How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
At that instant the TV clicked on. […] Shots rang out and music blared; we all flinched like nervous chihuahuas. […] For some reason, however, that blast of noise had broken the spell cast by such a creepy, all-encompassing silence. We felt safer, and more courageous. (2.63-64)
Entering Casimir's dark and silent apartment is pretty freaky. No one knows who or what they'll find. But for whatever reason, the noise of the abruptly turned-on TV helps everyone feel safer and braver. If that's not a comment about how much we rely on television for comfort in our society, we don't know what is.
Quote #2
Like Zadia Bloodstone, I summoned up all my failing strength and prepared to do battle. Only I wasn't wrestling with a drug cartel or a protection racket.
I was fighting the infection in my veins. (6.70-71)
Nina is no stranger to bravery—she invented Zadia Bloodstone, after all, who's one brave chick. But in her own life, she tends to take the path of least resistance (and of most cowardice). Until now. Sick of being scared and passive, Nina decides to go on the road trip to Cobar to try to track down Casimir's killer.
Quote #3
"Even if I do get shot, it won't be fatal. You're the one who has to watch out, not me." This was a typical Zadia Bloodstone remark […] But the fact is, I couldn't say it like Zadia Bloodstone. My voice trembled as I thought about copping a bullet in the gut. (12.63-64)
Here, Nina tries to reassure Father Ramon that even though they're being held captive by the gun-crazy McKinnons, she can get shot and be okay. And while it's a Zadia-style courageous thing to say, Nina has to admit to herself that she's totally freaked out. She wants to be brave like Zadia, but the thought of getting shot is really scary.
Quote #4
By this time Reuben was shouting and slamming his fists onto his knees. I suppose that I should have been scared, but I wasn't. (14.86)
Reuben is a werewolf, and even when he's in human form, he's intense and a little scary. Nina finds herself oddly brave when she has to deal with him, though. It helps that she's spent enough time in group therapy that she can see the pain underneath his anger—plus, maybe she's not as chicken as she makes herself out to be.
Quote #5
Faced with a strapping great vampire in tip-top condition, Nefley might have had second thoughts about attacking him. Even Nefley, however, didn't find Casimir intimidating. On the contrary, Casimir conveyed the impression of being verminous, like a cockroach. And it isn't hard to squash a cockroach. (16.11-12)
Nefley doesn't strike us as the bravest dude in the world, despite his noble intention of ridding the world of evil. One of the reasons he slays Casimir is that Casimir looks pathetic, not intimidating—it's not hard for Nefley to summon enough courage to stick a stake in Casimir's daytime corpse and accomplish his mission.
Quote #6
I'd had just about enough of Horace.
"I wasn't talking to you! I wouldn't expect you to agree, because you're a coward and a blowhard and a typical bloody vampire with no guts and no backbone!" (17.79-80)
Nina goes off on Horace, calling him useless, a coward, and a waste of space. Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle black, since Nina's also a vampire, and vampires are notoriously bad at being courageous? We don't think so; let's recall that Nina volunteered to go on the road trip to Cobar, and Horace didn't.
Quote #7
Horace waved his hand dismissively. "Dave wouldn't listen. Neither would Sanford. They're both too scared—not like you. You have guts." (20.28)
What's that, Horace is calling Nina brave? Is it just us, or is he buttering her up a bit? Again, we know that vampires aren't the most courageous critters out there, so Horace must have a reason for complimenting Nina's courage—and that reason is a rescue mission that undoubtedly serves Horace's shady agenda.
Quote #8
Though he might have been tall, he wasn't that strong; he had the same brittle-looking wrists and hesitant, shuffling tread as I did. Yet over the past few days, he had demonstrated the most enormous courage. (20.29)
As Nina pauses to reflect on Dave, she realizes that he's actually a pretty courageous dude. He's been locked up with Father Ramon and Nina, and he helped rescue Father Ramon and Nefley from the McKinnons' death trap. So maybe it is possible for vampires to be courageous, after all.
Quote #9
With a magnificent display of self-possession, Dave took another step forward […] I was staggered by his courage. And for the first time ever, it occurred to me that Zadia Bloodstone wasn't such a fantastical creation after all. Because let's face it: I was standing in the presence of a genuine, top-grade, real-life hero. (22.7)
How brave is Dave? He's facing down Barry McKinnon, a violent smuggler/kidnapper, who's pointing a loaded gun at him. This is obviously impressive to Nina. It even makes her wonder whether Zadia Bloodstone is the escapist fantasy she's always thought Zadia was, since Dave is a real hero and standing right in front of her.
Quote #10
You might be wondering where I found the courage. You might be thinking, She's just like Zadia Bloodstone. Well, you'd be wrong. Because I had already spotted something that told me exactly what I needed to know. (28.31)
Nina faces a delirious Dermid, who has a gun to Nefley's head, and acts pretty courageously while doing so. How does she find the courage to talk him down? She relies on her smarts to figure out that her night vision gives her valuable information about Dermid's state. She may think that she's not being as brave as Zadia, but in being smart about her choices, Nina's displaying an informed courage, which we think is pretty neat.