New Adult fantasy is hot right now, and we’re seeing plenty of book to screen adaptations come out of the genre. Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses is pretty much leading the pack of faerie fantasy right now, so it only makes sense that the ongoing series would be up for an adaptation. Fans should be pretty thrilled, especially since the Hulu TV show, which was reported by Deadline to be in development with a script commitment in March 2021, will be headed by Outlander showrunner Ron D. Moore.
Not much is yet known about the TV adaptation in the works, as its existence was actually accidentally leaked by Sarah J. Maas’ husband when he posted a sandwich photo to his social media with the info in the background. While we wait for more updates on the status of the adaptation, we’ve got a whole list of best moments from the book that we definitely hope to see happen on screen.
Be warned, though, there are some serious spoilers for those of you who have not read the first two ACOTAR books: A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury. Of course, there’s (hopefully) some spoilers for the TV adaptation as well, if the series follows closely to the books.
Fire Night
Sarah J. Maas includes a number of solstice holidays throughout the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and Fire Night is our first experience with this. Typically, the celebrations are lighthearted and fun. Fire Night, also called Calanmai, signifies the first night of Spring and acts as the restoration of magic throughout the land, aiding in the growth of crops. The idea is to, um, bring forth new life. Okay, it’s basically a big orgy.
The High Lords basically lose their mind to the magic and go buck wild and zone in on the mate that best suits them, and the protagonist Feyre is totally not invited and is locked away in her room because her precious human body will not be able to handle such savagery. Of course, she goes anyway, and has her first real interactions with fae other than those in the Spring Court.
Thankfully, the only untoward thing to happen to Feyre is after the celebration is over. Tamlin, The Spring Highlord and Feyre’s love interest, crosses paths with her while still under the spell of Fire Night and bites her neck, leaving a mark. While this is a huge red flag, it’s a leap in their unspoken attraction to one another. The next day it’s seen by Lucien, Tamlin’s right hand man, and his reaction is one of the first times he shows a distaste for how Tamlin has treated Feyre and furthers his friendship with Feyre for the reader.
The Suriel
I love a nasty, vicious creature with a mind of its own, and The Suriel is described as a beastly thing that is steeped in mythology. While we get a first meeting with The Suriel in A Court of Thorns and Roses, the creature becomes more of an actual character with its own growth and story arc later.
The Suriel is integral in the series as a whole, but also to Feyre coming into her own in the faerie land. Feyre is a huntress, and she proves that she is still capable of taking care of herself, even though she has quite literally shifted worlds, and tackling what should be impossible for a human when she traps the creature. It would be a shame if her first encounter with The Suriel was stripped of the first season of the TV adaptation even if that were the only reason.
Plus, I'm more interested in the casting of The Suriel than I am of any other ACOTAR character. I can't wait to see what the creature looks like on screen.
The Maze
Feyre is forced to tackle three trials (again with that mythology reference) in order to free her beloved and the whole of the Prythian from the vile Amarantha. One such trial is The Maze, made up of dirt and containing a huge man eating worm. Feyre uses some serious speed and wit to get the better of the beast, and it’s probably the scene in which the most action would take place in a series adaptation based on the first ACOTAR book. Don’t spare me the action, Ron Moore!
Feyre And Rhysand’s Deal
Feyre kicked that worm’s ass, but got severely injured. Like, she was basically dying. Rhysand, Amarantha’s arm candy, visits Feyre in her cell that she resided in in between trials and offered a deal: he would save her life, so that she could in turn save her beloved, in exchange for her spending a chunk of her time with him in the Night Court.
Feyre has no choice but to accept, and while this seems like a super evil deal, it also brings into question whose side Rhysand is really on. The deal sure does insinuate that Rhysand believes Feyre will succeed in the trials and break the curse, pretty much making him the only person who really has faith in her. Maybe he’s not such a bad guy at all, huh?
Feyre Breaks The Curse
There’s nothing that gets me quite like a bittersweet moment. Feyre’s last trial is a daunting one, full of heart wrenching sacrifice and a clever twist. She, of course, succeeds and becomes the human who frees the faeries, but she also loses her mortal life. That moment of mortality has so many key elements packed into it that get revealed later on in the series, that the TV adaptation practically needs to get it just right. Also, I really want to see how they portray the magic of making a human into a faerie, because Ron Moore is probably going to make it pretty cool.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
Okay, so this line technically happens during Fire Night when Feyre sneaks out to see the festivities, Rhysand saving Feyre from a group of rowdy fae males. It is presented as such a minor moment in A Court of Thorns and Roses and comes back full force in A Court of Mist and Fury. This is Rhysand’s introduction into the series, and if it doesn’t make it into Hulu’s TV series, we’ll really miss out on having his perspective of the moment later on in the series and my heart just won’t be able to take that. Full send, if this moment isn’t in the TV adaptation, I don’t want it.
While I would be heartbroken if any of these moments don’t make it into Ron Moore’s planned series adaptation, honestly the man is good at what he does and I have full faith in him to do Sarah J. Maas’ best selling series justice on the screen. Unfortunately, there’s no way to even guess when A Court of Thorns and Roses will arrive, because a cast list hasn’t even been announced yet. Here’s to hoping it’ll be a banger and one of the best Hulu series to date if and when it happens, which would be a feat in itself.
