In this spoiler-free breakdown of Chapter 36 of A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre is thrown headfirst into Amarantha’s first trial, and it’s giving full Gladiator energy. As the crowd mocks her and the stakes couldn’t be higher, Feyre uses what’s working against her to work in her favor. From the moment she’s dropped into the arena, she goes from being prey to full-on predator, and it’s an incredibly satisfying payoff for everything we’ve learned about her survival instincts since the beginning of the book.

Ariel opens up about her weirdly specific fear of what the *monster* is called, and we can’t stop comparing this scene to Star Wars. We also talk about how much of a power play this is for Amarantha, how Tamlin’s continued inaction is still driving us up the wall, and how Rhysand’s dramatic little dust flick and Feyre’s very pointed “obscene gesture” are doing a lot of work for our serotonin (which we’re going to need a LOT of after seeing how wrecked Feyre’s arm is at the end of this chapter).

Whether you're here for faerie arena violence, character growth, or emotionally devastating metaphors disguised as trials: you’re welcome and we’re sorry.

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