A Court of Thorns and Roses
discussion
What do we think about the ending with Rhysand? [Spoilers]

Whatever power Feyre may have, I think the king will want to have it too. The best way to learn about the king would be to have Feyre become a political captive. I can see her being used as a POW.
Maybe her powers even extend to walking through walls like the rest of night court. Feyre was shocked when the other high fae could do so when she was with Rhys.
I doubt that she will get cool teleportation powers like Rhys.

Maybe part of Rhysand's bet with Feyre was good old fashioned boredom lol. I mean, how long has it been since he's seen a human woman?

I love everything about this post lol. I would love for Rhysand to find paintings that she did of him. Epic.
And while I know Sarah doesn't want her to be like Celeana, Feyre being a bookworm would make so much sense. I can see Rhysand maybe even regretting teaching her how to read with her spending all the time in his library lol! It would be very good for a retelling and many people can like to read. Feyre is still very different from Celeana. I'm actually giving ToG another while and enjoying it! It was a mistake after reading it when I finished ACOTAR. Bad book hangover.


This. She did NOTHING but was always very haughty and entitled. The only good thing was that she shielded Elaine from Tamlin in the beginning. That's it. She will need to work hard to redeem herself because so far she did none of that. I don't care how supposedly brilliant she is. Lucien is an ass but he does what needs to be done.

Lucien deserves someone better than Nesta. I hope that they don't make Nesta a fae. She is eternally annoying.
I'm pretty sure that there are things going on in Night Court that have to do with the bet. On Sarah's board, there is this character named Morrigan, which has some really complex irish mythology behind the choice and another girl named Amren. So maybe Night Court has the three 'furies' and Rhys wants a new girl for an open position? Someone able to handle the madness. Feyre is very perceptive, so she would be ideal for the position.
That is a really crazy theory, but there has to be some reason that Rhys wanted Feyre. He doesn't just do things for no reason.

Well mountains cabins have been rumored to have...certain uses. Preferably of the hot romance variety.
It's funny how the mountain cabin was one of the first things Sarah pinned for her ACOTAR board. So, It is probably somewhat important.

I like your theory! But when Rhys made the bargain, Feyre was just a human. Unless Mor and Amren were human's first and were turned into furies bc it requires a human-now THAT would be interesting.
My personal theory? That he didn't really need Feyre at his court, but needed that tattoo on her so he could help her--so he made up a bargain, one that would also piss Tam even more at Amarantha since that was his ultimate goal. This gave him an excuse to tattoo her. What's interesting though is that Amarantha didn't seem to be aware Rhysand had those abilities--or if she did, she was completely trusting of his loyalties. Either way, she didn't seem to think the tattoo meant he created some bond. Which if that's the case, it's an ability he doesn't let be common knowledge.
The mountain cabin and many of the night court (and Rhys) were pinned yeaaaars ago. And if the book is told only from Feyre's pov, which it is, that means likely Feyre will go to the mountain cabin. ;)

I wonder how that mountain cabin will fit in the plot. Despite what many might think of h..."
Yay that was me! I think both of them need to be seen. Another parallel. And with Feyre, Tamlin just wanted to take care of her. He didn't acknowledge to see her and try to understand her, instead of just feeling pity for her. That's what people want. To be understood.
What cabin? Or do you just think that Rhysand has one? That would make sense--mountains and all. I guess Feyre will be taking those midnight dips. Hopefully nothing bad happens lol.
Another thing I noticed: Feyre always mentions a shadow that watched her in her dreams. Who do you guys think it is?

Well mountains cabins have been rumore..."
Ohhhh so a cabin was a pin! I forgot about that! Brain going in all directions now lol. It's also funny how she pinned the whole Hades/Persophone theme from the start. Sarah knows the end to this story! I love that. Sometimes when authors make it up as they go things just go south.

I like your theory! But when Rhys made the bargain, Feyre was just ..."
Agree with the theory. Anything that pisses off Tamlin is gold LOL. And speaking of, what is UP with Tamlin's priorities? Rhysand said that he felt Tamlin's rage when he saw the tattoo. But what about when Amarantha had the attor beat the shit out of Feyre? Or any of the trials? A part of me likes the guy, and then the other half wants to beat him with a chair.



His priorities really need to be his court over Feyre. Same with Rhysand, or any High Lord. Tamlin failed in this when he sent Feyre away 3 days early.
You know what I find odd? At the end, Feyre meets Tamlin's sentries and members from his court. Where the heck where all these people during this time??? I mean, the story makes it sound like Amarantha keeps ALL of their courts there, and yet Feyre hardly mentions more than a handful? Never once does she think she see's who might be Spring court members. Maas obviously ran out of time, but I feel like it's not very...realistic for us to be told at the end that alllllll of of these characters are there and yet, we only were told about a handful of them.
Really, she should have gone under the mountain about 50% way through and fleshed out that entire part. It was more interesting than starlight swims and painting time. *snorts*

Wait, I'm still re-reading and I may not remember. Didn't Tamlin glamour his people and she couldn't see them until she almost left? Or are you talking about after the curse? I guess Amarantha took a lot of his people?
The first part of the book is why it's hard for me to re-read and I only do like 20 pages a day max. I get that for character development Feyre needed it. And if she rushed through it then it would be a classic case of insta-love. I don't see her going any way about this. And making the book longer would be pointless since the second part will be such a different story. After all this is a fairy tale retelling. Only Sarah could have made it readable anyways! But yes I do think it dragged and was slow. I think next book will be infinitely better though!

I think it would have been better if Feyre had gone to Amarantha BEFORE she loved Tamlin. Went because it was the right thing to do, because she wanted to try to free his court and the other Fae. Considering she hated the Fae in the beginning, it'd be excellent development to see that she went there not because of love, but because she wanted to save the race she hated because it was right.
Then have Feyre truly fall for Tamlin during her time under the mountain. (Or you know, fall for Rhys. lol) But anyway, I think it would still be realistic for Feyre to go to Amarantha to try to free Tamlin because even at 50% she no longer hated him and even liked him. If she also thought Amarantha was a threat to her family or the human world, she still likely would have gone, love or no love for Tamlin.

Mmm I don't know that seems like a stretch (while I like the idea)... Feyre was regretting her decision almost, many times. Her love for Tamlin is what got her through. It wouldn't make sense for her to go without that love and how would it work? Tamlin would hide her and then she would take her family and get out of dodge! She's like Rhysand except for her the court is her family. But I do think in the next book she will learn to think about herself for once. Find her identity. And then there would be no point of the curse. See while I ideally didn't want the Tamlin love situation either, it's a retelling. Beauty and the Beast. Pretty much the point. The twist here is that Beauty will not be conventional. So I think Sarah did a good job with that. I know there are some who like Cruel Beauty better, but I actually find it more bland and vanilla. It gave promises it couldn't keep. Too much formula and the plot was just weak. So this book was a breath of fresh air!
Also Sarah could have made it like there was a vision or prophecy about Feyre being a harbinger of bad luck to the cause and she would hunt her down and that would bring her to the mountain etc etc... but that would be too much YA trope. No... I think Feyre got what she needed AT THE TIME. Not something she needs forever, ahem, Feyre. Lol. Basically Throne of Glass would not work here, which is nice. Two separate stories and characters.

I never finished Cruel Beauty. I've read some mixed views on it. For some reason I struggled getting in to it.

I didn't finish it but was about 80% done? And that was by force. I didn't seem dark at all. And it was like ACOTAR but without the mountain lol. And a pretty incompetent heroine. Idk. It wasn't for me. Celaena though is hilarious!
And yesss I loved pretty much everything once she left Tamlin LOL. Figures. But I do think that she learned a little something there and that will be crucial for her future. So basically, thank you Tamlin for allowing her to realize how superior Rhysand is in every way lol. Your sacrifice will not go unacknowledged.

Sarah has said she doesn'..."
Excellent review. Very thought provoking and well articulated. Now that you mention it, I think you're right about Feyre being more beautiful than Amarantha. I never thought of that before. I think the romance between Tamlin and Feyre was a bit predictable at times and bland.

If Feyre is mated to Rhys, then she is his equal in every way. That may encompass beauty as well.

Sarah has said she doesn'..."
THIS. I'm reading ToG right now. And I think Celaena is funny, but the reading is light and I'm trudging through it. I'm hoping the second book is better because her first one was the worst supposedly. But I don't find myself thinking about the characters or discussing them. I think ACOTAR was Sarah's chance to expand her writing and she did.
Agreed on Tamlin too. I can see why some love him and I see his good qualities. I personally prefer Rhysand, but I think Tamlin was really good for Feyre's self discovery. Basically the first half wasn't my favorite but it was crucial and Sarah did it well.
I think she's lovely. But I don't know how lovely. Sarah's description didn't give us an exact image, but I imagine a soft but slim girl, light brown hair with golden streaks and brown eyes? Then as a fae we know she has longer legs and fingers so that implies she's leaner, toned, and has that fae glow. Lucien said she looked positively fae but that could have been also her outfit and such. She sounds to me like someone who cleans up really nicely. Particularly because she doesn't care so much about her looks, but will wear a dress on occasion and do her hair. And also to remember that she's a human and that already is very exotic to fae. I like to imagine a character precisely lol. But I love that Feyre doesn't care. I identify with her too a lot.

I remembered that with Amarantha she had a cruel look about her. And that makes sense. If you are that deprived it starts seeping into your eyes. But I think that Feyre being human has a lot to do with it. Especially since they haven't seen humans in centuries. Rhysand did say that he would love to sleep with a human woman. That alone implies the fae's view of them. But yes Feyre does sound very lovely. And she has high cheekbones, so that gives off another fae vibe. I imagine her and Nesta to both be beautiful.

It's funny because I've seen people who love ToG but hated ACOTAR, and some who hated ToG but loved ACOTAR. :P I personally prefer the story of ToG just because it's grander in scale and has so much going on. And the fact that it's not centered around romance. (I love romance a lot, but I prefer the plot to not center around it, especially in fantasy.)
Between both series, Rhysand is my favorite though. Rowan would be my second, followed closely by Manon.
And yet I do discuss ACOTAR more than ToG. Lol
I think he really did love her, but when she went Under the Mountain, they became distant and imo, in an irreversible way
I agree completely. It's kind of sad, but it's realistic given what Feyre went through--and the fact that she went through it all alone, with really only Rhys as comfort.
Poor Lucien though. Like first, he's nearly tortured so Amarantha can learn Feyre's name. Then he's beaten after the first task for helping Feyre. And finally he's used in the second task and almost dies. Lol he's probably like "what the hell I didn't sign up for all this shit!" haha
I'm hoping the second book is better because her first one was the worst supposedly
YES. I've found that each book gets better. :D The first book lays the groundwork for the bigger plot at hand.

I've never seen Barbara Palvin fancasted--didn't even know who it was and had to Google her lol.
My fancast for Feyre is Lily James. She's going to slay in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. :D Then I have Mia Wasikowska as Elain and Alicia Vikander or Elizabeth Olsen as Nesta. (They'd need contacts--I thought for some reason the girls had brown eyes. But all three of these ladies kind of look alike, too.)

Dude Frida is PERFECT because keep in mind that fae are really ancient. For humans every decade there is this beauty trend for a certain look (really annoying). But many models (the older ones) are classically beautiful. Frida is classic and she will never go out of style facially, plus she has the cheekbones and delicate fae look so I would see that in Feyre. Actually this makes me feel good because we have similar features and I always hated my light hair. I really love Eva Green in general for that femme fatale look. But this is good lol. And I for some reason thought she had brown eyes. Probably mixed it up with another book lol.
I will never ever ever understand the love for Barbara Palvin. Don't get me wrong. I don't think she's ugly at all. But her facial aesthetics don't do anything for me'. She seems to be a big hit with the younger crowd which makes sense. She does look very young. And there is something that lacks intensity that I would imagine Feyre to have. I understand why VS picked her up. No disrespect for those that love her! I guess I'm just particular.
That is such a beautiful picture and it really does look like Frida too. And another thing is both Feyre and Frida have versatile beauty. They can look casual or really stunning it seems. I love that.
You are so lucky you can draw. I can't at all :( And life is too short to obsess about fashion. I'm from a cultural background where girls are pretty much expected to wear heels and look good all the time. My view on beauty is the same as the French. Classic and casual and you don't have to try at all lol.

I've never seen Barbara Palvin fancasted--didn't even know who it was and had to Google her lol.
My fan..."
I love your taste in actresses ;). I like when people choose celebrities that aren't conventional. It seems more original in taste, no? I actually do think that Feyre would have strong brows. Just lighter because of the hair color.
I know that the second ToG book is really good so I'm holding on! The first one is too light for me? But I do like the action too. But Feyre and Rhys are my favorites.
Speaking of Lucien... if he didn't warn her that the worm was on her left, would Tamlin bother? Because he pretty much did nothing. At all. Like Rhysand I wouldn't expect because he didn't even talk to her yet. But Lucien saved her ass on that first trial. She was close. And he did a lot more for her than Tamlin. Like buddy, she's here because you opened your beast mouth in the first place. The least you can do is help in the same way that you also manipulated her.

Tamlin obviously thought being a statue was the best option. What's interesting is that Rhysand takes an opposite approach. He bets on Feyre to win. He makes a bargain with her and then tells it to Amarantha's face, a bargain that implies that Feyre will beat all the trials. (This moment really is a slap to Amarantha) He has her dress as his consort--despite supposedly being Amarantha's whore himself--and has Feyre always by his side at parties. He even kisses her knowing Amarantha will walk in and see it.
He took a not so subtle interest in her, and Amarantha didn't really seem bothered by it.

Do you think Tamlin would have killed the two fae? The first one was a youth.
What about Lucien?
Knowing Sarah J Maas, I would say that Feyre is absolutely gorgeous. She tends to make her main characters good at everything. Well, Celaena is good at everything...it's actually quite annoying.

But she does give him a lot of freedom, so maybe she's not really punishing him but using him for what she wants. She let him get away with a lot under the mountain, and we know he gets to leave from there more than the others.
Do you think Tamlin would have killed the two fae?
Yes, I think so. I think Lucien would as well. If it was to free their court, I don't think there's much they wouldn't do.

It's interesting that Amarantha didn't pay him more attention. Did she underestimate him that much? Also Rhysand is very charming. And in the end she seemed very angry that he went behind her back. Maybe after so many years she thought that he didn't mind her? I think that's what made him sure that everything he did for Feyre will work.
Honestly if I was Feyre, what Rhysand did would have been the only thing to keep me going. Lap dancing is a small price to pay for cheating death in my opinion. And CatcherR has a very good point. He scraped her mind with his talons once to see what the relationship with her and Tamlin was. But then the second time he didn't say anything. Given that I'd say he knows how to approach and help her best.

Personally, I don't think they would. Tamlin is too morally bound(he wouldn't even sleep with Amarantha for his court) and Lucien would only do it for Tamlin. I think he could go either way, depending on Tamlin's verdict. However, he would probably sway more on the 'no' side.
And another thing to think about is how he knew Feyre was a huntress.
In the first trial, Amarantha said that Rhys told her that Feyre was a huntress. The question is how exactly he knew...
Does he have spies in spring court? Since Rhys will eventually kidnap Feyre on her wedding day and he had the two night court handmaidens spy for him...it is obvious that he knows things...
Amarantha was high on her own power. I don't think she noticed much and took Rhys's loyalty for granted. I think that Rhys probably kept up his act as her consort a lot more seriously when freedom was not so near. He mercy killed that one fae and was disrespectful to Amarantha on many occasions. The opportunity for freedom probably made him slip from his facade.

I, too, really really hope she doesn't turn Feyre into something she's not. I get that being fae will give her new abilities. But she's brand new and she will need to learn. Feyre was a very real character and I think a lot of readers could identify with her.
Tamlin is just morally convenient. He decides when to play God and he never has remorse that Feyre has. Maybe because he's old, I don't know. But Rhysand has ghosts too. The only difference is that Tamlin had to pay for his own stupidity, while the other two did it for others. Him damning his court by sending Feyre away, not doing anything about it earlier, watching Amarantha kill Clare, etc. I think what people are not put off by is his general attitude. He puts himself on a pedestal and so people assume that he has exceedingly good morals. I say wait until the next book lol.
And WinterRose had an excellent theory that King Hybern is Rhysand;s father. And I love it! It would make so much sense with his background and why the Night Court seems to be the most powerful and also untouched. Why his members remain there. He's not the only one who pledged loyalty to Amarantha. But notice that his court is pretty much unscathed. And then there is only one photo of his father on Sarah's pinterest, and then others that look like him but are not labeled. There is no photo of King Hybern. Why wouldn't there be? He is such an important character! Unless it's a spoiler. I don't know but this theory is something to hold on to...

Rhys makes it seem like Amarantha targeted him because of what his father did, but there may be pieces of this story we don't know. I got the impression also that Rhys's court was left untouched because he allied with her.
He also says she "smuggled his land from beneath him" or something like that. My question is...how? I get how Tamlin got tricked, but how did Rhys get to the point where he was overpowered by Amarantha to the point where he felt like he needed to ally with her to spare his court? Or if that wasn't the case, was he tricked, too? How?

What if Amarantha came to his court in guise of being a helper from Hybern. And if Hybern is Rhysand's father then he would allow her to stay there not knowing that she's batshit crazy? Like I don't see Rhysand just allowing someone to stay at his court. He wouldn't trust anyone like that blindly. But I agree that there is still a lot of history we don't know yet. Something is off about the stories Tamlin and Rhysand both gave. And the way they hate each other gives off vibes that are deeper than parents.
And that's the point. The night court became allied with Amarantha but for some reason they all stayed there. Other courts did the same but some members we saw were there (Autumn court for example). So I think there is more beef with night court that will be uncovered.

I suppose there's the chance that Rhysand willingly allied with Amarantha, but didn't know she'd have a way to control his powers. Maybe she used a spell. That seems more logical to me than deceiving Rhys the way Tam was.

His court wasn't left entirely untouched. Remember when Feyre found the head in the Spring Court? It was the head of a member of the Night Court. I think that was the price he paid for sneaking out on Fire Night, he had to kill a member of his court.
So, again, what was so damn important on Fire Night?!

What is curious to me though is that the man had three stars tattooed behind his ear, right? Or somewhere--all I remember for sure is it was three stars.
So my thing is...wouldn't you expect Feyre's tattoo to have stars in it? Instead it's described as having whorls and swirls and flowers, of all things.

for all the lords...not just Tamlin. All the high lords would improve their lands by performing the ceremony.
After reading some more posts, the whole ordeal just seems more murky.
Rhys planned on going to fire night in advance though, I'm not sure if it was for Feyre. He was surprised to see her at the estate...
Besides, the fact that they met by chance or were drawn to each other seems to fit in more with the foreshadowing with the couple. It is the only instance that they actually don't have any of the fae-drama getting in their way. It would make sense if it didn't have any manipulation behind it. But it would not be surprising if it went the other way...

Rhys did seem surprised to see Feyre. Which to me, is surprising itself, because if he knows Tamlin needs a mortal woman to fall in love with him, you'd think he would assume that's why she was at the spring court.

"I'd realized from an early age that fighting and killing were about the only things I was good at."
And
"So I trained and fought for my father against whomever he told me to fight."
I definitely think he has killed his share of humans, since we know Tam's dad slaughtered many of them. This will likely not thrill Feyre.

Either Rhysand was tricked or he can't read Amarantha's mind the same way. Maybe the more powerful a fae is, the harder to read? I don't know. We have to see that one.
The tattoos could be either customized just for Feyre (lol) or that's just his mark. Him being a high lord, he has those options. Like a signature. And the eye was definitely there for the connection. I want to know exactly what it does!
Well Rhysand it seemed wanted some freedom. But he knew he would pay for it.... so maybe he did know about Feyre. Or he had other pressing business. Rhysand didn't seem surprised that she was there. He seemed surprised of Feyre herself. I just think he knew about her before. I don't know to what extent but it seems like he did. Now that he has his powers back we will find out just what he can do.

"I'd realized from an early age that fighting and killing were about the only things I was good at."
And
"So I trained and fought for my father against whomever he told me..."
I always thought that for that fire night not all high lords participated in the rite. All of them could just go to the spring court.
And like I said earlier, I think it's the personality of Feyre herself that surprised him. Maybe the fact that she dared to go to the rite. But we know from he lunch scene and from Amarantha's palace that he can pretend better than anyone. So maybe his servants reported a human girl at the spring court or something.
And I caught that quote the second time as well. It's clear Tamlin has a body count and did quite a bit to please his father back in the day. The question is why did he stop, when, and what will he be like now?

Woooooow these are really good points.

"High Fae mostly marry," he said, his golden skin flushing a bit. "But if they're blessed, they'll find their mate -- their equal, their match in every way. High Fae wed without the mating bond, but if you find your mate, the bond is so deep that marriage is.......insignificant in comparison."

My theory is the first part will have a triangle and more Tamlin related stuff. The first part of the book is called 'house of beasts' which sounds very much like his character. I think it will start off with Feyre at spring court and bouncing between the two courts. I think Tamlin will break up with Feyre once he realizes the bond exists.

“Fire Night signals the official start of spring—in Prythian, as well as in the mortal world,” Lucien said. While his words were calm, they trembled slightly. I leaned against the wall of the hallway, forcing myself into a casualness I didn’t feel. “Here, our crops depend upon the magic we regenerate on Calanmai—tonight.”
I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my pants. Tamlin had said something similar two days ago. Lucien shuddered, as if shaking off an invisible touch. “We do this by conducting the Great Rite. Each of the seven High Lords of Prythian performs this every year, since their magic comes from the earth and returns to it at the end—it’s a give-and-take.”

Jesus if ACOMAF doesn't kill me then your theories will lol. But one question: didn't the rite still call her after? Because that's how Tamlin found her? She was wondering the hall and he came up and hence the neck biting and all. And that makes sense about the rite being at different courts.
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I definitely agree! My heart was sinking when Rhys just kept screaming Feyre's name as Amarantha was, you know (avoiding spoilers right now sorry for the vagueness). And then he jumped in when nobody-not Lucien or Tamlin-or anybody else would.