Stephanie FermaziJun 16, 2017 09:22AM3 votes
I'm glad I'm not the only one who was upset about Tamlin. After all the build up of their relationship in ACOTAR and chapters dedicated to his complexity, his assets, his flaws and everything that made him worth fighting for. suddenly turning him into a one-dimensional emotional abuser was a major WTF moment. I really hated what Maas did to Tamlin after she made us fall in love with him and Feyre. I picked up book 3 and regretted it as well. I wish I stopped at ACOTAR.
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Vaidehi (last editedJun 05, 2017 12:16PM)Jun 05, 2017 12:11PM2 votes
Lol I didn't even know that people were still rooting for the Tool. Haven't y'all read ACOMAF or what?
Tbh, I don't hate Tamlin. I think he's an okay person. I just think he's really stupid. He was misogynistic and controlling and just plain hated to lose her to Rhys. He clearly stated in ACOTAR that he hated to lose so obviously he was beyond mortified when Feyre left with Rhys. He just didn't love her enough or in the right way. We have this saying in my native tongue that roughly translates to "Too much of even nectar is poisonous". He was so absorbed in loving her that he didn't realize his love was becoming toxic so much so that he actually made a deal with Hybern. Even in ACOTAR, he just sat by Amarantha like a pretty doll and did nothing while she struggled and again did nothing when she died. Rhys on the other hand went down fighting for her. No matter how many times Amarantha fought him and pushed him down, HE NEVER STOPPED TRYING, NOT ONCE. Tam just lay there and whsipered 'Please' every now and then.
Rhys loved her the way she deserved to be loved. He treated her as an equal not just as some sissy, ninny girl who was just meant to whelp out his brood.
Also a lot of you are speaking as if Feyre just took one look at Rhys, took off her panties and ran off with him. She fell in love with him gradually, it was not a snap decision based on shallow instincts. If it was Rhys would have had her in ACOTAR.
For God's sake, she didn't even smile at him for months. She took her time, getting to know him, she made him explain all his previous wrongdoings, saw the male underneath who was genuinely a wonderful person and then fell in love with him.
I rest my case.
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StephanieApr 29, 2016 10:38AM0 votes
I hadn't heard any of the Tamlin-centric spoilers (beyond what's in the first four chapters), but regardless, I'll wait until I read the book before I make any judgments about whether or not I think whatever happens is fair, out of character, or organic to the story.
I do know I never liked Chaol and haven't had an issue with any of SJM's manipulations in the TOG series and I really don't like Tam either, so I'm not particularly worried about the possibility of his character being massacred in ACOMAF, but...since we're on the subject of Tamlin's character, I do think there are a few things worth pointing out.
1. Rhys's entire strategy hinged on stoking Tamlin's temper to the point where he was angry enough to obliterate Amarantha the second he got his powers back (which is exactly what happened). I mean, Tamlin is literally and figuratively "the beast" in the story. Just because he appears to not have claws, doesn't mean they aren't there. And just because Rhys lets his inner darkness out to play more publicly than Tam does, doesn't mean that Tam isn't dark.
2. Perspective ya'll. We're living in Feyre's head, seeing events through her eyes (well, and sometimes Rhys's) and her (mis)perceptions. It's not out of line to say that she's judging situations (and people) based on a very limited perspective. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Rhys and Lucien would be much better judges of Tamlin's true character than Feyre at this point, just given their ages and the amount of time they've spent with him (as friends and during the war). Unfortunately, we don't get to live in their heads.
3. I find it helps, when trying to understand a character better, to look between the lines of their behavior and consider what actions they don't take as much as what actions they do take.
For example: Yes, Rhys objectified Feyre. He dressed her up like his little sex toy and put her on display for all to see. You know what he didn't do? Take advantage of her sexually when she was essentially unable to defend herself or say no. And he didn't let anybody else take advantage of her either.
On the other hand, Tam is the quintessential "strong and silent" type. We're led to believe that he keeps his mouth shut to protect Feyre, but do you know what that means he didn't do? He let her fight his battles for him and didn't lift a finger to help her (other than sending Lucian to check up on her after that first beating) the entire time she was Under the Mountain, or even speak in her defense, until it was too late (and then, he begged). In fact, he didn't say ANYTHING to her at all until after he got caught trying to have sex with her in a dark corner. Real charmer that one.
The bottom line is that we're one book in with a severely limited perspective. We don't know Rhys's back story and, really, we know very little of Tam's. Add that to the fact that horrific events can change even the strongest people for better OR worse and it's really hard to know what's going to feel organic until we get there.
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Maggie(last editedApr 26, 2016 03:58PM)Apr 26, 2016 03:55PM1 vote
Totally agree, let Feyre go to Rhys but don't turn Tamlin into a villain. But then again, Maas f*cked up everything so that's just typical.
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KezJan 12, 2018 11:50AM0 votes
I was pretty far into mist and fury when I realised that Tamlin and Fayre were'nt going to have their talk it out moment. I thought they were both suffersing from PTSD, I suspected Ianthe was tearing them apart (Which was why there were red petals even though she said no red, a point totally fogotten later on).
I wanted them to talk it out, neither of them tried! He was written as a bullish bore... I assumed he was scarred and scared and locked her behind him that day in a traumatic episode of fear. But no... Maas says he did it cause he was bad.
I'm just really confused, so am I supposed to just forget about all they went through in the first book; the dancing, playing the fiddle for her, the taking her to the pool of stars to see her smile, showing her the wisps, showing her his gallery, giving space and supplies to paint, saying that he couldnt see a family go hungry, giving her family security, offering to help her read in the study... we should just forget all that.
I only liked Rhys as a morally questionable sassy side friend. I mean he drugged and groped her every night for little to no reason... he genuinly didnt have to do that. But he was still a great character, interesting but nasty...
... Tamlin worked for me. And poor Lucien had a violent character rewrite... nothing was even made a thing of when he was being sexually harrassed by that priestess .
Tamlin and Lucien were butchered and I hoped so much that it was due to trauma and Ianthes poinsonous influence.. that she was the one that pushed the wedding, the court behaviour, the tithe.... that would have made for a better plot. Lucien and Tamlin at the end of the CoTaR were ready for change, not to lock her up. I would have loved to see that cahracter development as they evolved with Feyre. A lovers tiff was fine, good. it would mean their trauma was really but that they could work through it together... grow together, fight and train and learn together. I can't believe Maas traded all that oppurtuinty for emotional depth and exploration of couples mental health and changing ways for.... a flat, forced, 'prince charming' being bad to be good for his people, unexciting twist in plot...
Disappointing...
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Sheechiibii(last editedMay 12, 2016 08:26AM)May 12, 2016 08:21AM0 votes
I saw issues with Tamlin's behaviour all through ACOTAR. Basically the entire plot was how he could manipulate a desperate and miserable young woman into falling in love with him. He controls ever aspect of her life after the third chapter, and never gives an inch of it back to her.
She's a prisoner - from the moment he takes her from her shack and her family, she is his prisoner. Cowed first by the threats from Tamlin himself, then the threats he told her about constantly all around her. Then by all the gifts and lavish lifestyle he makes her feel she owes him for, even paying her family. At one point he specifically forbids her to leave her room, and refuses to tell her why, then is angry at her when she disobeys. Why is he angry, because she could have been raped - by Tamlin - and in his words it'd have been her fault for not staying locked in her room.
She's being lied to - The whole reason she's in his house, trapped, is because of a lie he told in order to threaten her to come with him in the beginning. From there on it doesn't get better, and when he's not lying to her he's keeping absolutely all the information he possibly can from her.
She's being used - she's used as a pawn in the first book by Tamlin even more than in the second. The only reason he is nice to her, gives her attention, and tries to woo her from the beginning is his desire for her to break the curse.
Do I think Tamlin is bad? No, I actually don't. I think he is cowardly, in the way he refused to send his people over the wall, even though they were willing, even though they were the only hope for all the others suffering under the mountain. I also think he has a controlling personality, right from the start, but he does fall in love with Feyre. I think what happened to them under the mountain broke him as well as her, and that instinct of his to take what's his and protect it no matter what took over.
But to say his character has somehow does a 180, when really he's just a more intense version of who he was in ACOTAR, just isn't true.
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ZaraMay 16, 2016 05:28AM0 votes
Tamlin never tortured Feyres sisters?? He didn't know that was going to happen. Tamlin makes some super dick moves in ACOMAF and in ACOTAR. But Feyre changes in ACOMAF she doesnt need someone to keep her safe anymore because she died and noone could keep her safe and Tamlin wants to keep her safe at all costs from harm even if its against her own wishes. Feyre says it best in ACOMAF she says "I’m thinking that I was a lonely, hopeless person, and I might have fallen in love with the first thing that showed me a hint of kindness and safety. And I’m thinking maybe he knew that—maybe not actively, but maybe he wanted to be that person for someone. And maybe that worked for who I was before. Maybe it doesn’t work for who—what I am now.” I don't believe Sarah changed him at all. Tamlin watched Feyre die and he's traumatized and he believes what he's doing is to protect her and he wants to keep her inside the house and coddle her but she can't handle that. But Tamlin has always had anger issues even in ACOTAR. And trauma brings out emotions more drastically so I honestly believe that Sarahs portrayl of Tamlin is believable and she hadn't just done it to make Rhys and Feyre a couple. Also if you read the interactions between Tamlin and Lucien in both books and the ones between Rhys and his inner circle it just shows how different they both are in there ruling. I don't believe Tamlin has changed in the slightest he's just more damaged. But so are Feyre and they are just not compatable anymore. Rhys fought for her more at the end of ACOTAR then Tamlin did. "I had done everything – everything for that love. I had ripped myself to shreds, I had killed innocents and debased myself, and he had sat beside Amarantha on that throne. And he couldn’t do anything, hadn’t risked it – hadn’t risked being caught until there was only one night left, and all he’d wanted to do wasn’t free me, but f*ck me. And when Amarantha had broken me, when she had snapped my bones and made my blood boil in its veins, he’d just knelt and begged her. He hadn’t tried to kill her, hadn’t crawled for me. Yes, he’d fought for me – but I’d fought harder for him.
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Book lover1021Jun 02, 2018 10:52PM0 votes
*SPOILERS*.
* I would not recommend this book/series to anyone below the age of **14-15** this series contains lots of sexual content, swearing, and violence*
Don't get me wrong, I think Sarah J. Maas is a very talented and creative writer and person. BUT, so far in all the books she has written that I've read ( The Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, and Crown of Midnight ). I have always been unsatisfied by the plots events. Whether it is killing off a character that she spent so much time building up and developing, with an unnecessary death, or one they didn't deserve. Or totally wasting an opportunity to develop a great plot, which would give her writing even more momentum for the following books.
Particularly, with the ACOTAR series I felt she twisted the plot too much throughout the series. Especially in ACOMAF when she made Tamlin seem like the villian, by neglecting Feyre's illness, and becoming possessive and controlling. WHICH IS NOT WHO HE IS!! In the first book, she spent so much time developing Tamlin, and his relationship with Feyre, and made it seem perfect. Then tore it apart using Rhys. Now I am not a Rhys hater, by ANY means, and do believe he truly did love her and vice versa. I think Tamlin got robbed of his true character and the whole 180 mood thing just didn't flow well with the storyline at all.
It kind of confuses me that through out the first book, the characters were described as strong warriors, and how Tamlins love for Feyre and vice versa was so passionate and that they would go to Hell and back for eachother. Yet in ACOMAF, it is leading a plot where they, and their friends are suffering from PTSD after what happened while in the grasp of Amarantha. Now I totally understand that horrors like what they endured is going to screw someone up big time. But letting something like PTSD, which seems like one of the easiest thing to go through compared to every other event in the first book, rip apart Tamlins and Feyre love seemed really dumb. Like, after a whole book making us fall in love with this relationship, it is ripped apart because PTSD apparently made Tam into a "monster"!!?😑😒
I feel Rhys was a really good character! He was kind, caring, saw Feyre as his equal, and loved Feyre so much that it made me tear up at times. Though, I wish he would have stayed a loyal friend to Feyre, and not become a lover. Tbh, I am sooooo sick of love triangles!! They always start and end the same way. I felt that happened in this series alot and made it into something to where no one was truly happy with the results.
I'm not to sure how to feel about this series!😂 #somanyemotions.
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Hannah Reads(last editedApr 26, 2016 05:39PM)Apr 26, 2016 04:38PM0 votes
Oooooh you are so mad :o
Don't get mad at me and attack me (everyone is entitled to their own opinion) but I just want to point out that Tamlin wasn't exactly a good guy in ACOTAR.
If you remember Tamlin told Feyre that because she killed his friend she had to live with him due to treaty rules (which was a lie). Either way Feyre didn't have much of a choice because Tamlin was going to murder her and her family if she didn't come. Tamlin even said he would make Feyre watch as he killed her family in front of her before killing Feyre herself.
To me this isn't very a good way to start a relationship...and I think he really meant it too. Some might argue he was just threatening to kill her as a bluff but in general Tamlin doesn't seem to view humans with high standards and he is quite animalistic.
Tamlin was nice to her in the spring court sure. However I don't know why Feyre should feel grateful that Tamlin held her against her will at the spring court.
In book two Feyre makes her own choices...
The first book wouldn't necessarily be pointless if all three books are about how Feyre started out as a weak/defenseless girl than grows into a strong women who doesn't need anyone to save her butt.
You are entitled to your feelings though-- so no hate.
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DaneMar 24, 2018 03:25PM0 votes
I stopped reading ACOMAF when I realized that Feyre was going to end up with Rhys. After an incredible display of love and sacrifice on both Feyre and Tamlin's part in the first book to just jump ship after only a few months of both of them having issues is stupid.
I like the thought of Feyre teasing Rhys and using him to help with getting through her hard times was a great concept. And after learning that the High Priestess was not that nice I expected that she would come to the realization that Rhys was using her (cause he was) and she would make amends with Tamlin.
But no, Tamlin was made out to be this terrible guy. No forgiveness for Tamlin's mild transgressions in the face of Rhys having to be EVIL to protect that he was really a good guy. I will be this evil man but I doing it to protect my people. But Tamlin, who is dealing with issues with letting Feyre go and then seeing her do all this crazy crap gets only a few months before Feyre jumps ship after literally dying to proclaim her love.
I deleted the books from my reader. I could not continue to read this when I realized that Maas just went and left Tamlin out to dry.
My view.
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TâniaApr 27, 2016 02:27AM0 votes
Jessica wrote: "Please do not read any further unless you want to be spoiled on what happens in ACOMAF...
This is in regards to the relationships dynamics that have been shown to occur in ACOMAF. AGAIN, DO NOT RE..."
You just voiced my thoughts. I completely agree with you. Making Tamlin a villain so that Feyre can be with Rhys without no one feeling mad at her? That's just plain wrong! Also, why write a great love story between Tamlin and Feyre if at the end it won't mean a thing?
I'm so tired of love triangles... SO TIRED!
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JessicaMay 16, 2016 12:33AM0 votes
Hahaha yes!!! And he stepped away! He did the OPPOSIITE or forcing himself on her. People are way too sensitive about that scene and this is coming from someone who wholeheartedly thinks that our society does usually have problems with consent and how we are rapist apologists. I get it that sometimes these romance novels can have "rapey" love interests. Tamlin isn't one of them though!
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TMRMay 12, 2018 10:08PM0 votes
Okay honestly I am a first time reader of these series. And I did fall in love with the first book but now I am doubting on loving the next books in the series. Like seriously I thought she was going to end up with Tamlin. Because in fantasy genre it’s kind of a one true love thing and I wasn’t even a fan of Rhysand in the beginning. So seriously disappointed with the author’s efforts with the next book. And I am thinking of not reading further then the first book.
No opinions from anyone. Especially Rhysand lovers.
Thanks!
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Rish*ta Sep 16, 2018 08:30AM0 votes
I do really want to hate Tamlin but I simply don't. He did really love Feyre and did some amazing things for her in the beginning. He wasn't a hero under the mountain because maybe he was just scared. People are allowed to be scared and afraid, that necessarily doesn't mean that they are bad. I can understand why Feyre loves Rhysand more than Tamlin, I find him better to but I still don't despise the high lord of the Spring Court. He was suffering from PTSD too, he just wanted to save and protect Feyre because he didn't want her to face that kind of a situation again where he can't help her. I guess his unability to help her or fear ate him within. He was filled with guilt. If don't cut him slack, then we shouldn't cut some slack for Rhys' actions in ACOTAR. Rhysand could have created the same impact without doing those horrible deeds. If his intentions were good, so was Tamlin's. Rhys said that he would have torn apart the world to get Feyre back if Tamlin grabbed her. He would go to any extent. But didn't Tamlin do the same thing? According to him, she was kidnapped against her will. So, he went to any extent, making bargains with the king of hyburn, not caring about the world or anyone but Feyre. Yes, she did write him a letter and spoke to Lucien but her sudden change in behavior was so drastic that anyone would have thought that she was under some influence. She is not the Feyre who loved Tamlin from the moon and back. Tamlin is not a knight in the shining armor. He isn't brave or heroic or make the right decisions always. He can be over protective and scared and afraid. These flaws doesn't make him a bad person but just real. He did what most people in the world would have done. He is no Rhys but he ain't Lord Voldemort either.
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JessicaJun 07, 2017 10:53AM0 votes
Hi Ashwaty,
I think you came a bit late to this discussion. We were discussing the rumors that Rhys was Feyre's love interest in ACOMAF before it even came out. Therefore a lot of what you wrote wasn't known at the time we were commenting. If you see the time stamps on our comments, you'll see they were made over a year ago (so before ACOMAF came out).
While I love Rhys' character and the love between him and Feyre, I still maintain that the handling of Tamlin's character was imperfect and I believe Sarah has even come forward to say that we were supposed to fall in love with Tamlin because all we knew about him was Feyre's perspective which, in the first book, was admittedly limited.
Tamlin, while note perfect, did a lot of good things in ACOTAR and I still maintain that he became a caricature of "overly controlling partner" in ACOMAF once I read it. In ACOWAR he is even worse at some points. I don't think it was super organic but, in all honesty, it made the story have great drama and it certainly racked up the tension.
In short- the Tamlin of ACOTAR was bastardized in ACOMAF in order for us to wholeheartedly want Feyre and Rhys to be together. Which was fun and heart wrenching and thrilling to read about but I still find it a bit manipulative. Nobody doubts that the Tamlin, as shown in ACOMAF and most of ACOWAR, is a jerk. We just say it felt inorganic.
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JessicaMay 09, 2016 06:12PM0 votes
I think where I disagree with how the whole Tamlin situation unraveled is not that Feyre and his relationship didn't work out. I'm fine with that, even though I loved him for the most part in ACOTAR. What I argue here is that the transitioning of his character wasn't handled well nor was it believable. So when I say that I felt like ACOMAF rendered ACOTAR pointless, it's not because Tamlin ended up being wrong for Feyre, it's that Tamlin's transition to this new character wasn't believable. I totally see what you say from the perspective that their love story served a purpose for the greater plot. I think that's a good point and I hadn't considered that before. But I still feel like the love she felt for Tamlin was painted as so absolute and encompassing, and that he was (at least in my opinion) such a stand up guy that his behavior in ACOMAF just made me feel manipulated in ACOTAR.
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Natalia(last editedApr 29, 2016 01:20AM)Apr 29, 2016 01:17AM0 votes
Jessica wrote: "He even feels bad killing the "evil" type faeries that inhabit his lands because while he knows their deaths protect those that he loves, he seems to loathe taking their lives. He is an artist too - much more interested in music and beauty then war."
Well, let me argue with that. Tamlin joined his father's war-band as soon as he was old enough, and considering he is about 500 years old in ACOTAR, let's assume he spent about 400 years fighting and killing Fae at his father's command. So Tamlin is pretty much a war-lord. Here are his own words:
«I’d realized from an early age that fighting and killing were about the only things I was good at ... So I trained and fought for my father against whomever he told me to fight, ...»
And let's not forget what kind of person his father was. What makes you think he only fought "bad" fairies, as you put it? Also, I think that such things as 'bad" and "good" are very relative in their world, where brothers kill each other to gain a "throne"/place of a High Lord.
So a poet/artist Tamlin may be, but don't discount those 400 years of slaughtering whichever Fae his father told him to.
I haven't read ACOMAF yet, but I read the spoilers, too. I won't judge the book until I read it for myself.
...
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Alycia(last editedDec 31, 2019 02:59PM)Dec 31, 2019 02:58PM0 votes
I don"t completely agree or disagree. Trust me I've gone over everything you brought up. I did kind of feel that Feyre was easy to get over Tamlin for Rhys, but i don't necessarily blame her. Tamlin may have seemed like a great guy in book one, but it was just so he could get her to love him, he took advantage of her, even if he eventually fell in love with her too.
I do believe that Tamlin loves Feyre in the end. I think his over-protectiveness is due to the cruelty of their world. Tamlin lost his whole family, he grieved them. So i think that the reason for it is justified, but not all of his actions in which he goes with it is.
His kindness in the first book, I also believe is true, just like his anger issues in the second. His kindness was two sided; selfish in getting Feyre to love him and selfless to try and help him and his court.
So, he was showing the best parts of himself, and hiding the worst. I don't think he wants to be so angry or overprotective, I think he honestly can't control it. So we can't completely blame him. But I think we can blame him when he locked Feyre up in the house and refused the freedom and space she needed. He was being selfish, especially when he knew what she was going through. I would've felt trapped too.
In regards as to Rhys being seen as a tortured soul and a good guy the whole time, even though he was cruel in ACOTAR. I think readers needed to see both sides of Rhys. We know he uses his mask to protect everyone in Velaris, which seems to be the innocent and secret part of the Night Court. So, yeah, Rhys is brought up to be a horrible man, but we see his mercy and backhanded kindness even in ACOTAR. He is rude, cruel, and mean because he needs people to fear him, he needs an advantage to protect those he loves, even if it pains himself to be viewed that way. We also see his bargain with Feyre as delayed in ACOMAF because I'm pretty sure he wanted her to be happy. He only intervened on her wedding day because he knew her happiness was her own mask to not let anyone down. He may also seem distant, cold, and also mean in ACOMAF because he didn't know if he could let down his mask for the fiance of his enemy, I guess.
Now to why Rhys and Feyre's love being too quick after Tamlin. Yes, it's kind of true, but I don't think that it was a bad thing for her to do so. Feyre was having major problems and Tamlin wasn't helping the way Feyre wanted, nor needed. He ignored her problems because he didn't want to face them and thought that over time she'd be alright. His over-protectiveness was trapping her on the inside, she felt that she couldn't do anything without having a say with him. In a relationship, both people should be seen as equals. In ACOMAF, when Feyre says he's her high lord, it comes off as she serves his greater being, instead of them serving eachother. This is saying how, in some ways, Tamlin is greater than her, which defies a healthy relationship. For Rhys, he helped her eat, sleep, read, fight, helped with her powers, helped with her nightmares, gave her people to talk to, and with all that, even the space she needed. Plus, to show that they were equal, he named her frickin HIGH LADY. And it still took a little time for Feyre's romantic feelings for him to truly show.
Maybe Feyre moved on too quick, its true, but I think she moved on to, not someone better, but something better. I'm not saying Rhys is better than Tamlin, or vice versa, because they both have done bad and good things in their long lives. I'm saying that Feyre's relationship with Rhys was healthier than hers with Tamlin.
So that's that. Sorry if i rambled or didn't make sense, correct me if I did. Forgive me if i also seem biased, I truly try to see both sides. Also forgive me for grammar or spelling. Please comment if you agree or disagree, I can take the constructive advice;)
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ErinMay 17, 2017 03:37PM0 votes
I totally agree! I'm really disappointed that this is another love triangle. I just wish Tamlin could have another shot at redemption. If not, I really don't understand the authors move for making him such a jerk. It was super sudden...
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MariaMay 09, 2016 08:32PM0 votes
I completely agree with you, Jessica. I finished the book and was so horrified with what happened to Tamlin's character. In the first book he was made out to seem like a respectable, caring, and compassionate person. The reason WHY Feyre's ordeal was so special was because the whole time we really bought into their love. Then here comes book two and Tamlin becomes some evil douche for no apparent reason. Like what the hell is up with that? People attack Tamlin for stupid things he did in the first book but Rhys almost killed her! Honestly I'm just done with the series because I don't appreciate Maas having to destroy Tamlin's character to justify the new relationship with Rhysand.
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Amani(last editedDec 27, 2020 08:07PM)Dec 27, 2020 08:05PM0 votes
Look I am still in the beginning of the book but I already had many questions since I spoiled myself its fine I do this all the time but I couldn't understand from the initial research before reading the book is why does she love tamlin and rhy both I couldn't get it and then after looking up more I found out that she stopped loving him and found out that she loves rhy by the statement of Google I relate to ur point so much but I still think I would like the main couples(feyre and rhy)but it was sooooo unnecessary to make her love tamlin in the first place I don't feel like it after knowing cuz I don't think its true love and it make me loath the story tho it seems like a great novel I like true love fantasy ones and idk if it is worth completing it anymore would I get Hurt for supporting tamlin and get sad bcs they didn't end up together idk so please tell me should i complete reading it ??BTW I liked books like an enchantment of ravens ,to kill a kingdom , mirror visitors .i still think the second one was the best enjoyed it and I hope I could find more like it
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graceJan 01, 2018 06:43PM0 votes
I agree with everyone who more eloquently stated that essentially, Tamlin's been controlling from the start. We all know that ACOTAR is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, meaning that Tamlin (Beast) has always been controlling of those/items he considers his, and that Feyre (Belle) is essentially kept as prisoner the whole time. Also, she suffers from Stockholm syndrome.
If anything, my biggest takeaway from ACOTAR was my changed view on Stockholm syndrome and whatever else syndromes - you don't have to be insane to do something as insane as convincing yourself that you're in love with your jailer. You just have to be desperate.
After the events under the mountain, Tamlin became really intense to compensate for the fact that he couldn't protect her - aka imprison her - from her sacrificial attempts to save him. Feyre suffers PTSD, but she must've also realized that she was capable of doing sh*t, and she no longer has that desperation. So her narrative changes.
The thing about having a 1st person POV is that their narrative changes based on their mood, and that they're sometimes blinded by emotion and desperation to really see what's happening. So while it seems that Tamlin had done a complete 180, he really hasn't - the desperation that has previously blinded Feyre has now disappeared. And thanks to her PTSD, among other things, she sees him as a monster.
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LeaJun 08, 2017 10:02PM0 votes
I enjoyed the book a lot, loved it really but the one thing I absolutely hate is that the author is making Tamlin a villain. Tamlin was a great character, it could have been a fight at first, but understanding later. The King as the enemy, absolutely. Lanthe, more than absolutely, but not Tamlin. I hope it gets better in the third book. His character deserves better.
It makes the first book seem weird.
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KomeMar 01, 2024 03:05AM0 votes
Jessica wrote: "Please do not read any further unless you want to be spoiled on what happens in ACOMAF...
This is in regards to the relationships dynamics that have been shown to occur in ACOMAF. AGAIN, DO NOT RE..."
Thank you for this spot on explanation, everything you said is exactly how I feel. I got the sense towards the end of ACOTAR that she was leading to switching her love interest from Tamlin to Rhysand, which i was upset about. I dont want to repeat everything you just said, but I had to stop reading ACOMAF. I couldnt continue and see how she completely butchered Tamlins character. Call me emotional but there is a reason why i read fantasy romance, it is because true love and loving only 1 person truly is MEANT to exist.
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MitraJan 05, 2017 09:13AM0 votes
Ok so I keep reading this stuff about how people think that the writer didn't do a good job at writing the first book and connecting it to the second one and how hood Tamlin was in the first book, well I personally think that Tamlin wasn't so good not because he bit her no but because ehat we saw was Tamlin fighting as hard as he could to make Feyre fall for him, if I were to make a guy fall for me I'd be the nicest version of myself as well. Also in the first book Feyre was just a normal human girl she didn't know much about anything and I know that it wasn't Tamlin's fault but honestly she didn't have any perspective and we were reading the book from her point of viewso we didn't have any perspective too. They say if you want to truely know someone you should see them When things don't go well for them, that was the secobd book, I truely believe that Tamlin loved Feyre but I believe that he was a weak person and couldn't handle his problems, the same way that some married people cheat on their spouses when they love them, the problem isn't if whether they love them, its much deeper than that. Also I don't believe that Tamlin was a coward the way Feyre said or how he didn't love her as much as she loved him, he loved her a lot it just wasn't the right kind of love, it wasn't based on equality or trust, it might've been right when Feyre was human but not after.
I also apoligize for any mistakes I have in the review, my English isn't perfect and this is the first long review I have written.
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JennifferDec 30, 2023 07:57PM0 votes
Jessica wrote: "Please do not read any further unless you want to be spoiled on what happens in ACOMAF...
This is in regards to the relationships dynamics that have been shown to occur in ACOMAF. AGAIN, DO NOT RE..."
Well, the series ends with ACOTAR for me. Tamlin was such a respectful, kind, and charming gentleman. He never forced Feyre to be someone she was not or to fall in love with him. He showed the beauty of his world without forcing her. Rhys was such an ass drugging her and making her dance half-naked in front of everyone. Yes, he saved her when Tamlin couldn't but I still can't she would choose the guy that treated her like sh*t. I can't believe Tamlin's character was ruined or turned into something he was not.
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JessicaMay 12, 2016 10:28AM0 votes
I would argue he Isn't manipulating her. I remember that Lucien was trying to get him to be suave and court her and he didn't want to do it because he didn't want to manipulate her into loving him. That's why he tells her she doesn't have to stay with him in the spring court. That's why he lets her go back to the mortal realm, despite falling in love with her. While I can understand being frustrated with his inaction to send people over the wall, it comes from a good place. So it's not fair to paint all of Rhys'' bad actions as justifiable because he loves Feyre and wants to save the night court, yet throw Tamlin under the bus for his bad actions when he also is doing things to try and be a good leader.
I really don't get this "she is a prisoner." How? He lets her leave. He says she can go anywhere in Prythian and not stay with him. He lets her go back to the mortal realm. In ACOMAF he IS basically keeping her prisoner but not in ACOTAR.
And she isn't lied to- the curse does not allow the people to tell her what is really going on. So they have to explain in roundabout ways. How is this Lucien or Tamlin's fault?
And Calanmai. This is something concerning old and powerful magic where Tamlin is not entirely in control. This isn't him going out for a few drinks with friends and saying "hey girl. Better not run into you at home because I may rape you. But it's ok cuz I'm drunk!!!" No, it's him under a lot of magic being cumpulsed to pick someone to have sex with so that the land can be more fertile. What was he supposed to do? Tell Feyre "hey! So whatever you want! Sorry if something happens that you don't want it to!" No, he says "stay in your room, don't come out, it's not safe." And when she runs into him, he still resists his urges and the compulsion of the magic, even though she is totally wanting more. He respects her enough to overcome it and stay away (save for a bite/caress/kiss on the neck). Tell me: how is this different than Rhys explaining that Fae males, after entering a mating bond, are super possessive and insatiable? It's the same: Fae makes being under the control of older and powerful forces. But I don't hear anymore saying "wow Rhys is an animal because Cassian made a joke-pass at Feyre after she mated with Rhys."
He isn't trying to woo her to break the curse. He stays away a lot and begrudgingly spends time with her at first, and is super clammed up and awkward, because Lucien is telling him to do it. Again, he lets her go because he doesn't want Amarantha to hurt her, even if that means that the spring court gets taken prisoner.
One last thing: Andros, the wold, went out against Tamlin's order. And we aren't told that Tamlin is lying about the blood oath- that if a human takes a fae life, she must either die or go with the Fae. There is no indication that this isn't true. So if he is bound by the curse to not tell her what's really happening with Amarantha and Fae law says that he has to kill her or take her to Prythian since she killed Andros, what is he lying about exactly?
I think it's fine to like Rhys and dislike Tamlin. I like Rhys! But I see the evidence you provided as proof of his bad character as a stretch. It ignores major parts of the book that explain away why Tamlin did what he did. Nobody will argue that Tamlin isn't a dick in the new book. He totally is. But he was honorable in many ways in ACOTAR. Other than perhaps not doing enough to save his court or Feyre from under the mountain, he was painted as a good man for her.
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AngelaMay 07, 2017 12:05PM0 votes
Thank-you Jessica for speaking the words on my mind. This destruction of a previously good char to justify the hero moving on to someone morally dark is far too common and a huge sign of a little too much self insert into ones story. When one can no longer give their hero proper faults.
Feyre can't fall out of love with Tamlin simply because she is more attracted to a bad boy, she has to fall out of love and it has to be Tamlins fault somehow and so Tamlin becomes a jerk. It's such a common story (hello, Vampire Diaries, House of Night, Blue Bloods, Twilight, 50 Shades of Grey... So on and so on.) and to me a sign of incredibly lazy writing as it marks an inability to try and redeem your hero from doing a sh*tty thing and so you make the sh*tty actions someone else's fault. We can't blame Feyre from leading an abusive relationship.
I hope they fix and allow Tamlin some redemption. He shouldn't suffer his whole char getting trashed just cause Feyre wants to sex the bad boy.
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LinnéaJul 03, 2017 05:38AM0 votes
I have to say, and yes I know that this is.. well, two books have passed since. But still I want to express my opinions.
I by no means see that Tamlin in anyway becomes a "BAD" person. He is hurt and jealous and actually WORRIED for her. What he does in the second book is in a belief that he is somehow saving her from big bad Rhys. And as for her sisters or siding with the big bad king, he made a mistake there and he had no way of knowing that he was wrong, often the case with mistakes.
Also, without like ruining it all. He is not like dead and after this book there is another book. There are some further development there. Hint hint, in case you have not read it.
As for Tamlin, I am one of those that never liked him! He lied for one. He had no need to lie. Or even if he did.. Kidnapping a pretty girl is not love-story material for me. (Yes yes, I know Rhys sort of did the same thing but I like him so I don't care! =D) Also, when they were under the mountain Tamlin did... NOTHING! Nothing at all. He did not even try to help. And don't come and say he could not have done something. He could at least have sent word to her with Lucien to comfort her. Or, I don't know something. Rhys was Amaranthas pet BIG time but he helped. How dangerous was that for him?
Rhys might have been somewhat of a dick when in Amaranthas court. To other people to keep his own people safe. He allowed himself to be basically raped for years to keep them safe. What did Tamlin do? Nothing! Rhys might have been a dick to Feyre then but only so he could help her without raising suspicion and also because I think that is the only way that Feyre would have accepted his help. What did Tamlin do? NOTHING.
From my point of view, that says something about Tamlins "true love" for Feyre. Is not in a fantasy setting book true love being willing to die for the other person, not just sit idly by and do nothing?
But anyway, back to Tamlin. He is not a bad guy. He makes some bad choices. Perfectly reasonable I should think, after basically being left at the altar. As for the end of those choices he is not a fortune-teller and had no way of knowing seeing as he also was fooled.
Honestly when I read how Feyre fell out of love I found it very well written. It was gradual and painful. Like after the hot passion of being newly in love fades and the real person behind peeks out. I might also add that she does not fall in love with Rhys until quite a while after she had left the Spring Court and Tamlin behind. So she does not leave Tamlin FOR Rhys. She leaves Tamlin because his PTSD from Amaranthas court seriously clash with the PTSD she suffers.
I like it. Tamlin is not bad, he is hurt. Rhys is hot. =D
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Haley(last editedSep 25, 2018 01:29PM)May 14, 2016 01:53PM0 votes
Jessica wrote: "Please do not read any further unless you want to be spoiled on what happens in ACOMAF...
This is in regards to the relationships dynamics that have been shown to occur in ACOMAF. AGAIN, DO NOT RE..."
I loved your point about Tamlin biting her. Adter I read ACOTAR I saw reviews that were bashing Tamlin because he "forced himself on Feyre" and that there wasn't consent. Umm, you poor innocent doves. They were interested in one another, there was a sexual attraction. She went looking for him knowing that he would be heated up from Calanmai magic and she was aroused at his actions. He didn't rape her, he bit at her neck. That's pretty hot, actually. If I guy you want to hook up with pinned you against a wall and nibbled your neck, you'd probably be into it.
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