Nesta’s journey in A Court of Silver Flames sees her character undergo a huge transformation. Not only does she retake control over her life, but deals with her long-suppressed trauma and allows herself to be vulnerable with others throughout the narrative. Nesta’s character arc is one of the best in Sarah J. Maas’ popular fantasy series, and by the end of the novel she finally accepts Cᴀssian as her mate — even expressing her love for him. However, one problem fans have with A Court of Silver Flames‘ ending is that Cᴀssian does not say he loves her back.

Given the somewhat anticlimactic conclusion to Nesta and Cᴀssian’s story in A Court of Silver Flames, many fans are hopeful that Maas will take the time to rectify this moment in a future book. But as it is widely expected that Maas plans to center the next Court of Thorns and Roses book around Elain, it’s unlikely Nesta and Cᴀssian will be a major focus throughout the narrative. However, it’s possible glimpses of their love story will still be seen through Elain or Azriel’s POV, and finally deliver the moment fans of the series have been waiting for.

Cᴀssian Doesn’t Tell Nesta He Loves Her In A Court Of Silver Flames & It’s Underwhelming

Their Romantic Arc Feels Stifled In This Moment

After waiting for over 700 pages for Nesta to accept the mating bond and admit to herself she loves Cᴀssian, the moment she finally tells him is a bit underwhelming — especially when Cᴀssian fails to respond with those three pivotal words. Nesta’s moment of vulnerability was a huge step for her character after hiding much of her true nature behind a cold exterior and barbed comments for much of the book. Their love story would have been made stronger if Cᴀssian’s genuine, heartfelt response was revealed in tandem with her own.

“Pleading shone in his eyes. Pleading and fear and—and love.

Love she did not deserve, had never once deserved, but there it was. Just as it had been there from the instant they’d met.”

– A Court of Silver Flames, Chapter 74

However, an argument can be made that Cᴀssian’s actions in the novel show how much he truly loves her, which they do. Nesta even explains that she can see the love in Cᴀssian’s eyes at the end of Chapter 74 when he’s being controlled by Briallyn. But for a character who has admitted to feeling unworthy of love on multiple occasions, it would have been nice to hear Cᴀssian say “I love you” back, if only to help heal the part of Nesta that believed she was less than.

The 6th ACOTAR Book Should Fix The Previous Novel’s Ending Problem, Even If It’s About Other Characters

Nesta & Cᴀssian’s Relationship Will Still Be Featured To An Extent