How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"And if the gates are destroyed, Avalon will be open to anyone. Our home will become a place of war and destruction again. We have records of the terrible revenge the trolls took on Camelot, and we can only imagine the similar fate that awaits Avalon if they find their way in." (20.112)
When Tamani gives Laurel this brief faerie history lesson (including great figures such as King Arthur and Merlin), the conflict between the faeries and the trolls comes up. We don't hear much about what happened to Camelot, but apparently it was bad. Very bad. Bad enough that the faeries are constantly on guard, trying to prevent something similar from happening to Avalon. No one wants to see history repeat itself, right? That is, after all, one of the points of studying history.
Quote #8
"You don't remember," Laurel said softly. "Of course you don't remember." They wouldn't have let her mom remember the dozens of times she must have suspected something was wrong. The hundreds of times something was just a little too weird. Laurel suddenly felt weak. "Oh, Mom, I'm so sorry." (24.52)
It is super creepy for Laurel to realize just how many times the faerie sentries must have messed with her mom's memories in order to prevent her from realizing Laurel wasn't human. How authentic can a parent-child relationship be when both sides have had a bunch of memories erased? Does Laurel's mom truly even know her daughter? We'd like to think that the faeries left most of Laurel's mom's memories intact, but we don't know that for sure. And faeries are kind of tricksy—rather like hobbitses.
Quote #9
"I knew you, Laurel, and you knew me. We were just friends, but we were such good friends… You said you'd try to remember me, but they made you forget. I thought I would die the first time you looked at me and didn't recognize me." (25.73)
Man, this is rough on Tamani. What must it be like to watch your best friend get their memories wiped and not even recognize you anymore? All their shared history, all their inside jokes, all the affection they had for each other, just… gone. From Laurel's side, at least. Tamani still feels and remembers all that stuff, but it's not reciprocated. Bummer.