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One of the two protagonists of the novel, Citra evolves from a bright but impetuous teenager to a highly skilled and principled scythe. She first attracts Faraday’s interest by bluntly rebuking him for scaring her family, which is a bold move in a world where scythes have almost unprecedented power over life. Studious and academically talented, Citra responds well to scythe training. She is determined to win the apprenticeship, though her growing feelings for Rowan complicate her ambition. Still, she only ever intentionally throws one of the tests when she notices Rowan doing so first. As befits her competitive but compassionate nature, she has sympathy for Rowan but otherwise does not seriously consider intentionally losing to him. Despite her intelligence, she struggles to read people, can be stubborn once she has made up her mind, and is prone to ill-advised outbursts when offended. Citra also initially harbors a lot of prejudice about Tonists, a sentiment shared by many.
At the end of the book, Citra’s choice to become a scythe on her own terms signals how much she has grown while remaining true to herself. Though she had initially shown no interest in becoming a scythe, she ultimately freely chooses to do so. Rather than quitting or fuming over the unfairness of the contest, she calmly and strategically devises a plan that spares both her and Rowan, all while protecting her position as a newly minted scythe. Her plan to free Rowan reveals that her eloquent defense of using the nontraditional scythe name Anastasia is not just lip service for effecting change. She is proud to be a scythe but very aware of the problems within the profession, and she intends to perform the work according to her own moral code.
