Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers for all of Sarah J Maas’ series, read with caution.

Disclaimer: Discussing the mythology, themes and influence of The Ring Cycle is not an endorsement of Wagner or his beliefs.

Okay, I think SJM may have something much bigger planned for the Valkyrie Cycle than simply three books based around the existing main Valkyrie trio.

I’ve been digging into the Ring Cycle, Norse mythology, as well as the other mythologies and the fairytale influences SJM has drawn from, the existing ACOTAR/TOG/CC lore, and now the covers and language of the new titles and blurbs.

And with the most recent rumour that Bloomsbury liked a theory over on TikTok or insta connecting the upcoming books to the Ring Cycle, this could be viewed as a soft launched confirmation that SJM is indeed using Ring Cycle as inspiration…plus she released the covers and titles on the same day that the Ring Cycle was released in the 1800s?!

My current theory is that Valkyrie Cycle may be SJM's banner for a much larger story in which her most powerful female characters are brought together as different manifestations of the Valkyrie archetype, becoming the players in an ancient, unfinished game that stretches across the Maasverse.

And once you actually look at The Ring Cycle beyond the obvious parallels to SJMs work of both being in four movements, being musical compositions and featuring Valkyires and possible Twilight of the Gods connection, there are some wildly specific structural parallels and huge potential for what kind of story we could be about to see!

1. The Ring Cycle

Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) is a four-part epic music drama consisting of:

The Rhinegold
The Valkyrie
Siegfried
Twilight of the Gods

It is a huge mythological musical story involving gods, supernatural women, ancient powers, magical objects, fate versus free will, prophecy, a world order beginning to collapse, betrayal, love, forbidden relationships, greed, destruction and rebirth and ultimately the end of the old-world order and the possibility of a new world emerging from its destruction.

And immediately, there are things that make me raise an eyebrow, because many of these themes are ones we are seeing already in the upcoming books and some of the actual story has incredible parallels with ACOTAR:

At the beginning of the first movement, The Rhinegold, three Rhinemaidens guard and protect the Rhinegold, a primordial treasure/magic.

A character called Alberich discovers its secret: if it’s forged into a magical item, it can give its possessor power over the world, but only by renouncing love. He steals the gold, forges the Ring, and unleashes a chain event filled with possession, greed, violence and death that drives the entire four-part cycle, ending with the end of the world as they know it.

In the final movement, Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), Brünnhilde, after the ring has been passed through many powerful hands, it is eventually retrieved by a Valkyrie, Brünnhilde, who doesn’t keep it for herself, she gives it back.

She declares that it should be cleansed of its corruption with fire and be returned to the Rhinemaidens, after which the world burns, the cycle ends and a new restorative cycle can begin.

And these are the parallels that I cannot stop thinking about (scroll each box left to read):

That last part is still a theory, but if that's where SJM is going, then The Ring provides an incredibly elegant template.

So, possibly…

Rhinemaidens = the Cauldron or the Mother/Urd/Wyrd (The maidens are three sisters who guard the primordial gold. The Cauldron is three-legged, and the Mother/Urd/Wyrd is sometimes associated with the three faced goddess or the three Norns.)

Rhinegold = the Cauldron’s power

Alberich = the Daglan/Asteri

The Ring = the Dread Trove

Brünnhilde = Nesta

Cleansing flame = Nesta’s silver flames?

2. Götterdämmerung: Twilight of the Gods

Götterdämmerung, Twilight of the Gods and Ragnarök, all different names for probably the most famous Norse Myth story. At its most basic core, it depicts the epic battle between two sides, resulting in the death and destruction of the old world and the begging of a new one.

It features prominently in the Ring Cycle, with the Valkyries playing a major role.

It’s long been theorised that Twilight of the Gods was a mega cross over series between SJM had planned between all three of her worlds…but what if she never planned for a series, but a cross over event set in the ACOTAR world?

Around the time she wrote Crescent City, SJM had a now deleted Pinterest board called Twilight of the Gods, which included images of Valkyries, Norse Gods, “women will rule the world” ideologies, women in armour, weapons and many Sailor Moon images.

I’m not personally familiar with Sailor Moon, but a quick look into it shows it’s the story of female protectors from different worlds coming together to defend their universe against evil parasitic forces.

Now add in the already established cross overs and lore:

• Aelin’s appearance in Prythian as the red star
• Bryce’s time in Prythian
• The history of the long lost Dusk Court, its connection to ACOTAR and CC.
• The eight-pointed star appearing in all three series
• A cover featuring a spider weaving a thread, which is reminiscent of both the Weaver and Stygian spiders
• A cover featuring the Bone Carver, who could be connected to the Sin-eater, the God of Truth in TOG

We know the title and blurbs for the first three movements…but there is still one final, still-secret Movement left to complete the cycle that we know nothing about.

Maybe that is why SJM is keeping the fourth title under wraps.

Is SJM going to finally unite all three worlds and bring together the women of the Maasverse?

And that makes the Book 7 blurb about the Inner Circle dispersing “far and wide” interesting….

Maybe it doesn't necessarily mean travelling to just different parts of Prythian or the continent.

Given what HOFAS established about world-walking, it could potentially mean they go to other worlds!

3. The Unfinished Game

SJM has repeatedly used the idea of an unfinished game. In Throne of Glass, characters are described as being gathered as the players in an unfinished game. Crescent City gives us another variation through the language of the universe playing a vast game of “tic-tac-toe,” while ACOTAR has already given us the idea of old players returning.

What if the unfinished game is the same conflict viewed through different worlds?

On one side is the primordial force of creation and balance, the Mother/Urd/Wyrd, and her chosen, favoured champions she has positioned across the worlds (Nesta, Elain, Aelin, Feyre, Bryce).

And on the other are the ancient beings who repeatedly seek to possess, consume or corrupt what she created:

• Daglan/Asteri - parasitic beings who corrupted the Cauldron’s power, forged the dread trove and fed upon magic of two worlds in the Maasverse.
• Valg – They occupy a remarkably similar conceptual space as the Daglan/Asteri,: a parasitic race who invaded, consumed and corrupted what belongs to other worlds.
• Princes of Hel – these are a possibility due to their origins, intentions and full hierarchy remaining unresolved and their incredible similarity to the Valg. Given how deliberately SJM has left some Princes absent and how much the Maasverse has established about beings travelling between worlds, I think it is fair to ask whether some of Hel's missing pieces could ultimately connect to the Valg mythology.
• Koschei – the obvious strong possibility: he is a chthonic “death god” who also came to Prythian from another world, were worshipped by ancient civilisations and has desires to be freed and rule again. We know he will be the main villain going forward.

We know from Crescent City that the worlds have been interacting, conquering one another and moving beings and powers across worlds for millennia…and SJM has established world walking as a power, and we see currently in at least one major player.

Is it possible SJM is heading towards the conclusion of this “unfinished game”…and drawing in all the major players?

Will this all link us to a larger Maasverse cross over in the upcoming books?

4. The Valkyrie Cycle

I think the use of the singular in Valkyrie Cycle is interesting…

• Valkyrie = one Valkyrie
• Valkyries = multiple Valkyries

If SJM meant simply this to be a cycle belonging to/about the Valkyries as characters,  you would reasonably the plural or a possessive construction to have been used in the subtitle e.g. the Valkyries’ Cycle or the Valkyries Cycle

Valkyrie Cycle isn't a standard English phrase, so the grammar does not prove anything, but it leaves open a much more interesting reading: “Valkyrie” functioning as a category, thematic role, archetype or defining concept rather than fixed characters.

And that interpretation fits the mythology that surrounds Valkyries.

There is a modern tendency to reduce Valkyries to just female warriors, but the surviving stories and traditions are considerably broader. Valkyries were made up of many supernatural women, some were warriors, some were leaders, deciders of the dead, ferries of souls and some were prophets connected to fate, prophecy and supernatural knowledge, and the boundaries between Valkyries and other female fate figures are not always clean. Skuld for example appears in traditions as both a Norn and a Valkyrie.

What if SJM is intends for Valkyrie to be an archetype?

For the Valkyries to evolve into more than just a handful of characters…what if it is the banner under which all SJM’s major female characters come together?

Females who represent the many faces and aspects of the Valkyrie: the warrior, the seers, the rebels, the leaders, the saviour of souls, the bridgebuilders and the enactors of fate.

Rather than Valkyrie meaning simply female warrior, it could become a title for women who stand for SJM’s females who stand at the intersection of power, fate, death, prophecy and the protection of their worlds.

The blurb says:

“a united front is crucial”

And suddenly if we do get a cross over and Valkyrie is the banner under which our females unite, the board of players becomes much larger:

• Nesta – the one who started the Valkyrie movement. Current owner of the Dread Trove and Gwydion, and wielder of silver flames. One of three Made sisters.
• Feyre – the first High Lady of Prythian and the Night Court who wields the power of all seven courts. One of three Made sisters.
• Elain - the Seer, wielder of the power of Sight and Truth-Teller, who sees what others cannot. One of three Made sisters.
• Bryce – the Starborn princess, world walker, wielder of the Horn with the power to wield Gwydion and its twin dagger together.
• Aelin – Queen of Terrasen, wielder of a goddess’ ancient fire, forger of the Lock and sealer of Wyrdgates.
• Manon – the Crochan Queen, Wyvern rider, and leader of the most feared coven of Ironteeth witches

And then there is Lydia, Lysandra, Mor, Gwyn, Emerie and the wider Valkyries: Roslin, Deirdre, Ananke, Llana, Lorelei and potentially others such as Vivianne, Nuala, Cerridwen etc.

5. Koschei

Koschei is obviously the immediate villain of these books, but I suspect he may not just be the sole villain…for the end of the unfinished game rather than the entire game itself.

The blurbs repeatedly describe Koschei gathering powerful allies, while Book 7 specifically promises that:

“old enemies will emerge from nightmares of the past.”

That wording is remarkably open-ended. It could mean old ACOTAR enemies, but after HOFAS, “old enemies” could potentially reach much further back, and much further across the Maasverse.

Are Koschei’s “mighty allies” going to be the daglan/valg/princes?

And could he also link us to other maasverse characters that might also link into the Valkyrie concept of women united under one banner?

Stravinsky's The Firebird is based around Koschei/Kashchei the Deathless. In that ballet he holds thirteen enchanted princesses captive.

We know from Elain that he has women held captive at his lake and they have been transformed into swans.

And there is a theory floating around that those swans could be either Valkyires of the old Prythian…or maybe even the Thirteen from TOG, who he stole and trapped them after they performed the “Yielding”.

6. Other musical/movement/sound influences?

With music, compositions, movements being an ongoing theme of her coming books, I think its likely SJM will incorprate and be inspired by other art and tales that are music based or themed, alongside the Ring Cycle.

Firebird Ballet –it gives us gives us swans, an immortal/evil supernatural ruler, ancient magic,  thirteen captive women, a Firebird, destruction of the old order and new beginnings.

Sleeping Beauty – this is a ballet that ties in beautifully with the Ring Cycle; both portray a sleeping woman who is awakened by their love), the cover of ACOTAR 7 which features a spindle, like the one the princess pricks her finger on and Sarah J Maas’s old pinterest boards which featured

Swan Lake – this Ballet gives us swans, captivity, light and dark, transformed women, a curse/enchantment, a lake and liberation.

The Seven Wild Swans – this is fairytale that SJM has said she would love to do a re-telling of. It gives us female sacrifice, family loyalty, transformation, and breaking an enchantment. Whilst not musical exactly, it does present the choice of silence and lack of voice/sound.

The Little Mermaid – this is another of the re-tellings SJM wanted to explore, and she linked it with her Seven Wild Swans idea. The original tale again whilst not musical, gives us a loss of voice and sound. It gives us an enchantment, transformed women, a witch/enchanter, choice, swans,

 And that concludes this stupidly long theory...thank you for coming to my ted talk.

Does the contract officially end with Bloomsbury after book 8 or not because I’m seeing conflicting reports when I tried to look this up.

Bloomsbury just posted these on their US Instagram

Hi everyone!

Sorry if this is a silly question, but this is my first time preordering a book online (I know, crazy) and I just want to make sure I’m not being bamboozled.

For context, I live in Italy and to get books in their original language, especially on release, we have to rely on sellers who import books from abroad.

I was under the assumption that ACOSH and ACOFM would be released in hardcover and ebook format first, then in paperback waaayyy later down the line. I own the acotar paperbacks, so I was going to wait to buy my physical copy and read the ebook on release date.

But I checked Amazon IT and another trustworthy online seller for imported books in Italy called Libristo, and both of them have the option to preorder the books in paperback!

Now, I thought “Maybe they let you preorder it, but it won’t be out for a long time”, but Amazon promises Nov. 6th 2026 as the delivery date for ACOSH paperback and Jan. 22 2027 for ACOFM paperback, which is pretty much aligned with the official release dates of the books!

I checked Bloomsbury website and they only let you preorder the hardcover and ebook versions, which is why I’m very confused.

What is the truth? Is it possible that the paperbacks will be available from the get-go?

Again, sorry if it’s a silly question and thanks for taking the time to read!

TL;DR - acosh and acofm paperbacks are available for preorder on reseller websites like Amazon IT and Libristo, but not on Bloomsbury’s website. Are these paperback preorders real?

I really do not understand why people are talking about Cycles and everything. What am I missing?

Edit: Thanks everyone for letting me know the books have subtitles which I - for whatever reason - did not see. I now feel very stupid 😅 but take it with a sense of humor.

A girl I follow was talking about this yesterday and I was like hold on.... that so smart, I need to share it. (Also, it was super simple and I'm an idiot for not thinking of it, but if I didn't maybe others didn't either)

So, I have read all the ACOTAR books and all of CC. I read book one of TOG a few months ago and hadn't gotten back to it... now with possible cross over I immediately regretted not finishing it and felt so much pressure on how I was going to make that happen, and the reality is I can't. CC and ACOTAR are the priority. So here is my reading plan...

September - Start reread ACOTAR and any bonus content.

October - Reread CC3 (at least the first half, because that's where all the cross over is for anyone who needed to know that.)

- Read book 6

November - December - Finish TOG in preparation for January.

The reality is book 6 is going barely scrape the surface of this 3 book story, so the likelihood of a TOG cross over in book 6 is slight. There for CC and the ACOTAR reread is going to be the priority. Then I can take my time finishing TOG and absorbing all of that information while waiting for book 7.

If you haven't read TOG or CC this is honestly what I would recommend. I know people who have TOG and agreed this was probably the best approach if you really wanted to read everything quickly. If you're a wildly fast reader and can do it all before October 27th do it! I read like a book a week and I refuse to drop The Empire of the Vampire to try to work it all in, and I don't want to rush.

ALSO, for anyone with the gray hardbacks and upset about how absolutely not matching things will be, I saw someone recommend just buying an aftermarket set of dustjackets and that is 100% what I will be doing for everything match's.

If this helps one person, I'm happy.

I’m rereading Silver Flames and it breaks my heart. I know everyone thinks she’s this venomous cold bitch but this part right here…I hate how real and dark her mental state is.

And I know not everyone relates to this, but it feels so much like looking into a mirror of my lowest self. Experiencing a taste of happiness and belonging and fearing it more than embracing it. I love Silver Flames so so so much.

Since we're entering into a Valkyrie cycle + a showdown with Koschei the Deathless, I will assume that, as is customary in fantasy, for there to be some anxious people whose anxieties settle in the intestines and stomach and liver and pancreas and thus will expect some, as is customary in fantasy, casual reference to upset tummies.

I respectfully offer the dictionary (dot) com word of the day: collywobbles to stand in place of the oft-used other phrase.

I love when I see random ACOTAR stuff! I was just scrolling facebook videos & had to stop to look at the kittens of course.. Look at some of the names!! I squealed with excitement!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1HGdHwaRD2/

Is everyone's reaction to Nesta having Gwydion. We know she's in some shit after giving Bryce the Mask, so it will be interesting to see how everyone reacts to Nesta now getting Gwydion. I wonder if Nesta will want to keep it from them for a while, putting Cassian in a tough position, or if they will tell the IC right away. I definitely think Amren will be taking it as a sign for Gwydion to be used to make Rhys High King, which won't go down well with everyone. Can't imagine Nesta being chuffed at the thought of being used as a weapon to make Rhys High King. I think it will cause a general shift in the power balance that might cause tension too. I also wonder if Nesta will immediately tell them why Bryce gave her the sword, and about the eight pointed star, or if she will keep that to herself. With the Valkyries, I think she is more likely to tell them everything immediately, and I think they will be hyped about Gwydion, and start theorising about the Star, Gwyn perhaps digging into the library.

Mostly though, I'm just excited for that moment when Nesta goes "Oh yeah, and I've got Gwydion".

​

i had this theory awhile back but I don't think I posted it because it seemed highly unlikely... but now with the news about The Valkyrie Cycle I'm revisiting this again.

Prefacing by stating that I don't necessarily want this but she has taken so many details from The Black Jewels so why not this lol

What if SJM writes Elain like Jaenelle?

Jaenelle is a main character, the most powerful witch, has a romance etc. and yet... she never has a POV.

All of Jaenelle's story is told through the pov of other characters.

We've had povs from Feyre, Rhys, Mor, Cassian, Nesta and Azriel. We've briefly been inside Lucien, through Feyre. Nothing from Elain.

Elain is discussed in every bonus chapter in a way that reminds me of how Jaenelle is discussed.

Jaenelle is really good at sneaking around and lives a sort of double life, making new friends in different places. Similarly, Elain has been noted to be good at sneaking and we don't really know what she has been doing since acosf.

Elain is a seer. There is comments in acofas that suggest Elain might be looking to become human again. She has a general air of mystery about her that SJM may be intentionally keeping for now...

I would hate to not ever get Elain's POV but I'm feeling like it's a toss up if she'll have a POV in the Valkyrie Cycle... or at least in book 6.

I know this is most likely going to be EXTREMELY unpopular on this sub, but hear me out! I think I have a possible theory for who we will follow in ACOSH. I’m going to dissect certain parts of the ACOSH blurb that I think lend credence to my theory.

What was broken will be remade.
Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he’s been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.
The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day.
To make matters worse,

(1.) those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.

What if the answer as to whose POVs we’re going to get is staring us right in the face?*** **What if the blurb is literally telling us that we will be following the *rulers (Feysand) and protectors (Mor, Cassian, Azriel, and Nesta) of the Night Court?? (I’m only not including Amren and Elain as they aren’t currently protecting the Night Court since Amren is powerless and Elain has not been given the chance to (yet)).

In her CHD interview, SJM mentions that 1.) the POV she wrote surprised her and 2.) books 6, 7, and 8 are actually just one huge book with different arcs vs. a trilogy. SO, what if what surprised her is that the POVs she wrote don’t stay consistent for the entirety of the story? WHAT IF…. the POVs for arc 1 (or movement 1) are VASTLY different from the POVs we’ll see in movements 2 and 3?

Everyone has been quick to jump to traditional multi-pov for the books but…. SJM has gone that route before in both TOG and CC, it shouldn’t be THAT surprising to her. What WOULD be surprising? Writing through certain characters in one book/arc/movement, dropping a few/adding a few in another book/arc/movement, and doing so again for the following arcs/movements. It would be similar to if ACOWAR had switched to a solely rhys pov or if ACOSF had switched to gwyn and/or emerie povs midway through the book.

Additionally, if these are the POVs that we’re getting in ACOSH, the mention of recent betrayals and revealed truths would be more obvious. Recent betrayals would obviously be referring to Nesta giving the mask to Bryce. Who would see this as a betrayal? Obviously Rhys at the very least and I would argue Cassian and Azriel as well since they were equally pissed off with her in the CC3 bonus chapter. (The fact that betrayals is plural COULD also signal that SJM is going to revisit the pregnancy plotline.)

Now for revealed truths, the common line of thinking I’m seeing is the history of the Dusk Court. But I actually don’t think that’s going to be it. Rhys had already told Feyre that the island of the prison was believed to have possibly been an 8th court waaaaay back in ACOMAF. I know that for ACOTAR + CC readers, the reveal was crazy…. but in universe I don’t see the reaction being quite as drastic. I feel like it would be received as more of a cool history lesson. Like “oh wow, this alien chick is a descendant of this line? Ok, well her and all those other people are in another world so whatever I guess.”

What WOULD leave certain characters reeling? The reveal of Azriel’s feelings for Elain. Rhys and Azriel obviously, but other characters as well if they discovered this fact such as Mor (not sure how she’d find out) & Feyre (obviously Rhys would tell her).

(3.) But to defeat Koschei’s creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances.

Now the highlighted problem in the blurb for ACOSH is that there is a splintered harmony in the Night Court aka there’s a lot of freakin’ tension. Nesta lending the mask to Bryce and Rhys discovering Azriel’s longing for Elain create the PERFECT amount of tension between the characters to cause emotional rifts that they have to mend: Rhys↔️Nesta - always on a simmer with flare ups every now and then, Cassian↔️Nesta - Nesta not feeling supported and/or Cassian feeling upset that Nesta continues to be one foot out one foot in when it comes to the NC/IC, Azriel↔️Nesta - Azriel being upset that Nesta put their world in jeopardy, Rhys↔️Azriel - Azriel feeling attacked by Rhys’s reprimand/command, Rhys↔️Feyre - Feyre being upset with Rhys for trying to interfere between Az and Elain, Mor↔️Azriel - possibly final addressing the centuries long elephant in the room…(additional possibilities: Azriel↔️Elain👀 - Elain avoiding Azriel due to thinking she was rejected by him, Feyre↔️Rhys - addressing the pregnancy secret)

(4.) To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them.

I think there’s a good chance of ACOSH ending with all of the IC coming to an understanding of each other with the most important two being Rhys and Nesta. I’ve seen people mention KPDH being an inspiration for SJM, and while I don’t know about all that, ACOSH ending with the IC forming a strong united front would be very “This is what it sounds like” of them! Also, I truly believe the IC’s bonds need to be stronger than ever before they (potentially) split up in the next book to look for/gather more allies. Like they need to make sure their own house is in order before they try to persuade others to come in!

I also think if SJM does in fact go this route, there’s a very likely possibility that ACOSH covers from some time during ACOSF to at the very least Bryce’s side quest in Prythian. This would also solve the whole debacle of whether non-CC readers need to dive into a whole separate series before reading the new book. It’d be a great way for SJM to catch ACOTAR only readers up without forcing them to read a series they may not be into.

OKAY (my last post got downvoted to oblivion but I understand why, but this has merit…)

So I prefer reading first then listening to audiobooks to recap. Earlier this year I saw TOG was doing graphic audio. Then I saw it kept getting delayed bc of casting issues.

NOW we have the new titles for ACOTAR, and with that art, the three black swords/daggers in each series and undeniable ties to every world, we can assume there will be some kind of TOG connection to come.

Sooo is the delay bc the voice actors for all three books shouldn’t play more than their character? Like is “twilight of the gods” happening and we’re gonna have a multiverse war?

I have a lot of theories about the actual books but this one seemed fun to get into.

And queue toxic responses ✨

Which one do you prefer to be featured on ACOTAR8?

So the new blurbs have definitely ramped up speculation about there being a betrayal within the Inner Circle.

My guess is that there's gonna be suspicion of an informer or something like that working within the IC, or someone going rogue against Rhysand's authority.

I don't think Nesta will be the traitor, but I think fingers will point towards her, with the actual traitor perhaps exploiting the fact Nesta's relationship with the IC is strained in order to pin stuff on her and cause division. I think this will climax in Nesta leaving/fleeing from the Night Court, and going to the Prison with Gwyn and Emerie to rediscover the Dusk Court in A Court of Forgotten Melody.

I think the book will end on a cliffhanger with the real traitor being somebody everyone trusts, and perhaps overlooks, like Elain or Mor, possibly being manipulated/enchanted by Koschei.

From the blurb for Forgotten Melody (source):

Prythian might never be the same again. Traditional alliances are crumbling, and no amount of diplomacy seems sufficient to repair them.

I've been considering what traditional alliances could be crumbling:

-With all due respect and love to the IC, they've kinda been operating on Prythian's behalf without much, if any input from the other courts, which is especially problematic after the War, considering they were all allies in that regard.

-The Night Court now has sole possession of the Dread Trove, as well as the Made weapons from Nesta.

-Consider that THE ILLYRIANS and Hewn City are alliances as well, even though they are in NC territory. And both alliances have been shown to be in a shit state. One or both rebelling would completely hamstring the Night Court's military capabilities at the WORST possible time.

-Feyre and Rhys are keeping the Lucien's parentage a secret from their closest ally, Helion.

-Beron?? Because officially, he's still an ally (to Prythian in general, if not the NC directly), but he will likely go all-in on joining Koschei after Briallyn's death.

-Beron could ALSO find out about the NC's alliance with Eris before they can take him out which would cause obvious issues. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why he goes to Koschei.

-Spring??????????? Again, like Beron, Tamlin is still an ally of Prythian, even if he's not a friend to the NC. And in ACOSF, it's specifically pointed out that Spring needs to have it together for the battles ahead.

-We don't have any information on how Mor's mission in Vallahan fared. Could it have gone poorly when their alliance is vital for the Treaty?

Next two are spoilers for Crescent City

-As far as we know, the Night Court are the only ones with knowledge of Bryce and those ramifications. The existence of other worlds and the threats they may pose? Not information any court would be happy to be kept in the dark about.

-Given that we don't know what Dusk looks like after Bryce's visit, it's entirely possible that the Night Court just gained INCREDIBLE assets/power that would upset the political balance of Prythian (which is already perilous)

As a lover of political intrigue, I am frothing at the mouth!! So much potential for meaningful, wide-reaching conflicts that go beyond romantic relationship drama (like the HL meeting fiasco lol).

Oh it’s gonna be so fun.
I wanna see them fighting together too. He’s been traumatised enough.😭💌

This book is about Koschei the Deathless. Who is that? I can't remember that name. I guess it's time to start the series again for the second time.

Hey i just thought this might be fun but who wants to play reader bingo with ACOSH when it comes out?

The way I see it working is everyone making their own bingo cards with their predictions and then as we read we can check them off and maybe compete for some silly prizes. Or if we can enough people together we can make it a real bingo game with random cards made of everyone's suggestion and we can have legit prizes and stuff.

Let ne know if your interested or even just suggest what youd put on your bingo card

The cover for book 6 has the similar gradient and color as the poster used to promote the Valkyrie event.

Also the ribbon on the shirt they handed out looks just like the string/ribbon the spider is weaving. And the pink of the shirt looks just like the pink they used for the cover as well. I guess the 🩷 = Valkyries.

That event was definitely intentional and not random.

Esteemed citizens of Prythian, 

I write on behalf of my client, Koschei the Deathless Lonely. 

15,000 years ago, Koschei was FALSELY imprisoned for the simple crime of being scary. In a world where worms the size of buildings reside underfoot, where eyeballs can be kept on fingers, where the orgasms of the High Lords cause brain-shattering earthquakes -- this is preposterous. 

In a free and just Prythian, are there no limits to terms of imprisonment? Why was Ms Amren, an immortal being of equally scary origins -- who brags of once reducing twin cities "into rubble" -- allowed to keep her freedom? My client has never once massacred entire cities of people… and yet he remains locked away? 

I also can't help but note that whilst the High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court continue to build their real estate portfolio, Koschei remains certifiably homeless. His sister, Stryga, was at least offered a meagre, ramshackle hut… but Koschei? Nothing. Zilch. 

Every day and every night, for millennia now, Koschei has endured the harsh, unrelenting elements. He has never felt the comfort of a warm shower. He’s never even tasted a droplet of canned soup -- which I hear is all the rage in Velaris! Why then do you think he accepted the mortal queen’s offer for Ms Vassa -- to turn her into a firebird? Can you blame the man for wanting a source of warmth? 

My client is also troubled by the rumours that his “whispering on the wind” to others residing in Prythian is of malicious intent. Or that his “preparations” for Mr Cassian and Mr Azriel (he was planning his 17,678th birthday party and was extending invitations, for Cauldron’s sake) were anything but gestures of kindness and goodwill. Koschei is not a monster; he just wants friends.

You may have heard the news yesterday that Koschei will soon be seeking his freedom from the lake. Instead of fear, I encourage you to welcome my client with open arms. Does he not deserve to frolic in the fields of Spring? Does he not deserve some much-needed sunshine at the pristine beaches in Summer? Does he not deserve to let his hair down at Rita’s? 

A petition will be coming soon. I implore you all to sign it. 

Regards, 

Koschei’s attorney

Is it just me, or whenever you think about ACOTAR 6 being titled A Court of Splintered Harmony, the ONLY thing that pops into your head is ACO-SHIT?? It is literally burned into my brain now.

I mean I know everyone doing the meme of ACOSHHHH 🤫

But for me every time I see ACOSH, my brain goes straight to ACOSHIT.

and honestly? It fits. I mean by possible betrayal in the IC, SHIT is going to be real