Fall of Ruin and Wrath

“The footfalls of the Hyhborn riders—the Rae—echoed in tandem with my heart. What felt like a thin layer of ice settled over us as the temperature of the chamber dropped.”

The Prologue’s introduction of the Hyhborn establishes the atmosphere of danger and foreboding that surrounds them. This characterization will define Lis’s relationship with Thorne, as she fears his kind based on the rumors and stories surrounding them. The coldness associated with the Hyhborn’s presence symbolizes their unfeeling nature, though Lis’s encounters with Thorne will later complicate this portrayal.

“I feared I’d break her heart, and I was as terrified of losing her friendship as I was of losing the life I’d finally carved out for myself in Archwood. Because more times than not, people really didn’t want the answers they sought, and the truth of what was to come was often far more destructive than a lie.”

Lis’s internal conflict over whether to tell Naomi the truth introduces two key components of her character. First, it emphasizes how much she values friendship and human connection, which her difficult life and gift make rare and precious. Secondly, it conveys the burden of her intuition, thus introducing the theme of Compassion as Vulnerability and Strength. Because she is such a compassionate person, she struggles with telling people about their future and potentially causing fear and anger.

“It wasn’t my stunning odd attractiveness or my personality. The Baron kept me and Grady sheltered, fed, and well taken care of because of my abilities and how useful they could be to him, and I was terrified that the moment I no longer served a purpose was the moment Grady and I would be back on the streets.”

From the moment Claude is introduced, Lis makes her dynamic with him clear. She has something of value, her gift, and he keeps her comfortable in exchange for the information that she can provide. This dynamic looms over Lis throughout the text, pitting her survival against her agency and thus developing themes of both The Clash Between Survival and Resistance and The Struggle for Autonomy.

“A pattern in his skin, one that resembled a vine. It was a russet brown instead of the sandy hue of the rest of his flesh, and there was something about the trailing, almost swirling design that struck a chord of familiarity in me, but I didn’t think I’d ever seen such a thing.”

When Lis sees Thorne unconscious in the barn, she notes a “swirling design” embedded in his flesh. Later, when she brings it up, Thorne insists that it was simply blood or dirt and changes the subject. The mysterious description of the design, Lis’s instinctive recognition of it, and Thorne’s avoidance all emphasize the important role that it will play, foreshadowing revelations in future novels while building suspense and mystery.

“The only time I experienced this nothingness was when I drank enough to dull my sense, but doing so also dulled everything else, including my memories. […] [W]ith this lord, there was nothing.”

Ironically, despite the sexual tension between Lis and Thorne when she bathes him, Lis has no interest in sexual touch. Instead, what intrigues her is the lack of intrusive thoughts and visions coming from Thorne. For the first time in her life, she can touch someone without being burdened by her gift, adding another layer to their relationship beyond physical attraction.

“[Gregory’s] jaw went slack with surprise. He went to jerk his hand free, but I held on, letting him watch my smile grow—watching the blood drain from the skin beneath his mask.”

Despite Lis’s desire for agency, she largely does as Claude wants, including having sex with his visitors for information. However, in a rare moment of self-assertion, she uses her intuition to frighten a man who makes unwanted sexual advances toward her. This moment affirms that Lis has the strength and the will to resist when she wants to.

“Lord Thorne touched a wisteria blossom, drawing my gaze as his fingers drew them down the length of the vine, not dislodging a single blossom. […] As a young girl, I’d found him to be beautiful and terrifying. And that hadn’t changed.”

As Lis continues to both fear Thorne and recognize his beauty, an encounter in the garden, a symbol of Lis’s safety and her dreams of a life beyond Archwood, emphasizes her conflicting feelings. Lis invites him into her space, where he shows respect and appreciation for the plants there. As she notes, he touches the flowers but doesn’t hurt “a single bloom,” emphasizing his gentleness despite his clear strength and power.

“The thing was, these meetings were complicated, because sometimes it wasn’t a big deal. Sometimes I enjoyed the touching. It wasn’t like those I met under these circumstances were always bad, odious people. Often they were charming and interesting, and I…could touch them without the guilt of seeing or sensing what they likely wanted to keep hidden. I could shovel that blame onto Claude.”

The first-person point of view gives the reader insight into Lis’s thoughts as she prepares to go to the chambers of Claude’s visitors. Her inner monologue conveys her internal conflict over using sex to obtain information. Although she feels the need to do so to remain valuable to Claude, she rationalizes her actions as something she sometimes “enjoys.” Even then, however, the passage conveys her discomfort; the ellipses, signifying hesitation, reveal her underlying sense that it is unethical, even shameful, to pry into her partners’ minds.

“‘It can be loosely translated into “energy,” and spent energy must be replenished,’ he explained, and it seemed logical that he spoke of feeding. ‘Plus, that would only kill one less powerful than the summoner.’”

When Lis asks Thorne if he could just use his power to destroy anyone in his way, he explains the logistics of his supernatural powers. Such exposition is common in fantasy literature, where it provides verisimilitude and, in this case, suspense; if Thorne were so strong that nothing could defeat him, there would be little narrative tension. Here, Thorne reveals that the Hyhborn are limited by both the amount of energy they have and the foe that they are facing.

“I wasn’t afraid of him. I was more afraid of what he was and why he was here. There was no way the King would’ve sent the Prince of Vytrus to collect tithes. He was here for another reason. […] When the Prince of Vytrus acted on behalf of King Euros, violence and destruction almost always followed.”

The motif of names is important as Lis considers her feelings toward Thorne. She acknowledges that his title, “Prince of Vytrus,” has connotations of “violence and destruction”—things that she obviously fears. However, she has begun to know the other version of him, Thorne, and recognizes that his brutal façade conceals kindness and even love.

“‘While I find your little lies and half-truths to be strangely amusing, this is not one of those moments.’ His fingers found their way to the nape of my neck and stayed. ‘Trust me when I say it would be very, very unwise to do so.’”

After Lis and Thorne pleasure each other in the tub, Lis is overwhelmed by her feelings of comfort. However, this moment is immediately juxtaposed with Thorne’s veiled threat. His warning that she must tell the truth—while delicately yet threateningly touching her neck—reminds her that Thorne remains the prince of Vytrus.

“A lower rumble radiated from the Prince. My gaze shot back to him, my eyes widening. There was nothing remotely human about that sound. It resembled that of a…a wolf or something far larger.”

Armentrout often uses metaphors comparing Thorne to a predator, underscoring his capacity for brutality. Here, Lis compares the sound that he makes in anger to that of a wolf. This emphasizes the hidden danger behind the kind façade that she has come to know, reminding her that by nature, they are on opposite sides of the conflict within the kingdom.

“We are basically just cattle for them, working in the mines, feeding them, keeping the realm running, and for what? So yeah, we have it better than we did before, but we don’t have it good, Lis. None of us do.”

As Lis and Grady discuss the Iron Knights and the growing rebellion, Grady uses a metaphor to reframe the clash between survival and rebellion. He compares the lowborn to livestock that work for the Hyhborn and feed them. In his eyes, his and Lis’s comfortable lives do not erase the suffering of other lowborn, nor their own dehumanization.

“My thoughts finally floated their way back to last night as I lay there—to Prince Thorne and the time with him. Not the pleasure he gave me or the release I provided him, but those brief moments where he’d…he’d simply held me.”

Lis’s thoughts emphasize the emotional importance of her relationship with Thorne. To her, the physical pleasure is less important than the personal connection, conveying the depth of her feelings. Her hesitation in admitting how meaningful “simply [being] held” was conveys both how used to isolation she is and how unexpected she finds Thorne’s tenderness.

“Claude asked with a deep chuckle. ‘Did she speak to you about the various breeds of sedum? Stimulating conversation, I assure you.’

‘Different species,’ I muttered under my breath.

‘Not as of yet.’ Prince Thorne took a bite out of his chicken. ‘How many different species of sedum are there?’

Surely, he couldn’t seriously want to know, but he placed his fork beside his plate and waited.”

This conversation emphasizes the importance of the garden to Lis. Claude teases her for her love of plants, revealing via his word choice (“breeds” rather than “species”) that he has not paid close attention to her discussion of this in the past. By contrast, Thorne shows genuine interest, turning the conversation away from a matter of political importance, the impending battle, to ask Lis more about her garden. This moment emphasizes the growing connection between Thorne and Lis, highlighting both how he is different from others and how much he truly cares about Lis.

“‘The fear that you have of being back out there—you and Grady living off the streets? It’s a horrible thing to live with, one that I’ve been lucky enough to never know.’ He laughed, but it was without humor. ‘But I’ve capitalized on that fear. I’ve benefited from it when I should’ve done the exact opposite.’ I…I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I hadn’t known that he…he realized.”

Claude’s sympathy toward Lis complicates his character. Unlike Hymel, who is a one-dimensional villain and consistently antagonistic toward Lis, Claude understands the position that she is in and empathizes with her. This ambiguity heightens the suspense surrounding his disappearance at the end of the novel, as it is unclear if he will return and what role he will play when no longer the baron.

“‘I know what the Courts look like from a distance. Decadent opulence from the rooftops to the streets, all glitter and gold,’ he said. ‘But as with most things that are beautiful on the outside, there is nothing but ruin and wrath on the inside.’”

Thorne’s words about the Royal Court, a reference to the novel’s title, lend insight into the chaos that is occurring among the Hyhborn rulers of Caelum. The juxtaposition of the alliterative pairs “glitter and gold” and “ruin and wrath” underscores the discrepancy between appearance and reality. In conjunction with the word “fall,” this passage foreshadows the destruction of the Court—both at the novel’s end, when the Hyhborns try to harm Thorne, and in future novels of the series.

“I stared at him, a part of me understanding that he was just another cog in the wheel—albeit a very powerful cog.”

This metaphor, which compares Thorne to a “cog” in the “wheel” of Hyhborn rulers, lends insight into Thorne’s autonomy. This is something that Lis has not considered before, but she now begins to understand that there are expectations that shape his actions. Her recognition that his position in some ways imprisons him lends hope that Thorne will not do as other Hyhborn rulers have done (e.g., kill his starborn counterpart) but instead pave a new path for Hyhborn.

“‘If you wish to leave, Calista, I will not stop you. I wouldn’t even blame you,’ Prince Thorne said, drawing my gaze to him. ‘That I promise.’”

After Thorne reveals the truth of his past, he gives Lis a choice to leave if she wants, emphasizing both his character development and the development of his relationship with Lis. This version of Thorne stands in direct contrast to the one who physically took her to his room when she tried to resist. Although Lis chooses to be with him, it is important that he gives her this choice.

“‘Good night, Your…’ I closed my eyes, heart feeling…light. It had never felt that way before. ‘Good night, Thorne.’

He didn’t answer, but as I drifted off to sleep, I felt his lips brush against my forehead, and I thought I heard him whisper, ‘Good night, Calista.’”

For the first time, Lis refers to Thorne by his name instead of one of his titles. In response, Thorne uses her full name, which he rarely does. The emphasis on names conveys the growing connection between them. They have now revealed their pasts to each other, and they affirm that they see one another for who they truly are through the use of their true names.

“Good and evil are real. They always have been. Yet the weight of the realm has always fallen on those in between, ones neither good nor bad.”

Maven’s words to Lis convey an overarching idea in the novel: the existence of a morally gray area. Lis’s character is defined by this liminality, as she struggles to balance her compassion against the need to survive. The passage thus aligns Lis with those most victimized by the current regime, hinting at her growing recognition that resistance is necessary.

“Then [Claude had] led me out to this chair, where we’d spend hours doing nothing much. I remembered feeling…safe. Warm. Wanted. But I never felt like I belonged. Like I was supposed to be there. Not much had changed since then, but everything felt different.”

As Lis walks through Claude’s bedchambers for the final time, there is a mood of finality and acceptance as she reminisces. She is finally able to acknowledge her time in Archwood for what it offered: safety and comfort, but no real happiness. Now, she is prepared to leave, and whether she does so with Thorne or with Grady, she seeks belonging for the first time.

“There was a heavy sigh and then Lord Samriel said, ‘Kill it.’

It.

Kill it.

Allyson. Her. Not it. Her.”

This passage’s use of names and pronouns emphasizes the brutality of Lord Samriel. He refuses to use Allyson’s name or even acknowledge her as human, conveying his lack of compassion for any lowborn citizens. This moment is a shock to Lis, as Lord Samriel’s violence stands in stark contrast to the compassion that she has come to know in Thorne. The use of sentence fragments and choppy paragraphing conveys how stunned and angry she is in this moment.