I Hope The Next Court Of Thorns & Roses Book Confirms This Brilliant Elain Theory

Summary

• Elain’s potential as the strongest Archeron sister could lead to exciting character development.
• Elain freeing the trapped Fae in the mountain prison could address multiple ACOTAR issues.
• The next A Court of Thorns and Roses book should focus on Elain’s agency and self-discovery, not just her love triangle.

If the next A Court of Thorns and Roses book is about Elain as everyone suspects, then I really hope it confirms one fan theory about her. Elain, to this point, has been the most mysterious Archeron sister, not because she’s inherently a mysterious character, but because she hasn’t been as well-developed as Nesta and Cassian or Feyre and Rhysand. Whether I like it or not, Sarah J. Maas’ habit is to focus almost exclusively on a few characters in each book and leave the supporting characters less well-developed until the focus is on them. It’s created a problem with A Court of Thorns and Roses‘ stakes and characterization.

Even considering that, though, Elain has been badly underdeveloped to the point it’s hard to call her a secondary character. I view her as more of a tertiary character right now, a problem since the first book. Even when Nesta was just a supporting character, there was far more time devoted to her on the page, not just in her character development, but also in how much the other characters thought about or discussed her. That has to change, and I hope one theory about the next Court of Thorns and Roses book makes up for underutilizing Elain in a big way.

I Need The Next Court Of Thorns & Roses Book To Confirm Elain Is The Strongest Archeron Sister

I Wasn’t Sold At First, But Now I Want It

While not all the ACOTAR fandom is in agreement, there’s a popular theory that Elain will prove to be the strongest of the Archeron sisters in the end and I’d frankly be excited about that. To be honest, when I first heard the theory, I wasn’t that into it. I’d grown too attached to Feyre, and even more to Nesta through her grief-and-growth arc to even think about the personality void that is Elain (at least so far) usurping them as the most powerful and potentially pivotal sister.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I liked it. Elain becoming the strongest Archeron sister takes nothing away from the other two, and it can add a lot to the next Court of Thorns and Roses book. It’s hard to go wrong with Elain’s characterization at this point, as she doesn’t have any to screw up. That leaves the door wide open for a really cool storyline.

Plus, Elain has had the benefit of having five books before getting to her story. The stakes are bigger and the lore is more established. Feyre became the first High Lady and Fae-made human. Nesta became the first Valkyrie in half a millennium. That surely means Elain will also be a legendary first and that’s exciting to think about. Others may disagree with me, but getting a really interesting and surprising storyline for Elain trumps Feyre and Nesta remaining in the spotlight, in my opinion.

Feyre became the first High Lady and Fae-made human. Nesta became the first Valkyrie in half a millennium. That surely means Elain will also be a legendary first and that’s exciting to think about.

Elain Could Free The Fae Trapped Behind The Prison Mountain Rock

If Anyone Has The Power To Do It, It’s Elain

Going further with the Elain theory, there’s a guess that she will be the one to free the Fae trapped behind the rock of the Prison mountain. The Fae in the rock were first introduced in the last book, A Court of Silver Flames, when Nesta touched the Harp and it showed her a vision. The theory from fans – and it’s one I agree with – is that the Fae trapped in or behind the rock of the mountain are the missing members of the vanished Dusk Court, which disappeared without a trace. Some readers believe the Dusk Court is actually Prythian’s afterlife, but I think the screams and pleas Nesta heard contradict that theory.

I’m certain Elain will play a part. She can hear heartbeats through solid stone, she can “see” distances and through things that other Fae can’t, and she has psychic visions. If any of the Archerons can figure out the mystery of the Fae in the rock and free them, it’s Elain. If she could pull it off and bring the Fae back – and, perhaps, the Pegasus horses that seemed to die out with them – it would go a long way to supporting the idea that Elain is the most powerful sister once her powers are fully unleashed.

Elain Freeing The Fae In The Mountain Prison Would Solve Multiple ACOTAR Problems

It Would Kill Two Underdeveloped Birds With One Narrative Stone

Elain freeing the Fae would be a neat way to address multiple current ACOTAR problems. Right now, I think we can all agree that Elain is the only personality-proof character of the Inner Circle. I’m not even sure I would call her part of the Inner Circle, thanks to how on the fringes she’s been. There have been hints at something more to her, but they’ve been brief and rare. I need the next book to flesh her out; otherwise, there’s no point in her even being in it. A storyline with Elain figuring out how to free the trapped Fae would finally give her something meaningful to do and an opportunity for character development.

Sarah J. Maas sometimes leaves unresolved plot threads hanging too long and supporting characters floating in limbo, but there’s no way these Fae were introduced without there being some sort of future payoff. It would be pretty odd for them to go unexplored in the next novel, so it would make sense that Elain might just free them as part of her arc of coming into her powers. They haven’t been explored yet or explained, but Elain’s storyline could easily do that. And, hey, suddenly having an entirely new eighth Court to help in the coming war would be very useful and ensure Elain goes down as a legend in Prythian history, just like her sisters.

The Next Court Of Thorns & Roses Book Can’t Just Be About Elain’s Love Triangle

Elain Deserves Agency Beyond Which Man Gets Her

So far, Elain’s most defining trait isn’t even about her, but about her being Lucien’s mate and Azriel’s love. It’s not even entirely clear how she feels about either of them, seeing as how most of the blossoming romance she has with Azriel has been relayed through his point of view, not hers. As for Lucien, she simply hasn’t spent enough time with him to gain any firm feelings one way or the other (but then, none of us have spent enough time with Lucien for our liking). Outside of declaring she wants to choose her own romantic partner – and, I mean, who doesn’t? – Elain has had very little agency in the books, a fact that has frustrated me.

An arc just as great as Elain finding love or freeing the trapped Fae would be her coming into her own power and her own agency, able to advocate for herself and carve out a role in the Fae world.

That’s why the next A Court of Thorns and Roses book, if it does follow her POV, can’t just be about her deciding between Azriel or Lucien. She deserves more as a character, and so do the readers. Thus far, the ACOTAR books have been filled with strong, complex, flawed women, which I love. An arc just as great as Elain finding love or freeing the trapped Fae would be her coming into her own power and her own agency, able to advocate for herself and carve out a role in the Fae world. She hasn’t yet found her place or her people, and the next book can and should change that.