Talk:Rheya Apostolous/@comment-37915141-20200301124534

"Her backstory involves a severe inconsistency: while a premium scene of Book 2, Chapter 4, establishes that Rheya became a villain right after her Turning and got to rule only after violently killing the former king, Book 3 depicts her as kind and searching for peaceful solutions in the beginning of her rule and states that she only became evil some time later."

There are many inconsistencies in BB but it's not one of them. She explained that the power overwhelmed her senses and she shouldn't have killed the king. "I should have sought another solution. The Tree's power... it overwhelmed my sense. Drove me to violent passions." That's what she told Demetrius when he called her out on that. And when Xeno suggested they should execute the people who stand against her ("I propose we draw out the Sons of Ares and execute them as an example to the people.") she was even shocked at the proposition. She said "Kaelisus ruled with fear. I do not wish to follow in his footsteps."

She only became evil when they killed her daughter and betrothed, this was indicated twice. Chapter 12: "Rheya collapses next to it and lets out a howl of primal fury... And something in her, some core of kindness and empathy, dies. When Rheya looks back down, she's someone else." Chapter 13: "She was... devastated. Their loss finally cracked her open, revealed the darkness that had been building beneath the surface."