The Fragile Threads of Power

Content Warning: This section of the guide briefly mentions violence, torture, and anti-gay bias.

Many characters in the novel are estranged from or lack biological families. Alucard’s parents and sister are dead, and his brother is an exiled traitor. Lila is an orphan, while Tes is in hiding from her father and sister who seek to use her power for nefarious purposes. Kosika’s mother attempted to sell her into slavery. Throughout the narrative, Schwab emphasizes the importance of emotional rather than biological bonds. Her protagonists find home and affection with the people they choose to love and build a life with, rather than with people they happen to be related to by blood. Kell is adopted by Rhy’s parents, the former king and queen, and Rhy sees him as a brother, even risking his own life to keep Kell safe, telling him, “You are my family. Surely that matters more than any crown” (537). The bonds Rhy and Kell have chosen and developed throughout their lives matter as much as any biological relationship. Lila also conceives of family as a relationship of choice: “As far as she was concerned, family had nothing to do with proximity or blood.