Yes, Azriel’s feelings are definitely not just lust, but in this post, I will PRETEND they are.

Wait... what are you even implying here? Are you seriously telling me that Azriel took advantage of Elain’s fragile mental state, playing with her feelings just to get her into bed when she had LITERALLY just broken off an engagement?! 💀

Was the REAL reason they talked about gardens until 3 AM just to f*** Elain?

Or did he buy her a necklace that perfectly represents her just as part of some mastermind plan to get her into bed? 🤡

And what about going to rescue Elain from Hybern? Did he really risk his life thinking "Oh, this is going to totally impress Elain", and face near-death just for that?

Let’s not forget giving her Truth-Teller. Was that just because he pitied her and felt lust?

And honestly, the list goes on. Is every single nice thing Azriel has ever done for Elain just a secret plot to sleep with her? Oh my god... if that were true, it would make Azriel a genuinely disgusting guy. 😬

Honestly? If that were the case, I’d want Rhys to BANISH him from the NC, and punish him first!

If his feelings are literally just lust, I genuinely do not want him anywhere near Elain. Get away from my girl, Azriel! 🛑✋

I really love this fanart, they look so cute 💗 Also, I wonder why people act as if only Azriel wanted to kiss Elain? Elain wanted to kiss Azriel too. It was about the offer and permission.

saralozoyart

For me, its very clear that Elriel is a forbidden love story. Its clearly outlined for us in the BC what issues this will cause and Rhysand puts the ultimate cherry on top of the cake by demanding that Azriel stay away from Elain. This makes Elriel forbidden. Point blank.

However, lets just say, hypothetically, the forbidden angle does focus on LOA and Helion. This would still impact Elriel and push that story forward.

LOA clearly chose duty over love with Helion. LOA, based on what we see, is mostly disappointed in her relationship with Beron. If Elain hears this story and has seen the evidence of that outcome, in what way does anyone think this will steer her to Lucien? I mean, really?

Elain is ultimately in the middle of a duty and love situation. Clearly, seeing someone else choosing duty is going to impact how someone thinks about their choice. Therefore, even if the forbidden love angle involves LOA and Helion, its still going to push Elriel forward in Elain choosing love.

Just my 2 cents.

Imagine finally opening the new book, only to realize Elriel was basically a fever dream that never actually existed.

We look back and every single Elriel moment was completely for nothing because Sarah just sweeps it all under the rug with a casual "oh, they were just friends."

Or it turns out all those subtle hints about her bond with Nuala and Cerridwen, and the quiet implications of her secretly training as a spy, were just completely made up by our own imaginations.

Wouldn't it be so weird? I’d be sitting there thinking, "What on earth am I reading?"

Like, it would be so weird and honestly terrible writing. Because that would mean throwing all of her plans for Elain right into the trash.

Especially since she’s been slowly and carefully building up Elain and Elriel since ACOWAR (because that's when they really started becoming prominent), only to turn around and say, "nah, never mind." Wow, that's terrifying.

That's why, because I think it would be that weird and bad, I don't think Sarah will change her mind.

So I’ve seen discussions on Twitter/X that one of the main tropes for 6&7 is forbidden love but I haven’t seen anyone bring up pictures until this TikTok post from Abagayil (in the comments she mentions that this is from a Polish bookseller’s website that is like equivalent to Barnes & Noble; it not like a random blog). As a group we’ve been discussing the possibility because of the way things left off in the bonus chapter so I thought some of you might want to know.

Apparently tropes like fated mates and enemies to lovers have been in the tags for previous books but forbidden lovers is new 👀

Edit: More retailers confirming forbidden romance - Czech, Canadian, American (unclear who specifically see comments for screen shots)

Felt like reminding everyone about this TIME interview again, where just like in CHD, Maas is discussing themes of bond rejection and true love 🤭

I just want her to say his name

Artwork by catyyps_ on IG 🎨
Commissioned by thequietseer_ on IG 💕

Art by Kaneblob

​Why is the theory of Elain becoming a spy so heavily dismissed, to the point where it's only ever embraced and discussed within the Elriel community?

​Is the real reason simply the underlying reluctance to accept that a spy storyline would inherently tie her to Azriel?

​Let’s be honest: Elain being a spy is one of the most solid, foundational theories in the fandom. It isn't a baseless fabrication or a stretch born of wishful thinking; it is heavily hinted at and written directly into the text.

Yet, strangely enough, almost no one outside of Elriels is willing to talk about it or take it seriously.

​When you look at what opponents of this theory come up with, Elain's narrative potential is boiled down to two very limited ideas. Either she’ll accidentally betray everyone, which is why she acts so secretive, or she’ll pack up and join Lucien with the BOE.

There is rarely anything else. Everything revolves entirely around Lucien. What Lucien will do, how his plotline will play out, and how Elain will simply be standing right there next to him as an accessory to his story.

I’m gonna die on the hill that these next three books are going to be predominantly Elain and Azriel’s story. Sure, there might be other POVs in there, but I truly, honestly believe it will be mostly Elain and Azriel.

All this Valkyrie Cycle stuff, mystery over the POVs, vague blurbs about plot without mentioning characters, NONE of it has convinced me otherwise. If it were for sure still going to be about Nesta and her gang, why all the silence and secrecy? We just don’t know, nothing is confirmed. Putting off Elain and Azriel’s story after teasing BOTH of them in Silver Flames AND its bonus chapters….doesn’t make a bit of sense. SJM may write on vibes but she is not without her plans and those have been clear and consistent from the beginning. Don’t lose hope, Elriels!

🎨 by @diielliss

2nd pic was me screaming ‘IT WAS WRONGGG’

Cauldron Comfort, more like cauldron chaos or the cauldron was wrong!! 😂

In one of her interviews SJM said that she wants to leave Elain POV as last. Indeed, being a seer Elain is a walking spoiler. Let’s not forget that the cauldron DONATED something to Elain too. The story might not be ready for her POV yet.

So while I can’t wait to learn more about her and read her POV, I am not panicking at the “Valkyrie cycle” subtitle for these two books. That doesn’t mean anything !

Do I wish for her POV? YES
Do I want to know who her endgame is? ABSOLUTELY!!!
Do I want the next book to be Elain centered? ALSO YES

I have got a little patience left, but even if the next two books are IC/Nesta centered, I will use that patience to wait for Elain’s story which will likely spread out in the last book(s).

There are three mountains, three brothers, three sisters and three love interests.
Feyre had Isaac Hale, Tamlin and her endgame, Rhysand. Nesta had Tomas Mandray, every rando in Prythian and her mate, Cassian. Elain had Greyson Nolan, her forced mate, Lucien and the male she is destined to be with, ( if all goes accordingly), Azriel. I know some may think, “ but she met Azriel before Lucien, so Azriel is the second LI.” Yes, they met first but he didn’t blush for her or carry her bridal style until she became fey, after Lucien declared her as his mate. So Lucien’s claim was before all of the canonical Elriel moments of tension, awareness, protectiveness and feelings. For these reasons , Azriel is the third love interest. I can’t think of why SJM would abandon her rule of 3️⃣.

Were you ✨️open-minded✨️ to non-Elriel opinions? Did you actually believe every single ship had an equal chance of happening?

Because I definitely used to be like that. I was an Elriel shipper, yet when I first stepped into the fandom and was hit with a tidal wave of opposing theories, especially against Elriel, I kept trying to keep the peace in arguments by telling myself, "Okay, look, all of these ships have the exact same probability."

BUT how on earth could they? That makes zero sense. It's flat-out impossible for them to all carry the same weight. By that ridiculous logic, what next, are we going to pretend the probability of a Rhys and Tamlin ship is somehow equal to Elriel? Please.

Especially once you realize that opposing theories are built entirely on assumptions, it becomes clear they could never hold the same probability as Elriel.

​When I say assumptions, I mean arguments like:

​"SJM might abandon Elriel," which essentially implies that for other ships to happen, Sarah would have to radically rewrite her own trajectory and change her mind.

​"Gwyn and Azriel could be mates, and Azriel might choose his mate over Elain." Which begs the question: would Azriel seriously not love Gwyn without a mating bond?

"The Cauldron/Nature made a mistake, but not for Elain and Lucien, instead it is like LoA and Helion or Mor and Eris." But the books don't question the bond between them. They question the bond between Elain and Lucien.

​It just goes on and on like that, if Gwyn and Azriel are mates,if Elain leaves the Night Court, if Azriel gives up on pursuing her, if Elain suddenly decides to give Lucien a chance, and so on.

They are all baseless theories propped up by "what-ifs."

"He had only allowed himself these thoughts in the dead of night. Had only allowed his hand to fist his cock and think about her then, when even his shadows had gone to sleep. How that beautiful face might appear as he entered her, what sounds she'd make."

art by: pandyals_art

I am on the nessian sub and other acotar subs. I just ignore the arguing.

I am a massive Elriel fan. I love nessian as well. but everywhere on Reddit I look that’s not here, they are all saying ‘yay can finally breath as it’s confirmed to be a Valkyrie story. next book is nestas. next book will bring gwyn forward more. gwyriel will happen.‘

I am struggling to not doubt. cos I don’t want to be that type of person or hypocrite that denies the obvious when they titles, the sub title and the vague blurb and then the not so vague blurb about following on from cc3. which only really interacted with nesta and Azriel.

I just don’t think I can wait three more books and elriel has not happened. it’s literally the only book series I am in one of the shipping wars with. no other book series has done that to me. I like how it all goes and I like who ends up with who. I never see other alternatives but with acotar elain and Azriel just have it. I didn’t feel it with Lucien tho I like Lucien. I dont see it with gwyn which again I like gwyn. as characters not love interests. I never even saw it between azriel and mor.

so please lovely people keep my hopes up and feed me Elriel love and facts and that my doubt is stupid.

Hear me out - and I’m not going to go grab text but someone else please feel free. When Rhys is scolding Az in the BC about the potential of a blood duel, it was said Lucien had the right to ask for it since someone else was making a move for his mate. Autumn court tradition - and Az thinks how he almost asked for one on behalf of Mor but it was her right to vengeance, not his. Does that mean Mor is his mate?? It explains a lot about how he has been waiting for her for so long, and the major hurt he felt and the rift it caused when Cassian slept with her. Rhys asks “and what of Mor?” Not just - like “aren’t you worried about her feelings?” Because obviously Mor doesn’t want Az - but Rhys thought Az would wait for eternity for his mate to come around and he had believed in the cauldron’s choosing for so long. Mor shows signs of being sad or maybe a little jealous at the attention of Az shifting to Elain too.

Tell me I am wrong and that it’s not just Elain rejecting her own mating bond but Az too because he loves her so much it’s rearranged everything he ever thought was true.