Throne of the Fallen

Camilla Elise Antonius, known primarily as Camilla, is one of the main characters of the novel and one of its protagonists. Though not a narrative voice within the novel, her perspective is explored through the third-person narrator’s omniscience. Camilla is Envy’s main love interest. As the daughter of Lennox and Prim Róis, she is an Unseelie princess of the Wild Court by birth. When she was a child, however, Prim Róis brought her to Waverly Green. Camilla believes they left because of her parents’ wicked games, while Lennox claims he would never have sent her away because he wants her power. 

While in Waverly Green, Camilla is raised by her human father, Pierre Antonius, a nobleman and famous artist. When she turns 18, however, her mother disappears, leaving Camilla only a locket spelled against Unseelie men. Her departure triggers Pierre’s obsession with finding a path to Faerie, which he remains committed to until his death. After her father’s death, Camilla manages his gallery and curates art for buyers in his stead. She tries to find a connection with him by recreating his famous painting. When the painting falls into the hands of Lord Vexley, he uses it as a means to blackmail her into a forgery scheme.

Camilla is strong and independent in spite of the constraints of her society. Despite a handful of attempts made by Lennox to have her return to the Wild Court, Camilla staunchly remains in Waverly Green in a glamoured state. Though she does not have access to all of her Fae powers, Camilla nevertheless retains her magic ability to transcend realms through her paintings. Although she shares some similarities with the Unseelie, like her love of games, Camilla does not share the wickedness in Unseelie culture after so many years spent in the human world. When she encounters Envy, she is pulled into Lennox’s game and is forced to play to regain her magical ability. Physically, Camilla is described as having “cool silver curls, [a] delicately upturned nose, and naturally golden skin. Camilla’s deep silver eyes were always what drew a suitor in” (26). By the end of the novel, Camilla has helped Envy commit regicide against Lennox and is betrothed to Envy. Her character arc is completed as she is finally able to accept both parts of her identity, living in both worlds.

Lennox is one of the secondary characters in the novel and its main villain. He is the king of the Unseelie Fae and Camilla’s father. Though married to Prim Róis, his relationship with her is discordant and spiteful. They share four children: two sons, Onyx and Ayden, and two daughters, Camilla and an unnamed princess. Lennox is ruthless and cruel and expects the same of his children, to whom he does not express any real affection. Under his and Prim Róis’ rule, the Wild Court was known to host parties that were “legendary for good reasons. Chaos, debauchery. It fuel[ed] those who are beings crafted of sin” (260). After her departure, however, Lennox became noticeably crueler and more torturous to everyone, a change reflected in the Wild Court.

As the game master, Lennox began his first game with Envy in Kerri Maniscalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked series, where he invited both him and his mortal lover to the Wild Court. Sensing something was amiss, Envy had refused, but the mortal had gone anyway and was trapped in the Wild Court. Lennox grew bored of her and sent her back to the human realm, where she promptly died of old age since time in the Fae realms is different. From then on, Lennox has continued to toy with Envy and others through his games. 

Lennox also has a longstanding feud with the Princes of Hell, since the Fae courts were forcibly contained and forbidden from entering mortal realms by Wrath and the others, as the Fae—especially the Unseelie—would prey on unsuspecting humans. Lennox has “[s]ilver-and-white hair [that] cascaded down to his shoulders, his skin a deep bronze. Elegant pointed ears poked from beneath that sheet of ethereal hair. He was ageless. Beautiful. And utterly without conscious” (489). After torturing Camilla and the humans she cared for in Waverly Green, Lennox dies after fighting with Envy and Camilla.

Lord Philip Atticus Vexley, commonly referred to as Vexley and nicknamed Vex the Hex by Camilla, is a secondary character in the narrative and a villain in Camilla’s human world. The firstborn son of a viscount in Waverly Green, Vexley is known for his outlandish behavior and is often the subject of scandal in the town’s satire sheets for his rakish reputation. Through his character, the narrative explores the different standards that men and women are held to in Waverly Green. Eventually, Vexley’s behavior caused him to be disinherited, but he is still popular and wealthy. Vexley’s selfish and cruel nature is highlighted by his interactions with Camilla. By chance, he discovered that the painting he’d bought from Camilla was a forgery and he has since extorted her for more pieces to fund his lifestyle. Though not in love with Camilla, he hopes to marry her to secure her talents for his financial gains, though she perpetually refuses him. He sees Camilla as an object to be attained and has no problem manipulating her to acquire her.

Like Envy, Vexley becomes a player in Lennox’s game. In exchange for Pierre’s portal key, he is sent to Malice Isle and given protection by Zarus, the vampire prince. He mingles with vampires and partakes in their blood exchange. When he fails to secure the next clue, however, he attempts to force Camilla back to Waverly Green with him. She kills him, which incidentally transforms him into a vampire. He later appears at the Twin Pillars, where he tortures Envy, and Camilla kills him a second time. Physically, he is described as being handsome and having blue eyes, “golden hair, tanned skin, and [a] roguish grin” (22). Vexley illustrates that the cruelty displayed by Lennox is not limited to the Fae, but exists in the human world as well.

Alexei, Prometheus (known as Zarus), and Blade are secondary characters in the novel. All three are royal vampires from the Malice Isle.

Alexei is Envy’s second-in-command and an ally to both Envy and Camilla. Initially, Alexei had only taken part in Envy’s court to study his management of his circle, but eventually, he became loyal to Envy. Even when the opportunity arises for him to take the throne on Malice Isle, Alexei chooses to remain with Envy.

Prometheus, or Zarus, is the prince of the vampires on Malice Isle and an antagonist to both Envy and Camilla. War between demons and vampires is brewing, as Zarus has offended Wrath. In an attempt to solidify his power, however, he accepts a bargain from Lennox to safekeep Vexley and fight with Envy. In exchange, Lennox promised his daughter in marriage to unite their courts. Cruel by nature, Zarus proves no match for Envy, however. When he is defeated, Envy offers the killing blow to Blade.

Blade is a high-ranking noble vampire in Zarus’ court and one of Envy’s spies. Though of the royal bloodline, Blade’s crimson eyes belie his lineage, as vampire royals typically have blue eyes. He and Alexei are brothers in a sense, as both were turned into vampires by the same sire. Though he is the one to kidnap Camilla in Bloodwood Forest, he attempts to help avoid Zarus’s interest until Envy appears. With Envy’s help, he plans to overthrow and kill Zarus. As he deals the killing blow to Zarus, Blade is recognized as the new ruler of Malice Isle.

Vittoria is a secondary character within the narrative and a minor antagonist in this novel, although she plays a major part in Maniscalco’s Kingdom of the Wicked series. She and her sister Emilia are twins and the Goddesses of Death and Fury from House Vengeance, respectively. Though both she and her sister had been sealed away for hundreds of years, they’ve since reclaimed their memories and reintegrated the Underworld after Emilia and Wrath work together to undo the curse that binds the Princes of Hell to their circles. 

Though Vittoria expresses a sexual interest in Envy, she has a storied history with his brother Pride, making him her real love interest. In Throne of the Fallen, she gives away Envy’s true name to a player in Lennox’s game so he can hex him on the Curse Tree. She then demands Envy’s heart in exchange for the player’s death. Additionally, she is thought to be part of the final clue in the game as a “dearly twin.” When the clue points to the Twin Pillars and Envy is unable to sleep with her, however, she disappears.