I truly think that people don't understand the depth of her, especially her character. Every time I see anybody speak of Denna, it's the same thing. "She's just plot device!" "She has no personality!" "She's just there to be pretty, nothing else!" "well I think she's just a gold digger"
Of course you can have your opinions on her, but her character is so much more than that.
Denna is quite literally a metaphor. There probably isn't a single passage about her where metaphors aren't used around her. She is a metaphor, but what for is the part that's confusing. She could represent a storm, beautiful and cruel. I think it's most likely the best way to describe her.
Okay, putting the metaphor part away for a bit, let's talk about her personality.
I can't even begin to count the times I've seen people complain about how she acts in the books it's insane.
But people kind of neglect the fact that this book is Kvothe's perspective. He is narrating. He sees Denna as mysterious and beautiful. She is written that way because that's what he SEES.
Thanks to puppet, we know Kvothe isn't exactly great at seeing! He's said many times he really does not understand her, and that's quite literally shown in the writing. Denna IS a mystery, to Kvothe at least. Now onto what she's really like; she pretends quite a lot, she pretends to be charming and sweet and all. But she's not, and she knows that. She is flawed, greatly flawed. She is a bad person, and that is why she runs. That's why she hides and changes. Her own shadow haunts her.
With Kvothe, she lets her vulnerability show, not too much, but she lets herself feel emotions. She cries with him, she shows her anger, and she lets herself be genuinely happy.
Denna states SO many times in the book that she's trying to find herself or to find where her place is. where she meant to stay, her place in life. that's why she inevitably hurts people, why she's so 'mysterious'.
When Kvothe asks Elodin what he may think of such a girl, he pretty much said the same thing, she's probably running from herself. she's trying to find a new version, a better version. She hops from person to person and place to place (Kind of like the chandrian) Because she is scared of who she really is. She hides in masks and witty comments.
She's mysterious and 'personality-less' because she is meant to.
Denna is a metaphor for Shadow work.
ANYWAYS THATS MY RANT, hope to see your opinions!