A Promise of Peridot Ending Explained
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
The Final Act: What Happens in the Climax?
The book builds toward a confrontation on Hemlock Isle. Arwen acquires the Blade of the Sun, which glows with all nine stones. She leaps from a platform onto the wyvern form of Lazarus and attacks him with the blade. Her former friend Halden (now missing a hand as punishment for letting her escape earlier) intercepts her. Arwen kills Halden by driving the blade into his heart; white flames consume him, reducing him to ash.
Before Arwen can strike Lazarus, the wyvern rolls and sends her plummeting. Lazarus positions his claw to impale her. Kane roars in agony as the claw pierces Arwen's stomach, impaling her. That is the final blow seen from her perspective — she feels the pain and hears Kane's howl.
Aftermath: Kane's Vow and the Epilogue
Kane witnesses Arwen's impalement. Retching with grief, he is restrained by Griffin as they escape on Griffin's wings. Later, alone and drunk, Kane realizes that Lazarus manipulated them into finding the Blade of the Sun. He swears three things:
- Find the White Crow and become full-blooded.
- Hunt down Amelia for her betrayal (she gave their location to Lazarus).
- Kill Lazarus with the Blade of the Sun to finish the prophecy, then join Arwen in death.
Epilogue: Arwen wakes in Lazarus's luxurious prison in the Fae realm of Lumera, bound with lilium ribbon that suppresses her magic and slows healing. Lazarus reveals he saved her from death. The blade that could kill him, he claims, is destroyed. He announces their betrothal and plans to force Arwen to bear pure Fae heirs. Horrified, Arwen refuses, but Lazarus dismisses her defiance until she produces his dynasty. The epilogue ends with him leaving her alone, her hope shattered.
Major Character Outcomes
| Character | Fate at Book’s End |
|---|---|
| Arwen Valondale | Impaled by Lazarus, but rescued and held captive in Lumera. Betrothed to Lazarus, stripped of agency. |
| Kane Ravenwood | Devastated, alive, and committed to a revenge mission. Plans to become full-blooded and kill his father. |
| Lazarus | Alive, in control. Believes the Blade of the Sun is destroyed. Holds Arwen as his prisoner and future bride. |
| Halden | Dead — killed by Arwen with the Blade of the Sun, burned to ash. |
| Killoran | Killed by Kane earlier in Chapter 46. |
| Amelia | Has betrayed the group; her location is unknown. Kane vows to make her suffer. |
| Ryder | Confessed to telling Amelia their location, leading to the ambush. Alive, but estranged from Kane. |
| Mari | Catatonic after magical withdrawal from a broken amulet (earlier in the book). Her status is not updated in the finale. |
| Prince Fedrik | Alive after Arwen healed his leg. He offered Arwen a new life, but she chose the quest. Not present at the final battle in the outline. |
| Griffin | Escaped with Kane. Alive. |
Resolved and Unresolved Threads
Resolved:
- The Blade of the Sun is found and activated. It works as the prophecy foretold (only the last full-blooded Fae can wield it).
- Halden’s arc ends with his death.
- Killoran is killed.
- The prophecy is partly fulfilled: Arwen uses the blade, she is impaled (a sacrifice?).
- The Reaper Cavern is collapsed and sealed.
Unresolved:
- Arwen’s fate: She is alive but imprisoned, betrothed to her enemy. Will she escape? Will the blade really be destroyed?
- Kane’s quest: Can he find the White Crow and become full-blooded? Can he defeat Lazarus without the blade?
- Amelia’s betrayal: Her motive and future consequences are not yet addressed.
- Mari’s condition: She remains catatonic.
- The full prophecy: The epigraph foretells a king who can die only by the girl’s hands, a sacrifice of two full Fae, and a phoenix for the final battle. None of these have been completed.
- Arwen’s father: A Fae God is mentioned but never appears.
Theme Resolution
Prophecy and Fate
The prophecy dominates the plot but remains ambiguous. Arwen fulfills some parts (wielding the blade, being the last full-blooded Fae, facing the wyvern), but the "king who can only die by the girl's hands" hasn't come to pass — Lazarus, a king of sorts, is still alive. The theme suggests fate is not sealed; choice and sacrifice still matter.
Grief and Emotional Numbness
Arwen has spent most of the book emotionally numb after her mother's death and the prophecy. By the end, she has moments of true feeling — fear, love, determination — but is ultimately stripped of hope. The epilogue plunges her into despair, reversing her emotional healing. The theme suggests that numbness was a defense that left her vulnerable to this fate.
Love vs. Revenge
Kane's love for Arwen is framed as a "nightmare" that threatens his revenge against Lazarus. By the end, the two are intertwined: he will pursue revenge because of his love, but also to join her in death. The ending suggests love and revenge are inseparable forces driving the trilogy forward.
Trust and Betrayal
Multiple betrayals occur: Halden, Amelia, and even Ryder (though involuntary). The ending leaves trust in ruins — Arwen is betrayed into captivity, and Kane trusts no one. This thread will need resolution in Book 3.
Vulnerability and Healing
Arwen learns to be vulnerable, but the healing is cut short by her capture. The series suggests that healing is a process, not a one-time event.
Reasonable Interpretations of the Ending
- Lazarus may be lying about the blade being destroyed. He has motive to break Arwen's hope. If the blade still exists, Kane might find it.
- The "White Crow" could be a person or a magical means to make Kane full-blooded — potentially allowing him to wield the blade himself.
- Arwen's apparent death and resurrection (being saved from impalement) might fulfill the "phoenix" part of the prophecy: she rises from near death.
- The "cost greater than her life" that the seer Beth mentioned may be Arwen's forced motherhood or her loss of agency, not death.
- Kane's vow to "join her in death" is ambiguous: literal suicide or metaphorical rebirth as a full-blooded Fae? The epilogue shows Arwen alive, so the plan may change.
- The two full Fae who must be sacrificed (from the prophecy) could be Arwen and Kane, or Arwen and Lazarus. This is unresolved.
Reader Questions Answered
1. Is Arwen really dead at the end of A Promise of Peridot? No. She is impaled but Lazarus saves her from death. She wakes in his prison in Lumera, bound and alive, though her situation is dire.
2. What is the Blade of the Sun? It is the legendary sword that can kill Lazarus. It glows with all nine stones and can only be wielded by the last full-blooded Fae — Arwen. After she uses it, Lazarus claims it is destroyed (this may be a lie).
3. Why does Kane blame himself for Arwen's fate? Kane feels responsible because he left her alive and allowed her to find the blade for Lazarus (manipulation). He also witnessed her impalement and failed to save her. His guilt drives his revenge vow.
4. Who is the White Crow? The text does not fully reveal. It is someone or something that can make Kane into a full-blooded Fae. The name is dropped in Kane's final vow. It will likely be a key plot point in Book 3.
5. What is the prophecy from Ligeia the Seer? The prophecy (from the epigraph) foretells: a king doomed by his second son; a city destroyed; a fallen star signals war; the birth of the final full-blooded Fae who discovers the Blade of the Sun within her heart; a father and child meeting in war after fifty years; a phoenix for the final battle; a king who can only die by the girl's hands; and a sacrifice of two full Fae to save two realms. Much of this remains unfulfilled.
6. Will there be a Book 3? Yes. The final chapter is an excerpt from A Reign of Rose, the confirmed third book in the Sacred Stones trilogy. The ending is a direct cliffhanger, with Arwen's captivity and Kane's mission unresolved.
For more details, see the full book summary and character guides for Arwen and Kane.