Welcome to my stop on the QUEEN OF SHADOWS blog tour! I am a proud member of the Maas Thirteen--still waiting for my wyvern, though--and I am so excited to share my post today! For my stop, I'm telling you all the reasons I want to be Aelin Ashryver Galathynius when I grow up. Although, if you ask Alexa, I already am her. Yes, that is the best compliment I have ever received in my life in case you're wondering. Regardless, these are the reasons I love her and why I want to be Aelin Ashryver Galathynius when I grow up.
She Grows Up
There are many things I love about Aelin but the thing I have come to love the most about her is the journey that she takes over the last 5 books. I love her growth. Her struggle with self-acceptance. I think this is something any reader can relate to because over the course of our lives we all change and mature--okay, SOME of us change and mature but I digress--and grow up to be who we are. I think all of us struggle with self-acceptance at one point or another and her journey is so beautiful to me.
She Takes Zero Shit
If you've read these books you know that she fights...a lot. As an assassin and basically all-around BAMF, she doesn't take shit. She stands up for herself, she sticks up for those who can't stick up for themselves, and she'll always throw herself into a fight if she sees justice needs to be served. I LOVE this about her and this quality of sticking up for the underdog and standing up for what's right.
She's Snarky
Aelin is a girl after my own heart as being Queen of Comebacks. Her one-liners are to die for and she always has a quick whip to say. I SO COMPLETELY appreciate this in a character because I believe wit to be one of the most hard-found things in a person. The banter that occurs because of her smart mouth are some of my favorite parts of the books. Few things make me happier than a character well-versed in the language of sarcasm and sit.
She Believes in Revenge
As a Sicilian and self-proclaimed temper temptress, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that she lets her anger get the best of her at times. I actually love when she lashes out and acts before she thinks. It's something I can identify with and I like to see aspects of my own personality, even the bad ones, reflected in characters I love. It makes me feel less like a freak. Having a temper is not something I'm proud of but I've had it all my life and it is what it is so I very selfishly love when she gets angry. It turns me on. But not all of her actions are rash and in the moment. Some moments she waits for and has waited for for years. When she is able to get revenge on people who have wronged her is the moment I knew I wanted to be her when I grow up, hehe.
She Fights Fiercely and Loves Deeply
Another quality of Aelin that I love that I do see in myself that not many people understand is her juxtapositional ability to fight fiercely and have anger but also love deeply. She is not just one singular entity of one or the other. She fights so tough and she is a badass fire-breathing bitch queen not to mess with but when she loves...she loves just as fiercely. If you are one of her people she will protect you and love you until her last breath. I feel like this kind of both ends of the extreme is difficult to understand but I understand it perfectly. It's not easy to grasp how somebody that can be seen as abrasive and tough and badass as somebody who can also be soft and vulnerable but Aelin represents this and girl, I GET YOU!
She Has Her Squad
Aelin is not alone, though. She is independent, fierce, loyal, emotional, and complex. Just a few extra adjectives as to why I love her but people are also influenced by the company they keep and Aelin's inner circle is one for the record books. ANOTHER similarity we have is she surrounds herself with people that are similar yet different than herself. Her friends complement her and keep her grounded and also build her up. I have never had good relationships with people growing up but I can proudly say now that after 27 years I have found my squad, my inner circle, my own carranams. Aelin has been betrayed in the past as well and finally has friends that she can trust and call her own. I love all the different dynamics she has with her different friends. #BadBlood
What do you love about Aelin?
Who is your favorite Throne of Glass character?
Who do you want to be when you grow up? :)
Don't forget to enter the INTERNATIONAL giveaway! TWO Queen of Shadows and two Throne of Glass tote bags are up for grabs!
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour!
OFFICIAL TOUR SCHEDULE
September 7 - Judith @ Paperiot
September 8 - Jaz @ Fiction in Fiction in Fiction
September 9 - Kelly @ Belle of the Literati
September 10 - Andi @ Andi’s ABCs
September 11 - Gillian @ Writer of Wrongs
September 14 - Kim & Wendy @ The Midnight Garden
September 15 - Mel @ The Daily Prophecy
September 16 - Gina @ Behind the Pages
September 17 - Nicole @ The Quiet Concert
September 18 - Jamie @ The Perpetual Page-Turner
September 21 - Katie @ Polished Page-Turners
September 22 - Rachel @ Hello Chelly
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .
She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.
Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.
AUTHOR INFO
Sarah J. Maas is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling Throne of Glass series–Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, and the series’ prequel, The Assassin’s Blade–as well as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses. She wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in twenty-three languages. Queen of Shadows, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, will release worldwide on September 1st, 2015.A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.
Author Links: Website || Blog || Twitter || Pinterest || Tumblr || Instagram
You don't have to wait until you grow up - you're already Aelin! Well, at least the Aelin in my life. I mean, seriously, you're practically describing your badass self in this post ;) Allow me to be the Lysandra to your Aelin <3
ReplyDeleteKelly, I LOVE this post. I love how you got personal here and I too like when I see my strengths AND weaknesses are reflected in characters. I love Aelin for all of these reasons and can definitely relate to some of these myself. She is my queen.
ReplyDeleteI'm a new reader of the series!! But I can't wait to find out who my favorite character is!!
ReplyDeleteI want to have her courage and strength (physically). She is so brave and she always conquers her own fears. I want to be able to do the same thing. I don't want to be hold back by that emotion and she is a perfect example of that.
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