Defy the Night

Prince Corrick is one of Defy the Night’s two teenage protagonists, Tessa’s love interest, and King’s Justice to his older brother, Harristan. At first, Tessa knows Corrick as Weston “Wes” Lark, a fellow outlaw who helps her steal medicine from elites and distribute it to those who can’t afford it. When Tessa learns of Wes’s true identity, she is shocked because Wes and Corrick seem like polar opposites: Whereas Wes opposes the kingdom’s system and breaks laws, Corrick upholds laws and executes those who break them. Corrick invented Wes because he felt powerless in his position, always having to meet Consul Allisander Sallister’s demands. In order to help the general populace, he impersonated a civilian.

Tessa slowly learns that Corrick is more complex than she thought, and ultimately decides Wes was not fake, but rather a part of Corrick. Although Corrick is willing to sacrifice the few to save the many, he doesn’t enjoy killing and would rather save everyone. Corrick initially has a twisted view of honesty and trust due to having witnessed his parents’ murder. However, through his relationship with Tessa, he learns that honesty is the only possible way forward.

At the beginning of the novel, King Harristan appears to be a cruel and ineffective king, failing to provide medicine to the masses and instead allowing the elites to hoard more resources than they need—while sentencing anyone who disobeys him to death. Although he did not cause the pandemic, he indirectly kills citizens with his policies. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Harristan has been actively lied to by almost everyone he knows. Given false information about the pandemic, the cure, and Corrick’s alter ego as Wes, Harristan is unable to make informed choices.

Whenever Harristan learns new information, he immediately revises his course of action, suggesting he does have a sense of morality. Ironically, despite Harristan and Corrick being slow to trust after their parents were killed by a consul, Harristan is still easily deceived, even by his own brother. However, this cycle of lies is broken by Tessa. Whereas everyone else tries to protect the king and the kingdom by lying, Tessa reasons that only the truth can allow someone to make the right choices. The novel suggests Harristan is not a bad ruler simply because he is young—rather, his lack of knowledge impedes his ability to rule. However, he can improve with the counsel of people like Tessa.

Quint, Corrick’s sidekick and the palace master, provides comic relief throughout the novel. He is a supporting character who helps the royals and Tessa achieve their goals by providing distractions and information. He helps Corrick sneak out of the palace, lie to Harristan, and protect Tessa from harm. Later, Quint helps Harristan improve his rule by telling the truth (about his part in Corrick’s deception) after Corrick and Tessa give him permission (reflecting Corrick’s own desire to embrace honesty). Quint doesn’t express personal desires, instead following the royals and Tessa’s lead. Overall, he is a loyal friend, often in a pleasant mood and trying to give practical advice.

Consul Allisander Sallister is the main antagonist, one of the nine consuls who advise King Harristan. Allisander represents the sector of Moonlight Plains, which is one of only two sectors that grow Moonflowers (the core ingredient of the pandemic’s cure). This gives him a great deal of leverage over Harristan and Corrick. Allisander is petty, greedy, and power-hungry, the complete opposite of Tessa. Whereas Tessa helps others without expecting pay, Allisander wants to make as much profit as possible.

At first, Allisander seems like he is using the pandemic to benefit himself. Later, it becomes clear that he’s trying to overthrow Harristan, because he’s still angry about a disagreement they had as children. He even goes so far as to pay civilians (specifically, the rebels) in fake medicine as a Benefactor to attack his own supply runs, in order to justify raising the price of Moonflowers.

Consul Lissa Marpetta is the consul who represents the sector of Emberridge, one of only two sectors that grow Moonflowers. Throughout the novel, Corrick wonders if she is as malicious as Allisander, as she is quiet in meetings and often votes to keep the status quo; however, whenever Allisander proposes a change, she usually sides with him. Overall, Lissa’s professional veneer allows her to gain others’ trust and get away with secretive behavior. In reality, she is a Benefactor alongside Allisander, producing and selling fake medicine—which arguably makes her a more dangerous, elusive foe than the outspoken Allisander.

Consul Arella Cherry is the consul who represents the sector of Sunkeep. Arella complicates the novel’s exploration of revolution, as she’s the only consul who seems to agree with the rebels’ ideas. Early on, she asks Harristan to pardon smugglers who were caught raiding Allisander’s supply chain, even though this pits her against other consuls. She later asks Corrick to stop acting like an executioner, whereas some of the consuls expect violence. Because of Arella’s revolutionary spirit, she arouses suspicion that she might be one of the two Benefactors; she later gets captured by the rebels as a hostage. Like Tessa, Arella prefers to work within the kingdom’s system, even though it’s broken.

Karri is a supporting character, a girl who works with Tessa at Mistress Solomon’s pseudo-apothecary shop. Karri is friendly and polite, but Tessa is afraid to be honest with her due to the political climate. Despite this distance, Karri continually asks Tessa questions and tries to become her friend, until Wes “dies” and Tessa wanders into the palace without explaining herself. When Karri and Tessa meet again, it’s at the rebel camp, where Tessa learns that Karri has been working with (and dating) rebel leader Lochlan. Although Tessa disagrees with the rebels’ violent methods, she feels solidarity with Karri’s desire to help the general populace. Karri even clarifies that she joined the rebels after meeting Tessa and witnessing her kindness. She suspected Tessa was working with the rebels and as such, represents the masses, who generally trust Tessa. When Tessa discourages violence, Karri is happy to oblige (even if Lochlan is hesitant).