57 pages • 1-hour read
A Forbidden Alchemy
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Character Analysis
Nina Harrow
Nina is the protagonist from whose perspective most of the book is written. Her character arc forms the narrative’s backbone. From when she is introduced at age 12 to when she is 25 at the book’s conclusion, she changes dramatically. At first, Nina is an enthusiastic, clever, driven young girl whose only goal is to leave her hometown, Scurry, become an Artisan, and stay in Belavere City. After she learns that her dream is built upon a lie, she endures six years of Artisan schooling, not knowing where she belongs. She is forced to change her identity, faking her accent, last name, and family history. Her power as an earth Charmer represents her ability to blend in with her surroundings and keep to herself. While she matures into a woman, she still has blonde curls, freckles, and remnants of an accent that Patrick recognizes when she arrives in Kenton Hill.
Nina reflects both of her parents: Like her mother, she found a way to leave Scurry. Like her father, she refuses to join the Artisan army and ultimately chooses to fight on the side of the Crafters. Nina represents the commonalities between the two sides of the war: She was raised by Crafters in a brink town, she spent six years in the National Artisan School, and then spent seven years running from both. In Kenton Hill, she reclaims her name, finds a new family, and rediscovers love. While she begins to choose her own fate, her decisions are still driven by the threats she faces on both sides. Nina’s changing allegiances, immense power, and efforts to attain freedom show that the oppressive conditions of Belavere Trench do not allow any of its residents to be truly free.
Patrick Colson
Patrick Colson is the secondary protagonist and Nina’s main love interest. Nearly half of the chapters are written from his point of view in limited third person. Patrick has bright blue eyes and a tall, strong build. Where Nina’s destiny wavers and solidifies throughout the book, Patrick views his as sealed from the start. His life runs parallel to the Crafter rebellion: When he learns the truth about the siphoning ceremony at age 12, his father uses this information to open the door for the rebellion. When Patrick drinks idium and becomes an Alchemist, his father leverages that as a political tool. Given his trajectory as a child-turned-chairman of the rebellion, Patrick is both a leader and a pawn in the war between Crafters and Artisans. He is under immense personal and political pressure: He is the only living Alchemist, he is in charge of the wellbeing of Kenton Hill’s residents, and he is in charge of protecting his family and retrieving his father from the capital.
In the start of the book, he is driven only by his desire to return to his family in Kenton Hill. He has no interest in Belavere City, but when he realizes that he can become an Artisan without staying there, he takes the opportunity. From the moment he is introduced, Patrick is an angry person who desires revenge: When they learn the truth about Artisans, he says, “I could kill every last one of ‘em” (39). He resents the government and all those who are complicit in its power. Until he meets Nina, he does not let anyone beyond his family get close to him. Patrick represents the town of Kenton Hill. He has a cold exterior, but with trust comes an unmatched loyalty and love.
Patrick is a foil for both Nina and Theo. While he and Nina share a stubbornness, Patrick’s silent anger contrasts Nina’s talkative, curious disposition. His relationship with his family and community highlights Nina’s lack of such connections. His resolute commitment to his political cause emphasizes her confusion and hesitancy to align herself. Theo and Patrick share a loyalty to Nina, but their similarities end there. Nina even tells Patrick that Theo is his “‘exact opposite’” (235). Patrick grew up poor in the brink while Theo grew up the son of a lord. While Patrick is street smart, untrained in his medium, and leading a rebel movement, Theo is educated, cultured, and has faith in the government. Their differences are highlighted through their romantic relationships with Nina—with Theo, Nina feels like she is being carried away in a current. With Patrick, Nina feels like she is on fire.
Theodore Shop
Theodore “Theo” Shop is a water Charmer who becomes close to Nina at the National Artisan School. Theo acts as a foil for both Patrick and Nina. He is polite, kind, and the son of a member of the House of Lords. He represents the Artisan world of Belavere: He was born into it, he was intentionally given idium, and he becomes the weapon they want him to become in the civil war. When the book ends, Theo’s allegiances are complicated. He still does not know about the lie of the siphoning ceremony, reinforcing his faith in the House of Lords. Yet because of his love for Nina, he kills Artisan soldiers and saves Craftsmen during the raid of Kenton Hill.
Theodore goes by Theo, but Gunner calls him Teddy. Gunner’s refusal to use Theo’s preferred nickname shows his lack of respect for him. As an Artisan and son of a lord, Theo does not have the same clout in Kenton Hill as he used to. Theo lies to Patrick and betrays Kenton Hill as they would expect an Artisan to do, but he returns to save lives when they need him most, potentially sacrificing his relationship with his father and the House of Lords. In doing so, he embodies The Tension Between Love and Ideology.
Lord Tanner
Lord Tanner is the novel’s antagonist. He is a talented stone Mason and the leader of the House of Lords. He aims to secure idium and maintain his power over Belavere Trench, and all his actions are directed toward these ends. As the face of the House of Lords, he symbolizes the corrupt Artisan government in the Trench. He hoards wealth and power and lies to civilians in order to keep them in order.
Nina’s inner change is signaled in part by her perception of Tanner: At the start of the book, Nina admires him. By the middle, she is being blackmailed by him to fight for the House of Lords, and in the end, she is returning to him as a prisoner, fully allied with the other side. In this way, Tanner is a bellwether for Nina’s changing ideology. He is also the catalyst for key plot events. When he communicates with Polly or another member of the group, it’s to announce a new development in their plan or put pressure on them to achieve results. At the end of the novel, Tanner’s fate is uncertain, signaling that he may have a role in the following books of the trilogy.
Polly Prescott
Polly is a secondary character and a Scribbler who attended the National Artisan School with Nina. At school, she and Nina are allies because they are the only two students in their year from brink towns. Polly’s morals and allegiances are ambiguous. She voices her skepticism of the House of Lords, but she also feeds them information from various brink towns in order to get transferred to more appealing locations. She provides a map for Tanner’s soldier’s entry into Kenton Hill, but she also expresses genuine love for the town and its people. Nina and Polly’s inner conflicts develop alongside each other and Nina finds comfort in their similarities. In this way, they are foils for each other, showing the different ways that someone from the brink towns could make themselves valuable to the lords of Belavere. Polly is a minor character, so her inner struggles are not foregrounded in the narrative. Her actions show, however, that she has mixed feelings about her deceitful activities.
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