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Protagonists
Nick Ryves
"Sometimes, I want to be human for you."
The narrator of the first book, Nick is a sixteen year old boy who likes swords, girls, his brother, and not much else. He's spent most of his life on the run from magicians. Later revealed to be the demon Hnikarr, who possessed the body of a newborn child.
- Annoying Younger Sibling:To Alan, who has practically raised him.
- Berserk Button: Threatening Alan, insulting Alan, trying to steal Alan's affections and attentions away from him... Alan is more or less a walking Berserk Button for Nick.
- Big Brother Instinct: Despite being the younger brother, is violently protective of Alan.
- Big Little Brother: Is taller and broader around the shoulders than his three and a half years older brother.
- Black Eyes: Has creepy black eyes despite both his parents having blue eyes. Later revealed to be a case of Black Eyes of Evil because human bodies possessed by demons have black eyes. When Nick exits his body, he notices that the boy he possessed was born with blue eyes.
- Book Dumb: Is dyslexic and struggles to get by in his classes. his trouble with reading is a side effect of being a demon.
- Brutal Honesty: A by-product of not having any patience for people's feelings, as well as an inability to lie.
- Cannot Tell a Lie: Him and all other demons.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Not to his love interest, to his brother. Absolutely can't stand it when he thinks Alan is pining over and secretly visiting an old girlfriend, or when he sees him bonding with Jamie and thinks Alan sees him as the ideal little brother.
- Creepy Child: Was one, to the point where he unnerved his parents, teachers, other kids, and essentially everyone who interacted with him... apart from Alan, who thought he was adorable.
- Deadpan Snarker: Nick may not be good with words and physically unable to lie, but in his own words: 'I am in full possession of the amazing power of being sarcastic'.
- Defrosting Ice King: Played with. Remains an Ice King until the end of the series, but learns to let people besides his brother in.
- Enfant Terrible: Was one, though in fairness he didn't do much more than tear out his teddy bear's eyes.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Very quick to anger, as it's the emotion he's most comfortable with.
- Hates Being Touched: Viscerally. Occasionally puts up with it from Alan. Kissing doesn't count. Explained in universe as a side effect of him being a demon.
- Louis Cypher: For an in-universe character: H[b]nik[/b]arr.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Combined with I Am Not Your Father, Nick learns that Daniel Ryves is not his father; Black Arthur is.
- Made of Iron: Never gets seriously injured, even when a wolf tries to claw his stomach open, and his mother tries to drown him as a baby.
- Meaningful Name: 'Old Nick' is a nickname for the devil, fitting for a demon. Played with in that 'Nick' is the name Alan chooses for him after (mis)hearing Olivia call him by his real name, Hnikarr.
- Nature Versus Nurture: The defining conflict at the heart of Nick's character: how much of Alan's upbringing and attempts to teach him to be good can overturn centuries of being a bloodthirsty demon, inherently evil and soulless?
- Neurodiversity Is Supernatural: His dyslexia is a byproduct of being a demon, and therefore not having a natural affinity for words and language.
- Not Blood Siblings: Nick learns that he and Alan aren't biological brothers, as the people Nick thought were their parents turned out to be: Alan's father, who's not Nick's father, and Nick's mother, who's not Alan's mother. He doesn't take it well.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Like both his parents.
- Real Men Can Cook: In contrast to the Lethal Chef Crawford siblings, Nick and Alan can cook, a skill they've had to learn while basically raising themselves. Nick cooks for Jamie, Mae and their equally culinarily challenged mother at one point.
- Sibling Triangle: Is involved in one with Alan over Mae, though it's obvious throughout that 1) she prefers Nick, and 2) Nick won't make a move on a girl his brother fancies... unless he's pissed off at Alan and trying to hurt him.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Is cold, physically violent and has trouble with words and feelings, in contrast to Alan, who is more sensitive, prefers to fight with his mind even if he's an excellent fighter, and uses his words to manipulate the people around him.
- The Snark Knight: Is cynical and sour about the world and the people in it even before he finds out he's a demon.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Looks startlingly like his mother Olivia, which he hates. Looks nothing like Alan, which he also hates.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Many characters express attraction to him, and Mae describes him as the best looking guy she's ever seen.
- Tomato in the Mirror: At the climax of the first book, he finds out that he was never human at all, but a demon called by Black Arthur to possess the body of his newborn son before the child had a chance to develop a soul, making him the first demon in history to survive in a possessed body for a lifetime.
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: A big part of Nick's character is his inability to understand human emotions, particularly love. Part and parcel of being a demon. It becomes increasingly obvious, however, that he loves Alan, and later Mae and Jamie, even though he isn't able to define it.
Alan Ryves
"In two worlds, there is nothing I love half as much as you."
Nick's older brother who practically raised him during their lives on the run. Ruthlessly smart, a master liar, and an expert marksman.
- Badass Bookworm: Loves books, can quote Shakespeare upon request, knows several (some dead) languages... and is an expert marksman who never misses a shot.
- Beneath the Mask: Alan presents as kind and heroic, especially next to his more ruthless brother Nick, but this exterior belies a ruthlessness, master manipulation skills, and deep-seated emotional trauma as a result of having to grow up too fast, losing both his parents young, and the person he loves most in the world being someone who he's never quite sure is capable of loving him back.
- Beware the Nice Ones: As Mae and Jamie learn, Alan may look like a cuddly bookworm compared to Nick, but he's revealed to be almost as dangerous, if not more in some respects.
- Berserk Button: Threatening Nick, or implying his life is worth less than anyone else's. Those are the only times we've seen him lose his cool.
- Betty and Veronica: Is the kinder, more sensitive Betty to Nick's cold, unloving Veronica for Mae in their Sibling Triangle.
- Big Brother Instinct: Every decision Alan has ever made, ruthless and heartless as they might be, has been to protect his brother.
- The Chessmaster: A lot of the key events of the books are the result of Alan manipulating people and situations to get what he wants.
- Consummate Liar: And how. Alan's so good and effortless at lying, he's lost count of how many lies he's told the people around him.
- Friend to All Children: Alan loves kids, and kids love Alan. Mae describes him with Sin's baby brother as being 'adorable as a basketful of kittens wearing bonnets'.
- The Gunslinger: His weapon of choice, in contrast to his sword-wielding brother.
- Handicapped Badass: A magician attack caused him to become crippled, and he's shown to be acutely discomfited by his bad leg, but it doesn't stop him from being a fierce warrior and gunslinger.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: As Nick gleefully puts it, 'My brother doesn't miss.'
- Kid with the Leash: To Nick, his beloved baby brother who's actually a demon with the power to raze the world twice over.
- Love Martyr: Not to his love interest(s), but to his brother, committing himself to putting Nick above all else even when everyone around him tells him that Nick will never love him back in the same way.
- Manipulative Bastard: Always has a plan, and almost never tells the people around him his plan, because it involves manipulating them into doing exactly what he wants at the right time.
- Morality Pet: Is this for Nick, being the person who taught him how to be human and for whom Nick chooses not to burn down the world.
- Promotion to Parent: Between a crazy mother and a father who was busy trying to keep them all alive, four year old Alan finds himself taking care of his baby brother almost from birth.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Sensitive guy to Nick's manly man, lampshaded many times in-universe.
- Shared Family Quirks: The prequel short story, The Arundel Tomb, reveals that Alan inherited his father's kindness and charm, and his mother's love for music and ability to see the best in people. Both of them, however, were infallibly honest, while Alan grew up to be a liar and manipulator.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: Clearly a trope Rees Brennan enjoys, this is how his relationship with Sin starts out, with both of them genuinely irritated with each other.
Mae Crawford
"It's not May like the month. It's Mae like Mae West."
The narrator of the second book, Mae charges into the Ryves's brothers' lives when her brother is marked by a demon. Unapologetically loud and stubborn, she's always secretly believed magic is real.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Is self-aware enough to know that this is why she's attracted to Nick (and later Seb, who reminds her of Nick) and why Alan isn't her type. But is also self-aware enough to put her foot down and refuse to let the aforementioned bad boys mistreat her or her brother.
- The Beard: Unwittingly becomes one to Seb, whom she doesn't realise is gay. Nick does, and laughs himself sick when he finds out they're dating.
- Big-Breast Pride: Is buxom and proud of it. Responds to Nick complimenting her breasts with, "Well, I grew them myself" rather than being offended.
- Big Sister Instinct: Woe betide anyone who messes with her little brother.
- Child Hater: Not a hater per se, but is pretty uncomfortable around kids, as seen when she has to briefly look after Sin's baby brother Toby.
- Cool Big Sis: To Jamie, whom she's very close to.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: Takes great pleasure in bringing home rough-around-the-edges bad boys that horrify her mother. Subverted when Annabel actually takes a liking to Nick, arguably the roughest and baddest of the lot.
- Embarrassing First Name: Mavis. She's mortified when Nick finds out this is her real name, and he delights in calling her that to rile her up.
- Interspecies Romance: Has one with Nick, a demon.
- Mayfly–December Romance: Sort of, since her boyfriend is an immortal demon in a human body.
- Meaningful Name: Styalised her nickname after Mae West, who was famously nonconformist and unapologetic about her sexuality... even more fitting that it's the name Mae chooses to go by, rather than the name her mother gave her.
- Nonconfirmist Dyed Hair: Has bold pink hair during the series, and a flashback reveals she had blue hair previously, symbolic of her rebellious personality.
- Red Herring: Mentions early on in the first book that strange things used to happen around her when she was little, which led her to believe she has latent magic powers. Turns out Jamie is actually the magician, and caused the accidents that occurred in their childhood.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: She and Nick clearly get on each other's nerves, but are undeniably attracted to each other.
- Spoiled Sweet: Is embarrassingly rich, and mortified when she has to admit that to the much poorer Alan and Nick. Despite growing up in an upper middle class family, she's strikingly down to earth and practical.
Jamie Crawford
"Sorry, I’m just taking a moment to process. I’ve never been called weird by someone who summons demons before."
Mae's younger brother, cursed by a demon mark at the start of the first book. Cowardly, with a tendency to babble when he's nervous, he's spent a lot of time being bullied for his sexuality. Later revealed to be a magician.
- Badass Adorable: Grows into this over the course of the series, especially as his magical powers grow and he becomes more confident in them.
- Book Dumb: Seems to do fine academically, but is this compared to his super-smart and well-read mother and sister. Jamie confesses that he enjoys playing up being 'the bimbo of the family'.
- Deadpan Snarker: Is easily one of the funniest characters in the series.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Becomes this with Nick, despite them starting out with Jamie being terrified of Nick and Nick being annoyed by Jamie.
- Incompatible Orientation: Has had crushes on Alan (straight) and Gerald (whose sexuality is never revealed, but is implied to be straight, and possibly taking advantage of Jamie's feelings to manipulate him.)
- Lethal Chef: Like his sister Mae, cannot cook to save his life. Reportedly once caused a tin of beans to explode.
- Loveable Coward: Is a self-confessed coward, but finds his spine over the course of the series.
- Odd Friendship: With Nick, who's as dark and scary as Jamie is sunny and easily afraid. Eventually becomes Nick's first (and only) friend.
- Motor Mouth: Has trouble shutting up, especially when he's nervous.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Is timid, easily afraid and prefers to be invisible, in contrast to Mae, who is loud, headstrong and draws attention to herself.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: With Seb - once his bully and archrival, until he literally surprises Jamie with a kiss.
Sin Davies
"A kiss? I have a certain amount of expertise on the subject."
The narrator of the third book, Sin is a dancer in the Goblin Market, using her beauty and charm to entice buyers to the market.
- Ambiguously Brown: Played with. Uses her mixed race appearance to confuse the tourists who visit the market, some of whom think she's a Magical Romani. Admits to Mae that she's actually half Caribbean and half Welsh... but contrary to people's expectations, her white mother was the poor, nomadic fortune teller, and her black father comes from a wealthy middle class family.
- Ascended Extra: Is a relatively minor character in the first two books, and becomes the narrator of the third book, where she plays a more major role, but arguably not as impactful to the plot as the Core Four.
- Book Dumb: Not dumb per se, but admits she has to study hard to keep up her grades, and feels slightly insecure compared to the more bookish and well-read Mae. Makes up for it with street smarts and cunning.
- Consumate Liar: She enjoys performing different roles and spinning tales, and she and Alan make a game out of it.
- Cool Big Sis: To her younger siblings, Toby and Lydie.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Sin is drop-dead gorgeous, and Mae can't go a page without gushing about her beauty.
- Meaningful Name: Like Mae, her nickname is one, compared to her real name, Cynthia. It's also symbolic of her different personas: Cynthia is her name for the non-magical world, Sin is the stage name she uses as the princess of the Goblin Market, and Thea is what her father calls her.
- Promoted to Parent: Became this for her much younger siblings, Lydie and Toby, after their mother is killed. It's one of the things she and Alan have in common.
- Sixth Ranger: Becomes this to the Core Four in the third book.
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Sin has no qualms about using her beauty to get what she wants and make people undermine her, but is also conscious that it can be a burden when it comes to how people perceive her.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: To Merris, her mentor and mother figure, whom she's determined to impress.
- Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Her relationship with Alan in its early days. Although she's not actually royalty, Sin is often described by the narrative and her inner monologue as the 'princess of the Goblin Market'.
Magicians
'Black' Arthur Dee
"I sold my wife for this; I sold my son, and I will have what I paid for!"
The leader of the Obsidian Circle, which has been hunting the Ryves brothers for most of their lives, and a powerful, ruthless, and ambitious magician. Nick's biological father... sort of.
- Archnemesis Dad: to Nick. Though he makes it clear he doesn't see himself as Nick's father, as demons don't have parents.
- Abusive Parents: Called a demon to possess his unborn son in the womb, and then spent fifteen years hunting said son in order to make him his personal attack dog.
- Deal with the Devil: Makes one with the demon Hnikarr, offering him the body of his unborn son in exchange for unlimited power.
- Domestic Abuse: Tortured Olivia into madness by forcing her to be possessed by a demon while she was pregnant, without her knowledge or consent.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Loves Olivia in his own twisted way, and is shown to be genuinely grief-stricken when she dies trying to kill him.
- Offing the Offspring: Technically murdered his unborn son when he summoned the demon Hnikarr to possess the child before its soul had a chance to be formed. Olivia certainly sees it this way.
- Red Baron: Styalises himself as Black Arthur.
Olivia Ryves
"Nobody who wears this mark is innocent."
Nick and Alan's mother well, Alan's stepmother... sort of,a magician who escaped the Obsidian Circle after being tortured into madness.
- Abusive Parents: Makes it very clear that she hates Nick and can't stand to be near him, let alone let him touch her. This is because Nick, then Hnikarr, possessed and essentially murdered her unborn son and now wears his corpse as a puppet.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Nick's narration refers to her as Mum, but Alan addresses her as 'Olivia'. Foreshadowing that she's not his real mother.
- Driven to Suicide: sets herself on fire in an attempt to kill Black Arthur.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: [[spoiler: tries to kill Arthur by setting herself on fire while kissing him, after telling him to "give me back my child".
- Offing the Offspring: Tried to drown Nick in the bathtub as a baby, until Daniel stopped her.
- The Ophelia: Spends most of the first book in a dreamy, maddened state, having to be taken care of by her husband and later her sons. Has rare moments of lucidity.
- That Thing Is Not My Child!: Why she hates Nick: as a demon, he possessed her unborn child in the womb, and the result was an unholy demon baby that Olivia refused to accept as her child.
- Unstable Powered Woman: Shown to be this in her youth, when she used her magic to torment her parents and anyone who crossed her.
Seb Mc Farlane
"I was yours already."
Jamie and Nick's classmate, starts off bullying Jamie and dating Mae, but turns out to have secrets of his own.
- Armored Closet Gay: A huge part of why he gives Jamie such a hard time about being open about his sexuality is because Seb feels so insecure about his own.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Is viciously jealous of Nick because of his closeness to Jamie.
- Loving Bully: Starts off bullying Jamie, whom he secretly has feelings for, before his Heel–Face Turn makes him a Bully Turned Buddy
Gerald Lynch
The second leader of the Obsidian Circle.
- Magnificant Bastard: Almost rivals Alan in this regard.
- Mirror Character: To Alan - both are ruthless liars who hide behind a kindly smile and would do anything to achieve their goals.
- Parental Abandonment: His own apparently turned on him when he revealed his magical powers.
Celeste Drake
The leader of the Aventurine Circle.
- In the Back: how Mae kills her.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Presents as a petite, doll-like woman who is easily underestimated, but is actually a power-hungry and ambitious magician.
The Goblin Market
Merris Cromwell
The formidable and enigmatic leader of the Goblin Market and owner of Mezentius House.
- Deal with the Devil: Makes a bargain with Liannan, giving up her body in exchange for an extended lifespan. Admits to Sin that she regrets it.
- Demonic Possession: ends up sharing her body with Liannan, with Merris taking control during the day and the demon at night.
- Iron Lady: A shrewd businesswoman with nerves of steel who rules the Goblin Market with an iron fist. No wonder Sin and Mae both admire her.
- Parental Substitute: Became a maternal figure and mentor to Sin after her mother's death.
Demons
Liannan
"I call on the shadow in the forest who lures travellers to die far from home. I call on the dream that turns people from real love and warm skin. I call on she who drinks blood and rises from the ashes. I call on Liannan!"
A red-haired succubus demon with a special interest in Nick.
- Evil Redhead: Is notable for her fiery red hair and tendency to seduce and kill her lovers.
- Secret-Keeper: Is one of the few who knows that Nick is Hnikarr and has vowed to protect him while he's helpless.
Anzu
"I call on the demon they called Anzu in Sumer! I call on the demon they called Djehuty in Egypt! I call on the demon the Romans called the thief at the gates and the watcher by night. As they called on him, so I call him: I call on Anzu!"
A bird-like demon, commonly seen with Liannan, associate of the Obsidian Circle.
- Bird People: Often describe with bird-like features, like a beak.
- Demonic Possession: Possesses Alan in the third book.
- I Just Want to Be Special: Unlike other demons, has a softer side and the most human-like tendencies... which would've made him a better candidate for taking on a human life than Hnikarr, but alas.
- Secret-Keeper: Like Liannan, knows the truth of Nick's past and true identity.
Hnikarr
"We call on the demon they called Hnikarr in the west. We call on the demon they called Nicor on the storm-ruined sea, we call on the demon the northern tribes called Nix. We call on the tempest-summoner, the shipbreaker, the nightbringer, the one who shatters the sky. We call on the caller of the last darkness. We call on Hnikarr."
A mysterious demon, companion to Liannan and Anzu, doesn't often respond to magicians' summons. Thought to be mad, and not seen in a long time. The alter ego of Nick Ryves, whom he possessed in the womb, causing him to spend sixteen years as a human with no memory of his old life.
- Deal with the Devil: Makes a bargain with Black Arthur, offering him power in exchange for a human body that survives a liftime.
- The Dreaded: One of the most fearsome and terrifying of the known demons, especially after he manages to get himself a human body. In Gerald's words: 'In two worlds, he is the most dangerous thing alive.'
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: after possessing the newborn Nick, he promptly loses all memories of his time as a demon.
Humans
Daniel Ryves
Nick and Alan's father, dies before the series begins. A good man who got pulled into the world of magicians and demons when his ex-wife Olivia re-enters his life.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Dies by running through a magician's circle, which burns him to death and allows his family to escape.
- The Lost Lenore: His first wife Olivia, at one point, though he quickly fell out of love with her after she left him for Arthur. But not as much as his second wife, Marie, Alan's mother, who dies of cancer.
- Like Father, Like Son: Nick shares his love for cars and working with his hands, and models many of his mannerisms after Daniel.
- Offing the Offspring: Tries to stab a sleeping baby Nick with an enchanted knife, but can't find the nerve, and is stopped by Alan.
- Parents as People: His journal, which Mae reads aloud to Nick, gives an insight into who he was beyond his sons' memories of him.
- Parental Substitute: Becomes this to Nick, once he accepts him as his son and learns to love him.
- Posthumous Character: Died eight years before the first book, and is only seen in a brief flashback, his journal entries, and a couple of prequel short stories, but his impact is tremendously felt throughout the series.
Annabel Crawford
Mae and Jamie's mother, a posh and very polished lawyer who is often bewildered by and frustrated with her unruly son and daughter.
- Action Mom: Has a brief moment of this when she shows off her fencing skills.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Mae refers to her almost exclusively as Annabel, even to her face.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Becomes this to her children over the course of the second book.
- Doesn't Know Their Own Child: Is oblivious to the fact that her children have been immersed in a dangerous magical world for the better part of a month, and thinks they're just acting out as a result of not getting enough attention.
- Mama Bear: Attacks a magician with a sword, to protect Jamie.
- Mandatory Motherhood: Didn't want kids, but her husband Roger pressured her into having them.
- Odd Friendship: Develops one with Nick, of all people, when they bond over a love for swords.
Marie Ryves nee Walsh
A mysterious girl in a photo Nick finds in one of Alan's books. Revealed to be Alan's biological mother and Daniel's second wife, who died of cancer.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Is described in saintly terms, and her husband and son have nothing but positive memories of her.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Was this with Olivia when they were teenagers, despite a rocky start.
- Littlest Cancer Patient: Was this from childhood, as explained in the prequel short story, The Arundel Tomb.
- Missing Mom: Alan's. Dies when he was four, and just about old enough to remember her.
- Second Love: To Daniel, after Olivia left him.
- Two Girls and a Guy: With Daniel and Olivia in their youth.
