Empress of Poisons Quotes

“Describing you commands one’s entire mouth and an essay of idioms. There is simply no other way to define you.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“Power is never amassed by those who ask for it.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“I arched an eyebrow. “I do hope we can speak to each other without disrespect, Stephen. I’ve never been fond of men who hurl insults like rocks and then act surprised when their intended target comes at them with a knife.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“She smiled, eyes faraway. Instead of answering, she laid her head on my shoulder. I had my son in my arms, the woman I loved by my side. I felt a sudden tide of overwhelming emotion that I couldn’t name. I just knew that I wanted to reach back in time and say to my fifteen-year-old self: Don’t worry, boy. You’ll be blessed with treasures greater than anything you could imagine.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“I have been waiting for my entire life.” I whispered, letting the words I had tried so hard to run from finally come forth. “Every second, every moment, even if I didn’t know it, I have been yearning for your love. Since I was a gangly teenage misfit and then a hated strange wife, I have been looking to the horizon, trying to see you. I waited for my partner, my opponent, I waited for someone to love me and accept me just as I am. And then I saw you for the first time. Standing in my garden, beautiful and deadly. The creature of nightmares…and dreams. I tried to stay away at first, tried to hate you. Even when you gave me a lab and took me to the ballet, even when you shared your family and life with me. But then…” Tears were spilling down both our cheeks. “You spoke to me in a tree. You didn’t ask me to come down or put shoes on. You didn’t demand me to change or act civilized. Instead, you spoke to me from the ground with such casualness, like you were content to look up at me for the rest of your life.” I pressed my nose to his, breathing him in. “I love you, Konstantin. You are my equal and my soul, my opponent and my heart. There has never been another and there never will be.” I met his eyes, revealing every horrible and beautiful part of myself. “I love you.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“She wore an emerald green cocktail dress that stopped above the knee, revealing the long expanse of torturous leg. An arrogant hat was pinned into her hair, the feathers and artificial leaves curling upwards. She had kept the hat on in exchange for one compromise; she got to remove her shoes. The heels were beside her feet, ready to be toed back on at a moment’s notice. Or at gun point.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“I built Nikolai from nothing.” Her voice broke, emotion clouding her features. She laid a hand on her heart, clutching her chest like she was trying to stop the feelings from escaping. “There was nothing passive about his creation. I broke and ached as I formed his heart and lungs, my bones shifted and my muscles stretched to hold him. Every cell inside of me answered the call and worked tediously to create my son.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“It means you are the most beautiful creature that has ever walked the earth. When I look at you, I see mountain peaks and flowers blooming for the first time. You are the stream running through the trees and the breeze rustling the leaves. You could never be reduced to words such as pretty or cruel or kind. All the languages in the world could never find a term to do you justice, much less a throwaway compliment.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“Fruit was something we never seemed to run out of. That and bullets.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“I, unfortunately, was shoved to the adult side of the table. Where there were no chicken nuggets and you had to eat with a knife and fork.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“Dima?” Dmitri had been raised in the States and hardly ever used Russian pet names. He even forgot to add the -a suffix to women’s surnames when speaking to Russian-born women. But in this moment, he replied, “Kostya?”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“Elena often balanced on the line between patience and impatience. She could struggle with people who didn’t understand concepts as fast as she could or grew annoyed quickly by conventional ways to do things. But she had also sat with Roman for hours while she taught him how to read and had waited over the course of months when she had killed her father.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“growled. “And when it comes time for him to take his throne, I’ll pass him the damn necktie!”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“Nikolai Konstantinovich Tarkhanov.” My accent curled awkwardly around some of the vowels but I got the point across. “His name is Nikolai Tarkhanov, you sack of shit.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“This world wasn’t fit for people who wished on stars and blew dandelions into the wind with our prayers. If you wanted something here, you had to take it.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“You broke his heart, Elena, I silently cursed myself as we walked through the forest. You are the villain, the bad guy. You broke apart a family and took them from your son. You don’t get to ride into the sunset with the handsome prince.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“Elena may have suddenly tucked her savagery back inside herself but she was still a wild creature at heart.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“This man posed a threat to her,” I noted. “Bring his body with us. I want to know everything about his life–including why he found himself in Elena’s way.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“Pleeease.” Evva made sure to enunciate the entire word for her mother. That girl had mischief in her blood.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“If that has been dealt with, then let me take full advantage of this meeting and let you all in on a little secret.” Konstantin straightened his cuffs. “Those who ask for power never amass it.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons

“There is poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and in the string of a scorpion; but the wicked man is saturated with it.” – Chanakya.”
― Bree Porter, Empress of Poisons