Warning: This article will contain spoilers from the full Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Crescent City series.
Disability is everywhere, and fantasy books are no exception. Sarah J. Maas is the bestselling author of over a dozen fantasy books. While Maas herself has not identified as disabled, she includes several characters in her 3 series that represent people with physical, mental, and intersecting disabilities. Today we’re looking at the disability representation in the Sarah J. Maas universe.
Physical Disabilities in the Throne of Glass Series
Elide Lochan is one of the main point-of-view characters beginning in Queen of Shadows and is the first disabled character you come across in the Throne of Glass series and the Sarah J. Maas universe. When Elide was young, she fell down a flight of stairs and injured her ankle – due to the abusive nature of her uncle’s wardship of her, she was denied access to healers and has lived with a severely damaged ankle ever since.
Elide’s point of view consistently comments on her pain and struggle to get around with her bad ankle yet Elide is one of the strongest characters in the series as she walks miles and miles to reach her kingdom and be reunited with her queen. While she accepts help from those who offer it, Elide spent 10 years of her life doing everything on her own with a severe injury.
Chaol Westfall is another example of disability representation in the Throne of Glass series and we explore his injury in depth in Tower of Dawn, the 6th book. Chaol’s disability is unique in that it is not permanent but what makes his journey a solid example of representation is the hard work that he must put in to learn how to walk again after the late King of Adarlan shatters his spine in multiple places.
Not only does Chaol have to completely rehabilitate his spinal injury with help from magical healers, but he must face his internal ableism and accept that his injury will be a part of his life from now on.
Mental Health Disabilities in A Court of Thorns and Roses
The cast of characters in A Court of Thorns and Roses goes through a lot. After the events from Under the Mountain, Feyre and her companions are fully traumatized. Feyre develops severe PTSD and is consistently seen waking up from nightmares, having panic attacks to the point of throwing up, and feeling trapped and confined by her relationship with Tamlin (who is reacting in his own way to the events UTM).
Rhysand also suffers from PTSD because of the type of abuse he endured. While he puts on a good show for those around him, in his intimate conversations with his close circle and Feyre, we see that Rhysand struggles with self-worth as a result of what Amarantha did to him for 50 years.
Tamlin’s reactions to Under the Mountain also result in PTSD, but his behavior becomes abusive as he tightens a leash on Feyre and traps her inside their manor. His intention is to protect her, but it just damages their relationship. The trauma that these characters endure is heartbreaking, yet Sarah J. Maas writes these characters to be strong and gives them healing journeys – which everyone deserves, even Tamlin.
Intersection of Mental Health and Physical Disability
Crescent City is quite a brutal journey for the main character Bryce Quinlan. Within the first several pages, she walks into her apartment to find her best friend and all her other friends brutally slaughtered and is then attacked by the same monster who killed them. Bryce had substance abuse issues before Danika was killed, and we see her struggle with the battle of whether she should return to her party-girl life to cope or not. Bryce also suffers from chronic pain due to her injuries sustained the night that Danika was murdered.
Bryce’s journey really emphasizes the idea that there is strength in vulnerability. Through her growing relationship with Hunt, who comes with his own traumatic background, Bryce learns that she can be vulnerable and show her weakness to trusted people and that it will make her stronger.
Conclusion
While Sarah J. Maas is a bestselling author, sometimes her books are criticized for not being the “right kind” of representation. However, fans often express that they haven’t felt more heard than they have while reading the journeys of healing that Maas’s characters go through. Whether it is from a physical injury, chronic pain, or a mental health struggle like PTSD which is a common theme in her books, Maas writes for those who suffer and need to be heard.
The disability representation in Maas’s work is strong so if you’re looking for a good fantasy romance series, look no further than one of her books.
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