TheA Court of Thorns and Rosesbooks have been setting the stage for a major reckoning that has been half a millennium in the making and the next book needs to make good on that promise. Now that Amarantha is out of the picture,there are no two characters who hate each other more than Rhysand and Tamlin. It’s a beef that goes back centuries, but the two High Fae Lords have more or less kept to their corners of the ring, busy running their own kingdoms and, for the past fifty years, dealing with the scourge ofAmarantha and what happened Under the Mountain.
Their hatred runs deep, and at a certain point, it will likely come to blows. So far, neither High Lord has made a move on the other, perhaps because they’ve realized that, as two ofA Court of Thorns and Roses' most powerful characters,it would be mutually assured destruction, or because there’s been no new spark to set it off again – at least, not until Feyre. Still, before theCourt of Thorns and Rosesbookswrap, their long-simmering cold war has to be ended one way or the other, whether that’s through a bloody fight or burying the hatchet once and for all.
The Next Court Of Thorns & Roses Book Needs To Deliver On Tamlin Vs. Rhysand
It’s A Fight That’s Been 500 Years In The Making
Tamlin and Rhysand’s mutual hatred stems from the only way two people can hate each other so much: they were once close. Their enmity has been honestly earned, both in the present day and in the past. Now, Tamlin hates Rhysand because he feels Rhysand turned Feyre against him and stole her from him. Of course, we know that’s not true;Tamlin is responsible for his own failures, but he’s also refused to accept that losing Feyre is on him and no one else. For three and a half books now, he’s been simmering in resentment and bitterness, and it’s created a toxic brew inside Tamlin.
I’m Sorry, But A Court Of Thorns & Roses Has A Major Stakes Problem
The Court of Thorns and Rose series is a fun, frothy read, but the lack of real stakes for the characters is starting to become a problem.
But readers also know thatthat’s not the only bad blood between the two former friends. In short, they each murdered the other’s family 500 years ago. Initially, Rhys saw the way Tamlin’s father abused and disregarded him and the two young Fae bonded. Through Rhys, Tamlin learned of the Night Court’s true power and told his father. Fearing the Night Court would grow too strong, Tamlin’s father took Tamlin and his brothers and murdered Rhys' mother and sister, cutting off their wings and keeping them for himself as a trophy.
Taking an Illyrian’s wings is the worst form of degradation and disrespect for an Illyrian.
In rage and grief, Rhys and his father retaliated, winnowing to the Spring Court. Rhys murdered Tamlin’s brothers, then ran upstairs to find his father had murdered Tamlin’s father, the High Lord of the Spring Court, as well as his mother, even though Rhysand had made his father promise to leave Tamlin’s mother untouched. Rhys' father was bent on killing Tamlin, but as he and Rhys were distracted by fighting each other, Tamlin took advantage of the moment and killed Rhys' father before running. After that,the hatred between them ran deep, understandably.
It’s Shocking This Fight Never Happened During The Court Of Thorns & Roses Trilogy
TheCourt of Thorns and Rosesbooks have dropped bits of this centuries-long hatred between Rhys and Tamlin, throughout multiple books.It’s honestly surprising that it hasn’t happened yet,especially in the aftermath of Feyre. Granted, Feyre and Rhys are mates, and there’s nothing Tamlin can do about it now according to Fae code. But it’s honestly surprising that nothing ever went down between Rhys and Tamlin before the mating bond snapped into place; Rhys did, after all, steal Tamlin’s girl. Tamlin was never more desperate or furious or broken than after the one-two punch of being tortured Under the Mountain and then losing Feyre. It certainly seems like things with Rhys would have come to a head by now.
Release date
A Court of Thorns and Roses
2015
A Court of Mist and Fury
2016
A Court of Wings and Ruin
2017
A Court of Frost and Starlight(novella)
2018
2021
A Court of Thorns and Rosesbook #6
TBC
On the other hand,it’s probably good that Rhysand and Tamlin didn’t come to their long-brewing fight over Feyre. In truth, Feyre isn’t the real source of their hatred, she just added to it. The foundation was laid centuries ago, the minute Tamlin and his father murdered Rhysand’s mother and sister in such a horrific fashion.ACOTAR’s toxic male Fae culture, especially that of the High Fae, is unforgiving and brutal, but decapitating Rhys' family and cutting off their wings was particularly awful. Tamlin later burned the wings in a sign of respect to Rhysand’s late mother and sister, but the damage was already more than done. The two of them fighting over Feyre wouldn’t have actually purged the poison because they’d still not have been addressing the real reason for their bad blood.
The two of them fighting over Feyre wouldn’t have actually purged the poison because they’d still not have been addressing the real reason for their bad blood.
Why A Tamlin & Rhysand Fight May Never Happen In ACOTAR
Rhysand Is The Bigger Man & Tamlin Is On A Redemption Arc (Probably)
Unfortunately,that long-promised fight between the pair of High Lords might never actually happen.Right now, it’s pretty clear that Tamlin is heading for a redemption arc, if nothing else than because Sarah J. Maas has simply done nothing with him for the past three books. At some point, he either needs to become useful to the narrative again or be killed off. The latter would be a waste, so it looks like it will be the former.
Rhysand has always shown he’s willing to set aside his petty differences and hatred of people to serve a larger purpose.
Rhysand also isn’t stupid. For as much as he hates Tamlin,he knows that the coming war will threaten to wipe them all out.If they’re going to win, they will need all the help they can get, especially from a powerful High Lord like Tamlin, and what remaining soldiers he has. Rhysand has always shown he’s willing to set aside his petty differences and hatred of people to serve a larger purpose. If Tamlin is willing to come around and help them, Rhysand will set aside his enmity for the High Lord of the Spring Court for the greater good of his people and all Faekind. It looks like that’s whereA Court of Thorns and Rosesis heading. Then again, it might be nice to see a disagreement in theACOTARbooks be handled amicably for once rather than through violent aggression.
