Court of the Vampire Queen

Mina’s father abused her and maintained power over her by taking away her choices. Malachi is the first one to care about Mina’s consent. Cornelius’s power of compulsion can be contrasted with Mina’s power to compel her sexual partners as a seraph. Furthermore, Mina and her partners’ choosing one another expands their magical powers. Across the novel’s three sections, consent is not just a prerequisite for sex but a moral principle that determines who is trustworthy, who is monstrous, and what kinds of bonds are worth sustaining.

At the beginning of the omnibus, Cornelius sends Mina to Malachi as a sacrifice; it is not Mina’s choice. She is “a pawn in other people’s power games, destined to be moved from one side of the board to the other without any agency of my own” (63). Robert’s metaphor compares a human with an inanimate object to show how Mina’s father deprives her of agency. However, Malachi doesn’t immediately take Mina’s virginity. He feeds from her and gives her pleasure with sexual caresses and kisses. However, he will only penetrate her if she asks nicely while he isn’t biting her. She must consent to their sexual acts.