Summary

The novel opens with a map of Elfhame that helps the reader understand the layout of this world. The Epigraph is an excerpt from the poem titled "The Changeling." Written by Charlotte Mew, the poem describes a creature coming for a child. It is from the perspective of the child.

The Prologue opens with a description of Wren's past. She was a toddler when someone found her alone. “She was a wizened little thing, too thin, made of sticks” (10). She knew her name was Wren, but she could not give any other information about herself. She was very cold that first day. Afterward, her skin held that blue tint even when she was not cold. She remained thin, but she became strong. She was adopted and lived happily with her parents and sister Rebecca. At age nine, she was asleep in her...