payment page
Nesta is one of Feyre’s elder sisters. At the beginning of the novel, Nesta is self-centered, vain, and cruel to Feyre. Her dislike of her younger sister is baffling, since Feyre provides the family with the food and money necessary for their survival. Nesta also dislikes their father, reserving her only kindness for Elain, the sweetest and most innocent of the three sisters. Despite the family’s fall from grace, Nesta insists on behaving as if she is still upper-class, frivolously spending Feyre’s money on new clothes and shoes when the funds would have been more useful in other departments. Additionally, she retains the superior airs of one associated with wealth, treating Feyre as a makeshift servant and expecting a certain number of luxuries be granted to her despite her family’s tenuous circumstances. Nesta also has a burgeoning romance with Tomas Mandray, the son of a nearby farmer. It’s unclear what Nesta sees in Tomas aside from an opportunity to make a minimal increase to her financial standing, but the two do seem to share a penchant for meanness.
Despite the difficulty of Nesta and Feyre’s relationship, Feyre understands that Nesta’s sharpness and stubbornness will be advantageous in protecting Elain from harm. Nesta’s cruelty does not extend to Elain, and in fact, she is a fierce protector of her gentle, naive sister. Feyre knows that Nesta would give her life for Elain’s if necessary, a sentiment that is shared between the two. When Feyre returns from her stay in Prythian to find her family wealthy again thanks to Tamlin’s generosity, her perception of Nesta alters significantly. Nesta is unable to adapt to her new high-society life, because she knows the truth – Tamlin’s glamor didn’t work on her, an anomaly she attributes to her iron will. This revelation is shocking, as it positions Nesta as a woman with such incredible mental fortitude that she was able to withstand the influence of fairy magic, a feat not even Feyre accomplished during her stay in Prythian. This fortitude is further confirmed when Feyre learns that Nesta attempted to travel into Prythian to find her, a journey she had assumed only her father would be willing to undertake. Nesta’s bravery in facing the dangers of Prythian for Feyre reveals that, underneath her bitterness and resentment, she is capable of fierce, steadfast love. She admits that much of her cruel behavior toward Feyre came from shame; she resented Feyre for finding a way to protect their family when she, the eldest sibling, could not. However, with Feyre journeying back to Prythian to save Tamlin, Nesta solidifies her place as the family’s new protector. Once Feyre understands the depths of her sister’s tenacity and intelligence, she trusts completely that Nesta will succeed in fulfilling this role.
