The Internet Has Theories.
We Have the Books.

There are theories, and then there are Maasverse theories. The first arrive politely with evidence. The second arrive at three in the morning carrying a twenty-generation family tree, a mysterious dagger, a photograph of an eight-pointed star and the absolute conviction that somebody’s distant cousin is secretly a demon.

Reader, I respect the dedication. I also think the evidence deserves a little respect of its own.

In Part One we followed the crossovers the books actually establish. Part Two examined the clues whose meanings remain unresolved. For our final instalment, I’ve gone into the fandom discussions, compared their arguments with the published novels, and separated Sarah J. Maas’s real statements from what people wish those statements meant. Some theories are clever enough to make me want to reopen sixteen books. Others need more than a matching pair of eyes and an enthusiastic Reddit comment.

For each case below, we state the theory, what supports it, what resists it, and what new evidence would actually change the verdict. These verdicts concern evidence, not whether a fan is entitled to enjoy the idea. And yes, I’m keeping a notebook.

THEORY FILE 01 · UNPROVEN, DESPITE A CONFIRMED LINK

Are the Valg, Daglan and Asteri one species?

What fans are proposing. The Daglan and Asteri are linked by the histories revealed in House of Flame and Shadow. The Valg, meanwhile, cross worlds, feed on suffering or living hosts, and have their own kings and princes in Throne of Glass. Readers have long argued that the common appetite for conquest and magical exploitation points to a single species. Others suggest rival groups that fought across worlds.

The evidence and the objection. The evidence for a connection is thematic and functional: invasion, exploitation, ancient power and movement between realms. The problem is that the Valg’s mechanisms, rulers and weaknesses are not explicitly identified as those of the Asteri. Even the rival-species hypothesis rests on indirect clues. Calling the Valg ‘confirmed Asteri’ would turn a fascinating question into a false fact.

What would change our verdict? A text explicitly naming Valg in an Asteri record, or recognising the two peoples’ shared origin, would settle much of this debate.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Separate enemies with possible historical connections. Identity unconfirmed.

REREAD THE BOOKS: Throne of Glass: Heir of Fire through Kingdom of Ash; A Court of Silver Flames: Daglan history; House of Flame and Shadow: Asteri and Silene’s account.

THEORY FILE 02 · GENUINE COMPETING THEORIES

Who inherits the Dusk Court: Nesta, Bryce or nobody?

What fans are proposing. The former Dusk Court beneath the Prison is established history. Nesta’s interaction with the Harp, the eight-pointed star and the Trove has led many fans to argue that she will restore or rule it. Others point to Bryce’s Starborn inheritance and her connection to Gwydion and Theia. A third group expects Nesta to be important to the island without becoming its ruler.

The evidence and the objection. The evidence confirms Nesta’s unusual connection to the island and Bryce’s distinct Starborn history. It establishes neither a new court government nor an appointment of either woman as its leader. The sword and dagger respond in particular ways to Bryce; that cannot simply be transferred to Nesta by argument. There is also no obligation for a lost court to return with exactly the political structures readers imagine.

What would change our verdict? We would need the island’s political status, surviving people, succession laws and an explicit narrative choice about who, if anyone, governs it.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Nesta as central investigator: plausible. Either woman as confirmed ruler: unsupported.

REREAD THE BOOKS: A Court of Silver Flames: the Prison and Nesta’s mark; House of Flame and Shadow: Dusk Court history and Gwydion handoff.

THEORY FILE 03 · RESEMBLANCE CONFIRMED; GENEALOGY UNRESOLVED

Are Ruhn and Rhysand close relatives?

What fans are proposing. Bryce’s response to Rhysand in House of Sky and Breath makes their resemblance an intentional clue. Silene and Helena’s family branches provide a credible historical setting for related traits surviving in different worlds. Fans have drawn numerous family trees, often placing Ruhn and Rhys in much closer proximity than the books allow us to document.

The evidence and the objection. A striking likeness, shadow-related gifts and an ancient split lineage support searching for ancestry. They do not establish a specific cousin relationship, a generation count or even which ancestral branch transmits each trait. Characters can resemble one another without supplying the paperwork.

What would change our verdict? A complete genealogy linking the present-day lines or a direct identification by a knowledgeable character.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Ancient shared lineage is a worthwhile hypothesis; any precise family label is premature.

REREAD THE BOOKS: House of Sky and Breath: Bryce meets Rhysand; House of Flame and Shadow: Silene, Helena and Starborn history.

THEORY FILE 04 · COMPELLING FRAMEWORK, NOT FULLY MAPPED

Is Midgard the gathering place for all three Fae bloodlines?

What fans are proposing. Midgard contains Fae lineages with histories reaching beyond its own world. Bryce’s ancestry points into the Starborn history of Prythian, while Lidia’s family invokes Brannon and the fire-linked heritage familiar from Throne of Glass. Readers therefore speculate that Midgard has become the multiverse’s accidental archive, collecting descendants from several worlds.

The evidence and the objection. The novels confirm immigration across worlds and provide pointed examples. But the story does not yet present a complete census of original world populations, and the idea that every important bloodline has been gathered on purpose requires further proof.

What would change our verdict? A historical record explicitly tracing all the migrant peoples, or a character’s confirmed plan to assemble them.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: A productive research model, not an established master plan.

REREAD THE BOOKS: House of Flame and Shadow: Theia’s descendants, shifters’ origins and Lidia’s history; Throne of Glass: Brannon.

THEORY FILE 05 · STRONG VISUAL INTERPRETATION

Is the bright city Aelin saw actually Lunathion?

What fans are proposing. During Aelin’s passage through worlds in Kingdom of Ash, she sees an illuminated city by a river. Lunathion in Crescent City has the skyline and river setting that make the comparison feel almost irresistible. For many readers, the scene retrospectively becomes a three-series Easter egg.

The evidence and the objection. The original passage doesn’t name Lunathion. This prevents us from presenting an attractive identification as a solved geographical fact. Many invented fantasy cities can have rivers and lights; the specific imagery is suggestive without becoming a precise address.

What would change our verdict? A direct statement in a subsequent book or an unambiguous author confirmation of the city’s identity.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Plausible and enjoyable, still unconfirmed.

REREAD THE BOOKS: Kingdom of Ash: Aelin’s world-crossing sequence; House of Earth and Blood: Lunathion descriptions.

THEORY FILE 06 · FUNCTIONAL SIMILARITY; SHARED MECHANISM UNPROVEN

Does the Horn use the same system as the Wyrdkeys?

What fans are proposing. The Wyrdkeys and Wyrdgates in Throne of Glass, the Harp and Dread Trove in ACOTAR, and the Horn in Crescent City all challenge the boundaries between places or worlds. Fans have tried to unite them under one architecture of reality and one ancient technology.

The evidence and the objection. The overlap in function makes comparison reasonable, especially since the Horn belongs in the Dread Trove’s wider history. Yet methods of activation, costs, limitations and kinds of travel differ. The books have not given readers a technical manual identifying Wyrdkeys and Trove objects as one system.

What would change our verdict? A character explicitly recognising the mechanisms as related, or a revelation showing the same materials and rules.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Related questions of world travel, not proven identical devices.

REREAD THE BOOKS: Throne of Glass and Kingdom of Ash: gates and keys; A Court of Silver Flames: Harp; Crescent City: Horn.

THEORY FILE 07 · MYTHIC PARALLELS; IDENTITY UNCONFIRMED

Are Wyrd, Urd and the Mother one being?

What fans are proposing. Across the novels, old ideas of fate, creation and a power beyond ordinary gods return through different names. Wyrd and Urd have linguistic and mythological resonances outside these books, while the Mother and the Cauldron occupy foundational places in Prythian’s spiritual vocabulary.

The evidence and the objection. Similar names and functions are evidence for a literary motif, not proof of a shared deity. The series describe different belief systems, cosmologies and sources of power. Treating every character’s religion as interchangeable could flatten the very mythology we hope to investigate.

What would change our verdict? A direct recognition of a shared entity across worlds or independently matching origin accounts.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: A fascinating cosmological question, not author-confirmed.

REREAD THE BOOKS: Throne of Glass: Wyrd and gods; Crescent City: Urd; ACOTAR: Mother and Cauldron.

THEORY FILE 08 · BEAUTIFUL, UNPROVEN THEORY

Did Starfall reveal souls or travellers from other worlds?

What fans are proposing. In ACOTAR, Starfall is an extraordinary event involving migrating lights. Crescent City also deals with souls, life energy, and the extraction of firstlight and secondlight. Some readers connect those concepts, and Aelin’s red-star appearance encourages another look at seemingly celestial phenomena.

The evidence and the objection. One known crossing through the sky does not prove that every light at Starfall is a soul, an Asteri victim, or another traveller. The text has not established a shared explanation for these phenomena. The theory is aesthetically persuasive but requires a mechanism.

What would change our verdict? An explicit account of what Starfall’s lights are and how that relates to Midgard’s souls or power systems.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Unresolved; resist treating symbolism as physics.

REREAD THE BOOKS: A Court of Mist and Fury: Starfall; A Court of Silver Flames: red star; Crescent City: firstlight and secondlight.

THEORY FILE 09 · WEAPON LINK CONFIRMED; CHARACTER FATE UNKNOWN

Is Azriel’s Truth-Teller proof of a hidden bloodline or romance?

What fans are proposing. Truth-Teller and Gwydion are paired ancient weapons, and Bryce’s encounters with Azriel have fuelled speculation about ancestry, the Dusk Court and romantic destiny. Some fan arguments extend the weapons’ reunion into a predicted pairing or an inherited right.

The evidence and the objection. Magical weapons do have histories and allegiances, but their resonance is not a DNA test or a marriage contract. The novels have not resolved Azriel’s origins through this link or awarded him a specific future relationship.

What would change our verdict? Clear family history, identified inheritance or explicit narrative development.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Weapon relationship: canon. Predicted lineage and romance: open theories.

REREAD THE BOOKS: House of Sky and Breath: Starsword and Truth-Teller; House of Flame and Shadow: their history.

THEORY FILE 10 · EVIDENCE OF EXCEPTIONAL POWER; FUTURE ARC UNKNOWN

Can Nesta’s powers change the balance between all three worlds?

What fans are proposing. Nesta survives powers and decisions that alter Prythian’s inner circle, can interact with the Dread Trove, and participates in Bryce’s confrontation with ancient history. By the end of House of Flame and Shadow, she holds Gwydion and a mystery Bryce encourages her to pursue.

The evidence and the objection. The books establish exceptional capability and unresolved consequences, not a guaranteed promotion to cosmic saviour. Nesta’s psychological journey, loyalties and politics matter as much as power scaling. Any theory that ignores her agency in favour of an imaginary throne has missed half the character.

What would change our verdict? New narrative choices showing what Nesta learns, whom she trusts and how she uses the relics.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: A strong candidate for further crossover significance, but the form is unknown.

REREAD THE BOOKS: A Court of Silver Flames: Nesta’s training and Trove; House of Flame and Shadow: Prison and sword handoff.

THEORY FILE 11 · AUTHOR CONFIRMS SEEDS; TOTAL BLUEPRINT UNPROVEN

Did Sarah plan the complete multiverse from the beginning?

What fans are proposing. In a 2023 interview with The Bookseller, Maas explained that she had planted seeds across her series and framed the worlds as distant planets. In TIME’s 2024 profile, she said she had been sprinkling hints for years and described choosing the Crescent City moment for an overt crossover.

The evidence and the objection. Those direct comments validate the deliberate multiverse premise. They do not demonstrate that every scene, symbol and future revelation was mapped decades in advance. Authors can plant seeds while developing their later meanings during composition.

What would change our verdict? A dated outline or author statement specifying when a particular Easter egg was conceived.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Deliberate cross-series seeds: confirmed by Sarah. An immutable master blueprint for every mystery: unproven.

REREAD THE BOOKS: The Bookseller, 3 February 2023; TIME interview, 2024.

THEORY FILE 12 · POSSIBLE DIRECTION, NOT A PUBLISHED OUTCOME

Will all three worlds collide again?

What fans are proposing. After Bryce’s visit to Prythian, the narrative has proved that the worlds can intersect. The Brannon reference keeps Throne of Glass visibly in the picture, while several objects and family histories remain unsettled. It is no surprise that readers are expecting a larger reunion.

The evidence and the objection. A pathway existing does not guarantee that Aelin, Bryce and Nesta will appear together. Sarah’s refusal to answer specific future-story questions, where verifiable, must remain a refusal, not secret confirmation. The forthcoming Valkyrie books deserve to surprise readers on their own terms.

What would change our verdict? A new published book, official excerpt, or explicit author confirmation of a particular reunion.

Imperfect Rebel verdict: Possible and narratively attractive, but no specific three-heroine team-up established.

REREAD THE BOOKS: Kingdom of Ash; House of Sky and Breath; House of Flame and Shadow; author interviews.

THE AUTHOR’S OWN WORDS

Sarah has confirmed a multiverse. Not every theory about it.

In her February 2023 interview with The Bookseller, Sarah J. Maas discussed deliberately planting the possibility of a multiverse throughout her different series and described the worlds as planets separated by vast distances. That is a remarkable piece of author testimony. It tells us the Easter eggs were not all accidental coincidences. It does not, by itself, reveal the identity of every creature or the destiny of every character.

In TIME’s 2024 profile, Maas again discussed sprinkling hints throughout the books and the decision to make Crescent City’s world-crossing explicit. Her March 2026 Call Her Daddy appearance addressed readers’ questions about the future of the series, with some answers necessarily remaining withheld. Here is our rule: when Sarah confirms a detail, it belongs in the canon-and-author-confirmation file; when she declines to answer, the question stays open. A knowing smile is delightful television. It isn’t a footnote.

The interviews are linked in full at the bottom of this article. Readers should be able to check the source, not merely take my word for an interview they might have seen paraphrased for years.

The theory I would keep closest to the desk

Nesta and the Dusk Court stand out because the theory draws on several independent strands: the Prison’s history, the eight-pointed star, the Dread Trove and Bryce’s decision to leave Gwydion behind. There is more to test here than a physical resemblance or a convenient choice of colour. But Nesta’s future title, if any, is still unwritten in the published books. Our job is to preserve that difference without extinguishing the fun.

We’ve traced confirmed crossings, collected forgotten clues and put the internet’s most ambitious theories under a reasonably bright lamp. Next comes the part no amount of speculation can replace: the next book. Until then, the case remains open.

Lupe Farkas
Imperfect Rebel