At the novel’s beginning, Celaena is depressed and hopeless following the events of Crown of Midnight. She feels heartbroken and betrayed by her friend, Princess Nehemia, who planned her own murder to incite Celaena to reclaim her throne. She also feigns bravado to hide her poverty. After losing her, Celaena vows to fulfill her oath to Nehemia but nonetheless sees herself as an unredeemable “monster” (3). The connection between her emotions and her fire is evidenced by the narrative’s metaphoric way of describing her state of mind: “There was nothing left in her, not really. Only ash and an abyss and the unbreakable vow she’d carved into her flesh, to the friend who had seen her for what she truly was” (4).

However, throughout the story, Celaena slowly regains hope and finds redemption through self-acceptance, which she develops largely through Rowan’s support. Significantly, Rowan and Nehemia are two of the only people who support Celaena unconditionally, so the Fae prince offers a symbolic parallel to the late princess.

At first, Celaena and Rowan strongly dislike each other. Celaena’s confidence hits rock bottom when he rejects her, prompting her to reflect: “It would have been nice to have one person who knew the absolute truth about her—and didn’t hate her for it” (274).