Aelin—formerly known as the infamous Adarlan assassin, Celaena Sardothien—is the main protagonist of the series and one of many viewpoint characters. Aelin has long golden-blonde hair and turquoise eyes rimmed with gold. With her gods-given powerful, ancient fire magic capable of defeating the Valg, Aelin is an inspiring leader whom people easily congregate behind. Her mixed human and Fae heritage makes her both the rightful Queen of Terrasen and the true heir, “by blood and birthright” (88), to Mab’s Fae crown. For these reasons, The Burden of Power is great for Aelin in particular, and she must sacrifice the most for her responsibilities.

Throughout the series, Aelin grows and evolves in a multitude of ways. In Kingdom of Ash, however, much of Aelin’s character development is wiped away, just as her scars are wiped clean from her body, by the torture Maeve inflicts on her. Aelin loses her swaggering, witty personality and instead wallows in pain and despair. She becomes resentful of her responsibilities and, at one point, even loses her will to go on. Aelin’s final character arc is in overcoming this fear and hopelessness. Instead of fearing all that she’ll lose in seeing the war through, Aelin focuses on what is worth fighting for.