She is the sickness in these lands,” Alis snapped. “There is no blight but her. The borders were collapsing because she laid them to rubble.”

Through much of the novel, Feyre believes that the blight refers to some ambiguous, inexplicable force that operates like an illness, weakening and corrupting Prythian’s magic. However, Alis explains to Feyre that this is not the case. The blight is simply a euphemism for Amarantha that Tamlin used in Feyre’s presence because he was unable to alert Feyre to any of the events or circumstances surrounding Amarantha’s curse. The use of the term “the blight” to describe Amarantha and her effect on Prythian characterizes her as more than just an authoritarian ruler. Her presence in Prythian is so destructive and devastating that it is akin to a fatal disease that sucks the life out of both the land and its inhabitants.

You human beasts are so uncreative. We spent years teaching you poetry and fine speech, and that is all you can come up with? I should rip out your tongue for letting it go to waste.

Amarantha’s communications with Feyre expose her strong feelings of supremacy and superiority over Feyre and all humans. Amarantha makes many comments questioning Feyre’s intelligence and whether she is worthy to be partnered with a faerie High Lord. Humans, to Amarantha, are inferior to the fae both physically and intellectually. She believes that faeries have generously attempted to bestow the gifts of poetry and sophistication on humans, but that humans were too provincial and deficient of a species to make use of these gifts. Her hatred and feelings of superiority over humans escalate quickly into violent and genocidal urges.

Tamlin might refuse to be her lover, but she keeps him at her side out of the hope that she’ll break him – dominate him, as she loves to do with our kind.

Amarantha’s entire life purpose is to dominate others. While she is a faerie supremacist and believes that humans are inherently inferior to the fae, she also seeks to control other faeries as well. Amarantha takes great pleasure in holding power over others; the extent of her cruelty goes beyond simply being a bloodthirsty killer. Often, Amarantha prefers to break the spirits of her subjects and rivals through mental and physical torture rather than end their lives. She does this with Jurian, Clare Beddor, Tamlin, and even Feyre herself. Amarantha could have simply murdered Feyre upon discovering her under the mountain, but instead chose to allow Feyre an opportunity to contest her. Amarantha perceived that she might be able to break the wills of Tamlin, Feyre, and the other High Fae by prolonging Feyre’s life and allowing her subjects to get their hopes up before she ultimately killed Feyre and destroyed Tamlin’s chance at freedom.