Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow

Cadence Blackburn is a supporting character, Morrigan’s best friend and fellow classmate in Unit 919. Cadence’s talents include the ability to mesmerize people and to blend into the scenery when she wishes so that people overlook her. Cadence is straightforward, determined, and smart. She enjoys reading and, as she demonstrates in this novel, solving mysteries. Confident and self-possessed, Cadence takes on the role of “Detective Blackburn” and orchestrates the investigation into Dario Rinaldi’s murder. At each stage, she leads the discussion, evaluates the suspects, and searches for clues.

Cadence has a loving and supportive immediate family. In this way, she provides a foil and contrast to Morrigan, whose domestic situation is quite different. However, Cadence never acts superior to her classmates, though she does act with authority. She is naturally curious and willing to bend the rules to satisfy that curiosity, as evidenced by her reasoning about how to conduct the investigation. On the whole, however, Cadence knows how to conduct herself in various social situations, showing politeness to Aunt Margot when she accompanies Morrigan to Dario’s memorial. As Morrigan’s best friend, Cadence brings out Morrigan’s strengths, acts as a sounding board for her concerns, and is devoted to her friend’s well-being, illustrating the novel’s ideas about the nature of true friendship.

While Ezra Squall has played the role of antagonist in earlier books—he was the villain of the first book, Nevermoor—in this installment, he serves as a mentor for Morrigan. He is a Wundersmith who once lived in Nevermoor but was banished to the Wintersea Republic after he betrayed and murdered the other eight Wundersmiths. A slightly menacing aura surrounds him even in this novel. For instance, Ezra uses the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow, a team of shadowy horses and ghostly riders, to pursue Morrigan and transport her to meet with him. The dark imagery of these silent riders creates a sinister atmosphere, even as Squall teaches Morrigan and spurs her growth.

In the previous book in the series, Squall helped Morrigan end the plague of Hollowpox, a disease that was affecting the Wunimals, the magical animals of Nevermoor. This marked the beginning of their formal relationship, as Squall persuaded her to become his apprentice so that he could teach her how to be a Wundersmith. Squall is skilled in several of the Wundrous Arts (which total 10). However, he is self-interested and not at all kind, and he makes no attempt to coddle or protect Morrigan. Instead, he pushes her to keep practicing, developing her skills, and learning. This makes him a foil to Jupiter, and his strictness proves to Morrigan’s benefit, as her powers develop throughout this installment. Squall’s honesty and directness thus support the novel’s ideas about Honing One’s Special Abilities as a Young Adult and facilitating growth broadly. He treats Morrigan as capable of agency and choice and, in the final scene with the Guiltghast, makes her take responsibility for her actions.

On at least two occasions, Squall does help Morrigan escape a difficult or dangerous situation, which suggests that he may develop into a guardian for her. Nevertheless, Squall remains a morally ambiguous figure. For example, he shows no concern for the life of the Guiltghast, in sharp contrast to Morrigan, who doesn’t wish to harm a living creature. Still, when they combine their powers (for example, to create the ghostly hour or to send back the Guiltghast), Squall proves a powerful ally and helps resolve, rather than cause, conflict.

Aunt Margot is a secondary character who initially plays a supportive, almost nurturing role before emerging as a potential antagonist and murderer. In the end, she proves herself a foil who helps Morrigan better understand herself and her feelings about family while also furthering the novel’s exploration of Understanding Class Difference and Prejudice.

As the eldest of the four Darling daughters, Margot is responsible and ruthless. She is clever and a consummate actress, keeping her calm even when she is most upset. As a young woman, Margot felt oppressed by the burden to keep up appearances for the Darling family, but she herself is fiercely protective of the family’s status. Her relationship to the Silverborn Saga novels exemplifies this tension: She wrote the novels to help support the family, but she did so under a pen name to avoid condemnation from those who consider paid work degrading.

Margot’s marriage to Tobias Clark, who was not from the Silver District, suggests that she had her own moment of rebellion, following her heart instead of the dictates of convention. Her care for her sisters and mother also reflects love rather than simply loyalty. That she once tried to bring Morrigan out of the Wintersea Republic suggests she might feel affection for Morrigan as well, in part due to her bond with Morrigan’s mother, Meredith. In public, however, she echoed her parents’ condemnation of Meredith as a traitor, implying a lack of moral courage.

The novel traces Margot’s partial redemption arc, concluding with Margot showing decency by reaching out to Morrigan to explain her actions and to apologize for exploiting Morrigan’s talent as a Wundersmith. Though the future of the family is in doubt with Tobias exposed as a murderer, Aunt Margot, too, has discovered what family really means.