Hexed

“You can’t ever count on a man, but you can always count on the poison that will kill him…or whatever that saying is.”

This statement reveals two important facts about Venesa: She believes that men will consistently let her down and that the best way to deal with the problem is by becoming a proficient poisoner. It foreshadows later sections of the book, which will elaborate on both her fascination with concocting toxic potions and on the troubled family history that leads her to distrust men. Her flippant and irreverent tone (for instance, toward “sayings”) serves as additional characterization, illustrating her comfort with violence.

“I know she thinks she’s in love, but for me, this marriage is nothing more than a business deal. One that gives her what she wants and appeases my father. I owe them both.”

Enzo reveals his emotional state as he describes Aria’s, developing the theme of Love Versus Duty. Where she plans to marry for love, he is resigned—driven entirely by a sense of obligation to the people he feels he “owes.” This insistence on paying his debts characterizes him as an “honorable” figure within the novel’s gray moral landscape, but he will undergo a radical transformation after he gets involved with Venesa.

“The painting has been passed down through the generations of Kingstons, from father to son, repeatedly, like a rite of passage. It’s not even an actual picture of the family. It’s just seven empty marble chairs at the bottom of the ocean and a glowing trident floating in the middle. A representation of the seven kingdoms of Atlantis, which Kingston lore says we’re descendants of.”

The trident painting suggests mythological origins for the Kingston clan, which ties it to the fairytale world in which The Little Mermaid is grounded. (The imagery also alludes to the film specifically, where King Triton wields a trident and has seven daughters.