History Literature / Murderess

* BlackSheep: [[spoiler:Ironically, it’s actually [[StupidEvil Tyler Killer]], the one Killer mentioned by name who isn’t heroic or undetermined.]]

* HurtingHero: Lu, who suffers not only from [[SelfDeprecation self-loathing]] but also from [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne being forced into being a hero]].

* FauxAffablyEvil: The Dark Ones, in particular their king Gleaborne. They can display courteous hospitality if need be, and their king is particularly eloquent [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish in English]], but [[spoiler:this is just an attempt to trick Lu into thinking they believed her claim that she wants to restore the Killer’s ancient pact with them]]. Also, they [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique torture Aucasis brutally to get information]] (which she [[InterrogatedForNothing may or may not have]]) out of her, and plan to [[spoiler:[[HumanSacrifice sacrifice her and Hallwad to their "leader"]]]].

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: [[WickedCultured The Dark Ones’ king, Gleaborne]], who is particularly eloquent.

* WickedCultured: The Dark Ones. Their king, Gleaborne, is an accomplished scholar and is [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish particularly eloquent in English]], and they have a narrative poem about the history of Ciaró (see ShowWithinAShow below) recited for them at the banquet.

*** Being a linguistics student with a passing knowledge of various European languages, some of the [[NoPronunciationGuide outlandish orthography]] used to avoid awkward English spellings were based on other European languages, e.g. the names ‘Ciaró’ and ‘Lady Lias’ were based on Irish[[note]]They had somewhat of an Irish phase in high school and now have a special affection that comes and goes towards the language and the culture.[[/note]], ‘Déaspor’ was based on French and {{Con Lang}}s by Creator/JRRTolkien, and ‘Roythebrune’ derives from their favourite language, Icelandic (see MeaningfulName below).

** In the English translation, [[spoiler:Cleareye Fullmoonnight’s father]], Kuningas, the Ciaró Crown Princess’ consort, whose name derives from Proto-Germanic *''kuningaz'', ‘king’. The Hebrew version named him Konigs, although [[NoPronunciationGuide the orthography was unclear]], and the translator seized this opportunity to be creative.

* NoPronunciationGuide:
** Most names in the English translation are pretty straightforward in following English spelling conventions, but there are still some ambiguities.
*** Ciaró is pronounced ‘KEE-ah-roe’ and Lias is pronounced ‘LEE-us’, following Irish-language spelling conventions.
*** Roythebrune is pronounced with th as in ‘this’; the two Es are silent. The accent is on the final syllable.
*** Eurey is pronounced ‘ewe-REE’.
*** ‘Lavrice’ rhymes with ‘grease’.
** In the Hebrew version, [[spoiler:Cleareye Fullmoonnight’s father]]’s name is pronounced ‘Konigs’ (with a voiceless /s/).

* XtremeKoolLetterz: The English translator had some fun with coming up with stylised (yet [[NoPronunciationGuide mostly]] legible) spellings for characters’ and places’ names, as Hebrew orthography barely allows any flexibility in that respect. The most obvious example is the names of different currencies, derived mostly from existing metals.

-->'''Lu:''' […] short and stout, wearing resilient brown-coloured work clothes; [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], hammers, and work tools dangle off their trouser belts, each of them [[PintSizedPowerhouse has impressive arm muscles]], and when they talk to one another their expression is grave. I presume they are men, due to their long, brown beards growing on their face that reaches their bellies. Their faces are furrowed, but their light-brown eyes indicate ''joie de vivre'' and exuberance. They drink out of their wooden mugs, and their coarse laughter roars across the room.

* PillowFight: Lu and Cleareye have one to show how relaxed Lu became once she’s [[spoiler:moved in with her]].

* ThisMeansWar: Lu says that in jest before she starts a PillowFight with Cleareye.

* {{Fainting}}: Happens to Lu when she goes after ‘Hat Lad’ on the train and finds only his blood-soaked hat.

* AntiEscapismAesop: Minor example. Lu [[RefusalOfTheCall tries to avoid the mission ‘Hat Lad’ gives her]], [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne in deep contempt for her lot in life]], leading her to [[spoiler:move in with Cleareye, a Lavrice,]] at one point. ‘Hat Lad’ reprimands her for it and [[spoiler:shows her she almost [[BalefulPolymorph turned into a Lavrice herself]] by drinking all that [[HardLight Moonfluid]], which would have made it impossible for her to continue her journey]], emphasising how crucial her mission is and encouraging her to continue.

* BalefulPolymorph: Becoming a Lavrice is this, at least for Cleareye Fullmoonnight, the Lavrice Lu meets. [[spoiler:Lu almost becomes one herself before ‘Hat Lad’ points it out to her]].

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Narrowly averted with [[spoiler:Cleareye]], who [[spoiler:lets Lu drink Moonfluid every day and almost makes her [[BalefulPolymorph transform into a Moondaughter]] without realising it, which could have made her unable to continue her quest]]. Fortunately, [[spoiler:‘Hat Lad’ points this out to Lu before the transformation is complete]].

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Mostly [[AvertedTrope averted]]. Lu remarks that the [[TheFairFolk Dark Ones]] are beautiful, but they are clearly evil; Cleareye Fullmoonnight is beautiful, like all Moonfolk, but Lu has to hide from any other member of her race; and Hallwad comments that Lu herself is beautiful, although she denies it. On the flipside, Mrs. Eastry Cairns, the headmistress of James Centre Boarding School, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive doesn’t care about the school]], only about [[OnlyInItForTheMoney money]] and [[SlaveToPR her own image]], and is described as ‘a fairly corpulent woman with a slender aquiline nose, thinly plucked eyebrows, a mean-looking face riddled with acne’, but [[{{Nerd}} Mike]], who is dressed awfully and is [[NoSocialSkills very awkward]], is benign enough for Lu to prefer his company over that of [[ValleyGirl Essex girls]]’.

** Bridget originally tries to make the impression of a friendly classmate who wants to welcome Lu warmly, albeit with some {{Jerkass}} tendencies shown by her attitude towards their [[NoSocialSkills awkward]] classmate [[{{Nerd}} Mike]]. That mask falls and tears entirely by the end of TheMakeover scene.

* DeathGlare: Lu’s go-to method of getting people she dislikes to leave her alone. Her new classmate [[{{Nerd}} Mike]], however, [[NoSocialSkills doesn’t take the hint]].

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When first meeting Lu, [[TheBully Bridget]], wearing [[UncannyValleyMakeup copious amounts of lip gloss]], welcomes Lu warmly while [[AlphaBitch openly berating]] their classmate [[{{Nerd}} Mike]].

* {{Nerd}}: Lu’s ButtMonkey classmate Mike, who is awfully dressed and has NoSocialSkills. Lu ''still'' prefers him to her [[ValleyGirl Essex Girl]] classmates.

* TheGift: Lu is a gifted magic- and [[KnifeNut knife-]]wielder, despite her initial PowerIncontinence.

* KnifeNut: Lu, who apparently has an [[TheGift abnormal amount of natural talent for knife-wielding]].

* {{Nerd}}: Lu’s ButtMonkey classmate Mike, who is [[HollywoodDressCode awfully dressed]] and has NoSocialSkills. Lu ''still'' prefers him to her [[ValleyGirl Essex Girl]] classmates.

* HollywoodDressCode:
** Lu, who wears nothing but black ([[spoiler:although she changes to silver when she moves in with Cleareye Fullmoonnight]]), is [[LittleMissSnarker snarky]], [[TheHermit hates socalising]], and suffers from deep [[SelfDeprecation self-loathing]]. [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] once she crosses over to Greywall’d and becomes a more RoundedCharacter.
** Mike is the ButtMonkey {{Nerd}} who sits next to Lu and seems to have NoSocialSkills. His wears ‘glasses that made his eyes several times larger, as well as horrid grey trousers and a jumper several times his size’. Lu still prefers his company over the [[ValleyGirl Essex girls]] in the school.
** Bridget, the AlphaBitch [[ValleyGirl Essex Girl]], is described as wearing ‘enough lip gloss for at least three girls’, and her room is overwhelmingly ''pink''. Her GirlPosse seems to share her sense of æsthetics, but not her villainy.
** See EvilWearsBlack above.

* BiggerBad: Signus. Little information is given about him except that he was defeated centuries ago and that it was an event so big the people of Greywall’d [[HitSoHardTheCalendarFeltIt mark years by how long it has been since his fall]], and ‘Hat Lad’ and Déaspor hold [[spoiler:Tyler Killer]] in deep contempt for worshipping him.

* DividedWeFall: ‘Hat Lad’ implies that should the war between the Killers and the Royal Resistance continue, [[BiggerBad Signus]] could rise again and ‘destroy everything’.

* HitSoHardTheCalendarFeltIt: The locals count their years from the ‘Fall of [[BiggerBad Signus]]’. Considering that Signus [[spoiler:has worshippers, which implies he’s a GodOfEvil]], it was apparently a major event.

** According to Déaspor, [[spoiler:Tyler Killer, who worships [[BiggerBad Signus]]]].

* VaguenessIsComing: ‘Had Lad’ tells Lu she has to stop the war between Ciaró and the Killers, lest [[BiggerBad Signus]] returns, but [[LockedOutOfTheLoop refuses to give details about either the war or Signus]].

* WhamEpisode: The penultimate chapter reveals that [[spoiler:Hallwad and Aucasis are a pivotal part of [[TheChessmaster Shadow’s and Déaspor’s]] plan on their own right; ThereIsAnother Killer heading for the Refugee Camp and she [[StupidEvil worships]] [[BiggerBad Signus]], and Hallwad and Aucasis Caurn, [[LukeIAmYourFather nés Killer]], were [[ObliviousAdoption actually adopted]]]]. The next one reveals that [[spoiler:[[ThoseTwoGuys Shadow and Déaspor]] are also related to Lu, and that the [[CatsAreMagic Derobus cat]] that saved her life was a part of their plan too]].

** The [[WitchSpecies Wizard race]] (as opposed to other magic-wielders), unlike other races, have no fixed domain and simply wander from one place to the next.

* WitchSpecies: Lu learns that Wizards (unlike other magic-wielders) are in fact a race, and, unlike other races, [[WalkingTheEarth have no fixed domain and just wander from one place to the next]].

-->'''Lu:''' […] short and stout, wearing resilient brown-coloured work clothes; [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], hammers, and work tools dangle off their trouser belts, each of them [[PintSizedPowerhouse has impressive arm muscles]], and when they talk to one another their expression is grave. I presume they are men, due to their long, brown [[BadassBeard beards]] growing on their face that reaches their bellies. Their faces are furrowed, but their light-brown eyes indicate ''joie de vivre'' and exuberance. They drink out of their wooden mugs, and their coarse laughter roars across the room.

* EvilIsPetty: Seeing Lu as [[AlphaBitch a threat to her position]], [[AlphaBitch Bridget]] and her GirlPosse threaten and taunt Lu, and she gets worse after [[spoiler:being [[CurbStompBattle completely overpowered by her]]]]. Lu, on the other hand, is NotSoDifferent, and gleefully tortures her back.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: During Lu’s [[spoiler:CurbStompBattle SnowballFight]] against Bridget, it turns out everyone in the school ''loathes'' her, and it’s implied she’s been using the same powers she used to bully Lu on everyone else in the school. Afterwards, Lu, who comes from a FriendlessBackground at least partially by choice, instantly becomes so popular she suffers an annoying case of CelebrityIsOverrated.

* UsefulNotes/BritishWeather: Portrayed rather accurately--Lu is coming to school from Scotland in early September, and the realistic heavy rain is mentioned, and Lu points out how the days growing shorter and shorter as months pass. While snow, and especially heavy snow, is rare in London, the SnowballFight scene happens in late December 2011 or early January 2012, which happened to be [[http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/jan/05/december-coldest-uk-month-100-years an abnormally cold winter]] in RealLife.

* UsefulNotes/{{Scotland}}: It’s implied Lu is coming from there at the beginning of the book: it takes her a few hours of travelling south by train to get to London and [[http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/ukmapavge.html the weather outside is a few degrees above zero]]. It’s implied that ‘Hat Lad’ boards it in a very rural area, seeing as no-one noticed him [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight fall out of a big vortex in the sky]], as everyone is indoors to avoid getting frostbitten.

* SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable: A minor recurrent theme. Lu kills on three separate occasions in the book: [[spoiler:in London]], where she [[spoiler:kills two men who try to kill her [[KillingInSelfDefense in self-defence]]]]; on the barren Myles Mountains, where she kills a rabbit she wants to cook and eat, and [[RealityEnsues finds out she can’t]]; and [[spoiler:in the Dark Ones tunnels, where she burns to death a few of them when they try to keep her, Hallwad, and Aucasis from escaping]]. The first occasion [[HeroicBSOD shocks her]], [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone filling her with regret]]; the second makes her feel awful and remorseful, but only briefly; and she barely feels anything about the third.

* ShootTheDog: Lu tries to hunt a rabbit to avoid starving on the Myles Mountains, which are notoriously difficult to survive in. Subverted, as [[RealityEnsues she has no idea how to cook it]], has to bury it, and feels horrible about the whole thing.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Killers’ reputation. Whether or not Lu is [[InTheBlood naturally inclined this way]] is a recurrent theme in the book.

* TheEndingChangesEverything: [[spoiler:After having wondered throughout the book if she’s naturally inclined to be one [[InTheBlood because of her heritage]], it turns out most other Killers mentioned by name in the book--Hallwad and Aucasis Caurn, nés Killer, as well as Shadow and Déaspor, who are related to Lu somehow--are heroic, as well as Lu herself, who never kills anyone unless it’s for [[KillingInSelfDefense self-defence]], [[ShootTheDog self-preservation]], or to save herself ''and'' others, rendering the entire debate moot.]]

* InTheBlood: A recurrent theme, frequently [[DiscussedTrope discussed]]. Lu was warned not to reveal her heritage to anyone, for fear of people reacting based on this; some apparently do, others don’t. Lu herself struggles with this notion, wondering whether or not she is naturally inclined to kill: she has instinctive knowledge guiding her to kill efficiently, to the point she can tell the intended use of a knife by the shape of its hilt without being taught, but she seems to be too horrified when she has to kill, even to save her own life. At the end of the book, it turns out [[spoiler:[[ObliviousAdoption Hallwad and Aucasis]] and probably Shadow and Déaspor are [[LukeIAmYourFather actually Killers]], which means that the one Killer mentioned by name and said to be evil is actually [[BlackSheep the exception to the rule]].]]

* IntentionallyAwkwardTitle: The book received its name as it deals with the themes of NatureVersusNurture, and more specifically with InTheBlood, as its heroine wonders if she inherited her clan’s notorious murderous inclinations. Naturally, some people find the title a tad intimidating when given without context.

* {{Irony}}: The end of the book reveals that [[spoiler:all Killers mentioned by name in the book, save perhaps Lu’s father, are heroic: Hallwad, Aucasis, and (at the very least partially) Shadow and Déaspor, the only exception being [[StupidEvil Tyler Killer]], meaning Lu was probably never [[InTheBlood genetically inclined to be evil]]]].

* FantasyKitchenSink: Greywall’d is a minor example, including:
** a variation on the FiveRaces;

** a [[ShroudedInMyth mysterious]] ‘Race of the Cursed’, living in the Castle of Bayrone past the River Trocus at the easternmost side of the Land of the Sea, who are more fiction than fact; and
** a variety of different animals who are rough equivalent of those on Earth, but include also [[ThePhoenix phœnices]], [[{{Unicorn}} unicorns]], [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent gryphons]], [[HellHound Ephalius wolves]] and [[SavageWolves dark wolves]], and [[NearlyNormalAnimal Derobus ]][[spoiler:[[NearlyNormalAnimal cats]]]]; and
** a variety of different Gods worshipped by different sects: Promius by the Dark Ones (and probably humans, whom he created, according to Cleareye), Lady Lias (moon goddess) by the Moonfolk, and others not mentioned by name.
* FauxAffablyEvil: The Dark Ones, in particular their king Gleaborne. They can display courteous hospitality if need be, and their king is particularly eloquent [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish in English]], but [[spoiler:this is just an attempt to trick Lu into thinking they believed her claim that she wants to restore the Killer’s ancient pact with them]]. Also, they [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique torture Aucasis brutally to get information]] (which she [[InterrogatedForNothing may or may not have]]) out of her, and plan to [[spoiler:[[HumanSacrifice sacrifice her and Hallwad to their ‘leader’]]]].
* [[spoiler:FireForgedFriends: Lu becomes this with Hallwad and Aucasis after she and Hallwad [[BigDamnHeroes break her out of the Dark Ones’ tunnels]]]].
* FishOutOfWater: Lu, once she reaches Greywall’d, [[PlayingWithATrope in a sense]]; while [[LockedOutOfTheLoop ‘Hat Lad’ gives her little information about Greywall’d and she has trouble learning more]], she feels much freer and more at home there, and [[spoiler:was in fact [[MosesInTheBulrushes born there and sent to Earth by her parents]]]].
* FiveRaces: While the races featured in the book clearly rely on these divisions, they often occupy the same slot or leave some slots unoccupied:
** [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarves]], in the Kingdom of Brasse in the southwest (Stout);
** [[HumansAreAverage Humans]], in the Kingdom of Ciaró, south of Myles (Mundane);
** [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elves]], in the Kingdom of Syrane in the westernmost end of the Land of the Sea, and the [[{{Lunacy}} Moonfolk]] [[IHaveManyNames a.k.a.]] [[SpaceElves Lavrice]], in the northernmost end (Fairy);
** [[WitchSpecies Wizards]], who [[WalkingTheEarth have no fixed domain and wander around]] (High Men);
** [[TheFairFolk The Dark Ones]], [[UndergroundCity inside]] the [[DeathWorld Myles Mountains]] (Fallen; Vampires may also be included, yet too little information is provided to tell).
* ForWantOfANail: ‘Hat Lad’ loses his fight with Professor Cole because he’s distracted by a pebble falling out of his pocket.

** ‘Hat Lad’ gives Lu an ellipse-shaped pendant, with a burning eye was carvedand in its centre that merges with a jagged knife, with the letter K in the background. She notices that the chain is made of the same substance, condensed ivory and seashells, as the silvery string connecting the feathers and diamonds to the earrings [[spoiler:that her parents equipped her with before [[MosesInTheBulrushes sending her off to Earth]]]], which have the letter K engraved on them. While [[spoiler:[[ChekhovsGun the pendant undoes]] the AntiMagic the [[TheFairFolk Dark Ones]] use]], [[spoiler:this also foreshadows that ‘Hat Lad’ is actually [[LukeIAmYourFather related to Lu]]]].
** Lu’s practicing with the ‘''[[PlayingWithFire Noxa, fioaz]]''’ spell makes the skin on her hands very dry and leaves burn marks on her sheets. [[spoiler:Later on she discovers she is not [[FriendlyFireproof immune to her own flames]] when fighting off the Ephalius wolves.]]
** Before going into the Dark Ones’ tunnels, Lu says to Hallwad, ‘[[ArcWords May your endeavours prove successful, and fortune your ally.]]’ He pauses, then says them back to her. [[spoiler:It turns out that it’s the traditional Killer blessing, and that [[LukeIAmYourFather Hallwad and Aucasis are Killers as well]].]]

-->''‘I live to annoy you,’ he says, teasing her. I am positive he is smiling under that cowl.''
-->''‘And my life is so much more superior to yours. Irritating you is just a little fun I have in its course…’''
-->''‘Which is why I always stay calm, because you do it so badly, like an amateur,’ he says triumphantly.''

* StayOnThePath: ‘Hat Lad’ tells Lu to keep going north and not delay, and later reprimands her when she does. [[spoiler:Which is somewhat ironic, given that he misdirected her; it’s implied that he and Déaspor [[BatmanGambit foresaw that she would do that]], and actually [[GambitRoulette relied on it]].]]

* TakeThat: Before leaving for Greywall’d, Lu stops to cross Bridget’s name off the sign she put on her door, changing its writing to from ‘THIS ROOM BELONGS TO BRIDGET SLAVE’ to ‘THIS ROOM BELONGS TO A PSYCHOTIC SADIST’.

* [[spoiler:ThereIsAnother: The last two chapters reveal that not only is Lu not the only Killer left, but Hallwad and Aucasis are adopted Killers as well, and a fourth Killer, named Tyler, is on her way to the Refugee Camp.]]

* TheGoodKing: [[ParodiedTrope Parodied]] in the Dark Ones’ narrative poem recited in the Dark Ones’ banquet (see ShowWithinAShow below). King Roythebrune is said to have been this, overlooking how he [[YourCheatingHeart slept with his soldier’s wife]] and [[UriahGambit sent him to die in the battlefield when she becomes pregnant with his child]], because he founded the Kingdom of Ciaró and was [[RunningGag a ‘man of copper’]], although of course, ‘Every man, bold and humble alike, must go bald!’ The Dark Ones themselves see it as a parody and roar in laughter when the cantor finishes.

** King Bagid (roughly translated to ‘betrayable’ in Hebrew), in the poem recited at the Dark Ones’ banquet, who [[YourCheatingHeart slept with his soldier’s wife]]; [[DubNameChange his name was translated]] as Roythebrune (from the Icelandic ''rauðbrúnn''[[note]]The <au> is read like the German <eu> and the <ð> is read like the English <th> as in ‘this’[[/note]], ‘red-brown’), [[RunningGag a ‘man of copper’]].

** [[OurElvesAreBetter Elves]], in the Kingdom of Syrane in the westernmost end of the Land of the Sea, and the [[{{Lunacy}} Moonfolk]] [[IHaveManyNames a.k.a.]] [[SpaceElves Lavrice]], in the northernmost end (Fairy);

* OurElvesAreBetter: The little information given about them seems to indicate that they’re of the Wood Elves variety. Lu describes them thus:

* TheSouthpaw: Lu, who takes it into consideration when hiding the knives on her clothing to draw more easily. Whether or not this is [[ASinisterClue means anything]] remains to be seen.