As a romantasy novel, Wild Reverence focuses on the romance between the principal characters, Matilda and Vincent. Because of their respective statuses as divine and mortal, the power dynamic of their relationship is skewed from the start. The novel uses their unique dynamic to explore the complex role of power in romantic relationships.

Matilda is a goddess, and her power shapes who she is. Even as a child growing up in the under realm, she is aware of the differences between herself and the mortals. When Matilda first sees Hem, Bade’s vassal, she thinks, “It was a startling reminder to me that humans were beholden to us when they were in our realm […] serving us through vows that were everlasting unless we desired to break them” (22-23). From a young age, Matilda understands the power imbalance between mortals and divines, the myriad ways that gods influence mortals, and the limited agency mortals have within the gods’ realms. However, Matilda’s awareness of this reality doesn’t initially extend into her view of the mortal realm and her relationship with Vincent. When Vincent asks Matilda why Warin would deserve a toll for the bridge, Matilda thinks, “His words prodded something in me. A deep, troubling feeling. One that made me look at my fellow divines—my own past decisions—with sharper eyes” (236). The “troubling” feeling that Matilda describes is guilt, as Matilda fully considers the negative impacts that the gods have had on the mortal realm. The gods do not only harm mortals above and below; their actions have ramifications in the mortal realm, and not all mortals revere them.

As a mortal, Vincent’s negative perception of the gods influences his early relationship with Matilda. Though he initially trusts Matilda in his dreams, when they meet in real life and he realizes that she’s a goddess, that trust wanes. When Grimald commands that Vincent hold onto Matilda, he thinks, “But who could hold on to the wind? And—better yet—who would be so foolish as to trust—to love—such a wild being?” (64). Vincent labels himself a fool for wanting to trust and love Matilda, as he thinks the gods are changeable and selfish beings. However, Vincent’s feelings for Matilda grow despite his hostility to the gods. When Vincent sees Matilda in her wedding dress, Matilda notices that “there was a sad glimmer in his eyes, as if he were beholding something he would never have” (174-75). Despite the differences between them as mortal and goddess, Vincent falls in love with Matilda, even as he recognizes the deep power imbalance between them.

However, Matilda and Vincent’s dynamic is more complicated than it appears, as Matilda’s only other romantic relationship, with Warin, was coercive and abusive. Warin is an older divine with more godly abilities, and he used this power to control Matilda through fear. As a result, when she first connects with Vincent, she hides from her desire for intimacy, a desire she says she “rarely voiced for fear of how it might swell. The avoidance was for [her] own survival, an effort to protect [her] fault line” (181). She worries that Vincent will try to harm her in the same way, and Warin taunts Matilda, saying, “You think of these mortals as yours now? Since you have spread your legs for their lord and let him dominate you?” (431). Warin’s misogynistic language associates Matilda’s free expression of her sexuality with someone she loves as something that robs her of her power. However, because Vincent loves Matilda for who she is, not for her power, they can overcome the differences in their divinity status to understand each other and form a lasting bond.