The Books I love @redheaded-booklover - Tumblr Blog

Thrive Cape Town-based artist Daniel Popper creates monumental public art installations of fantastical figures. His latest work Thrive will be a permanent public installation at Society Las Olas, a residential building in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

sockswearer

I’d like to add to the (albeit unlikely) theory that elain and azriel are mates with some interesting lines from acowar...

Disclaimer: this is not an anti lucien post. I love lucien.

After inspecting elain and finding nothing wrong with her, madja notes that “if anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate” and advises lucien to try to figure out what is going on with elain. However, he doesn’t, and up until we find out elain is a seer he seems to chalk her lack of lucidity up to trauma...

Obviously soon after this azriel is the one to discover that elain is a seer, but even before this reveal it’s noted that he seems to be the only person taking elain seriously.

“Azriel’s hazel eyes churned as he studied my sister, her too thin body. And without a word he winnowed away. Mor watched the space where he’d been standing long after he was gone.”

Feyre seems to think that azriel only figured out that elain was a seer bc he himself suffered in silence before he knew he was a shadowsinger, and while that explanation makes perfect sense, I can’t help but think this is a hint toward a possible elriel mating bond

highqueenofelfhame

cant believe rowan was neglected for chaol to get his own book lmfao.

punkassbookjockey26

Fucking FACTS.

highqueenofelfhame

rowan was underused and under appreciated all around. you have the most powerful fae male in existence and you aren’t gonna give him his own dramatic scene where he just obliterates shit? HE CAN LEVEL CITIES AND WE DONT SEE IT. A GODDAMN SHAME.

westofmoon

And every one of his Big Damn Moments™️ are skimmed over/cut to black or switch to focus on other povs. And the fandom minimizes and ignores things he's done and acts like he never did anything.

Like the sea battle he won? Switching the Whitethorn's to their side? Making Cairn pay for hurting Aelin? His bond with her being what saved her and allowed her to return home post-lock?? Being the one (1) single person in all the books to always choose Aelin, to put her before everything else and fight for her and try to save her when everyone else rolled over and was like "meh, I'm fine if she sacrifices herself"?

thewayshedreamed

Another thread that heals my soul!

I felt so robbed to have never gotten a scene where Rowan went completely fucking savage... to a point where everyone in the scene (and the reader) had to take a second to be like.... “👀 damn”

But you know who appreciated him immediately upon meeting him?

AEDION.

highqueenofelfhame

bc we were so fucking robbed

thewayshedreamed

ROBBED

alltheworldsinmyhead

a slightly different look at elriel

‘‘You are his mate. Do you even knows what that means?’’

‘‘ It means nothing.’‘ Elain said, her voice breaking. ‘‘It means nothing. I don’t care who decided it or why they did-’‘

‘‘You belong to him.’‘

‘‘I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you.’‘

besides this part being one of the best overlooked scenes in all of acotar series and the moment when i truly started to enjoy Elain as a character, it gave me a lot to think over in terms of Lucien- Elain- Azriel.

The main argument against Elriel brought up by the majority of people is that Azriel deserves his own mate, because they don’t want him to end up in another tragic, helpless relationship. They argue that Elain will forever have this connection to Lucien and thus she will be forever prevented from forming a true, deep relationship with anyone else.

But everything that Sarah has wrote so far in the series in terms of Elain’s love choices contradicts this statement.

Elain and Lucien has never, not even once, shown signs of some deep, mystical understanding. Compared to Feyre, who would get glimpses of Rhysand’s thoughts and feelings before even meeting him or Nesta who is not even canonically confirmed to be Cassian’s mate being able to call him from across the battlefield, Elain and Lucien share virtually nothing. He tries his best, bless his heart, but Elain - Elain, canonically the kindest and warmest Archeron sister - no once shows any kind of affection or even curiousity about him.

Elain, who sees Azriel’s scarred hand and whispers ‘’beautiful’’ in awe.

I don’t think SJM will have Elain and Lucien happily mated at all, cause that would require a build-up that’s just … not there, especially compared to how much build-up Elain and Azriel have - every singly one of their interaction is charged with incredible warmth, mutual fascination and understanding. But most importantly, I don’t think they will end up happily mated because Elain herself does not attibute any kind of importance to the mating bond. Any. She completely ignores the issue, even after she starts to get over Graysen. She’s polite to Lucien, that’s most that can be said about her feelings towards him.

And she has, in canon, in her own fucking words, said that she will not let the bond stand in a way of her relationships because her heart is her own and she is the one who decides to whom she will give it.

Coming back to Azriel - imagine Azriel, with his honor and his fierce love and all his pain and devotion. Imagine Elain… Elain turning down the most holy, sacret, dreamed about gift in this world, giving it up, to be with Azriel.

Imagine Azriel realizing the gravity of what she’s discarding to be with him.

I don’t think giving him a mate (which, btw, would be cliche - mates are supposed to be rare, guys) could even come close to making him feel as cherished as Elain can. Cause mates are decided by fate. But Elain choosing Azriel would be her putting him first, her fighting fate for him - someone choosing him above all else for the first time in his life.

Besides, Azriel, being in love with a woman whose power is truth, giving his knife truth-teller to Elain in a scene which is a literal description of Hades giving pomegranate seeds to Persepone and then stunned Rhysand dramatically confirming to Feyre that he has never even let anyone as much as touch this blade before is so epically charged with meaning that SJM basically forced us to read them as romantic.

if i cannot have the glorious, superior poly of Elain, Lucien and Azriel… elriel all the way.

kerrimaniscalco

When it comes to the Wicked nothing is as it seems, and Emilia is about to uncover the biggest secret of all…

KINGDOM OF THE CURSED hits shelves next fall and it’s shaping up to be my most romance-heavy book to date! Cover reveal, publication day, and the official book description will all be unveiled early in the new year.

My brilliant new editor at LBYR also told me a chapter excerpt will be included with the cover reveal, so not too much longer to go now…hurray!!! I cannot wait for you to get caught up in this seductive world where forbidden love, devil’s bargains, and treachery abound.

It’s up on Goodreads now if you’d like to add it to your shelves. Pre-order links should be up in early January. xoxo

Be sure to check out the KINGDOM page on the NOVL, the new home of my books, for all of the fun updates plus things they’ve got planned!

I made a fun title reveal trailer and you can check it out on my Instagram account now!

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND A WONDERFUL TO NEW YEAR!!! xoxo

dumpsterfirebooks

I think the thing I’m most looking forward to in ACOSF is Azriel and Cassian’s interactions. Give me all the scenes of Cassian deflecting and calling Azriel out on his sudden gardening hobby.

phantomrin

Inktober - 02 - Monster Malachiasz 😈 (“Ruthless Gods” by @glitzandshadows)

You can see a step-by-step process of this piece on my Patreon page ;)

aelin-godkiller

I love Rowan as a partner for Aelin because from the moment they decide to be friends instead of enemies, she’s like it for him.

Rowan Whitethorn isn’t out here with like a list of goals and ambitions, and if he does have a list it’s like:

how do i best protect and serve and worship my queen and goddess divine aelin

does aelin need me rn better go check

note to self: a e l i n

This is not a story of Rowan’s radical self improvement in order to be with Aelin. It’s a story in which they improve themselves together but don’t enter into a romantic relationship until he’s like, completely and utterly committed to her. And after they happen as a couple, rowan never makes his other issues (Lyria, feelings of worthlessness, guilt) aelin’s problem, nor does her ever try and alter her life in order to make her a better fit for him.

Aelin wants to be queen? Rowan’s going to help her get there.

Aelin wants to get married in the middle of the night for no apparent reason? Rowan knows she’s got some shit planned but sure he’ll do it for her.

Aelin gets possessed by a goddess who wants to take over her body? Rowan is like okay today’s the day i face down a literal goddess im okay w it

Aelin has issues she doesn’t want to discuss? Rowan won’t force her to discuss them but he will make sure she eats and gets on a regular sleep schedule!

Aelin gets captured by an evil demon queen? Rowan counts the days and minutes until he finds her.

Aelin thinks she has to sacrifice her life for the lock? Rowan is out here being the only SINGLE CHARACTER IN KINGDOM OF ASH who comes up with a plan to try and SAVE AELIN.

It’s refreshing that his story never becomes more important or as important as hers. It’s nice that Aelin never takes a backseat to the romance between her and Rowan, that the plot is always about her, rather than about them. And part of this is because Rowan doesn’t want to make it about himself. In fact he doesn’t even think he can offer her much and in thinking this way he gives her the most valuable type of partner: a selfless one.

(god just think about how few people aelin has had truly fight for her. I mean once she leaves Terrasen, it’s like Sam until her gets murdered, and same with Nehemia. Chaol and Dorian are largely confused and useless in CoM. Lysandra is the other person who fights for Aelin as much as Rowan and I stan her for it)

He’s very much her partner in everything, and he’s 100% completely comfortable with being a stay at home warrior dad/husband whiles she’s out running terrasen and killing her enemies.