“I believed everyone deserved dignity in death, even him, but I didn’t feel an iota of empathy for what he’d brought upon himself.

And Landell? Did I feel sorry for him? Not particularly. What did that say about me?”

Poppy is not beyond seeking vengeance and retribution, especially from those she deems evil and sinful. As she sees Jericho strung up on a wall of the New Haven keep, she pities him for his slow death, but does not regret that he must die for his attack on her in the previous book. Poppy’s questions show the schism between her “Maiden” side and her warrior side; as the Maiden, she was raised to be modest and self-effacing, but her emerging true nature believes violence is sometimes necessary and justified.

“A crucial part of their all-encompassing control is creating a rift between mortals who have and mortals who have not.”

Through its fantasy and romance tropes, the novel often offers important commentary on the mechanics of power in the real world. Cas tells Poppy about how the Ascended rule by making mortals fight amongst themselves, which is a thinly veiled allegory of how elites may work in the real world.

“What a pretty little flower

What a pretty poppy,

Pick it and watch it bleed,

Not so pretty any longer […]

Poppy.”

This disturbing nursery rhyme is one of the few things Poppy remembers from the night the Craven attacked her family. She often wakes up from nightmares chanting the rhyme, but the words remain a cipher. Poppy’s hazy memory around the words shows how trauma operates, where the memory of the traumatic event is often reordered or fractured.

“To do nothing is cruel.”

Apathy and inaction are seen as complicity in the moral universe of the text. Kieran reminds Alastir that the people of New Haven must be moved because the threat from the Ascended is real. To simply wait for things to unfold because it is convenient is equivalent to indirectly killing the people.

“I won’t force you to marry me, Poppy. What I already have to force from you […] is distasteful enough, given everything that was taken from you before you even met me.”

Despite violating her trust in the past, Cas recognizes the importance of her consent. He acknowledges that Poppy has had her freedom taken away during her time in Solis; by restricting or coercing her further, he will only be acting like her former captors. Cas needs to establish he is different from the Ascended, so that Poppy’s love for him becomes a choice.

“Just because he’s Ascended doesn’t automatically mean he’s evil—”

Poppy reminds Cas that just like she shouldn’t have assumed Atlantians were all bad based on hearsay, he should not presume that her brother has turned evil after his Ascension. Her brother needs to be saved, despite his Ascension. This underlines the text’s important theme about the necessity of second chances.

“I wouldn’t confuse submission for distraction, and I wouldn’t mistake obedience for stupidity when its apparent that you know very little about the people of Solis.”

Poppy’s chilly remark to Alastir establishes her intelligence and her astute understanding of the power of fear. It is easy for Alastir to label the people of Solis as subservient for offering up their thirdborn children, but as Poppy reminds him, the truth is more complex. The mortals of Solis comply with the Ascended to survive: If they don’t do the bidding of the Ascended they risk being attacked by Craven or punished by their rulers.

“All kingdoms are built on blood. Atlantia is no different.” 

Cas’s statement to Poppy illustrates the relationship between rule and warfare. Rule can only be established when one group asserts its power against another. Even the more peaceful kingdom of Atlantia was founded after a war, one between the elementals—the children of deities—and their forebears. Cas implies that revolution is a necessary part of history, even when it involves bloodshed.

“From blood and ash.”

An older man says this to Cas at New Haven as they prepare to battle the Ascended, and Cas replies “We will rise.” The full quote is the Dark One’s pledge to the people that they shall take back the kingdom of Solis. The pledge inspires the commoners of Atlantia, rallying them against the Ascended. While Poppy feared the pledge in the first book of the series, now she respects it and senses its true power.

“They may be unhappy to learn, yes, but I do believe they’ll be more disturbed to learn you’ve been compromised […] And most likely in more ways than one.”

The insinuation that Poppy has been “compromised” through sex with Cas is unmistakable from Lord Chaney’s words. Chaney’s disturbing preoccupation with Poppy’s virginity illustrates the sexist norms of Solis society, which is far more conservative than that of Atlantia. As the Maiden, Poppy was supposed to be chaste and coy, and her body and sexuality were policed. Now that she is known to be Cas’s girlfriend, Chaney labels her as corrupted.

“‘I tore out his tongue,‘ Kieran announced, and both Casteel and I looked at him. ‘What?’ The wolven shrugged. ‘He annoyed me.’

‘Well,’ Casteel murmured. ‘Okay, then.’”

While Kieran’s nonchalant declaration about maiming Lord Chaney is played for laughs, it highlights the ubiquity of violence in the world of the novel. Though Chaney deserves little mercy for his sadistic actions, it is debatable if Kieran is wholly justified in tearing off his tongue because he spoke too much and annoyed him.

“That sounds like a very dysfunctional...engagement.”

“You can’t spell dysfunctional without fun, now can you?”

Cas and Poppy’s banter is a great example of Armentrout’s distinctive use of contemporaneous dialogue in the novel’s medieval-analog setting. While the characters inhabit a world where travel takes place mostly on horseback, they use current language, which reads as comedic. Cas acknowledges that his relationship with Poppy may seem “dysfunctional” to others, but that is what makes it exciting.

“‘I heard one of them talk about how they wanted to make a cloak out of my fur,’ Delano said from where he rode to our right. His brows were furrowed. ‘My fur should be reserved for something far more luxurious than a cloak. I bit him extra hard for that.’“

Armentrout often punctuates tense, violent situations with irreverent commentary, such as these remarks by the wolven Delano after the group is attacked by the vicious Dead Bones clan. Though these characters may be facing death and violence, they hardly ever lose their sense of humor—one tactic for keeping the series tonally separate from the horror genre.

“I want to be shocked. I need to be […] If not, then the line that separates us from the vamprys would be much too thin.”

Naill’s remark underscores two of the text’s important themes: the dangers of apathy and the importance of balancing power with a conscience and self-control. Naill, a wolven in Cas’s company, cannot afford to become jaded. If the massacre of innocents no longer moved him, he would become apathetic and cruel like the Ascended.

“Shame slithered through me, another tell-tale sign that in many small ways, I’d been part of the problem. A spoke in the wheel of the very system that brutalized hundreds of thousands, including myself.”

It is not just active perpetrators who support an unjust system, but also those who stay passive and quiet and ignore their own doubts. As Poppy travels through the ruined city of Pompay, she realizes that even she, howsoever unwilling, has contributed in maintaining the rule of the Ascended.

“When it comes to bacon, the answer is always yes.”

After a very serious conversation with Poppy about her and Cas being heartmates, Kieran undercuts the gravity of the moment with this aside about having a good breakfast. Kieran’s cool, witty voice often acts as a foil to Poppy and Cas’s intensity. It is also a good example of Armentrout’s use of humor in the narrative.

“But he was the first thing I’d ever truly chosen for myself.”

Poppy’s proclamation of her love for Casteel before a roomful of Atlantians in Spessa’s End is significant because establishes Poppy’s authority and autonomy, and shows that her relationship with Cas is based on choice and consent. Poppy’s comment also underlines how important the freedom to make choices is for her. Raised to be pure as the Maiden, she was never allowed to decide anything for herself. Cas is precious to her because he offers her the possibility of choice, including being a Maiden or a warrior.

“Feelings were not stagnant. Neither were opinions or beliefs, and if we stopped believing people were capable of change, then the world might as well be left to burn.”

Poppy’s revelation comes at a moment of despair, right after she has learned many Atlantians hate her for her ties to Solis, and that Cas had kept his supposed betrothal to Gianna from her. Even though she is inclined to sink into misery, her wisdom comes to the fore: People can and do change. Poppy’s observation highlights her growing maturity as a coming-of-age character.

“Penellaphe can fight, and her skill with a sword and aim with the arrow are leagues above that of a trained soldier. She is never a liability.”

When a guardian called Nova questions Poppy’s presence at the battle at Spessa’s End, Cas vouches for Poppy’s ability to defend herself. Cas’s faith in Poppy is a departure from his initial problematic protectiveness. The changed stance shows Cas is a supportive partner, ready to learn from his previous mistakes and give Poppy space to make her own decisions.

“‘Do me a favor,’ Kieran said, looking down at me. ‘Protect your prince, Poppy.’“

For the first time, Kieran acknowledges that Poppy can protect Cas, and calls her by her informal nickname. Throughout the novel, Kieran has made it a point of calling her the more reserved “Penallaphe,” so the change shows that he now considers her a friend—a crucial turning point in the Poppy-Kieran friendship.

“I belong to no one.”

When Duchess Teerman claims that Poppy should submit herself as she belongs to the queen, the statement touches a raw nerve. Poppy reveals herself and proclaims her autonomy. Kieran may think Poppy is being rash, but for Poppy, who has always been regarded as an object by the court of Solis, asserting her individuality and agency are more important than staying hidden or safe.

“‘I need to feel your lips on mine.’ He planted his hands on the carriage wall, caging me in. ‘I need to feel your breath in my lungs. I need to feel your life inside me. I just need you. It’s an ache. This need. Can I have you? All of you?’“

Cas’s passionate wooing of Poppy is steeped in the conventions of romance. Because Cas wants to have sex with Poppy right after the battle of Spessa’s Bay, this scene highlights how both of them consider near-death brushes an aphrodisiac. Additionally, the dialogue illustrates the intensity of Cas’s love for Poppy.

“The cords connecting me to all of them contracted as I threw out my arms. All the hate, the loathing, the bitterness and vengeance intensified, tripled, and then erupted from me, traveling through each of those cords, finding their way back home […] Hair blew back from faces. Clothing pulled taut against bodies. Feet slid over stone, and they went down, one after another after another as if they were nothing more than fragile saplings caught in a windstorm […] I watched as they clutched at their heads, writhing and spasming, screaming and shrieking until the bones in their throats caved in under their contempt.

And then...nothing.”

This passage, which marks the display of Poppy’s fullest powers, is also an example of the author’s use of figurative language to paint a vivid scene. The Atlantians who attack Poppy in the temple at Saion’s Cove are rattled by her anger like “saplings in a windstorm”—a simile that equates them to helpless trees buffeted by a powerful natural phenomenon. This imagery connects to the blood trees that spring up whenever Poppy has been wounded, and also hints that Poppy’s powers are an elemental force.