Illusion is a strong theme in Sarah J. Maas’A Court of Thorns & Rosesseries, from Fae glamors to cruel manipulations. The acclaimed romantasy novelist applies layers of illusion and desire, using folkloric creatures to amplify the emotional depth of herpowerfulACOTARcharacters. It also adds a dark tone to the series that I hope Maas brings intoA Court of Thorns & Rosesbook 6.
ThePuca, a shapeshifting entity drawn from Irish goblin traditions, serves as a powerful symbol of this narrative technique inA Court of Thorns & Roses.The opening of the series is perhaps the most traditional example ofACOTAR’s fairy folklore tone, and the Puca is no exception. It seeks to lure Feyre into the night by shapeshifting into the things she needs the most in her desperate situation.
This One Court Of Thorns & Roses Scene Is Sadder Than Any Other Feyre Moment
Feyre Grew Up Too Fast To Care For Her Family And Believes Her Sacrifice Is Finally Being Reciprocated
InA Court of Thorns & Roses,in the early stages ofFeyre and Tamlin’s relationship, a creature called a Puca appears while Feyre, Lucien, and Tamin are preoccupied with the Bogge. The Puca appears on the last page of chapter 10, in the guise of Feyre’s father. This leads Feyre to believe her father has come to save her, and she is happy and relieved that one other family has made the effort to come and retrieve her. This relief is shattered when Tamlin halts her and tells her to look again. Her father has disappeared.
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Theillusion morphs into several other things that would bring Feyre relief– a bow and arrow, a bag full of supplies, and her sisters. She realizes that the malevolent creature has taken the form of these things to lure her away into the night. Like many creatures in the Maasverse, the Puca is based on Irish folklore - in this case, the Púca, which translates from old Irish to“goblin”(viaYour Irish). It is a shapeshifting trickster. Unlike its folkloric counterpart, Maas’ Puca is deadly and its type of deceit emphasizes the sadness of Feyre’s plight.
Feyre Falling For The Puca Offers Insight Into Her Deepest Traumas & Desires
The Puca Reflects Her Need To Fulfil Her Vow To Her Mother
What makes this scene especially sad is that deep down, she seems to know it is a trick. The character narrates,“How had he even gotten here?”and notes that her father“moved with surprising swiftness”, showing that her critical mind is still there. However, she casts her reservations aside, showing her truedesperation to be saved and cared for. She later chastises herself, saying she had been“a stupid, human fool to believe my father would have actually come for me.”The Puca reflects her deep desire for reciprocation of care from her family in theoriginalACOTARtrilogy.
Tamlin confirms that the Puca“use your own desires to lure you to some remote place”where the creature would eat Feyre. This particular glamor the creature uses makes it perhaps one of the most dangerous creatures to humans in Prythian. Its type of deceit is replicated by the Cauldron later in the series, who lures Elain to her capture inA Court of Wings & Ruin.Using these tricks of the mind, Sarah J. Maas gives the reader an insight into her characters’ fears, vulnerabilities, and desires in true fairytale fashion.
One ACOTAR Reveal Makes This Tragic Feyre Moment Slightly Less Devastating
Nesta Does Actually Go Looking For Feyre In ACOTAR
Feyre later learns from Nesta that she had attempted to travel to the border to go and get her sister back, as she was the only family member who saw past Tamlin’s glamor, which led Elain and her father to believe she was simply staying with an aunt. That Nesta made the effort to find Feyre, despite their tumultuous sibling relationship, is asurprising detail that foreshadows Nesta’s developmentthroughoutA Court of Silver Flames.Her bravery this early on is one of the reasons whyNesta is the best character inA Court of Thorns & Roses.
Nesta has a strong moral compass and cares about Feyre in the way she craves…
The only thing that prevented Nesta from getting to Feyre was that she could not find an entrance at the wall and a glamor stronger than Tamlin’s made her turn back, but that she did not forget her attempt shows the strength of her resolve. Despite her problems, behind her spiky exterior, Nesta has a strong moral compass and cares about Feyre in the way she craves, even if she does not realize it at this point in theA Court of Thorns & Rosesbooks. This makes the scene with the Puca slightly less devastating in retrospect.
