“Fae were highly sensitive babies. Their tantrums could last centuries.”

Bryce's humorous observation sums up the Fae's privileged and close-minded attitudes. Being entitled, they can afford to act as children when they don’t get their way, in sharp contrast to many other members of Midgardian society, who have to fight for survival.

“‘The sword’s as much yours as it is mine.’

Bryce waved a hand. ‘I’ll take it on weekends and holidays, don’t worry.’

Hunt tossed in, ‘And it’ll get two Winter Solstices, so…double the presents.’

Ruhn is the rare Fae man who wants to share power with the women in his life. His banter with Bryce shows how the irreverence and the humor of the younger generation have the power to destabilize old-fashioned power systems. These lines also highlight how Hunt and Bryce understand each other’s humor.

“Cormac has always been the son I should have had. Rather than the son I was burdened with.”

The Autumn King’s cruel statement to his son Ruhn shows the depth of his emotional abuse of his children. While Ruhn seems to be favored by his father for being his heir, the reality is that the Autumn King regularly invalidates and humiliates his son.