Crowd simile and metaphor
A simile and metaphor are used to describe the crowd of people at the beginning of the novel:
"The Apparat's voice boomed through the White Cathedral, and the crowd swayed, eyes closed, hands raised, a field of poppies, arms like pale stalks shaken by some wind."
The crowd is metaphorically compared to a field of poppies, with their arms being compared to pale stalks.
Like a rat in a warren
Alina is upset that she is stuck underground, unable to help her people. She uses a simile to describe this feeling, saying:
"A Saint should walk amongst her people, not hide like a rat in a warren."
Here, she is comparing the action of hiding underground to the undesirable qualities of a rat.
"It is the rats that rule the fields and towns"
In response to Alina's assertion that she is like a rat, The Apparat uses a metaphor to change her feelings about it:
"In times of trouble, many animals go to ground. That's how they survive. After fools wage their battles, it is the rats that rule the fields and towns."
Here, he is suggesting that sometimes it is beneficial to act like a rat, especially in times of trouble.
The Priestguards
Alina uses a simile to describe how The Priestguards seem distant and cold, almost like specters:
"they never looked directly at me, never spoke to me or the other Grisha refugees. Instead, they stood silently at the edges of rooms and trailed me everywhere like bearded, rife-wielding specters."
Like a waxen spider
Alina has a clear feeling of disdain for the Apparat. This is made clear in the following passage, where she uses a simile to describe him:
"He pressed a hand to my shoulder. His fingers were long and white, splaying over my arm like a waxen spider."
