S5 : Ep 16 - ACOTAR: Revisited - Part 4

Summary

Flights of Fantasy Podcast Summary
Season 5, Episode 16 - "ACOTAR: Revisited - Part 4"
Release Date: June 10, 2025

Hosted by Anna, Kim, and Christina

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Introduction and Spoiler Warning

Anna [00:55]:
Welcomes listeners to another episode of Flights of Fantasy, focusing on a deep dive into Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series. She emphasizes that while this episode revisits the first book, they’ll explore the series with comprehensive spoilers, especially during the special "Mastermind" segment at the end.

Christina [02:56]:
Issues a strict spoiler warning, ensuring listeners are prepared for in-depth discussions that will reference the entire ACOTAR series and other works by Maas.

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Main Discussion: Deep Dive into ACOTAR

1. The Luncheon Scene and Character Dynamics

Christina [03:17]:
Breaks down the infamous luncheon scene where Feyre and Tamlin experience a moment of light-hearted flirting post-Summer Solstice. She draws parallels to later scenes involving the Inner Circle, highlighting recurring themes of humor and tension within the fae courts.

Key Quote [05:32]:
Rhysand’s entrance is described as “Lord of Nightmares,” with his fully donned mask symbolizing his intimidating presence.

2. Rhysand’s Intervention and Tamlin’s Inaction

Christina [05:32]:
Explores Rhysand’s strategic approach to scaring Tamlin and Feyre to protect Feyre from impending danger. She notes how Rhysand’s confrontation forces Tamlin to acknowledge his inability to combat the curse effectively.

Key Quote [06:03]:
Rhysand criticizes Tamlin’s inaction: “I’m surprised, though. 49 years and no attempts to save yourself or your lands.”

Anna [07:35]:
Questions Tamlin’s statement about not enforcing rank in his court, contrasting it with Rhysand’s approach in the Night Court where true camaraderie and trust prevail.

Christina [09:07]:
Highlights Rhysand’s internal conflict and his ultimate decision to prioritize Feyre’s safety over his pride, showcasing his protective instincts.

3. Feyre and Tamlin’s Emotional Disconnect

Anna [13:48]:
Analyzes Feyre’s use of sex as a coping mechanism to express emotions and avoid deeper emotional connections. She compares this behavior to that of Nesta in later books, emphasizing themes of emotional avoidance.

Christina [14:01]:
Agrees, noting that both Tamlin and Feyre prefer physical closeness over emotional vulnerability, which becomes a critical obstacle in their relationship.

4. Nesta’s Development and Family Dynamics

Christina [15:47]:
Delves into Nesta’s character, illustrating her growth from a bitter and angry sister to someone capable of profound loyalty and care, despite her harsh exterior.

Key Quote [16:25]:
Feyre reflects on Nesta’s bravery: “My hateful, cold sister had been willing to brave Prythian to rescue me.”

Christina [18:33]:
Appreciates Nesta’s efforts to save Feyre, highlighting the deep-seated trauma and the challenges of family dynamics within the story.

5. The Curse and Amarantha’s Reign

Anna [21:27]:
Summarizes Amarantha’s role as a tyrant who conquers Prythian, details the masquerade under the mountain, and explains the harsh terms of the curse imposed on Tamlin and his court.

Christina [23:32]:
Clarifies the deceptive nature of the treaty used to lure Feyre into the Spring Court, revealing it as a manipulative ploy by Tamlin to address his curse.

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Mastermind Segment: Connecting the Dots Across Sarah J. Maas’s Universe

1. Callanmai and the Symbolism of the White Stag

Christina [24:56]:
Explores the recurring motif of the White Stag across Maas’s series, drawing connections between ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City. She highlights its significance as a symbol of divinity, power, and sacrifice.

Key Quote [25:38]:
“In Crescent City, a tour guide remarks, ‘we’ve been granted special permission into the chamber where the stag sacrifices are prepared to be burned in Luna’s honor.’”

2. Evolution of Love Interests

Anna [27:06]:
Discusses Maas’s adeptness at developing complex relationships where initial love interests evolve or shift as characters grow. She cites examples from both ACOTAR and Throne of Glass.

Christina [29:16]:
Agrees, emphasizing that Maas’s characters often require different partners at various life stages, enriching their development and making relationships more authentic.

3. Thematic Elements: The Tug of Love

Christina [31:32]:
Identifies the recurring theme of "the tug" in Maas’s works, where characters feel an inexplicable pull toward someone, symbolizing destined connections and emotional bonds.

Key Quote [32:16]:
“In Throne of Glass, Aelin feels tugs toward Irene, Manon, and Nox, similar to Feyre’s experiences in ACOTAR.”

4. Creature Comparisons: Puca and the Bog

Anna [32:26]:
Compares the Bog in ACOTAR to the Barrows in Throne of Glass, noting how both serve as metaphors for internal struggles and traumas, with creatures like the puca and bog representing fears and nightmares.

Key Quote [33:51]:
“The puca can use magic to lure you out and show you things that are enticing.”

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Conclusion and Teasers for Next Episode

Christina [34:11]:
Wraps up the episode, expressing excitement for the upcoming discussion on Under the Mountain and teasing further breakdowns of Amarantha’s character and the evolving plot lines.

Anna [34:22]:
Encourages listeners to join their community on Instagram and TikTok, participate in discussions, and support the podcast by rating and reviewing on their preferred platforms.

Final Note [34:18]:
Emphasizes the magic of romantasy and invites listeners to continue their journey with Flights of Fantasy.

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Notable Quotes

• Rhysand to Tamlin [05:32]: “I’m surprised, though. 49 years and no attempts to save yourself or your lands.”

• Feyre’s Reflection on Nesta [16:25]: “My hateful, cold sister had been willing to brave Prythian to rescue me.”

• Christina on White Stag Symbolism [25:38]: “We’ve been granted special permission into the chamber where the stag sacrifices are prepared to be burned in Luna’s honor.”

• Puca’s Influence [33:51]: “The puca can use magic to lure you out and show you things that are enticing.”

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Key Takeaways

• Character Development: The episode delves deeply into the complexities of Tamlin’s inaction versus Rhysand’s proactive protection, highlighting Feyre’s emotional struggles and Nesta’s growth.

• Thematic Continuity: Connections across Sarah J. Maas’s series reveal consistent themes like sacrificial symbols, evolving love interests, and metaphors for internal battles.

• Symbolism and Lore: The recurring motif of the White Stag and mythical creatures like the puca and bog enrich the world-building and provide deeper layers to the narratives.

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Whether you're a long-time fan or new to Sarah J. Maas’s magical realms, this episode of Flights of Fantasy offers an insightful exploration into the beloved ACOTAR series and beyond. Join Anna, Kim, and Christina as they unravel the intricate threads of romantasy that captivate readers worldwide.

Transcript

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[Anna]

Welcome to Flights of Fantasy, your Romantasy Podcast book club. I'm Anna, joined by my book besties Kim and Christina, and together we're diving into the characters, theories, lore and magic behind all your favorite fantasy romance books. Hi Book Besties. Welcome back to our ACOTAR Revisited episodes, our deep dive back into the series that started it all. We are so excited to be back discussing the first book in the Court, Authority and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. There will be no spoilers for Sarah's other series, but we do have our very special Mastermind section at the end where we will be chatting all things mass verse and of course we will give ample spoiler warnings beforehand. Now with that being said and because we have read this series multiple times, we will be going into these ACOTAR episodes with the knowledge of the entire series. But before we give our official spoiler warning, a few announcements from Christina.

[Christina]

Oh yes, thank you so much Anna. First, we want to say thank you so much to everyone who has already rated and reviewed the show. If you hadn't had a chance yet, please, please do so. Take a moment to do so on your preferred podcast platform. We would be so appreciative. It really makes a huge difference in helping the show. Before we dive in, a quick reminder that if you love the POD and want even more from us, your book besties, we've got you covered. Over on Patreon. Our tier one book besties at first $5 a month get early ad free access to every episode plus our monthly book chat video episodes where we dive into a book we're not covering on main feed podcast and our tier two book batches at $10 a month. Get all of that plus the full unedited video of every episode a day early and ad free and access to our SJM Deep Dive series, where we deep dive characters, couples, and scenes from all of our Queen Sarah J. Maas series.

[Anna]

Sarah.

[Christina]

So come on over and join the [e-mail] Flights of Fantasy podcast. We would love to have you. Okay, Anna, hit us with that spoiler warning.

[Anna]

All right, listeners, spoilers from here on out for the entire ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas. Let's go. We are back and picking up right where we left off. Feyre and Tamlin just celebrated this Summer Solstice, listeners. We are so excited to kick off this episode with another visit from our high Lord and savior. So. So, Christina, will you please walk us through this infamous luncheon?

[Christina]

Oh, the luncheon. Okay. Yes, guys, there is so much to parcel out and dig through with this lunch. Let's do it. So, like Anna said, it's the morning after Summer Solstice, and Feyre's swoony from the kiss, and things between Tamlin and Feyre feel a little lighter, a little flirtier. They're overtly flirting now. We're not being coy. We're not playing around with it. And so we're at the table, it's lunch, and they're in their own little bubble, and they're flirting and exchanging heated looks and all this stuff. And Lucia just groans, I'm trying to eat. It's so funny. And it really is this cute little moment of levity. It's also so similar and totally feels like the same scenes we get later with the Inner Circle when Cassian is making jokes about Feyre and Rhysand. Or especially when Azriel is making noises before walking in on Nesta and Cassian. It's really. It's well used. It's fun. Okay. But then Lucian brings that mood down real quick, so first things first. He does share that he heard from his contact in the Winter Court that two dozen of their younglings were murdered. This is really tragic, really awful. And their minds were shattered. Lucien specifically blames it on the blight, but he also does mention that even though the other courts are all being hit hard by the blight quote, the Night Court, of course, manages to remain unscathed. So that, coupled with the mention of shattering minds, obviously is supposed to make us question if this. This terrible act could be Rhys is doing because of his Demotti mind powers, which we're about to learn about because. Ding dong, who's at the door? It's Rhys. Okay, so Lucian and Tamlin sense Rhys coming. Guys. And they freak out and they glamour Feyre and the. The chaos around this, the buildup, the flipping of the chair and, like, energy in the room shifting like this makes Feyre think, quote, someone was coming, someone awful enough to frighten them. Like this. Someone who would want to hurt me if they knew I was here. And this just really sets up the reader to be primed to be scared of Rhys, just like Feyre is before he even walks in the door. And then he does walk in that door, and he plays that part to a T. He is this Lord of Nightmares. He's got the mask on.

[Anna]

Yeah, it's fully on.

[Christina]

And when you read this the first time, you're like, wow, this is Rhys. He's this pompous asshole. He's saying all these things to Tamlin. You think he's just doing this to tear him down. But upon reread, I am here to tell you, friends, Rhys is calling Tamlin out and saying what we are all thinking. Specifically, he says to him, I'm surprised, though. 49 years and no attempts to save yourself or your lands. Thank you. Yes. And guess what Tamlin's response is. Tamlin concedes in a low voice that there's nothing to be done.

[Anna]

Like, oh, my God, the inaction. And we'll see this later. Under the Mountain.

[Christina]

Exactly foreshadowing. And Rhys responds and says, oh, what a pity that you must endure the brunt of it, Tamlin. And even greater pity that you are so resigned to your fate. You might be stubborn, but this is pathetic. Like, yes, Rhys is pissed. He's like, do something, Tamlin. Step up. You are the only one that can do something about this curse. And you're just sitting in your damn castle in your mask, like, come on. And then to further prove this point, Lucien fights back. Not Tamlin. Lucian responds and is going after Rhys. And Rhys's response to this is, come now, Tamlin. Shouldn't you reprimand your lackey for speaking to me like that? Tamlin says, I don't enforce rank in my court. Rhys says, still. But it's so entertaining to watch them grovel. Now, Anna, you had a really interesting question about this.

[Anna]

Yeah, I found this really interesting that Tamlin says, I don't enforce rank in my court. Because that's one of the things that Feyre notices in Book two, when she goes to sit with the inner circle for the first time at the House of Wind, and she meets everyone and she realizes how casual everyone is and how, like, they all kind of interrupt each other and give Rhysand shit and whatever and she notes that, like, Rhysand is High Lord. Yes. But there seems to be a sense of true camaraderie and friendship and, like, trust. Whereas, like, with Lucian, Lucian is constantly fearful of Tamlin. And we'll see it a lot more in Acomath. But it's just interesting that Tamlin says, I don't enforce rank in my court. Maybe he doesn't enforce it in the way that means I am going to stand up as High Lord, and you are my subject. But there is a sense of rank because of the way that everyone fears him.

[Christina]

I think he doesn't have as many people under him. Like, he literally just has Lucian.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

So I think maybe to him, his court is just Lucien. So he thinks, oh, he's my friend.

[Anna]

So I'm not enforcing rank.

[Christina]

And I am nicer than my father ever was to anyone in his court, but where it really matters and where it really counts, he does enforce rank. And Rhys doesn't?

[Anna]

He does. Yeah, okay. But. So then what happens is, Rhys sand is about to leave, and he notices that the table is set for three. Cause nothing gets past this man. He can do basic math.

[Christina]

No.

[Anna]

And he smells her, it says. A flicker of excitement, perhaps even disbelief, flashed across his features.

[Christina]

God, I love that.

[Anna]

So what he says. This is from ACMF, chapter 54. What he says to her is, I didn't know that you were with Tamlin, that you were staying at the Spring Court. Amarantha sent me that day after the summer solstice because I had been so successful on Kalanmai, I was prepared to mock him, maybe pick a fight. But then I got into that room, and the scent was familiar, but hidden. And then I saw the plate and felt the glamour. And there you were, living in my second most enemy's house, dining with him, reeking of his scent, looking at him like you loved him. And I decided that I had to scare Tamlin. I had to scare you and Lucien. But mostly Tamlin, because I saw how he looked at you, too. And I think he realizes in that moment that Tamlin loved you so much, he wasn't going to let you go. And this was. This is Rhysand protecting her? In a way. He's like, I have to get you out of here. Like, I'm going to sacrifice all of us, breaking the curse because I couldn't bear to see you get hurt again.

[Christina]

Being her savior.

[Anna]

Yes. So what Rhysand does is he goes full court on nightmare. Scary, right? He sees as Farah's mind with his, like, Demati Powers. And it's rough to read right the first time you read it. And even on a reread.

[Christina]

Oof.

[Anna]

She can't control her body. And these are some of the lines that he says to her, like, look at how delightful she is. Look at how she's trying not to cry out in terror. It would be quick, I promise. And then he says, amarantha will enjoy breaking her almost as much as she'll enjoy watching you as she shatters her bit by bit. And he's really spelling this out for Tamlin. He is like, I gotta scare Tamlin to the point where he's like, I gotta send Feyre away. Which, of course, works.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Anna]

And throughout all of this, though, Tamlin does nothing.

[Christina]

Nothing.

[Anna]

He's standing a few feet behind the High Lord of the Night Court, and yet, you know, he doesn't make a move to attack. He has his claws out. But despite Rhysand, like, still approaching Feyre, he does nothing. And all Tamlin can say is, like, let her go. But he doesn't. Again, it's this sense of inaction that I feel like with Rhysand, this whole driving thought throughout this entire book that he then tells Feyre at the very end is, I didn't want my offspring to know that I had sat and done nothing.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Anna]

That I would do anything to protect my people, even if it meant that I had to become the villain. I would somehow try and protect people and rectify this awful situation we were in. And what I think you see with Tamlin is this sense of inactiveness and the sense of being an observer and watching all the bad things happen. And then when it's too late, deciding, like, oh, I'll jump in now.

[Christina]

Agreed. And I love that we get Feyre clocking this. It feels like an Easter egg on a reread, that she literally says the words, quote, but he didn't advance forward, quote, but he didn't make a move to attack.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

She's making excuses for his behavior, but she is still clocking that he is doing nothing. It's really wild. Yeah.

[Anna]

And so Rhysand, he turns to Tamlin and he makes him beg.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And he says later it was to show him how powerless he was to save you. Basically. Like, I. I needed him to understand, under no uncertain terms, that there was no way that if you stayed here that Amarantha would not get her hands on you. Which, obviously, we see what happens with Claire Boudor later.

[Christina]

Oh, God.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And, you know, so at that point, Tamlin finally does do something. He lunges with his claws and his fangs out. None of that, Rhys says, clicking his tongue and lightly shoving Tamlin away with a single hand. That is the difference in the way they use power. Tamlin is lunging, claws out, and Rhys just casually, with one hand. Hand lightly shoves him away.

[Anna]

Quiet. Power.

[Christina]

And then he says, not with a lady present. What's your name, love? And we know that Feyre, of course, lies about her name. Calls herself Claire Bedor, which a moment that will forever haunt her will haunt Feyre. Well, really forever haunt Claire. Well, but true. But also Feyre for quite a while. But then I love to think about in this moment, though, what Rhys's actual thoughts were. Going back to chapter 54 in ACOMAF, Rhys says that in this moment, he was thinking, quote, but I was so selfish. I was so stupidly selfish that I couldn't walk away without knowing your name. And you were looking at me like I was a monster. So I told myself it didn't matter anyway. But you lied when I asked. I knew you did. I had your mind in my hands, and you had the defiance and foresight to lie to my face. So I walked away from you again. I vomited my guts up as soon as I left. Oh, my God. The idea, too, that he is like, I just. I want to know her name. And then she says it. And he's proud of her that she lied to him. And putting on this show is usually so easy for him, but doing it around her, he can't handle. He, like, throws up. It's just.

[Anna]

Oh, I know. And pin that for later, when he finally learns her name. It's such a good moment.

[Christina]

It really is. Okay, what's next?

[Anna]

So Tamlin, of course it works. Right after lunch with Rhysand Tamlin freaks out. He knows his time is up, that the curse is coming to an end, and he chooses to send Feyre away.

[Christina]

I do still wonder if he could just been like, do you love me? And if she had still said yes, could he still send her away?

[Anna]

I don't know.

[Christina]

Does she have to physically be there? Like, can't he get that from her and then also send her away? Because that would have solved all our problems.

[Anna]

Yeah, it would have. I mean, I don't know how that works. Okay. But Tamlin doesn't do that. He pushes her away and tells her, I'm sending you back to the human realm. Feyre's devastated. She doesn't understand. She's heartbroken. But she also doesn't argue that much. Instead, she initiates she does the sex. And she's wanting to feel this closeness, this physical closeness with him. And I. And I want to point out, because I find this very, very interesting, I think, you know, it's a common thread for Feyre to use sex as a way to express emotion, but also to avoid harder truths. But neither of them allows for that emotional connection. Neither of them really pushes for the other person to open up. And I think it really mirrors her in Acoma. But also it reminds me of Nesta because Nesta does this in a court of silver flames. Like, she hides from her grief using sex. And that's not like a slut shaming. It's just like it's an avoidance mechanism.

[Christina]

That's a great comparison. It's true. And then I also think Pamlin and Feyre both are very comfortable with if something's wrong, if we have sex, it'll feel better. Let's just have sex. And it'll this allow us to push it off 100%.

[Anna]

And I just thought of this in the one bed at the inn scene in Acomaf when he says, like, what do you need? And she says, a distraction. Yes. She's using sex again as a distraction. And I'm saying it because it does take two to tangle right here in this. It's not just Tamlin not pushing. It's Feyre not opening up either.

[Christina]

I guess this is the beginning of that with them. I feel like she starts this scene of her initiating feeling, like this is something she can control. It's interesting that that is also a piece of it, that she uses it as something she could maybe control.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

So he sends her away the next day. And then he does tell her. He tells her twice, I love you. And then he says, I love you. Thorns and all.

[Christina]

I also do just want to note quickly here that it really makes me angry that Lucian says to her, I thought you were smarter than this. Like, this is not my decision.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

I think it might be that she is putting up a fight.

[Anna]

He does turn to Tamlin and he says, like, tell her something, anything. Just give her more. And again. But Tamlin refuses. His whole belief is the less Feyre knows, the safer she'll be. And that's his tragic flaw, is that if I can just bubble wrap her, nothing will hurt her.

[Christina]

The bubble wrap.

[Anna]

Yeah. I think he means, I thought you were smarting this. Like, I thought you would catch on. I thought you would realize what was going on here. We've been beside. Hey. Having cryptic conversations around the corner from you in The Rose Gardens. Many times we've said heart of stone. But twice, which she does clock that eventually. Okay, okay. So we go to the human realm. She returns, she finds her family. Everyone's shockingly well off. There's staff, there's food on the table. Elain has a garden. And it's just as Tamlin told her. Like, the glamour led her family to believe that she had been caring for an elderly aunt all this time. But Nesta. It's Nesta who makes her paws. Because Nesta just seems different. Like, she seems quieter, observant. She's, like, watching Feyre very closely. And then they finally are alone. And Nesta confesses that the glamour never worked on her, that she remembers everything.

[Christina]

Wild, wild, wild.

[Anna]

And I love this scene between them.

[Christina]

Yes, something has shifted since we've seen her last, and it is that she's been sitting with this knowledge.

[Anna]

So what she says is, he stole you away into the night, claiming some nonsense about the treaty. And then everything went on as if it had never happened. It wasn't right. None of it was right is what she tells Feyre. And Feyre, like, looks at her, and she's just like, wait. You went after me? And she was like, I tried to cross the wall. I couldn't find a way over. She trekked two days there and spent time trying to, like, cross the wall. I don't know how long she spent there. And then she trekked two days back. So she was going out of her comfort zone, I was gonna say.

[Christina]

I mean, this is the girl who before wouldn't even chop wood.

[Anna]

Exactly.

[Christina]

So I'm appreciating the effort.

[Anna]

And then Feyre, in her inner monologue, goes, tamlin had been wrong when he discussed whether my father would have ever come after me. He didn't possess the courage, the anger. If anything, he would have hired someone to do it for him. But Nesta had gone with that mercenary. My hateful, cold sister had been willing to brave Prythian to rescue me. And then what Feyre says is, she brings up this guy that Nesta had been kind of hoping to court her, named Thomas. And she says, whatever happened to Thomas Mandrel? And what Nesta says is, I realized he wouldn't have gone with me to save you from Prythian. And Feyre, in her inner monarch, says, and for her, with that raging, unrelenting heart, it would have been a line in the sand. I looked at my sister, really looked at her, at this woman who couldn't stomach the sycophants, who now surrounded her, who had never spent a day in the forest, but had gone into wolf territory, who had shrouded the loss of our mother, then our downfall in icy rage and bitterness, because the anger had been a lifeline, the cruelty a release. But she had cared beneath it. She had cared and perhaps loved more fiercely than I could comprehend, more deeply and loyally. And what she says is, Thomas Mandry never deserved you. And then she goes, I want you to teach me how to paint.

[Christina]

God, I always forget about that. I want you to teach me how to paint. This is a really interesting Nesta insight here. It doesn't excuse the behavior at the beginning, but it really is a substantial amount of growth from the beginning.

[Anna]

Well, we're laying the seed and the groundwork for Akasoff because she really is loyal. But there is. There is so much darkness, anger, bitterness that is inside of her. And like Feyre says, it's like she uses that cruelty as a release. It's. None of it's okay. Like, I want to, like, don't get it twisted. None of it is okay. But there is. There is hope for her. She has to work through that trauma and that grief and granted her and her and Feyre go through it in Akisoff.

[Christina]

They sure do. And in the rest of the series, and we all do with her. This was a really, really interesting moment with Nesta, seeing that she did actually do something, because Feyre never thought that her sister would do anything, that any of them would do anything, that they would come find her. And Nesta, what was your plan? You were just, like, in your dress. You were going to climb over the wall. You were just going to run in and see if you could find her.

[Anna]

And I think that's what strikes Feyre as being so meaningful, is that she just knew she had to save her. Nesta was like, I let this happen. It's my fault. I didn't act.

[Christina]

Yeah. I just. I would love to understand those conversations more of no one believing Nesta. You were just telling people that a big person took her, and they're like, oh, sweetie, no, that was her aunt.

[Anna]

Yeah. And I can't imagine being. It's like, you must feel like you're going crazy.

[Christina]

Like, this is probably a lot of her trauma. You guys are gaslighting me. I don't understand. I bet. I don't understand.

[Anna]

Truly, though, like, she's. Oh, my God, that's so true. Yeah.

[Christina]

Yeah. Okay, so let's get Feyre back to that spring court. So Feyre and her family are at a Ball, because that's what they do now. And she hears the news that Claire Bedor and her entire family have been murdered. And Feyre's like, whoopsies. I think that's my bad. I think that that was me.

[Anna]

I think that's my fault.

[Christina]

I am pretty sure that that was my doing. So she realizes that, one, that was her fault, and two, that it should have been her, because that's the name she gave to Rhysand, the evil king who must have killed Claire because he tried to kill her. So this just really shatters any illusion that she can move on and pretend like nothing happened. I can't just ignore that a beast came to get me. But I think that something also that's interesting here is that really she's been on such a roller coaster. Tamon's like, I'm sending you away. She gets back, and Nesta's like, go back. Leave. We don't need you here either.

[Anna]

Yeah. When Feyre turns to Nesta and is like, this is my fault. Feyre's whole family is my fault. Nesta's like, go find your High Lord. We don't need you here. We can take care of ourselves. She lets her off the hook, which I think is a huge release of the burden that Feyre has always put on herself.

[Christina]

Agreed. I don't think it's a we don't need you by.

[Anna]

No, it's not a bad thing.

[Christina]

I think it's a, I'm letting you go. Let me take care of this. You've done it long enough. Go. Be happy. Growth. We'd love to see it. Okay. So she does. She's like, I'm gonna go get my Tam. Tam. I'm gonna tell him I love him. It's gonna be great. Let's go back to the manor. Uh oh. Manor's a haunted house. It is absolutely in disarray. It is empty. She does find Alice, though, thankfully. And Alice lets her in on some things that nobody has been telling her.

[Anna]

Because the curse is officially over. So now Alice is like, let me spill the tea that we've all been keeping secret.

[Christina]

I love this. Alice's like, well, I guess now I can tell you. Sit on down. So she introduces her to a little lady named Amarantha. And Amarantha is the worst. So just some key facts. If you've forgotten about Amarantha, how could you? But she was a general for Hybern. And she hates humans. Hates, hates, hates them. She is.

[Anna]

She's evil.

[Christina]

She's real evil. And we'll get into more on Amarantha as we go. We'll get into her sister and Jurian and her and Tamlin and all of that. But what's important to know is Amarantha is the blight that is her. That is her magic. Killing people, hurting people, like that is her. And her brutality just spreading through the land. Also, as we mentioned, don't forget, she's the one that ripped out Lucian's eyeball. She did. Which leads us to the curse. Okay, so setting the scene a little bit, Amarantha arrived in Prythian as the King of Hybern's emissary, but in a true Amarantha fashion, decided to conquer Prythian for herself.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

So Amarantha held a ball where she poisoned all seven high lords of Prythian and stole their powers. More on that in future episodes. Yes, Alice tells us that Amarantha, quote, eventually grew to desire Tamlin to lust for him with her entire world. Wicked heart. But he had heard the stories from others about the war, and he was wary of her, despite her attempts to lure him into bed. So Tamlin then sends Lucien as his emissary to try to treat for peace between them. But Amarantha said no, Shant. She refused. And so much does she refuse. She took his eyeball as punishment. Yeah. All right. Which leads us to the masquerade. After that, Amarantha hosted a masquerade under the mountain for herself. All the courts were present. This was a party, she said, to make amends for what she'd done to Lucien. And so nicely, she made this a masquerade so he didn't have to reveal the horrible scarring that she herself left on his face. Important to note, the entire Spring Court was to attend, and all of them, including the servants, had to wear masks. She said this was to honor Tamlin's shapeshifting powers, but that's neither here nor there. Now, at said party, quote, when all were assembled, she claimed that peace could be had in if Tamlin joined her as her lover and consort. But when she tried to touch him, he refused to let her near, and said in front of everyone that he would sooner take a human to his bed, sooner marry a human than ever touch her. Okay, so Amarantha, being herself, was none too pleased to hear this. Hence the curse that is not just on Tamlin, but his entire court. So here were the terms. He was given 49 years to break this curse. To do so, he had to find a human girl who hated the Fae enough to kill one. This Also had to be one of his own sentries in an unprovoked attack. Only then could this girl be brought across the Wall. And from there, Tamlin had to make her fall in love with him. And she had to confess that out loud. If she didn't say it in time, Tamlin would be claimed by Amarantha, and he and his entire court would be forced to join her on under the Mountain.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

Now, last big piece of information here is that that treaty that was like, if a human kills a fairy, they have to come to Prythian. All that was absolutely a lie. Really, it was just Tamlin's trying to get whoever killed the Fae back to help him with his curse, and that is why he brings her to the Spring Court. Yes. Yeah. And I do want to note there is an actual treaty that exists. Just that this information was in said treaty is the lie. So, I mean, you know, because no one's read the treaty, but like the Queens, so it's easy to lie to the people.

[Anna]

Exactly.

[Christina]

So, yeah. We end with Alice agreeing to take Feyre to Amarantha under the Mountain. Oh, friends, under the Mountain will be next. And my God, I am so excited to bring that down. To break it down, it's gonna be incredible. But before we leave today, it's time to go on a little trip to our favorite segment. Anna, take it away.

[Anna]

Yes. All right, book besties, we are diving into our favorite little corner of the episode called Mastermind, where we will be peeling back the curtain on all the brilliant foreshadowing plot threads and Easter eggs that Sarah J. Maas has been planting since page one. So a quick spoiler warning. From here on out, in addition to Acotar, we will be referencing the entire Throne of Glass and Crescent City series. So if you haven't finished those yet, cheers and happy reading. We'll see you next time. And if you're all caught up, let's dive in. Christina. All right, can you kick us off, Christina, because you have one for Callanmai.

[Christina]

Okay, Kalanmai. So Kal and Mai is really just such a fun one to dive into. Lore wise, when we look at all of the series, we've got fire festivals, we've got great rights, we've got these events that happen yearly. But when we really look at Callan Mai, one of the things that stands out are the White Stags. So one, we're told that in Calenmai, Tian Lin, quote, hunts down the White Stag and kills it for the sacrificial offering. Yeah, White stag. Hello. Important. Okay. But also in Crescent City, a tour guide at Luna's temple remarks, quote, if you follow me, we've been granted special permission into the chamber where the stag sacrifices are prepared to be burned in Luna's honor.

[Anna]

Stags.

[Christina]

And we know that white stags are vitally important in Tog, as that is what the Lord of the north appears as. They are not sacrificed. They are more of a thing of reverence.

[Anna]

They're protected.

[Christina]

Yeah, they're protected, but they are still important in that world as well. So is the white stag a mass verse wide symbol? Is it a symbol of divinity, of power, of sacrifice, of protection? There's definitely a thread there. And Sarah loves a through line. We don't know what it is, but we just had to comment.

[Anna]

That's so interesting. I mean, that it's in all three of the books.

[Christina]

And I think really, if we look at the different worlds, right, like, we know Acotar and Sisi are directly related. We know actually how lore would get back and forth between those time periods. And if the stag being sacrificed and killed for a sacrificial offering happened in Acotar, it would make sense that Fae would bring that tradition into Midgard. And therefore we see it happening in Luna's temple in Midgard.

[Anna]

Yeah. And we do. And we know that Lydia is a descendant of Aelin and the white stag. Like, there's all of these connections.

[Christina]

Oh, I love that, you know? Yes.

[Anna]

Okay. Speaking of connections, I just want to touch upon something that I think is really interesting that Sarah does. And we've talked about this in a lot of different episodes, but rarely is the first love interest the actual love interest that ends up with the main female character. Right. I think that's why we were all so shocked that Bryce and Hunt ended up together. Because I don't really count Connor as a first true love interest. There was. They didn't even get to go on their date.

[Christina]

Agreed.

[Anna]

Agreed. But I think everyone kept being like, oh, Hunt not going to be the one. Because Tamlin wasn't the one. Kale wasn't the one. Sam wasn't the one. Well, Sam was.

[Christina]

Sam was the one. Oh, God.

[Anna]

But I think this is what I think SJM does really well. We see it here with Feyre, and we especially see it with Celaena, too. But Feyre needed Tamlin. We've said this throughout the first two episodes. Feyre needed Tamlin. She needed. I mean, she could have used Rhysand, too. Rhysand would have been great. We all know that she could have used him too. Yeah, but. But Tamlin is who she came across first. And Tamlin provided that safety net for her and that, like, safety sense of peace and safety that she had never, ever, ever had before. And she acknowledges that, too. She doesn't, like, ignore that aspect. She doesn't act like it was all bad. But then after her traumas under the mountain, she realizes that she doesn't want that. Just safety and protection. She wants to be an equal. She wants to be able to be a part of something, and she wants to be included and have the choice. And that is where Rhysand comes in. And Sarah is really good at making characters because we're all human. We're all layered. Rarely do people end up with their first love. And I think we see that with Celaena. You know, Celaena and Assassin's Blade. She, the assassin needed Sam, and she would have, I think, gladly run away with Sam and never looked back. Yes, I really believe that. But coming out from Andover and being in the salt mines, she's a changed person. And she's still not willing to accept her past. But Kael is there for her, and Kale is the person who I think she needs because he is similar. We talk about this in Our Celaena Part 2, Deep Dive with Chaol. There are similarities between him and Sam in the sense that, like, they don't dig past that surface. They don't push her past her comfort zone as much. Sam does a little bit, but, you know, then we meet Rowan, and Rowan is very hard in Heir of Fire. We're not here to, like, discuss all of that right now. But he's hard on her in Heir of Fire. But there is a part of Aelin that needs to be called on her. Bullshit. And I think, like, Rhysand, what Rhysand does is he pulls that out of Feyre. Right? He pulls. When within Acomath, he's like, you gotta fight for yourself. I can't fight for you. You have to fight for yourself. And I think that's what Rowan does with Aelin, is Rowan's like, if you can't face your demons and come out the other side, then there's nothing I can do for you.

[Christina]

Agreed.

[Anna]

It's just really interesting the way Sarah has written these love interests.

[Christina]

100%. She is so good at us. Seeing these female leads grow throughout the series. And as they grow, they need different people at different times in their lives. And that's okay. That's okay. And who they are when they meet their ultimate endgame is different than who they were at the beginning. And they need the first love to make them and help them grow to be the person they are with the end game.

[Anna]

Love, it shapes them.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

It helps create the person that they are when they meet their. Their. Their. Their true person. Their mate.

[Christina]

Exactly. And I think with this. With Rhys, with this shift, I think she changed the genre going forward. I feel like nobody really questioned that. Wasn't on a table.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Like, if you are the love interest, you're the love interest.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

We're not going to spend a whole book with one love interest. And shift. Excuse me. Nobody does that. But after this, it was like, there's no rules.

[Anna]

There's no rules.

[Christina]

There's no rules.

[Anna]

Who is it? I don't know.

[Christina]

I think that's why Bryce and Hunt was so confusing to people. They're like, sarah, we thought we figured it out.

[Anna]

Well, because we did it with Crown of Midnight, with Kale. And that's. This is. What I couldn't say earlier when you asked me about Rhysand, is that I had read through Heir of Fire, and I knew at the end of Heir of Fire that Rowan was special to Aelin and that when she came back to Rift hold, it was not going to be to Kael. And there was something about Rhysand that struck me similar. I saw similarities to Rowan in that, like, he pushed her, and he, like, wanted her to be better. And he was like, play with me. Fight with me. And that's what Rowan does at the end of Heir of Fire when she's breaking. And I think that's why I clocked those similarities.

[Christina]

Well, I think. Because you. You saw it as an option because she opened that door already.

[Anna]

She already opened the door.

[Christina]

Yeah. And I. I think a lesser author it would be. I would be pissed. And you are a little bit. You're like, wait, I did a whole book with Tamlin. What do you mean? Where are we going with this? But, I mean, it's so incredible, and you get over it very quickly. I think this is a risky choice and a gamble that she does in her series, but she is at the level of author that it not only works, it makes the relationships and the heroines that much more relatable. To quote Magnolia Parks, how many loves do you get in a lifetime? Kim's not here. She would know what that means. But it's just. It's beautiful to get to see multiple relationships. And it makes sense that you need different people at different phases in your life.

[Anna]

Totally. It does. It really does.

[Christina]

Yeah. Okay. All right. Next up, we gotta talk about the tugs, you guys. The pull. When I found those quotes about the thread pulling her gut to the drums and up on the roof, all I could think about was Aelin and her tugs to Irene, the tugs to Manon, the tugs to Nox. Like all of those beautiful moments in Throne of Glass where she is, she feels that pull to someone. And I just love how she incorporates that feeling and that specific plot device in these two series. Does it happen in cc? So I don't.

[Anna]

I don't know if the word tug is used, but I always think of the ending of Kruz in City One where Bryce feels Danika and she runs to Danika and she like lighted up, light it up like that. Tug through love, all is possible.

[Christina]

Don't cry.

[Anna]

I know, I know.

[Christina]

Don't do it. But yeah, I just love how she weaves that through line and uses it in different ways in this series. I love it.

[Anna]

I love it. There was just one more little thing that I do wonder if there are similar creatures because of the way that the worlds have crossed over. And we know that the Daglan Asteri have world hopped and what did they bring them through those rifts in the world with them. Various places. But the bog and listeners, I'm sorry, the audible, I swear says bog, but then when you Google it, it's pronounced boggy. So tomato, tomahto, we are going off audible. Yeah. So bog in Acotar, it kind of reminds me of when Aelin is in Air of Fire and Rowan says, if you can cross the Barrows, like these big ancient burial grounds, if you can cross the barrows and face the wights, these creatures, then I'll let you go. Like, I'll take you straight to, you know, Mistworld and like, see Maeve, but you gotta cross it and face it. And she goes in there. But what she faces is not actually a wight. It's some other unknown creature that Rowan's like, that creature should not have been here. And what it does is it makes her see all these horrific things and, like, face her traumas. Like, she sees her parents and that night and Nehemia's death. And the bog in Acotar is this unseen creature that is trying to lure Feyre to look at it. But it only becomes real if Feyre is to look at it. And Lucian's like, don't look, don't look. But it's basically preying on nightmares and like, scary thoughts. And it's just kind of when I read it, I was like, ooh, this reminds me of the Baro scene.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Anna]

But the barrows, or whatever is in the barrows, like, actually makes Aelin see the bad things that happened, the memories.

[Christina]

Right. So what is the creature that makes her see her dad?

[Anna]

That's a puca. So the puca shows you what you most desire.

[Christina]

All right, so different kind of showing you, but shows you things.

[Anna]

Yeah, yeah. The puca can, like, use magic to lure you out and show you things that, like, are enticing.

[Christina]

Right.

[Anna]

And then the bog is scarier, creepier. Like, I feast on your blood and it's like, gross.

[Christina]

Yes. That's really interesting.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Okay, guys, I think that's it. Thanks for joining. We're so excited to go under the mountain with you. Bye.

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