The idea, of course, was that the seven-year-old would sit there politely and wait to be eaten, like a good little human sacrifice.”
-- Wren (chapter 1)

Importance: Wren's parents and the officials from her village had taken her to a place where they sacrifice people to the dragon. It is clear that these officials chose Wren because she questions too many aspects of their lives and they consider her a threat to their comfortable way of life. This is one of the earliest examples of a character becoming a heroine and of the corruption of the humans in powerful positions.

Wren kind of remembered the map she'd found in the dragonmancers' books, although it was sketchy and mostly unhelpful, and every empty space on it had been labeled HERE BE DRAGONS which made her want to yell, 'Oh REALLY, why THANK you, Mr. Obvious Mapmaker.'”
-- Wren (chapter 4)

Importance: This is an example of sarcasm and of...