Bewitched by Laura Thalassa – Questions and Answers
This page answers the most pressing questions about Bewitched by Laura Thalassa. Each answer is grounded in the book's chapters and evidence from the text, offering analysis of character decisions, magical rules, and story consequences. Use the internal links to dive deeper into characters and themes.
1. Why does Selene agree to marry Memnon at the Samhain Ball?
Selene accepts Memnon's proposal only to prevent him from killing every supernatural guest in the conservatory. She has no magic left and sees no other way to stop the suffocation spell. Her agreement is a tactical surrender, not a change of heart. In Chapter 43, she tells him she will marry him but vows to make his life a living hell. Memnon smiles wolfishly and she collapses into his arms, her power spent. This forced marriage ultimatum is the climax of Memnon's revenge plot, linking her modern identity to the ancient curse she placed on him.
2. How does Selene's bond with her familiar Nero influence her coven acceptance?
When Selene arrives at the Henbane bonfire with Nero, a massive panther, she immediately draws attention and respect. In Chapter 10, the other supernaturals go quiet; one witch shouts, “What in the seven hells is that?” Sybil tells Selene the coven cannot deny her now, because a powerful familiar reflects a powerful witch. The bond itself is formed instinctually in Chapter 5, when Selene touches the panther and her orange magic snaps into place, linking them. Nero provides both magical support and social status, fulfilling one of the two requirements Constance Sternfallow gave Selene.
3. What does the “Law of Three” poem mean for the story?
The poem in Chapter 1 states that magic cast with ill intent returns threefold to the caster, as does good deeds. This principle foreshadows Selene's own curse: Memnon later deduces in Chapter 33 that she voluntarily cursed herself and him using the Law of Three, erasing her own memories and his existence from history. The law explains why Selene's memory loss is progressive and why her magic exacts such a personal cost. It also sets up the moral framework—every magical choice has a threefold consequence, making Selene's actions weightier.
4. Why does Memnon insist Selene is his lost wife Roxilana?
In Chapter 7, as soon as Selene wakes Memnon from his sarcophagus, he kisses her and calls her “my queen,” mistaking her for Roxilana. He has been imprisoned for two thousand years, and his memories are fragmented. In Chapter 19, he lists physical traits that match Roxilana—her hair, eyes, build—and reads Selene's photo albums. Only after a truth spell exchange does he finally accept that she is not Roxilana, but he remains convinced her soul is the same. His mistaken identity drives the central conflict, as he blames Selene for the betrayal and imprisonment.
5. How does Selene's memory loss affect her sense of identity?
Selene's memory-consuming magic makes her rely on journals, sticky notes, and a structured life to remember her past. In Chapter 1, the head witch reads her medical records, calling the condition progressive and terminal. Yet in Chapter 37, when Memnon offers to restore her memories, Selene refuses, saying her amnesia has made her kinder, cleverer, and more authentic. She argues that her best qualities were shaped by her memory loss, not despite it. This defiance shows her embracing her current identity rather than seeking a lost past.
6. What is the dark spell circle betrayal and why is it important?
In Chapter 26, Selene joins a spell circle for money to feed Nero, only to discover it is a non-consensual binding ritual under a new moon. The priestess marks a young werewolf's forehead with blood, and a clay golem guards the chamber. Selene breaks the circle, rescues the girl, and fights off the coven witches. This event, covered in chapters 26–28, forces Selene to use dark magic and accept Memnon's power to survive. It also deepens her suspicion that someone in the coven is targeting her, linking to the later framing for murder.
7. Why does Selene refuse to let Memnon restore her memories in Chapter 37?
Memnon reveals that her memories are not destroyed but locked by a curse she herself placed. He offers to lift it and return everything. Selene refuses, explaining that her memory loss has defined her current strength and optimism. She says, “I have never been more powerful than I am now.” She worries that the past might contain horrors she cannot face, and she does not want to become the person she once was. This refusal highlights her agency and sets up the later forced memory restoration in Chapter 46.
8. How does the murder investigation create tension around Selene?
After Kate and Charlotte are killed, Selene becomes a prime suspect. In Chapter 31, Officer Howahkan interrogates her, noting she cannot remember her own alibi. The Politia finds her shoe with Kasey's blood, and in Chapter 42 Kane warns her a warrant is out. Memnon later admits to moving the bodies to frame her, though he did not kill them. The investigation forces Selene to confront her lost time and undermines her trust in her own memory. It also accelerates her reliance on Memnon, as she needs his power to survive.
9. What is the significance of Selene accidentally producing hellfire in Chapter 12?
In the coven library, Selene lights a lantern with magic and produces hellfire—a forbidden dark magic that hungers for power. Kasey witnesses it and warns her. This incident foreshadows Selene's hidden appetite for dark magic, which is confirmed in the affinity test in Chapter 18, where she is drawn to blood and bone. The hellfire also links to her soul-mate bond, suggesting that her connection to Memnon unlocks dangerous abilities. It marks the first time she uses dark magic at Henbane, planting seeds for later moral compromises.
10. How does the love triangle with Kane and Memnon escalate?
In Chapter 23, Selene dances with and kisses Kane, then takes him to her room. Memnon, who has been amplifying her desire through indigo magic, smashes through the window, throws Kane to the ground, and kidnaps Selene into the forest. He declares her his soul mate and warns that he will kill any man she touches. Kane later offers pack protection, but Memnon's possessiveness and the magical bond they share override any chance of a normal relationship. The triangle forces Selene to choose between a safe lycanthrope and a dangerous ancient sorcerer.
11. What does the affinity test in Chapter 18 reveal about Selene's magic?
Professor Huang's blind affinity test asks students to choose objects that call to them. Selene is drawn to water, soil, a river rock, a Vinča cup, and moon dust—elements that feel cold and lifeless. Later she realizes blood and bone also call to her but are forbidden. The test suggests her magic is inherently tied to death, earth, and the moon, aligning with her soul-mate connection to Memnon and her dark magic tendencies. It also hints that her “adaptive magic” is not as benign as she believes.
12. Why does Memnon burn all of Selene's journals in Chapter 37?
After Selene refuses to let him restore her memories, Memnon burns her notebooks as revenge and pressure. He knows the journals are her only alibi and her life's work. In Chapter 38, Selene finds only the oldest notebooks survive partially. The destruction destroys her proof for the Politia and deepens her vulnerability. Memnon gives her until the Samhain Ball to come to him, using the burned journals as a leverage point. This act also symbolically erases her modern identity, forcing her to rely on him.
13. How does the blood oath in Chapter 45 bind Selene to Memnon?
Before lifting the curse, Memnon demands an unbreakable blood oath. He cuts his hand and has Selene do the same; they mingle their blood. Selene vows to lift the curse and marry him as soon as possible. Her magic flares as the oath takes hold. This oath is magically binding and cannot be broken, meaning Selene is now forced to follow through. It sets up the final confrontation where she must either keep her word or face severe consequences. The oath also ties her fate to his, reinforcing the soul-mate bond.
14. What is the “damnatio memoriae” curse and how does it affect the plot?
In Chapter 35, Memnon explains that the Romans called it damnatio memoriae—condemning someone from memory. Selene cast this curse on both herself and Memnon, erasing his name, his kingdom, and her own past life as Roxilana from history. The curse locks her memories and his existence. Lifting it would restore both. This concept drives the entire book: Selene's memory loss is not a disease but a self-inflicted punishment. It also explains why Memnon's name and actions are unknown to the magical world until she begins to remember.
15. How does the ending of Chapter 46 set up the sequel?
After Memnon restores Selene's memories, she relives her past life as Roxilana and recalls betraying him. The memory spell breaks just as Politia officers arrest her. She realizes she has awakened a monster and regrets ever opening his tomb. The chapter ends with her in custody, guilty of helping a convicted sorcerer, and internally devastated by the truth of her betrayal. The sequel is teased in Chapter 49 as A Curse that Binds. The ending leaves Selene facing both legal consequences and a broken bond with her soul mate, promising a complex continuation.