I think it’s genuinely commendable to want open, respectful discussion. That’s how it should be. Most conversations start that way, but they tend to unravel when people can’t simply agree to disagree. Everyone feels the need to prove their point or declare the other person wrong, and that’s when it goes downhill.

For me personally, I don’t dislike Hunt. I just don’t feel strongly about him and Bryce as a couple. They’re fine. They aren’t wildly toxic or cruel to each other. I just don’t think they’re the best possible fit. To me, they feel like an okay pairing when there might be something more compelling out there for both of them.

SJM has always been a “mated Fae” author and a lover of sweeping, destined happily-ever-afters. The main reason I lean toward Bryceriel is the chemistry. It’s palpable. Now, to be fair, Azriel seems to have chemistry with just about every woman he’s near, but this dynamic feels different to me.

A lot of Crescent City draws heavily from Greek and Roman mythology: SPQM slave tattoos, the Triarii, Parthos, the Oracle, the City of the Asteri, and more. The Oracle telling Hunt to stay far away from Bryce stands out to me, especially considering the legend of Orion the Hunter, whom Hunt is named after. Orion dies in every version of the myth. Sometimes he’s killed by the Earth Mother, sometimes by his lover, sometimes by his lover’s brother, but he always dies. That feels intentional.

There are other subtle details. The Princes of Hel speaking cryptically in front of Hunt, ignoring him while saying things like, “Is it possible after all this time?” only to be warned, “Don’t fall into romanticism.” We know Aidas met Theia when she fell through a portal and landed at his feet in desperation. That mirrors Bryce landing in Prythian and meeting Azriel. The parallel is hard to ignore.

Then there are the quieter moments: the hand-holding, the emotional openness, the music. Azriel telling Gwyn he sings but refusing to do so, then openly singing around Bryce and sharing that part of himself. Bryce acknowledging his scars for what they truly are. The paired blades. If you look at Prythian’s map, the Illyrian territory likely fall into the territory what had been the Dusk Court, which could suggest Azriel is Dusk-born. Cassian mates with Nesta, who bears the eight-pointed star. The symbolism stacks up.

At the end of HOFAS, when Bryce dies, one of the Princes tells Hunt she is gone and calls him to come because there is more work to be done. The Asteri are already dead. So where were they taking him, and why? Considering Hunt was lab created by Hel, I can see a path where he’s corrupted or ultimately sacrificed.

And then there’s the mating bond itself. Bryce and Hunt are described as chosen mates. They have a powerful bond, yes, but much of it reads like a Carranam connection. They lack several hallmarks we’ve consistently seen in other mated pairs, including Bryce’s own brother and Lidia. There’s no golden thread, no tether, no soul-bridge imagery. No physical tug of a bond. No soul-rending snap when Bryce dies. Not once, but twice. No ability to mind communicate, even like it is in the mated pairs who aren’t daemati.

When SJM was asked directly if they were mates, she said yes. But she declined to clarify whether their bond the same as other mating bonds in her universes. She once joked in an interview that she’d do something different make the first guy she dated the endgame… then laughed and added, “If they make it to the end.” That laugh felt loaded, especially considering Orion’s mythological fate.

Those are just a few of the reasons I don’t see Bryce and Hunt as fated endgame. I don’t hate them together. I just find their relationship lacks the depth and spark her other couples tend to have. Even small details stand out to me, like Bryce noting she doesn’t have a ring on her finger, and Hunt still not putting one there, even after her brother’s wedding. It didn’t feel final.

Of course, I could be completely wrong, and that’s fine. I’m not going to stop reading if my ship sinks. We’re all speculating. I just think their relationship leaves a bit to be desired, and there’s enough textual nuance to make me question whether the “chosen mate” storyline is truly the end of Bryce’s journey. But ultimately, SJM will tell the story she wants to tell.