Aelin Ashryver Galathynius: My Favorite FMC — and the Friend I’d Avoid

Loving a Character Doesn’t Mean Defending Her

Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is my favorite FMC — but I would want to stay far away from that girl in real life.

My feelings toward Aelin are complicated, and they’re not all that good.

I’m writing this because Throne of Glass is a series I think about often, and I genuinely don’t know if there will ever be another one I love more. To say Aelin is without flaws would make me not only biased, but delusional — sick with tunnel vision. Loving a character doesn’t mean ignoring who they actually are.

From Celaena to Aelin: The Reveal That Changed Everything

While reading the series, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Celaena Sardothien… only to later find out (spoiler alert) that she was actually Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. And honestly? It made sense. My brain just refused to put the puzzle pieces together before the reveal. I already know that on my reread, I’ll catch all the subtle hints and mentally smack myself for missing them the first time.

Trauma, Survival, and Becoming a Queen

There’s no denying that Aelin is a product of unimaginable trauma — abuse, manipulation, loss. And despite that, she rises above it and ultimately defeats the very enemy who took everything from her. She finds herself, finds her magic, and finds a reason to keep living through every impossible thing life throws at her.

The betrayal by Arobynn. Losing Sam. Reliving her parents’ deaths. Running from the kingdom she once called home. Being trapped in a labor camp with no hope of escape. Being forced into the role of the King’s Assassin — serving the man who murdered her family. Performing “small favors” that eventually led to the help and salvation she needed all along.

Aelin may come off as sneaky, manipulative, rude, and dangerous — but she was willing to sacrifice everything, including her own life, to save the realm. She literally fell through worlds and lost the magic she spent eight books building and learning to control, all to defeat Maeve and Erawan.

She was tortured for her lineage. Forced to bow to Maeve. Forced to relive the same trauma over and over for months, never knowing what was real and what wasn’t. She let down the people she loved in order to get where she needed to be to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

She had good intentions. She was strong, courageous, and one of the most selfless characters I’ve ever read.

Why I Would Stay Far Away From Her in Real Life

But in reality? I would stay far away from that girl.

Yes, she’s fierce. Yes, she’s brave and selfless. But that doesn’t mean her actions were always right — even if her intentions were pure. When Chaol questioned her choices, I felt for him. When Aedion demanded to know where their armies were, I felt for him too. Aelin constantly deceived the people who cared about her most. All they wanted was to be included — not blindsided, not forced to brace themselves for the next “surprise.”

When Lysandra posed as Aelin while Maeve held her captive, not a single person knew the truth. Not even Aedion — her cousin, Lysandra’s lover, and the same man who spent years trying to fix what had been taken from them because he truly believed Aelin was dead.

Violence, Control, and Withholding the Truth

A friend like Aelin is no friend of mine.

First, she solves problems with violence. And while I understand why — she did grow up as Adarlan’s Assassin — I’m personally not a violent person. I don’t want to surround myself with people who threaten others to get their way.

Second, she withholds critical information and then acts shocked when everyone is upset about it. Everything is always justified by “having a plan.” If I’m involved in something, I want to know what has happened, what is happening, and what we’re going to do about it. I don’t want to be a pawn in someone else’s master plan.

Aelin is the queen of withholding information “for your own good,” only to drop it at the very last second like a plot twist no one consented to. Every one of her plans relies on blind loyalty — follow her, don’t ask questions, don’t hesitate. God forbid you do question her, because then you’ve suddenly lost faith. She plays chess with the people who trust her most, manipulating friends and allies even when easier, more honest options exist. That’s not protection — that’s control.

Strength Doesn’t Excuse Emotional Distance

Lastly, she is emotionally unavailable. One day you’re her best friend — she’s warm, open, almost soft. Next, she’s cold and distant, all because of her past trauma. Is that sad? Absolutely. Is it understandable? Yes. Is it something I’d want in a friend? Absolutely not. She may be the almighty “fire-breathing bitch queen”, a friend, a wife, a savior of her realm, but Aelin is no friend of mine.