Warning: This article contains spoilers for Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses books.

The A Court of Thorns & Roses suggests that there's a unique opportunity to delve deeper into Elain's story, explore her emotions, and provide her with a much-needed chance to heal.

Elain is historically underutilized, creating the perfect opportunity to add complexity to her character by providing her point of view. There have already been hints that there is more than meets the eye in A Court of Silver Flames, which is arguably used as a setup for a book centered on Elain. It would be the ideal follow-up to A Court of Silver Flames, which focused on Nesta. A Court of Thorns & Roses Elain book also has advantages over this Nesta focus, providing further evidence that book six can fix what has hitherto been a criminal lack of emphasis on Elain.

The Original Court Of Thorns & Roses Trilogy Doesn't Do Justice To Elain's Character

In the previous books in the A Court of Thorns & Roses series, Elain is – perhaps deliberately – chronically underestimated as a character. She is portrayed as quiet and docile and enjoys domestic pursuits such as gardening and baking. This makes most of the characters see her as weak – however, from the beginning, Feyre sees her strength. For instance, in the first book, Feyre says of their time in poverty, “She had looked at that cottage with hope; I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger.”

Elain is an excellent offset to the more overt strength of her sisters Feyre and Nesta. However, at some points in the books, it makes her character seem less developed. She is repeatedly referred to with phrases like, “the flower grower, the gentle heart,” and after her transformation in the cauldron, it seems she does not have the mental resolve and pure fury that Nesta has. In A Court of Wings & Ruin, she spends much of the book isolating herself, ruminating about her engagement to Graysen who, like his father Nolan, despises faeries.

The Next Court Of Thorns & Roses Book Must Make Up For How The Series Failed Elain

Throughout the books, Elain is resistant to the idea of fated mates and doesn’t want to face her bond with Lucien. This shows a strong sense of free will that goes against her overall docile, gentle image. While she is certainly not as weak as she seems, other characters’ perspectives limit how Elain is perceived. If the next book is centered on Elain, it would be great to see her become more assertive and see more of her inner world, since she is portrayed as the quiet observer and her internal monologue would develop her character a lot more.

The previous books in the series may also have slowed Elain’s development for an impactful change later in the series. At the end of A Court of Wings & Ruin, her stabbing Hybern, one of A Court of Thorns and Roses' most powerful characters, is unexpected, driven by sisterly protectiveness. A Court of Silver Flames provides more out-of-character, unexpected moments. When Nesta does not want Elain to be in danger, she challenges this, asking, “Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” which is reminiscent of how Feyre challenges Tamlin’s protective motives in A Court of Mist & Fury – she has a fierce streak and untapped potential.

How The Sixth ACOTAR Book Can Finally Give Elain The Story She Deserves

(Elain) is not intrinsically weak for being more gentle...

The sixth installment of ACOTAR could upturn Elain’s image as victimized. Had she not stabbed Hybern in A Court of Wings & Ruin and said a lot of things to push Nesta’s buttons in A Court of Silver Flames, it would be easy to see her as a one-dimensional, helpless maiden. The next book, which is rumored to be more about Elain, could satisfyingly upturn this common assumption. She is not intrinsically weak for being more gentle – the next book could portray more of what is hinted at about Elain, which is that she has a different kind of strength.

Exploring her connection with Azriel could also theories about the next A Court of Thorns & Roses book that she is not as docile and pure as she seems.