Hero’s Journey Breakdown: ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, and Throne of Glass

ayawinterromances
Jan 20
4 min read

How romantasy bestsellers use classic storytelling structure to hook readers and land emotional arcs.

***SPOILERS AHEAD FOR TOG, ACOTAR and the Empyrean Series (Fourth Wing)***

Great romantasy isn't just about fae courts or dragon schools — it's about transformation. The Hero’s Journey works because it’s built around change, challenge, and emotional payoff.

Let’s break it down beat-by-beat.

Book 1: ACOTAR (Feyre’s Arc)

Hero’s Journey Beat	ACOTAR Example (Feyre)
1. Ordinary World	Feyre hunts in the mortal realm, scraping by for survival. Her values are rooted in self-reliance, bitterness, and distrust.
2. Call to Adventure	Tamlin arrives and demands she come to Prythian as punishment for killing a fae.
3. Refusal of the Call	She resists emotionally. Wants to escape. Clings to prejudice.
4. Meeting the Mentor	Lucien offers guidance (grudgingly), but Tamlin also fills this role initially.
5. Crossing the Threshold	She emotionally invests in Prythian and her new life — particularly in Tamlin.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies	Navigates the Spring Court, begins to trust fae, encounters creatures like the Suriel and Bogge.
7. Approach the Inmost Cave	Tamlin sends her away “for safety,” and she realizes she loves him. This kicks off the emotional turn.
8. Ordeal	Under the Mountain: trials, torture, loss, and brutal sacrifice. Feyre must risk everything to save Tamlin.
9. Reward	She succeeds — but dies in the process. Is resurrected by the High Lords.
10. Road Back	Returns to the Spring Court — but something in her is broken. The trauma is not gone.
11. Resurrection	This really happens in ACOMAF — when Feyre fully breaks away from Tamlin and reclaims her power.
12. Return with the Elixir	Becomes High Fae with new abilities. She's not just alive — she’s changed. But her emotional resolution is deferred to the next book.

Takeaway: ACOTAR uses the Hero’s Journey primarily to launch Feyre into a new world. Her transformation arc isn’t fully completed until ACOMAF, which serves as a second journey — emotional resurrection + empowerment.

Book 2: Fourth Wing (Violet’s Arc — Book 1 only)

Hero’s Journey Beat	Fourth Wing Example (Violet)
1. Ordinary World	Violet is a fragile, bookish daughter expected to enter a deadly war college.
2. Call to Adventure	Her mother forces her to join the Riders Quadrant.
3. Refusal of the Call	Internally, she panics. She believes she won’t survive.
4. Meeting the Mentor	Dain acts as “protector,” but Xaden becomes her true foil and challenge.
5. Crossing the Threshold	She bonds with Tairn and Sgaeyl — a true turning point. She now has something to fight for.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies	Navigates the cutthroat world of Basgiath — faces enemies, makes friends (Rhiannon, Ridoc), survives challenges.
7. Approach the Inmost Cave	Learns about rebellion, her father’s research, and questions the structure she’s been taught.
8. Ordeal	Final war games and outside attack — she nearly dies but shows she can lead and protect.
9. Reward	She survives, keeps her bonded dragons, and begins to see herself as capable.
10. Road Back	Just as she's stabilizing — the twist hits: Xaden’s betrayal (truth about the rebellion).
11. Resurrection	Her trust and worldview are shattered — she’s emotionally reborn through betrayal.
12. Return with the Elixir	Cliffhanger ending. Violet now sees the war and the people around her differently — and she’s about to enter a bigger game.

Takeaway: Fourth Wing sticks closely to the Hero’s Journey but blends it with romantic tension and a slow empowerment arc. The “reward” is self-belief; the resurrection is tied to romantic fallout.

Series: Throne of Glass (Celaena → Aelin’s Arc — across the series)

This one spans multiple books. Here's a condensed, arc-wide map:

Hero’s Journey Beat	Throne of Glass Series Example
1. Ordinary World	Celaena is imprisoned in Endovier. Internally, she’s broken, cynical, but still defiant.
2. Call to Adventure	Is offered a chance at freedom — if she competes as the king’s champion.
3. Refusal of the Call	Distrusts Dorian, Chaol, and the court. Doesn’t want to play anyone’s game.
4. Meeting the Mentor	Nehemia, Elena (spiritual guide), and eventually Rowan all serve in this role.
5. Crossing the Threshold	Begins to embrace her identity, magic, and destiny — gradually throughout the series.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies	Each book tests her physically, emotionally, politically. She gains allies (Manon, Rowan, Lysandra, etc.) and enemies (Maeve, Erewhon).
7. Approach the Inmost Cave	Heir of Fire: She grieves, breaks, trains with Rowan, and is reborn as Aelin Galathynius.
8. Ordeal	Multiple: Death of loved ones, sacrifices, war, betrayal.
9. Reward	Becomes queen. Reclaims her title. Builds her court and alliance.
10. Road Back	Faces the gods, war, and her own fate — she’s no longer just fighting for herself.
11. Resurrection	Literally and emotionally. Endures torture, sacrifice, and finally ascends into true queenhood.
12. Return with the Elixir	The world is changed. Her kingdom is free. She’s earned peace — and her own identity, at last.

Takeaway: Throne of Glass is a multi-phase Hero’s Journey, with repeated cycles of death and rebirth. Aelin’s journey is about learning to carry power with vulnerability and emotional maturity.

The Hero’s Journey lives inside every romantasy arc, not always beat-for-beat, but in emotional shape.