So Aelin returns to Rifthold, where the story began. The same characters are in play but everything feels different. Everything is different and only in part because Aelin has changed so much.
Choal starts off being plenty pissy, but to be fair the man has a point. I’m sure he was hoping she would return with help from her fae relatives.
I was absolutely delighted by her new relationship with Lysandra. I always thought their enmity was bullshit, two women in a house full of toxic men should have been friends. Although when I think about it, they were both something like sixteen at the time.
I do have to wonder about the wisdom of them continuing to live in Aelin’s apartment, given that Arobynn knows where she lives and he has proven to be untrustworthy. (AND she burns down his bar.) But stealth doesn’t seem to be a thing this group does, she often ends up just walking around the streets with both Rowan and Aedion. They even go to a bar! The hell, people. You have no idea how to hide, do you?
I will not miss Arobynn. What an asshole. On the other hand, I have kind of mixed feelings about King Havilliard – he did terrible things, but also many of his actions were to try and stop or slow down the the Valg. I don’t fault Dorian’s decision to kill him, even if it was done in the heat of the moment, but I’m really hoping he doesn’t end up regretting it.
I also kind of hope Dorian hooks up with Manon. And he thought Aelin was a handful.
Manon continues to be my absolutely favourite character. I really believe that she learns so much from Abraxos – for example that’s it possible to be a badass without being a complete asshole at the same time. I’m convinced it’s entirely his doing that Manon grows enough as a person that she takes pity on Elide and adopts her as a Blackbeak.
I have no doubt that Manon has decided that she won’t be obeying her grandmother any more and that her story is going to get really interesting in future books.
I’m also kind of fascinated by the wyverns, because in theory they were created solely for this war but they turn out to have fully formed personalities. At least some of them prove to be emotionally bonded with their rider.
Elide has not yet hit the important part of her story, but she is a fantastic character. In a genre that always seems to be full of fighting bad-asses, I am always happy to see the one character who has to use her guts and wits instead. I’m kind of hoping that she doesn’t end up being another person who is physically transformed into someone powerful.