Fall of Ruin and Wrath

Fall of Ruin and Wrath (2023) by Jennifer L. Armentrout is a fantasy romance novel. Set in the distant future, it follows the story of Lis, an orphan who can read people’s minds and see into the future. Lis’s life and the lives of those around her are defined by social class, as the Hyhborn—immortal beings born from the ground—prosper while the lowborn struggle each day to survive. When Lis meets the powerful Prince Thorne of Vytrus, rumored to be one of the most ruthless leaders in the land, she begins to fall in love with him despite his brutality. Her life is thrown into chaos as she searches for the truth of her powers, becomes embroiled in Hyhborn politics, and struggles to understand what Thorne truly wants from her. Through Lis’s journey, Armentrout explores themes of The Clash Between Survival and Rebellion, The Struggle for Autonomy, and Compassion as Vulnerability and Strength.

This guide is based on the 2023 first hardcover edition of the novel published by Bramble Books.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of substance use, graphic violence, sexual content, cursing, child abuse, physical and emotional abuse, sexual harassment, sexual violence, and death.

Plot Summary

The novel takes place in the fictional world of the kingdom of Caelum, established in the wake of an apocalyptic war among the immortal Deminyens, sparked by humanity’s near-destruction of the Earth. Following the conflict, nine cities were established, ruled by Hyhborn lords of the Deminyens. Along with caelestia—mortals with Hyhborn ancestry—these lords now control the lowborn (mortal citizens), keeping them largely impoverished.

A lowborn girl named Lis lives in an orphanage with her only friend, Grady. They are awakened one night by two lords, one named Samriel and one unnamed. The lords check the eyes of each of the children, searching for the mark of immortality. 

Several years later, Lis, now 22, lives in Archwood Manor in the employment of a caelestia named Baron Claude. He keeps her as his paramour, taking advantage of Lis’s supernatural intuition, which gives her the ability to read minds and see the future. One night, Lis overhears two of Claude’s guards talking about a Hyhborn whom they kidnapped. When she goes to rescue him, she is surprised to see that he is the unnamed lord from the orphanage years before.

The lord is badly wounded, so Lis takes him into a nearby home and helps him bathe. As he begins to regain consciousness, he flirts with Lis, and she battles her sexual attraction to him, knowing that Hyhborn can use their powers to lure others in. Before she leaves, the lord kisses her neck, healing her own wounds.

The next evening, Lis leaves a raucous party to go for a walk in the garden. She hears two Hyhborn lords fighting, one of whom is the lord from the night before. As she watches, he brutally kills the other lord. He calls to Lis, but she is grabbed from behind and dragged through the woods. The lord saves her, knocking her unconscious. When she wakes up, he explains that the lord he killed and the man who grabbed Lis were working with the people of Archwood to try to kill him. He finally introduces himself as Thorne. Their conversation is interrupted by ni’meres—immortals who have the bodies of eagles and heads of men—descending on the garden, causing Lis to flee inside.

Several days later, Lis hears news that four Hyhborn lords are visiting Archwood. She is called to a meeting with Claude and his cousin, Hymel. Claude asks her to go to the bedchamber of one of the lords to try to get information. When Lis enters the bedchambers, she is immediately confronted by Thorne, who grabs her from behind and restrains her. However, when she tells him that she is there to “pleasure” him as a gift from Claude, he invites her into the tub. Lis bathes him as she did before, and Thorne pleasures her. They also talk: Lis discusses her past and her role in Archwood, and she learns that Thorne is the prince of Vytrus, one of the most dangerous realms in the kingdom. Before Lis leaves, Thorne asks her why she really came, and she admits that she was sent to get information about his visit. Thorne helps her, instructing her to tell Claude that he is there to talk about the Iron Knights, a group of lowborn rebels who plan to invade Archwood.

The next day, Lis attends dinner with Thorne, Hymel, Claude, and three other lords. Thorne plans to bring a Hyhborn army to defend Archwood against the Iron Knights. Afterward, Lis stays behind with Claude and Thorne. Thorne asks Claude if he can have Lis for the duration of his stay, and Claude agrees. Outraged, Lis insists that she should be asked what she wants, but the two men ignore her. After Thorne leaves, Claude and Lis talk about the Iron Knights. Lis learns that their leader, Beylen, is Claude’s cousin, meaning that he, too, is a caelestia. Claude also refers to Beylen as a “starborn.” He then apologizes to Lis, admitting that he has taken advantage of her gift all these years.

Later that night, Thorne comes to get Lis, carrying her to his bedchambers over her protests. Once there, however, Thorne talks seriously with Lis. As he begins to understand her desire for autonomy, he apologizes, as Lis admits that she wants to be with him; she just wanted to be given a choice. Lis asks Thorne why other Hyhborn tried to kill him, and he admits that King Euros is unhappy with him for choosing to defend Archwood. If it were up to the king, Archwood would be destroyed, as the Hyhborn cannot risk the Iron Knights getting control of it. Thorne reveals that he has destroyed entire cities in the past to protect the kingdom. Shocked by his brutality, Lis contemplates leaving, but when Thorne insists that it is her choice to stay or go, she realizes that Thorne is a better person than people believe and decides to stay the night with him.

The next morning, Thorne goes to visit the armies, leaving Lis alone for a few days. She goes to Grady, discussing what she has learned about the Hyhborn and Beylen. When she talks about Beylen being “starborn,” Grady reminds her that the matron at the orphanage used a similar phrase to refer to Lis. Confused, Lis goes to a woman named Maven, who is rumored to be a caelestia. Maven affirms that she is Claude’s grandmother and explains that starborn are mortals who are given special powers by the stars, intimating that Lis’s ability to read minds is one of those gifts.

On the day of the Feasts, when the Hyhborn typically shower the lowborn with food and drink, Lis wanders through the gardens, largely avoiding the celebration inside. Suddenly, the sky darkens as dozens of ni’meres attack the courtyard. As people die around her, Lis runs inside to find Grady, and the two escape into the basement passages as several Hyhborn Lords, including Lord Samriel, ride through the courtyard. 

Lis and those she is sheltering alongside are ultimately overtaken by two Hyhborn, Rohan and Samriel, as well as Hymel. Lis vows to do whatever they ask if they do not harm Grady. Lord Samriel then takes her to her chambers, questioning her about her relationship with Thorne. He explains that starborn mortals are bonded to Deminyens as a way of making the Deminyens more sympathetic to humanity’s plight. However, most Deminyens kill their starborn, as the bond also makes them vulnerable. Although Thorne does not know it, Lis is his starborn. Samriel insists that he is going to protect her by taking her to the king, as Thorne would otherwise kill her.

After Samriel leaves, Hymel visits, seeking information from her about the Hyhborn. Lis refuses to comply, and then Arion enters the room. He uses his powers on Lis, causing her eyes to revert to their natural color, which the orphanage changed to hide the fact that she is a caelestia. Arion then thanks Hymel for helping him and breaks his neck.

Two days later, Lis, Grady, Arion, and the Hyhborn soldiers leave Archwood for the capital. Grady is tied up, but Lis is left free. Despite Grady’s protests, she insists on staying by Grady’s side rather than escaping. One night, when they stop at an inn, Grady overhears a conversation that reveals that they are being followed. The next morning, the group splits up, Arion taking Lis and Grady going with the others. Arion rides quickly toward the Wychwood, hoping to outrun whoever is following them. However, after several hours, they are overtaken, and Arion is killed by an arrow. Lis gets up and runs, but Thorne catches her. Lis thinks of how he is both her “salvation” and “doom.”