You either love Nesta Archeron or you hate her- and that's understandably so. She's a strong and fierce woman, but she's a woman of many extremes. I also think it depends on whether you like Rhysand or not but I digress. All of us can agree though that giving Nesta her own book made it a lot easier to like her.
What is it about the Nesta we now love that made her so much better once we knew things from her perspective? Let's take a look.
Nesta Archeron. Our lady of the underground. Wait a second, that’s not right. Did I get the wrong set of notes again? What was it? Oh right! The Lady of Death! A badass title for a badass. But that’s not her only title. Oh no, in fact she has quite a few, such as Nes, Witch,
Queen of Queens, Valkyrie, Oristian and the emissary of the Night court.
But she wasn’t always these things. In fact, she started out as a mortal, the same as Freya and Elain. She was born a mortal and was used to the high end life. During this time, she learned many useful things such as how to read, write and even dance. Her mother put a lot of high expectations into her from such a young age, which later contributed to the issues with her mental health, I believe.
She has been described as queen-like on several occasions. With her golden-brown hair and sharp blue-gray eyes, impeccable posture and determined personality, who can look at her and think her to be anything less? Her personality is part of what makes her so interesting in my opinion. There’s nothing I love more than a hot tempered woman. But that’s not the entirety of her personality. She is a complex character with many layers. For example, she can be stubborn, she can also be direct and unafraid to speak her mind. More openly with Elain, but also with Freya to some extent, she is shown to be fiercely protective of her. It is said that Nesta would do anything in order to protect and keep Elaine safe, even going as far as to be in a big red flag of a relationship in A Court of Thorns and Roses. I’ve seen some people go as far as to say she is cold and heartless and to that, I cannot agree given what limits she was willing to put herself into in order to ensure the best for her family.
You know what I think is a particularly interesting thing about Nesta Archeron? She was able to see through the glamouring as a human. She was stubborn enough to refuse the fae magic fueled lies and illusions being fed to her. If that’s not enough, she rejected the daemati mind magic as well. Each of these tasks alone must take a ton of willpower to have, especially for a mortal. To be able to do all of it? Then, she goes into the cauldron and takes power from it. It still hasn’t been fully explained what all of her powers are. That, I believe, will be revealed in the books to come. However, we do know that she has powers akin to death gods. Pure death, that’s the word used to describe her powers. But what exactly does that mean? Some of its features include glowing eyes, the ability to Make objects and an ice cold fire. Sounds like a pretty neat deal, right?
Throughout the series she has formed several relationships. She created lifelong bonds that ultimately ended up helping her in her healing process. The most meaningful of these relationships would have to be with Gwenyth and Emerie. They accepted her at her worst and pulled her out of the darkness she was in. Together, the trio became the first of the new generation of Valkyrie and accomplished the blood rite. Another important relationship gained throughout the series is the one shared with Freya. At first the pair of sisters were hardly on good terms. However, by the end of A Court of Silver Flames, the two Archeron sisters have what could be considered a much healthier relationship, one that could even be considered a friendship. Then there’s the relationship with Cassian. There are ups and downs. But at the end of the day, the two of them are mates. There is a lot of understanding that needs to be done ondI’m curious to see what direction the two of them go in. While I can only hope it’s for the best…. But if it doesn’t work out, I’m sure Eris is ready for round two. Nesta and Azriel have a close relationship as well. I enjoy their friendship a lot. I think it’s good that she can have a friend in the inner court. Rhysand, however, their relationship needs some work as well. I think by the end of Silver Flames, there is a level of mutual respect and that’s a good start.
All in all, I’m glad with all of the growth that has been seen with Nesta.
I can't wait to see where Nesta’s journeys go, especially as a Valkyrie. I really hope we get to see more of that, specifically not just bound to the night court either. There should be Valkyrie journeys all throughout Prythia.
PS; I heard some really interesting theories that the Archerons’ are descended from fae blood. I’ve also heard a theory that mother Archeron was a direct witch and that is why Nesta, along with her sisters, are so powerful. What are your thoughts?
PPS; Man, I wish Nesta would have given Eris a chance. Sigh.