When Compass took pity on me, she reached down into the Underworld, touched the shoulder of Morita's, and asked her forgiveness. Then Compass took my sister in her arms and placed her in the sky, where she, too, turned to stardust. Magiano looks at me, his eyes wide. It seems as if he already, somehow, understands.“My goddess made me a promise,” I whisper. Only now do I realize that I have never seen him cry before. In the stories, Compass and her human lover would descend each night from the stars to walk the mortal world, before vanishing with the dawn. So, together, we stare at the sky, waiting.

— Marie Lu

Where I come from, we're more about efficiency,' he replies. 'A knife like this'll skewer food, smear butter, and slit throats all at the same time.

— Marie Lu

Why can’t I be like that? Why can’t I be the father who just shrugs off the love of his daughter? Why can’t I be the Lead Inquisitor who enjoys watching his pleading victims burn at the stake? Why can’t I be the one who befriends a lonely, lost girl and then casts her out? Why can’t I be the one to strike first, to hit so early and with such fury that my enemies cower before they can ever think of turning on me? What is so great about being good?

— Marie Lu

Without emotion, what's the point of being human?

— Marie Lu

Without his father's shadow in a way, he's beautiful.

— Marie Lu

Yeah, something was wrong. That was the understatement of the year.

— Marie Lu

You cannot harden your heart to the future just because of your past. You cannot use cruelty against yourself to justify cruelty to others.

— Marie Lu

You have goodness in your heart, but your darkness overwhelms it all; your desire to hurt, destroy, and avenge is more powerful than your desire to love, help, and light the way.

— Marie Lu

You led the soldiers right to my family's door. You're the reason they're dead.

— Marie Lu

You're brilliant,"he says." But you're a fool to stay with someone like me." I close my eyes at the touch of his hand." Then we are both fools.

— Marie Lu