After listening to Sarah J. Maas on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Iâm even more convinced that the next acotar books will probably be about Elucien and Gwynriel. Right now there isnât a fully developed romance between any of them, what we have are the foundations of two very different arcs.
Elainâs story seems to be about identity and belonging. Her life was completely uprooted, and she lost the future she thought she would have. Because of that, it makes sense that her first instinct is to reject everything tied to her new life, including the mating bond with Lucien.
Whatâs interesting is that Elain and Lucien actually share something important: they have both lost the people they once believed were their great loves.
She lost her fiance who hated the fae, which now creates a deep internal conflict for her. And he lost Jesminda, the woman he loved, when his own family ordered her death. That shared history of loss feels like something the story still hasnât fully explored.
I think, after reading a loooot, that when a character rejects a fated bond, the story often introduces another romantic possibility to challenge it. Thatâs where Azriel comes in. With Elain there is clear tension and attraction,and that's something we still havenât really seen between her and Lucien. It creates the classic romantasy theme of fate vs choice đ¤Š
But Azrielâs arc seems to be building toward something else, he has spent centuries feeling alone and searching for a real connection. He projected that longing onto Mor for five hundred years, even though it was never reciprocated. Because of that, it makes sense that he might initially confuse closeness or longing with destiny.
The dynamic forming with Gwyn feels different. Azriel rescued her, saw her train with Cassian, and witnessed her transformation from a traumatized priestess into someone capable of fighting for herself. Their connection is built on growth, admiration and healing (themes Sarah J. Maas often uses in her romances đ).
She also still has many unresolved threads: her past at Sangravah, her nymph heritage, the loss of her sister, the children she saved and hasnât seen again, and the fact that she has a surname, something rare in this world.
At the same time, Azriel himself still has a huge story left to tell. Heâs the most closed-off of the three Illyrian males. His childhood, the abuse from his half-brothers and father clearly shaped who he is. Thereâs also the possibility that his mother could appear in future books.
We also know he has had many partners but never a real relationship, likely because he always believed he was meant to find his mate. That belief may be influencing how he interprets what he feels for Elain now. It fits well with the trope of not realizing that what youâre looking for might already be right in front of you đđľď¸ââď¸đ
Lucien also still has several major storylines unresolved, especially his relationship with the Autumn Court and with Eris, with Helion......
Because of all this, it feels like Sarah J. Maas has been setting up two very different kinds of love stories. And thatâs why it makes sense to me that this arc could easily take three, four books to fully unfold.
