Lois Young

“A robber who steals a knife and cuts himself cannot cry out against the woman who kept it sharp.”
― Naomi Novik, Spinning Silver

“Mensah sent me a private message through the feed: I hope you’re all right. Because you need me. I don’t know where that came from. All right, it came from me, but she was my client, I was a SecUnit. There was no emotional contract between us. There was no rational reason for me to sound like a whiny human baby.”
― Martha Wells, All Systems Red

“A princess who was to live for a Thousand years. Longer. That had been her gift. It was now her curse.”
― Sarah J. Maas, Kingdom of Ash

“The world, as you see it, is not real. And the way you imagine it—it does not even come close. Certain things seem obvious to you, but they simply do not exist.”

“And you, do you not exist?” Sasha couldn’t help herself. “Are you not real?”

Portnov removed the scarf from her face. Under his gaze, she blinked confusedly.

“I exist,” he said seriously. “But I am not at all what you think.”
― Marina Dyachenko, Vita Nostra