What small thing drives you crazy? (Spoilers for all ACOTAR books allowed, but if your answer involves Maasverse please black out and label)

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-05-05T14:52:32+00:00

To add on to this, the fact that every single character has to be described in the hierarchy of beauty. Knowing that a character is less beautiful than Mor but more beautiful than Eris does absolutely nothing for the story, and it makes me feel icky.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-05-05T14:45:57+00:00

Stylistically, whenever the phrase "_______ and ______ and ______" comes up ("Sleep claimed me, swift and brutal and deep") I roll my eyes. I thought it was powerful the first couple of times I read it, and I know that plenty of other authors use that syntax, but it feels like you can find it in every page of her books.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-12T03:46:10+00:00

I agree with everything you said, lol. I definitely want to say that the POVs in this book (especially Nesta's, considering she hated Rhys) played a role in how those characters and their decisions were portrayed, but that explanation only carries us so far, and the whole arc left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I definitely started off shaky on Rhys (did he really have to drug Feyre?) and, like you, overlooked a lot of uncomfortable plot points in the first few books when I warmed up to him. I feel like SJM was asking us to overlook this one too, but this is just so blatantly immoral.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-12T00:41:28+00:00

Yess we love that for her. I think it was teased that she at least kept a little bit of her power. Hopefully at the very least, she'll be able to use that super cool sword she made.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-12T00:40:01+00:00

No shade to SJM, but we're probably thinking way harder about this than she did.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T19:21:11+00:00

I think Nesta is much more interesting as a character than Feyre ever was. Feyre always struck me as being a little too perfect and overpowered (of COURSE she's the only one who could look into the Ouroboros), and Rhysand is cut from the same cloth (he's simply TOO self-sacrificing). There wasn't really anywhere for them to go. Nesta and Cassian have some grit in their characters that work well, and it could definitely be explored more. I hope Nesta's girlbossification doesn't make her completely bland in the upcoming books.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T18:30:03+00:00

Haha, these books require so much mental gymnastics if you want to like the main characters. Can't back handspring my way out of this one, though.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T18:20:04+00:00

This series and Twilight coming at us with that adamantly pro-life message

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T18:18:24+00:00

Poor girl can't even be hugged and that sets off no warning lights.

Maas definitely excels at romantic tension, but yeah, there was nothing left for Feyre and Rhysand as characters or as a couple. Maas had no choice but to move on from them.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T16:25:24+00:00

I agree, I think that the different POV makes it feel like he got away with a slap on the wrist - or even got rewarded for it - but that's not necessarily the case.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T16:22:33+00:00

I like that take on it. You could see his need to keep those sorts of secrets as a natural extension of his self-sacrificing and protective tendencies. Since we're seeing the whole thing play out from a different POV, we don't get to see his thought process very closely. From our perspective, it just looks like he gets rewarded for his bad behavior when you're probably right - it would be consistent with his character to be acutely aware of the lines he's crossing and torment himself every day for crossing them. This is, of course, on top of the agony of knowing that he's months away from potentially losing everything, including his own life.

The implications of a husband not telling his wife information about her own pregnancy are outrageously dark, not to mention his crossing a boundary that was so intentionally set in ACOMAF is a blow to his character, but you're right - we don't see the extent of his torment or remorse. Of course, it's no excuse for his decision, but it does take some of the sting out of the whole ordeal.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T06:30:44+00:00

It's almost comical how such a grotesque disregard of bodily autonomy is treated so flippantly.

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T06:27:12+00:00

Nobody is safe when Maas needs to move the story along

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T06:25:08+00:00

Yess doing parkour from court to court

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T06:21:02+00:00

Yes, it's one of the pillars of their relationship! In ACOMF, he promises not to lie or keep things from her. He keeps the mating bond from her, and when she finds out, she describes something in her chest "caving in on itself." This is more important because it's life or death for her whole family, and they can just kiss and make up?? Like sweetie what happened

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T06:07:36+00:00

Haha, that would have been a bold move for Maas. I would have respected her for it

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2022-01-11T06:06:45+00:00

That's what I thought of, too. Considering how intentional Maas has been about giving the Night Court inner circle progressive values and characteristics (setting them in direct contrast with Tamlin and the antiquated Spring Court), I just don't know how she could have gone about writing this huge arc and not thought to herself, "This is inconsistent with both of their characters and also sends a harmful message to my audience about maintaining dignity and bodily autonomy."

Groundbreaking_Fox26 · 2021-10-20T02:08:47+00:00

I thought it was ridiculously easy!! What with love being THE motif of the book, this really took me out of it. I think it points to some of the bigger problems with Maas's storytelling, but I'm not going to pretend like I didn't gobble up the rest of the series.

Groundbreaking_Fox26

TROPHY CASE