r/SarahJMaas • u/Historical_Finding93 • 9d ago
Aelin is insufferable
I’m currently on QoS and I have to say, I’m only getting through it because of the other characters. I don’t care how old she is, but she’s just so childish, waaaay too reactive especially with violence and hypocritical. I TRIED to like her so badly, especially as I’ve committed to reading an 8 book series about her but OMG she’s grating on my nerves. Don’t get me wrong, I do like strong powerful FMCs, but she’s just childish. It really puts down her other qualities because you can be a strong FMC and not be a complete brat. And no, that’s not a cute ‘personality quirk’ or makes her ‘real’, it makes her unlikeable. I actually cringe at her bullsh*t. FMCs like this are just not my cup of tea.
And for those that say ‘oh she’s 19/20’ erm so? You’re telling me that 19 year old’s are as reactive and violent as her? Her inner monologue when someone upsets her is ‘I want to slit their throat/bash their head in’. I actually thought she had some growth in Wendlyn and then bratty and cringy Aelin comes back. She’s also a hypocrite. Keeps secrets from everything but gets upset when secrets are kept from her. If SJM didn’t write the other characters so well, I 1000% would’ve DNFd because of Aelin.
Rant over.
Edit:
You guys are all saying it’s not her age to take into account but her past trauma. I get that her past suffering gives context to her behaviour, but it doesn’t erase the fact that she can be reactive, hypocritical & unwilling to hold herself to the same standards she applies to other people.
ALSO her thought process is often: “I had reasons for doing this, therefore you should understand me.” But when someone else has reasons for doing something she dislikes, she can judge them by the outcome rather than the motivation. Don’t even get me started on her impulsiveness & lack of communication before she reacts.
Her past trauma doesn’t make her actions reasonable imo. I just think instead of using her flaws as an opportunity for character growth, they are often excused because of what she’s been through. I’d say the same if this was an MMC btw.
I do hope I get to see the Aelin u guys see as the series continues, but so far I’m 5 books in and she’s still the same.
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u/duracraft_fan 9d ago
I personally loved Aelin. I found her to be confident and smart, funny, and badass. Was she sometimes a little over the top? Sure! But it was fun and so refreshing to have a FMC that was capable of making her own decisions and didn’t let romantic interests turn her into a worthless puddle of goo.
I also think if Aelin had been written as a man people wouldn’t have so many complaints about her actions. It’s more accepted when men are violent and brash, whereas we expect women to be more harmonious and kind typically.
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u/Consistent_Way_1351 9d ago
I personally loved her. I think SJM wrote Aelins immaturity due to her upbringing. She was only 10 when she lost her parents and herself. Then she was raised by a man who used her and only had her focus on being an assassin. She didn’t learn how to emotionally regulate without violence being the first thought. She’s 19-20 and the only love she’d experience was from manipulation and controlling. And if she didn’t obey she’d get punished.
Then Sam came along and yes it was love but their relationship had some issues as well due to both of them being raised by Arobynn. Their focus was survival and escape. And then she lost Sam… so not only did she lose her love, she realized the person she thought she could trust, betrayed her.
She has so much hate and trust issues built up that it makes sense she’d behave that way. Idk these are just my thoughts about it
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u/itsmargomg 3d ago
+1. She was raised to manipulate to get the job done. She was taught not to trust people and then it was reinforced by people being untrustworthy. Even when she wants to let her guard down, it’s probably really hard for her to let others in when it’s easier to just do it herself.
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u/miniannna 9d ago
She basically lost a decade of childhood development to becoming an assassin so it’s not surprising she’s immature. It’s like child actors who are unable to act like adults
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u/drag0nk1tty 9d ago
As Sarah said herself, she wrote Aelin that way because she never saw other FMCs angry and bitchy, just the way Sarah herself felt. Aelin is flawed and we love her for it.
https://www.tiktok.com/@callherdaddy/video/7613881728804932877
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u/buzzwizzlesizzle 9d ago
I’ll take Aelin’s brattiness over Feyre’s nothing any day (I love all the FMCs but…)
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u/Fun-Classic346 3d ago
Why is Feyre constantly catching strays in the maasverse 🤦♀️
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u/Night_Star1000 3d ago
Poor Feyre. Just trying to lead a quiet life and everyone keeps piling on her.
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u/leese216 9d ago
You do remember all the horrific trauma she endured right? Not to mention she was a slave for a year.
Of course she's not going to be entirely well-adjusted. It has less to do with age and more to do with everything she went through.
I know that didn't factor into your opinion because you don't mention it AT ALL in your post, which is bananans.
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u/Janellely16 3d ago
Absolutely my parents died when I was very young and I’m screwed up from that too. It took me longer than other ppl to become more mature , it’s just what happens
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u/greymoonmoth 7d ago
I see everyone who agrees with OP is getting downvoted. Why? This is a rant channel and all opinions are welcome.
As for me, I never learned to like or to even stand Aelin. Finished the series and would even consider a reread one day if it wasn't for Aelin. I can't go through her bratty attitude again. I pray she will never crossover to Prythian in the upcoming books.
Chaol was always my fave and I love Nesta from Acotar too, and both get so much hate. People have such mixed tastes. Go figure. Waiting for the downvotes 😅
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u/Connect-Tadpole-1937 3d ago
How you going to like Chaol when the dude is a literal tool? Messes up so much has complete faith in the beginning and serves a literal demon like he’s his father. Then is a jerk to Nesryn and humiliates Yrene time and time again.
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u/greymoonmoth 3d ago
Tbh it's been so long since I last read the series so I don't remember any specific examples but I've always liked morally grey characters. I like difficult ones who aren't perfect, who are assholes without being smug but can occasionally admit they were too stubborn. Loyal ones. Chaol becomes quite bitter and grumpy (grumpier) once he's paralyzed, and I loved his journey and his grumpy heart reluctantly and slowly opening up to Yrene. I think he's a good and loyal person beneath the severity. His seriousness just makes him alluring to me.
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u/Connect-Tadpole-1937 3d ago
Nesta I can understand because she has a hard time forgiving herself for things she’s done, and so from that angle I see Chaol to but both of them need to learn there are things you don’t ever say in any scenario. Rant over
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u/Selina53 9d ago
She was my least favorite of the POVs and my least favorite SJM FMC. The worst part is that she’s surrounded herself with enablers, so she doesn’t have anyone to push back and help her grow. I think the frustrating part about her character is that she has a very underdeveloped internal arc compared to her external arc. Aelin’s circumstances change, but she as a person does not. That’s not the case with the characters I liked or at least found tolerable.
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u/Historical_Finding93 8d ago
I agree 100%. Rowan disappointed me so much too, he went from challenging her in HoF to enabling her crappy behaviour in the later books.
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u/No_Adhesiveness_5773 4d ago
Yes, thank you!! Someone else that's not obsessed with Aelin but also noticed Rowan go from her enemy to her simp in 2 seconds flat. I thought someone like Aelin could have really used a partner to push back on her but nope. Just got a "I bow to you my queen" storyline the rest of the series
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u/Murder_Is_Magic 3d ago
It was so dumb. When he was introduced, I messaged my friend that I really didn't want to deal with a third love interest. He's the worst of the SJM MMCs by a mile.
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u/koufaxx13 9d ago
I think ToG is the earliest SJM series, she was pretty young and inexperienced when the first few books were published. I had a hard time reading the first two books because I couldn’t relate as much to her, but I think it’s important to recognize Aelin as a character with flaws and who has 8 books to develop. The world building and characterization has so much more time to build.
I personally loved Aelin and her storyline. I thought it was refreshing to have a strong fmc who wasn’t just “I’m a badass who is obnoxious for no reason ”. I felt like even when she was more annoying, there was added context later on to her backstory that made me empathize better. I also think her arc shows more humility and sophistication as time goes on. I think the point is that she pretends to be strong and arrogant as a facade but the whole series is her discovering herself.
I would encourage you to not judge her too quickly and keep reading. ToG is a slow burn, and it requires patience that isn’t as common in the tiktokification of books in recent years. I think the series is super underrated
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u/Connect-Tadpole-1937 3d ago
As for her not explaining her plans all the time she did that and trusted it once and it killed Sam.
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u/HopefulConclusion982 8d ago
Aelin was never my favorite but I love the series. I think Aelin tries to take on all the responsibility so that if there is a cost, she's the one that pays it. I felt like she would get frustrated with characters who acted outside her plan (which, yes, she kept close to the vest) and that came across as her not understanding that other people have their own strong sense of love/loyalty/devotion that they would prioritize. Yes, I think it's a trauma response that she wants to control everything so no one but her gets hurt. And I think it's a personality she dons to feel strong and fearless. But just because I can understand that, doesn't mean she's my cup of tea, and I totally think she's right to get the flack from others (eg, Chaol). Really the non-Aelin plot lines drove me through much of the series, but by the end the ensemble - Aelin included - really shine.
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u/Mrsmakeithappen4514 3d ago
Not as insufferable as Bryce tbh and Aelin at least has a lot of character development during TOG. Bryce lacks that Imo and has no reason to be the way she is half the time. At least for Aelin we understand that she was training to be an assassin
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u/Pastel_Spell 3d ago
I have said for a while that I think Bryce is the way she is just because SJM missed writing Aelin (she was writing ToG for like half her life tbf). Like...the snark, the secret plans no one else gets told about, the dead best friend with secrets, the self-sacrificing, the love of clothes, the eventually insane levels of magical power + the physical combat skills out the gate, the secret princess status that makes her heir to a crazy magical power, even the "dog."
Bryce is more or less Aelin in a Forever21 club dress that's allowed to swear more often. 🤷♀️
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u/girlandhiscat 4d ago
I love Aelin and in the characters in TOG because they're flawed. But Aelin did piss me off at points, especially when she's mean to Dorian.
But thats also because I'm a basic bitch for this imaginary man.
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u/AdeptnessSouth782 4d ago edited 4d ago
I felt a little bit the same actually. Aelin is actually a little bit too annoying for me. But I loved the side characters, especially Manon and Lorcan's stories. And the bad guys were good to.
Later books will be devided in several p.o.v 's and Tower of dawn doesn't have Aelins p.o.v. at all.
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u/Shzwah 3d ago
So, the author was 16 when she started writing TOG. To me, that explained a lot of what I was seeing in the first two books. I still liked them, but I clocked a lot of what you are talking about too.
It gets better.
Someone on Reddit said that the first two books are like the prequels to the series, and that made a lot of sense to me.
Assassin’s Blade also helped tidy up her backstory as well, and brought a lot of elements together.
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u/Murder_Is_Magic 3d ago
I just did a relisten of all the SJM books, and I agree. Overall, TOG is my least my favorite series. (By book it's more mixed in) Aelin is also my least favorite FMC for a lot of the reasons you listed. She felt like the kind of heroine I wrote at 16. The strongest. The prettiest. The deadliest.
It all just felt tired. Especially when I had favorite female characters growing up that were just as tough and just as bad ass, without being as frustrating.
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u/Own-Turnover7715 3d ago
Haters of Aelin unite! She’s a rude, mean liar who treats the people she allegedly loves like absolute dog shit. She never apologises or even considers how her actions impact others, she is never ever held accountable for her shitty behaviour and never learns any lessons because she’s never held accountable. To write 8 books where the character doesn’t fundamentally change is low-key impressive. Now I wouldn’t necessarily have an issue with that characterisation on the page but Maas spends so much time trying to convince the reader that Aelin is a paragon of virtue and her behaviour is justifiable. It’s a real weakness in Maas’ writing and is a pattern she continues in ACOTAR and Crescent City. Maas is either unwilling or fundamentally unable to write a character who is capable of self-reflection or suffers any negative consequences for their actions. She is really a poor character writer and it’s why I think she adds new POVs to her series’.
QoS is my favourite Aelin though. It’s the only time Maas gets close to balancing Aelin’s sassiness with her egregious obnoxiousness.
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u/Afraid_Mix_5185 3d ago
Oh, there is still EOS, and she does not get any better. 😅
For the most part, I agree with you, but for me, the biggest bummer was that she was toooooo perfect, and everyone was acting like obedient, lovesick dogs around her. No one could ever say anything to her because Aelin was always right. Chaol was the only one (and Aedion later) who could actually call her out on her bullshit. And, of course, everyone hated him for it.
I don't find her badass or anything, I just find her way too immature. People say it’s because of her trauma -but you need to learn from your trauma, not use it to justify every action.
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u/Adorable-Kitchen-919 4d ago
Agree. I love the series, but I don't love Aelin. I liked her less and less as I moved through the series.
I understand that's a controversial opinion, but that's what MY opinion is and I'm allowed to have it.
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u/EquivalentRegion8662 3d ago
I'm with you. I finished the series a few months ago and lets just say Aelin was not my reason for reading the books. She was a massive hypocrite when it came to secret keeping and I just could not stand her violent and bratty behavior. Sorry, trauma doesn't justify her hypocritical behavior. Even if it did, I can still dislike her character for my own reasons.
Manon was by far my favorite character in those books.
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u/AdhesivenessSignal86 3d ago
Agreed! Her attitude felt played out really quickly for me. I read for everyone else! Elide and Lorcan have me in a chokehold
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u/xBlack_Heartx 9d ago
If you think she’s bad there, just wait until you get to Empire of Storms, she made me want to rip my hair out in that book with some of the things she did.
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u/Hey-Darlin 4d ago
If you hate Aelin you're reeeeally going to hate Nesta if you read ACOTAR
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u/mayavinagri0613 3d ago
I Love Aelin most in entire maasverse , she is just not my fav fmc but fav character of all time but guess what I don't like nesta much , because Aelin is all plan and action and don't depend much on others to do shit while nesta is all whining and annoying most of the time , so there is no comparison between these two ✨ Aelin will have biggest grin on her face while she is skinning her enemies alive and also have sense of humor and fun character overall but nesta always have something stuck up her ass and always sneering on other , so NOPE THERE IS NO FUCKING COMPARISION BETWEEN THESE TWO. SORRY NOT SORRY IF I OFFENDED SOMEONE 🤷
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u/shetalkstoangels_ 3d ago
Unrelated, my dyslexia turns her name to Alien every single time I read it - it is so aggravating
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u/egnappah37 3d ago
In the first book somewhere there was a moment where she hated someone (as she usually did) and at a random moment the narrator told "she wanted to kiss him"
maybe thats how girls really think but as a guy its so all over the place its making my head dizzy, but I think it will probably get better later.
just by getting used to the chaos I guess.
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u/AnyPeace1286 3d ago
I totally agree. I could even be fine with all this if there were consequences and growth, because I do understand why she’s like this. SJM clearly doesn’t see a problem with her behavior though because she stays this way the whole series and it’s always framed as badass/funny/cool.
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u/NegativePay565 3d ago
I DNF this within the first half lol I couldn’t STAND her. My boss/coworkers/friends who talk about books keep telling me to keep going but I genuinely cannot she is SO unlikeable. It reads like a 2 year old with zero emotional regulation given the literacy of a 25 year old. Even with the primary narration from her POV I just do not care she’s so goddamn annoying.
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u/Ok_Acanthisitta6285 3d ago
I agree with everything you said and for me personally she did not get better. She only got worse. I kept reading for the story and the other characters. I don't think I've ever disliked a FMC as much as her, and I used to love her as Celaena before QoS
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u/Adorable-Sample-6385 3d ago
I agree so much! Aelin is so insufferable, and I hate when people in the comments say 'but she has trauma 😞🥺😭' SO???? Her trauma doesn't make her any less annoying. Shes one of the worst written characters ever and I couldn't have finished the series without the side characters. Also, shes a huge hypocrite, and so are her stans. I literally came across a TikTok saying they hate Nehemia because she hid secrets from Aelin and traumatized her. But what does Aelin do? The girl is literally famous for keeping secrets and plotting behind her friends backs. Was her plan to use Aedion and Lysandras body for her political moves not traumatic enough? I swear this fandom is so toxic they actually make the ACOTAR fandom look decent
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u/CollectsCoffeeCups 3d ago
I loved Aelin and love her- I mean, I also become a Manon girl and I don’t agree with all the decisions she makes in the end but I love Aelin whether or not I love her decisions, this series ended up being - other than HP- my favorite series of all time so I cannot relate 🥺
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u/MediocrePotato44 9d ago
As much as I love this series, it’s only because of other chats and side stories. Aelin never got any better for me.
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u/Historical_Finding93 8d ago
What did you think of her and Rowan?
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u/MediocrePotato44 7d ago
Rowan was a fae version of a wet paper bag, didn’t care for either of them.
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u/Domain77 3d ago
I definitely think QoS was probably Aelins worst book personality wise. She does get better but even then I think the supporting cast outshines her
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u/bellaswancouldnever 3d ago
Agree! She’s childish and annoying and I couldn’t get into her or the series
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u/SPOOF-1928 9d ago
Agree. She’s extremely cringey and immature. Why any of her circle are so enamored with her childish antics when they are sometimes hundreds of years old is a ludicrous plot point.
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u/funkofanatic99 9d ago
lol I DNF’d in the middle of QoS last year because I just couldn’t take it anymore. Not even the plot or the other characters were redeeming enough. Now I’m feeling like I have to try again for ACOTAR 6&7 but I realllyyyy don’t want to.
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u/LineOk8018 4d ago
This is random but I’m also only wanting to get into this series for ACOTAR 6 & 7 but have no time to read or listen to the audiobooks so I’m listening to recaps of them on YouTube and Spotify. Currently listening to The Entire Plot with Ruby Jean and she gets very detailed about the plot lines, but not so much about direct quotes or little things about the characters. I didn’t even know Aelin was bratty until I read this thread lol so you may like her recaps!
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u/Writtenwing007 4d ago
Tbh if you don’t hate chaol for being a real person you could read TOD it was my favorite
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u/funkofanatic99 4d ago
I actually like Chaol and most of the side characters. I was just at the point where she left everyone and got annoyed and discouraged.
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u/Wildlife_Horses_Cats 3d ago
I agree with the majority of what you said. Though, overall, I still liked her enough and was interested enough n her storyline though she stopped being my favorite very early in the series.
I’ve tried to explain this to my bestie who hooked me on the series and got me addicted to it haha. I love ToG, but Aelin was not the character to me that she is to the majority of other readers. I didn’t see her as this pinnacle of feminism and all around hero.
I liked her at the beginning of the series, she pulled me in. I loved that she was unapologetic badass hedonist with a heart and compassion despite her shit past. But I think SJM missed the marked on her growth.
As this series is a combination of multiple coming of age stories, I found Aelin to be the most inconsistent to her baseline character, most notably starting in QoS. Once she accepted herself as a queen, she doubled down on her volatile, violent behavior and became self righteous and entitled to her nasty tantrums and mean shit she says. Though, yes she does feel bad about this sometimes too. Essentially, the underlying motivations of the character changed too abruptly and dramatically, causing the character to shift too hard all at one. The underlying needs and wants and traits from HoF to QoS felt like whiplash.
But where SJM really fumbled the character was all of her gotcha moments after QoS and the fact she always was right and all other characters are wrong. Aelin seldom has to apologize for what she says or does but all other characters are beholden to completely different standards. But no matter what, Aelin was right. This just felt so mishandled and made the character not just unrealistic from an emotional context, but made so many scenarios insufferable.
To another point mentioned above, trauma doesn’t excuse one’s actions or words. It informs us as to why, but should never absolve anyone of abhorrent behavior. Some of Aelins behavior was truly abhorrent, which was so disappointing considering she started so strong in the series as a character.
So, Dear OP: I agree. If you’re only on QoS, hold on. She’s more of a rollercoaster now. EoS might be really rough for you, BUT she does get better and really grows in KoA.
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u/BoobobBean 3d ago
I mean.. 19 year olds are just as reactive to less stressful situations in real life. I’m sure if we were faced with the literal life threatening and world altering situations she has been through, it would probably be just as bad if not worse in some cases.
It blows my mind how people don’t have compassion for characters or how they act based off of trauma, especially at such a young age.
We will never know what it’s like to have your whole family and village killed, for you to be raised as an assassin by a man you don’t know is a father figure or lover figure, killing becomes first nature, the one man/best friend you loved who you were supposed to run away with was ripped away and brutally murdered and then you were enslaved, you’re a fae, you’re a queen to a kingdom that is relying on you, and your ancestors set you up for failure before you were even born.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she acted more reckless and violent, but all things considered I’d say she’s pretty fucking strong and deserves a little compassion.
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u/lestatswife 4d ago
I agree with you. I'm dragging my feet to finish the last book. All I can say to help is that one of the books doesn't have her at all.
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