Genre
Young Adult, dystopian fantasy
Setting and Context
The Kingdom of Norta
Narrator and Point of View
Mare Barrow, first person
Tone and Mood
Revolutionary, vengeful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Mare Barrow. Antagonist: The Silver King
Major Conflict
Mare Barrow is a girl with Red blood, but she has Silver abilities.
Climax
Mare Barrow is betrayed by her fiancé, Maven, who then tries to kill her and his brother.
Foreshadowing
Maven's goodwill foreshadows that he is playing a double game.
Understatement
Evalina's earrings are an understated detail, as they constantly are mismatched.
Allusions
The reader might discern allusions to the Arab Spring, as Aveyard took a lot of inspiration from the conflict.
Imagery
The image of Mare, a girl who bleed red, shooting out a shield of lightning is important, as it is the first time she knows that she had abilities.
Paradox
"Are Silvers more human than Reds" is a paradox discussed in the book, because the Silvers have a lot more rights than the Reds do.
Parallelism
There is a parallel line between the Reds and the Silvers, who all are human.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Mare's abilities, as well as those of the rest of the Silvers, are all personified. They are explained to be what give humans purpose.
