in every nightmare, a dream

🌙 welcome back to episode 3 of solstice rising, an acotar companion pod! we’re reflecting back from page 317 of a court of mist and fury (acomf) right after they arrive at the summer court... although that will be covered in the next episode.

❄️ first of all I just discovered that feyre's birthday falls on the winter solstice! solstice rising, hello, how did I even pick such a perfect name? it was meant to be.

highlights of this episode"

♟️ rhys bringing feyre into his inner world as a way of building trust and bolstering her agency via access rather than seeking to protect through control.

🌃 spending more time with velaris and its rhythm of dreams. i seriously love this place.

🖤 feyre’s internal reckoning with tamlin. can love survive without respect? feyre fought to free tamlin's soul and in return, he locked her in.

✨ rhys illuminating the duality of darkness... the darkness of lovers and assassins, of nightmares and dreams.

✨ that’s all for today. we’ll pick up next time at the (sexy?) summer court, starting around page 306.

reminder: this show contains spoilers for sarah j. maas’s acotar series. please listen only after reading up to page 317 of acomf.

✨ and if you’re enjoying the pod, please rate, subscribe, and review. see you next time.

🌙 Welcome back to episode 2 of solstice rising, an acotar pod! we begin by looking back from page 229 of book 2, a court of mist and fury (acomf). if you haven’t read up to this point, turn away. otherwise, onwards.

🌹this episode picks up after feyre and rhys escape the weaver — I explain why I think this ring felt destined to belong to feyre from the moment it was introduced/ sjm foreshadowing + my scorpio intuition for the win.

🔥 from there, I'm diving into the slow-burn, friendship-first dynamic between feyre and rhys and contrasting it of course with her time in the spring court + with tamlin (which I suspect I'll be doing a lot of on this pod, if you like that sort of this). I also introduce my patent super-alpha v. alpha™️ theory (more on that to come) by reflecting on how rhys’s quiet authority, patience, and containment differ from tamlin's more domineering brand of masculinity.

🌙 I couldn't end this episode without talking about the MAGIC of velaris —the city of starlight, swoon — and why its introduction as both a place of freedom and a vibrant city/ home is so inspired. See the cover image of this pod/ my substack for more visuals.

✨

that's all for today, see you on the next one.

✨

reminder: this show contains spoilers for sarah j. maas’s acotar series! please listen only after reading up to page 229 of acomf.

and if you’re enjoying the pod, please rate, subscribe, and review!

🌹We begin on page 187 of book 2, court of mist and fury (ACOMF), the second book of the series. So if you have not read up until that point, turn away! Otherwise, welcome to what I can best describe as an elite place to start — cozy with context and locked in for the adventure.

🌹Although I've read through Feyre's first dinner with Rhys' court at the House of Wind... this episode will start at the point of her escape from the Spring Court (after Tamlin locks her in) up until the time she arrives exhausted at the Night Court and Rhys agrees to take her to Valeris. It will explore the energetic contrasts between her experience of Spring and Night, with Tamlin and Rhys. What do these experiences reveal about Feyre and these immortal men, and where they stand in relationship to each other?

🌹From arriving in Velaris (the City of Starlight) and onwards, I will cover in subsequent episodes. The journey has just begun.

A final reminder: this show contains spoilers for Sarah J Maas’s ACOTAR. Please listen after catching up to the page noted above.

And if you like this pod, please take a moment to rate, subscribe and review!