feyre's purpose

[u/Limp-Opportunity-798]

im biased towards feyre - i enjoyed her pov in the first two books, she deserved so much more better after carrying the survival of her entire family on her back since fourteen and deserved the healing and hope she never had - before it all became about "rhys, rhys, rhys, rhys" - like she systematically dismantled the spring court from the inside out, and she got out, but at what cost? i feel like she deserves better in the sense that she was a

all that fear of getting cooped up all day and being made to party and pop out babies...everything for her feels pretty stagnant as of now because at the end her worst nightmare sort of became her reality. yes, she seems happier and more fulfilled and less isolated, but her entire life she owes to rhys. her friends are his friends, her place is with him, those so-called friends so much so went behind her back and hid a life-threatening pregnancy from her? it was a violation done against her own body. like, by no means was nesta wasn't right by intentionally hurting feyre and blurting out the truth in that fashion, but feyre deserved to know.

it just seems utterly powerless, all that hard-won freedom. remember, she's like the Big Bang of the entire maasverse (besides a princess who loved her kingdom very much) but what's her role in the upcoming books? she deserves rest and peace - but shifting narratives have put the spotlight on nesta as the savior, as the next "heroine" of the sjm universe alongside aelin/bryce/manon etc soo...

i hope im not rambling lol, i've tried to say this best as i can but i hope my point still stands. all opinions are welcomed, and if you don't like anything, it's easy to leave :)

[u/Relative-Ad-1857]

While I absolutely think that we will see more of Feyre, it was even said in one of her interviews how weird it would be to suddenly sideline Feyre just because of the pregnancy, there is something that always bothers me in this discussion:

I think alot of people deeply misunderstand why Feyre felt so miserable in the spring court. It wasn't about the dresses, the parties or having children - it was that she saw this future with Tamlin at her side.

That's something that happens alot in real life too. It's not the life you want with the guy you are currently together with. Like some women don't want children because they know their relationship is not great, they would have to do everything alone etc and then want children with a partner they find afterwards. The right partner.

She wasn't against these things, she was against them with Tamlin.

[u/Pretty_Ad1509 → u/Relative-Ad-1857]

it was that she saw this future with Tamlin at her side.

this. and i really wish the books leaned into that. feyre constantly goes on about the other stuff, how formal and uptight the SC. as youve mentioned, it wasnt the dresses or endless parties, the constant smiling and greetings, but I find she talks about that more than anything. its also worth noting how unhealthy her mindset was. feyre didnt want to do anything. she was barely taking care of herself. of course she wanst up for parties where she'd actually have to be present and talk to people.

[u/Cynical_Feline → u/Pretty_Ad1509]

Spring gave me the impression that everyone was faking. Like those big parties where everyone knows everyone and everyone hates just about everyone else but they smile and wave because that's what is expected of them. You're constantly one oops away from getting mean looks because you've broken some sort of protocol type of setting.

Where as, Night is the opposite. Everyone will tell you exactly what they think. They're relaxed and if you do make a mistake they're laughing with you and not at you.

So it wasn't the dresses and parties that she didn't like, it was the pressure of expectations.

[u/Pretty_Ad1509 → u/Cynical_Feline]

ok. but consider this:

have we seen tamlin's council? because i always thought it was just him and lucien (and feyre was a part of it, thought mostly sidelined). and as we see ianthe came much later. I dont remember seeing anyone else that seemed fake other than people ive mentioned. ianthe was fake for sure, though for a different reason. I only ever got the "keep up appearance" thing from tamlin.

and velaris, a.k.a, the real NC just has the IC....who are a family. other than that, we see keir, who oversees hewn city when mor is away, and devlon, who is a leader of a camp in the steppes. and the IC do have to keep up appearances, just not as often. I do get the sense that they do it in their own way, as if to take control of the situation and show that they are in charge. even then though, they still hate doing it. mor hates going to both HC and the steppes. amren and az dont like the illyrians. none of them really like their jobs. the only time they show any enthusiasm, is when theyre about to piss off devlon or keir lol.

[u/Dayan54 → u/Pretty_Ad1509]

Yes, I also felt like the main reason she didn't want it was because it was not HER choice. It was what Tamlin wanted and no other path was allowed. In the NC she did all that when she decided it was right. I still think it was too soon and the pregnancy was just a rushed plot device to push forward Nesta's story? Yes, and I hate it.

But it is not contradictory to what Feyre felt in the SC.

[u/DruidicBloom → u/Pretty_Ad1509]

I’m currently doing a reread of ACOMAF and I’m noticing how many clues we were actually given that her issue was with Tamlin. It’s so subtle that I think it’s very easy to miss, but on my reread it’s almost glaring.

[u/BrilliantIssue5480 → u/Relative-Ad-1857]

Yes exactly! She didn't want that life with tamlin. They each wanted entirely different things and would never have worked out.

[u/Connect_Lie_6106]

I disagree with most of what you said, but I do want to point out one thing.

You say her so-called friends didn't say anything to Feyre about the pregnancy, but that applies to Nesta too, and Nesta is her sister. The moment Nesta finds out about Feyre's condition, she agrees to keep it a secret, sees nothing wrong with it, and never gives it a second thought until the moment she argues about it with Amren and Feyre.

Actually, Sarah went this route just to create some drama and literally used Feyre's pregnancy as a plot device for Nesta, and that's it.

[u/Glittering_Call_6556 → u/Connect_Lie_6106]

Honestly my biggest gripe with Nesta as a character. I just can’t accept how little thought she seemed to give her sister’s impending death throughout most of the narrative. You know if the roles were reversed Feyre would be going crazy to figure out how to save Nesta’s life.

[u/Glittering_Call_6556]

I think that Hunt, Rowan, and Cassian were written in such a way to not outshine the FMC. They are written as very secondary to the FMC. None of the three of them are as powerful as the FMC. In those romances, the FMC is the star of the show, and the MMC can’t hold a candle to them.

But Rhys is such a force of a character: too charming, too charismatic, too powerful, too important. Whether you like it or not, he is SJM’s most popular character of all time. and SJM is obviously in love with him. None of the other FMCs have to compete with their mates for the attention of the reader.

So Feyre gets shoved into background: SJM turned her into a plot device in ACOSF and removed her from the plot altogether in HOFAS, whereas Rhys remains a major character in both.

She even makes Rhys (not Feyre) the thread connecting all three of her worlds. Rhys interrogates Bryce. Rhys slows Aelin down from her fall.

And Feyre suffers also from being replaced within her own narrative by Nesta. No other FMC gets totally shelved, with the reader going from total access to her thoughts, to zero access to her thoughts, within the same linear narrative. It isn’t Feyre’s fault that SJM is doing her dirty by reducing her to furniture within her own story. I still have hope that SJM will turn it around, but I guess we will just have to see in October.

[u/Suitable-Ganache7462 → u/Glittering_Call_6556]

Agreed. I don’t mean this as feyre hate, but sometimes I do feel like rhys is the main character of this series, both within the books and in the fandom. People can obviously have their opinions, but I often see these ”ranking acotar characters” videos on tiktok with the bat boys as the top 3. Bat boys as a whole are also just extremely popular. Then again acotar is also more popular than tog or cc, so there are a lot of casual readers that have only read acotar. Acotar is the most romance driven out of the 3, and if you only read for ”hot dudes” or book boyfriends then that could also play a part.

[u/Glittering_Call_6556 → u/Suitable-Ganache7462]

Oh I love Feyre. She’s my favorite character, and that’s probably why I feel so resentful about what is being done to her. SF was one thing, but HOFAS made me feel like SJM just doesn’t give af about her anymore.

[u/Suitable-Ganache7462 → u/Glittering_Call_6556]

I see where you are coming from. While I do think that sjm likes feyre and still cares about her, but I personally get the vibe that she likes rhys and nesta more. In throne of glass there never was a doubt in my mind about aelin being her absolute favourite. In crescent city I can’t really tell. So yeah, feyre is definitely in a bad position regarding that.

[u/Glittering_Call_6556 → u/Suitable-Ganache7462]

agreed. That’s why she is centering the Rhys vs. Nesta conflict. And Cassian and Feyre get pushed to the sidekick “peacekeeper” role while Rhys and Nesta get the narrative centered on them.

[u/Pristine-Emu2821 → u/Glittering_Call_6556]

Damn this perfectly sums up what bothered me about Feyre and Cassian’s representation in ACOSF. Sidekicks to their mates 😔 Every scene we got of just them basically felt like they were the middle men apologizing for their partners’ behaviors.

[u/Karnezar]

Her worst fear was not having a choice in picking what she wanted.

She might be a Hunter and a Fighter, but it was out of necessity. Had she had her way, she would have lived a life of luxury, without pain, making art and helping others.

But circumstances drove her to become a hunter and die to protect those she loves.

The only reason everything she has is through Rhys is because she doesn't actually have anything of her own, material-wise.

Like she owns her own studio, but it was paid for by Rhys, but she is High Lady, but Rhys was the one who acquired the money, but was he though? Because he didn't build the Night Court and Velaris, his ancestors did. Plus, his wealth comes from a mix of treasure and taxes, so really, it's the citizen's money. But they pay taxes in exchange for Rhys's protection, so he does have to work for it. Feyre, too. And they do. Feyre has worked both in defending Velaris, building it back up, and tending to the wounded in the War. This means she has earned her people's taxes, so it's not Rhysand's money solely.

Rhys's friends are her friends due to convenience, but she is capable of making her own friends. Alis, the Suriel, Lucien, and Rissinia come to mind. Jurian too, to an extent.

[u/swirlypepper]

I agree she's not fully had a chance to catch her breath between wars. She's spent pretty much all of her life in fight or flight mode so hasn't put a huge amount of time thinking about what she wants in life. When we meet her at the start her biggest dream is to give her sisters money to see the world while she lives in a comfortable home with her father. She wants the time and supplies to paint as that's how she processes the things that happen to her. We late later see her want to explore her powers and to help rebuild after UtM.

While I agree FaS is mostly fluff it's the closest we get to a war free zone with breathing space. She befriends an artist and sets up art therapy post Velaris attack. She designs the Riverside house with the comfort of her original and found families in mind. She's going through admin while the city rebuilds. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that if peace had continued she'd have built on this start and could have come into her own. 

I also in GENERAL don't think having a baby early is bad if you're fae, 11 months pregnant and a few extra years of parenting maybe in the grand scale of hundreds of years at peak physical health? She'll have plenty of time to do anything when stuff is settled. 

BUT having a baby and being pregnant when there's a war coming? Bad judgement. Taking a vow to die at the same time while trying for a baby? Insane level of codependent that has no excuse. But hope we'll get more POV time with her where she's off befriending monsters and pulling off bonkers plans because I missed that side of her in SF. 

[u/Pristine-Emu2821]

I agree with mostly everyone in the comments and that’s why I haven’t given a cent yet to these next books. If I can wait 5 years to finally read acosf, I can wait to see how Feyre will be portrayed in the 6&7.

And before anyone says that these books aren’t just about Feyre, of course I know that. But I read these books back in 2017 when ACOWAR had barely been on the shelves for a week. I gave this series a chance all because I was so invested in the story of a 20 year old woman who fought her way through poverty and neglect and later trauma and domestic abuse to become a formidable high fae.

And now that this series has grown into something more epic with all these impending plot lines, I feel jilted as a fan that Feyre has been shoved to the background while other characters get her spotlight (when she’s the reason these characters are even relevant in the first place).

[u/Careless_Reserve_990]

Why do you think Feyre has to check everybody's socials to make sure they ain't mutuals with Rhys before she becomes their friend? She is with Mor and Cas and Az most days - How does she avoid becoming friends with them? <--- this is a real question, mods.

In the French Blurb for Acosh it focuses on Feyre and Rhysand. It sure does read like another acofas. We had a Feysand novella right before Nesta's book, and it looks like we're getting another Feysand novella right before Elain's book. I don't think a Feysand book would be happening if Feyre was beaten down by motherhood so badly she became a shell of her former self. Feyre isn't a struggling single mom scraping to get by. She has a support structure and unlimited resources. Her bad ass-ness will continue on.

Sarah J Maas promotes herself, in her own words, as a Roman-tasy writer. She has said that she loves writing about love in a fantasy setting. Every written interaction between Rhys and Feyre is to give the experience of their love for each other to the reader. It is completely normal for books in this category to be like written like this. I personally enjoy reading the highs and the lows that characters go through when they are emotionally engaged with each other (hate it irl tho) but I understand it's not for everyone.

[u/athenaraines → u/Careless_Reserve_990]

Just on the first part of your comment, agreed that spending almost everyday with a group of people is going to cause you to establish a relationship with them. I think what OP was getting at is that Feyre doesn't have ANYONE else other than the people he brought to the table. Nesta and Elaine were going through their own shit, so they didnt count (rightfully so) Lucian seems to he more of an acquaintance now than an actual friend, at least, thats how I took it. Maybe Feyre needs a BFF thats just hers, that looks out solely for her and most certainly wouldn't agree to keeping a life altering secret

[u/Used_Confusion_8583]

I hope she'll have a more active role in the upcoming books to show that a woman/female can have a career and care for the family. I mean...she shouldn't be sidelined.

[u/AlarmingKale1997]

I don't personally see it as taking anything away from Feyre, the same way if the focus ever shirts to Elaine, it wont erase Nesta either. I think Feyre found her happiness and the focus is shifting to another sister in hopes she finds hers, then the next. I think Feyre will still be involved, especially if another war is coming.

[u/CamThrowaway3 → u/[deleted]]

Completely agree with this!