Enchantra

“From the moment she found the photograph, Genevieve had found herself asking the same questions. She knew that her mother’s locket was connected to her family’s lineage, that it had always been meant to pass on to Ophelia upon their mother’s death. Was the man in the picture a Necromancer, too? Did he have children? Were any of them…like her?”

Genevieve outlines her core desire and motivation for seeking out Enchantra. She wants to find other children of necromancers who did not inherit their families’ powers. Without the necromancy aspect of her familial lineage, Genevieve struggles with The Search for Identity and Self-Acceptance, and she seeks external examples of how to exist in the world.

“Ophelia might be the Necromancer, but Genevieve dealt with Ghosts just the same. Only hers were still alive.”

Genevieve is haunted throughout the narrative not by the dead, like her sister, but by the living. She’s haunted by Farrow Henry and the damage he wrought in her life and the lives of those she brought into their conflict, namely Basile. She’s haunted by these memories that influence her identity, as she sees herself in a negative light because of the pain of her past.

“I deserve to find others like me, she reminded herself. If I find Barrington and show him the photograph, I’m sure he’d want that for me, too.”

Genevieve hopes that the photo of Tessie and Barrington will allow her to understand herself and find people like her, aiding her in The Search for Identity and Self-Acceptance, but the photo is a disappointment. She must find what she is looking for within herself.

“‘Can’t I marry one of the others instead?’ she suggested. ‘No,’ Rowin stated. ‘This was my idea. Therefore, you’re mine. If anyone is winning freedom from the Hunt, it’s me.’”

Rowin frequently utilizes the phrase “mine” to refer to Genevieve. At first, it doesn’t bother her, but as they grow closer, Genevieve begins to struggle to discern which parts of Rowin’s feelings are real and which are for show, prompting her to ban him from claiming her as she asserts The Importance of Free Will. When he does so again, he means it, illustrating the growth of their romantic relationship.

“‘The Hunt this, Devils that,’ she muttered to herself as she walked through the foyer. ‘If I have to look awful on my wedding day, I’m going to be the scariest thing in this house⁠—’”

Genevieve’s sense of humor is a key aspect of her personality, as demonstrated by her quip about her appearance. Genevieve’s humor draws Rowin in, and during his confession of love, he credits her with making him laugh again after years of suffering, illustrating the importance of Genevieve’s unique personality to the development of their romance.

“Don’t get caught up on the eternal part. Nothing is truly eternal. Not even when you wish it were.”

Rowin’s comments during the wedding vows foreshadow his later sacrifice. He gives up eternal life in order to get Genevieve’s memories back, and though he wishes he could live forever with her, he chooses a mortal life with the woman he loves.

“I hate when people say that…It is something you’ve never seen before. Me. And I’m spectacular.”

Genevieve’s external confidence stands in stark contrast to her internal insecurities. She is confident that she is beautiful, but she is insecure about her paranormal abilities and her place in the world.

“Except for Rowin, it was clear that she was expendable to everyone here. It didn’t matter that Sevin had walked her down the aisle. That Ellin had helped dress her up and defended her against her brothers. Or that Barrington had been so adamant about sparing her.”

Genevieve deeply longs for a family, and playing pretend with the Silvers causes her immense pain. She came to Enchantra to find people who would understand her and thus aid her in The Search for Identity and Self-Acceptance, but instead she finds a family willing to use her for their own purposes.

“Sometimes I think it’s best not to chase after things. Sometimes all we can do is let them go and hope they come back on their own.”

Barrington expresses a nuanced understanding of The Importance of Free Will. He never pursued Tessie when she left him behind, instead giving her the option to return to him. Even though she didn’t, he doesn’t regret giving her the option, as it was ultimately Gabriel’s refusal to let Tessie go that killed her.

“Of all of Rowin’s siblings, Sevin had the most charm. Not to mention his looks, and it surprised her greatly that he would be a wallflower at such an event. She meant to say as much, except Sevin’s eyes had gone glassy, the same way Barrington’s did when his mind had slipped back into the past.”

Sevin’s interiority is on display early in the novel. Though he presents himself as carefree and fun, there is a deeper emotional core within him that he often hides, making him a more complex character than he at first seems.

“You’re either going to collect another win and we won’t ever see you again, or your winning streak will come to an end, and you’ll finally get a taste of Hell with the rest of our sorry asses, Covin had said, but Genevieve was starting to suspect there was a lot more to Rowin’s desire to win than anyone understood.”

Rowin and Genevieve understand each other very quickly within the narrative. Even though the other Silvers distrust Rowin’s motives, Genevieve immediately sees past the selfish facade, recognizing Rowin’s selflessness even when others do not.

“Hell, she’d nearly lost all her friends because of that bastard. She’d nearly lost her spirit. Her sense of self. Thankfully, she’d found spite along the way.”

Genevieve’s sense of identity was badly damaged by Farrow and his cruelty. The narrative uses irony to acknowledge the value of spite—typically seen as a negative character trait. Spite kept her going in the immediate aftermath, but her time with Rowin in Enchantra helps her build a new identity grounded in self-love and understanding.

“How long had she waited for someone to proudly say such a thing about her? She wished she could’ve enjoyed the butterflies his words had produced, but, unfortunately, she wasn’t confident that those butterflies were capable of understanding the difference between fiction and reality.”

Genevieve realizes she cannot handle Rowin saying romantic things about her in front of others because she cannot discern whether he’s being honest or playing the game. She doesn’t yet trust herself or him enough to discern where the line between fact and fiction lies. The narrator extends the common cliché about butterflies in the stomach to create a metaphor that conveys Genevieve’s doubts about the authenticity of Rowin’s love.

“His expression, as usual, told her nothing about how he was feeling. The sadness in his eyes, however, made her chest tighten. The line from his letter came back to her now. Remington, I don’t know how to repair this rift.”

Rowin is haunted, like Genevieve, by the past. His past, however, is less obvious, as the rift between him and Remi remains unresolved at the end of the novel.

“The light isn’t something you need to chase, Genevieve. The light is wherever you are.”

Rowin associates Genevieve with light, which places her in direct contrast to his shadowy power. Despite being opposites, shadow and light, they complete each other. Rowin protects Genevieve’s light, and Genevieve protects Rowin from being swallowed by his shadows.

“All Genevieve could think to say was, ‘I do not understand this family.’ But in another life, I think I might have really loved to be a part of it.”

Genevieve states explicitly that she wishes she could be part of the Silver family. She never felt like she belonged with her mother and sister, never felt like a true Grimm, and even as she watches the siblings all stab their father, she realizes she wants to be welcomed with them.

“She watched in horror as the imposter’s exterior began to flicker in and out, revealing a monstrous shadow creature below its surface. As the replica of her own face melted away, the faceless creature made a low keening sound that made her flesh prick with terror. Its new form looked nearly transparent, like some kind of Apparition.”

Genevieve’s experience in the mirror illustrates her core insecurities stemming from her relationship with Farrow. Farrow called her a demon/monster, so she views her own reflection as monstrous. In defeating the monster, she defeats her insecurity.

“You’d be right. Mortals are lucky. You live, you love, you die. Living forever just means there’s infinite time for people to inflict pain on you.”

Sevin again reveals his sensitivity to Genevieve. Sevin seeks love and a meaningful existence, something he could never attain during the Hunt. However, his presence at the end of the novel hints at his continuing role in the series, meaning he could have his own romance soon.

“She ran her fingertips over the words engraved onto the bracelet still clasped around her wrist and couldn’t help but wonder that if she was where the light was, why did she suddenly feel so in the dark?”

The transition between Parts 8 and 9 is rife with foreshadowing. Genevieve is temporarily in the dark about Knox’s offer to Rowin, which puts a temporary strain on their relationship. This strain causes conflict in the opening chapter of Part 9.

“At least Farrow wasn’t haunting her any longer. In fact, she hadn’t dreamed of him since…Since she’d woken up with Rowin wrapped around her.”

Rowin replaces Farrow like the wedding band replaces Genevieve’s missing ring. This transition demonstrates that Genevieve has fully fallen in love with Rowin, leaving behind the pain of her relationship with Farrow.

“‘Shadows can only be seen in the presence of light,’ he told her, the words agonized. ‘I worry when you leave, there will be no one left to see me.’”

Rowin’s confession of love to Genevieve illustrates the depth of his desire for her. He imagines the darkness of his own power and his own mind swallowing him if she leaves him behind, clarifying that his feelings for her are real.

“As she curled back up against his chest in the bed, she found that this time she couldn’t go back to sleep. Not because of Grave’s attack or because she wasn’t still exhausted, but because of the excitement of everything to come. And his words still echoing in her mind. She’s mine. She’s mine. She’s mine.”

Genevieve told Rowin not to claim her unless he meant it, and when Grave tries to kill her yet again, Rowin says the forbidden words. This further establishes the depth and authenticity of Rowin’s affections.

“She knew how easy it would be for him to take every shortcut at any given opportunity, to will whatever he or her sister wanted into existence with just a single thought. But taking the extra time to do even the simplest of things, especially when they might be unpleasant, was how he loved Ophelia.”

Smith circles back to Ophelia and Salem’s romance in the final chapters of the text, once Genevieve returns to New Orleans. Salem’s dedication to Ophelia is apparent in the mundane, human tasks he does for her, offering a glimpse of how their relationship works outside of the magical world of Phantasma.