Almost every character in Crown of Midnight fights for freedom in some way. Celaena is the most prominent example; her fight began in the Endovier Salt Mines, but she’s found no liberation as the King’s Champion. Her contract as the king’s assassin lasts for four years, and every choice Celaena makes centers on her desire to break free and live a quiet, peaceful life. Celaena fights for her own freedom even at the expense of others. Long before she learns who Archer really is, she uses him for information in the hopes that she can later use the rebellion as a bartering chip.

Likewise, Celaena’s focus on her freedom causes her to ignore the plight and oppression of others, even though she is in a position of power and can do much good. When Celaena refuses to help Nehemia save her people, Nehemia says, “You will not help because all you care about is yourself” (205). Celaena responds, “And so what if I do? […] So what if I want to spend the rest of my life in peace” (205). After everything she’s suffered, Celaena’s primary focus is her own well-being. For much of the novel, she ignores the fact that peace will never exist so long as the

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