Nesta and Cassian finally got together in A Court of Silver Flames, but certain scenes in their story have made it much harder to root for them. Nesta and Cassian have been one of the books’ many will-they-or-won’t-they relationships across the Court of Thorns and Roses timeline, finally consummating their relationship and declaring their love in the most recent book, A Court of Silver Flames. Getting there took a while, however.

On the surface, Nesta and Cassian are oil and water. He’s open and jovial and she’s sharp and closed off. Even so, the books made it clear early on that they were destined to be together. Still, it can sometimes be hard to root for Nesta and Cassian as a couple because their path to romance has been so fraught that that romance isn’t entirely believable. The next Court of Thorns and Roses book will have to work hard to right the relationship wrongs of A Court of Silver Flames.

A Court Of Silver Flames Fails To Sell Cassian & Nesta’s Love Story

They Barely Spend Any Meaningful Time Together

“”>

The problem with Cassian and Nesta’s love story in A Court of Silver Flames is that there really isn’t one. Nothing about Nesta and Cassian’s relationship suggests anything other than the intensity of the mating bond and lust, but that’s not love. Sure, their sex scenes are erotic and descriptive, but even their sex seems to be angry; there’s little love there, either.

It doesn’t help that the previous books didn’t really set up a potential love match for Nesta and Cassian, either. Nesta spent most of the first two books being prickly and unlikable and after her father was killed, she got even worse. At best, she was a shell of a person, spending her days in a haze of alcohol fog or random men in her bed. During that time, the people of Cassian’s inner circle rarely saw her as she sequestered herself away at the far side of town.

Nesta finally crawls out of her well of grief and starts training with Cassian and Azriel. Even after she does, however, she has little time with Cassian that isn’t just training or fighting. Quite frankly, the pair just don’t have a lot of time to get to know each other in a meaningful and intimate way. The vast majority of their time is spent with either Nesta pushing Cassian away or Cassian being frustrated with Nesta. Yet somehow, as the books indicate, Cassian knows Nesta better than anyone, despite not knowing her at all. That’s just not how people or relationships work.

Why A Court Of Silver Flames Makes It So Hard To Root For Nesta & Cassian

Their Relationship Isn’t At All Healthy

“”>

A Court of Silver Flames leans a little too much into the old, misguided trope that constant fighting and being mean to one another just means two people are in love but unable to voice it. As mentioned above, they’re constantly fighting, and neither pulls any punches. Nesta, especially in her mourning period, is particularly brutal and cruel in her cutting retorts. For his part, Cassian is only a little bit better.

To be frank, their relationship isn’t all that stable. Nesta spends a good portion of the novel being awful, but she was the only one in the right when she told Feyre that giving birth would kill her sister. Nesta told Feyre in a moment of anger and frustration, but she wasn’t wrong to tell her. Still, everyone else acts as though Nesta is the one being unreasonable, and she believes it. When Cassian gets her out of the city and takes her on their long hike to dodge Rhysand’s wrath, Nesta even believes that Cassian is taking her out of the city to kill her. That is not, by any definition, a healthy relationship.

How Sarah J. Maas Can Improve Their Relationship In Future ACOTAR Books

They Need To Have Honest, Intimate Scenes Together

The next ACOTAR book, unlike A Court of Silver Flames, likely won’t focus on Nesta and Cassian, but Elain will feature as the protagonist. Even so, Nesta and Cassian will likely be there as supporting characters, and their relationship can continue to evolve even if it’s no longer the main focus. If and when it does, Sarah J. Maas has to make sure that it’s healthier than it has been depicted in the past. There should be honest conversations and no more walls between them – definitely no more purposely cutting comments. If the next book does that, it will go a long way toward fixing A Court of Silver Flames‘ issues.