In The Enchanted Bird, The Nightmara Affair, and The Secret Soulbond, the king’s summer masquerade is a turning point for the characters, and this masquerade inspires a second masquerade a few months later. With these masquerades, I reveal aspects of the characters in more overt ways because, just like with names, I like their costumes to mean something. Below I will reveal a few of them, but keep your eye out for more in the novels—I’m not revealing any that count as spoilers!

The Enchanted Bird Heroine/Hero: For both masquerades, Wren wears dryad costumes (different ones, of course.) Just like her nickname Wren, dryads are shy creatures of the forest, so her costume reflects her retiring nature. For the first masquerade, Hawke refuses to wear a costume because he is bored with court events. For the second, he wears a mask, but only because Wren makes him, and he chooses one she gave him not long ago.

The Nightmara Affair Heroine/Hero: For both masquerades, Kiera wears mermaid costumes. The first is an illusion that disappears at midnight, while the second is a real gown. Kiera chooses a mermaid because of a childhood dream, but it also represents how she is divided between two worlds and how alluring King Devon finds her. For both masquerades, Devon dresses as his ancestor Calator, the founder of Calatini. Devon chooses this costume because he is said to be very like his ancestor and is the same age as Calator when he was crowned. He only gets away with the same costume twice because he is the king.

The Secret Soulbond Heroine: For the first masquerade as the king’s companion, Annalise wears a siren costume. (In Damensea, sirens are the winged form and not associated with the sea.) As the “most beautiful lady in Calatini”, this costume suits Annalise’s alluring appearance, but the similarity between mermaids and sirens also shows her similarity to Kiera, who sweeps the king off his feet. For the second masquerade, Annalise wears a banshee costume, alluding to her troubled state at the time.

A Villain Who Will Impact the Next Generation: For the first masquerade, Winston wears a griffin costume. Griffins are majestic, powerful, and demand truth—all traits Winston wants everyone to believe he possesses (although he definitely does not) because he must marry an heiress to support his lifestyle. For the second masquerade, Winston wears a wyvern costume. Wyverns are draconian in form (without hind legs), but are small, less deadly, and sometimes tamed as pets. This costume better reflects Winston’s true nature.