forum Sarah J Maas! Throne of Glass! (Spoilers)
Started by @Rvan group
tune

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@EternallyEris

always from the ultimate bae Nehemia:

“I name you Elentiya." She kissed the assassin's brow. "I give you this name to use with honour, to use when other names grow too heavy. I name you Elentiya, 'Spirit That Could Not Be Broken.”

@Rvan group

The one that comes to mind for me is from the first book, I don’t know why it’s one of my favorites lol.
“I don’t quite comprehend why you’d force someone to bow when the purpose of the gesture is to display allegiance and respect.” His words were coated with glorious boredom.

@EternallyEris

oh shit as a whole?????
ummm probably a tie between:

“She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph.”
and
“Thirty minutes later, Rowan was still staring up at the ceiling, teeth gritted as he calmed the roaring in
his veins that was steadily shredding through his self-control.
That gods-damned nightgown.
Shit.
He was in such deep, unending shit.”
and
“But she was her own champion now.”

I mean… Queen of Shadows was so good

Colby

my favorite quote happens to be from QoS as well
"Improper. He didnt know how improper she could be."
(not sure of the exact quote bc i dont have my book on hand)

@Rvan group

The excerpt. Have any of you read it yet? I’m too nervous to, don’t spoil it, but is it good? Or does it make things so much worse? I’M TERRIFIED

@EternallyEris

I honestly did not think it would be just a big time jump between books. Can you imagine all the mayhem Erawan has caused? ALL THE TIME LYSANDRA HAS SPENT AS AELIN? DORIAN & MANON?

i am deceased after that excerpt.

@n o s t r a d a m u s location_city

No. As in a "The protagonist was brutal and unfeminine yet still praised as a feminist icon despite the fact that the only feminine traits she displays are shallow and surface level" and a "The biology of this world is unrealistic because there is no logistical way that a girl (regardless of strength) would be able to beat up well trained fighting men" way. This is coming from a girl who has been thoroughly trained in martial arts (almost 12 years at this point) by the way.

@Rvan group

^ahem^
Are we even reading the same book? That description is really off.
A. Not every female is pretty dresses and fancy teas. Is a girl not allowed to be brutal? Can she not be able to be unladylike? She can be a trained assassin and still represent females really well. I don’t see where you’re getting ‘feminine traits that are shallow and surface level’. What do you classify ‘feminine traits’ as?
B. And she doesn’t train in ‘martial arts’ either. And a female could beat a well trained male too, by the way. Pressure points, weak spots, skill et cetera. Did you expect the author to write a story about a girl who isn’t very skilled and loses to all the big strong males because ‘a girl can’t take down a well trained male’. That would be just sad. Strong girls can definitely take down strong guys.

I just don’t see where you’re coming from at all.

@n o s t r a d a m u s location_city

First off, speaking from personal experience, men far overpower women in fights regardless of how strong the girl is. Men have bigger hearts (are able to pump more blood), broader shoulders (more stability), more upper body strength, and better spatial awareness - all things needed to be successful in a fight. Second, by “brutal” I meant emotionally stunted. And on this point, the book would have been a whole lot more interesting if the author had gone into the effects of a lifestyle where somebody kills without any remorse but instead her lack of empathy is completely ignored. Of senseless killing were present in a male protagonist, he would be accused of toxic masculinity and branded a sociopath. But in the case of a female protagonist these traits are heralded as feminist and progressive despite it being obvious to everyone over the age of 16 that they are incredibly destructive and would be cause for a lot of jail time in our society.
Also do you have any idea how hard it is to actually cause damage with a tap on a pressure point in the middle of a fight - there is a reason that the first thing you learn in any fighting discipline is how to punch, kick, and escape grips.
With the feminine traits section, the traits given to the protagonist were effectively surface level. A liking of boys and pretty dresses are not real feminine behaviours. Real feminine traits are things like a desire to nurture, understanding, heightened empathy, and an ability to create beauty without being destructive. Of course these traits are not exclusively female but they do present more in girls than they do in boys. The protagonist displays none of these traits and is effectively written the same way you would write a male character which is ultimately ridiculous because gender does effect personality.
Anyway, I know you are probably 12 and think that this is the best book you have ever read, but there are so many good books out there that don’t encourage girls to participate in dangerous or destructive behaviours and don’t glorify what is in fact a horrific lifestyle. This book is absolutely unrealistic even for fantasy, and indeed when you write fantasy your task is to make the world and characters ultra realistic so the reader can suspend their disbelief - a thing Sarah J Maas failed almost comically at.

@n o s t r a d a m u s location_city

I’m not saying these people can’t enjoy the series and as an older teenage girl with a national martial arts ranking aim not saying that girls shouldn’t do martial arts or other dangerous sports, in fact I encourage it. But I do want the people who read this series to understand and note that some of the messages in these books should not be taken out of them. I respect their right to defend the series they love so long as they respect my right to comment on why I didn’t like it - debate is a healthy thing. I also did say that there are exceptions to these traits and they don’t come as a package, some are more nurturing than others and some are more likely to display less empathy and understanding but to create a realistic f male character to whom a majority can relate the author should have at least included some of these traits.
I’m also not saying that just because the protagonist is a girl and statistically girls are worse in fights, that the character has to get beaten up every time - but I would have preferred to see her have to work on herself and her skills and improve gradually as you would in real life and it would make her victories that more compelling. And yes the novels are fantasy but that should not act as an excuse for them being unrealistic.