Crescent City, Sarah J. Maas’s newest book, is an overwhelming read, but it’s also incredibly cathartic. To all of you who are social distancing, I hope that at least this time might be allowing you to do more reading, and I’d like to suggest House of Earth of Blood(Crescent City).
I plan to post a full review later, but for now I have a snippet to share, along with a plea. (Mildly spoilery, as I talk about my new otp, but no plot spoilers).
In the words of Nova @afangirlsinsights , who created this epic nailart, “Ship Huntryce, not Brunt, or else the ghosts of authors past will rise up out of their graves and get their vengeance.”
Crescent City is purely about love, in all forms, not just fantasy-romance. Readers watch Bryce mourn and teeter on the boundary between grief and vengeance and madness, and discover with her that anger is often an easy way out, and that answers most often lie in the painful memories Sarah displays the different ways of expressing love in Lehabah, a tiny flame sprite who knows more about love than the most powerful Archangels of the city, and in Bryce as she puts the life of a whiny chimera above those of the world rulers. Through it all, Sarah reminds us it is not our duty to love those who have given us no reason to, as love not a responsibility but a choice; a beautiful one.
With all of that in mind, I ship Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar, as many do, which means that the fandom is going to give them a ship name. I’d like to encourage everyone to refer to them as Huntryce, like huntress, rather than as Brunt. Partially because it sounds so much nicer, but also because Huntryce actually has a beautiful, and kind of sad, symbolic meaning related to an unbreakable friendship from the book.
Even if you aren’t a fan of the Throne of Glass and ACOTAR series’, I’d like to encourage you all to read House of Earth and Blood(Crescent City). It’s one of those books that will break your heart into millions of tiny pieces, and yet it will be worth it, in a strange way. This book also brings with it a sense of immutable hope, which is important for us all right now.
Even if you can’t go out and buy books, there are indie bookstores that will drop them off for you, or where you can pick books up at the curb.
The books we love most have the power to change us. It doesn’t happen all at once. I cannot truthfully say that “Seated in the council room of the Assassin’s Keep, Celaena Sardothien leaned back in her chair,” would hold such an important place in my heart if not for what happened afterward. If not for the assassin, the princess, the guard. If not for these characters, these scenes, these struggles and triumphs which have left marks on my soul. But books cannot change a person instantly. A book and a reader build a connection through subsequent scenes as slowly, slowly, the book eases its way into the reader’s heart. Being asked to choose a favorite scene is torture; torture of the purest kind. You ask me to reveal what moment has lodged itself deepest in my heart, and I don’t have an answer. Hearts may be breakable, but their shards are impossible to measure. However, Sarah J. Maas is my queen, so I believe that if she can answer this same question with several scenes, I can do that as well. Perhaps you’re now seeing why your question has prompted an essay rather than just a sentence. I welcome you to come on this excruciating journey with me, as I attempt the impossible and determine which scenes are my favorites.
If anybody knows who this belongs to please tell me; it’s epic.
Warning: Spoilers for the entire series. I apologize for the length of this post.
Sam is the best character in the TOG series, his position challenged only by Nehemia. This is partially because his kindness and strong moral compass thrived even though he lived a cruel life of secrets and killing. On page 268 of Assassin’s Blade, Sam and Celaena crouch on a roof, scouting a house nearby. This would not be an unusual activity for either of them, except that for the first time, they are doing it together. Sam brings a sort of light into Celaena’s life where otherwise, her only defence against the darkness is her defiance. This scene is a perfect example of how they made life a bit more bearable for each other, even only in the simplest ways.
One of the most noteworthy elements of Sarah’s writing style is her constant foreshadowing. An example of this that also happens to be quite poetic occurs at a masquerade. This scene is not cheerful, not triumphant. However it is a rare moment of tranquility in a setting and time that are not tranquil at all. This scene is a rare moment when Celaena gets a taste of what it means to be carefree. “My name is Wind…And Rain. And Bone and Dust. My name is a snippet of a half-remembered song…I have no name…I am whoever the keepers of my fate tell me to be”(Assassin’s Blade, 283).
The bond between Nehemia and Celaena is one of my very favorite literary friendships. Right from their first meeting, something in them recognizes the other as a confidante. At their first meeting, they speak in Eyllwe, ignoring Kaltain, some confused guards, and an irritated Chaol. They discuss how wormlike a certain councilman is as well as the foolishness of building a castle out of glass. When they pretend to realize that nobody else knows what they’re talking about, they claim to have had a discussion about the weather. I love this scene because of the instant mischievousness between the two girls, and Nehemia’s refusal to even consider being cowed, though both she and Celaena have just entered foreign environments.
A scene that makes me laugh every time occurs in a brief lull of activity. Celaena has her period and doesn’t feel well. When she tries to hint about this to Chaol, he sits calmly not figuring it out for the longest time. When she pukes all over the floor, he realizes that she is actually sick, but still does not understand what Celaena is trying to tell him, until she finally has to clearly state that she has her ‘monthly cycle.’ Chaol does not know how to handle this and all but runs from the room, but Dorian comes in unfazed and refuses to let Celaena be miserable by herself.
So much of Sarah’s inspiration comes from music. Many people, even most people, listen to and enjoy music. But there is only a specific type who can get under the music, who are willing to let go of life and let notes lead them where they will. As well as it being a beautiful Rowaelin moment, I love this scene because you can tell through Sarah’s description of the music that she is naturally one of these people. Her precise words of show how deeply notes fall into her soul. This was a scene that not only caused me to increase my admiration for Sarah, but also to welcome her into my heart as a kindred spirit. Enough of my babble; read for yourself:
“It was not the sorrowful, lovely piece she had once played for Dorian, and it was not the light, dancing melodies she’d played for sport; it was not the complex and clever pieces she had played for Nehemia and Chaol. This piece was a celebration—a reaffirmation of life, of glory, of the pain and beauty in breathing.
Perhaps that was why she’d gone to hear it performed every year, after so much killing and torture and punishment: as a reminder of what she was, of what she struggled to keep.
Up and up it built, the sound breaking from the pianoforte like the heart-song of a god, until Rowan drifted over to stand beside the instrument, until she whispered to him, “Now,” and the crescendo shattered into the world, not after note after note.
The music crashed around them, roaring through the emptiness of the theater. The hollow silence that had been inside her for so man months now overflowed with sound.
She brought the piece home to its final explosive, triumphant chord.”
“She didn’t leave a by-your-leave or farewell or anything that would keep her in the room a moment longer. And he didn’t try to stop her as she walked out and shut the door behind.
She leaned against the stone wall of the narrow landing, a hand on her thundering heart. It was the smart thing to do, the right thing to do. She had survived this long, nad would only survive the road ahead if she continued to be unnoticed, reliable, quiet.
But she didn’t want to be unnoticed—not with him, not forever.
He made her want to laugh and sing and shake the world with her voice.
The door swung open, and she found him standing in the doorway, solemn and wary.
Maybe there could be no future, no hope of anything more, but just looking at him standing there, in this moment, she wanted to be selfish and stupid and wild.
It could all go to hell tomorrow, but she had to know what it was like, just for a little while, to belong to someone, to be wanted and cherished.
He did not moved, didn’t do anything but stare—seeing her exactly how she saw him—as she grabbed the lapels of his tunic, pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him fiercely.” Poor Sorscha. Why do I love scenes that make me cry? I don’t understand myself. I don’t know why this touches me so deeply. But it does, and I love it.
But in contrast those tears, here’s another scene that makes me smile without fail: Manon wants Abraxos to eat so that he can grow strong and make the crossing. Abraxos lies on the ground and smells the flowers. Yet another deadly killing machine that is also a cinnamon roll.
Rowaelin. Adarlan’s Assassin belonged irrevocably to Sam. Lillian Gordaina was Dorian’s. The King’s Champion belonged to Chaol. But Aelin belongs to Rowan, as he belongs to her. One of the most important moments in Heir of Fire occurs when our queen is bridging the gap between Celaena and Aelin, and Rowan’s understanding and mentoring plays a huge part in this: “ ‘Once upon a time,’ she said to him, to the world, to herself, ‘in a land long since burned to ash, there lived a young princess who loved her kingdom . . . very much.’ And then she told him of the princess whose heart had burned with wildfire, of the mighty kingdom in the north, of its downfall and of the sacrifice of Lady Marion. It was a long story, and sometimes she grew quiet and cried—and during those times he leaned over to wipe away her tears.”
Rhysand. Rhys. Lord of the Night. Bat-boy. Illyrian baby. That Scene.
I originally wrote this for a friend and well, she asked for it. She deserves the huge length of this post. But for the sakes of the rest of you guys, my descriptions are going to get shorter. I love the moment when Celaena is on guard duty and she and Chaol perform their dance in the night, and they become so emotionally connected. And when Rowaelin reunites in QOS…I absolutely love the scene in KOA when Aelin rides home on the stag; there was so much build-up towards that point and when I read about it, I felt that my heart was going to combust. When the Crochan witches all begin to fly north, fire to fire…I love that. That called to some ancient instinct that I hold inside me, and made it come alive. I love essentially any scene that has Elide in it, but I especially love the scene in KOA when she realizes how Erawan can be defeated and proves that she has an essential magic of her own.
Alright, so these are my favorite scenes. They’re moments that come to mind when I think of TOG, and these are some of the moments that I hold closest to my heart. I don’t know if they seem arbitrary or unimportant to someone else; they’re not the most happy, or triumphant, or grandest scenes. But these are the ones that have touched me most deeply. These are the scenes that have changed me most. I have one last scene to share with you, which, if I was forced to decide, I would probably select as my favorite. Probably. Yes, I wrote the whole thing out, and yes, I expect you to read it all.
“Chaol, to her surprise, opted to sit beside her, five of his men joining them at the table. Though there were several guards posted around the room, she had no doubt that the ones at her table were just as alert and watchful as those stationed by the doors and dais. Her tablemates were all polite to her—wary but, polite. They didn’t mention what had happened last night, but they did quietly ask how she was feeling, Ress, who had guarded her during the competition, seemed genuinely relieved that she was better, and was the chattiest of them all, gossiping as much as any old court hen.
‘And then,’ Ress was saying, his boyish face set with fiendish delight, ‘just as he got into her bed, stark naked as the day he was born, her father walked in’—winces and groans came from the guards, even Chaol himself—‘and he dragged him out of bed by his feet, took him down the hall, and dumped him down the stairs. He was shrieking like a pig the whole time.’
Chaol leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. ‘You would be, too, if someone were dragging your naked carcass across the ice-cold floor.’ He smirked as Ress tried to deny it. Chaol seemed so comfortable with the men, his body relaxed, eyes alight. And they respected him too—always glancing at him for approval, for confirmation, for support. As Celaena’s chuckle faded, Chaol looked at her, his brows high. ‘You’re one to laugh. You moan about the cold floors more than anyone I know.’
She straightened as the guards gave hesitant smiles. ‘If I recall correctly, you complain about them every time I wipe the floor with you when we spar.’
‘Oho!’ Ress cried, and Chaol’s brows rose higher. Celaena gave him a grin.
‘Dangerous words,’ Chaol said. ‘Do we need to go to the training hall to see if you can back them up?’
‘Well, as long as your men don’t object to seeing you knocked on your ass.’
‘We certainly do not object to that,’ Ress crowed. Chaol shot him a look, more amused than warning. Ress quickly added, “Captain.”
Chaol opened his mouth to reply, but then a tall, slim woman walked onto the small stage erected along one side of the room.
Celaena craned her neck as Rena Goldsmith floated across the wooden platform to where a massive harp and a man with a violin waited. She’d seen Rena perform only once before—years ago, at the Royal Theater, on a cold winter night like this. For two hours, the theater was so still that it seemed as if everyone had stopped breathing. Rena’s voice had floated through Celaena’s head for days afterward.
From their table, Celaena could hardly see Rena—just enough to tell that she wore a long green dress (no petticoats, no corset, no ornamentation save for the woven belt circling her narrow hips), and that her red-gold hair was unbound. Silence rippled through the hall, and Rena curtsied to the dais. When she took her seat before the green-and-gold harp, the spectators were waiting. But how long would the court’s interest hold?
Rena nodded to the reedy violinist, and her long, white fingers began plucking out a melody on the harp. After a few notes the rhythm established itself, followed by the slow, sad sweep of the violin. They wove together blending, lifting up, up, up until Rena opened her mouth.
And when she sang, the whole world faded.
Her voice was soft, ethereal, the sound of a lullaby half-remembered. The songs she sang, one by one, held Celaena in place. Songs of distant lands, of forgotten legends, of lovers forever waiting to be reunited.
Not a single soul stirred in the hall. Even the servants remained along the walls and in doorways and alcoves. Rena paused between songs only long enough to allow a heartbeat of applause before the harp and the violin began anew, and she hypnotized them all once more.
And then Rena looked toward the dais. ‘This song,’ she said softly, ‘is in honor of the esteemed royal family who invited me here tonight.’
This song was an ancient legend—an old poem actually. One Celaena hadn’t heard since childhood, and never set to music.
She heard it now as if for the first time: the story of a Fae woman blessed with a horrible, profound power that was sought by kings and lords in every kingdom. While they used her to win wards and conquer nations, they all feared her—and kept their distance.
It was a bold song to sing; dedicating it to the king’s family was even bolder. But the royals made no outcry. Even the king just stared blankly at Rena as though she weren’t singing about the very power he’d outlawed ten years ago. Perhaps her voice could conquer even a tyrant’s heart. Perhaps there was an unstoppable magic inherent in music and art.
Rena went on, spinning the ageless story of the years that the Fae woman served those kings and lords, and the loneliness that consumed her bit by bit. And then, one day, a knight came, seeking her power on behalf of his king. As they traveled to his kingdom, his fear turned to love—and he saw her not for the power she wielded, but for the woman beneath. Of all the kings and emperors who had come courting her with promises of wealth beyond imagining, it was the knight’s gift, of seeing her for who she was—not what she was—that won her heart.
Celaena didn’t know when she began crying. Somehow she skipped a breath, and it set her lips wobbling. She shouldn’t cry, not here, not with these people around her. But then a warm, calloused hand grasped hers beneath the table, and she turned her head to find Chaol looking at her. He smiled slightly—and she knew he understood.
So Celaena looked at her Captain of the Guard and smiled back.”
It’s likely that you’ve come across and read the Throne of Glass series. But how well do you really know it?
There was trivia at the KOA release events. Nova and I wanted to do well on this, so we studied quite a lot ahead of time. I realized afterwards that we had overdone it a bit, but we had fun learning all of these facts!
Spoilers for the entire series except Kingdom of Ash.
What color is the cape Dorian wears when they first ride to the palace?
What is the name of the king’s sword?
Is Fleetfoot purebred?
What does Wyrd mean?
What’s Aedion’s army called?
What does Rowan use to keep the tattoos from healing too quickly?
What animal is featured on Ansel’s armor?
What is the first constellation that Celaena shows Ansel?
What item does Celaena give Yrene along with the money and note?
What are all of the animal forms of Rowan’s cadre?
Does Maeve wear a crown?
When did Aelin first realize Rowan was her mate?
What is the name of Celeana’s Asterion mare?
What is the significance of the gold couch?
What is Sartaq’s ruk called?
What hangs in Silba’s womb?
What is the name of Dorian’s mother?
There is a scar on Chaol’s temple, barely hidden by his hair, who gave it to him?
Describe the significance of gold and provide examples.
Who was revealed to be dead at the beginning of Assassin’s Blade, and what position had he held in the keep?
What is belladonna?
What did Mort do when Celeana told him her name, and why?
What constellation sits at the head of Gavin’s sarcophagus?
If you want to try my trivia for the lunar chronicles, you can find it here: The Lunar Chronicles Trivia. It’s slightly easier than the TOG.
Do you aspire to be a true fangirl? (Or a fanboy).
A Picture I Stole from Amazon
I thought I’d get this mug as a gift, for my friend Nova, a huge fan of Sarah J, Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses Series.
In hindsight, I really wish I hadn’t bought it.
When the mug arrived, I took it out of the box and was at first content with it; I planned to wrap it up and bring it to her. Then I looked closer and noticed that the mug said “fandirling.” (If any you know what a fandirl is, please tell me, because I still have no idea.)
What Actually Arrived
I emailed the company, and they apologized and offered to send me another mug with the correct printing. But when the mug came, it also said “fandirling.”
This happened again until I had four misprinted mugs and decided that I really didn’t need any more. But hey, I was refunded and got four mugs for the price of zero, which I consider to be a pretty good deal.
This left me a couple of days before Christmas with no great present for my friend. Luckily, Nova is a sweetheart and thought my story was hilarious, and I got her something better after Christmas.
Moral of the story is…it’s good to be fandirl? One day, I hope I can look back on this story and laugh, without remembering my utter feeling of dismay when I opened the fourth wrong mug.
What book merchandise do you guys own? How did you come by it?
I do my best not to judge books by their covers, but…this is so beautiful. So far I’ve loved all the Cassandra Clare books I’ve read and I certainly hope to enjoy this one!
“Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.
James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love.”
Finale
May 7, 2019
I read Caraval recently and fell in love with it. I expected to enjoy it, but not nearly as much as I did. I haven’t read Legendary yet, but I plan to soon and am excited for this book to come out.
“Welcome, welcome to Caraval…all games must come to an end.
It’s been two months since the last Caraval concluded, two months since the Fates have been freed from an enchanted deck of cards, two months since Tella has seen Legend, and two months since Legend claimed the empire’s throne as his own. Now, Legend is preparing for his official coronation and Tella is determined to stop it. She believes her own mother, who still remains in an enchanted sleep, is the rightful heir to the throne.
Meanwhile, Scarlett has started a game of her own. She’s challenged Julian and her former fiancé, Count Nicolas d’Arcy, to a competition where the winner will receive her hand in marriage. Finaly, Scarlett feels as if she is in complete control over her life and future. She is unaware that her mother’s past has put her in the greatest danger of all.
Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun―with lives, empires, and hearts all at stake. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win…and those who will lose everything. . .”
Crescent City
No Official Release Date, Sometime in Late 2019
There isn’t a cover for Crescent City yet, so I’m using a picture of my queen, SJM, instead.
“Set in a world where humans struggle to survive amid intricate hierarchies of demons, shifters, angels, and countless other magical creatures, Crescent City tells the story of half-human, half-Sidhe Bryce Quinlan. After the brutal slaying of her best friend, Bryce joins forces with a powerful warrior-angel to hunt down the killer, leading them toward a treacherous enemy that could destroy the fabric of their world. The series will feature an array of captivating new characters, including a spitfire heroine who will stop at nothing to avenge her friend and protect her vibrant city, an epic world on the brink of war, and Maas’ signature heart-pounding romance.”
Renegades 3!
This book doesn’t have a title or a release date yet. But I’m predicting that it will be sometime in November 2019.
Coming from Marissa Meyer, the author of The Lunar Chronicles, I had no idea what to expect from the Renegades trilogy. However, I found the first two books, Renegades and Arch-Enemies were both highly enjoyable and highlighted aspects of Meyer’s writing that I had not yet seen.
We basically know nothing about this book, except that it exists, so I sadly don’t have a synopsis for it either. But I’m confident that Meyer will wrap up her trilogy in a satisfying and clever ending.
The Blood Spell
February 12, 2019
In October last year, C.J. Redwine was an author I had never heard of before. I took a leap of faith and picked up a book to read. I’ve now read more of her books and Redwine has now become one of my favorite authors and has not yet disappointed me.
“Blue de la Cour has her life planned: hide the magic in her blood and continue trying to turn metal into gold so she can help her city’s homeless. But when her father is murdered and a cruel but powerful woman claims custody of Blue and her property, one wrong move could expose her—and doom her once and for all. The only one who can help? The boy she’s loathed since childhood: Prince Kellan.
Kellan Renard, crown prince of Balavata, is walking a thin line between political success and devastating violence. Newly returned from boarding school, he must find a bride among the kingdom’s head families and announce his betrothal—but escalating violence among the families makes the search nearly impossible. He’s surprised to discover that the one person who makes him feel like he can breathe is Blue, the girl who once ruined all his best adventures.
When mysterious forces lead to disappearances throughout Balavata, Blue and Kellan must work together to find the truth. What they discover will lead them to the darkest reaches of the kingdom, and to the most painful moments of their pasts.
When romance is forbidden and evil is rising, can Blue save those she loves, even if it costs her everything?”
To Best The Boys
March 19, 2019
I randomly spotted this book when I was browsing, read the description, and now am very excited to read.
“The task is simple: Don a disguise. Survive the Labyrinth. Best the boys.
Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port receive a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. The poorer residents look to see that their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.
In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.
With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone’s ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.
This post was much harder to make than I anticipated, just because there were so many books this year that I loved so very much. Many of these books should be in several of these categories, but I only wanted to mention each once since there are already so many.
Books that caused me to see the world differently:
Spindle Fire by Lexa Hillyer, Every Day by David Levithan, and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Books I shed the most tears over:
A Room Away From the Wolves by Nova Ren Suma, Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, and The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Books that made me laugh:
The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling, and The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Books that put me through a huge amount of angst:
And I Darken by Kiersten White, Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas, and Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd
Books that I most connected with:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor, and Bitterblue by Kirsten Cashore
My Absolute Favorites:
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Caraval by Stephanie Garber, and Arch-Enemies by Marissa Meyer
Thanks for reading! Are any of these your favorites too?
Happy Holidays, and happy birthday to both my girls, Feyre and Cinder!
I just realized that I never sat down and made a blog post about going to Sarah J. Maas’s Kingdom of Ash Tour(October 23), and as it was one of the most significant events in my literary journey, I’m going a couple of weeks back in time to tell you guys about it.
I flew to New York with one of my friends who is also a survivor of Maas destruction. I feel slightly guilty about saying this, because I know she was really nervous on the plane ride, but I love flying. There’s something about going faster, and faster, and faster, until you leave the ground and are flying through the air, that gets me, every single time.
In NY, we stayed with an aunt of mine who lives there and who, as an artist has a schedule flexible enough that she was able to shuttle us around for a day. On the morning of the 23rd, before the tour, she took us to MoMA, and to a bookstore where we both had to exercise enormous amounts of restraint not to immediately grab KOA and begin reading before the tour even started.
But now to the event…
Elizabeth Evans read chapter 12 from KOA, and when she said Rowan’s name, she had to stop and wait for everyone to stop cheering and dying of happiness.
Throne of Glass started as a story on FictionPress called Queen of Glass.
Sarah was on the stage and realized that she couldn’t really talk about KOA, since it had only come out that morning: “Nobody could have read 1000 pages yet.” People raise their hands. “No you didn’t. You skimmed it.”
She kept trying to keep from crying because she was afraid her fake eyelashes would slide down her cheeks. The audience assured her that they would not care if she had shown up without makeup.
She’s thirty-two now, and she started writing Thorne of Glass when she was only sixteen, so KOA marked the end of a huge journey in her life. Now she’s beginning another with her baby son, Taran.
We saw Taran, who was adorable, and Josh, her husband.
She was asked about her favorite scene and embarked on a journey to tell us about every beautiful scene in the entire series.
Sarah cackles like Manon when she laughs, and I love that.
She wrote Rowaelin fanfiction for her books, even before Rowan had entered the series.
Was asked who she would want with her on a desert island(I wrote these down as I remembered them afterwards, the wording isn’t perfect):
“Not Rowan, because he would be nice and everything, but he’d look at me and really intimidate me, and the whole time would be thinking, “Yeah, this one’s an indoor cat.”
“Not Aelin, because she would get mad, and I would cry, and then she would feel bad, and we would just live on the island being unproductive.”
“Not Manon, because Manon’s not a cannibal, but once the coconuts run out she would start thinking of me less as a human and more as a walking steak.”
“Not Chaol, because he would obsessively build a raft until he could escape from the crazy woman.”
Then she picked the obvious choice, Dorian.
Mentioned there being Killer Valg Bunnies in the last book, nobody was sure if she was serious or not.
Talked about how she had the ending in her mind for a long time, and the whole time as she wrote KOA, she was begging Aelin to let her go there, and she did.
She needed there to be toilets in her book, and since it’s her world, she can do whatever she wants.
Sarah thought that there should have been an everlasting roll of toilet paper in LOTR.
“So we’ve heard Crescent City is going to be an adult novel. Does that mean we can expect more smut?” Sarah pauses for a moment after hearing this question, and then says in a duh voice, “Yes.”
One of her favorite moments is when Manon and Aelin were comparing the names of their swords and Manon was like, “Well my sword has a better name,”(She said this in a snooty teenager yet strangely Manon-like voice.)
Her editor said that Heir of Fire was too big, since it was so large compared to the first two books. Sarah’s response: “Well look at Harry Potter.” Her editor wanted to cut out “this Manon character,” but Sarah wasn’t letting that happen.
The glue they bought to bind the books could only hold 1000 pages, but the book was 1008 pages, so when people opened the book, pages would come fluttering out. Designers had to use bible pages and edit the space at the beginning of each chapter to fit it all into 992.
She talked about Aelin and how she wants to inspire us to be strong, and I can’t remember how exactly she said it, but the way she worded it made me cry, it was so beautiful.
I got a KOA tour bag, a beautiful poster of Aelin, an Amulet of Orynth pin, and Amulet of Orynth tattoos. I also wrote a letter to Sarah and signed her copy of KOA.
I know this post was really late, but I hope you enjoyed it, because sitting in the same room as Sarah and listening to her speak felt like a dream to me. I didn’t get to meet her, but I will one day, and this was still one of the best days of my life.
Have you ever seen or met Sarah? Do you like her books?
For those of you who don’t know, Sarah J. Maas is the author of the Throne of Glass series, the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and Catwoman: Soulstealer. I first read one of her books a month and a half ago, fell in love, and am currently in the process of reading everything she’s ever written.
Maas is a brilliant author for a variety of reasons. Her plots, unlike many, are thrillingly unpredictable. The characters she creates are real enough to be alive and her descriptions are detailed enough so that readers can create mental pictures, but not so detailed that there’s no imagination involved. Maas is one of the few writers who can create a series that gets better as it expands.
Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse of how obsessed I am with her (if I thought you would read it, I could rant about her for at least ten blog posts) you can understand how excited I was when I found out that she was releasing a new book, Kingdom of Ash, and that I’m going to be able to go to one of her events in New York.
I’m an aspiring author so Maas is extremely inspirational to me, and I’m very excited! I haven’t gone yet, so I don’t have much else to say, but I’ll definitely post about the experience afterwards.
If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would you choose? Comment below!
What color is the cape Dorian wears when they first ride to the palace?
A Reader Between the Lines 