From Blood and Ash

“Dragging my gaze from the table, I noted that there were smiling and laughing women in the Pearl who wore no masks, hid no identities. They sat at tables with guards and businessmen, stood in shadowy alcoves and spoke with masked women, men, and also those who worked for the Red Pearl. They weren’t ashamed or afraid to be seen.”

Penellaphe longs to set her identity free. She yearns to be like the women who do not have to feel shame for showing their faces. Armentrout portrays Penellaphe as an outsider looking in on the activity at the Red Pearl.

“An independence I chased tonight, because masked and unknown, no one but the gods would know I was here. And as far as the gods were concerned, I had long ago decided that they had far better things to do than spend their time watching me. After all, if they had been paying attention, they would’ve already taken me to task over numerous things I’d already done that were forbidden to me.”

Penellaphe expresses a feeling of abandonment from the gods. This quote also identifies Penellaphe’s desire for independence and foreshadows her potential for self-liberation.

“Purity? I hated that word, and the meaning behind it. As if my virginity determined my goodness, my innocence, and its presence or lack thereof was somehow more important than the hundred choices I made every day.”

Penellaphe reveals the absurdity of placing an emphasis on her purity over all of the other choices she makes in a day. Throughout the novel, purity means more than her virginity: Penellaphe may only wear white, must cover her face and hair, and cannot converse with any of the Ladies or Lords in Wait. She must be pure in every aspect of her life, leaving her life bereft of any temptation. Armentrout exposes the absurdity of defining someone based on their virginity by broadening the definition to include abstinence from mundane interactions in her fictional world.

“Death is like an old friend who pays a visit, sometimes when it’s least expected and other times when you’re waiting for her. It’s neither the first nor the last time she’ll pay a visit, but that doesn’t make any death less harsh or unforgiving.”

This quote emphasizes the equalizing nature of death. Each death carries with it its own meaning and significance. Penellaphe and Hawke bond over this shared ideology and their experiences with death. Penellaphe personifies Death, imagining it in a human form—an “old friend.”

“But I could spend all morning listing things that you’ve done that are either forbidden by the Duke and Duchess or prohibited for the Maiden to do, and up until now, nothing has happened. The gods haven’t appeared and deemed you unworthy.”

Tawny ensures Penellaphe that she doesn’t need to feel guilty about her past adventures. Penellaphe is still anxious that she will be found unworthy. Armentrout depicts the gods as neglectful and purely a policing tactic to keep the people in line and also indicates Penellaphe’s starting point as her character develops. As the novel continues, Penellaphe will become less fearful of the gods, revealing her growing independence.

“Looking at the open wardrobe, I saw first the white veil with its delicate gold chains, and a heaviness settled over me. I could already feel its substantial weight, even though the material was made out of the finest, lightest silk. When it was first slipped over my head at age eight, I’d panicked, but after ten years, I should’ve grown used to it by now. While I no longer felt like I couldn’t breathe or see while wearing it, it still felt heavy.”

Penellaphe struggles to feel like herself when she wears the veil of the Maiden. Despite wearing the veil for 10 years, she still feels its immense weight on her head and shoulders. This weight is symbolic of the pressure on Penellaphe to usher in the new generation of Ascended and to heal the nation from the War of Two Kings. It’s also symbolic of her inability to reconcile her inner individual identity with her outer appearance as the Maiden.

“His chest rose with a sharp inhale, and he closed his eyes. A tremor coursed through him. ‘You’re the Chosen, born in the shroud of the gods, protected even inside the womb, veiled from birth.’”“His chest rose with a sharp inhale, and he closed his eyes. A tremor coursed through him. ‘You’re the Chosen, born in the shroud of the gods, protected even inside the womb, veiled from birth.’”

In this quote, Penellaphe has just revealed her identity to Marlowe, a cursed whom she is giving dignity in death. She is not allowed to reveal herself to anyone, yet she routinely shows herself to the dying. Marlowe recounts what the people of Kingdom Solis have been taught about the Maiden. Penellaphe retains a composed demeaner, knowing that she is far from god-like.

“I don’t help those people because I want the gods to find me unworthy. I didn’t help Agnes because I hoped she would tell someone, and it would get out. I help them because it’s already a tragedy that doesn’t need to be compounded upon by being forced to watch their loved ones be burned to death.”

Penellaphe intelligently makes the distinction between her desire to be found unworthy and her desire to help others. She does not help others as a means for her to avoid Ascending. She helps others because it’s the right thing to do. Penellaphe’s empathic nature shines through in this passage, and Armentrout cements the character as a moral protagonist.

“My mother had been a Lady in Wait, given to the Court during her Rite, but my father had not been a Lord. She had chosen my father over the Blessing of the gods, and that kind of love…it was, well, I didn’t have any experience with that. Probably never would, and I doubted most people did, no matter what their futures held. What my mom had done was unheard of. She’d been the first and the last to ever do so.”

Penellaphe remembers the legacy her mother left. Like her mother, Penellaphe wishes that she could find love and petition the Queen to not Ascend. Yet, she has convinced herself that such a life is not for her. Love, a type of temptation and desire, is unbecoming of the Maiden. Penellaphe’s view of love is one of exclusivity and idealism.

“Hawke’s gaze remained fastened on mine as he stepped forward. ‘Both halves are as beautiful as the whole.’”

Hawke’s statement carries meaning. Not only is he boosting Penellaphe’s self-confidence, but he is healing her inner turmoil. The Duke defines Penellaphe by the duality of her face, and it serves as a physical manifestation of her struggle between Ascending and choosing her own destiny. In sublating the two halves into a whole, Hawke diminishes this dichotomy. 

“The shock of her statement caused me to forget who I was and where I was. All that I managed to do was keep my voice low when I spoke. ‘So, a good old rebellion may liven things up for you? Dead men and women and children are a source of entertainment?’”

Loren, a Lady in Wait, has just expressed excitement over the Dark One potentially being in the kingdom. Loren’s behavior exposes the elite’s mentality towards danger and death. She views the Dark One as intriguing and desires some entertainment in her life. Loren’s desires ironically come true when Descenters attack the Rite ceremony, resulting in her and Dafina’s deaths.

“‘Once your fingers take hold of the string, the world around you must cease to exist.’ Vikter’s instructions echoed in my mind. ‘It’s just you, the pull of the string, and your aim. Nothing else matters.’”

Vikter’s combat lessons flash through Penellaphe’s mind as she fights for the Rise. Vikter, as a father figure in Penellaphe’s life, guides her even when he is not present. She relies on his wisdom to instruct her movements on the battlefield.

“A strange lump formed in my throat, making it impossible for me to speak. I remained where I was as he left the room, starting at the closed door once he was gone. I didn’t move. I didn’t remove the veil. Not for a long time. Not until I no longer wanted.”

The Maiden lives a life of restriction, void of all temptation and desire. After realizing her attraction to Hawke, Penellaphe fears that her feelings are becoming traitorous to the crown. So, she keeps her veil on in the hopes of re-establishing her purity and overcoming her desires. This passage further links the veil to Penellaphe’s role as Maiden.

“I’m not afraid to speak the truth. He may be powerful, but he’s just a weak man, who proves his strength by attempting to humiliate those more powerful than he is. Someone like you, with your strength? It makes him feel-incompetent- which he is. And your scars? They are a testament to your fortitude. They are proof of what you survived. They are evidence of why you are here when so many twice your age wouldn’t be. They’re not ugly. Far from it. They’re beautiful, Poppy.”

Hawke comments on the Duke’s immoral character. Penellaphe’s scars prove her ability to overcome adversity. Her scars, as representations of her strength, become beautiful. In reconciling with her scars, she learns to heal from the Duke’s abuse. She realizes that it’s a reflection of his character and her perseverance.

“Castle Teerman reached high above the Lower Ward and the Citadel, a sprawling structure of stone and glass, of beautiful memories and haunting nightmares. Somewhere in there, Tawny roamed, and the Duchess assumed control of the city. Somewhere in there, my present had become my past. I turned to the Rise. Somewhere out there, my future awaited.”

Penellaphe reflects on leaving the Castle Teerman. She contemplates how life in the castle continues on without her. She then physically turns towards the Rise in a gestural embrace of her future. Penellaphe recognizes the potential for opportunity and adventure in her life.

“Keeping my attention focused on Airrick, I picked up his hand and folded both of mine around it. I couldn’t save him, but I could do what I hadn’t been able to do with Vikter. I could help Airrick and make this easier. It was forbidden and not exactly wise to do it when there were witnesses, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t sit here and do nothing when I knew I could help.”

Penellaphe goes against the gods and uses her powers to ease Airrick’s pain as he dies. It’s against her nature to both restrain her gift and to stand while another suffers. In her actions with Airrick she shows yet another side of herself to Hawke, who was previously unaware of her powers. Penellaphe is portrayed as compassionate, and her rebellious nature is given a greater purpose.

“There was also no mistaking how his life had left its imprint behind in the form of faint nicks and longer scars on his flesh. He was a fighter like I was, and now I truly saw what I’d been too nervous to notice before. His body was also a record of everything he’d survived, and the deeper, redder scar just below his hip on his upper thigh was proof that he likely had nightmares.”

Armentrout relates Hawke’s body to Penellaphe’s body, as both are records of their past. This passage portrays Penellaphe’s immense character development, as she now possesses the ability to intimately connect with another, something she didn’t think possible at the beginning of the novel.

“‘She’s the Maiden,’ another yelled. ‘She needs to die!’ A round of agreement sounded, and someone else said, ‘Send her back to their counterfeit Queen and King. Just her head so they know what is coming for them.’”

Penellaphe is exposed to the wrath of Descenters. She sees firsthand the opinion of the enemy. Descenters view Penellaphe as representative of Kingdom Solis and all that the Ascended stand for. This realization is difficult for Penellaphe, who has never experienced an Ascension and who has been subjected to abuse herself. She expresses shock at their hostility and views them as unsavable. Both sides view the other as monsters, showing the polarizing effects of political strife.

“I didn’t stop to think about what I did next. I was just so furious and afraid because he was right, what he’d said had prompted questions. Like how none of the Ascended were seen during the day, or how no one but they entered the Temples. But, worse yet, it raised the question of why Hawke would make all of this up. What would be the point of concocting this elaborate lie when he had to know how hard it would be to convince me?”

Hawke has just told Penellaphe that the Ascended are blood-thirsty vamprys. Penellaphe grapples with what this truth means for her. She attempts to reconcile with the fact that she has been raised on lies. She’s angry that the society she subscribed to subjected so many to pain and suffering. This moment is the major turning point in Penellaphe’s development, as she begins to let go of her childhood values.

“Mr. Tulis didn’t take his eyes off me. ‘I would do anything to feel the blood of the Ascended flowing on my hands.’ ‘I’m not an Ascended,’ I whispered. ‘No,’ he sneered, brandishing a knife. ‘You’re just their whole future.’”

This quote alludes to Penellaphe’s complacency in the overall oppressive system of Kingdom Solis. The Ascended depend upon Penellaphe to continue their way of life. As the Maiden, Penellaphe represents a new generation of Ascended and acts as the figurehead for their society.

“The Ascended were vamprys- they were the curse that had plagued this land. They used fear to control the masses, and they were evil hidden in plain sight, feeding off those they had sworn to the gods to protect. And my brother was now one of them.”

Penellaphe realizes the fault in her people, in her society, and in her own brother. Until now, she has struggled to come to terms with the truth. In calling the Ascended vamprys, she adheres to the Atlantian version of history. She expresses disdain towards the Ascended, finally seeing them for what they truly are. She accepts her role in the oppression of Atlantians.

“But I was not going to be at anyone’s beck and call. I wasn’t the Maiden any longer. And things were not okay between us just because we had a temporary loss of rationale in the woods.”

Penellaphe shows great character growth. She stands up for herself without Hawke or any other mediating party. She finds inner strength and knows how she should be treated. She no longer lets Prince Casteel’s flirtatious nature sway her opinion or her actions.

“I saw Mr. Tulis. My knees weakened as I stared at him. He was dead, face a ghastly gray color. He was mortal, but a stake protruded from his still chest, nonetheless. All he’d wanted was to save his last child. He’d been given an opportunity to do so. He’d escaped, and now…now he was here.”

Mr. Tulis’ story is one of tragedy. His anger towards the Ascended taints his actions and results in his death. He represents the common man who suffered because of a fight between powers greater than him.