The Suriel. Ask any fan of ACOTAR to send you a Suriel meme and they've got at least a dozen on hand. It's very memeable, mind you. Whoever traps the Suriel may ask it any question and they will recieve an answer. But do we ever get any answers about the Suriel itself? What do we even know about the Suriel? Let's review.
The Suriel is one of a species of its kind. That's right- there a whole race of fae just like the Suriel just waiting to spill all the tea. The wiki lists their species as malevolent fae but I mean come on! Look at the little guy we dealt with! You can't tell me that that was supposed to be evil. The fact that obviously distinguishes all of them is that when you catch them, they have to answer any of your questions- and they do know the answers, as we've seen time and time again.
So what other things make a Suriel a Suriel? Well, first and foremost, Suriel can't cross running water, which is interesting and also very useful in trapping them for any of you who would like to take notes. They're members of no court, and they cannot lie to you. So those are the fae that can't lie! They've been around since before Prythian, before any of the other fae. The only thing we know predates it with any certainty is the Cauldron itself. Talk about an ancient race!
We first meet our Suriel, as it were, in the Spring Court when Feyre traps it to get life advice/ figure out what she's supposed to do with the whole Tamlin situation. Interesting thing- Alis mentions that she probably could have gotten the information she sought just by giving the Suriel a coat. We see if a few times after that, always to dish out the biggest tea. Spoilers ahead- Rhys had best be grateful for the fact that our baby Suriel was dead when he was trying to hide the fact that Feyre's pregnancy could kill her because you just know it would have beat Nesta to the punch of spilling that tea. It is Feyre's main source for information when she needs it urgently, hence why we always make jokes about it.
Here's where I have a bone to pick with the wiki: the only Suriel we ever meet in the series is a pretty decent lil guy! He grows on you. Feyre traps him multiple times, but SPOILERS do we really know if it wasn't letting her catch him? I mean think of what it gave her. The first time was 'stay with the High Lord'. Then 'Rhysand is your mate'. The third time she didn't even have to trap it, it gave up information to her willingly. And it's dying words? 'Leave the world a better place'. That does not sound malevolent to me! Sure, maybe it's a little scary looking, but our baby Suriel was a hero and I will not let the wiki slander it like that.
The Suriel seriously enriched the plot of ACOTAR and it deserves everything. Period.
And now for a bit of a contest for you all, issued by the Monarch (me) themself. Write me a short story (500-2500 words) in which your character meets and traps the Suriel. What would your character ask them? Entries can be sent to Bryn Kaen and Ophelia Knox. Deadline is May 28th at midnight site time, and the winner will recieve a bundle of potions that they might find very useful! Happy writing!