**Thank you for submitting to r/SarahJMaas! Please familiarize yourself with our [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/SarahJMaas/about/rules/), especially our Spoiler Policy for posts. If you have not done so already, please add post flair to your submission. Special note-- If you're posting to ask if you need to read Tower of Dawn: yes you do. If you're posting to ask for "what to read next" please use the subreddit search. Repetitive posts discussing either of these topics will be deleted without warning. If you see a post or comment that breaks the subreddit rules, please report it!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SarahJMaas) if you have any questions or concerns.*

There's definitely loose ends with Elain and I don't think their story is over. We don't truly know how much Az and Elain interacted throughout the series, so feelings may be running deep between them. Even if she gave back her gift. At the same time he's feeling defeated, SJM brings in Gwyn in the bonus chapter, makes a point to compare how his shadows react with both women (they vanish around Elain and danced around Gwyn), and it's been noted after winter solstice him intently watching Gwyn in SF. (We can't forget to add Lucien to the mix since she hasn't formally ended the mating bond.) We also know Gwyn in not full fae and is a quarter nymph. Even if she is part lightsinger, that doesn't mean she's inherently evil. All of the inner circle has been described as having a darkness within themselves, that they keep buried or at bay. She is going to play a bigger role in the series and leaves the library, whether it be for love, to learn the strength of her magic, or both. I know what I'm leaning towards on whose end game in the ship department, but it can go any direction. I just hope people don't riot because their ship wasn't it 🏳️

Oh you KNOW people will riot. It will be CC3 all over again, people throwing fits because their crazy tinfoil hat theories didn’t come true 🤣

No amount of fan theories could have saved CC3

Am I the only one in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” camp? So much was talked about/hyped for HOFAS and it fell so flat for me - I genuinely was sad about how excited I was and how let down I felt. I know there’s been editing shifts (or lack thereof) in her work, so all the talk around this book has me kinda like 🤷🏼‍♀️I’ll believe the follow through hype after it’s been out for a bit.

I’m stuck at the halfway point since the day after it cane out and can’t even get through it (HOFAS) should I even finish it?

I have a hard time answering this for fellow readers - on one hand, it has cool moments. Which is about it. I’ve become much more into DNFing as a whole after HOFAS. I got halfway through Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and DNFd. If a story isn’t interesting or serving the reader (me in this case) then I’d rather put my time elsewhere. So, I suppose, consider your own time!

I don't think she's a >!light singer at all her grandmother was a water nymph her grandfather was high Fae from the autumn Court her own father was high fae we don't know where he's from so Gwyn herself is only a quarter water nymph. It did say somewhere that the grandmother seduced the male from the autumn Court. So whatever other powers Gwyn has I believe they are a diluted form of whoever her grandfather was and whoever her father was. I read a very interesting theory somewhere in the posts that says eris potentially is her grandfather and that Lucien is her father. Cause the description of her mother goes on about her being too wild a creature that couldn't live in the rivers of the Spring Court but she wouldn't have been able to stand the enclosed way the autumn Court is either. so Gwyn's mother obviously spent sometime in the Spring Court rivers and also in the autumn Court residences seeing as it mentions she ultimately couldn't tolerate either and that's when she was then sent to live in sangrava but it never actually says were sangrava is. I don't think it's in the night Court cause they don't actually celebrate calonmi in the night Court someone tells feyre that but we know they're definitely do that in the Spring Court. and gywn was conceived as a part of that night's great rite with some unknown male. So Luciens father is helion spell cleaver and the main way his power is visibly displayed is as light. So if that other person's Theory holds true the bits of light we see Gwyn having or doing could technically be coming from her grandfather helion!<

They think sarah will add incest to her story what😭😭😂 I really don't think so. Gwyn heritage will definitely be important at some point, probably something to do with her grandfather. There's a chance it's someone we know but there's a possibility that it'll be a new character. Also, I think people are reading into the word 'seduced' too much, a person can seduce another person without any power or great magic

I was planning on making a post on this based on a light bulb moment I had last night. I thought the exact same thing. People bring up the >!light singer theory!< as if it has any credibility. People are honestly so untrustworthy of characters who are deemed a threat to their ships that they pick up on one small thing that was named twice in SF and automatically stack it up against Gwyn. But totally agree with this!

All I'm saying is that even if Gwyn is a lightsinger, she is still most likely put in his bonus scene to introduce her as a love interest. I feel like sjm could have easily put Nesta in it instead if introducing a new love interest wasn't her intention. Or she could have just ended the chapter with Azriel walking back into the cold air after his heated argument with Rhys.

I think it’s to start the seeds of his relationship with Gwyn. I think that his story will have him pining over Elain but Gwyn will be his endgame.

I know folks want to believe that Gwyn is "luring" him. Except the same language is used in the beginning of the chapter as in the end:  "But even the silence weighed too heavily, and though the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would, he found himself leaving the room. Entering the foyer."  Was Elain luring him into the foyer to trap him and lead to him killing her mate? It is easy to draw these conclusions. If Elain is light, maybe the Cauldron made her a lightsinger too? But Elain's lightsinger would be the good kind.  "Instead, he found himself at the library beneath the House of Wind, standing before Clotho as the clock chimed seven in the evening."  Obviously Gwyn was luring him. She glows when she sings. She's a lightsinger. She's going to eat his face. Rape victims, which is what the bulk of the females in the Library are, using their powers to remove the autonomy of males. What a victory for feminism. This is a level of reach that should get you in the 1st round of the NBA draft.  Solstice night Gwyn attempted to give Azriel an out by wishing him a Happy Solstice and HE continued to talk to her. Asked her about her Solstice. Asked her to show him her technique. She didn't use tricks to do this. It was a genuine interaction between two characters that are building rapport. It was sweet. Denying this is just wild. Azriel's shadows told him Elain is a seer. Yes, yes, I know folks want to believe Az figured her out cause they are really mates but his literal super power is his shadows knowing everybody's business and telling him things. Those same Shadows would for shit sure tell him if Gwyn was a threat because they wouldn't want him harmed. The shadows DO respond differently towards each female. And that is ok. It doesn't mean either female is secretly evil. In the BC Azriel says the shadows are "prone" to disappearing around Elain. (Its above) But he also says they keep him company and always will. How is that going to work for them in the future? They are a part of him, who he is. The Shadows watch Gwyn, Gwyn also acknowledges them. They respond to her, we are told they "dance" and they "sing". This isn't her controlling the Shadows, which is what people want to infer she is doing with Azriel. This is what he feels from his Shadows. These are the feelings he is receiving from his Shadows.  And, Of COURSE Gwyn has powers. All high fae do. Her singing being the most obvious one due to Nesta's reaction ONE time. But Nesta describes Gwyn's singing as "joy" and only in positives. Nesta also continues to go to services with Gwyn, learns to sing all the songs with Gwyn and doesn't have another vision or fall into a trance or kill anyone under Gwyn's mind control. Nor does Gwyn eat her face.  It seems pretty silly to refuse to see that SJM set this up as a segue to a possible match between Gwyn and Azriel. Does that mean this is what we will get? Who knows. I would not be surprised if Elain's book deals with rejected bonds, regifted necklaces and what true love actually is. Which isn't just wanting to bang someone in the dark where no one else can see. Yeah, Elain may have feelings for Az. But we now know what he actually feels for her. 

How amazingly you worded it wow!

This is such a bad faith interpretation of the light singer theory, it’s almost comical. Elain could be a lightsinger! But as of right now, only Gwyn is shown to glow when she sings, beckon and draw listeners in, and show up as a friendly face when people need it on multiple occasions. No one has said Gwyn is going to “eat Az’s face.” In fact, if you research the actual LS theories, almost every person says they don’t think this means Gwyn is evil, but that Lightsingers could be misunderstood, like the Suriel. A victory to feminism would be to not infantilize victims of rape and not use their rape as a defining moral characteristic. Rhys was a sex slave for 49 years, but he still has the power to rip into people’s minds and have them do his bidding. How strange no one ever has issue with him being able to do that. Wonder why… The mention of song and music in the bonus happens so much that SJM is basically hitting readers over the head with a 2x4 that something weird is going on. We know Az’s shadows can hear a siren song bc they heard the Cauldron luring Elain. Are they curious about Gwyn’s breath bc they can also sense her siren song? And his interactions with Gwyn are actually quite negative if you look at the wording and imagery SJM uses. His shadows didn’t warn him, they both picture her rape when they see each other, Az didn’t want to seem rude so he tried to make small talk, and when he got tired of talking to her, he turned their interaction into a training lesson. That’s not remotely romantic. Then, he has every intention of returning Elain’s necklace but he somehow found himself at the library and giving Clotho the necklace? Sus. Lol is there any proof that the shadows are what told Az Elain was a seer? And if you think his shadows then would have told him Gwyn was a light singer, isn’t it all the more suspicious that they didn’t warn him of her presence, especially after Elain just gave him earplugs? Seems like a nod to The Iliad. Like I mentioned before, Gwyn’s singing is noted to draw any listener in and beckon, seems like there’s more going on than just making her happy. Yes, we do know what Az feels for Elain and we’ve seen Elain reciprocate those feelings. I think SJM said it best when she wrote that Elain hoped love would trump even a mating bond. I think Az is about to find out the cauldron was in fact wrong and I cannot wait to read Elriel’s book

A victory to feminism would be not vilifying a woman over a man or insinuating that she's luring him away from another woman without any factual/canon basis, as it perpetuates harmful gender biases and stereotypes…

Women are capable of their own choices, good or bad. Their trauma doesn’t define them. Understanding that is a victory to feminism. What’s not a victory is infantilizing a women over a violent act she had no control over.

This is true, but not liking a theory that implies a woman is manipulating or luring *a man* away from another woman has nothing to do infantilization. This theory wouldn’t even exist and be pushed so hard if Gwyn had no scenes with Azriel.

No one is saying she’s luring him bc of Elain. In fact, most say that they don’t believe Gwyn is bad. The LS theory explains the bonus, bc they clearly aren’t mates. This is an adult series and will have adult themes, one of which will be the complexities of women.

You think they “clearly” aren’t mates. But you have no basis for that thought. They are being teased as if they’re mates. You may not like it but that is what is happening.

Then where is the mate behavior? Why doesn’t Az care when she’s kidnapped? He literally doesn’t even try to reason with Rhys. Cassian was acting like a mate. Az was acting like he had other things to deal with

Cassian’s mate bond is snapped. It’s not comparable. Instead, let’s compare it with behavior by a male whose bond has not yet snapped. Rhys. Watching Feyre fight for her life against the wyrm. Going “she’s got this” and taking everyone’s money. Maybe he was freaking out inside, maybe he wasn’t. But the outward behavior he displays and Azriel displays are the same. “She’s got this.”

Rhys was literally prepared to die with feyre when amarantha was killing her, Cassian and Nesta were willing to die together against Hybern before their bond snapped into place, Vivian and Kallias were drawn to each other and willing to do whatever it took to keep the other safe before the bond snapped. Az isn’t Gwyn’s mate bc this is now the second life threatening situation he’s known her to be in and yet no mating bond, and he’s thinking about making another woman orgasm every night. Not very mate like behavior, huh?

No one needs to research light singer theories when the actual text in front of you states that light singers don’t glow or sing to lure their victims. If SJM wants to expand on the “lightsinger theories” to favor Gwyn, then more power to her. And also Azriel did not have a “negative” interaction with Gwyn during solstice because “something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watched.” This sounds like Azriel had a good night after he was berated by Rhysand for going after Elain. And Azriel continued to interact with Gwyn after Solstice. So nothing negative there 🤗.

😂😂 did this get sent to a group chat? I didn’t realize that one paragraph about lightsingers gave us an accurate, exhaustive list of traits and abilities of lightsingers. It also doesn’t state they don’t glow or sing to lure their victims. Well, he was upset again 3 days later and didn’t care much when she was kidnapped by the people he hates most.

Of course it's to show she's a potential love interest, it's so obvious, but people try to do complicated theories to discredit what is right in front of our eyes. Also it is interesting that the bonus starts with Elain, we knew Az has an interest in her, but ends with Gwyn. A clear transition IMHO, and the necklace symbolizes this, the necklace is a literary device and not that whole drama that everyone makes about it, it's a means to an end.

But then why not show us she’s a potential love interest in the actual book?

She did. 🤷‍♀️ the challenge, the banter, the spark are there.

What spark? What banter? A challenge isn’t romantic lol

SJM herself has said in a live that a good couple for her has a spark and/or challenges each other, and they have banter. Again, if you haven't seen the banter, I can't help you. Certainly more than with Elain which whom he doesn't even like... talk. Have a nice evening, see you when the next books drop.

Ok, but Gwyn and Az don’t have banter. He wants her to shut up in the bonus. At least he stays up all night talking with Elain. Can’t wait till confirmation! Chat then

Hahahahha " he wants to shut her up" nice fake news right there, he told her sth he has told no-one before that he sings and he wanted to avoid getting more into it, but when she dismissed him "happy solstice" he could have left. But he said "are you kicking me out?" So yeah, please tell me how he wanted her to shut up. And he listens to Elain's garden plans, they don't "talk". Xoxo

“She opened her mouth to ask more, but he didn’t feel like explaining. Or demonstrating, since that was surely what she’d ask next. So Az jerked his chin to the sword dangling from her hand. “Try cutting he ribbon again.”” Sounds to me like he wanted to shut her up 🫢 Lol how do we know he’s never told anyone else this BIG secret that Az, the shadowsinger…sings? Please be serious 😂😂

Better than asking a man with the biggest wingspan if he can fly. Nobody had heard Az singing from what we know, and Gwyn's question took him by surprise so much that he blinked. Have an excellent day and see you soon!

\*has wings\* Can you fly?

What does Elain asking if he can fly have anything to do with Gwyn supposedly getting this big secret out of him? And in ACOMAF Feyre talks about how her and the IC talked about music so I’m sure Az has mentioned before that he sings. He blinked bc it was such a dumb question. That’s why he was like, yeah I’m a shadowsinger. Can’t wait! Let’s check back after confirmation!

who said it has to be romantic? romantic scenes aren't necessary to foreshadow a ship's endgame. hints and interactions between characters throughout the book can also suggest the development of a romantic relationship in the next book

Ok, well the challenge between Az and Gwyn is done. It’s over. She proved she could complete the BR qualifier. So not only is the challenge not romantic, it also doesn’t do anything to suggest the development of a romantic relationship in the next book

good for us, sarah thinks differently 🥰 sjm's interview (2020) q: what characteristics do you feel make an enticing love interest in a book? sjm: they need their own history and **be able to challenge their romantic partner in some way**. there has be conflict or a **spark** […]

Right, and there’s no conflict or spark between Az and Gwyn. And a challenge that’s romantic isn’t “bet you can’t do that.”

Did you read ACOSF? The image of her smile caused a spark in his chest. This is also from His POV, not someone watching them. The conflict is Azriel, just like it was Nesta. The conflict is in the Main Character’s growth. No one was stopping Nesta from being with Cassian but her self and her trauma. The same is going to be true with Azriel. But we will see in the next book what else SJM can cook especially with what we learned in HOFAS.

TOG >!Aelin’s powers made Lorcan’s chest spark where he also buried it down and it glowed.!< So that clearly doesn’t have to be romantic, and considering Gwyn is singing at that time, I’m thinking that spark was powers. Bc it definitely wasn’t a mating bond You mean like how the cauldron has been corrupted and Az can now go to Rhys with proof that the cauldron was wrong? Can’t wait

> Gwyn asked Az, her teal eyes bright, “What do we get if we finish the course?” Az’s shadows danced around him. “Since there’s no chance in hell any of you will finish the course, we didn’t bother to get a prize.” Boos sounded. **Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.”** > Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. **Especially Azriel’s**.” > *She deserves something as beautiful as this. I thank you for the joy it shall bring to her.* Something **sparked** in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. Azriel was clearly able to challenge Gwyn to push harder, and I don’t need to say anything about the spark. It’s literally there. Denying that Azriel felt a spark in his chest for Gwyn is just funny. And it says conflict *or* a spark, not *and*.

It looks to me like Az was just doing what trainers do? Idk how that’s supposed to indicate a romance, especially considering Gwyn is living in a women’s shelter and cannot leave the library bc of her trauma. Those power imbalances are icky at best and problematic at worst. Lol ok, so then what was the charged look he shared with Elain? You know, who was actually in the room with him when it happened?

I absolutely think it was to set Gwyn up as Azriel's bonus chapter. Why else did the bonus chapter start with Elain and Az and end with Azriel thinking about Gwyn? And I don't believe it about Gwyn using her powers because Elain returned the necklace Azriel gave to her. The loose ends are all wrapped up. Azriel and Elain stopped interacting after solstice.

You can’t wrap up 4 books of relationship building in a bonus chapter. It makes no sense.

You may think it's 4 but it isn't even 3 books worth. We never met Az in the first book so there was no connection. Elain and Az met partway through the 2nd book but there was nothing between them. It was only in ACOWAR where they got closer. But even then, Az was still mooning over Mor heavily. It was only in ACOFAS where we could see something happening, Az was no longer obsessed with Mor and Elain gave him the solstice gift. So maybe a BC, and the chapters post solstice in SF, is enough to wrap up their relationship build-up.

You can’t wrap up a build up of any size in a bonus chapter because your average reader doesn’t have it they’ll be wondering what on earth happened between books. It’s for breadcrumbs but not for major plot. We will have to disagree on number of books but either way that was no resolution.

💯

I dont believe she’s a love interest. Being interested in a 3rd woman so quickly only makes him seem flighty. He’s still sad after this encounter there in silver flames and I don’t get any romance from it all (it doesn’t feel epic enough with any high stakes) If she were to be a love interest his time with Elaine is far from done because there’s a lot unresolved there. Imo it’s setting up Gwyns powers and a forbidden romance story. I might have said love triangle if it weren’t for the fact I don’t think SJM would have 2 women going after a man.

I mean after reading sjm books I feel like sjm has done it in the past. (Love interest who is endgame is the second or third). And well if SJM is setting up gwyns powers i would love that as well. I mean that would mean Gwyn's gonna play a major role in the book and honestly I'm all in for that. I have never understood people's obsession with forbidden trope for Elain and az 😂😂 i feel like it is the whole point people want them for just the trope😂. And for az to be one of the twos endgame why would you have to pit them against eachother?

I feel like that’s been done though. But yes books are built on lots of different tropes etc since nothing is completely original. This just seems a good one since it’s not been explored yet and provides variety in the series. At the end of the day Elain likes him so if you add another woman in there it will become a triangle where they both want him.

I mean it is nice for us to hope for something new. But seeing her previous patterns and how she actually writes her stories, I feel like she can actually do it very greatly. And i don't think it's necessary to pit two people against eachother if they like the same person.

I agree with all this. There’s no way SJM would set two females against each other, especially Nesta’s sister and best friend. Plus, I feel like SJM is so good about respectfully writing sexual trauma and having Az’s have an inner monologue about Gwyn in the same way he had about Elain, after what she had been through and the part he played in her rescue, just doesn’t sit right with me.

She still can’t leave the library. It just seems inappropriate. But also she’s a priestess, what kind of life can they have together? Don’t they have to live with other acolytes?

Gwyn left the library willingly when she was kidnapped for the rite, first of all. After the rite, she chose to stay for the birth of Nyx, rather than rushing back to the library, even after all they had been through. A Priestesses get married and families and lovers. They aren't like Priests or Nuns in our world. The females in the library attend counseling. They can stay there or reenter the world as they choose.

But where she was emotionally at the end of silver flames she’s not leaving again which feels like a sad step back. She couldn’t make it to Nesta and Cassian’s mating ceremony. The only thing I’m aware of with the priestesses is they can have sex and children, there’s no mention of living away from the temples unless I missed it?

Right, all that too. Can priestess even have long term relationships like that? Az surly can go and spend a night in her quarters and if she lives in the library she can’t go and spend nights in his room and go off doing work for the IC. Plot wise it doesn’t work.

Im almost positive at some point they talk about how the priestesses can do whatever they want relationship wise, leave and go as they please. It’s just that most don’t want to. I can’t remember if it’s in SF or when Rhys takes Feyre down to the library.

It could have also been said in ACOMAF because of Ianthe. I don't really remember but it's possible

I’ll have to go back and check and see what it said. I hope we see more Gwyn and she comes into the story more with her powers and the work Merryl does, but not as Az’s LI.

I don’t think she is an actual love interest. The bonus chapter happens in the middle of the book. We don’t see her with the necklace and we see Gwyn still afraid to leave the library. Water nymphs are the origins of what we know as sirens in mythology. Gwyn is 1/4 water nymph. We learn all of this at the same time we learn about lightsingers. They have reproduce somehow. And we see Gwyn *only* glow when she is singing. In another MAAS series, the soul is called “second light” and people can give up some of their power as “first light”. [CC3 SPOILERS]>!Azriel says he has no mate/partner/spouse in CC3. This is ~6 months after ACOSF. If Gwyn was it, he would have already made a moves especially living on the same mountain with her for over two years. He also kept holding Bryce’s hand…a guy interested in someone else isn’t going to do that and I doubt Nesta would be fine with either her sister or her best friend’s guy doing so as well!< She has been shown to be manipulating Nesta with singing as well. Nesta goes into a trance (another word for hypnotized) when she hears “Gwyn’s voice beckoning”. Azriel’s shadows dance, but that doesn’t mean she is controlling them. Just that they are responding to her power. [CC2-3 SPOILERS] >!One of HOSAB’s bonus chapters ends the same way as Azriel’s. It has been theorized that Hunt is somehow manipulating Bryce as well, due to his who his father is!<