S5 : Ep 24 - ACOMAF: Revisited - Part 5

Summary

Flights of Fantasy Podcast Summary

Episode: S5 : Ep 24 - ACOMAF: Revisited - Part 5
Release Date: July 29, 2025
Podcast Title: Flights of Fantasy
Hosts: Anna, Kim, Kristina

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1. Introduction and Patreon Announcements

The episode begins with Anna welcoming listeners to "Flights of Fantasy," where she is joined by her co-hosts Kim and Kristina. The trio dives into their ongoing series, "A Court of Mist and Fury" (ACOMAF) by Sarah J. Maas. Before delving into spoilers, Christina makes important announcements regarding their Patreon community:

• Patreon Tiers:
  • Tier 1 ($5/month): Early ad-free episode access, plus exclusive romance reads episodes and reviews.
  • Tier 2 ($10/month): All Tier 1 benefits, full episode videos, access to trending romantasy book discussions, exclusive "Cauldron Chats," and in-depth analyses of Sarah J. Maas's series.

Kim further engages the community by giving shoutouts to Tier 2 patrons Jennifer, Winston, Lauren, and Sarah W.

Kim [03:25]: "We are going to be shouting out a few of our tier two book besties. That is one of the benefits of being one of our tier 2 patrons."

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2. Spoiler Warning and Episode Kickoff

Anna issues a comprehensive spoiler warning for the entire ACOTAR series, ensuring that only informed listeners proceed. The discussion then begins with Feyre's current life in Rhysand and Mor's family winter cabin, highlighting her growth since the events of "A Court of Silver Flames."

Anna [03:52]: "Consider this your official spoiler warning for every book in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas."

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3. Feyre's Artistic Expression and Relationship Dynamics

The hosts discuss Feyre's habit of painting throughout the ancient cabin, contrasting her actions with Rhysand and Mor’s indifference towards preserving the cabin's historic integrity.

• Feyre's Paintings:

  • Anna [04:12]: "She's painting everywhere. All over the walls of this century-old cabin."
  • Kim [05:08]: "I love the headcanon that Feyre is a terrible painter. She's very mediocre and average."

• Relationship Insights: The conversation shifts to Feyre's introspection about her bond with Rhysand, exploring the complexities of their mating bond and her lingering feelings for Tamlin.

  Anna [06:08]: "It's a big moment when a female offers her mate food for the first time, symbolizing official acceptance of the bond."

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4. Rhysand's Monologue and Key Quotes

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Rhysand's emotional monologue in chapters 54 and 55. The hosts highlight and analyze pivotal quotes that showcase his vulnerability and deep-seated love for Feyre.

• Key Quotes and Analysis:

  Christina [10:21]: "You looked at me, reset, and I knew you had no idea who I was... I knew we were on dangerous ground."

  Kim [13:07]: "He says, 'I willed you to hold on, to stay with me.'"

  These excerpts reveal Rhysand's internal struggle and the profound connection between him and Feyre, emphasizing the distinction between their mating bond and genuine love.

• Emotional Climax: The hosts discuss Feyre's acceptance of Rhysand's love, culminating in a deeply romantic and emotionally charged scene.

  Anna [18:22]: "You’re mine," Feyre breathes, capturing the primal and possessive nature of their bond.

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5. Found Family and the Inner Circle

The discussion moves to the importance of the Found Family within the Night Court, focusing on the dynamics between Feyre and the Inner Circle members: Mor, Cassian, Azriel, and Amren.

• Supporting Characters:

  • Mor: Provides emotional support and inspires Feyre's inner strength.
  • Cassian: Adds humor and aids Feyre's training, fostering a sense of camaraderie.
  • Amren and Azriel: Offer wisdom and quiet strength, reinforcing the family's unity.

  Kristina [28:36]: "They are it. And we love them so much."

• Key Moments: The hosts highlight moments where the Inner Circle's loyalty and support are paramount, such as Cassian encouraging Rhysand to manage his mating bond energy and Mor empathizing with Feyre's trauma.

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6. Elayne's Character Development

Elayne's transformation from a gentle and passive sister in the first book to a more assertive and brave character is examined. The hosts discuss pivotal scenes illustrating her strength and independence.

• Notable Scenes:

  • Elayne Stands Up to Nesta:

    Anna [31:37]: "Feyre gave and gave for years. Let us now help her help others."

  • Confrontation with Human Queens:
    Elayne's courageous stance against the indifferent mortal queens showcases her growth and sets the stage for future conflicts.

    Anna [32:25]: "Elain who sighed and murmured, 'I hope they all burn in hell.'"

• Character Insight: The hosts speculate on Elayne's potential future arcs and her role within the larger narrative.

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7. Diplomacy with the Human Queens and the Book of Breathings

The episode delves into the Night Court's attempts to ally with the human queens to combat the looming threat of Hybern. The strategic importance of the Book of Breathings is emphasized.

• Challenges Faced: The mortal queens' initial dismissal and distrust of Rhysand and the Night Court complicate the alliance.

  Christina [35:05]: "It was a risky little game. And guess what? It didn't go well."

• Turning Point: Mor uses the Veritas Orb to reveal Velaris, demonstrating the Night Court's integrity and the true beauty they protect.

  Anna [34:34]: "Rhysand is essentially taking off his mask that he's been wearing for 500 years."

• Outcome: Despite showcasing Velaris, only one queen is moved by Rhysand's heartfelt plea, leading to a bittersweet victory and future uncertainties.

  Christina [36:36]: "Rip to her."

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8. Teaser for Next Episode

The episode concludes with a cliffhanger regarding the mortal queens' response and hints at upcoming discussions on Nesta and Cassian, the attack on Velaris, and the impending war with Hybern. The hosts promise an in-depth analysis in the next installment.

Anna [37:04]: "Next week we are going to pick up still in the mortal realms, discussing Nesta and Cassian, the attack on Velaris, and then, of course, how shit absolutely hits the fan in the last 200 chapters with Hybern."

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9. Closing Remarks

Kim and Christina encourage listeners to join their community on Instagram and TikTok, sharing their passion for Romantasy and fostering a vibrant book club environment. They also remind listeners to rate and review the podcast to support its growth.

Kim [37:04]: "If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us spread the magic of Romantasy to even more book lovers."

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Kim [03:25]: "We are going to be shouting out a few of our tier two book besties."
• Anna [03:52]: "Consider this your official spoiler warning for every book in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas."
• Christina [10:21]: "You looked at me, reset, and I knew you had no idea who I was..."
• Kim [13:07]: "He says, 'I willed you to hold on, to stay with me.'"
• Anna [18:22]: "You’re mine," Feyre breathes...
• Kristina [28:36]: "They are it. And we love them so much."
• Anna [31:37]: "Feyre gave and gave for years. Let us now help her help others."
• Christina [35:05]: "It was a risky little game. And guess what? It didn't go well."
• Anna [37:04]: "Next week we are going to pick up still in the mortal realms..."

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Conclusion

This episode of "Flights of Fantasy" offers an in-depth revisit of "A Court of Mist and Fury," exploring complex character developments, emotional bonds, and strategic alliances within the ACOTAR series. The hosts provide insightful analyses, memorable quotes, and thoughtful commentary, making it a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Narrator]

When we started writing our thoughts down on paper, it opened up endless possibilities. Ideas could grow beyond the borders of the mind and that changed the world. Somewhere along the way, we lost touch with paper, distracted by devices made for every purpose except for thinking and focus on edge. Waiting for the next notification. But what if new technology didn't pull us away from paper, but brought us closer to it? Listen. That's not paper. It's the sound of the new Remarkable Paper Pro rewriting the future. A paper tablet with a true color ink display, gentle reading light and unheard of tactility. With digital features for taking notes, thinking and organizing without any distractions, paper is about to change the world again. Get your paper [e-mail] today.

[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 ACOTAR Revisited, our deep dive back into this series that started it all. We are so excited to be here discussing A Court of Mist and Fury, the second book in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas. And just a reminder, we will be breaking up each book into multiple episodes. With that being said and because we have read this series multiple times, we will be discussing each book with the knowledge of the entire series. But before we give our official spoiler warning, Christina has some announcements.

[Christina]

I sure do Anna. So first of all, thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to rate and review the show. It really does make such a huge difference for the show. So thank you so much for taking the time to do that. Wherever you're listening. And next up, let's chit chat about Patreon. We have so much fun stuff going on over there this summer guys. We have worked really hard to cultivate this sample summer lineup summer party over there and we're having so much fun with you guys. So as a reminder, our tier one book besties for $5 a month get early ad free access to every episode plus our romance reads episodes and reviews. Our tier two book batches at $10 a month get all of that plus the full video of every single episode. Also tier two gets trending pages where we break down the hottest romantasy books that everyone is talking about right now. In June we covered Shield of Sparrows. July was s elite guys we had so much fun with those. We also have some little read along episodes from our resident sleuth Anna as she read both those books. Also, we have Cauldron Chats, another exclusive for tier 2 where I, yours truly, break down an ACOTAR topic that you help vote on. Also, last but not least, Tier 2, of course has exclusive access to our beloved and coveted SJM series where we deep dive characters, couples and scenes from all of Sarah J. Maas's series. So if you want more from us, please come over and join our Patreon family [e-mail] Flights of Fantasy podcast. We would absolutely love to have you.

[Kim]

And speaking of patrons, we are going to be shouting out a few of our tier two book bitches. That is one of the benefits of being one of our tier 2 patrons is you get a special shout out during an episode. So this week we are going to be shouting out Jennifer, Winston, Lauren and Sarah W. Yay.

[Christina]

Hi, guys.

[Anna]

Thank you so much.

[Christina]

Thank you.

[Kim]

Thank you so, so much. We so appreciate you guys supporting. Truly, truly would not be possible without you. Okay, should we do spoiler warning?

[Anna]

Yes. All right, listeners, consider this your official spoiler warning for every book in the ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas. Let's go, let's go. All right, we are opening back up with Feyre in Rhysand and Moore's family winter cabin. And y', all, she's painting. This is a huge moment for Feyre. She has come so far since the beginning of Akamash.

[Christina]

She has.

[Anna]

It's hard to believe. It's really only been like a month, but you know when you have good friends and good food and.

[Kim]

That's right.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Starlight.

[Kim]

Sexy female.

[Christina]

Sexy female.

[Anna]

I mean, we can all get over everything.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

That's right. Exactly. But not only is she painting, but she's painting everywhere. All over the walls of this century old cabin. Would I personally be a little bit perturbed that you're painting over my turn of the century original wood?

[Kim]

Yep.

[Anna]

No, I sure would. I sure would. I would not be thrilled about this. No, but that's okay because Mor and Rhysand seem to not care at all.

[Kim]

No, they don't care. Which is interesting because again, it's centuries old, it's incredibly valuable and she is just doodling all over the wood. All over it.

[Anna]

Doodles. And I love the idea of the people who are like, she's just drawing stick figures.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Anna]

And just picturing like little stick figures, very rudimentary, like triangle wings and they're.

[Kim]

Like, oh my God, Feyre. This is beautiful. I love the headcanon. That Feyre is a Terrible painter. And everyone just says she's incredible, but really, she's very much not. And she's very mediocre and average.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Anna]

Yes.

[Christina]

Yeah. In the reread, when I realized that she painted every surface. Yeah, it does feel like a lot. Like, I do understand that they love it, but I thought it was, like, maybe a corner or a table, a doorway. But when it says every surface, and there's, like, multiple murals of their faces on the walls. Like, you know in Modern Family, when Cam does the nursery for Gloria, and it's just like the painting of all.

[Kim]

Of them as cherubs.

[Christina]

As cherubs.

[Kim]

Naked cherubs. Yeah.

[Christina]

With wings.

[Kim]

Yes. Yes.

[Anna]

I love it so much.

[Christina]

Imagine if that's what was. And they all walked back in, and Cassian was like, oh. Oh, I look good. This is. This is good. Can I get some more abs, though, guys?

[Kim]

And my wings, they're the biggest.

[Christina]

They're the biggest.

[Kim]

They start arguing over who's.

[Christina]

Or they're like, wait, why? Why are Asriel's wings biggest? He's just in the corner. Like, you know why.

[Kim]

You know why I love it so much. Yeah, we do. Yeah, we do.

[Anna]

God, I love Az.

[Christina]

Okay, sorry.

[Anna]

Okay. All right. So there is a really sweet moment where Mora has kind of stopped by a few times to check on her. And there's a real moment of vulnerability where Mor kind of turns to Feyre on one of her visits and asks Feyre, like, would it really be so bad to be Rhysand's mate and therefore a member of our family? And she kind of just looks at her, and Feyre stares back. And it's in that moment that Feyre, to herself is like, no, it wouldn't be.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And it's like, girl, thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Christina]

It's all of our dreams, but please be respectful.

[Anna]

Literally, twist my arm.

[Kim]

These Archeron sisters are just not very appreciative of everything that's being handed to them. And I, quite frankly, am a little tired of it. This is literally our day.

[Christina]

All of them.

[Kim]

All three of them are like, oh.

[Anna]

God, look at the men who are here and what they are doing for you.

[Kim]

You're welcome.

[Anna]

You are welcome. But we do get on that note, some introspection from Feyre where she's like, well, he was kind of dying and.

[Kim]

Bleeding, and I left him in the mud.

[Anna]

And he said he was my mate. And I was like, I don't want to hear it.

[Christina]

Yeah, I did tell him I'll never run away from, like, the mess that you are. And then like, I did run away and make him think that it was because of the mess that he is. Oh.

[Anna]

She's like, maybe that wasn't such a good look after all.

[Christina]

Somantics. You know.

[Kim]

Ye Feyre. Ouch.

[Anna]

Like, geez Louise, girl. But knock knock. Who's there? It's Rhysand who's arrived. He's like breathing really heavily. The poor man has had to fly all the way there because Hybern is tracking his magic. And he can't winnow.

[Kim]

He's been really working those little wings.

[Anna]

He literally left as soon as he could. He takes off to try and find her. And he's going to all of their places. And Mor's like, I'm not telling you where she is.

[Christina]

I love that so much.

[Anna]

Girl code.

[Christina]

Blink once if it's the cabin.

[Anna]

So he's like leaning against the door frame and she's like, I guess you can come into your cabin into your own house. Anyways, she lets Rhysand in and offers him this bowl of soup. And apparently this is a very big moment. When a female offers her mate food for the first time, it means that she officially accepts the bond. And Rhysand says this to her and Feyre is like, okay, well, I don't understand the intricacies of all this. Fae mating bond. Bf.

[Christina]

Yeah, how was I to know that?

[Anna]

No, you weren't. And also, it's canned Campbell's. So like, let's reset our expectations, please.

[Kim]

He's like, you would do that for me? She's like, what's happening right now?

[Christina]

Can you explain?

[Anna]

It's chicken noodle soup.

[Kim]

I mean, yes, it's low sodium, but I mean, it's really not that big of a deal. Like, I don't.

[Anna]

Also, let's not get used to this.

[Christina]

Love how she's like, I. I don't know how to cook. Actually. Yeah, I hunted and. Right. Even then, I don't think the other girls knew how to cook. We just threw it on a pot. And like, whatever happened, we just ate raw tartar. Because, like, they had people cooking for them their whole life. True. They were learning how to cook.

[Anna]

I mean, I cannot see Nesta trying to learn how to cook.

[Kim]

Absolutely not.

[Anna]

Elaine, maybe.

[Kim]

I think Elaine could. Could do a stir fry or something like that.

[Christina]

Give her a walk.

[Anna]

She can't plate a potato, but she could.

[Kim]

She could stir a walk. Stir a walk.

[Christina]

She can really stir fry some snap peas.

[Anna]

Oh, there we go. Real good. Oh, God.

[Christina]

All right.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Anna]

Sorry, sorry. Okay. All right. So we are gonna take our time and kind of gush about our two favorite chapters for a second here. Chapter 54 and chapter 55. Obviously, Rhysand's monologue explaining his side of the story of Feyre is incredible and always hits us in our feels. Sarah does such an amazing job of painting everything that we've read up to this book point in a new light. This chapter is truly what makes rereading the first two books so much fun, because we get to see all of the Easter eggs that she so carefully lays out. Because why, guys?

[Kim]

She's a mastermind.

[Anna]

And so we're each kind of going to walk through some of our favorite quotes from Rhysand's monologue. You're just gonna have to bear with us, listeners. This is going to be like a little audible session. We're not Elizabeth Evans, but we will try our best. And, Christina, will you kick us off?

[Christina]

I would love to. Oh, my gosh. Rhys, just again, like we were saying, does such a good job of painting the picture. He tells us what really happened 500 years ago. He sets up that timeline, Amarantha's reign and all the things. Also, he tells her that three years ago, he started having dreams about her and her hand painting. And then we lead up to Callan May, and then he finds her being dragged away by these fairies. And he moves. He's driven by instinct. He can't even think about what he's going to say. And he just walks up and he says, there you are. I've been looking for you.

[Anna]

It's such a good moment.

[Christina]

Quote, you looked at me, reset, and I knew you had no idea who I was, that I might have seen your dreams, but you hadn't seen mine. And you were just human. You were so young, unbreakable, and had no interest in me whatsoever. And I knew that if I stayed too long, someone would see and report back and she'd find you. So I started walking away, thinking you'd be glad to be rid of me. But then you called after me like you couldn't let go of me just yet, whether you knew it or not. And I knew. I. I knew we were on dangerous ground. Somehow I knew that I could never speak to you or see you or think of you again. I didn't want to know why you were in Prythian. I didn't even wanna know your name. Because seeing you in my dreams had been one thing, but in person, right then, deep down, I think I knew what you were. And I didn't let myself admit it. Because if There was the slightest chance that you were my mate. They would have done such unspeakable things to you, Feyre.

[Kim]

Oh, God.

[Christina]

So I let you walk away. I told myself after you were gone that maybe. Maybe the cauldron had been kind and not cruel for letting me see you. Just a gift for what I was enduring. Oh, this first lines and the journey from the first time you see them in that first book all the way to now.

[Anna]

I love it.

[Christina]

Also, our line from Mastermind.

[Kim]

Yes, yes.

[Christina]

What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop.

[Anna]

I. Listen. I have, like, a visceral reaction every.

[Kim]

Time I hear that line. So good.

[Christina]

So, yes. All right, let's move on through the love story, Kim.

[Kim]

Okay. So then Rhys says, but your final trial came. And when she started torturing you, something snapped in a way I couldn't explain. Only that seeing you bleeding and screaming undid me. It broke me at last. And I knew as I picked up that knife to kill her, I knew right then what you were. I knew that you were my mate. And you were in love with another male and had destroyed yourself to save him. And that. That I didn't care if you were going to die. I was going to die with you. I couldn't stop thinking it over and over as you screamed, as I tried to kill her. You were my mate. My mate. My mate. But then she snapped your neck. Tears rolled down his face. And I felt you die, he whispered. Tears were sliding down my own cheeks. And this beautiful, wonderful thing that had come into my life, this gift from the cauldron, it was gone. In my desperation, I clung to that bond. Not the bargain. The bargain was nothing. The bargain was like a cobweb. But I grabbed that bond between us and I tugged. I willed you to hold on, to stay with me. Because if we could get free, if we could get free, then all seven of us were there. We could bring you back. And I didn't care if I had to slice into all of their minds to do it. I'd make them save you. You'd freed us with your last breath. And my power. I wrapped my power around the bond. The mating bond. I could feel you flickering there, holding on. And then Feyre says in her mind, home. The home had been at the end of the bond. I told the bone carver, not Tamlin, not the Spring Court, but Rhysand. I love it so much also, how.

[Anna]

Did I never put this together? He says, I willed you to hold on, to stay with me. And the surreal is like, stay with the high, Lord.

[Christina]

Stay with the high, Lord.

[Kim]

I never put that together. Oh, my God.

[Anna]

Oh, my God. Wow.

[Kim]

I willed you to stay with me. Stay with me.

[Anna]

Oh, my God.

[Christina]

I love it so, so much, guys.

[Kim]

Incredible.

[Christina]

This gift of her, and now it's being taken away, and it just.

[Anna]

I didn't care that you were, like, in love with someone else. It's all about just. I needed you to be okay.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

I don't care about anything else. Yeah.

[Christina]

And, like, oh, the home. Anytime we talk about the home, it really gets me. It just gets me.

[Kim]

I love it.

[Christina]

God. All right, Anna, what's next?

[Anna]

Okay, so one of my favorite moments is at the very end of his Rhysand soliloquy, and he's talking about the events, like, after under the Mountain and how hard it was to let her go, kind of piggybacking off of what Kim was saying. And the quote is, Rhys looked up at me, eyes desolate. It killed me, Feyre, to send you back, to see you waste away month by month. It killed me to know he was sharing your bed. Not just because you were my mate, but because I. He glanced down, then up at me again. I knew. I knew I was in love with you the moment I picked up the knife to kill Amarantha. And if I let myself love you, you would be taken from me. The way my family was, the way my friends were. So I didn't tell you. And I watched as you faded away. Until that day. That day he locked you up. I would have killed him if he'd been there. But I broke some very, very fundamental rules in taking you away. Amren said if I got you to admit that we were mates, it would keep any trouble from our door. But I couldn't force the bond on you. I couldn't try to seduce you into accepting the bond either. Even if it gave Tamlin license to wage war on me. You had been through so much already. I didn't want you to think that everything I did was to win you. Just to keep my land safe. But I couldn't. I couldn't stop being around you and loving you and wanting you. I still can't stay away. I still can't stay away. Gets me every time.

[Christina]

Every single time. I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop loving you. God damn it. This man.

[Anna]

And that's the difference. It's like to him, it's not just the mating bond.

[Kim]

It's so different.

[Anna]

I was in love with you.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Anna]

His parents had an awful mating bond. Tamlin's parents, awful mating bond. It doesn't necessarily mean love.

[Kim]

Right.

[Anna]

And that's what's so beautiful and different about Rhysand is he's like, I don't. The mating bond, yes, it was everything, but also, it was nothing because I loved you.

[Christina]

Yes. That is the main point. I also feel like this makes so much sense. I'm so glad we got this on page from him. If he would have told her about the mating bond right when she came to stay there, it would not have gone well. She's in such a dark place. And also, she had to get over Tamlin to the point where, like, Tamlin is worth the ways. And I'm not with Tamlin. I'm not. Not with Tamlin. Only because I have a mating bond because of Rhys. And, like, she hated herself so much for so long. I almost wonder if she hated herself and she saw Rhys as a monster at the beginning of this journey. If someone had told her that Rhys was her mate, I think she would have been like, oh, that's because I'm a monster, too.

[Kim]

Absolutely.

[Anna]

Great insight.

[Christina]

Like, I don't think she would have seen it for the beautiful thing it was.

[Anna]

No.

[Christina]

And I think it would have tainted it.

[Anna]

I think it would have tainted it. When you look back at it, she wasn't in a place to receive the information.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Kim]

For sure.

[Anna]

Now is not the time to have this. You were broke, you were grieving, you were traumatized. And I, like he says, I wasn't gonna just throw this mating bond on you as another thing that, in your new immortal life, you had to deal with.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Because it's about her. It's not about him. He's not keeping it back for himself. He's keeping it back for her.

[Kim]

Yes, but you know who could have learned from this is Lucien. When Elain came tumbling out of the cauldron later.

[Christina]

You're my mate.

[Kim]

I just think maybe we could have thought to ourselves, is this a good time? Like, let's assess the situation. Let's look around at what all is happening. Do I need to say this right now? Could this be an inside cat?

[Christina]

Inside.

[Kim]

Keep it inside.

[Christina]

She's like, what? What'd you say?

[Kim]

Sorry. Literally. Drench.

[Christina]

Also, what's a mate?

[Kim]

What do you mean, also? What's that? Also, I'm devastated. I was supposed to marry a guy who hates Fey, but no. Go on, Lucian. No, you just tell me whatever you want.

[Christina]

This is the time. Clearly.

[Anna]

Okay.

[Christina]

All right, what's next?

[Anna]

Okay, so Rhysand has his beautiful monologue. Feyre's like, you love me, then eat. And she gives him the soup. And boy, does he eat. I don't know why I made that sexual. It's not. It's a bowl of soup. He has his dessert later.

[Kim]

Oh, God.

[Anna]

But he does.

[Kim]

Yeah, he does.

[Anna]

But she gives him the food and he eats it all up.

[Christina]

Sorry.

[Kim]

Everything I say now, it feels sexual. He finished the bowl of soup and.

[Anna]

She says, aware of every breath, every moment. I sat in his lap. His hands gently braced my hips as I studied his face. And now I want you to know, Rhysand, that I love you. I want you to know. His lips trembled and I brushed away the tear that escaped down his cheek. I want you to know that I am broken and healing, but every piece of my heart belongs to you. And I am honored. Honored to be your mate. His arms wrapped around me and he pressed his forehead to my shoulder, his body shaking. I stroked a hand through his silken hair. I love you, I said again. And I'd endure every second of it over again so I could find you. And if war comes, we'll face it together. I won't let them take me from you. And I won't let them take you from me either. Rhys looked up, his face gleaming with tears. He went still as I leaned in, kissing away one tear, then the other, as he had once kissed away mine. You're mine, I breathed.

[Kim]

Oh, God.

[Anna]

Oh my God, I love it so much.

[Kim]

This is the most deeply romantic, beautiful thing I've ever read in my life.

[Anna]

We have so many full circle moments.

[Kim]

It's just, oh, so delicious when she says, I'm honored. Oh my God.

[Christina]

And that's everything he's always wanted to hear. He needed to hear that so bad.

[Anna]

He needed to hear it.

[Kim]

And he deserves it.

[Anna]

He does deserve it. And I love that every time she says, you're mine, he loses it. He goes feral. He's like, again. It's not the I love you, it's the claiming. It's like that primal fake, like they always say. It goes back to the creatures they once were. And he's like, you're mine. And she's like, yes, I am.

[Kim]

Yes, I am.

[Anna]

It's so hot. And he, like, grabs her and he puts her on the table and like, pushes her down in the paint. And at one point he, like, puts his fingers in the paint and he draws an arrow down her chest and points it downwards. And then he's like, in case you question where this is leading to, so.

[Christina]

You get a map?

[Kim]

Yeah. Let me paint you a picture here.

[Anna]

Paint you a picture.

[Christina]

Oh, my God.

[Kim]

Also, can we just say, like, I'm, I'm in love with this? The paint in the hair on the body.

[Anna]

I think I'm over it.

[Kim]

I just, I, I, I mean, it's fine. Trust me. It's better than some of the other scenes that we've had to read where I've been. Like, we haven't showered. There's not people's blood.

[Christina]

Yeah, they're very clean.

[Kim]

They're very clean.

[Christina]

My first go around, I was also like, oh, it's getting everywhere on the table. Is that table to you? Did you lay down something? I know we already have pa, but.

[Kim]

Like, we lay down maybe some newspaper.

[Christina]

Sweetie. On the tile on the floor. Oh, sweetie in the grout.

[Kim]

That's hard to get out.

[Anna]

Listen, she's painted the whole house.

[Kim]

I just, I'm more worried about paint just getting into places and then tongues are going in the crevices.

[Anna]

Is it non toxic?

[Kim]

That's what I'm saying. Right.

[Anna]

Water based.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Anna]

You know, he just like snaps his fingers and then that part's clean.

[Christina]

That area.

[Kim]

Yeah, I just, Yeah, I just need the important areas to stay clear.

[Christina]

Everything else or it's like edible paint.

[Anna]

It's berry paint, y'. All.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Christina]

Edible.

[Kim]

It's organic. Fair trade.

[Anna]

Tell me you're a mom without telling me you're a mom. Are my kids eating the.

[Kim]

It's just crushed berries. It's fine.

[Christina]

It's fine. Okay.

[Anna]

Okay. Then it moves on to chapter 55 and it's just sexy times all around.

[Christina]

She's like, you guys have been waiting for this. Yeah. And I am gonna deliver.

[Anna]

Let's do a full chapter.

[Christina]

You thought Reese was hot before?

[Anna]

You don't even know in the tub. We're gonna do back seat windows up. I'll sing the whole song. But guys, remember how every sand in the one bed at the end trope where he's like, when you lick me.

[Kim]

Feyre, the mountains will trim.

[Anna]

Yeah, well, literally.

[Christina]

His orgasm is so strong, entire mountains. Mountains.

[Anna]

I'm thinking like avalanche.

[Kim]

I'm pretty sure it is an avalanche.

[Anna]

Like, I hope the towns are okay.

[Christina]

Was anyone skiing?

[Kim]

I hope not.

[Christina]

Gotta get search and rescue out there.

[Anna]

Maybe Rhysand's orgasm is so strong, but he also like blanket powered.

[Christina]

There's like a shield. Yeah.

[Anna]

Do you think the people now in Valeris every time this happens are like, oh, all right.

[Kim]

Oh, here we go.

[Anna]

Sex in the skies again. All right, here we go.

[Christina]

Here we go.

[Kim]

Here we go. Let's keep walking. Gotta go.

[Anna]

Hi, lords. Having a good morning?

[Christina]

Must be a good day at the House of Wind. Everybody brace yourself for impact. An earthquake. Oh, God.

[Kim]

It's so wonderful.

[Christina]

But it's so sexy. It's so sexy.

[Kim]

It is.

[Christina]

Oh, there's also a really sweet moment though, too, with the day magic. Feyre's on top of Rhys in one of their throes of passion. And like her day magic starts glowing. She is literally glowing from happiness. And it says, quote, but I would glow for him. I'd glow for my own future. I'd glow. So I sat up, hands braced on his broad chest, and unleashed that light in me, letting it drive out the darkness of what had been done to him. My mate, my friend, My mate.

[Kim]

Are you actually kidding me? Oh, shut up.

[Christina]

Just shut. Just shut up. I love this. It's so sweet and purposeful for him about him. And also the fact that she says, my mate, my friend. Now it's like, no, you're everything. You're all these things together.

[Anna]

Oh, so much.

[Kim]

Okay, so they're laying together after one of the times, and Reese says, I think I fell in love with you. Reese murmured, stroking a finger down my arm. The moment I realized you were cleaving those bones to make a trap for the midden guard worm. Or maybe the moment you flipped me off for mocking you. It reminded me so much of Cassian.

[Christina]

And.

[Kim]

And Feyre says you fell in love with me because I reminded you of your friend. He flicked my nose. I fell in love with you, smart ass, because you were one of us. Because you weren't afraid of me. And you decided to end your spectacular victory by throwing that piece of bone at Amberantha like a javelin. I felt Cassian spirit beside me in that moment and could have sworn I heard him say, if you don't marry her, you stupid prick, I will.

[Anna]

Oh, I love it. So sweet.

[Christina]

And now we know the inner circle, and we know that's true. We know Cassian would, like, have.

[Kim]

Oh, shit.

[Christina]

And I just love that, you know, he said he gave up on seeing his friends again so many years before this. So having her do something that all of a sudden, he can't even help it, he just thinks of Cassian is so sweet.

[Anna]

I love that.

[Kim]

That's really sweet. Also, something very important. So when they brought Clairboudor to Under the Mountain, Rhys did not know that she was a real person. He thought Feyre gave him a fake name. And that's the only reason he gave Clairboudor's name to Amarantha is because he thought that it wasn't a real name. So he's like, well, there's no harm in telling Amarantha she's not real, so what's. What's it going to matter?

[Anna]

Right?

[Kim]

So he was horrified, and he tells Feyre that he went into her mind and took away her pain and then, like, made her scream and react when it was appropriate, but she actually wasn't feeling any of it at all. And then when the torture went on for so long, he was like, I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't watch them do that. So I went into her mind and ended her life so that they could stop torturing her, which I think was a very important distinction. And I'm very glad that he told her that, because it was one of the things that people were like, well, but he.

[Anna]

He was a part of this.

[Kim]

Gave up Clara Beador, and it's like, yes. But he didn't know that she was real.

[Anna]

Right.

[Christina]

I feel like that was some really good course correction there by Sarah. Yes. You have nothing to be mad at him about.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Let's clear the air and let's move on. He's perfection. They talk about children and they kind of are like, are you. Would you be. Are you interested in that? How do we feel about that? And Feyre's like, I want to live, Rhys. Like, I want to live with you and I. They want to be selfish and just be each other. Which, you know, we do have war on the horizon, so War times is not the best time to get pregnant and have babies. You know what I mean?

[Anna]

Smart, I think, to, like, not the best of times.

[Christina]

Yep. Agreed. I am really excited to discuss this topic when we get to Frost and Starlight.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

But, yeah, Sarah said I can give you, like, a. A book and a novella, so. Yeah, you have some. Some time for that.

[Kim]

Exactly.

[Christina]

Then we'll get down to baby time.

[Kim]

Exactly.

[Christina]

Scott, he's so sweet in this part.

[Kim]

He's like, I would be honored. Like, I would be honored to have, like, children with you. Like, I just want you to know, Feyre, that, like, if you ever do want to have children, like, I would be so honored.

[Christina]

Again, the word honor. I just.

[Anna]

I know there's something about that.

[Kim]

I love him so much.

[Anna]

Beautiful.

[Christina]

Oh, God. All right, guys, so let's move along here to. One of our favorite things in any Sarah book, truly in all Sarah books, in all Sarah series, is the Found Family. It is just something that she does so well. And it's something we love so much. And it's part of the reason why we love her book so much. And Feyre's journey in the back half of this book with the inner circle is just so beautiful for so many reasons. There's just like, such the sense of family that is at the beginning. But the back half, it really just shines through.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

Okay.

[Christina]

So Feyre and Rhys, they're newly mated. They're caught up in their primal Fae mate frenzy. And he winnows them back the Illyrian war camp. And Cassian, knowing that Rhys needs to work out some of this mating bond energy before he can be helpful or useful or focus on anything else, he eggs him on in a way that only Cassian can, that only Cassian can get away with. And he says, quote, feyre doesn't look too tired. Maybe she should give me a ride.

[Kim]

Yes. Cassian.

[Christina]

So good. I love it. I also love that, like, he just immediately. They, like, battle in the mud. All the other Illyrians take to the skies and, like, no one dares land.

[Anna]

Cassian walks out and it says. He's literally pulling his hair up like, we're gonna fight. As he's saying the line, like, I'm egging you on. Let me get my hair tied up with my little leather strip here.

[Christina]

Oh, my God. Laughing as they, like, punch each other in the mud. It's just. It's so good.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And then we hear this quote, they'll be at it for a while. Moore said, leaning against the threshold of the house, she held open the door. Welcome to the family, Feyre. And I thought those might have been the most beautiful words I'd ever heard.

[Anna]

I love it.

[Christina]

And she does have a family, but not like this. Like, this is at least not now in the story. Right? She's never had this before.

[Kim]

It's so beautiful. It is.

[Anna]

Yeah. And I also think that this is, like, where Rhysand tells her, please be patient with me. This Fae mating bond thing, like, again, it goes back to the primal creatures we once were. And I am trying my best to control it, but I might be a little bit more on edge. And because he preemptively gives her a little warning and also asks for patience. It's communication, which is not what Tamlin was obviously good at. Her and Tamlin. But Rhysand is like, hey, this might happen. And that's why Cassian eggs him on. Cassian's like, hey, let's burn off some steam.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And also, I love that Some point, she finds out that a regular male needs, like, a week or two. And, like, well, Rhys is anything but regular. So what's this gonna be, like, a year?

[Kim]

Yeah, that's right. Just angst.

[Christina]

Enjoyable. And she's feeling it, too.

[Kim]

Oh, yeah, she is.

[Anna]

She is.

[Christina]

They walk in from being outside in the Med for an hour, and it says Cassian and Moore immediately found somewhere else to be. Then he, like, puts her on the table, and she's, like, smelling him. It's like, all very fake.

[Kim]

Oh, it's very primal.

[Anna]

Very primal. I love it.

[Christina]

Okay. Oh, my gosh. One of my favorite moments. So they return to the night court, and Rhys and Feyre walk in hand in hand into the dining room of the House of Wind, where more Azriel, Amren, and Cassian are already waiting. End quote. As one they stood. As one they looked at me, and as one they bowed. It was Amren who said, we will serve and protect. They each placed a hand over their heart, and she says, thank you, but I'd rather you were my friends before the serving and protecting. Moore said with a wink, we are, but we will serve and protect. My face warmed and I smiled at them. My family.

[Kim]

Oh, God, the found family.

[Anna]

Like, this whole dynamic, Sarah does it so well in all of her series, and it's just. It hits every single time. It never fails.

[Kim]

It's so good.

[Christina]

It never fails. And in this book in particular, we see them each offer her something different. Like, more she trusts Feyre with her trauma, like, with her story. And it's really only then that Feyre realizes really how truly strong Mor is. Like, to have been through something so dark and still remain kind and, like, willing to trust and reaching out to people, for sure. And I think she inspires Feyre to find her own inner strength and confidence. And I think her getting that from another female is really important and huge to her. And then Cassian, I mean, he's the one, of course, to make her laugh, but also he helps her train. And I feel like it's so important for her to feel strong and capable again in that way. While he's doing that, he lets her open up, he doesn't shy away from her feelings, and he defends her dinesta, which is probably the first time someone's ever done that for her.

[Kim]

100%.

[Christina]

And then Asriel. I mean, most of our favorite Asriel moments are coming in next book, but we do get a few quiet, sweet moments that I always forget about in Acomath. Like, there's this whole part where they go out to Rita's and she spends the whole night sitting in a booth with Azriel, drinking wine, taking bets on who will work up the nerve to hit on Rhys. I love that. And then when he flies her into the human lands, she opens up to him saying she doesn't know where she fits anymore. And he's like, I've been alive for five and a half centuries and I'm not sure of that either.

[Kim]

It's just so sweet.

[Anna]

I love it so much.

[Christina]

This found family inner circle. You can't top it. Like, they are it. And God, we love them so much.

[Kim]

We do.

[Christina]

Okay, so moving on, Anna, let's discuss these human queens. Wow. There's a lot to dive into, these lassies.

[Anna]

There is a lot. So I want to take a quick pause here and a little detour. Let's all hop on board the magic school bus again.

[Kim]

Choo choo.

[Anna]

You know, we went to the Bone Carver, we went to the Weaver. And now we're just gonna be bop over the wall to the human realm because obviously there's lots happening. And we're gonna break this up into a couple little different parts. So we're gonna kick off though, with Elayne. So Elayne is kind of introduced to us in book one as like the softest, most traditionally feminine of the Archeron sisters. She's gentle, she's dreamy, she's kind of passive. And she's a stark contrast to Nesta and Feyre. Right. But in A Court of Mist and Fury, we kind of start to. To see those first signs that there is a little bit more to Elayne. And there's a couple moments I want to bring up because I do think we are setting some sort of foundation, especially for what happens in Acowar at the end. And then obviously maybe for if we ever get ACOTAR 6, we can dream. Okay, so the first one is when Nesta doesn't want to host all of the Fae at the house when Feyre and Rhysand first show up because she's nervous about Elayne's fiance's father. And she's like, he hates Fae. He's literally built himself a prison to keep his entire family locked in. And I don't think this is gonna go well if we have a bunch of Fae being host here. Elain's betrothal will end.

[Christina]

Also, Feyre, that's unfortunate that you're also a Fae, but you now are one of them.

[Kim]

Yes. Yeah.

[Anna]

Yeah. But Elain stands up To Nesta. And we haven't seen her do this in the first book and the first half of this book.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

And she says Feyre gave and gave for years. Let us now help her help others.

[Kim]

Thank you, Elaine. Thank you. Love to see it, Elaine.

[Christina]

Love it.

[Anna]

It took you a little bit long to get to this point, Elaine.

[Christina]

Yeah. But we can only go up from here.

[Anna]

We can only go up from here.

[Christina]

I love this.

[Anna]

I do.

[Christina]

Also, hugely important for Nesta to hear this from Elaine. Yes.

[Kim]

Yes. Because Lord knows that's the only person's opinion she cares about. Certainly not Feyre's. She only cares about Elaine.

[Anna]

And then a few weeks later, the second moment we have is when the human queens visit. And they are less than empathetic towards the threat that Hybrn possesses to all of humans. Some would say they are very almost indifferent and dismissive. And as they are leaving, Nesta has kind of spout off at the queens in a great way. And everybody's pissed off. But it's Elaine. This is what it says. And it was Elain. Elain who sighed and murmured, I hope they all burn in hell.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Anna]

Which is basically like throwing down gloves and being like, let's fucking go for Elaine.

[Christina]

Yes. I love that. Okay, show us more of this. This girl's been.

[Anna]

Where's this been?

[Kim]

She is. She's getting ready.

[Anna]

She's getting ready.

[Christina]

She's got a walk.

[Kim]

She's a slow cooker. She's a slow cooker.

[Christina]

She's a slow cooked potato.

[Kim]

She's a slow cooked potato. But she will get there.

[Anna]

Okay.

[Christina]

I love that so much from Elaine in that moment. I really love that Sarah gave that line to Elain. It was the most unexpected character in the scene to say it. And I really love it.

[Anna]

I do think. I think it's gonna be interesting to get her book because I've been wondering on this reread. And then it through my acowar reread how much of her softness, like how much of her kind of docileness is a choice versus a limitation? Like how much of it does she actually observe or see? More than we realize, which we obviously she is gifted a seer gift from the cauldron. So like, is she a natural observer of things and she just chooses when she wants to speak? I mean, she is just as guilty as Nesta in letting her sister take care of the family. And absolutely we just don't hate her as much because she wasn't outwardly as about it, but she still did nothing.

[Kim]

Passiveness is still a choice. Like, by not.

[Christina]

Right.

[Kim]

By not doing anything. That's a choice.

[Anna]

You know, who's passive also? Tamlin.

[Kim]

Interesting. That's all I'm saying.

[Christina]

Interesting. Yeah, but I like that phrasing of not a limitation, but a choice.

[Kim]

Yeah, I like that.

[Anna]

I'd be interested to see where we go with her character.

[Christina]

Yeah. Especially, you know, everybody goes on a different arc post cauldron. So I think as we get into post Cauldron, Elayne, I think that'll be interesting, seeing where we go with that.

[Anna]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Anna]

All right, so Feyre and the Inner Circle, we're gonna move on here. There's a couple different times that they go to the human realm, but eventually, we end up meeting with the mortal queens, and they hope to convince them of the threat that Hybern possesses and that they need to ally with the Night Court. More importantly, they need the mortal queens to willingly hand over the Book of Breathings. So unlike in the Summer Court, where the inner circle was able to sneakily steal the book from Tarquin, that can't happen with the mortal half. It has to willingly be handed over. What will happen if they steal it? I don't know. It's not really said. I'm guessing bad things.

[Kim]

Yep.

[Anna]

No, but the queens, like I said earlier, are dismissive. They don't see the war as, quote, their problem, and they certainly don't trust anyone associated with the infamous Rhysand. So in a show of good faith, Mor reveals Velaris. Using the Veritas Orb. She shows them the city that they have protected and kept in secret, the home that they would die to defend, the home that Rhysand literally gave so much of himself for under the Mountain when Amarantha ruled.

[Christina]

I feel like this was a big choice that we didn't worry about enough. Like, I feel like we should have talked about this a lot more on.

[Anna]

Page, especially given knowing what we know happens at the end.

[Kim]

Yes. It was for naught. It was all for naught.

[Christina]

Exactly. It just feels like, oh, well. Like, to see them struggle with that a little more. Talk about it a lot.

[Anna]

I agree.

[Christina]

You know, and it's like.

[Anna]

I think what Sarah was trying to show was that it's, like, the first time Rhysand is essentially taking off his mask that he's been wearing for 500 years. Right. And he's, like, laying all of his cards on the table. But, like, at the same time, I would love to have seen a little more back and forth. Like, do we think. What do we have things in place. How are we going? You know this?

[Kim]

Yeah, this is.

[Anna]

We are. We are. We've kept a city secret for a really long time.

[Christina]

Really long time.

[Anna]

And I don't think people are gonna be thrilled.

[Christina]

Well, exactly. And it's like, shouldn't we just think about this a little more? Like, what if the mortal queens are working with Hybrid PS they are.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

You know, like, just. It feels.

[Kim]

It was a risky little game. And guess what? It didn't go well. It did not pay off.

[Anna]

You're right. It does not go well, ladies and gentlemen. And the queens are basically like, no, Sean, we're not giving you the Book of Breathings. We saw your city and we don't want a part of it. But one of the youngest queens betrays her sisters and does leave the book behind because she did read the letter that Rhysand wrote. And basically his letter was a plea to the human queens. And he talks about loving a mortal girl turned Fae. And the beautiful queen says that it was that, not Velaris. Not, like, the politics, but it was Rhysand's love that changed her mind, that allowed her to see into, like, his heart. Yeah, very sweet. Glad we got the mortal book. Very sad. What happens to that queen later on.

[Christina]

Oh, yeah. Rip.

[Kim]

Rip to her.

[Anna]

Rip to her.

[Kim]

Yeah, definitely.

[Anna]

Okay, listeners, that is actually where we are going to leave off this episode with that little cliffhanger. But next week we are going to pick up still in the mortal Realms, discussing Nesta and Cassian, the attack on Velaris, and then, of course, as is SJM's MO, how shit absolutely hits the fan in the last 200 chapters in Hybern, plus our very special Mastermind section. So till then, we'll see you later. Cheers. Bye.

[Kim]

Well, friends, that wraps up another episode of Flights of Fantasy Podcast. Don't forget to join our book club community on Instagram and TikTok at flights of Fantasy Podcast, where you can share your thoughts, theories, and favorite moments with us and fellow listeners. We'd love to hear from you. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us spread the magic of Romantasy to even more book lovers. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep reading, and remember, every good story deserves to take flight.

[Christina]

Sam.