Throne of the Fallen

“[Vexley] gave Camilla a bemused look as if her denying him something he wanted were more outrageous than a magical stone that could withdraw any memory he chose to give it.”

This quote highlights the societal expectations of Waverly Green. Vexley’s incredulous reaction demonstrates how unexpected the idea is that a woman would refuse a man anything. This passage highlights how men and the noble class within the town fully endorse a patriarchal system that would see them awarded every privilege they desire by virtue of their gender and social standing, a system that mimics that of Regency England and by extension, Regency romance conventions.

“Whether due to hubris or ego, man was the only creature who often ignored what no other prey did: trust your instincts or suffer the consequences.”

In this excerpt, Envy’s predatory and dangerous character facets are outlined. While most of the narrative attends to his emotional development with Camilla, Maniscalco reminds her readers that Envy is, at his core, a being with immense power who views humans as largely inferior to him through his reference to humans as “prey.”

“Camilla longed to feel the dirt under her feet, to dance in her nightgown under the stars. To live without the rules of others binding her. She was a wild, untamed thing under all the pomp and circumstance.”

This quote foreshadows Camilla’s true identity as an Unseelie princess. Despite choosing to remain in human society rather than returning to the Wild Court, Camilla chafes at the town’s social mores. Her daydream of dancing beneath the stars is a direct reference to her Unseelie nature since they are creatures who worship the moon and the night sky.

“‘Come now, Synny.’ Vexley either missed or ignored the anger flickering in Synton’s eyes at the nickname. ‘Camilla shouldn’t be traipsing around the art district at indecent hours.’ 

‘Miss Antonius has made her decision, and I don’t recall inquiring after your uninformed and, frankly, rather dull opinion, Vexley.’”

This exchange showcases Vexley’s inherent misogyny, reflected in the word “traipsing,” which implies both recklessness and childishness. Rather than allowing Camilla the sanctity of her own choices, Vexley believes himself in a position to speak for (and over) her of her desires to Envy, who’d never once addressed his questions to him.

“Vexley was walking Camilla around like a prize. One he’d stolen, not won.”

This quote plainly states how Vexley views Camilla not as a woman nor as an equal partner, but rather as an object for his personal benefit and enrichment, a “prize.” Maniscalco also highlights that this sense of ownership over Camilla isn’t one born out of his own efforts, a fact Vexley is aware of, as he knows she was “stolen” rather than “won.”

“If [Envy] could determine what Camilla was up to tonight [stealing her forgery back], then he could devise a way to make himself indispensable to her, thus ensuring that she’d help him in return. No seduction needed.”

This quote highlights one of the fundamental differences between Envy and Vexley. Though Envy does connive and try to manipulate himself into Camilla’s good graces, he refuses to use intimacy as a means to coerce her into action (as Vexley would have it with his marriage proposals).

“Just once [Camilla] wanted someone to want her. Not her art. Not her talent. Her. Sometimes she felt so alone.”

While Camilla is referencing her lack of proper suitors and the absence of love in her life, this quote also gestures to the other men who took advantage of Camilla’s “talent,” specifically Lennox. Despite being her biological father, he, like Vexley, dehumanizes her and only sees her worth in terms of what she has to offer him.

“As if the threat of scandal weren’t enough, [Envy] now held the same power over [Camilla] as Vexley. 

‘I am nothing like him, Miss Antonius.’ Something dangerous flared in his gaze.”

In this passage, Envy makes clear to Camilla that despite his moral ambiguity in some contexts, he would never stoop so low as to extort a woman for her help. Even with his court’s survival on the line, Envy needs her help to be fully consensual. His emotional reaction of “something dangerous” illustrates how he sees her interpretation of his actions, and her equation of him with Vexley, as an insult.

“[Pierre] painted [doors, portals, entryways, and passages], sculpted them, and made this whole house as an ode to whatever world it was he desperately wished to find.”

This quote draws a parallel between Camilla’s two father figures: Pierre and Lennox. Though both Pierre and Lennox are obsessed with finding a way to traverse realms, their motivations couldn’t be more different: Pierre notably does so out of love while Lennox only seeks to cause chaos, pain, and mayhem in the human world. However, they both share a need to control their environments, illustrated by how Pierre “sculpted” every aspect of their home to fit his needs.

“If Camilla was sunshine, [Envy] was the darkest of nights.”

The theme of The Importance of Achieving Balance is highlighted here through Maniscalco’s invocation of light and shadow, a reference to the recurring idea of chiaroscuro. In both physical description and demeanor, Camilla and Envy appear to be the balance to each other—they complement and contrast one another harmoniously.

“It was beyond difficult to grasp. [Camilla’d] had no choice; [Lord Garrey] made it clear he was going to kill her. But still, she felt wrong for not regretting her actions.”

This quote outlines the growing moral ambiguity within Camilla. Though she previously reacted badly to the idea of violence from Vexley, she feels no regrets about taking a life to preserve her own life. She recognizes this shift when she feels “wrong” for not feeling bad about killing Lord Garrey.

“The blindfold. The mention of only tonight. The abrupt departure. In some ways, she [Camilla] was certain, he’d [Envy] bared himself more than she had.”

This passage engages Envy’s struggle with allowing himself to appear vulnerable to another person. Though the blindfold and abrupt departure can be construed as heightening the tantalizing moment he and Camilla shared, Camilla correctly assesses that they are, in fact, methods for him to hide himself, and exposing such methods translates his own fears.

“And Miss Camilla Antonius would have a missing and presumed dead fiancé, one who’d left his entire mortal estate to his would-be wife.”

Envy has his own sense of justice and fairness, which he applies typically through compensation. In this passage, he demonstrates how aware he is of the burden he is placing on Camilla’s shoulders with the Hexed Throne, despite trying his best to make her paint it anyway. He doesn’t reveal how the stakes are for him to win Lennox’s game, however, illustrating how, for him, The Gap Between Public and Private Personas is still wide.

“The Hexed Throne had been created by the First Witch, a supernatural being descended directly from the sun goddess, according to legend.”

With this reference, Maniscalco creates a connection to her previous series, The Kingdom of the Wicked. Though only a passing reference to Sursea, the First Witch, the comment ensures continuity between her literary universe, deepening the worldbuilding of the novel through the context of earlier books.

“[Envy’d] taken such pride in the unrivaled beauty of his home. That was all before. Now only the statues and sculptures he passed watched his silent procession, their stone faces as lifeless as his court.”

The difference between Envy’s past court and its current state is highlighted by a lack of living people in his home. He also implies that the “lifeless” faces of the statues echo the lifelessness of his courtiers. The House of Envy is represented not as a home or a court but more of a museum, where no one lives and only relics of the past remain.

“No matter how powerful a prince is, no matter that this is our domain, there are some laws of nature even we cannot break.”

This quote shows the continuity between the world of this novel and the Kingdom of the Wicked series, through its adherence to the same rules. As in earlier novels, while Envy and his brothers are incredibly powerful (both physically and in their magic), they are fallible and are subject to higher powers, like “nature,” than their own.

“It’s imperative to remember that no beings you meet in the Underworld or any of the shadow realms are human.”

Though this passage is meant as a warning to Camilla of the Underworld’s lack of humanity, it also illustrates the larger political struggles within the Underworld. Though Camilla is Fae, her experience of the Underworld remains minimal. She is largely uninformed of what to expect from other factions, like demons, witches, vampires, and shapeshifters.

“How many others had foolishly underestimated the Prince of Sloth? Had mistaken his penchant for reading all day for laziness instead of what it truly was—honing the best weapon in his arsenal: his mind.”

This quote highlights how most of the Princes of Hell are subjected to shallow stereotypes surrounding their sin. Sloth’s activities are interpreted by others as “laziness” because it fits with their perception of what sloth means. The princes are often never granted the possibility of greater depth by onlookers (at times, even amongst themselves), which they then weaponize for their own gains.

“Emilia had made cannoli for him. He stared at the bag a long moment, no discernible ulterior motive surfacing, nothing aside from…friendship. Emilia loved cooking, loved nourishing those she cared deeply for. Envy was admittedly a little touched that that now extended to him.”

With Emilia’s appearance in the novel, Maniscalco makes a direct reference to the tumultuous relationship Emilia and Envy shared during the Kingdom of the Wicked series. She signals that, as time has passed, their hope for friendship at the end of that series has borne fruit, and Envy counts Emilia as one of his few friends.

“[Envy’s] smile was all teeth. ‘I like who I am. I like the challenge of the one-night rule. The way it drives lovers wild. Their jealousy sustains me. Gives me power. And there is nothing I enjoy more than gaining power.”

In this passage, Envy falls back on his public persona as uncaring and wicked to defend his one-night-only rule. His comments speak not only to his ongoing issues with vulnerability but also to how he’s come to normalize his rule for himself. By making the rule a part of his identity, Envy does not need to reconsider his stance on relationships, as it provides him with an easy excuse to avoid them and his unresolved feelings of betrayal.

“Envy stared at the bottom of another empty glass, wondering what had possessed him to share that story [of his mortal lover] with Camilla. No one knew the whole truth. Not even Alexei.”

This passage hints at the beginning of Envy’s emotional growth. While he is known to keep his secrets close, his prolonged proximity and growing love for Camilla unravel his habit of remaining hidden behind vague nonanswers about himself. His own bewilderment at his vulnerability is highlighted as he reveals that no one else knows “the whole truth,” indicating that Camilla may be the person to whom he can fully be himself.

“‘But you’ll have to forgive those who’ve hurt you and forgive yourself above all. Or else you’ll keep carving yourself open, bleeding yourself dry. And I can’t imagine that’s pleasant for an immortal.’ 

‘They don’t deserve my forgiveness.’”

In this excerpt, the cost of Envy’s perpetuated cycle of vengeance against Lennox is exposed, highlighting The Far-Reaching Repercussions of Revenge. Though he is right to want justice for his court, his pursuit of vengeance nevertheless hardens him to the world and chips away at his ability to feel love and joy.

“No note had magically appeared with any game rules for her, and no blood oath had been signed. So was she not quite a player? She supposed she was a pawn. A fact she hated. Just as the game master knew she would.”

This passage highlights the dismissive nature of Lennox’s relationship with Camilla. Though he would recognize the likes of Vexley and Lord Garrey as players with agency in his deadly game, his daughter remains a pawn for him to use and entice Envy. Camilla references the game of chess, with herself as a “pawn” to highlight the helplessness she feels.