Genre
Science/Dystopian Fiction
Setting and Context
Post-Apocalyptic word called Arras, and Earth
Narrator and Point of View
Adelice Lewys is the novel's narrator, and the story is told in the first person from her point of view.
Tone and Mood
Dark, suspenseful, and, at very brief points, somewhat hopeful and revealing. It is dark and suspenseful mostly, as Adelice is confronted by people who want to use her powers but resist interrogation and do not at first wish to reveal their own secrets. At other times, relationships buttress Adelice's cause, and give her the initiative to continue fighting.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Adelice Lewys (Protagonist); Cormac Patton (Antagonist), Kincaid (Antagonist), The Guild (Antagonist)
Major Conflict
Adelice attempts to better understand her new surroundings on Earth. Earth is far from abandoned, which contradicts what she had been told about it. Its barren landscape is reminiscent of a war that occurred years before, and its inhabitants are still waging a war against Arras. Adelice is called to duty to use her powers and help opposing sides (who both attempt to control and coerce her) win the war between Earth and Arras. But the secrets that everyone keeps from Adelice pose another central contention and create a great degree of uncertainty that she attempts to overcome throughout the book.
Climax
Adelice kills Kincaid, and agrees to go with Cormac in exchange for the safety of Amie. After she returns with Cormac, he revels that Amie decided to come back with Cormac. Amie calls Adelice a "freak" (386) and leaves with Cormac.
Foreshadowing
The references to Shakespeare's sonnets and the content of the sonnets themselves (which are about demise, power, and love) allude often to what is imminent in the plot.
Understatement
N/A.
Allusions
The scars on Valery and Adelice's bodies, for example, are indicative of the secrets that everyone is keeping from one anther. The strands that Adelice sees in Kincaid and Cormac also indicate a strong degree of alteration, and that things are not as they immediately appear to be, especially in regards to the story that the Guild has told its people about the history of Arras.
Imagery
Albin induces the physics and history of Arras and Earth, and exactly how Adelice is able to see and manipulate the raw strands of energy that form Earth’s reality. She vividly shows how exactly Adelice can not only weave but now also alter.
Paradox
N/A.
Parallelism
N/A.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A.
Personification
Albin most often uses personification when describing elements of nature. This technique emphasizes the artificial nature of Arras.
