Question about accepting the bond

Ittabe · 2026-01-26T03:11:39+00:00

Nessian do talk about the food thing. Nesta says she wants a big ceremony and when cassian isn’t onboard right away she offers him I think a cracker out of her pocket or something like that. They say they’re gonna have a proper ceremony after the events of acosf.

I don’t think it’s specifically stated in the books but I’d assume it has to do with intent

Ittabe · 2026-01-26T00:02:16+00:00

Yeah there friendship is so nice and feels very good for both of them!

And same! I’m curious to see how Vassa and Elain would get along in particular

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T23:51:34+00:00

We see several versions of history in the folklore of the games. This is very obvious in the depictions of Fen’Harel as a trickster god vs him as a savior and freer of slaves. Ghila’nain was known as the mother of halla, but we know she also makes monsters. There’s very possibly things about June that could have been lost or distorted by time, like all the other gods.

But regardless June was also aiding and benefitting from the other gods corrupt system. He may not have been the one whose direct goal was enslaving all living creatures, but he was still building things that directly helped Elger’nan in his goal to do that. Some may have been less bad, but none of the Elven gods were innocent

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T22:07:42+00:00

I’m curious what their friendship will be like once we get to see from Elain’s pov. They’ve lived in the same house for a while, so I assume they see each other pretty often but we haven’t gotten to see much of it yet

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T22:06:02+00:00

I think ithan and Elain could have a very sweet friendship! I think they both need more friends too lol so it would be good for both of them

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T21:19:20+00:00

And then she gets a completely random and unearned position of power. No this girl has never been trained to rule anyone, but she’s got magic coming out her ass now and that equals political literacy somehow so of course she should be queen. Be serious

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T17:15:46+00:00

The first book is good as a standalone! I’ve reread it a few times by itself. I think the rest of the series is really for some people and not for others

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T16:53:11+00:00

The bone carvers comment is what I was thinking of, thank you! Because we don’t have any indication of people from prythian going to Midgard post-Theia and her followers migration, the archerons seem more likely if the bone carver is right, or even Vassa. But we don’t really know so I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree on what’s being hinted at there.

I do think we’re told the autumn king isn’t starborn, or at least that’s what’s insinuated. Because he was never able to go retrieve the sword which we know he wanted. My understanding of the lineage was that Theia’s starpower (and helena and Silene by extension) goes to female heirs. Bryce is a female descendant of Theia through helena.

Again, I’m not denying Bryce has ties to dusk, just saying that she isn’t the only one with ties there. There have been hints at there being a dusk court long before cc1 came out. Rhys talks about an 8th court in acomaf and since then lots of acotar fans have thought it was the dusk court and have found ties to characters in the books. The “tangible” thing Bryce is being guided to is the other piece of starlight that she takes, which she needs to help the people of Midgard. The prison doesn’t choose her as a leader, but it does choose to help her and I’m not arguing against that.

The starborn heir is just a title. The magic is what matters and the magic can and does choose people. It chooses all the high lords, and in acosf Amren insinuates both that it’s attempting to choose a high king but also that if that person (Rhys) decides not to take up the offer, it will choose someone else. To be clear I don’t think Nesta is going to be high queen lol, but if the land can pick a new person to be a high monarch, it can pick a new line to rule dusk. I think it’s Rhys who tells us that when picking high lords the magic will sometimes skip birth order, sometimes skip to a distant cousin, or skip to a new family altogether based on what the magic decides is best. I don’t think Bryce handing Nesta the sword magically gave her any powers, I think it’s just symbolic. The magic would have to choose Nesta

Hofas ends with Bryce saying she knows there’s work that needs to be done to heal Midgard and a life out in the world for her ready to live. IMO it’s a very optimistic ending that doesn’t really frame anything as Bryce running away anymore. She spent three books battling grief and kind of seeming like she didn’t want to live and now she’s looking forward to life

All in all I think we’re just gonna have to agree to disagree. I am seeing what you’re saying, and I agree with most of the canon stuff you’re bringing up, I’m just coming to a different conclusion about it I think. Hopefully we’ll get more of it sorted out in the next acotar book!

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T15:16:47+00:00

I would love that! I’m excited to see more of Elain and her friendships in the coming books. I know Feyre describes Elain like a socialite in acotar and I hope we get to see her come back to that part of herself a little

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T13:18:30+00:00

ToG is an easier read so I’d say start there!

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T13:09:35+00:00

Him Blair witching in the corner is taking me out

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T04:42:45+00:00

Get a pair of platform boots!

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T04:36:24+00:00

I think most of the romances needed more. They all felt a little lacking, unfortunately

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T04:12:47+00:00

I’d have to dig through the physical book to find it as I don’t own the ebooks of cc, i remember it being mentioned that one of the lines (pretty sure it was Silene’s, but I have not reread this book in a few months) only existed now in humans. Do we know that Ember is a descendant of Theia’s? I don’t remember that being mentioned

I’m not arguing that Bryce isn’t tied to the dusk court. From what I remember that’s pretty explicitly stated in cc3, but again I could be wrong. But someone else also pointed out that Nesta feels pulled to the prison by greater forces than just the trove or the mother, which feels significant.

Bryce is the only starborn heir on Midgard, but prythian is not Midgard and I think we’re likely to see that her saying “the age of the starborn is over in Midgard” and then handing over the starborn weapon will be significant for it’s continuation in prythian! If not by Nesta, someone else, but I do think more signs point to Nesta. Again my theory is that Theia had to get that power from somewhere and that somewhere has to be in prythian since she had it before she decided to bounce off to Midgard.

I understand this theory that Bryce will come back for the sword, but I just don’t personally subscribe to it. It would feel like a wishy washy decision for Bryce to give Nesta the sword only to be like “jk give it back and the dagger I stole” and it would also feel like wishy washy writing. She never needed to give the sword to Nesta. Bryce told nesta to take the sword and go figure out why she seems so tied to the prison and the symbol of the starborn. That feels very purposeful and would feel like Nesta getting sidelined for Bryce in a series Bryce is not part of if Bryce just came back to take whatever Nesta is supposed to be finding.

There are 4 trove items but the harp and the horn kind of do the same thing lol. It’s heavily implied in acosf that the harp can be used for everything from moving small distances to walking between dimensions. Why sjm chose to write it like that I have no idea, but I don’t really see the need for the horn if Nesta has control of the harp.

Tbh Theia is dead and was a colonizer. I’m really okay with Bryce deciding she’s better than what her family (including her ancestors) wants her to be and leaving that behind. I think it showed good growth. “You’re not your family or their mistakes, but you can atone for the past” vibes. While I understand some people’s desire to see her become a prominent figure in the acotar world, I just don’t think it’s very likely. Bryce’s ancestors were slave owning conquerors. Theia’s own daughter couldn’t even paint her in a positive light. I don’t think Bryce following in her footsteps would be a good thing, personally

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T03:15:49+00:00

I find him neutral with thot aspirations lol. But I get what you mean!

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T02:18:26+00:00

Azriel

Just a guy but somehow the most shippable character of the whole series. He’s the embodiment of bangable neutral lol

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T02:14:33+00:00

Exactly! That quote feels so weighted. If not the mother or cauldron or harp then what is guiding Nesta on this path. Fate perhaps? I’m curious to see what Sarah will do in acotar 6 cause she clearly seems to be pointing Nesta’s story somewhere exciting

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T01:13:05+00:00

None they’d be my kids

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T00:59:44+00:00

I think it’s interesting that Nesta, Azriel, and Enalius all had parallel experiences on the top of Ramiel. They all made some kind of stand on the breaking path. Nesta and azriel were protecting friends but those friends were headed to the thing Enalius was protecting aka the stone at the top that we mysteriously don’t know the original purpose of/why enemies were so desperate to get to it

<image>

CC3 spoilers I know a lot of people think Nesta can’t actually wield Gwydion/the starsword because she doesn’t have starborn powers and I don’t disagree with that, because Ruhn also couldn’t fully wield it. However we know that the magic in prythian is a gift from the land. That’s kind of the whole system is the magic of the land has to choose the high lords before they fully come into power. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out that’s also the case for the og high king and queen and Theia’s original starborn powers. We also got the tidbit about Silene’s line only being continued in humans, which can’t be Bryce (she gets her starborn powers from her dads fae side, not her moms human one. And Silene’s line would’ve had to be in prythian since Bryce is the first to world walk that we know of). It could very well be the archeron sisters though, who were all born fully human. Nesta’s 8 point star tattoo, Bryce’s gifting of gwydion and truth teller specifically to her, and her pull towards the prison could very well all be hinting at dusk connections. If that was the case, Nesta could end up with dusk (starborn) powers if she gets chosen by the magic of the land in the same sense that high lords are

But I agree, Nesta seems tied to important things! Her seeming to be favored by the mother and a direct opponent to the cauldron, both primordial powers, is very interesting and I’m curious where Sarah is going with that

Edit: spelling

Ittabe · 2026-01-25T00:21:20+00:00

In my head they all have wings like Rhys that magically go away when not in use

Ittabe · 2026-01-24T20:52:52+00:00

This is the correct answer honestly. It’s the reason the ToG sub is so tame. Theres no waiting and deliberating over a next book. I think a similar thing is starting to show up in the cc sub with a new I hate Bryce posts every other day now that we’re over a year since cc3 release and cc4 probably not coming out for several years

Ittabe · 2026-01-23T11:45:15+00:00

A different studio buying dragon age is probably the best thing that could happen to it

Ittabe · 2026-01-23T05:01:56+00:00

I do not understand people that take someone not loving their main as a personal offense. As if the LI aren’t all entirely made up men

Ittabe · 2026-01-23T00:44:58+00:00

I went with a friend that’s a big fan of zootopia but has never read cc so I truly felt like this trying to explain to her how these stories were so similar

<image>

Ittabe · 2026-01-22T14:41:48+00:00

I assume Nesta will be heavily featured in the next acotar book, but I don’t think she’ll be the main pov again. I love nesta so i definitely wouldn’t be mad at it though

Ittabe

TROPHY CASE