A Curse for True Love

In A Curse for True Love, Graber uses the characters of Apollo, Aurora, and Evangeline to explore different types of power and consider the various ways power is used. Although they are all powerful characters, the roots of that power differ, as do the ways in which they wield it. Each of the characters uses their power to get what they want, but the foundations of that power prove to be the difference between failure and success.

As a prince, Apollo has the greatest amount of power, and with his royal upbringing, he understands how to use it to his advantage. He also uses it without consideration of the effect on others. For example, in his conversation with the news reporter in Chapter 4, he insists the reporter print Jacks’s misdeeds every day until Jacks is found. Apollo leverages his power to control the reporter, telling him that it’s very important “that you print what I need you to say” (31). Apollo also displays his power with his treatment of Evangeline, justifying violating her memories by convincing himself he has the right because he’s a prince. He wants to marry Evangeline both to build his reputation and because he doesn’t want Jacks to have her, but his abuse of his power, which gets him what he wants in the short term, ultimately leads to his demise.