The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King

Content Warning: The source material includes mention of rape and suicidal ideation. In addition, it describes enslavement and enslaved persons; outdated terms are only replicated in this guide in quotes from the source material.

The novel explores the ways love contradicts, conflicts with, and contributes to power. Initially, most characters see love as antithetical to power. In his three centuries of life, Raihn has repeatedly witnessed how the vampiric desire for power and control has eclipsed love. Most significant among these experiences was King Neculai’s love story with his wife, Nessanyn, who became Raihn’s secret lover. Though “Neculai had loved Nessanyn,” his love “hadn’t saved her from anything,” as Nessanyn dies because of the choices Neculai made to keep control (32). Raihn desires power, not for the sake of control, but to enact positive change for the vampire clans under the House of Night as well as the humans who often fall victim to their savagery. To gain the power necessary to enact change, however, requires him to do things that betray his love for Oraya. Raihn admits that his problem lies not in “protecting [his] crown from Oraya but protecting Oraya from [his] crown” (116). This admission reveals how entwined love and power are and how difficult it can be to balance both without losing one or the other.