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Because most of the novel is narrated through Grace’s perspective, she’s our focal point and our window into the eerie world of Katmere Academy. When the reader first meets her, Grace seems like a thoroughly normal teenager, except for the fact that she recently lost both her parents in a tragic car accident. When she’s obligated to pack up her life and move to Alaska, she’s thrust into the unfamiliar world of Katmere, where she struggles to fit in as she learns more about the Academy’s real purpose and its bizarre student body.
Grace's journey once she settles into Katmere is helped along by her personal resilience and adaptability, but also complicated by a psychological struggle to reconcile her past with her present. Her initial vulnerability and wobbliness contrasts sharply with the strength she musters as she navigates the treacherous dynamics of life among vampires, witches, and shifters. While she begins as a seemingly normal girl who loves pop music, novelty T-shirts, and dancing, the narrative gradually peels back layers to reveal a young woman quickly learning just how resilient and clever she really is—and she needs all the cleverness and resilience she can muster. Her adaptability is put to the test in a world populated by vampires, witches, and other supernatural beings, which she only discovers after having lived with them for several months. Her transition from normal human to powerful gargoyle mirrors the transformative journey of any adolescence, where children change into adults. However, Grace's transformation is both literal and figurative, as she grows and discovers her identity as a magical creature and an adult simultaneously.
Throughout the novel, Grace's fierce independence and courage gradually come to the forefront, especially when faced with supernatural threats. Her bravery is not just physical but emotional. Grace's willingness to stand up for her beliefs, even in the face of forces far beyond her control, remains consistent throughout the book. Her interactions with other challenging and sometimes hostile characters, particularly Jaxon, also serve as a catalyst for her self-discovery and personal growth. As their relationship deepens, so does Grace’s understanding of her own identity and capabilities. She discovers she’s a gargoyle shortly after she and Jaxon finally admit they love each other, adding another parallel to the novel’s conflation of supernatural and teenage milestones. The climax of Grace’s character arc happens when she transforms into a gargoyle to save Jaxon’s life, turning herself into stone. It’s a testament to her strength, unselfishness, and willingness to sacrifice for those she cares about that her magical abilities are linked to selflessness and protection.
