Institutional Hierarchies

Maas demonstrates how institutional hierarchies of power dictate the society in Crescent City through the strict categorization of individuals by their Houses. She structures the governmental system based on these groups and the expectations of respect for status that exists within each institution. For example, the Fae and angels are both members of the House of Sky and Breath. Yet, within each group there are different bodies of authority. For the Fae, the Autumn King rules over his kind, while Ruhn also has a higher status as the Crown Prince. Bryce, on the other hand, has less institutional power as a bastard-born half-Fae. This makes it especially surprising when she subverts her expectations as a lowly civilian at the end of the novel by gaining a lot of power and saving the city.

Similarly, the angels have a structured hierarchy of authority. Micah and Sandriel...