Chapter 35 — Nina: Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens in Nina's quarters at the Brum estate, where Ylva discovers Nina and Hanne together, half-dressed and clearly intimate. Ylva delivers a terse warning: they are expected at the airfield within the hour, and Hanne must cover a mark on her neck. The moment the door closes, the two women share nervous laughter, but the mood quickly turns serious. Hanne fears she will be sent back to the convent or, worse, married off to Prince Rasmus. Nina proposes a radical solution: they should escape together, to Ravka or Novyi Zem. Hanne hesitates, citing duty to her parents and the good she could do as a princess, but she ultimately agrees—provided they first try to help Rasmus. They plan to leave after making an attempt to steer the prince toward peace.

The pair travel by military airship, not the luxury craft of royalty, across the True Sea. At sunset, they land at what initially appears to be an island but is revealed to be Leviathan's Mouth, a massive Fjerdan naval base. The base is a fortress of warships, armed flyers, and viewing towers that resemble teeth, giving the structure the appearance of a gaping mouth. Redvin greets them in his drüskelle uniform, and Nina notes his eager anticipation with dread.

That night, Commander Brum arrives in their cramped cabin after midnight. He is visibly pleased, announcing that Fjerda has broken Sturmhond's blockade and plans a two-front invasion of Ravka: a sea assault in the south and a land offensive in the north. Nina realizes the earlier negotiations with West Ravka were a sham. She feels the weight of her helplessness—she has no way to warn her contacts in the Hringsa, and the intelligence would arrive too late.

The next morning, Ylva rouses them before dawn to watch the invasion from an observation tower. As they cross the deck, Prince Rasmus intercepts them, insisting that Hanne accompany him alone to view the battle. Redvin objects, but the prince's demand is absolute. Hanne reassures Nina with a whispered promise that they will find a way out, and that there is something worth salvaging in Rasmus. Nina reluctantly releases her hand.

From the tower, Nina watches the Fjerdan fleet approach the Ravkan coast. The Ravkan forces appear thin and unprepared, but Nina notices something odd: the soldiers on the rocks are unnaturally still. She trains a lens on them and recognizes Zoya Nazyalensky, Ravka's most powerful Squaller. As the Fjerdan soldiers charge the beach, the Ravkan soldiers raise their hands—an army of Squallers. Zoya unleashes a massive lightning attack, a crackling web of jagged light that strikes the water, electrocuting the invading soldiers and melting the tank carriers. The sea boils, and the Fjerdan fleet is destroyed in moments.

The observation tower falls silent. Redvin, furious, dismisses the loss as a mere insurance policy. He reveals that the sea offensive was a diversion; the real weapon, created by Prince Rasmus, awaits on the northern front. Nina is stunned—she had hoped Rasmus could be steered toward peace, but he is a warmonger like Brum. She realizes she must warn King Nikolai, but first she must find Hanne.

Nina feigns distress to leave the tower with Ylva, then slips away to search for Hanne. She readies her bone darts and senses the corpses in the water, preparing to fight her way to Hanne if necessary. She opens a door at the base of the tower, notices a strange smell of incense and turned soil, and feels a prick on her neck. She falls forward into darkness, knocked unconscious by an unseen attacker.

Key Events

Ylva discovers Nina and Hanne together, forcing them to prepare for travel to the airfield.
Nina and Hanne agree to escape together to Ravka or Novyi Zem, but only after attempting to help Prince Rasmus.
They travel by military airship to Leviathan's Mouth, a massive Fjerdan naval base.
Commander Brum announces that Fjerda has broken Sturmhond's blockade and plans a two-front invasion of Ravka.
Prince Rasmus takes Hanne alone to watch the invasion, leaving Nina powerless to intervene.
Zoya Nazyalensky and an army of Squallers destroy the Fjerdan sea fleet with a massive lightning attack.
Redvin reveals the sea offensive was a diversion; the real weapon, created by Rasmus, awaits on the northern front.
Nina attempts to find Hanne but is ambushed and knocked unconscious.

Character Development

Nina is caught between her desire for freedom and her duty to the Grisha cause. Her plan to escape with Hanne represents a rare moment of personal hope, a stark contrast to the despair she has carried since Matthias's death. Yet her commitment to the larger war effort remains strong—she immediately thinks of warning Nikolai and reaching the Hringsa. Her rage toward Joran resurfaces, reminding her that she cannot fully move forward until she confronts her past.

Hanne demonstrates a quiet courage, agreeing to escape but insisting they first try to help Rasmus. Her belief that there is something worth salvaging in the prince shows her idealism, but also her naivety. She is willing to sacrifice her own safety to potentially steer a cruel man toward peace.

Ylva is a tragic figure, resigned to the limited agency of women in Fjerdan society. Her speech about what women can bear—surviving, finding protectors, praying for sons—highlights the systemic oppression that Hanne is trying to escape.

Prince Rasmus is revealed to be more dangerous than Nina hoped. His invention of the superweapon and his willingness to watch the invasion firsthand confirm that he is a warmonger, not a potential ally.

Commander Brum is at his most triumphant, relishing the prospect of invasion and the power it will bring him. His dismissal of Ylva's fear and his focus on military victory underscore his single-minded ambition.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Escape and Freedom: Nina and Hanne's plan to flee represents a desperate bid for personal freedom in a world that denies women agency. The word