How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"When an essential [penis] comes along, you'll know." (3.36)
Brimstone equates sex with love, as in, Karou should wait for her one true love before she gives up her virginity. Later, we learn that the chimaera aren't puritanical about sex. Why does Brimstone have these values, while other chimaera do not?
Quote #2
Of all the things in the world, that was [Karou's] orphan's craving: love. (3.39)
Karou doesn't just crave romantic love, although that's a big part of it. She just wants to be accepted.
Quote #3
"I came back to find you," Akiva said. "I don't know why. Karou. Karou. I don't know why. [...] Just to find you and be in the world that you're in..." (30.87)
Akiva and Karou have an almost literal soulmate thing going on. He's drawn to her because she's his long-lost love reincarnated. How would you feel if you were in Karou's shoes, thrown into this pre-destined love story?
Quote #4
Each time [Karou] touched [Akiva] it was like a leaping spark and a call, a call to entwine her fingers in his, and even—god, what was wrong with her?—to lift his hands to her lips and kiss the marks there... (32.64)
This quote shows just how desperate Karou is to feel close to someone. Love can be romantic and physical at the same time. Physical closeness = emotional closeness here.
Quote #5
"Ask him if he's in love with you," said Zuzana at once. (33.15)
Zuzana is only kind of joking when she says this. She can feel the attraction between Akiva and Karou. It's almost tangible. When you see two people together, can't you tell if they are truly in love?
Quote #6
"I'll help you. Even if you couldn't fly, I could carry you." (34.17)
More than many of the other quotes here, this one shows the lengths Akiva is willing to go to in order to show his love for Karou. He would carry her across multiple countries so that she can achieve her goals. Yep, that's love, people.
Quote #7
[Akiva] felt as if his life to that point had been spent wandering in a labyrinth, and on the battlefield [...] he'd finally found its center. (37.44)
Akiva's feelings for Madrigal are complicated. 1. She's his mortal enemy. 2. She's a babe. 3. She saves his life. 4. She's a babe. Perhaps his love for her, that blossoms in all of four minutes we might add, comes from a combination of her attractiveness and his desire for peace? We're not exactly sure.
Quote #8
[Akiva] caught himself thinking of [Madrigal] as his, and it didn't even seem strange. (39.38)
There's a possessive quality to Akiva's love for Madrigal, as evidenced by his pronoun choice here. Is love always about ownership?
Quote #9
Not for an instant had [Madrigal] considered doing what anyone else in the entire city would have done without a thought: unmasking him and screaming, "Seraph!" (52.6)
This might be the moment when Madrigal realizes she loves Akiva back, even though she barely knows him. There's something between them that keeps her from allowing him to be executed in the streets. How romantic.
Quote #10
"So you are a child of love. It seems right, that you were made by love." [...] "Did your parents love each other?" [...] "No," [Akiva] said, and offered no explanation. "But I hope that my children's parents will." (53.23-53.27)
Love is a big deal for Akiva because it is an emotion that he is completely unfamiliar with. Perhaps he is actually a better match for Karou than he was for Madrigal, because Karou, too, lived through a long, loveless childhood. We say: soulmates.