Warning: This list contains spoilers for Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses books.
Summary
Sarah J. Maas’ sophomore fantasy book seriesA Court of Thorns and Rosesfeatures many characters with immense magical power. The series’ protagonist is the human huntress Feyre Archeron, who initially only has her wits and resilience at her disposal to combat some of the most powerful beings in her world. However, through a series of strange events,Feyre becomes Fae and acquires a versatile set of abilities like no one else has in this setting.
Yet Feyre is not the most powerful character inA Court of Thorns and Roses, unlike her counterpart Aelin Galathynius, the protagonist andmost powerful character inThrone of Glass.The seven High Lords are framed by the narrative as the most powerful characters in the Fae country of Prythian,but Feyre and others rise to challenge them. The power dynamics are characterized by the power that the characters learn or steal away, which will be a key component thematically and visually in theA Court of Thorns and RosesTV show adaptation.
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10Azriel
Azriel Is A Shadowsinger & One Of The Most Powerful Illyrians Ever
Rhys and his adoptive brothers Azriel and Cassian are all Illyrian faeries (half-Illyrian in Rhys’ case) when all kinds of“lesser faeries”are generally looked down upon by the (supposedly) stronger High Fae. However, Azriel and Cassian are both forces of nature. The Illyrians have some amount of raw magical power that can be channeled through siphons.Azriel and Cassian each carry a record-breaking seven siphons each,due to them having more power than any Illyrian in history.
However, Azriel is probably slightly more powerful than Cassian because he can winnow (instantly traveling to another location) and is also a shadowsinger. The latter is the ability to manipulate darkness to hide himself or others from view as well as hear and see others can’t, all key abilities in his role as Rhys’ spymaster.Azriel’s magic is enigmatic, which frames him as someone to never be underestimated,even though other characters certainly have more power than him.
9Amarantha
Amarantha Steals The Power Of The High Lords Of Prythian
Before the events of theA Court of Thorns and Rosesseries,Amarantha is said to be one of Hybern’s best generals.Her status as such an intimidating opponent in this world suggests that she always had some amount of lethal magic, even though the narrative doesn’t go into detail about its exact nature. She did manage to capture Rhys at some point during the war that took place several centuries before the first book, which is no small feat.
However, Amarantha is at her most powerful inA Court of Thorns and Rosesbecause she managed to get all seven High Lords to drink a spell she had stolen from the King of Hybern. As a result, she held all of their power for fifty years.During this time, no one in Prythian was able to challenge Amarantha,and she declared herself High Queen. However, this power is circumstantial and once she loses it, she is at the High Lords' mercy.
8Tamlin
Tamlin Is A Powerful High Lord & Shapeshifter
Tamlin is one of the strongest of the seven High Lords,or at least has the most chances to demonstrate his power. This is mostly becauseFeyre and Tamlin’s relationshipis a significant part of the overall story. As soon as he is freed from Amarantha’s magical hold inA Court of Thorns and Rosesdue to Feyre’s actions, he takes her out in seconds. This at least suggests that he is more deadly than whatever magical ability Amarantha has naturally.
Tamlin’s power mainly takes the form of shapeshifting abilities,as he sometimes wears the shape of a beast, which is a combination of several predator animals. He also has some different abilities that are common among most people with any kind of magic in this setting: winnowing, healing, shields, etc. However, Tamlin is ultimately a character who isn’t meant to triumph in this story, and plenty of others have opportunities to overpower him.
7Morrigan
Mor Can Challenge Prythian’s High Lords
Mor was born with a far-reaching and immense power that isn’t defined by any particular ability but suggests she is a formidable sorceress. Due to her being born in a strictly patriarchal society, this mostly meant that her family could marry her off advantageously as a potential husband would hope she would pass her power along to her children. Supposedly, Mor never used it to escape marriage as there were others in her family and court who could subdue her.
Mor is very clearly set up as a rival to at least some of the High Lords.
However, Mor is very clearly set up as a rival to at least some of the High Lords. The most illustrative example is howMor easily destroys the wards created by Tamlinwhen she arrives to rescue Feyre from his manor. TheFae society inA Court of Thorns and Rosesis awfuland does a lot to ignore powerful women, not really considering how their magic measures up to the High Lords. While Mor’s abilities are not limited, she could probably topple some major regimes if she tried.
6King Of Hybern
Hybern Threatens Prythian After Centuries Of Studying Magic
The King of Hybern’s magical abilities are somewhat confusing, as the story casts him as the ultimate big bag but doesn’t go into a ton of detail about what he can do.Hybern somehow found and assembled the Cauldron (the all-powerful artifact in this world’s creation myth)which he uses as a nearly-invulnerable weapon. He has also had several centuries to study and practice different kinds of magic.
Hybern is described as wielding waves of magic that subdue some key characters,including High Lords and the Inner Circle of the Night Court. Some of this magic is possibly just what he possesses naturally, while the rest has been acquired through time and work. Hybern is a strange character because his power is more defined by what the story needs him to be than by logical explanations the POV characters are going to spend a lot of time discussing.
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5Feyre
Feyre Has The Most Varied Power Set In The Series
When Feyre is resurrected by the High Lords, they inadvertently each give some of their magic to her. Because of this, Feyre has the most varied power inA Court of Thorns and Rosesas she can wield the specific kinds of magic unique to each court: fire, ice, water, shapeshifting, telepathic abilities, etc.Feyre’s power’s magnitude is not the most significant, but its singularity allows her ways to outclass opponentsshe might not have been able to defeat if she’d been born Fae.
Feyre seems to be an equal match to Tamlin, as she defends herself from a blast of his magic. She is also resistant to Hybern’s magic due to being made rather than born Fae, giving her some immunity.Feyre will also likely get more powerful once she has had centuries of time to practice,but she is somewhere in the middle ground when she has only had her magic for a couple of years.
4Helion
Helion Is Another High Lord Who Is Especially Adept At Spellwork
Helion also probably ranks higher among the High Lords in terms of raw power, which takes the form of golden light.Helion is also known by the title of"Spell-Cleaver"due to his ability to undo other wards and enchantments. He is another character who comes across as more powerful due to experience, with a lot of time on his hands to hone his craft.
Whereas some characters in this series seem weaker because of the mystery of their character, Helion seems stronger. Amid the other High Lords, Helion has a more poignant and relaxed presence that leads the reader to believe he could take on most of them. The fact that he is Day while Rhys is Night also sets them up as equals in a thematic sense, even if Rhys is technically more powerful.
3Nesta
Nesta’s Silver Flames Tear Through Most Other Kinds Of Magic
As a human,Nesta is immune to the power of a High Lord through nothing but her own iron will.This alone astounds Feyre and has a lot of implications for what Nesta will become when she is Fae as well. Nesta’s willpower is a major factor when she is made Fae and literally rips away a deadly magic from the Cauldron itself. Essentially, Nesta was strangely one of the strongest people in this world when she had no magic at all.
Essentially, Nesta was strangely one of the strongest people in this world when she had no magic at all.
This magic that Nesta steals from the Cauldron takes the form of silver flames described as"pure death,“which decimate just about everything else in her path. The only caveat to Nesta’s power is that it is also circumstantial and therefore temporary.Nesta bargains with the Cauldron to save Feyre’s life during childbirth and gives back most of the magic she took,leaving her with significantly reduced abilities. However, given what she accomplished as a human, she is still not to be underestimated.
2Amren
Amren Is A Chaos God Whose Power Is Also Restrained
Amren is a chaos god from another world bound in the body of a Fae, which at least restrains her power to something less all-ending. She can still accomplish a lot as a Fae, having risen to become a nightmarish legend in Prythian.Amren would undoubtedly be the most powerful character inA Court of Thorns and Rosesif what she can do weren’t dependent on what form she is in,as she demonstrates inA Court of Wings and Ruin.
In the third book,Amren frees herself from her Fae body and obliterates Hybern’s entire army in seconds in her true form.She then returns as a normal High Fae, having lost her godly power. The following books haven’t found time to thoroughly explain or illustrate what raw magic Amren still has, although she is a valuable advisor to the Night Court simply because she has been alive longer than any of them. The amount of magic Amren has breaks the power scale, but its use is inconsistent throughout the books.
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1Rhysand
Rhys' Strength & Versatility Make Him The Most Powerful High Lord
Rhys is very explicitly said to be the most powerful of the High Lords,enough so that he retains some of his magic when Amarantha steals their abilities. At his strongest, Rhys can mist (essentially dissolve) armies, hold off any opponent’s magical attacks, and telepathically alter the memories of an entire country. What he accomplishes is actually similar to Maeve inThrone of Glass, who installs herself as queen by telepathically causing everyone to believe she is the rightful ruler.
Amren and Nesta might be above Rhys in terms of raw strength. However,Rhys is the most powerful being in Prythian because his magic is the most reliable.It is not dependent on a specific form or derived from another source; it is entirely his own as he naturally exists. Magical warfare inA Court of Thorns and Rosesshows many different ways power can be wielded, but Rhys has a variety of abilities and immeasurable strength that outmatches everyone else.
