Serena has grown up in a world where women are possessions and male warlocks use hexes, spells, and the threat of being tarnished to keep them under their thumbs. Over the course of her story, Serena realizes women are people too and deserving of freedom and respect. Her journey to realization is like that of a blossoming rose, slowly and gently unfurling into the sun. A fitting comparison, since in Chardonia women are not even considered worthy of light and are often left in the dark – both literally and figuratively.