" Bravery has its limits, no matter what the world.
Zib tugged on her hair, which sprang right back into place when she let it go.
"I don't think you're a monster," she said. "You're talking. You're threatening. But you're still talking, not just attacking. I don't think you're a monster at all."
"Some monsters speak, child," said the beast. "The very best monsters speak like kings and queens, eloquent and alluring. And the trick is learning not to listen. If you listen to those monsters, they'll have your heart out before you realize how much danger you are in. "

― A. Deborah Baker , Over the Woodward Wall (The Up-and-Under, #1)