*Warning- contains spoilers!*
Both written by Sarah J. Maas, these two female characters have a lot of controversies. Some readers hate them both, love one, hate the other, or learned to love both. For me, I had an initial hatred for Nesta. I thought she was spiteful and lazy, so when I found out there was going to be an entire novel about her in A Court of Silver Flames I was dreading it, almost convinced myself not to read this new novel, despite loving this series. After finally working up the courage to read the novel, however, my perspective on Nesta did change. Seeing the self-sabotage going on in her head suddenly made a lot of sense to me and then I ended up gaining so much more respect for her.
Meanwhile, I never outright hated Manon. From her first chapter in An Heir of Fire I was intrigued by her. I found myself rooting for her to change, to fight against the Matron. By the end of the Throne of Glass series, I was fully obsessed with her character.
Although I had entirely different journeys with these two characters, I see so many similarities between these two characters.
Cold Characters
Especially at the start of their developments, both characters could be described as cold. Facing the world with a scowl, iron teeth or not, and nothing more. Nesta is too caught up in what she lost, while Manon is caught up in what she has to gain.
However, both female characters have a negative image of themselves. Each female sees herself as some type of evil force.
Manon says to her newly formed “friend”, Elide, “Do you believe monsters are born, or made?” (Queen of Shadows, Maas). This is the first moment Manon starts to question her existence and how she was created into a weapon by her grandmother. From this part on, Manon becomes a self-sacrificing witch, who cares too deeply.
Similarly, Nesta initially also sees herself as a sort of monster. In A Court of Silver Flames, the text states, “So Nesta had become a wolf. Armed herself with invisible teeth and claws, and learned to strike faster, deeper, more lethally. Had relished it. But when the time came to put away the wolf, she’d found it had devoured her too” (Maas). Like Manon, Nesta struggles to see past only one side of herself and it takes a toll on her mental health. She makes herself into a monster, believing she is one and struggles to find a way out.
Also like Manon, they both have difficulty with their emotions, because they fear any acknowledgment of their feelings will overwhelm them. As Nesta notes, “She felt it all- too keenly, too sharply. Hated and cared and loved and dreaded, more than other people, she sometimes thought” (A Court of Silver Flames, Maas). Nesta and Manon see their emotions as a weakness, something to stifle. It’s not until they embrace their care for others and therefore accept others' help that they both reach their full potential.
Soft Spots
Despite their cold starts, these two characters have soft spots, which is why I believe these characters are endearing. It’s the fact that they could care less about anyone, other than a very select handful of people.
For Manon, this is first seen with Elide. Readers see Manon’s initial sign of sympathy when she accepts and welcomes Elide into the Blackbeaks. This sympathy becomes especially clear when Elide is about to be imprisoned. Manon confesses, “It was the sound of Elide’s weeping- that girl of quiet steel and quick-silver wit who had not wept for herself or her sorry life, only faced it with grim determination- that made Manon snap entirely" (Empire of Storms, Maas). That “snap” stayed with Manon through the rest of the series and she learned to love and show her love for others, such as Asterin and Abraxos, despite being told love is a weakness.
Similarly, Nesta has an immense soft spot for her older sister Elain, which is seen from the beginning of the series. Nesta's willingness to protect her one sister is probably her only redeeming quality during the start of her character development. All the other characters recognize Nesta’s dedication to Elain. In A Court of Wings and Ruin, Feyra notes, “Nesta hid the devastation well. The frustration. ‘What can I get you, Elain?’ Only with Elain did she use that voice” (Maas). Feyre recognizes that Nesta's mask of indifference drops with Elain. Like Manon, Nesta eventually learns how to drop this mask with others, although it is a long journey from this point until she does so.
Meddling Love Interests
Both Manon and Nesta’s relationships start off purely physical with their tall, dark, and handsome prince and general. They refuse to connect on an emotional level in fear that they will lose the person and end up hurting themselves. Soon, though, with the persuasion of the love interests, the two female characters slowly let their guards down.
Manon and Dorian instantly have a spark between them and although by the end of the series their relationship is unclear, it’s clear there is real affection between them. Dorian keeps Manon afloat when she is stripped from her whole identity. When she betrays her grandmother and is separated from her thirteen, Dorian tells her, “I’d hate for you to waste away into nothing. It’d be a shame to lose the most beautiful woman in the world so soon into her immortal, wicked life” (Empire of Storms, Maas). Dorian comes across as arrogant and playful, but he truly cares deeply for Manon’s well-being, which is proven throughout the rest of the Throne of Glass series. And despite Manon’s act of cool detachment, she falls hard for this prince and future king.
Likewise, Nesta resists her feelings for the smirking general Cassian, until she can no longer deny that he is her match, her one true mate. However, Cassian has to scream this to her in the middle of the Velaris streets. Their relationship starts off strained in The Court of Silver Flames, as they both confess their love amidst the chaos of battle in the previous book and then Nesta is unable to deal with the fallout after the war is over. Therefore, like Manon, Nesta is only able to accept the physical and pretend there is no emotion. Like Dorian, though, Cassian fights for Nesta and digs her out of her despair. Cassian pleads with Nesta, “I’ll be with you every step of the way. Just don’t lock me out. You want to walk in silence for a week, I’m fine with that. So long as you talk to me at the end of it” (The Court of Silver Flames, Maas). Cassian and Dorian are both able to bring Nesta and Manon back to life after the trauma they both suffered. It’s the male love interests rooting of these two female characters that allow readers to also root alongside them.
Isolation to Heroines
Although Manon and Nesta start off as what is assumed to be selfish characters, they become true heroines by the end of their stories. Manon fights for a better future that the other characters in the series are able to show her. While rallying the other witches, Manon states, “‘But I will fly against you, if need be, to ensure that there is a future for those who cannot fight for it themselves. Too long have we preyed on the weak, relished in doing so. It is time that we became better than our foremothers.’ The words she had given the Thirteen months ago. ‘There’s a better world out there,’ she said again. ‘And I will fight for it’” (Kingdom of Ash, Maas). Manon does rally the majority of the witches and helps win the war; however, this comes with a price. She loses the Thirteen. Which is, in my opinion, one of the most devastating moments. Still, Manon fights on proving her true bravery, love, and selflessness.
Nesta does have a similar moment of courage during the battle in A Court of Wings and Ruin, protecting those she loves, but I believe her true moment of self-sacrifice is when she loses her powers, and risks her own life, in order to save Feyre’s life. Although this scene is controversial, as it is another female character losing her powers, this moment stood out to me because Feyre and Nesta had such a tense relationship throughout the series and this is the first time Nesta decides to save her sister, despite the consequences, which demonstrates her true character development.
Do you think these characters are similar? Would they be instant friends or instant enemies? Do you see another character fitting better for either character? How would Amren be with these two?
Works Cited
Eve, Lily. “Manorian Fanart.” Throne of Glass Wiki, 2020,
https://throneofglass.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000001949318. Accessed 2022.
Maas, Sarah J. A Court of Wings and Ruin. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.
Maas, Sarah J. A Court of Silver Flames. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022.
Maas, Sarah J. Empire of Storms. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016.
Maas, Sarah J. Kingdom of Ash. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.
Wesson, Dominique. “Cassian and Nesta ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ Series.” Twitter,
2020, https://twitter.com/dominiquewesson/status/1310962453702938627?
lang=en. Accessed 2022.