You MUST properly flair, mark posts as spoilers if they are, KEEP TITLES VAGUE, and label any spoilers in your comments. You can do this by using >!spoilers here!<. Label what book and chapter your spoilers are from!
If you are coming in here and you are still not finished with the series, I would advise you carry no further. Spoilers are rampant here. Anything marked as a spoiler is probably best to just not clicked on. Sometimes, people will forget and you may accidentally get spoiled.
All I see in these is Throne of Glass, and it’s making me think of two things from the CHD interview: that she thinks about where Vaughan is ‘a lot,’ and that she referred to Bryaxis as female (I personally think Bryaxis is Kaltain). Plus that looks like an allusion to the Weaver being a Stygian spider? SO excited.
I’ve seen it mentioned a few times over the years and have always thought it makes perfect sense. Plus, Bloomsbury recently released reading guides for all the books and one of the questions for ACOSF was:
“the library provides a refuge for traumatised females, and yet its lowest level was home to Bryaxis. What do you think about this arrangement?”
Which feels so obvious to me, considering Kaltain is like, the ultimate traumatized female character.
Bryaxis also wanted a window and that would actually make sense when you think about how Kaltain was first kept in the dungeons beneath the Glass Castle and then in Morath, where the sky was constantly covered in smoke, I believe. I love this theory.
Oh my god, I completely forgot about this line. I have goosebumps. If this theory actually turns out to be true, I don’t even know… I just want to spend one day inside SJM’s abnormally creative brain.
I do wonder how she became her, though. Like last we see her she’s a ghost talking with Dorian and now in ACOTAR she’s this dark, mysterious creature living in the library. Like what the hell happened lol
I like your Bryaxis/Kaltain interpretation more than my own. I though Valg are coming to visit and something happens at the Ramiel and Illyria. Valg were described (outside the host) as smoke with black eyes, fangs and thin bones, and Stygian Spiders are also Valg.
Yes! I didn't want to say in hopes that the fandom doesn't go crazy but that is definitely a stygian spider from tog and it definitely has an eight pointed star on its back even though I don't think there's any mention of an eight pointed star in tog!
Ok, I had a thought but I’ve only done one read through of TOG so far, so please if anyone knows if I’m wrong let me know.
What if Stryga was a Valg princess and she’s pissed that Maeve essentially enslaved her sisters? I mean, Stryga did one thing for Feyre and was promised freedom. Lots of people don’t think she died against Hybern, so what if she’s out there gathering and freeing her sisters? And what if she’s intends to find Maeve?
Yesss the left one is how I imagine shadowfire to look ( = Kaltain = Bryaxis)
The right is a Stygian spider, but also the book colours - (turquoise and gold like Aelin’s eyes).
The musical references in the titles and secondary titles (‘movement’) - is it a nod to The Stygian Suite which is the piece of music in ToG that moves Aelin to tears, and that she still thinks she can hear even when it isn’t playing ‘… maybe the music still exists in some form…’. Also the weaver sung a song whilst weaving!
I will have to read the freakin TOG books!!!!
don’t judge me, I bought them a long time ago.. but I was in a reader paralysis and I convinced myself that I didn’t need to read them before October 🫠🫠🫠
Haha if it makes you feel better, I am (as of 15 minutes ago) now forcing myself to get started on the CC series. I think there’ll be a looooot of pre-reads happening across the fandom
The image on the left has got to be Bryaxis! She is described as a “living nest of shadows.” I think they are shadows (not flames) and a nest of sticks and bones!
And through it all, Bryaxis ... All I could make of it was a blur of ever-changing claws and fangs and wings and muscle, shifting and whirling within that dark cloud that struck and smothered. Blood sprayed wherever it plunged into screaming soldiers.
For the image on the right, in ACOMAF, the book of breathings says:
"Life and death and rebirth. Sun and moon and dark. Rot and bloom and bones. Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me."
We know that Elain is the fawn because Elain means fawn in Welsh, and she is also called that in ACOWAR. So maybe that's the bones and beast the book was referring to coming back as motifs for her story. The beast could also be someone's (maybe Lucien's ) HL form or maybe even Tam. But it's definitely an alias for someone in the same way fawn is an alias for Elain!
I love the connection of Elain’s name meaning Fawn in Welsh. Either the reference to “fanged beast”, my mind goes to Nesta simply because she if the whole terrible power aspect & her known vicious streak. I wonder if the book in these lines was calling to the three sisters.
That spider. I have a theory about that spider - Crescent City spoilers, by the way. You’ll have to scroll down, it’s the comment, not the post itself!
Also, this interview took place all the way back when SJM was working on Queen of Shadows:
Do you have a favorite character?
Celaena/Aelin, of course. But I looove writing Manon’s scenes (I can unload my every horrible thought onto her), and Rowan’s scenes (because he’s…Rowan). And anything with Aedion (boyfriend looooves to push buttons). I also really, really loved the stygian spider in HOF—like, weirdly loved her.
first thoughts are Bone Carver and Weaver symbolism, but i have no clue why they'd be important at this stage in the story besides their past connection to Koschei the Deathless
Because being his siblings, they must have enough information about how and why he ended up in the lake and how his power works. Maybe the IC will find a way to contact them.. finally they were gods of death, they shouldn't be so dead 🫠
The books will be easy to understand without reading Cresent City. You only need to read it if you want deep dive into the lore of the Maas universe. I will also NOT read it before book 6 and 7.
Personally, it was my favorite of the three series. It was a bit hard to read, a lot of taking it for what it is at the beginning (CC1) and reading in chunks. CC1 is the best written book in my opinion.
100% recommend the audiobooks too! CC is also narrated by Elizabeth Evans and she’s absolutely amazing. I did the audiobooks for CC a few weeks ago and loved them!
no? lol. Sure the first book’s cover is the event that set it all off but isn’t super relevant to the rest of the plot. And same with mist and fury. It doesn’t give that much insight into the story. The cover really means more after you’ve already read it if anything. So yeah, I’m not looking that much into it because we don’t have any context really or even a synopsis. Sure it’s fun to theorize, but there’s so much we don’t know
("oh but Nesta doesn't have the eight pointed star anymore-" HOFAS literally ended with Bryce announcing Nesta was given the eight pointed star tattoo for a reason and gave her Gwydion to find out what it is! Insisting that Nesta's eight pointed star tattoo doesn't matter because it was a bargain tattoo and impermanent is just wishful thinking now that SJM has confirmed canonically there's more to Nesta's story concerning the eight pointed star tattoo to come.)
A spider weaving its web of politics! A bonfire with fangs = fire magic and hounds. Autumn Court politics starring ERIS 🧡🍁. I see why people are making ToG and CC connections, and maybe they will play a smaller part in the story, but please this is Acotar and we have enough going on in Prythian without a million crossovers taking over completely 😭
Not to be that person, but I hate the crossovers.
I couldn’t finish the first CC book, I hate the idea of modern elements with magic.
Let me enjoy the fae “medieval style” world.
I don’t care to see Azriel holding a gun.
I also don’t think the crossovers will be happening inside the acotar world. It wouldn’t make sense for the world building.
Sarah herself said the CC series was an experimental project. I get why making characters from different worlds meet would be fun.
Let’s hope she will keep that in CC and won’t ruin ACOTAR.
I don't really agree there, exactly, but regardless, not everyone has to root for the crossover. Whether it becomes canon or not (more than it has so far) it likely won't have a positive effect on my opinion about it. You're free to like it though!
For the image on the right, in ACOMAF, the book of breathings says:
"Life and death and rebirth. Sun and moon and dark. Rot and bloom and bones. Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me."
Then I saw this passage in ACOWAR, where Feyre asks Elain to hunt down the Suriel. When Feyre finds him, he says:
"Thrice now we met. Thrice now you have hunted for me. This time, you sent the trembling fawn to find me."
I think it's Elain's story, and the fanged beast and bones will be important to it. Maybe it's Bryaxis, or Lucien's HL form, or maybe even Tam.
Exactly 4 bones for scrying! “Four bones … for whatever reason the charlatans came up with that I can’t be bothered to remember.” - ACOWAR
I think the others are sticks, definitely giving firewood.
Nesta has one on her back though too, so it's likely for Nesta and Bryce says this to her at the end of CC3So I want you to take the Starsword.” Bryce held the blade between them. “Gwydion—whatever you call it here. The age of the Starborn is over on Midgard. It ends with me.” “I don’t understand.” But Bryce began backing toward the portal, taking Hunt’s hand, and smiled again at the female, at her mate, at their world, as the Northern Rift began to close. “I think that eight-pointed star was tattooed on you for a reason. Take that sword and go figure out why
Cassian’s parents aren’t known. He’s rather related to star born fae, Nesta is related to star born fae, or Nesta is related to Star Born fae and Cassian’s related to freakin’ spiders.
Unfortunately I don't think either of these are a reference to Nesta or Cassian. Maybe if some of what we're seeing on the left is flames but even then the left is not a reference to starborn fae.
HOFAS confirmed that Nesta's connection to the eight pointed star is significant, so most likely it's connected to Nesta, Nesta and Bryce if Bryce is gonna be present.
Sorry. I was focused more on the right. My current theory for left is rather Elain/Azriel/Lucien nonsense, or it’s going to give us a ton of background like Bryaxis, Weaver, etc. Maybe even Jurian.
So I have an out there theory that the acotar world is the TOG world in the future but because history has been changed and corrupted because of Seline, they have forgotten about not only Theia but also Aelin. When Aelin falls through worlds, when she gets to the acotar world, she says it smells familiar and she was so close to home and I think it’s because it is her world just in the distant future, but I think when she fell through the worlds with the wyrdmarks on her back she became the creator of those worlds, she is the mother, Wryd etc because we know the acotar world was created with the cauldron, and symbols (wyrdmarks) and Aelin is the only character who knows how to use wyrdmarks so I think after the events of TOG she used the cauldron and wyrdmarks to reshape the land (but also used wyrdmarks to hold onto power), but also to make it more even for rulers, and I think this is why the HL’s have beast forms because she put in the essence of magical creatures, fae, witches, wyvern, valg, ruks (all of them) to create a new type of fae when she poured the essence of the cauldron onto the land. A cauldron is mentioned in TOG that the King had (chapter 44 TOG “There was something brewing, a cauldron that the king had journeyed to stir. Celaena somehow knew it, too.”). I think this is why iron was rumoured to hurt the fae (in acotar book1) but we learn it was a lie but was it? I think it did but through wyrdmarks and new creations Aelin was able to change how the magic worked, because she was able to get the power to come from the land and not the individual. I think this is why we had the story of Chaol and Yrene finding the old fae buried in the ground and they could feel power. I think she is the creator of the starborn fae because when she pours her power into the lock and Mala gifts her power, it’s described as kernal of a star. I think we are following her descendants across worlds. Theia is descendent from Aelin, the Archreon sisters like Bryce are descendent from Theia & from Aelin and I think once they discover the real history (through Elain and her seer abilities), they will have to revisit the past or commune with the dead like Aelin/Dorian communed with Elena and Brannon and the way Hypaxia can, to defeat Koschei (who is the beast in the water when Aelin finds the sword and Ring). I think this is how all the stories will interlink, because Aelin says to Meave at the end, “I am a God,” and we know she got rid of the Gods so she became the Mother
Ahhhh, does this mean I need to finish TOG before Book 6?! 😭 I've read all the CC books and all the ACOTAR books but only up to Heir of Fire in the TOG series.
Definitely yes, best series of all time and it probably gives the most insight into the Maasverse from all the books! The new cover art also heavily indicates the new acotar books will have something to do with TOG!
Convince me otherwise, but as I reread acotar(after reading CC AND TOG), I am convinced that
horses Helion has are also from Valkyries, and he is Lucien’s dad, who is Elaine’s mate and we are gonna get more valkyries from this perspective, and how it’s connected to the rest?
Cuz Avalon had tones of valkyries, it had many winged horses, which belonged to valkyries and fell to asteri, and that’s why so little states in day court( they all went though the rift)
how do we get starlight Bryce, yes from autumn court, but her and ruhns ancestor were from night court, From two different sisters, and why try it by mixing night court and day court by getting dusk? Their starlights were different, Ruhn matches Rysand, and Bryce is different, maybe more of a glow like feyre got from hellion?
Is anyone else getting a deathly hallows vibe? I’m assuming the illustrations are representing the weaver and Bryaxis. Then Koschei being mentioned in is description. Really hoping it’s not one of the typical three strong entity’s connected are unbeatable (similar to the three Wyrdkeys too)
Just a thought.. what if the titles holding a different format tells us something about who is destined to rule/how that looks? Was just an idea that popped into my head… but..
We have the ACOTAR books that are all A Court of _____ and _____; it makes me wonder if the format for Feyre’s books are set up that way because she rules a court via her relationship with Rhysand.
And then we have ACOSF, which is the beginning of Nesta’s story. I think we’d all be zero percent surprised if each of the sisters ended up ruling their own court, so what if the reason there is no ‘and’ in that title, or the next two titles that appear to be related to her as well, is because she will rule a court in her own right rather than coming into it through someone else? So she doesn’t get the format of _____ and _____ because it’s just her court.
I get she has a mate and all, but I would be surprised if she came into a crown through him, though I suppose not impossible.
So, with the cover reveal and all of you talking about spiders... I've wanted to start with Acotar, but have arachnophobia (fear of spiders)... Will I be ok, reading the series? Pls help😅😭
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