#anti hosab

[aho-dapa]

sjmmmmmm, stop making women solely the sexual aggressors to every man in your book please

#sjm do something interesting for once challenge #anti hosab #anti sjm

[alexcollix7]

Ok I've been holding this for too long, but I've got a huge post where I've compiled all the the things regarding plagiarism/copying that sjm has been accused of, including a bunch of different book series and movies, and it's just unreal how much stuff there is, especially regarding the Black Jewels series. I was too scared up until now to truly post it here, but I'm going to do it this week or next, because I just don't think it's fair that there's just so many things out there, and no one really talks about it enough. What do you guys think?

#anti sjm #anti acotar #anti acowar #anti acomaf #anti acosf #anti feyre #anti feysand #anti hosab #anti rhysand #anti sarah j maas #anti azriel #anti inner circle

[astrababyy]

the second cc book is so weird because cormac is the guy fighting for justice and pushing the plot along, and he’s got to drag the actual mcs along with him kicking and screaming. like, HE’S the good guy who’s fighting for human liberation, and all the others are playing the whole “reluctant hero” cliche but it just doesn’t work cause they’re, collectively, two royals, an ex-member of a super powerful wolf pack, the underwater queen’s spymaster, and the fucking umbra mortis who JUST got his freedom back after centuries of slavery. but then the mcs are the saints on a moral high horse and cormac is the devil incarnate. idk if it changes as the book goes on, but i’m on this part where declan is joking around about a situation where people could die and cormac is the only one taking it seriously. like this is so tone deaf???

#i’m beating a dead horse lmao #this book came out ages ago #but i’m just reading it now so i can see nesta again in book 3 #and i’m so irritated with every single character except for cormac like i kid you tf not #anti sjm #sjm critical #anti cc #anti crescent city #anti hosab #astrababyy

[spaceshipkat]

since bookseller limits the articles you can read per month, here y’all go! screenshots above and transcript below the cut

Sarah J Maas in conversation about the crossover between two of her epic fantasy worlds

“I had planted seeds in all my series about the possibility of it being a multiverse. The worlds exist, but they’re planets and light-years away”

AUTHOR INTERVIEWS FEB 3, 2023 BY KATIE FRASER

"This has been years in the making, thinking about how the worlds connect and how you can move between them,” says Sarah J Maas as she talks to me over Zoom from rainy Los Angeles about House of Sky and Breath, the second instalment in the Crescent City trilogy, following House of Earth and Blood.

Maas is a titan in the fantasy genre. Her oeuvre boasts three distinct fantasy worlds—the Throne of Glass series (eight books), the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (five books) and Crescent City—with 1.2 million print copies sold across all series and editions through Nielsen BookScan’s UK TCM. The successful hardback sales of House of Sky and Breath alone helped boost Bloomsbury’s profits in 2022.  

Despite her success, Maas is incredibly down to earth, speaking to me bedecked in a joyful “Bambi” jumper and proudly showcasing her slightly prehistoric-looking radio. It is not a tech-pumped feat of engineering, it simply plays music, and it is the simplicity Maas yearns for: “I keep my little desk radio because I just like listening to the local radio. Just putting on the classic channel, there’s something about it.”

It has become slightly harder to find opportunities to escape to the solitariness of her study and bask in the unadulterated delight of classical music since having children. “My children are the music I write to,” she laughs. With two young children and a 13-year-old “built like a brick” dog Annie, things are never dull. “When I got the call from my editor that House of Sky and Breath had hit number number one in the New York Times bestseller list, I was elbow deep in baby poop!”

Now anticipating its paperback release in May 2023, House of Sky and Breath sent long-time Maas readers reeling when the ending revealed a crossover between the Crescent City trilogy and Maas’ other series A Court of Thorns and Roses, confirming reader speculation that the Maas multiverse did indeed exist.

The trilogy has marked new beginnings for Maas, not only opening worlds of possibilities for future writings but also marking a brief departure from high fantasy. House of Earth and Blood was the first contemporary novel she had written, the primary difference being setting. The first two instalments in the Crescent City trilogy are set in Lunathion, a modern city on the planet Midgard, which would be familiar to any Londoner except it is populated with angels, fae and animal shifters.

Following on

House of Sky and Breath opens a few months after the events of House of Earth and Blood. Bryce, the half-human, half-fae protagonist, is adjusting to life after defending the city from demon hordes. She is also grieving the death of her best friend Danika, murdered in the first book, and navigating her increasingly romantic relationship with Hunt, a lightning-wielding angel. Attempts to regain a sense of normalcy, however, are undercut when Danika’s secrets begin to surface, and Bryce and Hunt become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the rulers of Midgaard, known as the Asteri. In a bid to escape the Asteri’s wrath, Bryce uses her powers to teleport and inadvertently lands in the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Although many readers were thrilled at the crossover, Maas stresses that you don’t have to have read her other series to appreciate the ending. “I want it to be satisfying and compelling for both fans of the A Court of Thorns and Rose series and fans of the Crescent City series. [I want] to make sure the story can stand on its own.”

The crossover has been years in the making, occurring to Maas when writing A Court of Silver Flames and Kingdom of Ash, the latest instalments in the A Court of Thorns and Roses and Thrones of Glass series, respectively. “I had planted seeds in all my series about the possibility of it being a multiverse. The worlds exist, but they’re planets and light-years away.”

It is a constant thrill to fans and one that, after a cursory look on Reddit turned into a deep dive on Maas-lore, has churned up hundreds of theories, ranging from the inexplicably brilliant to the not so brilliant. “I often think about these series for years before I end up writing them,” Maas explains: “[It means I have] the opportunity to think, ‘How in this moment can I plant this little detail?’” Her readers are undoubtedly looking for every single one.

Initially, the Crescent City trilogy began as a side project for Maas after inspiration struck mid-flight while listening to “Shenzou”, a theme by Steven Price from the “Gravity” film score. The music prompted an image of one of the most climactic moments of book one, reducing Maas to tears: “I wound up putting my sweatshirt over my head and crouching down in my seat and crying.” From here, House of Earth and Blood percolated for years as a “fun side project”, being written when Maas had the “creative energy to burn—which was well before children”, she laughs. “I would pull up the manuscript on my computer and just write for a couple of hours and the world slowly unfolded. Initially, I didn’t have plans to publish, it was just something for me.”

Side by side

Although the Crescent City books are woven with intrigue, spiced with romance, politics and power, they are built on Bryce and Danika’s fierce friendship and how Bryce is forced to cope in its absence. “We spend a lot of time talking about losing our romantic partners and how that can break us, but losing someone who has been a rock for you, who has seen you at your worst and still stuck by you and encouraged you to be your best? Losing that person can leave a crater in your life and your soul.”

Bryce is “very close to my heart in a lot of ways”, Maas says, which speaks to the importance of female characters in her writing. Bryce’s determination, awe-inspiring power and fiery sass are hallmarks of Maas’ female protagonists which take, as their blueprint, Garth Nix’s Sabriel, first published in 1995. “The book changed so much for me; I realised not only, ‘Oh God there’s a thing called fantasy books’, but that [a book] could be about young women like me.” Nix’s novel follows young necromancer Sabriel, who must journey to save her father and, ultimately, the kingdom from the rising dead. It was a “gateway drug” for Maas, who was motivated to “create stories like that, about young women getting to do all these epic, bad-ass things, but also have a real emotional journey”. 

Now in the process of editing the third Crescent City book with her editor, Maas teases that it is “on track to be as long as the first two in the series”—a veritable doorstop. Although there is a lot to juggle, both with reader expectation and the sheer challenge of bringing together two series, Maas is calm: “Of course, I want this one to live up to the expectations that readers have going into it. But, for me, I just want to make sure that I’m making smart choices.” 

#long post #anti sjm #anti hoeab #anti hosab #anti ccity #anti acotar

[onfma]

the fact that hunt is on the cover of cc2 but we discover literally NOTHING new about his character in the book

cc1 ended so good for him with all of us making theories about who his father might be and who hunt really is and all that, just for him to fall into the bland macho-bf type of "oh he loves her, oh he had such a rough past, how alone he was before her, oh he wants to pump her so bad" and nothing more beyond that he can give power to bryce

it's actually sad

#she needs to set aside the writing to raise the baby and than hire new editors cause this a total mess #this is not me saying women cant do both #pls dont come for me #but she really needs to take a break and reevaluate her books #this is not good #im actually really sad her books came to this #anti sjm #hunt #hunt athalar #bryce quinlan #crescent city #anti hosab #hosab spoilers

[kaitlin-kate]

I thought about reading House of Earth and Blood to see if only Acotar was so bad, but I only read a review, and I decided No, I'm not reading that.

Midgard, the world where action takes place, is technically stolen from Norse mythology. Like, really? What will I find if I start reading? Odin? Thor? Valhalla?

Also, Vanir? Really? Also, stolen... from the same mythology...

And she didn't even try to hide it. The names are completely stolen.

#anti acotar #anti sjm #anti hosab #anti hoeab

[belle-keys]

The fact that white people try to say that Bryce is actually a woman of color in CC to give SJM undue diversity credit but can’t say what exactly she is…

I've talked about the Kylie Jennering of SJM characters before. It's so ridiculous.

She describes everyone as being "tanned" or "honey-coloured" or "sun kissed" of "golden" and whatever but doesn't actually zero in on the ethnicities of her characters. If she does, it's always a retcon (see: Amren, Lucien, blah blah).

The fact that so many of her own stans don't know what's the actual race or ethnicity of her own MAIN characters says a lot. She likes to give her characters just enough POC features, like the coveted tanned skin, but ultimately has everyone depicted as white-coded. They can have all the "exotic" traits of POC but remain white-adjacent so SJM doesn't have to do any proper work to develop their characters yet gets praised from other upper middle class first world white people for "diversity" or whatever because Orientalism is still thriving.

#ask #anon ask #anti sjm #anti sarah j maas #anti hosab #fantasy books

[unimone]

Crescent City Worldbuilding Questions

The Four Houses:

The four houses of Midgard are the House of Sky and Breath, the House of Many Waters, the House of Earth and Blood, and the House of Flame and Shadow. The members of these houses are based on species, and each has a corresponding god (or gods).

I think this element of the series should’ve been expanded on or scrapped entirely. As it stands now, the houses have no major effect on the world or the characters besides being a fun sorting gimmick. Furthermore, characters like Jesiba Roga can switch alignments with no serious consequences.

The house system also raises many questions. Are the gods of Crescent City real or did the Asteri fabricate them? If they are real, why are they not doing anything about the Asteri? Have they been captured or killed? Do they just not care? If it's a religious thing, why were the houses decreed by the Imperial Senate?

In Chapter 57, we learn that HOEAB priestesses offered Ember and Randall asylum and protection when Bryce was a baby. Why doesn’t the HOEAB intervene more to improve the treatment of humans? If the Asteri want to wipe out the humans, why would they assign them a house? They created the four houses, and it’s not like they haven’t removed a race from their house before (ex. sprites).

What does it mean to be loyal to your house? Is it the same as being loyal to your ruler (ex. the Ocean Queen) or your god? Is it being loyal to your fantasy race and the other creatures grouped with it?

Humans share the blessing of Cthona with shifters, fauns, witches, and otters in the HOEAB. Is there less animosity between these groups because they share a house/goddess? Do the other Vanir look down on the ones in HOEAB for being grouped with the humans? What does it mean to have a god’s blessing or be their vessel? Are there any special perks or powers? Do creatures aligned with a certain god have a better chance of speaking with them or getting their prayers answered?

Witches vs. Sorcerers and Other Confusion:

It’s stated that Jesiba Roga was a witch and a member of HOEAB before she became a sorceress. What’s the difference between a witch and a sorceress? Is a sorceress just a witch that has defected? Do witches and sorceresses have a difference in strength or magical abilities?

Speaking of magical abilities, what are the limits of magic in Crescent City? Does it have limits? How about risks?

Where do witches originate from? Why are they in HOEAB? Did they cross with the Asteri and the rest of the Vanir? Are they a mix of humans and Vanir? Are witches the same as they were in Throne of Glass lore?

This is a bit of a nitpick, but Hypaxia is described as being half-necromancer on her father’s side. In this world, are necromancers their own distinct race, like witches, or is the ability to raise the dead just genetic?

Vanir Appearances:

This is a point that I’ve seen brought up by others, but I’d like to take a stab at it myself.

Why do most of the Vanir—even the Asteri—take on human appearances? Was it a disguise to ingratiate themselves with the humans before colonizing Midgard and it just stuck? Did Vanir try to look like humans because they thought it was cool, making it a fashion trend? Or, do Vanir have human-like characteristics because they share a similar origin?

Why does Rigelus, an Asteri, use the body of a lanky Fae teen? Why can’t they use their true forms? Would it be too powerful, thus killing whoever sees it? Are they arrogant, believing their underlings don’t deserve to see it? Have the gods placed restrictions on Asteri appearing on Midgard in an attempt to mitigate their damage? Also, do Asteri hosts need to meet certain criteria, or can anyone do it? If it could be anyone, why choose a body that strains to contain your power?

#anti sjm #anti hoeab #anti hosab

[aho-dapa]

The military propaganda in HOSAB is so glaring in the first chapter, I’m surprised I’m not blind

#anti ccity #anti hosab #anti sjm

[wastelandcupcake]

I've officially made the decision that House of Earth and Blood is a stand-alone novel with some things left ambiguous and House of Sky and Breath is a messy fanfic that fundamentally misunderstands and ruins almost every good thing about the original book.

#house of earth and blood #crescent city #literally one of the worst books i have ever read #the crossover is further proof that this is bad fanfic #by a fangirl who can't let rhysand go already #anti hosab

[cassianandfenrysaremyboyos]

"YES HE IS HER MATE" Thankyou Sarah thankyou for this 100% indisputable confirmation of what we already knew but some people don't get

#hunt and quinlar anti's can stop trying to twist themselves into knots trying to say they're not mates and they won't stay together #they are mates #they are staying together #they're not breaking up. hunt's not dying. az is not bryce's actual mate #quinlar #crescent city #sarah j maas #hunt athalar #bryce quinlan #hosab #hofas #leave my soft angel boy alone #sjm live

[spaceshipkat]

I've noticed that in HOSAB, all the povs (besides Bryce) were for the male characters. Like where are all the povs for the women? The female characters in CC are a lot more interesting and complex tbh like Hypaxia and Fury and Juniper and the River queen and Viper queen. But instead we got lots of Ruhn, Ithan, and Tharion. Someone once mentioned that sj/m is an only child? I think that's why all her stories revolve around one main female character while the other female characters are sidelined or killed off.

evidently it's feminist to have a single overpowered woman as the sole female POV in a book with a dozen POVs. evidently it's feminist to have a single overpowered woman who all the men worship and/or fall in love with and/or lust after and/or spend time ogling and talking about her underwear

#ask #anonymous #anti sjm #anti hosab

[darkbananaaaz]

SJM :: "It should be pretty clear who the next ACOTAR book is about when you read [ACOSF]."

🦇🌸 :: IT'S ELAINS BOOK NEXT! IT'S SO OBVIOUS!! Anyone who says different doesn't have any reading comprehension.

(NOT trying to be mean. Just what I've seen amongst different socials.)

SJM ::

Silver Flames

Azriel has a larger role than he's had thus far.

Azriel has a Bonus Chapter in his POV.

Sky and Breath

Azriel is the one to find and bring Bryce to the rest of our ACOTAR gang.

Azriel owning the dagger that is in the fae prophecy of the two blades in the Crescent City series.

(Minor House of Flame and Shadow Spoilers Below)

Flame and Shadow

Azriel has even a larger roll in just part one alone than even Silver Flames.

Azriel featured in TWO of HOFAS's Bonus Chapters. One of them with actual dialogue.

Azriel has a connection to Enalius.

Azriel lost Truth Teller when Bryce stole it to bring it to Midguard with her.

Now, I am not saying they're wrong, but if someone can calmly explain the evidence that points to the next book being Elains? Because from the looks of it? It's definitely going to be Azriels

.... loath as I am to admit. I don't like him..

#I saved this as a draft #and now i cant even switch it to the blog i was meaning to post it to #its supposed to post in foxybananaaaz #house of flame and shadow spoilers #house of flame and shadow #hofas spoilers #hofas #bryce quinlan #hunt athalar #quinlar #sarah j maas #sjm spoilers #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #hosab #hosab spoilers #acotar 5 #acotar 6 #acrostic book #anti e/riel

[stargirlie25]

´´What´s your roman empire´´

Every single bryce quinlan fanart that makes sure to showcase her stretch marks.

It makes me and im sure other girls feel confident and i want to thank my mother bryce for that and the artist ofc.

this was random but i had to say it hahahaahaha

#pro gwynriel #anti elriel #gwynriel #elucien #pro gwyn #pro elain #acotar #pro elucien #anti e/riel #pro lucien #pro quinlar #hunt athalar #bryce quinlan #bro bryce #bro hunt #cc #hosab #hofas #hoeab