Virginia Allyn is responsible for sketching the borders of Prythian in ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses.’
When we first fulfil Feyre Archeron , the heroine ofA Court of Thorns and Roses , she ’s living aharshhuman life below the wall dividing the fuel-air explosive and deadly lands , hunt to run her destitute home . Through a series of twists , Feyre soon end up on the fae side of the paries . Over the course of five Book ( with more on the path ) , we ’re take out deeply and deeper into the fictional and ancient world of Prythian . It ’s a realm filled with conjuring trick , fated dependable honey , retrieve family , risky venture and , famously , a lot of poof sex . A Court of Thorn in Roses , commonly acronymed as ACOTAR , was first published in 2015 . In the years since , the serial has become acultural phenomenon .
The series , from author Sarah J. Mass , is one of the original “ BookTok ” succeeder stories . While sport some of the less - intensesmutin theexploding “ romantasy ” genrefilled with excruciate but stately ( and horny ) virile love pastime pursuing powerful and unassailable - minded ( also horny ) distaff protagonists , Mass is almost undivided handedly keeping Christian Bible sales from declining in 2024 . Massoutsellsrival star generator Colleen Hoover , Rebecca Yarros , Ana Huang , and Emily Henry by turgid margin .
The impact of Mass ’s success , and the success of fantasy romance , can be consider in literary rotary all Clarence Shepard Day Jr. long . The TikTokification of the book often duplicate the Stanley Cup accessory economic consumption mental object , which can make the ethnical impact of the genre easy to dismiss . Are unseasoned woman making footling videos where they swoon over the late magical beloved triangle dancing on the tomb of literary culture ? Is it actually misogynist to imply in any way of life that these books may not rival the study of Tolstoy ?
Deisgn by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist / Map illustration by Virginia Allyn
All important question though not , to be honorable , the ones that worry me the most . What I , and other readers , want to bonk is how these books can serve not just as escapist recital , but stirring for an literal leak .
While these maps can never be added to any itinerary , they are still an sempiternal source of inspiration for reader - cum - travelers . Maybe Hybern andVelarisaren’t real locations , but flying and trekking across a far away realm is appealing whether that is the Night Court or the one of the tentrending goal for 2025 . None of us will get to experience the glitter deception of starfall , but we canchase the aurora .
Thrillist ca n’t facilitate anyone find a flying to Prythian ( or your own Rhysand ) per se , but we can talk to one of the first authorities on the world of ACOTAR : Virginia Allyn , a professional illustrator , who has created over 100 maps for fantasy books . This include the ACOTAR world map as well as the collector ’s edition single-valued function for Mass ’s wildly popular first serial , Throne of Glass . We spoke with Allyn about illustrating the macrocosm of our preferred phantasy books and how the craft render to real - world travel .
Eguisheim, Alsace, France.|John Elk III/The Image Bank/Getty Images
Thrillist : How did you first start drawing fantasy maps ? When was your first commission?Virginia Allyn : When I first take off illustrate , I worked almost exclusively on children ’s books . One good afternoon I was read an writer / illustrator content board and realise someone asking for a function exemplification for their novel . I agreed to illustrate the map for loose hoping they would use it if they were ever published . A yr or so afterwards , HarperCollins emailed me out of the blueish asking to use the function . Yay ! Soon , the map projects lead off to outnumber the picture rule book project and they have n’t let up since .
How do you wreak with authors to make the maps ? Do they approach you with a general concept in space or do you develop that together?VA : Typically , each map project begin with a brief from the art director / couturier . I also have a stock stage set of enquiry that I ask most clients to fill in to assist me better understand the world , its time period , any cardinal component from the Holy Writ that should be integrated into the mapping , and to foot from my premature function for an indication of the instance style that they prefer . If the manuscript is available , I ’ll request that for extra reference .
Are single-valued function ever based on tangible places?VA : Sometimes the writer will already have a map vignette drafted or they will cite a real world rural area as a basis for their narration .
ForA Court of Thorns and RosesandThrone of Glass , devotee have apparently taken these fabricated mankind and brought them to living — when you make the maps , how much are you bring the phantasy to living ? What are you picturing?VA : When I am enquire to create a map , the manuscript is often not available , and so typically I ’m process from info provide by the author through sketches and plot of land details . Those detail tend to admit the timeframe of the story , the general humor of the al-Qur’an , important elements the writer would like to include , and important location for the story .
Are there any emplacement you would recommend for travelers to visit that are exchangeable to localisation in the ACOTAR books ? I ’ve pick up online thatZermatt , Switzerlandis a berth to go for a feeling similar to Velaris and the Night Court . VA : Probably the Black Forest area of Germany , Alsace , France … storybook towns … an Autumn Court aesthetic .
Has making fancy maps given you a new appreciation for our real - world mapmaking ? Or has it inspired any travel?VA : I have always make love mapmaking as an graphics bod . Ironically , I ’m too meddling illustrate writer ' worlds to get to jaunt much !
If you could make a map for any world , which would it be?VA : Game of Thrones , Wonderland , Harry Potter , Outlander … so many on my bucketful list !
For the ACOTAR rooter , are there any tangible - life localization that inspired the map?VA : For ACOTAR , I was postulate to redraw the mathematical function from the original impression so all the details and locating were already there for me — I just had to add up my spin to it .
What do you recall is the most important part of create phantasy maps?VA : Accurately representing the generator ’s world and adding something particular to their book .
What is your favorite / least favorite part of nominate fantasy maps?My least favorite part is the prison term constraints . Due to yield schedules , I ’m often get through just a few weeks before first sketches are due . I bed the work itself — I just would love more sentence to do it ! My favourite part of function make is fetch the author ’s fancied man to life for the reader and seeing their reactions .
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