Quotes from Sarah Beth Durst

Behind them, in the distance, the island of Olaku looked as if it had been swallowed in mist and foam. It was the spirits, she knew, churning up the sea, but it felt as if her island had been erased, smudged out of existence like a smear of paint on a canvas.

No amount of careful would have been enough. We have to focus on what we can do, not what we wish we could.

Have it your way. I'm happy to hear it's not just about your 'artistic integrity.'" "That's important too," Kelo said. "If I betray my art, I betray my soul." "You really spew a lot of bullshit for one so handsome.

Everyone happy with the plan?' 'I'm not happy about any of this,' Zera said. Kreya one hundred percent agreed with that, as did they all. But they set about doing it anyways, because that was what heroes did.

Her voice sounded wistful, but Ven didn't trust it. She was a master at shielding her emotions. For all he knew, this pleasant greeting hid murderous rage.

The unicorn, still elegant and radiant, let out a tiny burp.

Courtiers were supposed to sound musical when they spoke, their laughter like a harp chord and their sneezes like notes on a flute

It takes me less than a minute to pick a pin-tumbler lock, but in that minute, anyone could wander into the hallway and say, "Sky, are you picking the lock on your mother's office?" Dad. I swear I have the nosiest family of all time. First Charles, now Dad. Couldn't anyone just mind their own business while I skulked around suspiciously?

None of them were recent, but that was the nature of family stories. They had to be far enough in the past that they took on a mythic quality.

Korbyn is a god, and he wishes it!" Liyana called after them. "Thank you for noticing," Korbyn said. He flashed a smile at her, and she felt the warmth of his smile pour over her.

People do lots of things all the time that aren't guaranteed safe. They decide it's worth the risk.

She wanted to fall into that smile. It made her want to frolic through fields with him, and Kayla had never frolicked through a field in her life.

You know what this means," Harrison said. "It means no goodbye," Zoe said, feeling a smile rise up from inside her. Pipsqueak nuzzled the top of her head.

Of course, in that case, he had deserved it. She didn't care if he was from UCLA—what breed of idiot went out on the ice without a face mask?

Naelin loved the forest, all the layers and shades of green, so many shades that there weren't words to describe them all - a spectrum of green, from the hopeful green of new leaves to the contemplative moss green on the forest floor, so dark it was nearly black.

Naelin resisted rolling her eyes. This was absurd. She was consorting with born-from-the-womb heroes. She wasn't worthy if this.

Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .And those spirits want to kill you. It's the first lesson that every Renthian learns.

Mama, I'm scared." "That's good. Fear can be your friend. It tells you when to run and when to hide. The trick is that after you've run and hid, you have to tell your fear thank you very much, you're fine now, come back later.

Rot beneath the veneer.

She stared in awe at the musicians and wished she knew how to make such beauty. It must be so tremendous to create something out of nothing. Out of sound. Out of air. Out of movement and -

It doesn't matter whether I was born in a mess of blood and goo, or whether I was shaped lovingly and carefully in a workroom with chisel and hammer.

And for the first time she realized she didn't hate spirits. Not anymore. Everything she'd told Naelin was true: you couldn't hate them. You had to accept them, even love them. They were a part of the world, and alongside their hatred and rage, there was also beauty and the desire for life to thrive.

This is a step forward. You don't need to tolerate people people who don't respect you. And you don't need to speak with everyone who has a grievance. You aren't Queen Daleina. You Queen Cajara, and you'll do things your way.

This is a step forward. You don't need to tolerate people who don't respect you. And you don't need to speak with everyone who has a grievance. You aren't Queen Daleina. You Queen Cajara, and you'll do things your way.