#the wyrdkeys

[siderealxmelody]

I just realized I may never have introduced Eosphoros!! After the horror that was Cassandra and Etele's reigns of terror (for Daglan, Valg and Fae). Eosphoros was a Daglan who grew up in the shadow of these horror stories. She vowed to take Etele down and take her throne, she vowed to make a kingdom where everyone would prosper.

She sought alliances and friendships with Hypaxia and Anastasiya to help bring that to fruition. The idea with all three of them no one would stand in their way (because they were allied with one of the three in some fashion).

Her idea was to find the Wyrdkeys that Seb and Nat had scattered in their war (because they were too powerful to be used) and bring Etele and her empire down.

She proposed each one of them take a throne. Dornelle, Terresan and Wendlyn would not fall again. They would be unified and bring about a new Golden Age for All.

Fun fact, her magic is formed as a whip of lava.

Warrior and Gentry versions of Etele.

@luxmaeastra

@starlsssankt

#eosphoros aesthetic #muse aesthetic #of course each of these kingdoms having a wyrdkey will have no unintended consequences of 👀 😏

[emilystheories]

Aelin Galathynius created Prythian. She is the Mother.

This theory contains TOG, ACOTAR and (slight) CC SPOILERS!

Many, many thousands of years ago, Amren recalled that a huge "rip in the sky" appeared in her home world. Out of curiosity, Amren flew through this rip, and landed in Prythian.

This perfectly aligns with Aelin ripping a hole in the sky of the God's realm. This is the most concrete piece of evidence that Throne of Glass took place in the past (something I have already theorised about).

However, and most interestingly, it is suggested that Amren entered Prythian when it was being made - when the world itself was beginning to form.

If Aelin indeed created the "rip" in the sky that Amren went into - the timing suggests that Aelin's actions led to the creation of Prythian.

And, although subtle, we actually have proof of this.

Recall that Wyrd was described as the thing that "keeps the realms apart:"

But, when Aelin shut the gates between worlds at the end of Kingdom of Ash, we have this VERY important (and often overlooked) clue:

Aelin caused for all worlds to overlap.

I believe this is how Prythian was born.

The Cauldron.

According to the mural that Feyre observes, Prythian was created by a female with "glowing, slender hands," who tipped a fluid with "strange symbols" (wyrdmarks), from the Cauldron, onto the land.

I believe this was Aelin - perhaps not literally, but metaphorically.

But this begs the question; what exactly is the Cauldron?

For starters, we know that the Cauldron has 3 "legs". These legs provide most of its power (and this is an important clue!)

This is very similar to the 3 wyrdkeys in TOG; the very 3 wyrdkeys that Aelin embedded into her arm (and subsequently her blood) when she sealed the gates.

Aelin then gave over the 3 wyrdkeys, and all of her fire power to forge the new lock. It is this very power that is the essence of the Cauldron. 

As evidence of this, when we see the Cauldron's power in ACOWAR, it presents as Aelin's own power; "raw fire power," capable of burning an entire army to ash within seconds.

The Dread Trove.

The Cauldron also created the Dread Trove - and this is another very important clue.

The Crown.

The Crown can control and influence people - just like the wyrdkeys (and subsequent wyrdcollars and rings controlled people in TOG).

The Mask.

The Mask can control the dead - just like the wyrdkeys could create armies of dead people; a power Erawan desperately wanted.

The Harp.

The Harp can open portals to different locations, and potentially different worlds and realms. This is one of the key features of the wyrdkeys.

In fact, it was said the 3 wyrdkeys were needed to create a wyrdgate.

The Cauldron has 3 legs (that I believe are the 3 wyrdkeys Aelin yielded to seal the lock).

Thus, the Cauldron *IS* a wyrdgate.

Cauldron = Wyrdgate.

As further proof of this, to "nullify" the Cauldron, Amren had to:

give up her current body,

forget about those she loved,

and unleash her power of "light and flame."

Which is just like Mala Fire-Bringer; who also had to:

give up her current body,

forget about those she loved, (in fact, both her and Amren both warned that they will no longer "remember" their loved ones),

and unleash her power of "light and flame", in order to forge the lock, and shut the wyrdgate.

But, recall that when Mala's plan didn't work, Aelin (and Dorian) had to give all of their power to reforge a new lock, in order to seal and shut the wyrdgate once more.

This is just like Rhys in ACOWAR; in order to re-seal the Cauldron, he had to give over every inch of his power.

In fact, when Aelin and Dorian's power were used together, and in combination with the wyrdkeys, it was described as "creation and destruction," and the "beginning and the ending."

These are the exact same terms used to describe the Cauldron - and I'd argue the exact same *power* of the Cauldron (but more on that later).

And, as a side note - at one point, the Cauldron's power was even described as "fire and ice"... (ring any bells?)

The Lock.

Further, when Aelin and Dorian were sealing the wyrdgate shut, they had to make a "lock."

The lock they made was the Eye of Elena. This is perhaps the most important clue in this theory; that this very symbol and mechanism allowed for the creation of the Cauldron.

However, we learn in later TOG books that this symbol isn't just known as the Eye of Elena, but also as the "Eye of the Goddess." This is because it was first a sacred witch symbol, created by Rhiannon Crochan.

Crochan means Cauldron.

Additionally, the Eye of the Goddess was named as such, as it is said to represent the Three Faced Goddess (that the witches worshipped), and her three counterparts;

The Maiden

The Mother

The Crone.

It's for this reason that I believe the Cauldron was created from the Eye of Elena, or the Eye of the Goddess lock, as it too follows the principles of Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

We see clear evidence of this when Elain, Nesta and Briallyn were thrown into the Cauldron.

Elain was made into the Maiden.

The Maiden often symbolises innocence, beauty and blossoming.

In TOG, the Maiden was represented by the Blueblood witches, who were the "oracles, mystics, and zealots."

Elain was made into a Seer.

The Bluebloods also required more iron (as it was said that they were the most powerful), and it is rather interesting that Elain (presumably) wears an iron ring.

Nesta was made into the Mother.

The Mother often symbolises maturity, responsibility, and power.

In TOG, the Mother was represented by the Blackbeak witches, who were the warriors - known for their "obedience, discipline, and brutality."

Considering the multiple references to Nesta making a fine General in an army, as well as the parallels between Manon's thirteen, and Nesta's Valkyries - it makes perfect sense.

Briallyn was made into the Crone.

She was, quite literally, turned into an old woman by the Cauldron.

Creation and Destruction.

Knowing that that the Cauldron was made from the Eye of Elena/Eye of the Goddess, as well as the 3 wyrdkeys, as well as Aelin's own power that she donated to forge the lock, and seal the gate - this can explain Nesta's own power.

Nesta's power manifested as "cold" flame, one that seemingly burned without a trace.

We have already seen this before;

Aelin's moon-fire,

and Kaltain's shadow-fire.

The commonality between these two? Both women were in possession of the wyrdkeys.

The same wyrdkeys that the Cauldron now possess; the same power that Nesta stole.

And, all in all, this makes perfect sense. The Cauldron is a wyrdgate. Wyrd is the "language of the universe," it is the power of both creation and destruction, life and death.

Nesta's power symbolises one half - Death.

And, it's for this reason that I believe that Elain's powers (that are yet to be revealed), will symbolise the other half - Life. Creation. (And, I also have an inkling that she will be the one to rebuild the Dusk Court with this very power).

We also know that the Cauldron loved Elain. If the Cauldron was indeed created by Aelin - that she is it's Mother - then perhaps it's no coincidence that "Elain" is an anagram for "Aelin"....?

A portal too?

If the Cauldron is indeed a wyrdgate - then recall that Feyre threw the Book of Breathings into it.

Now, Jesiba Roga possesses that exact book.

Does this tell us that the Cauldron is in fact a wyrdgate to Lunathion, and the Crescent City world...?

Knowing all the connections between the Cauldron and the witches - and Jesiba being a witch herself, it makes sense...

#acotar #acotar theory #throne of glass #sjm theory #sjm multiverse #sjm #sjm universe #sarah j maas #aelin ashryver galathynius #aelin galathynius #tog #crescent city theory #crescent city #elain archeron #nesta archeron #pro elain #pro nesta #manon blackbeak

[aelinfireheartgalathynius]

Dorian after tricking Maeve into thinking they were engaged and stealing the last Wyrdkey

#sarah j maas #throne of glass #sjm #tog #dorian havilliard #maeve #queen maeve #kingdom of ash #mine

[bookishgirl21]

A whole new world

Azriel x TOG!reader

PT 2

AN: This part will mainly be some backstory, and of course Azriel scenes, hope you enjoy

''Mamma ! Mamma! Come look what I just did! '' my mother's head pokes up from the berry bush she was currently picking from a frown present on her face ''Y/n my baby there is no need to shout, you'll scare of the little folk'' my mother scolds me as she walks towards where I am currently sitting by the river '' Now what is you wanted to show me ? '' l left up my hand and open my palm, my tongue sticks out in concentration, then in my palm appears a cluster of stars, I grin up as my mother , filled with joy about what I can do, but as I look in my mothers face my grin falls and my excitement slowly turns into confusion '' Did I do something wrong Mamma ?'' my mother looks me in the eye ''Y/n you must promise to never show or even tell anyone of this , do you understand me? Especial not your father. '' ''But why? it's magic you have magic and so the fae and they do it. why can't-'' ''Because their are really bad people right now ,who will come and take you away from me if they so you must promise to never show anyone your magic alright?" '' I promise Mamma''

I wake from my memory with a groan, I still remember that day, the fear in my mother's eyes as she realized that her daughter had magic, a very special and rare magic. I lift my palms together and summon the stars to my palms and a soft smile graces my face, I close my hands and make the stars disappear , I feel an old ache in my heart at the memory of my mother and how she had taught me in secret in our mountain home how to wield my magic and keep it hidden.

I stand up and head to the dresser to find something to wear when I find my outfit I wore when I fell into this world washed and clean, so i head to the bathroom and changed. As I finished braiding my hair out of my face there is a knock at the door and I hear Azriel's voice say '' I'm here to take you to Amren's apartment , she had a look last night and she found some books that may help you'' I feel some relief rising, I might be able to go home soon '' I'm coming'' as I open the door Azriel is waiting , he has a soft smile on his face , his hair looks like he has just been flying and I cant help but admire his face , how the morning light hits his eyes where I can see flecks of gold, he is looking at me to and I can a slight blush creep on my face as I look away. Azriel clears his throat '' We will have to fly to the apartment , will carry you-'' ''Fly?!'' I ask in shock ''Yes fly unless you want to walk 10 000 steps...'' I look at him my mouth slightly parted '' I think flying sounds better'' he gives me a crooked smile and leads me to a balcony ''alright I'm going to put one arm under your knees and the other around your back'' he look at me as if asking permission I give him a small nod as he lifts me in his arms and shots off into the sky.

I give off a scream as I wrap my arms around his neck and burry my face their, feel more then hear him laugh, '' it's alright I won't drop you, look'' I feel him say into my ear and as I slowly take my head away from his neck my breath taken from me, the city under us looks so beautiful , I don't know where to look. ''. The rest of the flight is quiet as I take in the city, it seems so peaceful that I wonder f we will have such peacefulness back home or if it still stands if Erawan has taken it already.

Azriel lands in front of a building and sets me down, and leads the way in. When we enter Amrens attic apartment and, it's a mess. there are things lying everywhere and the bed looks as if it hasn't been made since the dawn of time. ''It's always like this'' Azriel whispers in my ear, I look at him from the corner of my eye and give him a nervous huff of breath.

''So girl how is it that you came here to our world? '' I look at Amren who is sitting cross legged on a pillow by a low lying table ''We used wyrdkeys and then we jumped through a door and we started falling through different worlds and then I ended up falling into this world and now I'm here'' Amren looks at me and hums, '' well then make yourself usefull and start looking through these books , they are all I could find about world travel, and you can return to your master'' she says towards Azriel who only glares at her before leavng.

I look at the books lying on the table and pick one up that looks like one my mother had, as I start to read through it a memory comes up in my head.

''You don't understand the power this book holds, I can't just let you take.'' It was the first time in months that my father came to visit and this book had caught his attention '' I promise no one will read it but me Emalyn.'' my mother has her no nonsense face on and replies with a stern ''no'' my father was about to argue when he catches a glimpse of me from behind the door '' sneaking and listening to others conversations are we my little star'' he looks and me and opens his arms for me.

As I continue reading a chapter tittle catches my eye '' WORLD WALKING'' and as I read the chapter is talks about a fae Elder named Elias, who had the magic to open up a portal to other worlds, he was the one who had brought fae to other worlds, with this magic oh his, on the next page there was a picture of him opening a portal with these signs that looked almost like wyrd marks but also so very different. '' I think I might have found something, what do you know of this Elder Fae Elias? '' Amren looks up from her own book and says '' Elias is mostly a children's bed time story, that chapter you just read is the Adult version of the story'' '' could it not be true ? '' '' No, for many people have tried and drawn those marks of his and nothing has happened, as I've said it's a children's bed time story, I don't even remember bringing that book with me. Don't waste your time with that book''

As the day goes by we find nothing that would be able to help me home. The door opens and in comes Azriel '' Any luck ? '' he only gets two heads shaking as his answer. '' we should perhaps send a letter to Helion asking if he could not help us'' Amren says to Azriel, he nods and over a hand to me, I take it and stretch out. ''I will ask Rhys if he could send a letter to Helion tonight, good night Amren'' he says as he turns and I give the female a wave goodbye and head with Azriel to the House Of Wind.

We had dinner and all went to our own rooms for the night, as I sit in the bath I help but think back about the book and what my mother said about it. My mother had always said to me that I was never to touch any of those books she had in her bed room unless of an emergency, and when she died that night magic went away those books where no longer on her shelf and when I asked my father about them he said it was for 13 year old girls to worry about and I never had the nerve to ask about them again, though now I wonder if it was Erawan who had taken the books in hopes to use those marks instead of the wyrdkeys.

As I get out from the bath and get dressed I find myself walking to the kitchen for a snack but as I enter I see Azriel already there eating a cupcake '' oh I'm so sorry I didn't mean to disturb your cupcake eating'' Azriel looks at me and says '' it's alright, you may join if you'd like'' he holds out a cupcake to me, I smile and take the cupcake from him ''Thank you'' we eat our cupcakes in a comfortable silence.

''You have some icing on your lip'' Azriel breaks the silence I wipe at my lips and look at him '' did I get it? '' he huffs a laugh and lifts his thumb to my mouth '' no here let me'' he swipes his thumb over my lip, his eyes are fixed on my lips as he continues to run his thumb along them. Hs eyes lift to mine as he leans in slowly, he brushes his lips against mine in question, my eyes flutter shut as I lean in , the kiss is soft and gentle, his hand goes and cups my jaw and I feel his tongue against my lips asking for permission, I grant him access and the kiss gets heated, he pulls back only to start a trail of kisses down my neck and as he kisses where my neck meets my shoulder I release a sound I've never made before and left m hands to his hair. He says against my skin ''you make such beautiful noises I can't wait to hear-'' then there was a sound of a plate crashing to the floor, I gasp , feeling embaressed to be caught in such position, I can feel the blush rising from my neck up to my face, my lips still swollen from the kissing.

It's Elain standing at the door a smashed plate at her feet ''Oh I'm so sorry for interrupting , I was just brining this plate back, I'll leave you two know'' as she leaves out the door the broken plate disappears. I turn back to Azriel, his lips are swollen just as mine, his hair messy from my hands '' it's getting late, we should go to bed, I have to get up early to help with training '' ''right yes of course , can I be present during training, I need to keep in shape '' Azriel looks at me blush evident on his cheek '' You are more then welcomes to join training, I'll get you early tomorrow before training so that you may get ready'' and with that he leaves the kitchen.

My dreams that night was filled with the story of Elias and his marks to travel worlds

#acotar x reader #azriel x reader #acotar #throne of glass x reader #throne of glass

[smutdefender]

“Kaltain Rompier had just turned the tide in this war. Dorian had never been more ashamed of himself. He should have been better. Should have seen better. They all should have.” - Sarah J Maas, Empire of Storms

I am so fucking emo about Kaltain. The absolute GENIUS to take a minor antagonist from the first book and give her this incredible ending… what a time. Kaltain has always been one of my favorite characters because of how deeply complex and STRONG she is. She survived MONTHS of torture, assault, and carrying a fucking Wyrdkey in her body and used that power to sacrifice herself for the greater good. When the last time she saw all the good guys they were belittling her. Your honor, i love her.

#tog spoilers #empire of storms #tog #throne of glass #kaltain rompier #my beloved #procreate #digital fanart

[lorcandidlucienwill]

Lorcan defense: The Maeve scene

I'd seen a post that said some of this and I can't remember who'd posted it but I thought it was really well worded and if you ever see this op feel free to comment who you are. Anyway... The Maeve scene in EOS. I NEVER HATED LORCAN FOR THIS AND I'LL EXPLAIN WHY:

We have everyone hating Lorcan because he doesn’t like Aelin and isn’t loyal to her. We have everyone acting like Lorcan betrayed Aelin by calling to Maeve— as if everyone wasn’t fully aware (because Lorcan has never once tried to hide it) that he is fully loyal to Maeve. You cannot betray your enemy by aiding with your master.

Am I saying that he has good judgement? Hell no! Maeve is a scheming evil Valg queen. But Gavriel is ALSO still loyal to her. And so are the other Cadre, excluding Fenrys. Lorcan merely showed Maeve the same loyalty that Aedion would show Aelin. A blind loyalty that isn’t good for anyone to possess. And yes, Lorcan royally fucked Aelin over by getting her captured by Maeve, and since Aelin is the main character, it is natural to side with her.

But honestly, Lorcan did everything a good soldier would do. He is trying to save his queen’s soul by destroying the Wyrdkeys. He is trying to save the girl he promised to protect. He is staying true to his blood oaths and promises and he has promised NOTHING to Aelin. And Aelin royally fucked up by not telling anyone her plans and letting them all sweat thinking they were about to be under attack. And yes, she did it because she didn’t want to disappoint anyone, but she still made a mistake in not confiding in her court.

That being said, Rowan has every right to want to murder Lorcan for her capture. But there’s a certain level of bias to that that I think is good to remember as readers. We are angry at Lorcan for hurting a character we love, but I don’t think he’s done anything morally unforgivable. He did what he thought he had to for his people, his queen, and the girl he loves. ...and Elide punished him enough (but Lorcan still helped her during her periods because she might hate him but he still wanted his girl to be ok *sobs*), plus Lorcan did everything in his power to make up for it. He SOBBED when Rowan said, "Where is my wife?" THIS BATTLE-HARDENED 500 YO WARRIOR SOBBED. HE LOVES HIS BROTHER ROWAN. HE KNOWS HOW MUCH LOSING LYRIA HURT. HE NEVER WANTED THIS FOR HIM. NEVER. THEN WHEN HE SAW AELIN AGAIN HE SOBBED. AGAIN. THE FIRST TWO TIMES HE HAD SOBBED IN HUNDREDS OF YEARS AND IT WAS FOR ROWAN AND AELIN. *and now I'm crying because I remember Elide called him a monster despite all that and he did not deserve that idc I'm a Lorcan apologist*

#lorcan salvaterre #lord lorcan lochan #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #elide lochan #elorcan #queen maeve #god i hate that bitch #cadre #lorcan stan #rowaelin

[acourtofthought]

Contains TOG spoilers........

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But first....... Lucien ☀️🔥

Thoughts slammed into me, images and memories, a pattern of thinking and feeling that was old, and clever, and sad, so endlessly sad and guilt-ridden, hopeless—

"all the sounds that Lucien so carefully sorted through while he kept watch."

Like Rhys, he usually opted for words to win his battles.

“I trust in the fact that we currently have possession of the one thing he wants above all else. And as long as that remains, he’ll try to stay on our good side. But if that changes …"

"His talent was wasted in the Spring Court."

"There was a reason he had that fox mask, you know."

No wonder he’d been so eager to head alone into Velaris that day he’d gone to help us research. I shot a look at Rhys. Seems like Lucien can still play the fox.

“Lucien can’t be entirely trusted anymore.”. “Lucien might mean well, but any reports would be skewed—even if he isn’t aware of it—in their favor.

Lucien stared out the window—as if he could see the lake across a sea and a continent. As if he were setting his target.

“Eyes can be blinded,” Nesta said. “Not the ones under my command,” Azriel said with soft menace.

"Lucien will never be good enough"

“There are others in your court as delusional as you are. They’ll get it for me one way or another, with the right incentive.

I'd be surprised if we don't get a super clever scheme in Elucien's book, courtesy of Lucien.

SJM has previously said Dorian and Lucien would be great friends and we know that Dorian was not only extremely powerful with raw power that be could shape as he desired but he was also very cunning. In KOA, he took two of the Wyrdkeys and tracked down Maeve to find the third. Maeve asked Dorian to work with her, explaining that she wants the keys so she can get rid of Erawen and his brothers for good.

Dorian agrees, asking her to bring the spiders to his side and he will marry her, giving her a new Kingdom to rule over.

In a later chapter, Maeve slips into Dorians mind, using her powers to control him but the entire time he's been tricking her, using her own power against her (a Valg!) to learn how hers actually work, taking over her mind instead.

There's already notable similarities between Dorian and Lucien, their polished persona's, their fathers both had them held down and forced them to watch the execution of the woman they loved, unknown magical powers, hints at Lucien being extremely powerful as Dorian was powerful, and their intelligence.

SJM has also pointed out how Rhys and Lucien share a likeness in how they use their words to fight battles and we know Rhys often schemes, having others question his intentions only to find out he had some wildly clever plot going the whole time.

I could easily see her having Lucien do something similar. Maybe he'll have a plan for Koschei or the Human Queens that he didn't inform the others of, something Elain becomes suspicious about and starts following him (Mr. and Mrs. Smith anyone? It would be even better if this followed the arranged marriage trope 😂).

The others acknowledge Lucien is clever and insightful yet they still underestimate him. You can tell they look at him as a tool for when it benefits their own purpose rather than viewing him as an equal, a force to be reckoned with.

I'd also love if it led to Az eating a bit of humble pie. He's so certain of Lucien being unworthy, imagine if Lucien managed to outsmart Az and his shadows.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #elain and lucien #pro lucien vanserra #lucien spell cleaver #Elucien book

[pinklayla123]

Bloomsbury using a piano version of "Rewrite the Stars" for the HOFAS reel is so interesting to me because

And fate is pulling you miles away And out of a reach from me But you're hearing my heart So who can stop me if I decide it's on my destiny?

Maybe even though Bryce is literally in another world she can still "hear" Hunt. Do mating bonds have a limited range or do they work across worlds? Because if you consider death as transitioning to another world, Feyre couldn't feel the bond anymore once Rhys was dead, but maybe it's different because Bryce is physically going somewhere? Which makes sense once you consider the Rowaelin bond didn't disintegrate when Aelin was using the Wyrdkeys.

Nothing could keep us apart You'll be the one I was meant to find

Translation: Bryce ripping worlds apart to get back to Hunt

But there are mountains (But there are mountains) And there are doors that we can't walk through

Bryce literally can't find the door to go back to her world, and the mountains mentioned, the basement room in the Prison perhaps where the Harp and an eight-pointed star was?

No one can rewrite the stars How can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart And I'm not the one you were meant to find

I don't have it in me to think about Hunt losing hope so I'm not gonna :)

Also, since the song is literally called "Rewrite the Star" will Bryce be making galaxy-level changes in the universe to get back to Hunt?

#bryce #bryce quinlan #hunt athalar #quinlar #crescent city #crescent city 3 #cc3 #house of flame and shadow #hofas #mine

[abruisedmuse]

Do you think Dorian would be able to gain immortality/longer life span? Maybe with his raw magic somehow? I feel like his (and Elide’s) death would completely break Manon’s heart.

According to Koa, Dorian himself states he is utterly mortal. I don't remember what chapter but it's after him and Aelin use the Wyrdkeys. BUT around here we like to be delulu and we're just gonna ignore this 😅

I do think his lineage will grant him a much longer lifespan. If Lorcan can bind his life to Elide. Why can't Manon bind hers to Dorian. In my opinion, and I know this is a sad take but after losing the 13. I don't think Manon could bare losing Dorian. I think Elide, she's always been aware she's human obvs. And so she has years to prepare for the eventual demise of Elide. Even though the same could be said for Dorian. Dorian made her feel. Dorian is who she'd make a life with, who she'd eventually marry have their kids. Dorian is who she'd be in love with. Dorian who understands and sees parts of her not even Elide can. To lose that kind of partner...

Much like I think Dorian will live longer, I think Elide will too. She does have witchblood after all. I think that will extend her life by a lot. Also gonna clown and say that when Lorcan bind his life to hers that helped expand both of their lives for many, many years.

Actually you know what? We're just gonna go with that.

Lorcan binding his life to Elide extended her lifespan far beyond that of a mortal. When Manon and Dorian marry and unite their people. They unite their lives too and Manon binds her life to Dorian. Extending his lifespan far beyond the limits of any mortal should live.

#anon #manorian #elorcan #tog

[manonblaqkbeak]

Thinking about Rowan's dream in Kingdom of Ash where he sees Aelin pregnant with their fifth child and that she's surrounded by their other children and thinking about how it's more possible that Maeve sent him that image to torment him because of how she had Aelin in her clutches. Because since she could manipulate him into thinking that Lyria was his mate, surely she can send dreams of the future. Maeve even told Aelin that she could change everything if Aelin gave up the Wyrdkeys.

#its 830 at night and im still thinking about a series that ended five years (!!) ago #kingdom of ash #rowaelin #throne of glass series

[nikethestatue]

This might not make sense, English is 2nd language, so I’m sorry. So I think Bryce went back in time when she fell into acotar.

I think Prythian will be united by one King and Queen, Feysand. I think their reign will be known as the Archesian Era.

I think the necklace that Gwyn may have is and Archesian amulet (made because Elain touched it or wore it). I think Bryce will see the necklace and it will be the same one she is wearing or the one that was destroyed in hoeab.

What do you think about this theory? Have you seen one like it before?

So it's funny, but someone was just talking about the Archesian amulets and the 3 intertwined rings, but I was not paying attention! Shucks

Couple of things:

I don't think Gwyn has the necklace.

I DO think that Elain Made it.

It could be or it became an Archesian amulet--I think the 3 circles refer much closer to the 3 sisters, and I don't see how Gwyn fits into it. The Bone Carver also drew the three circles--could be a nod to the death gods?

Could it be a Wyrdkey?

I do think that Bryce will see it. "Like calls to like'--SJM's favourite expression? Could one necklace call to the other?

I had considered whether the Archesian amulets are connected to the siphons somehow? But I haven't formed a good theory yet in my head.

(Definitely hope that Feysand are NOT High King and Queen. I don't think Rhys should be given unchecked, unlimited power. His decision making abilities are not always great.)

[pearblossommina]

Last night I finished Kingdom of Ash (🥳)

I had a physical copy, but for a good portion of this read, I was reading an ebook I checked out from the library. Unfortunately, too many people were waiting for this book, and Libby automatically returned it when I only had about 30% left, so I had to lug around my gigantic dictionary-sized copy with me everywhere to finish. (😵‍💫)

I apologize for doing a bad job of taking notes, i literally stopped doing it about 20 chapters before the end, but if you’re interested, here’s some raw thoughts up until that point.

IT WAS QUITE THE JOURNEY.

And what a fulfilling end to an epic series!

ToG Read-A-Long, Kingdom of Ash, Day 11

Ch 79

I think Yrene and Elide are so compatible as friends, I like this combination actually. I definitely want to see Yrene work her miracle magic on Elide’s leg. Yes, girl! Get healed! Form new bonds and friendships!

Ch 80

Lol, Elide’s uncle is such a piece of shit. I love how rutheless Aelin is. She’s the best. And true to her word!

It’s all starting to come together. This fear, this hype, the whole adventure coming to its final conclusion. I’m very excited for when Dorian shows up like a total badass with all three wyrdkeys. I’m very excited for the demolition of Erawan, and maybe Maeve too if Aelin can find it in her.

Let’s go. Let’s win the war against evil, and save the whole world.

Ch 81

The scene with Evangeline and Aedion and Lysandra is so cute. My heart! Aw.

Um, I also really like Darrow; lmao, he’s such a shitty person but he’s not evil, he’s just a jerk.

and hell yeah

Hell yeah, Manon is here, to honor a promise made to a friend

Hell yeah, queen of the Corchan’s

Hell yeah, let’s kick some ass

Ch 82

“Freedom - freedom from the Matrons who had forged them into tools of destruction.”

I would have liked to see Manon take over ALL the witch legions, the crochans and the Ironteeth both, but if they won’t follow her, then they have to die. This is war! And we’re gonna win!

For a better world!

Aedion and Lysandra are finally declaring that they love each other. It’s about time for those two. No one’s ever asked Lysandra permission to kiss her before? Girl, my poor heart. You should let him, Lysandra! Just go for it! Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy something consensual at least once before you die?

Ch 83

Dorian you’re so sweet, aw.

I don’t want anyone to die!

I want to find another way. Why can’t we just be Elena, and seal Erawan away without dying to forge the lock?

I know it supposedly pisses off the gods - but - I can’t stand these gods - I’m pissed off that everyone’s talking about dying all the time

I’m sick of sacrifice

I just want to be happy

And I just want the characters to be happy, too

Ch 84

Building to another battle

Lysandra’s up to something fishy (har har)

Day 12

Ch 85

Right into it

It does make me sorry to see Manon killing Ironteeth witches. But not everyone can be saved. This is war.

Lysandra is a dragon again

Love her

Aedion is fighting the good fight! Love him.

Ch 86

Um!

Is Ren okay!

Aedion got knocked out - by something - but is Ren okay?

I think I said before how much I love Evangeline. It’s good to have diversity of characters, and someone like her, who is a literal child, getting to have perspective on some of these big moments, it makes the world so much richer.

I also like Darrow for part of the same reason - even though he’s extremely unlikeable, personality wise.

The combination of Darrow and Evangeline isn’t something I knew I needed, but I actually like it a lot.

Aedion will be alright, honey. We have to have faith.

Ch 87

Elorcan my whole heart!!!!

Do I hate the fade to black? Yes, actually, how dare you SJM, she worked so hard for this virginity loss moment, how dare you cut away!

I wanna be in there, I want to feel my heart fill up with feelings while Elide gets to experience sex for the first time and learn how good it feels!

Boo

Aelin having nightmares, boo

I love Rowaelin, tattoo me up, baby, let’s be lovers forever.

And yay!!!

Dorian’s finally back!!!!

We’re all together now, the happy ending is at hand, we can get there, I KNOW we can get there, it’s not far now!

Ch 88

I told you Aedion was gonna be alright. 🥰

It’s the kind of fight that just keeps going - but don’t worry friends. Aelin and Dorian are on their way, and it’s gonna be amazing.

Abraxos is gonna be just fine.

Ch 89

Manon bared her teeth. “I am.” She pointed at the shape-shifter. “You can carry me.”

Aedion snarled, “No.”

But Lysandra shook her head, sorrow and despair in her green eyes. “I can’t - the magic is drained. If I had an hour -“

Am I the only one hoping for Dorian-as-a-wyvern to dramatically turn up and give Manon a ride to the witch tower?

Omfg Asterin

All of them?

Ow

No

I want you to live, too.

Don’t do this to me

Ch 90

NO this is the WORST

Manon :(

Ch 91

YAY

DORIAN AND CHAOL, TOGETHER AGAIN AT LAST

That flicker of sorrow in Dorian’s eyes, when Chaol introduced him to his wife, I know it was probably just brotherly sorrow that he couldn’t be there for the wedding day, but I absolutely believe he was sorry that Chaol is off the market and he’ll never get his chance to make out with him now.

(I’m going down with this ship, toot toot, Dorian x Chaol, sinking beneath the surface)

Why! Why do we have to die! It’s so dumb!

I don’t want either of you to do it. I vote, we anger the gods, and do what we want, and live long happy lives and fall deeper and deeper in love. I vote we die of natural causes, at the ripe old age of 200 or whatever.

Ch 92

The issue of dying in place of your friends is so selfish. I especially love Rowan right now for fighting to keep Aelin’s heart beating.

She wouldn’t let him die to save her, so what makes her sacrifice any better?

I like the idea of both Aelin and Dorian giving “half” of themselves. Maybe they’ll only die a little bit. Only mostly dead, like in The Princess Bride. And what could be a better reason for living than true love!

Day 13

Ch 93

Ok you are kidding me

This is nuts

They’re gonna come back, right?

Right?

Ch 94

I’m sorry but I actually laughed out loud when no one knew Dorian’s dad’s name

#tog read along 2023 #kingdom of ash #Maddy plays catch up #this book!!!!!! #i’m so sad it’s ending #what am I gonna do with my free time now

[emilystheories]

Aelin, Nesta, Bryce: the secret of the eight-pointed star.

My all time favourite SJM universe theory.

[Spoilers for ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City!]

In Empire of Storms, Aelin is seen wearing a Wyrdkey around her neck. Because of this, a temporary gate is opened inside of her, allowing Deanna to possess her body.

Within the Throne of Glass world, Deanna is a god.

When Aelin attends a religious service to honour Deanna and the other gods, it is noted that the High Priestess bears the marking of an eight-pointed star above her brow.

In the ACOTAR world, it has been widely speculated that the Cauldron - with its three magical legs - is also made from Wyrdkeys (thus creating a Wyrdgate). Items dipped into the Cauldron, such as the Dread Trove, also appear to take on similar properties to the Wyrdkeys.

When Nesta uses the Dread Trove items - just like Aelin and the Wyrdkey - a god-like being appears to possess Nesta.

Nesta also bore a tattoo of the eight-pointed star. The symbol of the gods.

Many believe that the fourth Dread Trove item is the Horn in the Crescent City world.

The Horn is embedded into Bryce's back. Just like the Wyrdkeys, it allows Bryce to open up doors to other worlds.

When the Horn was repaired... Bryce also gained the same marking of the eight-pointed star.

Thus, it appears that Wyrdkeys and the Dread Trove (including the Horn) allow gods, or higher beings, to possess the bodies of those wielding them.

However, unlike Aelin or Nesta, who can remove their access to these items, Bryce is stuck with the Horn permanently inked into her back.

In the final chapters of CC2, when Bryce reaches the Asteri palace, it is said that an eye opens within her soul, and "snarls."

This begs the question; is there someone inside Bryce as well...?

Interestingly, after the Horn was healed and Bryce is racing to save the humans, the Prime of the Wolves looks at Bryce and refers to her as a "wolf." As he says this, he points to his heart.

Similarly, when Bryce meets the Prime again in CC2, he once again refers to her as a "wolf" and taps his chest - his heart.

But, the Prime isn't referring to Bryce. He's referring to Danika.

Bryce's best friend, the wolf-shifter... the one who is always inside of Bryce's heart... literally.

Danika told Baxian that she was trying to find a way into a new world. But, she also knew that she was going to die before this could happen.

Perhaps it's then no coincidence that Danika inked the Horn on Bryce's back; creating a gate inside of Bryce - one that she could enter, even after death, should she need it.

Danika inked the Horn in the "language of universes" - Wyrdmarks.

In doing this, she spelt out the phrase "through love, all is possible." When Hypaxia asks Bryce about this very phrase on her back, Bryce explains the meaning: that she and Danika will never be parted.

Danika says the same thing herself; that even if Bryce cannot see her... she will always be there.

And, I don't think these are just pretty words. Because, through the Horn - a gate into Bryce's soul - Danika's own soul resides.

This explains how, after the Horn was healed, Bryce was able to the Drop.

The Drop is a descent into one's soul. When Bryce does the Drop, when she descends into her own soul... she found Danika there.

But, this raises an interesting question; can any deceased or otherworldly being enter Bryce through the Horn?

Or... is Danika someone important?

Given the theme of reincarnation within the SJM universe... it is possible that Danika was once a god, or a higher being, herself?

Well, the name Danika means "morning star." Or, otherwise known as Sirius.

In the Crescent City world, Sirius was the seventh (and long deceased) Asteri.

Sirius was known as the WOLF STAR.

Further, within various strains of mythology, Danika is known as the Goddess of Dusk.

...Danika's search for Dusk's Truth.

...The Horn, given to Bryce by Danika, is a beacon to Prythian. To the Dusk Court.

The Dusk Court (most likely situated on the Prison Island), with the same marking of the eight-pointed star.

The symbol of the Starborn fae.

The symbol of the Gods.

With SJM's next (multiverse?) series speculated to be called Twilight of the Gods...

Twilight being another word for dusk...

It's all coming together.

(And, as an additional headcanon - if this theory is true - I wonder if this is all leading up to Starfall - the migration of souls. That we will see Danika's soul leave her place inside of Bryce, and join the other souls in the sky - destined to be reborn once more).

#acotar #crescent city #throne of glass #aelin galathynius #bryce quinlan #nesta archeron #sjm multiverse #sjm universe #sarah j maas #sjm theory #acotar theory #crescent city theory

[385bookreviews]

1.72.6 Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

SPOILERS

Pages: 689

Time Read: 11 hours and 22 minutes

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ Storyline: ★★★★★ Dialogue: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★★

Genre: YA Fantasy

TWs for the book: Violence, blood, war, s*xual content, torture, death, murder, injury, gore, fire, grief, physical abuse, confinement, vomit, kidnapping, body horror, slavery, death of a parent, emotional abuse, abandonment, child death, cursing, misogyny/sexism, colonization, genocide, toxic relationship, ableism, animal cruelty, animal death, s*xual assault/r*pe (not on page), discussions of pregnancy, gaslighting, classism, panic attacks, su*c*dal thoughts, su*c*de attempt

POV: Third Person

Time Period/Location: Terrasen, Adarlan, Skull's Bay, and Eyllwe on the fictional continent of Erilea

First Line: Elide Lochan's breath scorched her throat with every gasping inhale as she limped up the steep forest hill.

Aelin, Aedion, Rowan, Lysandra, Fleetfoot, and Evangeline have finally arrived in Terrasen after a week or two of travel from Adarlan. She arranges a meeting with Lord Darrow, Lord Murtaugh, and Murtaugh's grandson, Ren. They are supposed to meet them in the woods, but the lords demand they come to an inn. When they arrive, Ren and Murtaugh, responsible for Chaol's kidnapping in Crown of Midnight, are shocked to learn that Aelin is Celaena. Lord Darrow is harsh and judgemental, and gives her a decree signed by all of the lords of Terrasen saying she is only a princess and that she is not to be queen unless they see fit. She is discouraged, but as they are leaving the inn, they receive news that the witches are flying to sack Rifthold. She sends Rowan to fly back to rescue Dorian, gives Evangeline and Fleetfoot to Lord Murtaugh to look after, and her, Aedion, and Lysandra make their way to Ilium, a port city in Terrasen that used to be ruled by fierce pirates called the Mycenians.

Meanwhile, Elide travels through the woods on her own to try and get to Terrasen, forging for berries and drinking from streams. She realizes she is being followed. Lorcan senses the Wyrdkey she carries and follows her around, thinking she is Valg. He realizes she is not when she is suddenly hunted down by ilken, terrifying eight foot beasts that were bred by Erawan. Lorcan kills three and Elide evades another, and they manage to make it away. They make a deal to travel together, Lorcan offering protection for Elide's knowledge of Morath. Pretending to be married they join up with a traveling circus to get past the Adarlanian soldiers guarding the river.

At Morath, Erawan reveals his true form, no longer masquerading as Duke Perrington. He orders Manon and the Thirteen, along with Yellowlegs witches led by Iskra, to sack Rifthold. Manon tries to get there before the Yellowlegs, but arrives right as Dorian is about to be attacked by a member of Iskra's coven. Manon kills her, and tells Dorian to flee. Rowan arrives and kills four more witches and tries to kill Manon until Dorian stops him. Rowan and Dorian escape and head for Skull's Bay, and Iskra accuses Manon of being a witch killer. She lies and says that the sentinel attacked her first, but Iskra doesn't believe her and runs back to Morath. When Manon arrives, she is put on trial. The Matrons ultimately decide that while Manon will live, Asterin must be brutally put to death. At the execution, Manon asks for the right to kill her, but she instead swings her sword at her grandmother. The Thirteen flee, and the Matron reveals that Manon is the last Crochan Queen, her father being a Crochan Prince and her mother being an Ironteeth witch, and that her she killed both of them upon discovering the truth. Manon takes a near fatal wound to the stomach, and then drops off the cliff and is caught by Abraxos. She manages to kill the witches that chase her, and then passes out and wakes up in Oakwald Forest. She is attacked by a shapeshifter turned monster by Erawan, calling itself a Bloodhound, and she escapes again and tells Abraxos to take her somewhere safe.

Aelin, Aedion, and Lysandra arrive in Ilium to find it occupied by Adarlanian soldiers, the temple there being used as their barracks. She makes a dramatic appearance, giving some of the soldiers the chance to flee, and then the three of them kill the rest. They go to the temple and Aelin meets with King Brannon's ghost. He tells her to go to the Stone Marshes of Eyllwe to find a Lock that can bind the Wyrdkeys back to the Wyrdgate. The trio are then attacked by Erawan, possessing the body of the Chief Overseer of Endovier that tortured Aelin. She manages to kill him, but not after being taunted by Erawan. They then sail for Skull's Bay.

Dorian and Rowan arrive in Skull's Bay two weeks before the rest of their companions. Upon arriving, they go to meet with Rolfe, who insists upon staying neutral, but also find Gavriel and Fenrys in his company. They say that they were sent by Maeve to hunt and kill Lorcan. Rowan bargains that he will tell them where Lorcan is so long as they help them until then. They hesitate but Rowan tells Gavriel that he has a son, and so they agree. Rowan begins to train Dorian in magic. After two weeks, they go again to meet with Rolfe, and find Aelin, once again acting as Celaena, in his office. She then reveals that she is Aelin, and tries to bargain with Rolfe to get him on her side. He is angry and refuses. After some scheming, Aelin comes up with a plan and sends out a ripple of power that the Valg in the Dead Islands detect. They come with ships and sea-wyverns to attack Skull's Bay. Aelin offers her and her courts' help in exchange for Rolfe's allegiance and him gathering the remaining Mycenians to fight for her. She also says she will make him a lord of Terrasen and give his people back Ilium. He reluctantly agrees. Lysandra turns into a sea dragon and fulfills the Mycenian prophecy that once a sea dragon returns again, so shall the Mycenians. Aelin and Rowan combine their powers to wipe out the Valg ships, but Aelin wears the Wyrdkey, and is possessed by Deanna. Deanna gives them a riddle and tries to destroy Skull's Bay with her silver fire, but Rowan jumps in front of Aelin and she redirects her blow to the ships. She still ends up taking out most of Rolfe's ship, some of his men, and the entire Valg fleet save three boats. Lysandra takes out the two sea-wyverns, but is attacked by three more fully grown ones. She barely is able to kill them, with the help of Dorian and Aedion, and also sinks the remaining three ships. Aedion promises a wounded Lysandra that he is going to marry her one day. After the battle, Aelin then summons Elena, who tells her again that she needs to find the Lock.

Lorcan and Elide continue traveling together, but are attacked again by the ilken. At the next town over, their traveling companions sell them out to the Adarlanian guards, and they are forced to take a boat and flee. Lorcan discovers that Aelin has tricked him and he didn't actually have Wyrdkey this whole time, and he tells Elide that he will be bringing her to Aelin after all, and reveals that Aelin and Celaena are the same person. After a long ways of travel, they stop in another town, and Lorcan leaves Elide alone to buy clothes. Elide is attacked by ilken and her uncle Vernon, and they attempt to take her back to Morath. Thinking that Manon is dead and Lorcan has abandoned her, she attempts to kill herself, but Lorcan knocks her knife out of her hand and attacks. She and Lorcan kill the ilken, but her uncle Vernon escapes. Elide finally reveals what she is carrying with her, and Lorcan explains about the Wyrdkeys. They continue to head south to Eyllwe.

Aelin and her court travel on boats to the Stone Marshes to find the Lock. On the way, they see the coast of Eyllwe burning, and the townspeople blame Aelin for it. Abraxos finds their boat and they fetch an unconscious Manon out of the ocean and begin healing her wound. Once she is conscious, Dorian and Manon grow closer, and Aelin attacks Manon for leaving Elide alone in Oakwald Forest. Aelin makes a connection between something Fenrys said and Baba Yellowlegs' prophecy, and throws up. Rowan wants to know what's wrong but she only talks to Lysandra about it. Dorian advocates for Manon's freedom on the ship, and when they go to release her, they are attacked by a Bloodhound pretending to be Fenrys. She tells Manon that Asterin and her Thirteen are dead, and then Dorian kills her. The ship is attacked by ilken, and they fight them off, Manon assisting. They worry as Erawan now knows their location. They eventually make it to the Stone Marshes. Manon sends Abraxos to lie low and the court makes its way into the marshes. After three days of travel, they find the temple containing a chest that supposedly holds the Lock. Just then they begin to feel a magical warning signal from Lorcan, who, along with Elide, has noticed an army of 500 flying ilken heading straight towards them. They set up a trap, but Aelin obliterates them with her flame, and the others pick off the rest. When Lorcan comes into sight, Fenrys and Gavriel immediately attack him. Elide jumps in front of Lorcan, causing Fenrys to accidentally wound her arm. Gavriel heals her, and then Rowan declares that Lorcan and Elide are under their royal protection, which delays the blood oath command for them to kill him. Elide has a tearful reunion with Aedion, Aelin, and Manon, and she offers Aelin the second Wyrdkey. They then go back to the temple to open the chest, and find not a Lock but a witch mirror. They carry it back through the Marshes to the beach, and encounter a hooded woman with soldiers at her back. Everyone goes on alert, and Lorcan sends out a pulse of power to signal Maeve to come so that way Elide will be saved if there is trouble. Aelin goes down to talk with the stranger, who reveals herself to be Ansel of Briarcliff, Queen of the Western Wastes, Aelin's old friend turned enemy from when she trained with the Silent Assassins of the Red Desert. Ansel owed Aelin a life debt, and she gathered her forces and conquered Melisande, taking it away from Erawan's control, all for Aelin. They ready to leave for Terrasen, but are cornered by Maeve's armada.

They give them a day to decide whether to surrender or fight. That night, Rowan flies to all of the ships in Maeve's armada bearing the Whitethorn crest and begs them to switch sides. A few hours before the dawn of the day of the battle, Dorian solves Deanna's riddle and the mystery of the witch mirror. Aelin and Manon join hands and step into the mirror. Aedion is enraged at Dorian for suggesting such a thing, and Rowan is left to command the fleet against Maeve.

Inside the mirror, Manon and Aelin are shown what really happened when Elena and Gavin fought Erawan all those years ago. Elena stole the Eye of Elena, the true Lock, from her father Brannon and used it to seal Erawan in a tomb. The gods then appear before her, angry at her for using the Lock. Brannon had made a deal with them to use the Lock to send the gods back to their home world, and they would take Erawan with them. But by wasting all of the Lock's power on Erawan's tomb, Elena ruined their chance and doomed her own bloodline. The gods tell her that her bloodline will pay the price she couldn't and ultimately one would have to give their own life to reforge the Lock and seal away the keys, sending the gods and the Valg out of the world. She agrees, and agrees to set clues and hints for that future descendant to help lead them into doing it. They are then shown Nehemia coming to the Stone Marshes, thinking the prophecies and clues were for her. Elena appears before her and tells her that it must either be Dorian or Aelin that does it, and that Nehemia must help by going to Rifthold and preparing one or both of them, but that she will forfeit her own life in doing so. Nehemia agrees. Aelin is enraged at Elena even though she had already figured out that she would have to die to reseal the Wyrdkeys. Elena shows her what really happened the night her parents were killed and she fell in the river. She almost drowned but was pulled out by Elena put in a physical form by the gods. Aelin died from the cold but Elena revived her, and the gods told Elena to take Aelin then, as a child, to reforge the Lock. But Elena wanted Aelin to at least have a chance to live her life before she died and instead compelled Arobynn Hamel to come and find her. The gods were angry with her for this and as her punishment Elena cannot enter the afterlife and she will simply cease to exist the moment the keys are put back.

The battle between the courts' forces and Maeve's wages on. Lysandra is able to take out some boats in sea dragon form, but against Fae warriors they are ultimately losing. But then the Whitethorn ships turn on Maeve's armada and begin assisting them. Abraxos flies back with the Thirteen, ultimately turning the tide of the battle and causing the remaining force to flee.

Manon and Aelin are sucked out of the mirror and teleported to the beach where Elide had been sent by Lorcan for safety. Her guards are all dead, and Maeve has her held prisoner. She cuts Gavriel off from the blood oath, and reveals Lorcan's betrayal, as well as how Aelin walked perfectly into her years long schemes. She also reveals that Rowan is her mate, and that she used her magic to trick him into thinking Lyria was his mate, and then had her killed in order to get him to take the blood oath. She then demands that Aelin surrender or Elide will be tortured. Aelin surrenders, and Cairn whips her brutally. They seal her into an iron box and sail away, right before Rowan, Aedion, Dorian, Lysandra, and the Thirteen arrive. Elide and Manon reveal everything to Rowan and the others, and Rowan reveals that they had a secret marriage, making him the King of Terrasen. Lysandra then reveals that she and Aelin already made a plan for her disappearance/death in which Lysandra would pretend to be Aelin for the rest of her life and Aedion would father her children so Terrasen would have heirs. Lorcan is immensely remorseful, and Elide and Aedion are enraged. Just then Ansel and Rowan's cousin Enda arrive, along with Galan Ashryver, Prince of Wendlyn, and all of his naval forces, and the Silent Assassins of the Red Desert. They realize that Aelin called in every life debt owed to her to raise an army, and Lysandra shifts to become her to maintain the ruse that she is still leading her own forces. Dorian leaves with Manon, Elide, and the Thirteen to find the Crochans, and Rowan, Lorcan, and Gavriel head off to begin the hunt for Aelin.

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius (Celaena Sardothien/Aelin of the Wildfire/Fireheart): Aelin has shown a lot of growth in this series, but we still get to see her mistakes. Even though she is learning to trust her court and delegate more, she still takes on a lot of secrets and schemes on her own, which leads to the attack from Maeve in the first place because Lorcan got scared for Elide and summoned her. While she accepts her role as the sacrificial lamb of her bloodline, we still see it scare her, and I'm glad she didn't just stoically accept her death.

Aedion Ashryver (The Wolf of the North): While I am personally not a huge fan of Aedion overall, Aelin and Lysandra's plan to use him to produce heirs was really messed up and he had every right to be angry with them about that. It also doesn't make sense because according to shapeshifter rules (Feyre's pregnancy in A Court of Silver Flames for example) if Lysandra and Rowan made kids while Lysandra was in Aelin's form, the kids would look like a mix of Rowan and Aelin, so Aedion is completely unnecessary. That would have really sucked for Rowan but getting him involved in that way wasn't even needed. The kids wouldn't even look like Lysandra's usual form either because Lysandra's form isn't how she was at birth and she can't go back to her original look because she doesn't remember.

Storyline: I once again loved seeing old characters come back into the fold and watching Aelin's schemes fall into place. Everything feels connected and purposeful and there are reasonable explanations for everything. Nothing is just left up to fate (looking at you House of Flame and Shadow) and things come together either by Maeve, Erawan, Aelin, or the gods' scheming and planning.

Representation: Aedion is bisexual, Rowan's cousin Enda is mentioned as being gay, and Lord Darrow was the former King of Terrasen's consort. Representation for POC is once again lacking. Elide is crippled due to her ankle being deformed from a break that was never healed.

Summary: This is my second favorite book in the Throne of Glass series, right after Queen of Shadow. All of the plot line were entertaining the whole time and everything is intentional and flawlessly comes together.

Quotes: "The world... will be saved and remade by the dreamers..."-Aelin (p.248) "I love you. There is no limit to what I can give to you, no time I need. Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you."-Rowan (p.350) "It is not such a hard thing, is it--to die for your friends."-Dorian (p.594)

#book review #book blog #books #book reviews #fantasy #sarah j maas #sjm #throne of glass #the assassins blade #crown of midnight #heir of fire #queen of shadows #empire of storms #tower of dawn #kingdom of ash' #kingdom of ash #aedion ashryver #rowan whitethorn #aelin galathynius #aelin ashryver galathynius #rowan x aelin

[silverflameataraxia]

"I hear," he said onto her hair, "that you're to thank for Erawan's destruction."

Elide withdrew from his embrace, leading him from that room of sadness and candlelight. "Yrene is," she said, walking until she found a quiet spot near a bank of windows overlooking the celebrating city. “I just came up with the idea."

"Without the idea, we'd be filling the bellies of Erawan's beasts."

Elide rolled her eyes, despite all that had happened, all that lay before them. "It was a group effort, then."

Lorcan's first goal after marrying Elide: getting her to understand how amazing she is.

Not only did Elide escape Morath with a Wyrdkey, but she stood up to the Ilken, was never afraid of Lorcan, got them across the bridge undetected, killed a few IIken, delievered the Wordkey to Aelin, suggested that Maeve was probably holding Aelin in Doranelle, went into Doranelle by herself and found an ally and found out where Aelin was being held, and then she comes up with the brilliant idea on how to kill Erawan, and stabs him to pin him to the ground to give Yrene the chance to kill him and end the war.

And Elide shrugs all this off and acts like because she's illiterate, she can't contribute to her court.

What Lorcan and I have to say about Elide

#throne of glass #kingdom of ash #erawan #lorcan x elide #lady elide #elide x lorcan #elide lochan #elide supremacy #elide stan #lady of perranth #yrene towers #yrene westfall #lorcan lochan #lord lorcan lochan #lorcan salvaterre #lorcan supremacy #lorcan stan #lord of perranth #elorcan are mates #elorcan supremacy #elorcan #aelin whitethorn #aelin of the wildfire #queen aelin #aelin fireheart #aelin galythinius #aelin galathynius #aelin's court #queen maeve #empire of storms

[crunchywarrior]

Throne of Glass bad things I guess. This is a list of bad things that happened to Aelin starting when she was 8 to 18. This contains extreme spoilers so yeah.

Aelin 1. When she was 8 her parents, family, and everyone she carried about died. Then Marion made a sacrifice for her, which might have been what she carried with her most because she felt like it was a pointless sacrifice, she almost didn’t get away. Aelin’s biggest weakness is arguably her loyalty to her friends, she would do anything for them do anything to keep them safe. One reason I believe this is because of is Marion’s sacrifice. She doesn’t want anyone else to make these sacrifices for her. She only barely got away because of the wyrdkey around her neck and Elena. Then of course Arobynn found her and took her in. Because someone wants to kill her, (she doesn’t know who at that point) and because she is the princess to be queen of Terrasen, Arobynn gives her the name Celaena Sardothein, and raises her as an assassin. This it’s self is another thing on the list, because she wished to become a healer.

2. Her training with Arobynn was nothing outside of torture, with Arobynn’s brutal methods one was to get her able to use a weapon easily with either hand, he had her break her own wrist. All of this led her to become the best assassin ever, (Adarlan’s Assassin) though she still vowed never to kill anyone from Terrasen. This went on for ten years.

3. just before she turned 17 She went on a mission to skulls bay, where she found out about Arobynn’s business in slave trades. Of course, Aelin being Aelin, she released the slaves and when she came back to the Assassin’s keep, Arobynn beat her and sent her packing to the Silent Assassins. And then of course when she got back (she turned 18 over the time) Arobynn pulled another lie on her and got her an avocation to kill this ‘slave dealer’ who turned out to actually be someone trying to save slaves. Aelin was crushed with this news, it was easily enough to convince her to use the money she’d gotten from the mute master to free herself from Arobynn. This brings up another thing he did, paying for her to have the best training, the best clothes, food, whatever she wanted, then turned around and said that she had to pay him back for all of this, and until then, she was bound to him. He also did this to Sam, his second favorite young assassin. (Aelin had to sell her horse to get the money to free him of his dept)

4. Sam died. Aelin and Sam now away from the Assassin’s keep couldn’t find and contracts, until they agreed to go after one of the most dangerous people in Adarlan, Rourke Farran. Sam walked right into a trap and was tortured and killed by Farran. This broke Aelin. The first person she had found since the downfall of Terrasen that she actually loved died, was killed, she failed him. She could barely move when she found out, then deciding to inflict her revenge on Rourke she jumped into Arobynn’s trap, and was sent to Endovier, where she worked as a slave.

5. Endovier, is a torture camp set up by the king of adarlan. Aelin was tortured there for a year, only trying to break free once, on the anniversary of her parents death. All of these events in Aelin’s life take place before the events of Throne of Glass, another thing to notice is I basically did a run through of Aelin’s life up to Endovier starting at Terrasens diminish. Yeah, Aelin doesn’t have the best life. But these events are what shape her as a character, they outline her loyalty and felt responsibility to her friends, and show what she had to go through. Another thing she carried is the ten years she was with the assassins, she wasn’t doing anything for Terrasen. She was the rightful queen of Terrasen, and felt like for those years she abandoned it, while others fought for it.

if you read to the end I’m surprised but thanks!!! This is my show of how I can’t seriously discuss things, I’m considering doing more of these with the other characters and finish going through the rest of the bad things in Aelin’s life. If you think I should please tell me that in the comments!!

#Throne of glass #assassins blade #aelin #aelin galathynius #aelin ashryver galathynius #aelin x sam #sam cortland #arobynn #arobynn hamel #celaena #celaena sardothien #celaena x sam #Elena #brannon #aelin of the wildfire #Endovier #Rourke fallan #aelin fireheart #rowan whitethorn #lysandra #Chaol westfall #dorian havilliard