House of Flame and Shadow

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of oppression, discrimination, and graphic death and violence.

In House of Flame and Shadow, every point-of-view character struggles with the concept of redemption and atonement.

One conflict is about realizing that many people who have done wrong deserve forgiveness. Learning the true history of the Asteri and of her own people, the Starborn Fae, damages Bryce’s ability to look for the good in others—she sees that the leaders of both peoples were power-hungry conquerors bent on domination. Her newfound cynicism lead her to temporarily believing no Fae worthy of redemption—a stance that positions Bryce on the same racist continuum that has kept the humans of Midgard oppressed by the Vanir. However, her time in the Night Court undercuts this way of thinking, as Bryce realizes that she cannot judge an entire people by the actions of their totalitarian ruler: “Nesta hadn’t been anything like Silene or Theia” (281). Remembering that helps Bryce stop judging al the Fae in Midgard by the same standard: Fae allies such as Nesta and Azriel give Bryce hope for the future of the Fae on Midgard.

However, the question of redemption is also directed inward. When Hunt blames himself for endangering Ruhn and Baxian, the regret and shame of his past failures floods Hunt with the many deaths he believes are on his hands. Hunt spends the novel separating his sense of self from the long list of faults and mistakes he believes he must atone for. Similarly, while Lidia Cervos has done many great things as Agent Daybright, her cruel persona of the Hind is responsible for “plenty of despicable acts [she committed] for Sandriel and the Asteri”—so many that she wonders whether “changing sides [would ever] erase the stain” (164). Though Lidia’s motivations for joining Ophion were murky at first, she eventually became passionate about her cause. Her worthiness of redemption is proven when one of the rebels she saved visits her in Avallen to thank her for her service as Agent Daybright.

Redemption comes in many forms in the novel, including the ending of generational legacies. When Bryce realizes she descends from a long line of cruel, oppressive conquerors, she decides that she’s also inherited the burden of righting their wrongs. Though Bryce hasn’t contributed to the oppression of others, she still seeks to redeem her ancestors’ actions by freeing the enslaved peoples of Midgard for good. Ruhn struggles with the same Starborn legacy as Bryce, vowing to atone for the sins of their father, the Autumn King. His selflessness and loyalty are in many ways a reaction to the king’s cold and calculating opportunism.