then there’s no one there for him…GOOD GOD he went through a SHIT TON. But still isn’t cold and cruel like Aelin is. Diplomacy is not her strong at it. She’s very terrible at it. She is also very young and half fae which makes her temper harder to control. She has a lot of self doubt and is terrified to openly fail. That combination is a power keg ready to go off AND IT DOES in EOS. She has not developed into the queen I expected her to be. I expected her to be a grown up version of Caelena. More grownup, more thoughtful and less reckless. The worst part is she thinks of her own self, Calena, as a monster. But ppl forget how she disobeyed her master, and risked her live to save 200 slaves. Celeana chose to spare Ansel’s life even after her betrayal. In EOS AND QOS Aelin was more than ready for her COURT, but would she die for her FRIENDS the same way Chaol and Dorian do? Probally not. I love Celena but I hate Aelin. The lords of her kingdom don’t want her as queen and I have to agree. When he aid that I was cheering them on. Her line to Chaol in COM when she said “I would always choose you” was the biggest lie ever. She thinks she’s better than the bad guys which is laughable. SOOO Based on everything I just said can someone please tell me what this girl has that my cinnamon roll, or anyone else doesn’t?

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emthinks · 7 years

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Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Note: Okay, so I just realized like a good solid month and more later that I never posted my review for this book. Or maybe I did and I never tagged it. Or maybe I did tag it but it got lost in the endless sea that is the Internet (and also Tumblr). I don’t know. The point is that it’s not in my records and I need it to exist here because I love Sarah and I love this series and I’ve written reviews for all the other books so this can’t not exist. So. Here it is. The following is what I wrote after while marathoning ToG, so this is before I touched QoS and EoS. I have not edited anything: this is literally a copy & paste from my word doc. Enjoy.

If you could hear me right now. God. I sound like a dying whale. A dying, beached whale that has no hope but is still screaming for one. I wish I have a punching bag in my room. Would get a lot of use out of it right about now. I think I just kicked nearly everything off my bed. This book is ridiculous. I was not prepared.

This is not YA. YA is…nicer. Gentler. This is. I mean, Throne of Glass was bad. Crown of Midnight was…equally as bad. Heir of Fire? Heir of Fire didn’t hold anything back. Heir of Fire was hell. It was heart wrenching, heart pounding, heart aching hell.

Rating: 9.6/10

An Overview:

Unfortunately, I didn’t take notes on everything, which sucks, but hey. What can you do. I did not some more essential bits though.

Dorian and Chaol. Dorian and Chaol are a fucking mess. Dorian and Chaol. I don’t know what’s going to happen to Dorian and Chaol.

Moving on. Celaena ends up tagging along with Rowan to meet Maeve, who decrees Rowan is train her to shift and wield magic before she can enter Doranelle. Celaena becomes a kitchen maid. Hey, at least there’s food.

Meanwhile, Dorian is…hitting on a healer? I’m not sure what Dorian is doing. We don’t get much from Dorian.

Monan, on the other hand, we get a lot of time with. And it’s a bit of a slog, perhaps. But then she gets Abraxos. And she goes to fight the fucking giant arachnids for their silk and steals it (which I really wonder if that’s gonna bite her in the ass later on). And Abraxos. If she’s on Abraxos, things got a lot better. Especially that bit at the end, with the War Games and how she saves the Blueblood heir? Yeah. That was good. That was nice. Hey, our little heartless witch grew a heart!

And then there’s Chaol. And then there’s Chaol. Chaol, for some reason (I forget) decides that he needs to get information out of Aedion (to even the ground? I think Aedion knows something about Chaol? I don’t remember the specifics). Of course, Chaol’s a fucking idiot and disregards the fact that he’s tailing the Wolf of the North (or whatever fancy title they gave Aedion) and that, maybe, Aedion would notice he’s tailing him. Thankfully, all’s well that ends well, because Chaol manages to become allies with Aedion. Aelin is alive. One can only hope it remains that way.

When Celaena walked into Rowan’s room while he was tattooing Gavriel (albeit uninvited), and Rowan said all those things to her, I knew what was coming. That next morning, when Celaena saw the blade Emrys got from Mikalai, the Eyllwe blade, and she snapped, my heart broke. I could feel all her pain. It was horrible. And for Emrys to lecture Rowan, when he finally (finally) came to fetch her, God I wished he’d torn him apart.

Well, at least they’re bonding now. Right? Nope. Rowan fucking throws poor, innocent Luca (with the promise of food, of all things!) into the middle of the ice and demands she rescue him. She does (of course she does) but then there’s that creepy ass one-eyed fish monster. Of fucking course the lake wasn’t empty, I thought. When would the lake ever be empty? They’re not that lucky.

Eventually, on one of those journeys to see the killed demi-Fae, we run across a problem. A major problem. Well, a problem and an answer, I guess, if you want to be particular about it. An answer to who (or what, I suppose) is sucking the life out of all those demi-Fae. And the problem? Well. The problem is those hundreds of soldiers and not-human dark things used to attack demi-Fae and use them as hosts. Of course. Fucking hell. But what could our heroes do but hurry back to prepare the fortress? And it was absolutely beautiful how everyone had just banded together, not argument, no fear. And I had thought Wendlyn was an ass for not sending reinforcements. Nope. They were just being attacked, too. They would’ve helped, had they had the ability to. But they just had to prioritize. It sucked, but at least they had a valid excuse.

And then the Valg came. And Celaena, brave, brave, wonderful warrior Celaena steps out and says she will protect them. And her fire burns and burns and burns. For so long, she burns. But not long enough. Because then they envelop her. They don’t consume her, she’s too great of a vessel, but they take sips. Sips of her deepest, darkest memories. All her secrets spilled out, and she doesn’t do anything – nothing. God, it was one of the most horrifying things to read, to imagine, to feel. I could see everything as if it was happening right in front of me, to me. The darkness, the sheer terror, the complete loss, the hopelessness. Everything. We saw what truly happened that night, where she crawled into her parents’ bed and they were already dead and Lady Marion sacrifices herself and that just makes what Nehemia did that much worse and I just. I couldn’t. I’m not a huge fan of horror, of scary shit, and I definitely don’t seek them out in books, so that was some of the darkest pages I’ve read. Ever. It was horrifying. And I plowed through them like a woman on a mission not because I enjoyed them (I really, really didn’t) but because I needed to see the end to this misery. And, thankfully, there was an end. Our heroine emerges from the ashes, wielding fire the likes we’ve never seen before and embracing her titles. She does not hide under the shadow of Celaena Sardothien anymore. She is, finally, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen, and ready to take back her throne, her people, her land.

In the meantime, across the sea, we have Chaol and Dorian and Aedion who figured out how the fuck the king cancelled out all magic. The pillars. The triangle. Now, if we could only just knock out the clock tower, that would be great. And I think we really need to get on that. Maybe Dorian could just, I don’t know, accidentally throw some of his ice magic at it. Just a little bit. And then poke it so it would shatter in a million pieces? Ooh! Maybe Celaena can burn it. Or not. It’s obsidian. One giant pillar of obsidian. Sigh.

Also, I find it absolutely ridiculous that we spend all this time – all this fucking time trying to get into Doranelle, to talk to Maeve and find out what she knows, and then we’re in there for one chapter. Of the whole entire fucking book. And it is a large ass book. And it was one hell of a chapter. Maeve is an absolute bitch. We knew she was shit from the get-go – we knew Celaena’s mom (Evalin?) had run across the sea and hid her for a reason. But still. Celaena asks her questions. And Maeve knows nothing. Yes, we learn some things about the Vlag (blergh) and how the king, with three Wyrdkeys, could summon an endless army (jfc we need to fix that soon) but we don’t learn anything of use about they keys or the gates. Instead, we learn – or rather, Celaena reveals she learned that Maeve was the one who wanted to use the keys, and that’s why Brannon took them across the sea. To see Rowan obeying and his so-called “friends” just not even trying to resist…that was painful. Thank God Celaena has mastered her power enough to fucking set the whole palace on fire. That was beautiful. And she bargains – beautifully – with Maeve. The ring, for Rowan. A severed bloodoath, only to forge a new one immediately afterwards. Well, at least Celaena has somebody to watch her back, right?

Nope. Fucking idiot. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that Celaena left Rowan behind. Yes, he might not be as powerful thanks to the “all magic has been destroyed” thing in Adarlan, but he isn’t useless. She better go find him soon. He better come back in Queen of Shadows. That’s all I’m saying.

And oh no, that’s not all that happened. That’s only on one continent. On the continent with even more problems, we have the (slight) issue of the king kind of kidnapping Chaol. And Aedion. And Dorian and Sorscha. So Sorscha was Ren’s informant, huh? At least he’s not as much of a wimp as I thought. Still, God that was horrible to read. First, Aedion reveals himself. Which. Fine. It sucks, but it’s necessary. He’s taken away. Then. Then. Sorscha. God, Dorian was a disaster. But still salvageable. But Chaol – fucking, idiotic Chaol. Stupid, stupid, stupid. So stupid. Why was he so stupid? Stupid Chaol decides that “oh, now is the time for me to reveal that I’m traitorous to the crown”. Like, now is so not the time, Chaol. Aedion has already sacrificed himself, knowing that you would be more important to Aelin than he is, in the long run, and Sorscha is already fucking dead and now is really not the time. You realize he could you?! You’re not his son. You’re not the crown prince. So one thing leads to another, and Dorian reveals his magic. Great timing, Chaol. You just made everything a hundred times worse. You get to escape, which, hurrah, don’t have to go to Anielle. Your friend, on the other hand. Well. Poor Dorian is fucking screwed. He’s got a Wyrd collar on his neck now, and gods know what that will do to him. How it will warp him. I can only hope that Celaena can come back and somehow manage to remove that fucking collar.

Oh, I can’t wait to tear that guy into tiny little pieces. No mercy, man. No mercy. Not for the kind of shit he’s done.

And it’s only a matter of time, because Aelin, across the sea, on a different fucking continent, has made her stand. It was her declaration, in front of the Valg. That battle was where she announces to the whole fucking world that she’s back, and she’s better than ever. Aedion knows, finally, that his cousin is alive for real. Chaol knows he didn’t just send her off to death. Dorian knows. The king knows. Everyone knows. And I can only hope that the people of Terrasen are ready. And the people of Adarlan, because when she comes, she comes for blood, she comes for revenge, she comes for the king’s head mounted on a pike and no one can stop her.

“You didn’t need a weapon at all when you were born one.”

Likes: What I really liked in this book was that we got to see from different POVs. Well, maybe I should amend that: We got to see from multiple POVs, with buildup. Like, before, we only saw from like, say, Kaltain or the King’s POVs when the really needed to push along the plot. Or reveal something we, the reader, had already half-suspected. Like with the headaches or the Wyrdkeys. We didn’t use them until they were truly necessary. Like, every time we saw from Kaltain’s POV, she was whining about headaches (in ToG). In HoF, it’s different. We see from Celaena and Dorian and Chaol, ofc, but then there’s Monan and Sorscha and their stories take a while too unfold as well, to interweave themselves into the overarching plot. Sarah, imo, has really gotten better at weaving. And I really, really like this weaving.

Dislikes: While I said I like the multiple PoVs, there were times when they became a burden as well. Especially with the Monan ones. I just found them to be such a drag sometimes, particularly when there was something a lot more exciting going on with Celaena and Rowan or Dorian and Chaol.

“They had survived, when so many had not. And no one else could understand what it was like to bear it, unless they had lost as much.”

The Characters:

For me, in this book, I didn’t particularly like this Celaena. I mean, she was going through a lot, so I understand. But I just. It’s hard to watch someone you know, someone you love, go through all this hardship and break. It’s just really, really hard to see such a tough character crumble so easily like that, and we see that happen to her multiple times in this book. It’s a reality check, I guess. But still. Like, with the Valg princes, I just. I couldn’t. So while I love all of Celaena, the Celaena we see most in this book is a mess. She eventually comes back into herself, mastering her magic, training by herself at dawn and being a complete badass, but it takes a long, long while. Hopefully, we get to see her be more confident and sure as she takes on the mantle that is Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.

Okay, I’m going to be completely honest: I thought Aedion Ashryver was such a pompous asshole when I first met him. But even worse, because he has Ashryver blood. He’s cousins to Aelin. He’s...he’s supposed to be good. But then Chaol started tailing him, and we learn he’s been disappearing form his own parties. Ah. So he’s loyal after all. And as we read on, we learn he is very loyal. He would’ve become bound to Aelin by blood, bound to her like Rowan now is and stayed by her side for eternity. He would’ve done anything for her. And I think that really shows, especially at the end. He sacrifices himself, not for Chaol, but for the hope that is Aelin, knowing that Chaol will help Aelin, and perhaps be of more help than he is to her. He would’ve loved to see her one last time, but instead, he gives himself up. Damn, that Ashryver blood is nice.

Now. Let’s talk about Rowan Whitethorn. Random fact: I totally thought it was white-horn for the longest time. Oops. Anyways. Rowan. Fucking ass, I thought. Doesn’t talk to Celaena at all. Completely ruins her. Drags her down. Isn’t helpful at all. Any inkling of bonding moment they have, he breaks it off immediately afterwards. Thankfully though, Emrys (good ol’ Emrys) slaps some sense into him and he and Celaena aren’t on such a rocky edge anymore. Walking a tight rope instead of tight thread. They banter more, are more comfortable with each other. And then the soldiers of Adarlan come, Norrak and the Valg princes. And then things really shift. They are bound together for life, now. And Rowan, in Maeve’s palace, taking that whipping just. No. Celaena might not have wanted him to swear that bloodoath to her, but he needed to. An anchor, so to speak.

Now for another new character we meet: Sorscha. Now, I had no idea what to think of Sorscha. We learn of her infatuation with Dorian early on, and immediately I know it’s going to be acted upon because why else would we read from her PoV unless it’s truly important? But I’m glad Sorscha existed. Because Sorscha pulled Dorian out of whatever wallowing misery he was in and helped him hone his magic. Without Chaol, Sorscha was the only one he could kind of lean on. So to have that happen to her, at the end. We all were a mess, no doubt. Fucking distraught. Ruined. Hell.

And oh. Dorian. Poor, poor Dorian. Dorian for me really grows in this book. At first, I absolutely detested him. Like, I wanted to like him in the beginning, I really did. But then he found Aedion and Chaol talking and immediately thought of betrayal and consorting with the enemy. And he doesn’t even try to work with them. Doesn’t try to understand, to understand why Chaol kept the secrets. To think that, maybe, he could work with Celaena. Work with Aelin, to overthrow his father, so then they can all be better off. Nope. Doesn’t do that. Thankfully, he meets Sorscha. Sorscha is his one beacon of hope and light, especially after he kicks Chaol away to the curb. Sorscha helps him master his magic, and I think that’s really where Dorian’s turning point is. Dorian isn’t trying to suppress his powers anymore, but instead is learning how to control it, how to harness them. He is embracing who is, and I think that’s really important for him. Dorian, who has had basically no control over what he is and what he does for his entire life, finally has control over something. Very nice growth, Dorian. I’m proud. I can only hope that growth helps you survive whatever horrors your father will make you suffer through in QoS.

Now for Chaol. God, I didn’t think I liked Chaol. But Chaol is sacrificing so much. He sacrificed his dignity by going to his father for help. He sacrificed his friendship with Dorian to protect him. And he sacrificed his love for Celaena to protect her. Chaol is like the ultimate shadow-guard. Unfortunately, on the other hand, Chaol is also, like Dorian said, the only one who hasn’t let go yet. Celaena is breaking herself apart every single day in Wendlyn, training with Rowan, finally embracing her heritage. Dorian is...well. Dorian is stifling his magic, yes, but with good reason. Chaol, though, could do so much more, and he doesn’t. Yes, he works with Aedion and eventually comes up with something. But then that all goes to shits and pieces at the end. Everything they did, even that little bit he patched up with Dorian…all goes down the fucking drain with one summon from the king. Jfc, I could murder Chaol right now for his idiocy. Definitely not my favorite character in this book.

On the other hand, Emrys. Emrys I could totally get behind. Emrys is that really old uncle that no one knows how old he is and has all the cool stories and is just this useful presence. Doesn’t poke or prod, but is there when Celaena or Rowan needed a jab. Any of you watch Merlin? Because I don’t if it’s just the BBC show, if the real (real? was he real?) Merlin was actually called Emrys but I freaked when I read that name. Just a little. Internally.

Now, I mentioned above that the varying PoVs were a double-edged sword for me. Monan Blackbeak, we learn early on, is a witch. A deadly, cruel, fierce witch. And, at first, I just could not get through her chapters. But then we continued on. And we grew more attached to her. We learn she may not be as harsh as the rest of her compatriots, as cruel as the Yellowlegs heir. We actually sympathize with her, feel with her, even though she is being trained to ride her wyvern for the king. We actually (or, at least, I) begin to understand her, which is interesting. She chooses a bait beast for her wyvern. Abraxos. God, I love Abraxos. Abraxos sniffing those flowers when she tries to feed him a goat leg? That was hilarious. And I especially loved how HoF was basically watching Monan grow a heart. Like, she bonded with Abraxos and she saved Petrah and she hesitated with killing the Crochan witch. Still though, while I feel for her, she’s still Wing Leader, flying a squadron for the king and against our favorite characters. Can you imagine if she and Celaena came head-to-head? My hope is that Monan will one day see the light and meet up with our main gang and burn that glass palace to ruin.

“It would not take a monster to destroy a monster – but light, light to drive out darkness.”

My Questions

What does that Wyrd collar do?

We’ve seen the rings in action. We’ve seen them manipulate and hurt. But the collar. Does the collar mean that Dorian has no self-control whatsoever? He’s a puppet to his father? Or does it mean that it manipulates him into thinking he does have control, but in reality he doesn’t? How do we get it off? I want it off of Dorian! Now!

What the fuck is Celaena going to do about the fact that she hasn’t killed the royal family of Wendlyn? What the fuck is the king going to do to her?

Uh, I’m still holding out the hope that the Ashryvers will suddenly want to help their cousin.

What about the whole Dorian/Celaena/Chaol love triangle?

Um. Huh. Good question. I was nearly convinced it would be Chaol. But then. Well. Then there’s Rowan there. And Dorian has the same ice and wind power to extinguish Celaena’s fire like Rowan does, so that’s a nice match. And – the real deal breaker here, I think – was the part where Celaena questioned Rowan about mates and how she had attacked Chaol that one time and Rowan kind of avoided answering. That really made me question it. But still. There’s a major problem of the fact that they are heirs of two different kingdoms. What the fuck are they going to do about that? Can Celaena put Aedion on the throne? I suppose she could do that. Maybe she’ll do that. Celorian?

"She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”

#emthinks #emthinks books #sjm #sarah j maas #tog #throne of glass #hof #heir of fire

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