Point of View

The two novellas that make up Cruel Crown are told using differing points of view. Queen Song is told from the third person point of view with a focus on Coriane’s character. The novella is also written in the past tense. Both the use of a third-person narrator and the use of past tense distance the reader from Coriane and her life. This feeling of distance mimics the way in which Coriane feels distanced from her own life. Because she is a member of Silver nobility, she has to live up to certain expectations. She is not allowed to pursue her own dreams and passions but must instead live a life expected of nobility. When Elara begins filling Coriane’s mind with negative thoughts and attacking her with violent nightmares, Coriane is even less in control of her own life.

Steel Scars is told...