“‘What coins? I don’t have coins. I should rob you! I’m a farmer, dickhead. Everyone in this area is a fucking farmer!’ Not exactly true; my family made nice money off of our cinnamon harvest. Primarily because we are the only ones who grow it…cause we won’t tell anyone else how to grow it. But hey, ya gotta make your own way in this world.”

Cinnamon says this to the fisherman’s son when he accosts her on her way home from the festival. The situation calls to the commonality of bandit attacks across fantasy literature, and Cinnamon’s response subverts this situation by having her call out the absurdity of the fisherman’s son. Cinnamon’s following thoughts reveal how her family has kept themselves relevant and important by closely guarding the secret to farming cinnamon. This also turns out to be irony because, if they had shared their process, cinnamon may have become more common and the truth of Myva’s deceit may have been revealed sooner. This quote speaks to the theme of The Importance of Doing What’s Right.

“Ma’s head was recently shaved, showing off the sharp lines of the tribal tattoos adorning her skull. They were a beautiful remnant of the Scarlet Thorn tribe she hailed from. The bold red ink gave a fierce undertone to her usually friendly demeanor. Barbed thorns wrapped around her skull like a picture frame, while the pattern in the center told the legend of a fierce warrior woman and a werewolf who fought off a massive kraken together.”

Cinnamon’s mother is a bard from another land, and her tattoos reveal the culture she comes from, calling to similar real-world tribal groups who use tattoos as a way to mark who individuals are and to tell stories. The actual details of the tattoo symbolize how humans and demons once worked together and foreshadow Cinnamon’s quest. Cinnamon also meets a werewolf (Felix) who joins her group, and she encounters the kraken, though she doesn’t engage it in a fight.

“With all of us out of the house and looking after our parts of the family spice business, mornings like these, laughing and sitting around the table, were few and far between. Chili was already pushing thirty and courting a pretty lass in town. With any luck, our family would grow again soon. Ma was constantly hounding us for grandkids, but Cumin and I would rather leave that task to our eldest brother. Cumin was too busy chasing skirts in his travels to nearby towns, and well…I just wasn’t ready to even think about kids. I knew plenty of other twenty-four-year-old women who were already on their second or third child, but I couldn’t imagine doing it myself.”

These lines show the dynamics of Cinnamon’s family and set her up for her romantic arc with Fallon. Cinnamon’s thoughts about her brothers show how the siblings work together, both as farmers and as parts of the family unit. As the eldest and the one with the most likely prospect for a long-term, committed relationship, the “responsibility” of grandkids falls to Chili. Cinnamon remarks on Cumin’s skirt-chasing as a fact, rather than a judgment, showing that he is entitled to his lifestyle, even if it isn’t one his siblings share. The final lines are a sign that Cinnamon feels as though she doesn’t fit in with the other women of her village, foreshadowing her unconventional romance with a demon. This quote helps develop Cinnamon’s internal conflict between tradition and independence, offering early insight into her character’s emotional resistance to conventional life paths.

“I just have to throw it in. Just one simple task, and this is all over. I’ll see what the goddess truly is. What if something comes out and attacks me? This is all because I dyed my hair pink, isn’t it? The one time I decided to stand out, and I get punished for it? Now I have to be some stupid chosen one on a silly quest? This is so unfair. I’m meant to lead a simple life, not do errands for some demon!”

These lines of dialogue from Cinnamon come as she approaches Myva’s temple to destroy the first phylactery, not yet realizing she’ll get roped into destroying the other three as well. These lines show Cinnamon is a reluctant hero and contrast sharply with typical heroic thoughts about glory, honor, and bravery. Cinnamon speaking these lines aloud reveals her high emotions and demonstrates that she doesn’t care about adhering to what a hero should look or sound like. This internal monologue reinforces Cinnamon’s role as a reluctant protagonist, setting the tone for the novel’s subversive take on the hero’s journey.

“‘Small? He hit you.’

‘Yeah, but you can’t kill him over it!’ I fully intended to get my brothers to jump him and beat him to a pulp later for sure, but not kill him.

‘You absolutely can. It’s effortless.’

‘Well…I don’t want him dead over a slap. Isn’t breaking his arm enough?’”

This exchange between Cinnamon and Fallon comes after the fisherman’s son slaps Cinnamon and Fallon breaks the man’s arm. Cinnamon’s denouncement of Fallon’s actions triggers their ongoing debate about what is acceptable behavior, which extends into Cinnamon coming to terms with Fallon’s manner of showing affection. The actions of the fisherman’s son dig into Acceptance is a Choice. Cinnamon chooses to accept the slap in the moment because she has more important things to do and knows she can deal with the problem later. By contrast, she refuses to accept Fallon’s greater show of violence because it is unprecedented, and since she’ll be traveling with him through human society, she needs to make it clear that such behavior will be a problem and possibly interfere with their quest.

“‘I told you,’ Fallon said from his spot, resting on a tree. ‘Whatever is in this forest is no match for me. Go to sleep.’

I turned to my side and glared at him across the waning campfire. ‘That doesn’t make it any less scary! I still don’t fully trust you either.’

A laugh rumbled deep in his chest. ‘If I kill you, who will cook me more swamp spiders?’”

This dialogue between Cinnamon and Fallon is an example of the type of banter typical of the characters and of romantic comedy in general. It shows Fallon’s sense of humor, as well as Cinnamon’s determination to ask questions and not back down. Further, it reveals how powerful Fallon is and how protective he is of Cinnamon, even before he makes his intentions toward her clear. This also shows Fallon beginning to understand human culture by appreciating Cinnamon’s cooking.

“‘I mean, I’m going to take you as my wife when this is all over.’

‘That wasn’t part of the deal, demon!’ I imagine my retort would have sounded a lot stronger if it hadn’t come out so desperately.

‘Then you shouldn’t have been so horribly interesting.’”

Taken in conjunction with the previous quotation, these lines show the variation in Cinnamon and Fallon’s banter. Where the previous lines were humorous, these are filled with chemistry, complete with Cinnamon’s breathy response to Fallon’s dominance. These lines also highlight the difference between human and demon culture. As a human, Cinnamon’s idea of finding a partner involves courting and an eventual marriage. By contrast, Fallon plainly states his intention and does not leave Cinnamon room to argue against becoming his wife. Their relationship, even at its beginning, highlights Acceptance is a Choice, as Cinnamon later happily accepts Fallon as her partner.

“Is he…ashamed? He took what I said to heart. Maybe I wasn’t traveling with a straight villain. Perhaps he was just villain-adjacent. I could work with that.”

Prior to this excerpt of Cinnamon’s thoughts, Fallon has just shown he regrets breaking his promise not to kill humans unless it was necessary. In doing so, Fallon shows that he has humanity, despite being a demon, and Cinnamon starts to see him in a new light as a result. Cinnamon’s realization that Fallon can feel guilt for his actions makes him more attractive because it means he’s taken her desires into account and tried to adjust his thinking to fit into her world. The final line here is meant to be humorous, but it’s also an admission from Cinnamon that her barriers to a romance with Fallon are dropping as she realizes there’s more to him than just being a demon.

“‘Seeing as how I don’t even want to be here…no, I obviously don’t care if a bunch of slavers die, but can you confidently say that you can take on a city of slavers with an unknown amount of demons under their control? Are you that confident?’

I stomped to the small window in our room and pulled back the curtains. ‘If you are, by all means fire away.’”

Cinnamon says this in response to Fallon’s justified anger about being forced to wear a collar while in Wandermere. Cinnamon similarly hates the idea of Fallon wearing a collar, but since she is more emotionally removed from the injustice, she is able to assess it from this logical standpoint—namely that, unless Fallon can mount a sufficient attack, not wearing the collar will end badly for both of them. These lines also reinforce that Cinnamon is not afraid to call Fallon out on his anger and violence, presenting her as a logical counterpoint to his knee-jerk responses. Despite this, Cinnamon also recognizes how powerful Fallon is in her last line, revealing that she has no problem with violence when it’s directed toward a system that deserves it, highlighting The Importance of Doing What’s Right.

“The man grunted and took my coins. He disappeared briefly before returning with what dreams are made of. Triangle-shaped corn chips were mixed together in a pile of ground meat and cheese. A rag was tied to the handle of the bucket, no doubt to save a customer from the horrid mess the masterpiece could make.”

Cinnamon purchased a bucket of nachos from a food vendor in Wandermere, and, taken with the food variety and culture, as well as the other things she’s experienced in the city, these lines show how Wandermere is a melting pot of different groups. This moment also highlights that, despite the city’s horrid treatment of demons, it isn’t a terrible place. Within Wandermere, different groups thrive and live together in harmony. However, this serves to thrust the treatment of demons into a darker light by revealing Acceptance is a Choice for the people of Wandermere and that they have intentionally chosen not to accept demons.

“We? No, no, dear. A werewolf and a lamia do not stop a dragon. You can walk over and see if batting your eyes at him might do the trick. Otherwise, I’m keen to let him burn down the whole cursed city. Serves them right for what they’ve done.”

Felix says this to Cinnamon when Fallon transforms into his dragon form and lays waste to Wandermere. Felix’s attitude about what Fallon does shows there is no love lost for the city and also highlights how Fallon’s violent anger is not unique to him. Felix (a werewolf) also views violence as an acceptable path when it is warranted. These lines also reveal the hierarchy within the demon races. As a dragon, Fallon is one of the most powerful demons—far more powerful than Felix and Ambros combined. Felix’s dialogue makes it clear that he knows this and also that he realizes he’ll get badly hurt or even killed if he tries to go against Fallon.

“The dragon’s legs were tucked neatly against his body as it weaved through the air, searching for another target. Two long whiskers adorned the sides of his snout. They danced in the wind, mimicking the movement of the rest of the serpent. Odd how he flew with no wings. Despite the lack of appendages, the dragon commanded the surrounding sky in a breathtakingly beautiful display. If it wasn’t for the destruction he was causing, I would have liked to sit and watch him for hours.”

Here, Cinnamon studies Fallon in his dragon form as he attacks Wandermere. Cinnamon’s observations offer context for how powerful Fallon is and show how his magic contributes to his strength, such as by allowing him to fly without wings. Cinnamon is won over by the beauty of Fallon’s power here, making this moment another place where her romantic defenses toward him fail. While Cinnamon doesn’t condone him laying waste to the city (since the infrastructure of Wandermere is not responsible for the actions of its people), she does appreciate how easily he is able to bring destruction.

“Don’t get me wrong, no one was above killing each other when food got scarce, but I don’t think there’s any deep hatred between races. As long as we followed the rules, no one felt the need to go to war. Life was too harsh as it was.”

Following Cinnamon’s query about whether having so many demon species together will be a problem, Felix explains life among demons behind Volsog gate. Here, he makes it clear that the different races of demons get along, citing the conditions in which they were forced to live as a factor. In doing so, he shows how the intense level of hardship left no room for war among groups. However, neither are the groups a tight-knit community, and together, this shows how hardship promotes separatism. Each group was too focused on survival to get involved with others, either for good or ill.

“‘I feel like what humans and demons find attractive is very different. We don’t go out of our way to find a man that could level buildings. Someone that’s sweet and brings me gifts is usually what I go for.’

‘Seems irresponsible to me. A protector is what’s best,’ the centaur replied.”

This exchange between Cinnamon and the female centaur among the demons builds upon the differences between humans and demons, specifically between Cinnamon and Fallon. Cinnamon has realized her growing romantic feelings for Fallon, but she fears acknowledging them because Fallon’s level of protectiveness and violence toward threats makes her uncomfortable. By discussing this with a demon other than Fallon, Cinnamon is able to express her reservations while receiving feedback from someone who understands demon culture and norms. Cinnamon’s view of what constitutes a good romantic partner is informed by her easy life and how it has allowed her to seek frivolous qualities in a potential mate. By contrast, the centaur’s life of hardship and understanding of how power protects means she views stronger matches as more viable.

“This isn’t how this ends! I’m not losing him right after I agreed to chase happiness with him. I know not all of my favorite adventure books ended happily for the heroes, and I know we weren’t exactly the best heroes in this story, what with burning down a city and all. But please, if there were real gods or anyone writing this story, could you make a happy ending, please? We just…I can’t take the thought of anything else. I’m not strong enough.”

Here, Cinnamon fights alongside Fallon after confessing her love to him and taking his mark to be his wife. Her thoughts show she is committed to the romance. In addition, she reveals that she does now think of herself as a hero, if still a reluctant one, and she acknowledges that, as a hero, she has done bad things on her quest to do good, such as leveling Wandermere. These lines also reveal that Cinnamon doesn’t truly see herself. She thinks she isn’t strong enough for what she’s facing, which is not true simply because she is facing it and doing her best to emerge victorious. Her belief in the possibility of a happy ending also shows that she understands that a happy ending is not a reward for a quest free of damaging actions. Rather, it is the result of doing what needs to be done.

“It works differently based on the species. Werewolves imprint instantly. Centaurs usually mate with the strongest of the herd, while dragons can scent out our mates. That’s not to say there’s no choice in the matter. You weren’t technically mine until you took my magic, but I knew you were mine as soon as you freed me from the curse.”

Here, Fallon explains how his unique demon nature works in terms of romance. In the story world, dragons utilize the fated-mates trope, in which they are fated for one person and will mark their mate once they find them. Fallon’s choice of words here reveals how he views Cinnamon as his mate. By calling her “mine,” Fallon makes it clear he has claimed her and that he will challenge anyone who threatens to take her away from him, physically or otherwise. This choice of words also shows the difference between demons and humans, as such possessive language is questionable for humans but not dragons. Fallon admits that Cinnamon didn’t technically have to accept his mark; however, he also makes it clear that he would have pursued her relentlessly, showing that, while she might have had a choice, he would have done anything necessary to influence that choice in his favor.

“‘Do humans really register their mates with the church?’ Fallon stood as well, grabbing his discarded pants. ‘What do they do with the information?’

My brows scrunched together as I looked back at him. ‘Uh. I have no clue. I never thought to ask.’

Fallon gave me a deadpan stare. ‘I see now why Myva was able to trick your species into worshipping her.’”

This exchange between Fallon and Cinnamon comes after they make love and shows the multifaceted nature of their relationship—going from sex to cultural debates in moments. These lines reveal yet another difference between demons and humans through how mates are handled. For Fallon, marking Cinnamon is enough, but human culture has a process for registering records of mating/marriage. Cinnamon’s response to Fallon’s question speaks to the human tendency, both in the book and in real life, to not ask questions and just accept the status quo. Fallon equates this to how Myva tricked the humans, which reveals how powerful, influential beings can and will exploit this tendency for their own gain.

“Fallon looked over at the scarred demon. ‘You’re Dante the Storm Dragon, aren’t you? I’m shocked Myva could get the better of a full-grown dragon.’

‘That I am,’ he said simply.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. ‘We’re going to need to write some kind of monster manual so I can keep all this stuff straight.’”

This exchange reveals how powerful Myva is by making it clear she could completely overtake one of the oldest and most powerful dragons. In doing so, this moment raises the stakes and urgency of Cinnamon’s quest, making it clear her group needs to stop Myva before she can mount an even more devastating attack. Cinnamon’s line here may be a joking nod to Dungeons and Dragons and the official Monster Manual the game uses to collect information about various creatures and their powers, histories, and identities.

“Long red tentacles rose from the water with an almost hypnotic grace. They swayed, feeling the air around them like a sensor. The clawed tips almost reached the height of the mainmast. A hand fell softly on the back of my neck as I drew the arrow. Fallon grabbed my wrist and lowered it back down, never taking his eyes off the tentacled beast.

‘Do not shoot the kraken,’ he whispered. ‘That is the last fight we want right now.’”

Here, the foreshadowing of the kraken from Chapter 2 comes full circle as Cinnamon actually sees the beast. The description of the creature’s size reveals how immensely powerful it is. This in conjunction with Fallon—who has been defined as one of the most powerful demons—staying Cinnamon’s hand shows that the kraken is a clear threat to the group. This excerpt also reveals that, despite marking Cinnamon as his mate, there is still more to the relationship than romance. Fallon’s greater understanding of demons allows him to make a judgment call, and he recognizes that, despite loving Cinnamon, she is about to take an action that could doom them all.

“We glided in silence for what seemed like hours. No one dared to make a sound as Usha steered us with Fallon’s detailed directions. My dragon stood still as a statue at the front of the bow as he peered through his mist like a spider surveys its web. He would raise a hand left or right as we narrowly avoided rocks and underwater trees.

When this is over, those two would make a horrifyingly effective raiding party.”

Here, Cinnamon acknowledges Fallon’s power and skill in this situation, as well as how he is at the crux of the plan with his ability to shroud them in darkness. This passage also shows Fallon seamlessly working with Usha, which both symbolizes their unique skills and that there is more to Fallon than being Cinnamon’s husband. By including this scene, Lemming signals to the reader that she has departed from a common part of the fated-mates trope, where the male love interest will refuse to work with anyone but his mate for fear of appearing disloyal. By rejecting this idea, Lemming shows that the quest is just as important—possibly more important—than the romance and keeps both Cinnamon and Fallon as viable heroes.

“He, like his companions, had completely spotless clothing. As if the four of them had simply walked here for brunch. Glen and the other man also sported fancy, spotless white tunics. Though the other woman wore red, she seemed untouched as well. How was that possible if they’d been fighting back demons for the past two months?”

Here, Cinnamon’s group encounters the heroes party near Myva’s last temple. Cinnamon notes how the heroes party looks untouched by their months of battle and travel, which causes her to question even more how Myva uses her influence to keep humans in line. This also pokes fun at the common image of heroes as unblemished people. Particularly in the movies, the heroes often come out of tough situations with perfect hair or clothing, as if they, as Cinnamon says here, just came from a meal. By showing the heroes in this unblemished state, it shows that they are not truly heroes—they are simply figures of what society expects a hero to be. By contrast, Cinnamon’s tattered group is actually heroic and has the appearance to prove it.

“He snarled and threw his staff into the snow. Drawing a knife from his cloak, Pierce charged forward. The man was lanky and unstable in the slippery snow. He righted himself as he slipped on an ice patch before dashing forward again.”

Following Myva’s defeat, this member of the heroes party still doesn’t believe that the lich was a threat. Thus, he tries to attack Cinnamon, believing Myva’s gifts will give him the upper hand. Here, he finds that his gifts are gone, which shows how Myva’s power has died with her. This moment also highlights how Myva doesn’t select capable heroes, likely so they have little chance of stopping her should they learn the truth. Combined with the previous quotation, this quotation suggests her selections are based on who will look good together, regardless of skill level.

“He took a step back as I approached him. I reached up to cup his face, pressing my body against his in reassurance. He shivered. The fear he must have felt from spending so many years alone showed through. It was no wonder he went slightly mad with it.”

Here, Fallon and Cinnamon are back on the deserted island, and Fallon has just confessed his desire to stay there so he can keep Cinnamon safe. This moment is a critical one in Cinnamon’s character arc, as she’s forced to choose between giving into Fallon’s overprotective love and standing up for what she wants. This moment shows that she understands where his fear comes from and how his life of uncertainty has made him terrified to lose her now that he’s found her. Still, while Cinnamon acknowledges this, she refuses to let his fear dictate how she lives, showing once and for all that she is Fallon’s equal and that, while there are questionable elements to their romance as they come from different worlds, she will not let them take over her life. This quote highlights the theme of Acceptance is a Choice, as both Fallon and Cinnamon accept each other and learn how to be together as they truly are.