Nightbane

“Bodies. Bloodied. Charred. She couldn’t see what realms they were from; she could see only their skin and bones. Darkness spilled around the corpses like knocked-over pots of ink, but it did not settle, or puddle, or disappear.

No. This darkness devoured.

It finished off the rest of the bodies, then turned its attention to her. The tendrils climbed, cold and damp as lifeless limbs. Before she could move, the shadows parted her lips and forced her to drink them. She gasped for air, but all she tasted was death.”

The vision depicted in this passage is central to Isla’s character arc and strongly contributes to the plot development. Indeed, Isla is driven by the belief that this is a vision of the future and assumes that Grim is responsible for that destruction. However, this vision is used as a red herring and heightens narrative tension, eventually leading to the final plot twist about Isla’s past.

“She imagined fate laughing at the irony of their pairing: a liar loved by someone who could sense the truth.”

Throughout the novel, Isla’s relationships with Oro and Grim are both characterized by their Duality and Identity. In this instance, Isla underlines the fundamental difference between her and Oro, which suggests that their romance is ultimately more incompatible than complementary.

“Azul made a sound like he knew the truth. ‘It is an honor to rule but not always a pleasure, Isla.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Go, visit your people. Face them. Be honest with them. You are their ruler. Whether or not you have deemed yourself worthy, you are all they have.’

That, Isla decided, was what she was most afraid of.”

Azul’s advice to Isla contributes to the theme of Power and Morality, and Isla refers to it several times throughout the novel, thus underlining its significance. Indeed, it drives Isla to become closer to her people and, in doing so, to become a more qualified and just ruler despite her own doubts and desires.

“She wasn’t worthy of any of this. She didn’t deserve to rule anyone. She didn’t even know herself. Part of her past was missing, and that person—the one who had supposedly loved a Nightshade—felt like a stranger. She was sad all the time, and there were so many emotions pressed down, in the deepest depths of herself, that she knew one day would overpower everything else and claw their way out—”

Building on Important Quote #4, this passage reveals how Isla’s self-doubt influences her role as a leader. At this point in the story, she is struggling with an identity crisis that impacts her well-being and, in turn, her ability to rule. This sets up her character arc as she learns to embrace all facets of her identity and her responsibility to her people.

“Her left hand struck the ground, and darkness erupted from her fingers. It ate through the nature in its path; everything living became cinder. Trees fell and disappeared; the air went gray with swimming shadows.

Her right hand landed, and from it a line of thousands of flowers billowed, rising from the ground in waves, blossoming in rapid succession. Roses, tulips, marigolds—they made a blanket across the forest, color streaming.

The world died and came to life in front of her, and she kept screaming until her voice disappeared in a final croak. It might have been seconds or minutes, but eventually, everything settled, and she stood.

One side of her was total desolation—the other the very definition of fertility.”

This passage perfectly illustrates Isla’s Duality and Identity as a wielder of both Wildling and Nightshade powers. Indeed, Isla’s abilities symbolize her conflicting feelings for Oro and Grim. In addition, this hints at her narrative role as a leader able to restore balance and bring peace.

“It won’t always be hard. One day, something will give. Some of a ruler’s mastery of power is like a key clicking into a lock.”

The metaphor of a key unlocking a particular skill or memory is used several times throughout the novel. In this example, Oro is encouraging Isla to practice her magic until it becomes natural. The symbolism of the key is used to describe several of Isla’s personal breakthroughs as she learns to embrace her identity and use her abilities more effectively.

“‘Emotion undoes control,’ he explained. ‘When you’re emotional, your power has no constraint. It might seem like it makes you more powerful, but it can be dangerous. It can drain you completely until there’s nothing left.’”

Oro’s warning contributes to the theme of Emotions and Control. It foreshadows Isla’s arc as she starts using pain to dig deeper and deeper into her powers and thus underlines the personal and ethical cost of using magic. Oro’s words also foreshadow the revelation that Isla previously killed many people when she lost control of her emotions.

“If what Ella said was correct, that there must be Starlings among the rebels…that didn’t make sense. They had hurt her. They could have killed her, which would have led to the deaths of all Wildlings and Starlings.

Something wasn’t adding up.”

In this passage, Isla is beginning to question the rebels’ motivations. This creates anticipation and intrigue, and Isla’s confusion foreshadows Maren’s revelations about the true nature of Lightlark and Grim’s intentions.

“After Oro was asleep, Isla sneaked into her room. She found a parchment and quill and wrote herself a note. No matter what she remembered. No matter what had happened in the year before the Centennial—

You hate him.

You hate him.

You hate him.

You hate him.

You hate him.

You hate him.”

This passage reveals Isla’s state of mind as she is beginning to remember bits of her past with Grim. She tries to convince herself that he is her enemy by writing herself a note that underlines the two conflicting sides of her identity. The narrative’s repetition of the phrase “You hate him” emphasizes Isla’s desire to resist her growing feelings for Grim but implicitly suggests the futility of her resistance.

“It was possible to love someone too hard. It was possible to turn love into a prison.”

As Isla reflects on her relationship with Oro, Poppy and Terra’s overprotectiveness, and Cleo’s mourning for her son, she metaphorically compares love to a prison. This indicates that she is growing more confident as she learns what true love is since she previously struggled to define love after being betrayed by Celeste, Grim, and her mentors. The metaphor also foreshadows the development of Isla’s romance with Grim as she gets closer and closer to the freedom that being with Grim offers her.

“‘The place I trained as a warrior…we were punished for the smallest of infractions. In public. Shadows can turn into the sharpest, thinnest blades.’

‘That’s humiliating.’

‘It wasn’t. It was a chance to prove we didn’t react to the pain. Standing there, being cut, and not moving a muscle in your face…It was seen as strength.’”

In this passage, Grim provides background information about his upbringing. The information contextualizes his relationship with pain, which he claims has enabled him to become the most powerful ruler of all the realms. It also foreshadows the revelation that love, rather than pain, is the strongest emotion to draw from and plays into the theme of Emotions and Control.

“‘If we survive this attack, I plan on implementing a democracy for Starlings.’ Murmurs. Zed shot her a look. She straightened her spine and continued, ‘I will hold a vote, and if someone else is more capable of being ruler, I will step down.’ She meant it. She had always admired Azul’s rule, and the truth was, the Starlings deserved to be ruled by one of their own. Maren, for example.”

After struggling with the challenges of Power and Morality, Isla decides that the fairest, more ethical option would be to replace the current system of rule, where all subjects are tied to their ruler’s life, with a democracy. This foreshadows Maren’s revelation about the true nature of the island of Lightlark. In turn, this creates a new conflict for Isla, who champions the idea of democracy but refuses to sacrifice Oro’s life to achieve it. This raises new narrative stakes for the next book in Alex Aster’s series.

“‘I’ll tell you a secret, Hearteater.’ He flinched as she removed the next arrow. ‘Pain makes you powerful. […] It isn’t an ideal. It’s truth. Emotion feeds power. And pain is the strongest.’”

While Oro, at the beginning of the book, warns Isla not to let her magic feed on her emotions, Grim now encourages her to use her emotions to access deeper magic. This emphasizes the contrast between the two characters. On the one hand, Oro is characterized as more repressive or controlling of Isla’s destructive impulses, whereas Grim appears to offer unconditional free will. In short, both represent extreme positions that symbolize Isla’s identity crisis.

“‘Isla,’ Oro said carefully. ‘I told you. Wielding power through emotion is dangerous. The power might be immediate, and strong, but it comes at a cost.’ His hands were in fists; he was practically shaking. ‘I told you that this could kill you! It is a shortcut,’ he said, spitting the words out. ‘A shortcut to death.’”

Building on the previous quote, this passage frames Oro’s warnings as genuine concerns for Isla’s well-being rather than a mere desire for control. In addition, this passage foreshadows the revelation that Isla lost control on the battlefield and not only killed many innocent people but also died herself.

“She didn’t want to tell him that though she was bleeding, she felt stronger than she had in a long time. She felt in control. Transcendent.

The blood tasted like power, she wanted to say. Power—

It tasted like blood.”

At this point in the story, Isla is starting to give in to her more destructive impulses. Although she acts out of a desire to protect her people, she is seduced by the power that she is now able to wield. This hints at the corruptive nature of unchecked power, which contributes to the theme of Power and Morality.

“‘It has been thousands of years since a single person wielded both Nightshade and Wildling power. You cannot begin to understand what that means.’ […]

‘Tell me what it means,’ she almost begged.

[…] ‘The creatures as old as me on the island will join you. They will immediately understand what you are.’

‘And what is that?’ she asked.

He looked at her, and she saw a gleam in his eye. ‘Hope.’”

Isla’s conversation with Remlar foreshadows the revelation that the island of Lightlark was created artificially to replace an older world. The narrative suggests that Remlar and the other ancient creatures hope that Isla, thanks to the Duality and Identity of her powers, will be able to take them back home. This sets up new narrative stakes for the next book in Aster’s series, Skyshade.

“But the current system of rule goes beyond just votes and voices. We have all historically been tied to rulers’ lives, because of the power they alone channel. Do you know why, Isla? […] Because thousands of years ago, the king’s ancestors had a Night-shade create a series of curses called nexus, designed to keep the people weak. Everyone—except for his line—was cursed to only be born with a single ability. And people were cursed to be tied to their rulers, so power could never be overthrown. Nexus was meant to keep us all weak. Subservient. Loyal.”

This passage provides critical information about the system of rule on Lightlark. Maren reveals the rebels’ true motivations and, in doing so, introduces new narrative stakes. This heightens narrative tension and intrigue and foreshadows some significant plot developments in the rest of Aster’s series.

“Isla’s mind was a battleground.

She didn’t want to remember—she had to remember. She didn’t want to feel anything but disgust at the Nightshade—she had felt everything with the Nightshade.”

In this passage, Isla’s state of mind is illustrated symbolically and visually. Indeed, the interrupted sentences and different voices, emphasized by the italicization, reveal Isla’s fractured identity. This reinforces the theme of her Duality and Identity and depicts the climax of her identity crisis as she grapples with her conflicting emotions.

“‘What is the opposite of night, Wildling?’ Remlar said, as he poured the tea into her mug.

Isla frowned. She was convinced Remlar just liked to hear himself talk. ‘Day?’

Remlar shrugged. ‘If you say so.’

Isla narrowed her eyes at him. ‘What do you mean? What’s the answer?’

Remlar took a sip of his own tea. It looked scalding. ‘Very few questions in this world have only one answer.’”

Isla’s conversation with Remlar is highly symbolic. The ancient creature appears to speak cryptically, which is typical of wise mentor figures in the fantasy genre. His response to Isla is purposefully vague and symbolic and thus indirectly prompts Isla to consider new ways of solving her personal challenges.

“‘Hearteater.’ He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. ‘You are both curse…’ he whispered against her skin, lips traveling down her neck, to the center of her chest, ‘…and cure.’”

Throughout the novel, Isla is repeatedly referred to as both “curse” and “cure.” This reinforces her symbolic Duality and Identity as a wielder of Wildling and Nightshade magic. She represents the balance between life and death, and Grim is one of the only characters who fully embraces her dual nature. This characterizes Isla and Grim’s relationship as complementary and unconditional.

“‘Lightlark is a miniature,’ Grim said. ‘The creators of the island fled a world made up of different countries. Moonling, to the very north, buried in the ice. Sunling at the center, where the sun shined brightest. Wildling close by. Skyling, then Starling, then Nightshade at the opposite end, where it was darkest and coldest. They took thousands here, to another world, and created a smaller version of the one they left behind. […] Cronan, my own ancestor, wanted to go back, after he was cast out from Lightlark. But the portal is built into its foundation. Using it successfully would mean destroying the island.’”

This passage provides critical information about the true nature of the island of Lightlark. Grim’s revelations set up new narrative stakes that foreshadow some significant plot developments in the rest of Aster’s series. In addition, since this passage takes place in Isla’s past, it retroactively provides information about Grim’s true motivations in Nightbane and thus informs Isla’s eventual choice to follow him.

“It was time.

Don’t do it. The voice was firm, speaking from the past. Her own voice.

She didn’t want to. But the oracle had made it clear—it was either Grim or Oro. Her choice would define the world.

She had to decide. As Grim and Oro dueled, so did past and present Isla. Don’t do it— She had to do it. DON’T DO IT—”

The two narrative voices that represent Isla’s conflicting emotions toward Oro and Grim are used again in this passage, this time to highlight her feelings about killing Grim. The narrative stakes reach a climactic point since Isla’s choice dictates the fate of the world, which further increases the tension of the moment.

“Isla had used emotions to wield her power multiple times. Recklessly. Even after Oro had warned her, she hadn’t been able to help herself, she had done it again and again.

She was not to be trusted. She was reckless, dangerous, a monster.”

After struggling to reconcile her emotions with her magical abilities throughout the novel, Isla concludes that she cannot control her power. She describes herself in negative terms (“reckless, dangerous, a monster”), but seems to embrace that darker identity. Her character arc ends on an ambiguous note as she leans into her more destructive impulses, which sets up her future growth in the next book in the series.