Not to be confused with the vaguely Victorian-era Gaslamp Fantasy Widdershins.
This series provides examples of:
- Butch Lesbian: In False Covenant, Robin, who masquerades as a teenaged boy to avoid being accosted, is outed as secretly being in love with Widdershins. She later gets a replacement love interest in Faustine.
- Deal with the Devil: Claude the Acolyte summons a demon to slaughter the members of Olgun's cult in Thief's Covenant. In the sequel, Squirrel tries to make an arrangement of this sort with Iruoch but ends up on the menu when the latter decides he's outlived his usefulness. In the third book, Lisette bargains with Faeries as well for mutual revenge on Widdershins.
- Dating Catwoman: Julian Bouniard is a guardsman whose relationship with Widdershins turns from Friendly Enemy to this over the course of the first two novels.
- Deadpan Snarker: Most of the characters engage in witty banter and sarcastic quips, but none more so than Shins herself.
- Despair Event Horizon: Widdershins is driven to one when she loses her father-figure, her best friend, and her love interest all in under a year. She skips town to protect the few she has left, thinking her enemies will pursue her, but eventually realizes that by doing so she's put them in greater danger by not being around to protect them.
- Distant Sequel: To the author's earlier Corvis Rebaine series, centuries after some sort of calamity fell upon the continent, reducing Imphalion to tribal levels before clawing their way back to civilization, losing much of the magic in the world along the way. The most explicit clue is in Covenant's End, when Widdershins and Olgun encounter a Fae Reproduction of the now long extinct ogres.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Galica is a fantasy equivalent of France.
- Frame-Up: Done to Widdershins, twice. First as Adrienne, for the slaughter of her 26 fellow cult members, then as Widdershins, for the murders of William and Alexandre. The second was cleared quickly enough, but it took up to the last chapter of the last book, as well as a divine intervention, for the first to be too.
- The Fundamentalist: Archbishop William de Laurent and his aide Brother Maurice are the only Church officials to befriend and understand Widdershins. Bishop Sicard, on the other hand, uses fear to up church attendance - which backfires when it summons Iruoch - and initially believes Widdershins to be possessed by a demon and attempts to violently exorcize her when they first meet. When he learns what he's caused, however, he seeks to redeem himself.
- Humanoid Abomination: Iruoch, an evil faerie who pays Davillon a visit in False Covenant, is described as being nightmarishly otherworldly. Lisette also seems to have crossed the line from human into other as a result of bargaining with the Faeries.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Widdershins blames herself for the deaths of her loved ones and eventually skips town to protect the few she has left.
- Iron Lady: Calanthe Delacroix comes across as an Evil Matriarch at first, but she's just hard as iron.
- Impossible Thief: Widdershins can swipe things without people noticing due to a combination of sheer skill and Olgun's aid.
- Laugh Track: Iruoch and the other Faeries are constantly accompanied by a chorus of invisible children who act like a sitcom audience.
- Medieval European Fantasy: With the story taking place in the Fantasy Counterpart Culture of France.
- Mythopoeia: For starters, the Church worships the Hallowed Pact, an alliance of 147 gods. Then there's gods who aren't part of the Hallowed Pact, demons, faeries, etc.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: While not necessarily stupidity, no-one would believe the foppish Renard Lambert was the Finder's Guild's Shrouded Lord.
- Oblivious to Love: While Widdershins is well aware of her own growing crush on Julien Bouniard, she is completely oblivious to Robin's and Renard's feelings for her. It also takes her most of Lost Covenant to realize that Cyrille Delacroix is in love with her.
- Our Demons Are Different: The one summoned in Thief's Covenant is made up of human flesh, has More Teeth than the Osmond Family, and a snake for a penis.
- Pals with Jesus: Widdershins relies on Olgun for assistance, and as his sole worshipper she is the only thing keeping him alive. Lisette forges a similar pact with a group of Faeries.
- Phantom Thief: Widdershins, due to Olgun's help. Renard Lambert, despite his foppish appearance, isn't the Shrouded Lord for no reason.
- Rags to Riches: Adrienne Satti was a common orphaned street thief until she saved Alexandre Delacroix from being mugged and murdered. And then goes right back again two years later. All of it before the beginning of the series.
- Royal Rapier: Widdershins' weapon of choice is a rapier she stole from Alexandre Delacroix as a child, though she removed the basket hilt and blackened the blade. She replaces it with Evard d'Arras' sword in False Covenant after her original is destroyed by Iruoch.
- Rhymes on a Dime: Iruoch has a habit of singing and speaking in rhyme, although when Squirrel provides a rhyming prompt the fae snarks at him.
- Silent Snarker: Olgun, being unable to talk, communicates his sarcasm via emotions and images.
- Spy Catsuit: Widdershins' "work clothes" consists of a leather bodysuit.
- Supernatural Aid: Olgun can boost Widdershins' senses and physical abilities, and alter probability in her favour. Lisette acquires even greater supernatural power from the Faeries.
- Thieves' Guild: The Finder's Guild, which is tolerated by Davillon's guards only because they claim the patronage of the Shrouded God.
- Unusual Euphemism: Having promised Alexandre never to swear, Shins instead uses a variety of euphemisms, most often "figs". She slips up a few times, when particularity angry.
- Voice of the Legion: Iruoch has a two-toned voice that is constantly described as eerie. This extends to most Faeries.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Shins returns in Covenant's End, Robin furiously accuses her of abandoning them when they (read: she) needed her the most.
- Wig, Dress, Accent: Widdershin's disguise of Madeleine Valois consists of a blonde wig, a full-length dress with a plunging neckline, and makeup. It works perfectly until she's ratted out.
- Winds of Destiny, Change!: Olgun can alter probability in Widdershin's favor, making it easier for her to fight and escape.
