With the next book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, there are several ACOTAR theories I’d love to see come true. So far, there have been five books in the ACOTAR series. One of them, A Court of Frost and Starlight, is a novella, but the rest are lengthy novels. With the number of characters and plot intricacies, and Sarah J. Maas loving to mystery box her narratives, readers have had fun spinning their own fan theories about what might happen in future Court of Thorns and Roses books.

Of course, some of those theories are better than others. I’ve read more than a few Court of Thorns and Roses theories that have made me roll my eyes as they just require ignoring all previous context and established facts to work. Other fan theories are less theories and more shipping fanfic. And some could be great theories but don’t yet have enough evidence to support them. Still, there are some excellent fan theories out there supported by solid evidence and strong reasoning. There are a few I’d love to see proven right in the next ACOTAR book and beyond.

8

Lucien Becomes High King Of Prythian

He’s The Only One Who Has The Perfect Background

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Okay, so this one may not happen in the very next book since I assume there will be at least a few more books in the ACOTAR series, but a really popular theory is that Lucien will become High King of Prythian. Lucien has been somewhat wasted in Sarah J. Maas’ books so far, but a character as important as him surely has a bigger role to play. Considering his lineage, powers, training, and connections, Lucien would make an excellent High King. I wrote about this Lucien as ACOTAR High King theory recently, and I still stand by what I wrote then:

Ultimately, Lucien’s weakness could be his greatest strength. Lucien was raised in the Autumn Court, is the former emissary of the Spring Court, and is currently the emissary of the Night Court but lives in the human lands, with Vassa, the missing human queen and Jurian, the spokesperson for his people. He’s also the secret son of Helion, High Lord of the Day Court. There’s no Fae in all of Prythian who has a more intimate knowledge of the workings of various courts or more connections to the human world. If there is a High King, Lucien is the only High Fae who could sit on the throne without the other courts feeling as though it favors any specific one. In belonging to no court, Lucien has the potential to belong to all of them.

One thing I didn’t touch upon then, however, is the idea that Vassa might become his queen. Now, while I would love for Lucien to become the High King, I don’t love the sub-theory that Vassa will sit at his side. Right now, we know very little about Vassa, and from what we do know, it appears Vassa and Lucien are nothing more than friends. There’s never been a hint of romantic interest between them. Besides, I’m too invested (and too much has already been invested) in the Lucien-Elain-Azriel love triangle to buy Vassa as a romantic interest. Instead, I’d love to see my own personal theory happen:

7

Vassa & Jurian Become Sole Queen & King Of The Human Realm

It Would Be The Best Outcome For Prythian And The Mortal Lands

Vassa’s story has been a loose end for a few books now. She was suddenly introduced as a mystery cursed human queen, Lucien went off to find her and returned with her, and now she’s living with Lucien and Jurian in a state of unresolved limbo. Clearly, her story will be an important one in the future even if it’s not at the moment. You can’t just introduce a human queen and do nothing with her. Seeing as how the only other progressive-minded young queen on the court was killed by the others for helping Team Rhysand, that leaves Vassa.

The ideal outcome would be to see the corrupt human queens defeated and Vassa as the new, sole queen. Or, barring that, she could become the equivalent of a president, if the human realm decides it wants to do away with the monarchy entirely. That’s where Jurian comes in.

Jurian is another character we know very little about. What we do know about him, however, is that he has plenty of qualities that would make a good king. He’s an excellent warrior and strategist. He cares only about helping his people, humans, and he’s willing to be ruthless to do so. He’s also shown his mentally unstable, cruel persona may be more of an act than anything; since the overthrow of Amarantha and Hybern, Jurian has also shown himself to be a good mediator and negotiator. Lucien ruling Prythian and his good friends Vassa and Jurian ruling the Mortal Lands would be the best outcome for everyone.

6

Amarantha Was Actually Tamlin’s Mate (But He Rejected The Bond)

It Explains Much About Their Actions

Now that Hybern is defeated, there’s one theory that could be revealed. It wouldn’t have much of an impact on the story, but retroactively, it would give fuller context to the actions and motivations of some characters: some readers have theorized that Amarantha was Tamlin’s mate. We know that Feyre might have been his love, but she wasn’t his mate, as that role belongs to Rhysand. That leaves the role of Tamlin’s mate open, especially as it appears Tamlin is heading for a redemption arc in ACOTAR.

Some have speculated that his mate is Elain, which is…fine, I guess. I don’t like it and I don’t think it makes sense considering all the tension between her and Lucien. Others, however, have speculated that Tamlin’s mate was Amarantha and that when he rejected Hybern’s ideals and her plan to rule Prythian, he essentially rejected the mating bond.

This is something I could get behind as it would explain some actions in the books. It would explain why Amarantha and her riddle were so obsessed with Tamlin, but she also allowed him to live above ground with the Spring Court. Conveniently, the masks she spelled to the Spring Court’s faces also kept anyone from being able to gaze upon the excruciatingly jealous Amarantha’s mate.

It would also explain why Tamlin lost his mind over losing Feyre. There’s no doubt that Tamlin loved Feyre and that his time being trapped by Amarantha Under the Mountain broke Tamlin mentally and emotionally. Still, his utter devastation and reversal to beast form after she left him has been odd and extreme. It could be that one of the reasons Tamlin cleaved so hard to Feyre is because he’d rejected the mating bond and was subconsciously panicking that he’d never find a mate, would never find love. Without Feyre, he has no distractions and he’s left to ponder the rejected mating bond and if he made the right choice in killing his true mate.

5

Gwyneth Is A Lightsinger

She May Not Be Part-Nymph After All

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Of all the theories, this one seems to be less like a theory and more like an inevitable fact that’s been set up through the narrative in the last book. The theory is simple: Gwyneth Berdara is not a nymph, but a lightsinger. This is a really popular theory that’s made the rounds thanks to all the very specifically descriptive scenes that describe Gwyn’s singing. In the books, Cassian describes lightsingers as being Prythian’s version of sirens: creatures with beautiful faces and mesmerizing voices that will lure unsuspecting victims into the bog to drown them.

The physical description certainly fits Gwyn. She is beautiful (but then, which characters in Maas’ impossibly perfect world are not?) and her voice is not a normal voice. It’s hypnotic, healing even. Her singing is also often described with adjectives associated with light. Whenever Nesta watches her sing, she describes Gwyn as glowing when she sings – that’s not a metaphor; she quite literally glows when she sings. Gwyn’s singing also conjures up visions for Nesta, her voice full of wild sunshine. That certainly sounds like a lightsinger to me.

That said, I don’t think Gwen will turn evil. If she is a lightsinger, I don’t think there’s enough in her for their dark nature to overtake her own. Gwen has been a fast and true friend to Nesta and has shown her kindness and love, and her bravery and determination. It could be possible that Gwyn doesn’t even know she’s a lightsinger, or that she was just told she was quarter-nymph to protect her from discrimination. Azriel has certainly taken an interest in her, and it could be that his shadows sense her light. That said, I’m hoping there’s another reason he’s clearly drawn to Gwyn.

4

Azriel Ends Up With Gwyn As His Mate, Not Elain

They Make A Much Better Match – Sorry, Elriel Shippers

We already know that Azriel isn’t Elain’s mate; Lucien is. It would be great to see the Elriel ship work out, but that leaves Lucien heartbroken, and I’d hate to see that, especially as Lucien has already been through so much. But it would also be great to see Azriel finally find someone who loves and accepts him, without the entanglements of a mate-ship. That means someone else has to supplant Elain, and that could be Gwyn.

A Court of Silver Flames hinted at there being a connection between Azriel and Gwyn that goes well beyond him saving her after she was ravaged by Hybern soldiers. He seems to be drawn to her. It could be that it’s just his powers sensing their opposite and complement in Gwyn’s lightsinger powers. If she is a lightsinger, it would make sense that she’d be Azriel’s mate, and that could also be what he’s sensing. It would be a little too reminiscent of Alina and the Darkling in Shadow & Bone, but Sarah J. Maas does love a simple binary.

Beyond just wanting to see Azriel happy, Az has a way of making people feel safe, which is what Gwyn needs after what she’s been through. If she is a lightsinger, Azriel’s shadow powers can also help Gwyn learn to control her own, balancing her out. As for Azriel, Gwyn could be good for him, too. Gwyn has been through horrors, something Azriel can understand. If Gwyn can heal from it and put herself out there in the world, as she did in training to be a Valkyrie, then maybe Az can, too. Personally, I think Gwyn and Azriel would make a better match than the warrior Azriel and the fragile flower that is Elain.

3

Azriel Was Meant To Be Elain’s Mate (But The Cauldron Gave Her Lucien Instead)

It Would Explain The Weird Love Triangle

A more puzzling dynamic in the ACOTAR books is the love triangle between Azriel, Elain, and Lucien. There’s nothing that says a mating bond always has to happen between two Fae for it to be love – indeed, we’ve seen examples of love without a mating bond – Azriel’s connection to Elain seems to be pretty intense for the normally stoic shadowsinger. It’s especially odd that his desire for Elain happened fairly suddenly after literal centuries of him pining after Morrigan. One explanation for it is that Elain is his mate – or rather, was supposed to be, but is no longer.

The theory is that Azriel was supposed to be Elain’s mate, per the Mother’s judgment. But when Elain went into the Cauldron, Azriel was in the process of dying at that moment – remember, his wings had been ravaged and he was badly injured – and the Cauldron, which loved Elain as much as it hated Nesta, took pity on her and gave her Lucien as a mate instead. Since Azriel recovered, however, Elain now has a tenuous mating bond with both Lucien and Azriel, which is why their dynamic has been so uncertain and fraught.

It would explain why Azriel feels a pull toward Elain, but she doesn’t feel the same pull toward Lucien that he feels for her. Then again, Elain is so against her heart being dictated by a mating bond that she has gone out of her way to avoid spending any time with Lucien, so she wouldn’t know if she felt any pull toward him or not. It could be that this is the Cauldron’s ultimate gift to Elain: By giving her two mate connections that aren’t particularly strong, it allows her to choose her partner based on true love, rather than a mating bond, which is what she has always wanted.

2

Elain Will Free The Fae Trapped In The Mountain Stone Of The Prison

Elain Might Be The Most Powerful Archeron In The End

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The theory that the next book in A Court of Thorns and Roses will focus on Elain seems less a possibility and more a certainty. The story was always about the three sisters. Feyre’s romance with Rhysand is neatly tied up and Nesta’s romance with Cassian has finally been consummated. That leaves Elain, and that’s good. We can finally get her messy love triangle resolved, for everyone’s sake, including us readers.

But Elaine is mostly a blank slate: right now, there’s just not much to her. Any book that makes her the central protagonist can’t just focus on the love aspect, but must also unravel the mystery of her power, just as previous books unraveled the origins of the power behind Feyre and Nesta. The books have been hinting that Elain might end up being the most powerful Archeron sister of all. We know she has the power of prophecy and clairvoyance, but it seems like she hasn’t fully tapped into that power or learned how to control it.

This is why I love the theory, best laid out by offtorivendell on Tumblr, that it will be Elain and her powers that release all the trapped Fae in the Prison mountain. The Prison is one of ACOTAR‘s most mysterious places. In a previous book, Rhys suggested that the Prison island is where the missing eighth court, the Dusk Court, used to be. That certainly seemed to be confirmed when Nesta touched the Harp and had a vision of Fae suddenly being sucked into the mountain and trapped forever. It seems there might be some sort of portal in the Prison, and that the Dusk Court got pulled into the stone.

It makes sense that Elain would be the one to free them. Each of the Archeron sisters has been tied to a mountain: Feyre came into her own when she defeated Amarantha Under the Mountain. Nesta became herself on Ramiel passing the Blood Rite. That leaves the Prison mountain for Elain’s test. She can hear and see things others can’t; if anyone can hear and see the Fae trapped in stone, it’s Elain. And if any character can coax the Harp to give up its prize, it’s gentle Elain. She’s the last of the sisters to show how powerful she is. They’re all uniquely powerful, and that’s likely for a reason, leading to the last theory.

1

The Archeron Sisters Have Blood From The Fae Who Caught The Bone Carver

It Would Explain Their Prodigious And Unique Powers

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The Archeron sisters are special. And while most fantasy and romantasy books tend to have Mary Sues as protagonists, the Archerons are individually powerful, and uniquely so, that just shouldn’t be possible or probable for the average human in ACOTAR‘s world. All three of them survived being Made – Feyre reborn through the combined power of the High Fae Lords, and Nesta and Elain by the Cauldron. By rights, there’s no way all three of them should have survived, much less thrived – but they did.

This suggests there’s something special about the Archeron sisters. It could be that they’re destined to help save Prythian and the Mortal Lands and it’s Fate and the Mother at play. Or, as a popular theory suggests, it could be that they have Fae blood in them. Specifically, they could have the blood of the very Fae who helped capture the Bone Carver. The Bone Carver has shown keen interest in Feyre, and he even made a point to mention that the Fae warrior who captured him has a bloodline that can still be traced to humans in the Mortal Lands. It just might be that the next A Court of Thorns and Roses book will reveal the Archeron sisters are of her bloodline.