The Songbird and the Heart of Stone

Throughout the novel, Carissa Broadbent references hunger often to symbolize the desires Mische suppresses out of loyalty to Atroxus. Ever since she was turned, Mische has been “Not living. Not dying. Starving for both” (185). While she claims this in a literal way—for vampires don’t truly live, nor do they die, and most who were born human yearn for their humanity forever afterward—it also has a wider meaning. Since she was turned, Mische’s life has been in stasis regarding her faith. Her abilities, bestowed by the sun god Atroxus, are at complete odds with her new vulnerabilities as a vampire. Sunlight kills vampires, and yet sunlight is the magic that has always given her purpose. Mische hungers for change, and while she at first hopes that such change includes being forgiven and reclaimed by Atroxus, she soon hungers for other things as her journey with Asar to the Underworld continues.

As Mische spends more time with Asar, an intimate connection forms between them—prompting genuine romantic feelings. As this attraction grows, Mische thinks “hungry” thoughts about him. This hunger symbolizes her desire to act on her feelings for Asar—an affront to Atroxus. This hunger manifests literally in the scene in Chapter 32, where Mische and Asar must feed from each other to regain strength.