Got about halfway through 'The Devil's Kiss' before I got distracted by another book, but I did finish it later. That ending is a lot, isn't it? The protagonist finally breaks the curse or whatever it was, but the cost is... heavy. I thought it was bleak at first. Like, they win, but they're left with this permanent scar on their soul, a memory of the darkness they touched. It's not a clean victory. Some folks online said it was about the price of power and how some stains never wash out. After sitting with it, I think it's more about integration. The 'devil' wasn't just an external monster; it was a part of them they had to confront. The 'kiss' wasn't just corruption, it was an acknowledgment. So the true meaning, to me, feels like you can't just cut away the bad parts of yourself. You have to make peace with them, even if it leaves you changed. The final scene, where they just watch the sunrise, alone but calm—that says it all.
It's a quiet, somber kind of ending, which fits the mood of the whole book. I know a lot of people wanted a more triumphant or romantic resolution, but this felt more honest to the story's tone.