"I don’t want to be alone. Not when tonight could be my last night. Blind faith in the gods may have taken me this far, but if I’m going to get on that island tomorrow, I need more."

"(Chapter Seventy-Four )"

"I stare at the blade; the inscription gleams in the moonlight. Its words simplify my mission, creating space for my pain. A soldier. A great king. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. Duty over self. Orïsha over Zélie."

"(Chapter Seventy-One)"

"The ache that cuts through me is sharper than the blade that cut through my back. It’s like losing Mama all over again."

"(Chapter Sixty-Eight )"

"Binta’s voice rings loud. The sight of her blood fills my head. I can avenge her now. I can cut Father down. While the maji take out the guards, my sword can free Father of his head. Retribution for all his massacres, every poor soul he ever killed […]."

"(Chapter Sixty-Six )"

"In that instant it hits me: Zulaikha’s death. Zélie’s screams. They don’t mean a thing to him. Because they’re maji, they’re nothing. He preaches duty before self, but his Orïsha doesn’t include them. It never has."

"(Chapter Sixty-Three)"

"“I thought things could be different. I wanted them to be different. But after what we just saw, we have no choice. We can’t give people that kind of power.”"

"(Chapter Fifty-Six )"

"The children of Orïsha dance like there’s no tomorrow, each step praising the gods. Their mouths glorify the rapture of liberation, their hearts sing the Yoruba songs of freedom. My ears dance at the words of my language, words I once thought I’d never hear outside my head. They seem to light up the air with their delight. It’s like the whole world can breathe again."

"(Chapter Fifty-Four)"

"A pit of guilt opens in my chest, tainted with the smell of burning flesh. The fires I watched from the royal palace resurface, the innocent lives burned before my young eyes. A memory I’ve pushed down like my magic, a day I longed to forget. But staring at Zélie now brings it all back: the pain. The tears. The death."

"(Chapter Fifty-One)"

"Zu’s tears make my own eyes prickle. Kwame’s face pinches with pain. I want to hate him for what he did to Tzain, but I can’t. I’m no better. If anything, I’m worse. If Inan hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve stabbed that masked divîner to death just to get answers"

"(Chapter Forty-Seven)"

"This pawn was the only piece I managed to salvage. Shame ripples through me as I stare at the tarnished metal. The only gift he’s ever given me, and at its core is hate."

"(Chapter Thirty-Nine)"

"Zélie’s memories don’t hold the villains Father always warned of. Only families he tore apart. Duty before self. His creed rings through my ears. My father. Her king. The harbinger of all this suffering."

"(Chapter Thirty-Six )"

"Those are Father’s words, Inan. His decisions. Not yours. We are our own people. We make our own choices.”"

"(Chapter Thirty-Four)"

"I don’t know what disturbs me more: that I killed him, or that I could do it again. Strike, Amari. A thin whisper of father’s voice plays in my ears."

"(Chapter Twenty-Five )"

"After I perform the ritual and bring magic back, after Baba is safe and sound. I’ll rally a group of Grounders to sink this monstrosity into the sand. That announcer will pay for every wasted divîner life. Every noble will answer for their crimes."

"(Chapter Twenty-Four )"

"Growing up, Father led me to believe that those who clung to the myth of the gods were weak. They relied on beings they could never see, dedicating their lives to faceless entities."

"(Chapter Twenty-Two)"

"Though the royal seal is etched into the clay wall, it waves in my mind like the velvet banners in Father’s throne room. After the Raid, he abolished the old seal, a gallant bull-horned lionare that always used to make me feel safe. Instead, he proclaimed that our power would be represented by the snow leopanaires: ryders who were ruthless. Pure."

"(Chapter Thirteen)"

"I arch my eyebrow at Amari and think back to her mention of a training accident. I assumed the scar came from her brother’s sword, but was she holding a sword, too? Despite her escape from Lagos, I can’t imagine the princess locked in battle."

"(Chapter Eleven)"

"Yemi meets my eyes with a hatred that impales me like a sword. Though her mouth never opens, her voice rings in my skull. “Safe ended a long time ago.”"

"(Chapter Five )"

"You must protect those who can’t defend themselves. Mama Agba’s words from this morning seep into my head."

"(Chapter Two )"

"He wants to believe that playing by the monarchy’s rules will keep us safe, but nothing can protect us when those rules are rooted in hate"

"(Chapter One)"

"Deep down, I know the truth. I knew it the moment I saw the maji of Ibadan in chains. The gods died with our magic."

"Fool yourself all you want, little prince, but don’t feign innocence with me. I won’t let your father get away with what he’s done. I won’t let your ignorance silence my pain."

"It avoids rather than hurts, it hurts rather than maims, it maims rather than kills—the staff does not destroy.” “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 turns to me, shoulders pinned back. “You must protect those who can’t defend themselves. That is the way of the staff."

"It doesn't matter how strong I get, how much power my magic wields. They will always hate me in this world."

"I’ve been a sheep. A sheep when my kingdom needed me to act like a king."

"Reality and logic don’t matter to her. She needs this so badly, failure isn’t even in the realm of possibilities."

"I don't know what shocks me more--- the power in my voice or the words themselves"

"I begin to realise how far others will go to keep us down."

"“Everyone else feels like being caught in the rain. You’re the whole tsunami."

"No matter how much I crave peace, the gods have other plans."