Sarah J. Maas’A Court of Thorns and Rosesseries wouldn’t be as popular as it is today without the crucial setup of book one. In the first book, Feyre Archeron fights for her relationship with Tamlin when she defies death in a series of trials to set him free. She’s forced to do so by the powerful High Fae antagonist Amarantha, who wants Tamlin for herself. However, after book one and the remainingevents of theCourt of Thorns and Rosesseries,this interesting dynamic between Tamlin and Amarantha seems to be forgotten.
One theory sheds light on Amarantha and Tamlin’s relationship and contextualizes a lot of the confusing elements of that storyline:it proposes that Amarantha is Tamlin’s mate, and this is what causes her villain arc.While textual evidence does sell this premise, one thing is for certain: ifAmarantha is Tamlin’s mate, it means Maas is probably going down a tragic path with his character. And even after all of Tamlin’s mistakes in pastACOTARbooks, the confirmation of this theory may be too depressing for Maas' canon.
ACOTAR’s Tamlin & Amarantha Mate Theory Makes So Much Sense With His Character Arc
Tamlin’s Treatment Of Feyre Proves He & Amarantha Are Equals
Maas has explained the concept of mates various times throughout theCourt of Thorns & Rosesbooks. And given the weight a mating bond holds in the author’s fictional universe,Tamlin being mates with Amarantha sheds new light on his character arc. If Tamlin rejected his mating bond with Amarantha, it would explain why she was willing to imprison all of Prythian to get him back. While it’s an extreme reaction, Amarantha’s obsession with Tamlin makes more sense through this lens. Having such a deep, unbreakable connection to an increasingly cruel character also explains Tamlin’s later actions.
InA Court of Thorns & Roses, Tamlin tells Feyre that mating bonds aren’t indicative of love or happiness but rather to create powerful offspring; he uses his parents as an example.
Given Tamlin’s disregard for and disgust towards his own mating bond,it’s no surprise that he doesn’t value Feyre’s connection to Rhysand later in the series. Like Amarantha, Tamlin resorts to terrible behavior to prevent Feyre from being with Rhysand, trapping and intimidating her. If finding one’s mate really means finding their equal,this juxtaposition shows just how similar Tamlin and Amarantha really are. It’s possible such similarities are why they’re mates in the first place.
This Could Contribute To Tamlin’s Trauma In Later Court Of Thorns & Roses Books
Mating Bonds Are Like Soul Ties Even If They’re Rejected
After theevents Under the Mountain, Tamlin makes his hardships everyone else’s problem by behaving problematically at every turn. It’s obvious how lost he is duringACOMAF;he continually mistreats Feyre and even starts sleeping in his beastform at the foot of the bed. And Tamlin’s misery continues intoA Court of Silver Flames.The reasons behind it might go beyond making mistakes and losing Feyre, too. If the theory about Amarantha being his mate proves true, it means he’s grappling with the trauma of rejecting the mating bond and killing his own mate.
When a mating bond is rejected, it is said to cause physical pain and lasting feelings of emptiness, hollowness, and helplessness.
Behaviors that many attribute to Tamlin experiencing PTSD from his time Under the Mountain may actually be a response to Amarantha’s death.Tamlin begins isolating himself at the beginning ofA Court of Mist & Fury,despite his survival inACOTARand his looming marriage to Feyre. If Amarantha really is his mate, his irritability, rage, and sorrow could be rooted in something far more soul-shattering. InACOMAF, when the King of Hybern severs a lesser bond between Feyre and Rhysand, she describes it as if her soul is being ripped apart. This fits with Tamlin’s character changes.
If True, This Theory Means Tamlin Will Likely End A Court Of Thorns & Roses Alone
Whether Or Not He Deserves To Be Single, Tamlin Might Stay That Way
The way that Maas describes mates in her books, it’s rare to even get one mate in a lifetime. This is a special bond that cannot be broken; it ties together your souls, senses, and even gives you the ability to read each other’s minds. If Tamlin was lucky enough to have a mate already — even if it was Amarantha, who has since died —it’s unlikely Maas will give him another love story in futureACOTARbooks. And arguably, Tamlin needs some time alone after everything he’s gone through.
Another romance storyline for Tamlin wouldn’t seem natural if it went completely smoothly, yet Maas has already written about Tamlin’s poor behavior in relationships so much that to do it anymore would be redundant.
It’s sad to think that Tamlin could be so lost and devastated from his trauma and receive a redemption arc just to end up alone. However, assuming Tamlin still gets a redemption story inthe nextACOTARbook, it’s not a terrible ending for his character to spend time healing on his own.Another romance storyline for Tamlin wouldn’t seem naturalif it went completely smoothly, yet Maas has already written about Tamlin’s poor behavior in relationships so much that to detail it anymore would be redundant.
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Theories do suggest thatTamlin has a future romance with Elainin the next installment of the series, but due to his past with her sister, this outcome feels somewhat far-fetched. Besides Elain,there are not many currentACOTARcharactersthat he would make sense with. It’s unlike Maas to force an unnatural couple together in her writing, suggesting that if Tamlin’s mate is dead, he’s not getting paired up with anyone else any time soon. The only way this could change is if Maas introduces new characters in future installments.
Such An Ending Feels Bleak For Sarah J. Maas
Maas is an author who possesses an unrivaled ability to pair unexpected characters together, making them fast favorites. This tendency to give her heroes satisfying endings makes it less likely that Maas would leave Tamlin alone and without a mate after already starting to build his redemption arc. Tamlin’s love story may not be a main storyline, or even heavily detailed in the future books, butit is not like Maas to leave such a promising character on the sidelineswithout some prospects of love or happiness. Even Tamlin doesn’t deserve that fate.
Not many characters in theA Court of Thorns and Rosesseries are left with such a bleak ending. In fact, unless the character is truly evil,Maas' fantasy seriestend to redeem them somehow. And looking at previous books,Maas’ history of pairing up work-in-progress characters like Tamlin should leave hopethat he won’t be alone forever. Even though there is a lot of credible evidence to suggest Tamlin’s actions and character arc are tied back to his mating bond with Amarantha, this theory might be too sad to prove true.
