How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Things are very different in the faerie realm. There's not much time to be a child and not enough adult faeries to just sit around and watch kids play. Everyone has a role and a purpose, and they take on those roles very early. We grow up quickly." (14.154)
Thanks, Tamani, for filling us in on how this works. It sounds like growing up in faerie-land isn't as enchanting as we humans imagine it to be. No pixie dust, and having to grow up and take on responsibilities pretty much immediately? We'll pass, thanks.
Quote #8
Laurel shrugged. "I really don't know. Sometimes I think that's what I want, but I've never had a boyfriend before. I've never really even had a guy who was a close friend. I like it a lot… I don't want to lose that part." (16.63)
Part of growing up includes figuring out what you want in life, and then going and getting it. Except when it is another person, stuff gets complicated. Laurel is definitely into David, but she's not sure precisely how to go about exploring her feelings for him. We give her props here for being mature enough to know what she doesn't know, instead of stupidly rushing in and risking breaking one or both of their hearts.
Quote #9
"You've been very brave," Jamison said in that sweet, angelic voice. "We didn't think we would need you so soon. But things never go quite as planned, do they?" (23.73)
The whole point of Laurel's life among the humans is for her to grow up, inherit her parents' land, and keep it safe for the faeries. But the whole gamble is based on deceit (deceiving Laurel's parents, who thought they had a human child, and deceiving Laurel, who thought she was human).
Clearly the lie couldn't have lasted forever, but when would be a good time to tell Laurel? When would she be mature enough to handle the truth about her origins? The trolls basically forced the truth-revealing process to go faster than it might have otherwise, for better or for worse. At least Jamison is wise enough to acknowledge that.