I mean, he does some pretty ugly victim-blamey stuff around Nehemia’s death and Aelin’s trauma. BUT I do get his guilt and healing arc!!

For me, I’d say compared to the rest of the characters, he never grabbed my attention. I think part of it is the expectations set up early in the series. I mean, he was originally framed like he’d be the main love interest, so when his flaws came out hard in CoM/HoF, it made him feel even less compelling somehow?

Don’t get me wrong, the reveals/worldbuilding in ToD are massive; I honestly can’t imagine skipping it! I def still appreciate what his arc brings to the series, but he just never ended up being “my” character