“When I found you on the steps, and picked you up and brought you inside, I was certain you would cry. Instead, you looked around and began to laugh. You were not afraid. At that moment I knew I couldn’t send you away to an orphanage. You belonged in the library, as much as any book.”

Elisabeth’s origins as a foundling raised inside the Great Library of Summershall shape the novel’s plot as well as the protagonist’s sense of identity and her capabilities. Here, the Director hints at the fondness she feels for Elisabeth under her stern exterior. Rogerson establishes the love between these characters to drive Elisabeth to learn the truth behind the Director’s murder.

“A single decision by the Director could send her away for good. She had never felt so uncertain, so helpless, so small. It was then that she made her vow, crouched amid the dust and cobwebs, grasping for the only lifeline within reach. If the Director was not certain that the Great Library was the best place for Elisabeth, she would simply have to prove it. She would become a great and powerful warden, just like the Director.”

The start of the novel establishes Elisabeth’s determination to become a warden—a goal sparked at only eight years old when she realizes that she could be sent away from the only home she’s ever known. The author emphasizes the protagonist’s vulnerability and desperation to belong by describing her as “so uncertain, so helpless, so small.” Elisabeth’s determination to prove herself points to the theme of Growing Into a Heroine, propelling Elisabeth to perform mighty deeds, such as slaying a Malefict singlehandedly. By the end of the novel, Elisabeth is no longer interested in becoming a warden, and she’s found a home where she belongs unconditionally.

“When Finch discovered her out of bounds—out of bounds and speaking to a magister—he wouldn’t bother with the switch; he would cane her within an inch of her life. The welts would last for days. The magister’s gaze lingered on her for a moment, appraisingly, before he turned toward the door. ‘Perfectly all right,’ he replied. ‘I’d prefer not to be disturbed until the Director’s ready to take me to the vault, if you don’t mind. Sorcerer’s business. Very private.’”

During Elisabeth and Nathaniel’s first meeting, Nathaniel sees Elisabeth’s fear of the cruel and violent Finch and instinctually chooses to protect her, laying the groundwork for the bond of trust that eventually grows between them, pointing to the novel’s thematic interest in