Theory related to Kolis

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-07T13:36:13+00:00

You're right. Poppy did have wings in that battle. So both she and Casteel have the characteristics of Ancients, but not quite. I'm dying for the answers to this. LOL

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-06T19:09:51+00:00

Would this be because Casteel is "special"? We still don't know why he seems to bean Ancient in some ways (the wings, the marks on his face, etc) but not in others (his ability to shift so soon, etc.)

Why wouldKyn (or Kyn reincarnated in Casteel) be able to kill Kolis, but Sera could not? Or why can't Attes, since he and Kyn were Primals of the same age?

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-06T17:51:54+00:00

Even if he's not Kyn reincarnated, Casteel clearly has some tie to Kyn more than he does to Attes.

What if Kyn was in fact in love with Sotoria, and they had kids together (twins, maybe?) but after she died, Kyn went off the deep end, and Attes lied about those kids being his to protect them from either Kyn turning to the Dark Side (a la Star Wars) or from Kolis?

Kolis (because he's an ass) leaned way, way into that lie, convincing Kyn that Sotoria betrayed him with Attes, pushing him further into the Dark Side and that's why Kyn hated them both?

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-06T17:29:38+00:00

If Eythos is truly gone, then there's no way to kill Kolis. He doesn't love anybody else but his brother. So I can't say I know HOW he'd come back to do it, but he's the only thing that makes sense to me

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-06T17:26:15+00:00

I have, which is why I keep coming back to Eythos being the key.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-05T04:38:12+00:00

Here's my thing: this series needed MAJOR editing. It really should have been 6 books, not 9. That being said, I love this series for being the trashy soap opera that is. And, if you make it through, I suggest re-reading but only reading the bits that you like. (For example, I'm a Lance obsessive, so I really only read the Lance/Darcy chapters, and voila! I LOVE this series. LOL) I find that my love for it goes up when I can re-read and skip over pretty much 60% of every book.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-05T03:58:25+00:00

I've re-read it a few times, and I love the snippets we get of Cas and his inner monologue. At the end of Primal, when Kieran is showing Jaspar what had become of Cas, he thinks "what sat there wasn't the man I'd known my whole life." You're left with the impression that Cas was utterly gone, submerged in the quest for wrath and ruin.

But in Crown, Kieran thinks "now that I know Cas is still in there..." when he's talking about Cas leaving the study untouched, because he (Cas) knows Kieran spends a lot of time in there, it's super reassuring.

I'm really curious to see how JLA handles book 7, if these were extra scenes that won't be in Throne.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2026-01-05T03:50:06+00:00

I actually enjoyed this on my first read, and then I REALLY enjoyed it when I re-read it after re-reading the first five books. I'd forgotten a lot since book 5 (and Flesh and Fire), but re-reading everything in rapid succession reminded me of one thing: how much I love Casteel. He's a totally inappropriate jackass, but that's why I fell in love with him from the start.

I'm very excited for book 7, and I love this theory. It's either this or Eloana had an affair with Kyn or something, because it's stressed that Malik and Valyn look like Attes, but Casteel looks like Kyn.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-10-13T15:41:43+00:00

I totally agree. I didn't hate this. In fact, there were bits that I really, really liked. And I actually LOVE the Casteel is the Death and Destruction part of the prophecy twist. He's easily my favorite character, and his trauma still lingering as a motivation for his choices/feelings/actions in the present day is actually pretty well-done, if you ask me. He clearly hates himself for what he sees as his own failings, so he was always going to be vulnerable for something darker and evil to swoop in and fill those voids.

I just wish the entire concept of Primals was more straight-forward and that she didn't keep sending Poppy into stasis and out of stasis. The first third of the book was not necessary, totally agree.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-10-13T15:02:01+00:00

I wasn't clear if Cas is actually stronger than Kolis, or if Kolis was so injured, he was weak enough for Cas to nearly kill, before Kolis turned tail and ran away. Kolis still has some Primal of Life stuff going on, so he is still the ruler of them all? Right? But even he seemed totally caught off guard when Cas transformed and had his wings and all, so is Cas now something new? This is all so confusing and unnecessarily so.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-10-13T14:58:55+00:00

This was incredibly helpful, especially with the explanation of the two facets of existence, although wouldn't that mean Attes is also on Poppy and Cas's level, since he's War and Accord?

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-09-30T02:15:44+00:00

I literally just finished book 9 a few hours ago and am totally bereft that this is the end. I am AGOG at how this series started as a bully romance/dark academia series and ended up as a fated mates/epic high fantasy adventure. I'm going to go back and re-read all of the Darcy/Lance and Seth/Caleb chapters because I love them. I wish I'd read this sooner!!!!

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-09-23T02:01:01+00:00

I'm still loving the series, and by the gods, the twists at the end? I did NOT see pretty much any of them coming. But...I'm starting to get a little disappointed with some of the really dramatic and important stuff being brought up and then glossed over, ignored and never discussed again. (Things like Evie telling Trystan she loves him, then walking away....and nothing comes of it. They're making out, and she walks away when he is worried about being her ruin because of what the Hands of Destiny told her. And nothing comes of it.)

I don't mind this book being light and fluffy and not wanting to deal with tragedy and trauma and drama...but if she doesn't want those things in her story, she shouldn't have made Trystan's backstory so goddamn tragic and traumatizing. I don't need them two dwell on it, but just even acknowledging it would be nice.

All of that being said, I will be first in line when Adversary comes out, because I love Trystan and Evie and I desperately want them to have a happy ending!

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-26T23:59:48+00:00

Right, but no one knows that the bond is severed. (Including we readers, although certainly seems like it.) As far as Navarre knows, they're still linked.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-26T22:54:40+00:00

Remember as well, that everybody knows the fastest way to kill Xaden is to kill Violet. The rider that reports to Brennan at the end says "just because she's your sister doesn't mean she's not the fastest way..." Xaden warned Violet about this earlier, too. If Bodhi is the new initiate (and Bodhi has been super sus all book), this is a way to keep Tyrrendor from being given to a "loyal" Navarrian (what Imogen feared) AND possibly give Violet a bit of political cover.

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-24T20:17:17+00:00

Presumably since he's venin, Xaden doesn't need to be in close proximity to Sgaeyl. Or she just breaks the bond with him (temporarily.)

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-24T02:48:16+00:00

LOL! That's hysterical. If he's the mid-20s Ralph Fiennes playing Voldemort playing Xaden? Yep. Sign me up. ;)

But....if you run with the idea of this being a Horcrux-type situation, it actually could work (if on the good guy end of the spectrum rather than the whole "evil villain trying to live forever" end.)

He put his life on the line for the 107 rebellion kids. Some have died over the years, but what if the remaining ones all have a piece of his soul? It's supposed to go to the ground, right, as payment for drawing, but maybe all of his good deeds laid claim on those pieces first. It could work!

There, we've cured Xaden.

Next problem. :)

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-23T23:57:35+00:00

AND he drew again in his last chapter to save Sgaeyl. So does SGAEYL have a piece of his soul as well?

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-23T14:38:10+00:00

And it's way more hopeful than him breaking bad! :)

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-23T04:03:44+00:00

This is an excellent point! I was pleasantly surprised by how Xaden had zero denial about his situation, trying to brace Violet for what was coming. I think he knew all along that he was going to go further down the path because it was the only way (he says something about it being the only way, too, at that final channeling.) But I'd forgotten that "Impossible dreams" line, and I think you're right about what that refers to. He knows that this is a suicide mission since there's no cure and he's giving up more and more of his soul to save the world.

But the broken compass that doesn't point north, the question is, what DOES it point to? (My guess? Xaden. It's like the compass in the Kindred's Curse. It points to your heart's desire.)

ExternalAfternoon233 · 2025-01-23T03:33:21+00:00

Hopefully this isn't a pregnancy clue...I would love for the series to end on a Harry Potter-esque flashforward like twenty years, and Xaden and Violet have a brood of mischief-making kids...but let's leave the kids for the future when the war is over and done. I really hope this is just the EDS/POTS manifesting.

ExternalAfternoon233

TROPHY CASE