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AU Where We Pretend ACOSF Didn't Happen
An alternative story to ACOSF that takes place after the Solstice in ACOFAS - but Nesta and Cassian have both reluctantly admitted to themselves that they are mates. Giving Nesta the story she deserves.
- GenresFan Fiction
ebook
Published November 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 20, 2023
I myself wasn’t a huge fan of the original plot (felt things moved a little too fast, and although I adored Nesta’s personal growth, there wasn’t as much growth in regards to certain relationships and characters as I would have liked).
This author, in my opinion, although still including plotlines from the original, creates many amazing and well thought out plots of their own. They do a phenomenal job at depicting the political turmoil between courts and the distress that several citizens endure after the War against Hybern, especially Illyria and the treatment of their women that I feel Maas genuinely did not have all the book to discuss at length, but I feel like is so significant to talk about.
This fic also really doesn’t put Rhys and Feyre on a pedestal as the trilogy depicts, and brings to light faults within their rule that really needed to be discussed, in my opinion. This is something I found very refreshing and honestly enjoyed. Also the amount of time and growth we have with side characters in this fic is AMAZING.
The relationships alone between these characters, specifically in this fic, just feel so raw and genuine and the author does an amazing job of utilizing these relationships to move the plot forward. This also made me fall in love with Cassian and Nesta’s relationship even more. Genuinely the storyline Nesta - and honestly Cassian - deserved. Has the perfect amount of action, angst, and fluff! It is a REALLY long fic at 316K words but so so worth it.
This author, in my opinion, although still including plotlines from the original, creates many amazing and well thought out plots of their own. They do a phenomenal job at depicting the political turmoil between courts and the distress that several citizens endure after the War against Hybern, especially Illyria and the treatment of their women that I feel Maas genuinely did not have all the book to discuss at length, but I feel like is so significant to talk about.
This fic also really doesn’t put Rhys and Feyre on a pedestal as the trilogy depicts, and brings to light faults within their rule that really needed to be discussed, in my opinion. This is something I found very refreshing and honestly enjoyed. Also the amount of time and growth we have with side characters in this fic is AMAZING.
The relationships alone between these characters, specifically in this fic, just feel so raw and genuine and the author does an amazing job of utilizing these relationships to move the plot forward. This also made me fall in love with Cassian and Nesta’s relationship even more. Genuinely the storyline Nesta - and honestly Cassian - deserved. Has the perfect amount of action, angst, and fluff! It is a REALLY long fic at 316K words but so so worth it.
May 31, 2022
A lovely, wonderful retelling of ACOSF by one of my favorite tumblr writers.
January 22, 2023
I really loved acosf and it is one of my favorite book but I can also confess that the story is not amazing. Yes I love Nesta and Cassian and yes I adore everything about them but there were a few things I did not love in acosf. I think this fanfic, which I did not expect to have such an impact on me, gave me everything I did not know I wanted. I adored it with my whole heart.
June 20, 2022
So good. I love how much Eris and Lucien were a part of this story. The writing is really good and I prefer a lot of the character development to ACOSF. Nesta’s path is so much better here.
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July 8, 2024honestly can't believe this is in goodreads but 300k words i will make it count. also, better than the original book.
August 10, 2025
I read plenty of fanfiction, and by far, this has been THE BEST "fix it" AU fic that I've come across in any fandom in years. I have plenty of grievances with the series as a whole, and ACOSF left me stilted despite being my favorite in the series. SJM dropped the ball severely in ACOSF, and I was sooo damn close to DNF'ing the series so many times throughout. I'm glad I didn't, if only to enjoy the work within the fandom and find like-minded people who enjoy the characters and world building without the derisive plot or character development choices SJM made. This fic is infinitely canon in my heart, and now I can't reread ACOSF without feeling disappointed or bored lmao.
For a first-time fic from the author, the writing is phenomenal and had a much more satisfying alternate ending! It's genuinely impressive the author managed to write a full story within a world that isn't their own and write the characters to feel accurate without the seeming like warbled caricatures of who they're supposed to be.
This fic did everything I wished ACOSF could have and more while tackling a good chunk of my criticisms with the original story. I'll forever be fond of this take on Nesta- where she is given the time to heal and mourn like she deserved. I struggled with the original plot because of how much she gets villified at every turn for her depression and struggle with addiction despite the IC 's hypocrisy and refusal to take accountability (when these fae are like 5 centuries old like what???). The IC getting humbled without entirely portraying them as villains is so well done here, along with the plot development between social and political complications.
I also love love loveeed how trauma was tackled here. Obsessed with the characters' capacity to grow and heal. Not to mention the depiction of healthy relationships, boundaries, and giving characters the support or potential for redemption that felt natural. Relationships between characters fall more naturally without the weird forced-proximity stuff or the lust = love shit that left a sour taste in my mouth.
Seeing Nesta and Cassian get the love story they well deserved was cathartic! I cried, laughed, and cheered more than I ever expected to. I'm actually thinking of printing and book binding a physical copy for myself, haha.
NOTE: It is a fanfic, so there are some formatting mistakes and small errors here and there. Plus, there are a few original characters, but I genuinely implore you to read this anyway. BTW, as a multishipper, you will be fed, babe. Trust me. There's lots of goodies that aren't just Nessian. <3
For a first-time fic from the author, the writing is phenomenal and had a much more satisfying alternate ending! It's genuinely impressive the author managed to write a full story within a world that isn't their own and write the characters to feel accurate without the seeming like warbled caricatures of who they're supposed to be.
This fic did everything I wished ACOSF could have and more while tackling a good chunk of my criticisms with the original story. I'll forever be fond of this take on Nesta- where she is given the time to heal and mourn like she deserved. I struggled with the original plot because of how much she gets villified at every turn for her depression and struggle with addiction despite the IC 's hypocrisy and refusal to take accountability (when these fae are like 5 centuries old like what???). The IC getting humbled without entirely portraying them as villains is so well done here, along with the plot development between social and political complications.
I also love love loveeed how trauma was tackled here. Obsessed with the characters' capacity to grow and heal. Not to mention the depiction of healthy relationships, boundaries, and giving characters the support or potential for redemption that felt natural. Relationships between characters fall more naturally without the weird forced-proximity stuff or the lust = love shit that left a sour taste in my mouth.
Seeing Nesta and Cassian get the love story they well deserved was cathartic! I cried, laughed, and cheered more than I ever expected to. I'm actually thinking of printing and book binding a physical copy for myself, haha.
NOTE: It is a fanfic, so there are some formatting mistakes and small errors here and there. Plus, there are a few original characters, but I genuinely implore you to read this anyway. BTW, as a multishipper, you will be fed, babe. Trust me. There's lots of goodies that aren't just Nessian. <3
August 16, 2024
This book lives rent free in my head. When I think of Nesta, I think of this book. So when people have a problem with Nesta, I am flabbergasted because in my head, THIS is Nesta’s story. Highly recommend to anyone hoping for a deeper dive into Nesta, a story that she deserves.
August 16, 2024
4.8⭐️
A little bittersweet moment 🥺
A little bittersweet moment 🥺
March 1, 2024
I need to preface this by saying that I love A Court of Silver Flames as a story. It absolutely works for me, and is tied with Mist and Fury as my favourite book of the series so far. But, objectively, there are many things wrong with it. This fic is not a rewrite, but instead explores how things might have played out if Nesta had been given a little more support and understanding in the aftermath of the war with Hybern, and she wasn't subjected to forced proximity with Cassian.
Firstly, this softer version of Nessian is just beautiful. They still spark off of one another, still bicker and drive each other up the wall and the core of their characters remains true to the source material, but the fact that they are given the time and space to explore eachother and come to more of an understanding of eachother is so satisfying. It's more of a gentle fall than a raging inferno, and it is brilliantly done.
Nesta standing on her own two feet is a sight to behold. She is a powerhouse character in this, showing what feels like a more true to life recovery. The relationships she builds, both that mirror Silver Flames and the ones of the author's own creation, feel like they do far more service to her as they are so organic - again, she's not forced into the circumstances that introduce her to her friends, so the relationships are missing her self-loathing undertone that comes through in the book. And the Balthazar that's in here is my official headcanon from now on - LOVE his characterisation, and need more of him!
Likewise, Eris is the character I didn't know I needed more of until I started reading fanfic. I adore his characterisation in this; still a snake, still not someone you are going to completely trust, but at the same time he and Nesta have full on bromance vibes and I am here for it! Throw in something of a Tamlin redemption arc (after a fashion) and my goodness does this fic do great things for the 'villains' of the piece!
That being said, as much as I get the scorn poured on the Inner Circle as a result of Silver Flames, I do struggle with them all being treated as being vile because of their treatment of Nesta. Somehow though, the author of this fic has managed to walk the line between making it crystal clear that the IC are in the wrong and are not treating one of their own in a disgusting way, and yet still managing to maintain a healthy respect for the characters we came to know in the previous books. They're not the idealised group that we see through Feyre's adoring eyes; instead they are seen with Nesta's sharper, more critical and world weary view, with a healthy dose of disdain due to the way they treat her, Illyria and so on. I think this was what SJM was aiming for in the books, but it didn't quite come through properly.
The pace of this fic is spot on; it kept me reading to such an extent that I did not want to go to work! It ebbs and flows like the tides, with moments of stillness, calm and romance interspersed with moments of heat, drama and flair. It's a spectacular take, and I've gone so far as to download it for reading over and over on my Kindle (LOVE that AO3 gives you that option!). As it's fanfic, there are of course occasional typos, formatting errors and so on, but they do absolutely nothing to spoil your enjoyment of this epic read.
Firstly, this softer version of Nessian is just beautiful. They still spark off of one another, still bicker and drive each other up the wall and the core of their characters remains true to the source material, but the fact that they are given the time and space to explore eachother and come to more of an understanding of eachother is so satisfying. It's more of a gentle fall than a raging inferno, and it is brilliantly done.
Nesta standing on her own two feet is a sight to behold. She is a powerhouse character in this, showing what feels like a more true to life recovery. The relationships she builds, both that mirror Silver Flames and the ones of the author's own creation, feel like they do far more service to her as they are so organic - again, she's not forced into the circumstances that introduce her to her friends, so the relationships are missing her self-loathing undertone that comes through in the book. And the Balthazar that's in here is my official headcanon from now on - LOVE his characterisation, and need more of him!
Likewise, Eris is the character I didn't know I needed more of until I started reading fanfic. I adore his characterisation in this; still a snake, still not someone you are going to completely trust, but at the same time he and Nesta have full on bromance vibes and I am here for it! Throw in something of a Tamlin redemption arc (after a fashion) and my goodness does this fic do great things for the 'villains' of the piece!
That being said, as much as I get the scorn poured on the Inner Circle as a result of Silver Flames, I do struggle with them all being treated as being vile because of their treatment of Nesta. Somehow though, the author of this fic has managed to walk the line between making it crystal clear that the IC are in the wrong and are not treating one of their own in a disgusting way, and yet still managing to maintain a healthy respect for the characters we came to know in the previous books. They're not the idealised group that we see through Feyre's adoring eyes; instead they are seen with Nesta's sharper, more critical and world weary view, with a healthy dose of disdain due to the way they treat her, Illyria and so on. I think this was what SJM was aiming for in the books, but it didn't quite come through properly.
The pace of this fic is spot on; it kept me reading to such an extent that I did not want to go to work! It ebbs and flows like the tides, with moments of stillness, calm and romance interspersed with moments of heat, drama and flair. It's a spectacular take, and I've gone so far as to download it for reading over and over on my Kindle (LOVE that AO3 gives you that option!). As it's fanfic, there are of course occasional typos, formatting errors and so on, but they do absolutely nothing to spoil your enjoyment of this epic read.
January 21, 2025
Better than the book, lol.
I don't love Mor but I love Eris in this fic and I'd love to read their love story. But I also like Em. 🥹
I don't love Mor but I love Eris in this fic and I'd love to read their love story. But I also like Em. 🥹
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews