King of Battle and Blood

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence and death.

Isolde is the protagonist and narrator of King of Blood and Battle. She is the princess of the kingdom of Lara and the daughter of King Henri. Her mother died when she was born, so she was raised primarily by her maid, Nadia—a traditional woman who believes that marriage is the most important thing for women. By contrast, Isolde does not wish to be married because to do so would be to lose her freedom and become objectified. As she explains, her fiery behavior “often le[a]d to unsolicited comments about how [she] need[s] to be tamed. Although the last man to make that comment found himself facing the point of [her] dagger” (22). Isolde is a trained warrior who is fully capable of defending herself and others. She learned the art of combat from Alec Killian, the head of her father’s guard, with whom she had a sexual relationship before she realized that he was too controlling and possessive.

Isolde is deeply protective of her independence, but at the beginning of the novel, she has limited freedom because her father is strict with her in the wake of the Revekkian vampires’ arrival.