Amarantha

Also known as Milady

Major
First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 33

Amarantha is a major character in A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book 1).

Gender: female
Age: immortal
First appears: Book 1 · Ch. 33
Books: 2

Amarantha is the cruel, red-haired High Fae tyrant who seized Prythian, stripped its High Lords of their powers, and ruled Under the Mountain for nearly fifty years, driven by hatred of humans rooted in her sister Clythia's death and her bitter history with Jurian. In A Court of Thorns and Roses she is the central antagonist, cursing Tamlin's court and forcing Feyre through three deadly trials before killing her, only to be destroyed when Feyre triumphs. Though dead by A Court of Mist and Fury, her shadow looms large: her victims, from Feyre and Tamlin to Rhysand, Lucien, and Tarquin, wrestle with the trauma, sacrifices, and political wreckage she left behind.

Description

Amarantha lounges on a black throne in a flowing gown of rubies that draws attention to her red-gold hair neatly braided beneath a golden crown. Her snow-white skin contrasts sharply with ruby lips and ebony eyes that hold a cold, sneering expression. Slender and curved in build, she wears a bone pendant on a thin chain and a crystal ring containing a human eye, her straight white teeth occasionally flashing sharp canines. A red-haired High Fae woman. Other physical features are not established by the supplied evidence.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

C
Clythiasister
Amarantha's sister, whose death fuels her hatred of humans.
Feyre Archeronsurvivor
Amarantha subjects Feyre to brutal trials and kills her in Book 1; in Book 2, surviving Amarantha becomes both Feyre's lingering trauma and a source of strength.
Lucien Vanserraformer captive
She punishes Lucien's loyalty to Tamlin by taking his eye and scarring his face; he remains marked by her reign.
Rhysandopponent
Publicly her enslaved consort in Book 1, Rhysand is revealed in Book 2 to have resisted her covertly, enduring great sacrifice to protect his people and Feyre.
Tamlinformer captive
She curses Tamlin and his court, forcing him into servitude; after her fall he continues to suffer the scars of her rule.
CB
Clare Beddorvictim
A human girl Amarantha tortured and killed to punish Feyre.
J
Jurianantagonist
Her ancient foe, whom she tortured and killed, keeping his eye and finger bone as trophies, and deceived about Miryam's betrayal.
T
Tarquinoppressor
She killed his predecessor and family and crushed the Summer Court; Tarquin survived her occupation to become High Lord.
M
Miryamenemy
A human who fought the forces Amarantha represented, whom Amarantha slandered to Jurian as a traitor.
HL
High Lords of PrythianEnemy
She stripped the High Lords of the Autumn, Dawn, Day, Night, Spring, Summer, and Winter Courts of their powers and forced them to serve her.

Story so far

BOOK 1A Court of Thorns and Roses
- Rules Prythian from Under the Mountain as self-styled High Queen, having stolen the powers of the High Lords
- Curses Tamlin and the Spring Court, binding them in servitude
- Tortures and kills Clare Beddor as punishment for Feyre's actions and displays her body
- Forces Feyre into three deadly trials and a riddle, keeping Rhysand as her consort and Lucien as a mutilated captive
- Kills Feyre before being overthrown when Feyre solves the riddle, ending her reign
BOOK 2A Court of Mist and Fury
- Remembered as the tormentor whose tortures haunt Feyre and Tamlin in the aftermath of Under the Mountain
- Revealed to have kept Rhysand bound while he secretly defied her through his bargain with Feyre
- Her reign is shown to have emboldened renewed oppression in the Illyrian camps
- Her past slaughter of the Summer Court's ruling family and its cities is recounted through Tarquin
- Her lies to Jurian about Miryam's supposed betrayal come to light