“East of the Sun and West of the Moon” was an explicit inspiration for ACOTAR. Maas herself named it as one of her inspirations. There are substantial parallels between the tale and ACOTAR:
- a young woman connected to an impoverished family,
- a supernatural/beast-like male figure,
- an enchanted setting,
- concealment of his true nature,
- separation,
- the heroine eventually undertaking a dangerous journey connected to rescuing him.
