The title symbol
In the end of the plot, Rose catalyzes the final stage of her transformation into her full self when she realizes that some things are worth dying for. She lays her life on the line to take a bullet intended to kill the new queen and further disrupt the balance of the kingdom. When she accepts the bullet, she accepts her own death as the price for balance and health in her community, and for this, she is rewarded by a loving romance with her friend and companion, Dimitri.
The alchemist
The story begins with Rose fleeing from the pursuit of those who want her dead after she is falsely accused of murdering the queen. The alchemist with whom she takes refuge is a symbolic character. She is sheltered by a guardian of magic and elemental transformation. The alchemist symbolizes the plot of the novel, which is that Rose will evolve through time according to a programmed design, or fate.
Dimitri as a symbol
Dimitri is a sacred helper in Rose's story. He isn't there to save her as if she were a helpless maiden. Instead, he comes alongside her as she continues her own heroic journey, and he helps her to have the help of her community when she is in need, which is symbolized when he rallies their friends to free her from jail. He represents her anima, which brings her forward through the plot, and when they are married in the end, there is catharsis.
False accusation, a motif
Rose's story happens under the weighty burden of a false accusation. The motif points to her truthfulness, her goodness, and the ironic pain of being misunderstood. The accusation is like a slingshot, pulled the "wrong way" with the intention of reversal. When she is finally shown for her true character, she not only doesn't kill the queen, she actually saves her by literally taking a bullet for her.
The spiritual motif
There is a dark curse imposed on Rose in the story, and the quest involves the supernatural and magical. Also, there is a spirit bond between certain characters. These spiritual conversations point the reader toward the sublime, strangely mystic quality of Rose's journey, as if fate were poising her in the right place at the right time, and the spiritual motif leads to a dichotomy; Adrian feels betrayed by her, and Dimitri and Rose fall in love. This duality between Adrian's bitterness and Dimitri's bliss are also spiritual, and Rose's transformation has a magical quality as well.
