“I teach you to be warriors in the garden so you will never be gardeners in the war. I give you the strength to fight, but you all must learn the strength of restraint.”

Mama Agba reinforces the importance of training and self-defense to the young girls she teaches. She highlights that she teaches them to use a staff because of its non-lethal nature, establishing Adeyemi’s exploration of the relationship between violence and resistance to violent oppression. Zélie particularly struggles with overcoming her own impulses, and thus the reader is exposed to one of the flaws that she must overcome on her journey.

“My heart beats in my throat as I slow before Father’s throne room, the room I fear most. The first place where he ordered Inan and me to spar.”

Two key facts are revealed about Amari with this quote. First, it alludes to her history of trauma at the hands of her father and brother. Secondly, it highlights that she is willing to sacrifice her safety and wellbeing for those she loves, in this case Binta. This moment contrasts with her eventual triumph over her fear, as she faces and defeats her father at the end of the novel.

“My anger twists into a black rage, a darkness I sensed in Mama whenever the guards dared to get in her way. With its rush, I want to shove him back and snap each of the soldier’s fat fingers. But with my rage comes Tzain’s concern. Baba’s heartache. Mama Agba’s scolding.”

Zélie attempts to repress her anger when she is assaulted by guards outside of the city of Lagos. This moment showcases her desire to become a steadier, more decisive person. It also foreshadows that she will share the same type of magic as her mother, highlighted by both her own comparison to her mother and the description of “black” rage matching the energy she releases at the end of the novel.