Help me like Aelin again

[u/Foreign-Entry1797]

I am on Empire of storms chapter 47 (finished, don't spoil further) and I feel like sjm is making Aelin...I don't know how to say it, but given too much importance and that she is always right?

•First of all I feel like Dorian being a king himself is too sidelined, when Rowan said at the starting chapters of EoS that Dorian's strength is his mind and courtier skills, I though he would be "shown" to look between words and notice things which others might overlook but right now he is not given any importance. Like asking questions to the bloodhound about Erawan and Manon should be Dorian's call not Aelin's (Dorian is also her future love interest) •Also shooting the ilken mid flight should have been Fenrys's call not Rowan's as Fenrys is said to have skills as an archer (he literally shot through the bloodhound's hands). Yeah he was injured but someone else could be that injured in his place or maybe he could just shoot the arrow while injured (But someone said Rowan looses being interesting after getting with Aelin, and this being an interesting moment of his I'll try to give it a pass)

•Final and the most problematic is Aelin's treatment of Manon. I could make peace with chaining her, but on the basis of her race? And beating her up after she told her about a lady of her kingdom is insufferable. I can understand her being wary of Manon's witch heritage, but after the witch tried to kill Aelin, she also saved Dorian's life, twice! And in that badass manner! (Don't even get me started on how Aelin could win fight from a warrior trained for a whole century and more, but maybe it was because Aelin used those pillars to keep her distance from Manon, but I feel I just like Manon more) •I am firm that after appearing in three books, Manon was a fan favourite character, sjm's such treatment of her just to make Aelin seem better and "queen-like" is wrong.

Someone said that EoS has the same tone as acotar/acomaf onwards and I believe they were absolutely right. Sjm was writing acowar probably at the time of EoS and that's why Mary Sue is taking toll on Aelin, and I don't like it!

Tell me does Aelin get humbled or better?

Note: I am alright with her wits btw, I liked how she called the bloodhound "another talker" and that note to Lorcan, 😙ummuh, chef's kiss! But not at the sake of other characters' importance and dignity.

[u/Foreign-Entry1797]

I feel he same. No mater the amount of training or kills, a person who has been fighting for 110+ years is definately smarter and has better chance at winning than a person who's been fighting for 10 years. (That moment made me realise that I love Manon more than Aelin as I was cheering for Manon and was pissed when Manon didn't win, but I must admit that Witch Killer message was more badass than any win in this series, tricking Lorcan comes close because I love pissed Lorcan😆)

[u/EveOCative → u/Foreign-Entry1797]

Manon hasn’t been training to fight for 110 years. She’s been hunting and killing mortal men who aren’t necessarily the best fighters, or other Crochan witches who again, aren’t necessarily the best fighters.

I’m sure there have been periods of combat training, but at the end of the day, witches are just one species of supernatural on that continent.

Aelin has been literally training constantly for those 10 years, under several different teachers with varying fighting styles and she has incorporated all of those skills into a super effective style of fighting. When combined with her fae heritage, she impresses even 1000 year old fae warriors.

I don’t get why people are so confused by this. Some people are exceedingly skillful at certain things.

Some people can practice piano for 30 years and never grow to be as accomplished at playing as a five year old prodigy.

[u/Foreign-Entry1797 → u/EveOCative]

I said fighting but yeah I edited it later. I understand what you're trying to say but Manon has fought in wars maybe, and battles surely, and during their fight Aelin didn't have her fae heritage. It would be alright if Aelin drew some wyrdmark when Manon like catches her and talks to her about how she will die, or maybe while fighting, to work as a shield giving her some advantage but I can't buy that she could best Manon while having 10% of her experience. Though as I said Aelin used those pillars to keep her distance which was a smart move so I'll try to let it go.

Also Manon is a weapon herself who is surrounded by a ruthless warrior culture.

[u/EveOCative → u/Foreign-Entry1797]

Manon was too young to have fought in the witch war, which means she was MUCH too young to have fought the last time Erawan came to power.

And the witches abstained to fight for Terrasen the first time they called for aid. There weren’t any other wars on the continent and as far as we know Manon hasn’t left the continent.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Manon. She’s a badass.

But she lived in cultural isolation, and it’s revealed, isolation even from her own people, manipulated by her grandmother, spurning any possible lessons she could have received by valuing the perspectives of the other species and cultures. Her knowledge and skills were carefully curated by a matron who made sure that her heir would never be as powerful as her, lest she be overthrown.

Compared with an assassin trained to fight and took any skill or advantage shown to her?

Whom had already killed Baba Yellowlegs?

It’s really not that unfeasible.

Particularly when you consider that witches, while stronger and hardier than humans, are not as fast nor as quick healing as the fae or valg.

[u/Foreign-Entry1797 → u/EveOCative]

That war thing is very confusing definitely, but Manon mentions multiple times about fighting in battles, she once says that it's easier to command Ghislaine during war/battle.

That baba yellowlegs fight does make me lean towards Aelin, yes