History Literature / KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark

** Vivian refers to Adebayo Sall as “Ade” and even “dear Ade,” which certainly seems like this.
** Simon calls Denizen the shortened “Den.”

* AlmostKiss: [[spoiler: Denizen gets one with Mercy, before they're [[{{MomentKiller}} interrupted by Vivian.]]]]

* ApologeticAttacker: Both [[spoiler:Grey and Vivian,]] to each other.
* ArcWords: The Hardwick family motto--"''Yield not to evil, but attack all the more boldly.''”

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Pathetic, cowardly, ''[[{{HeightAngst}} short—]]''
* AscendedFridgeHorror: [[spoiler: Thralldom]] is discussed very openly in ''The Forever Court''. Not only is it made explicitly clear that yes, [[spoiler: the Three were [[{{MindRape}} literally inside of Grey's mind]] and killing him with the unbearable pressure of it,]] but it also provides a nasty bit of in-universe ParanoiaFuel—[[spoiler:''anyone'' could be a thrall, and there's ''no way of knowing''.]]
** It also addresses [[{{NightmareFuel}} what has to happen]] to Knights who lose control to their powers in order to protect the public.

* BaitAndSwitchGunshot: [[spoiler: In chapter 25, Grey has a gun to Denizen's head, and Denizen thinks he's been shot when it goes off—but Grey moved it at the last second and fired toward Crosscaper instead.]]

* BigBadEnsemble: The Endless King and the Clockwork Three in book one.

* TheBigDamnKiss: [[spoiler: Denizen kisses Mercy to return the Cants, so yes, a kiss literally saves the multiverse.]]
* BigFancyHouse: Seraphim Row.
* BigWordShout: “STOP” is yelled a lot.

* BittersweetEnding: At the end of the series, [[spoiler: the Usurpers are dead and the Cants have been returned to the Tenebrae. Breaches have become nearly unheard of, eliminating the need for an Order that fights Tenebrous; Denizen goes to college and becomes a teacher, Abigail has gone into private security, and Ed does architecture for the Order. However, there were countless casualties during the War of Daybreak. Denizen found out the girl he had a crush on was mostly just using him, and the cost of saving the multiverse is becoming mostly iron, which he barely survives. And Vivian is dead, so he doesn't get a life ''with her.'']] Still, it's more sweet than bitter.

* BlackSwordsAreBetter: Denizen's [[{{DownplayedTrope}} knife]] is made from a shard of a Malleus's hammer and is thus black.

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: ''Grey's hand''—already iron from the Cost, now misshapen and filled with clockwork that seems to be ''growing out of him''. Made even more visceral when he rips a stray strip of his skin loose without even flinching.]]

* BookcasePassage: The entrance to Retreat involves one of these. Denizen Lampshades it, of course.

** The prologue of the first book is called “Tick,” and chapter 31 is titled “Tock.”

* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: “There are a ''lot'' of people in Dublin. With cameras. And phones that are cameras. And phones that are cameras that can phone people with cameras.”
* BreakTheCutie: The author ''loves'' this trope, so everyone gets it to some degree.
--> '''Author's Bio:''' Dave Rudden enjoys cats, adventure, and [[{{BreadEggsMilkSquick}} being cruel to fictional children.]]
** Because WarIsHell, most of the Knights had already gone through this before the story began, becoming "iron inside" [[{{TheStoic}} blatantly]] or [[{{StepfordSmiler}} beneath a mask.]] Grey in particular is very much of that second variety, and gets [[{{TraumaCongaLine}} extra helpings of this trope]] over the course of the first book before he ([[{{AmbiguousSituation}} possibly]]) crosses the DespairEventHorizon.
** Naturally, the kids aren't excused from this, either. [[{{GuiltComplex}} Darcie takes it hard whenever someone gets hurt,]] and [[{{MuggleBestFriend}} Simon]] picked up a lot of long-lasting trauma from his RunOrDie situation at Crosscaper. Denizen gets to experience several near-death experiences, [[spoiler: betrayal by the second friend he's ever made, the death of someone he cared about, and witnesses [[{{BodyHorror}} other various]] [[{{HarmfulToMinors}} traumatic events.]]]]

** “I should just try to [[spoiler: kiss Mercy]] again and then [[{{ParentsWalkInAtTheWorstTime}} Vivian would magically materialize.]]”
%% * BrokenRecord: “I need to speak to Edifice Greaves.” [[spoiler: Poor Uriel...]]

* BungledSuicide: Implied. While [[{{DeathSeeker}} he never makes any active attempts to kill himself,]] this actually happens ''twice'' to [[spoiler:Grey--the Three don't kill him for his rebellion like he hoped, and Vivian spares him after they fight.]]
* BurningWithAnger: Denizen, sometimes. He holds his power, or his [[{{GlowingEyes}} eyes start glowing]], or he [[{{PlayingWithFire}} catches on varying degrees of literal fire]]—he all but ''exploded'' during his Dawning.

* CallingTheOldManOut: Denizen delivers an absolutely ''epic'' one to Vivian. After eleven years [[{{ParentalAbandonment}} in an orphanage]], and nearly a month of being ignored and left in the dark about his parents, [[{{RageBreakingPoint}} he confronts her]] about how he's been treated. He threatens to fight her to keep her from just leaving again... [[spoiler:and it ''works''. He gets answers. And after learning that she's [[{{LukeIAmYourFather}} actually his mother,]] after learning what happened eleven years ago, after learning her [[{{GiveHimANormalLife}} reasoning,]] he [[{{UnstoppableRage}} still doesn't]] [[{{TheReasonYouSuckSpeech}} back down.]]]]
* CallAHumanAMeatbag: Mocked-By-A-Husband calls humans “little meat.”
* CapitalLettersAreMagic: As usual for the genre, this trope is employed... and it's ''[[{{ExaggeratedTrope}} all over the place.]]'' Not only is “Knight” always capitalized, there's also the Cost, TheOrder, the King [[note]]the “Endless” part of his name seems to be optional in casual conversation[[/note]], the Court [[note]]in reference to the Forever Court, so this one may be justified[[/note]], Dawnings, Breaches, Tenebrous, the Book of Rust, Cants and Higher Cants [[note]]which are also called Epithets[[/note]], and the name of every single Cant revealed so far.
** Funnily enough, however, this trope is entirely averted when it comes to the Knights' actual power, which isn't even given a real ''name'' and is simply referred to as “the power of the Tenebrae” or some variant thereof. It's also surprisingly averted in regards to the Endless King's mercy, [[spoiler:up until TheReveal that it's actually a Tenebrous ''named'' Mercy.]]
** The Croits take this up to eleven—almost all of their terminology is capitalized words.

** In the third book, [[spoiler: the Endless King.]]

* ChangelingFantasy: Lovingly Deconstructed. [[{{Troperiffic}} Denizen is whisked away from the orphanage he's lived at since he was two to meet a long-lost aunt, discovers he has magic powers, and is introduced to an exciting secret world of adventure and monsters]]... except all that is ''definitely'' [[{{Deconstruction}} not as glamorous as it sounds.]]
** Denizen developed a skeptical view of life and some pretty severe trust issues [[{{ParentalAbandonment}} because of his time at Crosscaper Orphanage]] ([[{{GenreSavvy}} and reading lots of novels with this trope]]), and his war-hardened aunt refuses to talk to him about his parents... [[{{TheReveal}} He eventually learns]] that [[spoiler: Vivian is his mother, who left him in an orphanage because her world got his father killed, and she wanted to keep him away from it. This only ends up sucking him further in, however.]]
** [[{{CrapsackWorld}} The life of the Knights isn't pretty either.]] Joining the Order is a lifetime contract, meaning he'd have to throw away any other future he wanted to become a Knight; he is technically given a choice about it, but there are so many moral strings attached that he feels guilty even ''thinking'' about choosing, and why would he want to return to Crosscaper anyway? The magic is dangerous and unpleasant, his Dawning leaves a permanent impact on his personality since his anger fuels it whether he wants it to or not, and [[{{PowerAtAPrice}} it comes with a Cost.]] The [[{{MagicalSociety}} secret society]] is made up of [[{{HopelessWar}} soldiers engaged in total warfare,]] which is [[{{WarIsHell}} extremely mentally scarring,]] and obviously has a [[{{AnyoneCanDie}} high mortality rate,]] not to mention the [[{{FateWorseThanDeath}} other unearthly horrors]] [[{{AndIMustScream}} that could happen]] due to the [[{{EldritchAbomination}} nature of the monsters they fight.]]

* {{Chekhovs Gun}}: Hey, remember the Malleus's hammer in the Emissary's chest? [[spoiler: Yeah, Vivian goes to get that after Grey steals hers.]]
** Simon's birthday also qualifies.
* ChekhovsGunman: The Emissary.

* ConspicuousGloves: The Knights each wear a pair of black leather gloves to hide the iron from the Cost.

* CoolCar: The Jensen Interceptor.
* CreatureHunterOrganization: Deconstructed. The Knights' work is [[{{WarIsHell}} total warfare]], and extremely taxing, physically and mentally. It's a massive responsibility, for them to risk their lives, fight, and die for a whole world of people who will hopefully never even know about what they do.
* CreepyCrows: Malebranche is made of this trope. [[{{IncrediblyLamePun}} Quite literally.]]

* {{Curb Stomp Battle}}: Vivian beats [[spoiler:Grey]] in a matter of ''seconds''.
* CutHisHeartOutWithASpoon: “If he so much as catches a cold, the Malleus will melt you both down and use you as scrap.”

* DarkFantasy: It is ''definitely'' horror-fantasy.

* DeathWail: When she's told that [[spoiler: Vivian is dead]], Abigail starts screaming... except her jaw is clenched so [[{{SubvertedTrope}} no one else could hear it.]]
* DescriptionPorn: Hoo boy. The writing is absolutely ''lovely'', rife with imagery and making use of other beautiful figurative language, so many things are described like this.

** ''Vivian.'' She's been a Knight for nearly two decades and has risen to the position of Malleus, which in and of itself implies this, but she also [[spoiler: gets shot {{in the back}} at nearly point-blank range, ''survives it'', gets up, and prepares to go back into battle only a few hours later.]]
** Grey never stops fighting. He also [[spoiler: gets [[{{ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice}} impaled]], turns his stomach to iron, and take the Opening Boy off Os Reges Point into the Tenebraic ocean with him. And he survives all that.]]

* DiedOnTheirBirthday: {{Defied|Trope}}. [[spoiler: Simon very nearly dies on his birthday]].
* DisappearsIntoLight: Mercy does this a lot... because she ''is'' made of light.

* DramaticIrony: Denizen and Simon's plotlines. Denizen is motivated by knowing that, even though he's in some very dangerous and unpleasant situations, Simon is safe; Simon, conversely, is able to keep going because Denizen is out there somewhere, away from Crosscaper, and [[{{ActionSurvivor}} Simon needs to be able to warn him when he gets back.]] In reality, ''neither'' of them are safe.

* DullSurprise: Uriel was expecting Greaves's reaction to [[spoiler: the story—and the disproving thereof—of the Redemptress]] to be a bit more... dramatic. Or just to be anything other than a flat “OK.”
* DumbStruck: After [[spoiler: Ambrel is snatched away in the Tenebrae]], Uriel goes through a version of this. He can still speak, but it's only [[{{BrokenRecord}} one sentence.]]
* DyingAlone: A Knight's ultimate fate.
--> '''Grey:''' We die alone, or we die in twos or threes, but we always, ''always'', die in shadow.

* EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: If the Endless King Breaches.

* EvilChancellor: Discussed when Denizen contemplates diplomacy. [[spoiler: Later, after learning about Malebranche being a traitor, [[{{LampshadeHanging}} he wonders whether he counts as a Grand Vizier or not.]]]]
* EvilIsPetty: The Clockwork Three destroy meaninglessly.
* EvilTwin: Inverted (well, [[{{GrayAndGreyMorality}} depending on which side you're looking at it from]]) and Played With. Ambrel could be seen as Uriel's evil twin, or Uriel could be seen as Ambrel's good twin. They start out on the same side, but as the story progresses, Uriel begins having doubts and [[spoiler: eventually preforms a HeelFaceTurn,]] while Ambrel becomes more and more fanatic.

* ExtraDimensionalShortcut: The Art of Apertura Cant is somewhere between this and [[{{ShadowWalker}} Shadow Walking,]] as it allows Knights to use shadows to enter the Tenebrae and travel through it to anywhere they've already been in the real world.
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: [[spoiler: Uriel does this to the Redemptress for ruining his Family... as Denizen was trying to make peace with Her.]]
* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Denizen's pupil explodes into iron.]] [[{{Squick}} Yikes.]]
* FactionMotto: The Order of the Borrowed Dark has one--"''Linguae Centum, Sunt Oraque Centum, Ferrea Vox.''"

* FighterMageThief: When the Neophytes fight together—Abigail is the Fighter, Denizen is the Mage, and Simon is the Thief.

* FireForgedFriends: Abigail and Matt.
* FlamingSword: Uriel's Prayer allows him to summon a sword that is literally ''made of fire.''

*** The off-ness of the strangers foreshadows them being Tenebrous. They avoid the lights, their eyes look wrong, and when asked about their names, they say that they're “new”.

*** Ackerby hears [[{{TerribleTicking}} ticking.]] Actually, their interrogation of Ackerby [[spoiler: gives a slice into a variant of the process they used on Grey.]]

** Simon suggests that Denizen's aunt might have been [[{{PubertySuperpower}} waiting for him to be older,]] and that she might travel a lot and have a [[{{BigFancyHouse}} giant house.]] Turns out he's more right than he thinks.

*** He drives up to Crosscaper at night with no headlights on because [[{{InnateNightVision}} the ''Intueor Lucidum'' lets him see in the dark.]]

*** She also hesitates while saying “I owe it to your parents”, [[spoiler: probably because she was going to say “father” instead.]]

** Grey has [[{{WeakWilled}} never been much good at self-control.]]
** “Something has the Tenebrae stirred up.”

*** The Clockwork Three have a real person with them; they've wormed into his head and can force him to do things. They also call him “Knight,” and that explosion sure looks like a Cant. [[spoiler: It turns out this person is Grey.]]
*** Them having tasted fire and the “tools often break in the hand” line both reference [[spoiler: the events of eleven years ago, when every attempt of theirs to create a thrall ended in a casualty and Vivian hurt them worse than anyone had before.]]
** Grey taking a while to get back from Rathlath and going expressionless at the mention of the Woman in White. Actually, [[{{BreakTheCutie}} Grey's deterioration as a whole.]]

** “I like exploring, peering up at all the different worlds.”
** Before she [[spoiler: gives Denizen the Cants]], Mercy says, “Wait long enough and the sun always rises. Do you believe that?” It seems random at the time, but hints at [[spoiler: the fact that the Knights' power was the Tenebrae's sun.]]
*** Actually, all the sun imagery in reference to the Knights' powers. Special mention to Denizen's Dawn being described as like “a hole had been torn between here and the heart of the sun.”

** When [[spoiler: Denizen asks who stole the fire from the Endless King, Mercy doesn't answer—she changes the subject and starts talking about the rarity of human and Tenebrous working together, and how it's ended in pain and death every other time.]]
** “You didn't speak to prisoners. They might infect you with dangerous ideas.”

* GallowsHumor: Denizen is very prone to this—he makes jokes about how many near-death experiences he's had, and uses a bit of it to stay calm in [[{{WhamEpisode}} chapter 25.]] Abigail and Grey also do this a couple times.

* GeometricMagic: Justified. [[spoiler:Mercy's cage]] is a poorly-drawn circle on the ground. Thoroughly Discussed and Exploited by [[{{GenreSavvy}} Denizen,]] who realizes instantly that it's probably very dangerous.

* GrayingMorality: The series presented itself at first as a [[{{BlackAndWhiteMorality}} traditional good vs. evil story.]] This quickly became muddy ''at best'' in book one, and the conflict became even greyer in book two. The Tenebrous aren't monsters—they're complex, individual creatures capable of feeling love and grief and everything in between.
* HairFlip: Grey's {{character tic}}. Played for Drama when it's used to nail home [[spoiler: just what the Three have done to him.]]
* HalfIdenticalTwins: Uriel and Ambrel Croit, Justified due to their ''whole family'' looking [[{{UncannyFamilyResemblance}} creepily similar.]]

* HeroicSacrifice

* HeroicWillpower: Invoked into a Double Subversion. [[spoiler:It's implied that Grey tried to fight the Three's control, but either failed or became [[{{DespairEventHorizon}} worn out.]] However, Denizen attempts to [[{{TalkingTheMonsterToDeath}} convince him to fight it again...]] and it ''works''.]]
* HeroWithAUniqueName: Most everyone else has a real name (Vivian, Simon, Abigail, etc.) and then there's ''Denizen.''

''But someone did show up at Crosscaper.''\\
''Shut up.''\\
''I wish he was here now.''

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Jack and D'Aubigny. She only comes up to his ''chest''.

* InsistentTerminology: Every Knight has their own, much to Denizen's confusion: Vivian hates the word "[[{{MagicByAnyOtherName}} magic,]]" D'Aubigny insists that their fight against the Tenebrous is pest control and not "war," and Grey says Tenebrous aren't [[{{NotUsingTheZWord}} monsters]].

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Denizen and Grey.

* InvisibilityFlicker: [[spoiler:Simon]] inverts this, flickering into {{invisibility}} (or at least translucency) several times.
* InMediasRes: ''The Endless King'' starts off with a prologue from Director Ackerby's perspective involving what seems like a Breach at Crosscaper and Denizen asking for help. The first chapter takes place “some time earlier.” Around the middle of the book, we get the context of that scene from Denizen's perspective.
* IronicEcho: [[{{TakeThat}} “I guess I'm just a blunt instrument.”]]
* ICallItVera: Denizen calls his knife “Falter” to invoke this trope.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Played With. [[spoiler:The Clockwork Three want Vivian to kill Grey because they think it'd be fun. Once Grey makes it perfectly clear that he has to fight her, she doesn't even try to talk him back and ends up neutralizing--but not killing--him.]]
* IResembleThatRemark: “I am very calm,” hissed Mercy. After [[spoiler: giving an implied war threat.]]
* JigsawPuzzlePlot: [[{{Foreshadowing}} Oh]] [[{{RewatchBonus}} yeah.]] The book has two major plot threads that don't converge until [[{{WhamEpisode}} very late in the story,]] with each picking up many more questions along the way. [[{{LockedOutOfTheLoop}} No one explains much to Denizen about anything,]] and nothing he uncovers about his parents gives him answers either, only deepening the mystery further. Simon, meanwhile, has no sources of information at all, and [[{{MindScrew}} the reader has only a minimally better idea of what's going on than he does.]] None of this is helped by the fact that the Knights know virtually ''nothing'' about the Tenebrous, and a lot of their prior notions and ideas were called into question or straight-up debunked by later events and reveals, and new puzzle pieces were brought up right up until the end of the book. And though the major [[{{DrivingQuestion}} Driving Questions]] [[{{TheReveal}} have been answered]] and some other mysteries explained by the end of the first book, [[{{SequelHook}} so there's still a lot left open.]]

* KillTheOnesYouLove: [[spoiler:Poor Grey. He tries to MercyKill Vivian and Denizen in order to prevent the Three from subjecting them to the [[{{AndIMustScream}} kind]] [[{{FateWorseThanDeath}} of]] [[{{MindRape}} torture]] he was put through, and give them a quick death. But while he was dealing with the Hardwicks, [[{{FailureToSaveMurder}} he knew the Three were at Seraphim Row,]] and he was under the impression that they had killed ''everyone'' until Vivian told him much later that only D'Aubigny was dead.]]
* KnightErrant: The Knights Peregrine.
* LampreyMouth: Dragon is described as having one.
* LanguageOfMagic: Kind of. The Cants are in a magic language, but it isn't exactly language; it's elemental, like speaking with the senses of nature.
* LastNameBasis: D'Aubigny, Jack, and Greaves.

* LetterMotif: '''Gre'''y and '''Gre'''aves, probably because [[spoiler: they're [[{{Foil}} foils]].]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Denizen feels like the other Knights are hiding something from him throughout most of the book, both about Knighthood in general and about his parents.

* LockAndLoadMontage: An entire chapter is devoted to this.
* LongList: Denizen rattles one off when Mercy asks what he's nervous about. It ends with “so many things.”
* LoopHoleAbuse: [[spoiler: The Clockwork Three aren't very specific in their orders for Grey, [[{{ExactWords}} so he uses this to fight their control.]]]]
** The deal with the Forever Court was no hammers at the Concilium. They never said anything about [[{{MoreDakka}} obscene amounts of explosives]] in the floor.
* LoveObstructingParents: Vivian [[{{Understatement}} isn't too accepting]] of Denizen having a crush on a Tenebrous...

* LuminescentBlush: Shockingly and hilariously Justified. Due to the fire in their blood, every single Knight can get this quite literally—and usually ''does'', to a small extent, ''as a default.''
* MagicKnight: The Knights of the Borrowed Dark, obviously. They have powers that can be used to defeat the Tenebrous, but also [[{{FightsLikeANormal}} train extensively at hand-to-hand combat]] so they don't have to [[{{PowerAtAPrice}} use their powers]] unless it's absolutely necessary.
* MagicalSociety: The Order of the Borrowed Dark.

* ManchurianAgent: [[spoiler: Grey, the Clockwork Three's thrall.]]
* MassOhCrap: Simon, Abigail, Darcie, and Vivian ''all'' have this reaction when [[spoiler:Uriel]] mentions Denizen having taught him the Art of Apertura... in front of Greaves.

* MasterSwordsman: D'Aubigny and Grey.

** Tenebrae means “darkness” in Latin, and it's also the name of a candle-extinguishing festival.

** Malleus means hammer.
** Hardwick means something along the lines of “herd and outlying farm,” or “brave in battle.” Denizen's claim that it translates to “safety through caution” might reference the armorial motto of the Duke of Devonshire.

** Simon means “listening” or “he has heard” and Hayes means “descendant of Aodh,” who is a fire god.
** Graham means “grey home” and [=McCarron=] means “little dark one.” His nickname Grey [[spoiler: references his PTSD and how he's [[{{ConflictingLoyalty}} stuck between light and dark]].]]

** Corinne means “beautiful maiden” and her last name references UsefulNotes/JulieDAubigny.
** Darcie means “of the darkness” and wright is a name for a craftsman.
** A falx is a type of sickle, and Abigail means “my father is joy.”
** The surname Croit. It means “to place one's heart,” or “to believe,” but has several other possible significant meanings. It's related to croft—an enclosed area of land—which contrasts with the meaning of Hardwick, and can mean “raw” or “fresh blood.”
* MeaningfulEcho: These are all over the place.
** “Well, you know what they say about plans.”
** "I told you not to overthink stuff."
** “If not me, who else?”
* MentorOccupationalHazard: An interesting case with [[{{BigBrotherMentor}} Grey.]] While he doesn't actually ''die'', [[{{BreakTheCutie}} he is put through a lot of shit,]] and [[{{DespairEventHorizon}} breaks in a way]] that spurs on Denizen's character development similarly to what this trope invokes. The trope is, however, played straight with [[spoiler: D'Aubigny.]]
* MercifulMinion: Inverted and then played straight. [[spoiler:Grey's orders were just to keep the Hardwicks at Crosscaper until the Three returned, but he decides to kill them instead... believing it to be a [[{{MercyKill}} mercy.]] He ends up letting Denizen leave, which goes against his own plans and his orders.]]

* MetallicMotifs: Lots. Iron, gold, bronze...
* MindRape: [[spoiler:Thralldom is absolutely ''horrible.'' The Clockwork Three literally got inside of Grey's head, forced him to do things for them, and played with his memories.]]
* MoodWhiplash
** Denizen running from the Woman in White in Rathláth is a scary, tense scene... and then he hilariously falls on top of a four-year old girl. It whips back quickly, though.
** “Mr. Gilligan looked up, [[{{HopeSpot}} their eyes meeting for one long moment,]] and then [[spoiler: [[{{BreadEggsMilkSquick}} his car exploded.]]]]”
** The end of chapter 24 is ''made'' of this.
* MyBloodRunsHot: Due to their powers, emotionally-flooded Knights can literally ''raise the temperature of a room they're in.''
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
** The Endless King
** Dragon
* NeverFoundTheBody: Eleven years ago, [[spoiler: the Clockwork Three wiped out Vivian's cadre one by one... but they were taken alive, so no one was able to record even how they died.]] [[{{FridgeHorror}} Denizen figures out the reason for this later.]]

* NotQuiteDead

* TheOrder
* OrphansOrdeal: Lampshaded. Denizen has pretty severe trust issues [[{{ParentalAbandonment}} as a result of this,]] and is desperate to know ''anything'' about his parents. Grey [[{{MysteriousPast}} hasn't said much about his past]] other than that he ''is'' an orphan, but given the [[{{DullEyesOfUnhappiness}} negative reaction he displays]] whenever he brings it up, this trope is ''strongly implied''. Simon actually seems to be the best off when it comes to this, but it still affects him.

* PhlebotinumOverload: Mercy gave Denizen knowledge of all seventy-eight Cants, which he can now use at will and with minimal Cost. Cool, right?! Well... actually, no, [[{{BlessedWithSuck}} it sucks.]] The Cants are still WildMagic, and Denizen has an extremely difficult time controlling them. There's a reason most Knights only specialize in a select few of them; they want to be used, and it's painful.

** So much of the second book involves the main characters purposefully withholding information from Greaves. And Vivian being vague with Denizen.

* PowerDegeneration: See PowerAtAPrice above.

* PowerIncontinence: Zig Zagged. It ''is'' possible to control them, with [[{{TrainingTheGiftOfMagic}} extensive training]], but even then it's hard; [[{{WildMagic}} the power is triggered by strong emotions and needs to be tamped down.]] Most characters, especially the experienced Knights, are able to prevent any accidents from happening... but can still be seen holding their power when angry, and it leaks if used when they're emotionally unstable.
* PreventTheWar: The reason it's so important to [[spoiler:find and return the Endless King's mercy.]] The Knights are already at war with the Tenebrous, but if the Endless King Breaches, [[{{BrokenMasquerade}} it'll become public.]]
* PrimalFear: The dark.
* PropheticName: ''Simon Hayes''. See MeaningfulName.

* PubliclyDiscussingTheSecret: Grey and Denizen do this twice, and though the first time was late at night in an empty cafe, the second was in a crowded park and, much to Denizen's dismay, Grey decided to [[{{HavingABlast}} use a Cant.]]

* PunnyName: Downplayed, but still... [[spoiler: The [[{{ConflictingLoyalty}} conflicted]] character with [[{{AmbiguouslyEvil}} questionable motives]] and [[{{AlternateCharacterInterpretation}} ambiguous actions]] is [[{{MeaningfulName}} nicknamed]] ''[[{{GreyAndGrayMorality}} Grey]]'']]? Gee, [[{{SarcasmMode}} I wonder why.]]

* RageBreakingPoint: Interestingly, Denizen manages to reach this several times over the course of the book, probably because he never gets the answers he's looking for [[spoiler: until the last one.]]

* RedOniBlueOni: Denizen and Simon, respectively. Denizen is skeptical, driven, and short-tempered, while Simon is more calm, controlled, and relaxed. This is further represented by their [[spoiler:Dawnings. Denizen's power [[{{BurningWithAnger}} manifested as raw and angry fire]]; Simon's was [[{{Invisibility}} bending light]], a difficult ability that requires a lot of patience and discipline.]]

* RewatchBonus: Due to the copious amounts of {{Foreshadowing}} and the nature of its JigsawPuzzlePlot, a reread (or several) can be very rewarding. To list a few examples: all of Simon's chapters—16 in particular—carry heavy reread bonuses, as does the prologue, and many scenes involving Vivian or Grey take on a different light after the [[{{TheReveal}} Reveals]] involving them.
** You can really see what Greaves is doing to [[spoiler: see if Denizen's a thrall]] on the second time through.

* RunOrDie: ''Simon''. He's trapped alone in Crosscaper with the Clockwork Three, and [[{{MuggleBestFriend}} he has no powers,]] so all he can hope to do is avoid them—sneak, hide, run, and simply try to survive until... ''something'' happens.

* SceneryPorn: Due to the DescriptionPorn. Special mention to the description of Os Reges Point.
--> Five great spears of slick black stone rose out of the sea. At their base, the ocean dashed itself to spume and spray, trying and failing to bring them down. They marched like soldiers of ever-increasing height, the fifth and final one a massive pinnacle that must have been more than half a kilometer tall, its staggering bulk bullying the horizon aside.\\

[[{{JawDrop}} Denizen's jaw dropped.]] It actually dropped. He had always thought that phrase was a cliché. It wasn't. He'd just never been to Os Reges Point before.

* SequelHook: What the ''hell'' does the ending of the second book mean?

* SheIsTheKing: [[spoiler: Once Mercy takes over for her father, she keeps the title “The Endless King” because Tenebrous don't have gender binaries so it doesn't matter.]]
* ShoutOut
** Vivian has fought a Tenebrous named [[{{Literature/RawheadRex}} Rawhead Rex.]]

** D'Aubigny's tatoos are based off Rudden's friend [[{{Dedication}} Eilish.]]

** “There was a phrase Denizen had heard in [[{{Series/FawltyTowers}} an old TV show]] the orphanage director had liked—''Don't mention the war''.”
** [[{{Literature/TheDivineComedy}} Malebranche.]]

* StarfishLanguage: The Tenebrous don't speak using them, but the Cants are technically this.
* StealthPun: “Allow me to [[{{CreepyCrows}} caw]] in more civilized tones.”

* StepfordSmiler
** Of the Empty variety, there's [[{{HumanoidAbomination}} the Man in the Waistcoat]]... although the smile doesn't really do much to convince anyone that he's normal.
** Grey is Depressed, and there are a few moments when his mask slips, although the full extent of this isn't apparent until later. [[spoiler:He drifts into the Unstable territory when he has a {{sanity slippage}} and still ''[[{{BrokenSmile}} doesn't stop smiling]].'']]

* SurprisinglyCreepyMoment:
** Given that it's middle-grade, and has a [[{{ClicheStorm}} fairly generic plot summary,]] the events of the prologue can come as an ''incredible'' shock.
** Happens again in chapter three. Denizen is on the way to meet his aunt, [=McCarron=] seems friendly, things are a bit weird but nothing too horrible... and then a massive EldritchAbomination ''suddenly pulls itself out of the rubble of a collapsed tunnel.''
* SurprisinglySuddenDeath: Subverted. [[spoiler: Vivian being shot in the back out of nowhere. [[{{NotQuiteDead}} She gets better]].]]
** [[spoiler: Ambrel, too. [[{{NeverFoundTheBody}} Possibly.]]]]

* SurvivalHorror: Simon is stuck in this.
* SurvivorGuilt: [[spoiler:It turns out this was the reason the first Croit even started their cult—his guilt over surviving while his love, the Redemptress, did not. This helps Denizen come to terms with his own SurvivorGuilt.]]
* SympathyForTheDevil: Utilized in an absolutely heartbreaking way. [[spoiler:Denizen figures out what happened to the Redemptress and the First Croit, and sympathizes enough to try to talk Her down. He cries when Uriel and the others kill Her.]]

* TakenForGranite: Well, iron. If the Cost progresses enough, it turns a Knight completely to iron—not just their skin.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Downplayed and Double Subverted. Denizen tries to talk [[spoiler:Grey]] out of killing him. [[spoiler:It doesn't seem to be working, and [[{{BaitAndSwitchGunshot}} Grey shoots anyway...]] but spares Denizen anyway and lets him escape.]]
** Denizen also tries this on [[spoiler: the Redemptress.]]
* TalkingYourWayOut: Denizen does a variation of this when he's [[spoiler:kidnapped by the Croits and offers to teach them the Cants.]] Although it's less talking his way out of ''capture'', and more talking his way out of ''being murdered and having his blood used as crusade-paint''.

* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Vivian and Greaves.
* TermsOfEndangerment: The Clockwork Three call Vivian “dear girl” and [[spoiler:Grey]] “little Knight.” The latter case is particularly creepy because it sounds almost dehumanizing, as if they were using it as part of their psychological torture.

* ThemeNaming: A lot of the names in the book have to do with darkness.
* ThemeTwinNaming: Uriel and Ambrel are both named after angels, possibly.

* ThisIsReality: “But that was in books, and monsters were real.”

* TrainingTheGiftOfMagic: The power is [[{{WildMagic}} hungry]] and [[{{PowerIncontinence}} dangerous]], and the Cants—the only moderately safe way to even use the magic—are potentially deadly without training, so this becomes necessary to everyone with a connection to the Tenebrae, whether they decide to join the Order or not.
* TrappedWithMonsterPlot: Simon's plotline.
* TrustPassword: Invoked [[spoiler:by [[{{GenreSavvy}} Denizen]] to prove to Simon that he is real. When he starts really overthinking it,]] it turns into more of a case of SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay.
* TwitchyEye: [[spoiler:Grey]] develops this.

* TwoFirstNames: Fuller Jack.
* UnreliableExpositor: The Knights don't know a whole lot about the Tenebrous, which results in this. They warn Denizen that this is the case, though. Grey also has a habit of glossing over information, or giving incomplete/inaccurate explanations, such as when he told Denizen that the reason they lit candles in Seraphim Row was because they'd miss colors (in reality, it's because they act as anchors that prevent the house from [[{{ThinDimensionalBarrier}} falling into the Tenebrae]]).
* TheUsurper: In the third book, the Endless King is overthrown and three Usurpers—[[spoiler: Dragon, the Emissary, and the Opening Boy]]—declare challenges to try to take his place on the throne by proving their strength to the other Tenebrous. Ultimately, [[spoiler: Mercy ascends by returning the Cants.]]

* WainscotSociety: The Order of the Borrowed Dark.
* WalkInChimeIn: “That sounds like an excellent idea, because I'm about ready to retire.”
* WallOfWeapons: The [[{{ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin}} Room of Swords.]]

* WesternZodiac
** Although he probably thought he was a Taurus for most of his life, Denizen is a Libra, since he was born on October 3rd. It seems like an odd sign for him at first, since [[{{FieryRedhead}} he's easily angered]] and [[{{NoSocialSkills}} has all the charisma of a rock,]] but it does fit with his role as TheHeart, his longing for familiarity and peace, and the importance he places on deep relationships, among other traits.
** Simon (born October 26) is a rare heroic Scorpio--fitting, given his love of mystery novels and the significance of his detective skills.
* WhamEpisode: ''Chapter 25.'' [[spoiler:Grey is the Clockwork Three's [[{{ManchurianAgent}} thrall,]] Vivian Hardwick [[{{NotQuiteDead}} appears to]] [[{{SurprisinglySuddenDeath}} die,]] and it's finally revealed what the Three ''want'' and why they're after Denizen.]]
* WhamLine
** Book One: [[spoiler: “Denizen... I'm not your aunt. [[{{LukeIAmYourFather}} I'm your mother.]]”]]
** Book Two: “The Order live?”
* WildMagic: The power of the Tenebrae just wants to be used... ''[[{{SelfDemonstratingArticle}} and really, just once wouldn't hurt, would it?]] Just let your anger out, [[{{PowerIncontinence}} it would be so easy to change the world, to burn the world,]] and come on, [[{{Understatement}} a hand isn't that big of]] [[{{EquivalentExchange}} a sacrifice for this kind of power!]]'' … Yeah, [[{{PowerAtAPrice}} that's why there's a Cost.]]

* YouKnowWhatTheySay: [[{{MeaningfulEcho}} No plan of action]] survives first contact.

* DropTheHammer: The Mallei.

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Tenebrous are driven insane from the weight of being able to see the entire multiverse above them at all times. Denizen himself almost dies from seeing it.

* TheHerosBirthday: The story technically begins on the day ''before'' Denizen's birthday, which is twenty-tree minutes past midnight on October 3rd. Not that he knew this, of course.

* SurpriseCreepy: Given that it's middle-grade, and has a [[{{ClicheStorm}} fairly generic plot summary,]] the events of the prologue can come as an ''incredible'' shock.

* ABirthdayNotABreak: For Simon. [[spoiler: He nearly ''dies'' on his birthday.]]

** Of the Empty variety, there's [[{{HumanoidAbomination}} the Man in the Waistcoat]]... although the smile doesn't really do much to [[{{UncannyValley}} convince anyone that he's normal.]]

** The Croits take this UpToEleven—almost all of their terminology is capitalized words.

* LockAndLoadMontage: An [[{{UpToEleven}} entire chapter]] is devoted to this.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Good luck keeping track of all the Croits.

* BodyMotifs: Hands.

* BrokenRecord: “I need to speak to Edifice Greaves.” [[spoiler: Poor Uriel...]]
* BrokenTears: The Opening Boy and [[spoiler: Grey]].

* EpicFail: A very drugged-up Denizen attempts to use the Art of Apertura. [[{{RealityEnsues}} It goes about as well as one would expect.]]

* RealityEnsues: Mercy gave Denizen knowledge of all seventy-eight Cants, which he can now use at will and with minimal Cost. Cool, right?! Well... actually, no, [[{{BlessedWithSuck}} it sucks.]] The Cants are still WildMagic, and Denizen has an extremely difficult time controlling them. There's a reason most Knights only specialize in a select few of them; they want to be used, and it's painful.

* BadDreams: Denizen started having nightmares about clocks due to the events of the first book, and Simon gets these so bad that he doesn't sleep because all he can think of is being at Crosscaper with the Three.

* GreyingMorality: The series presented itself at first as a [[{{BlackAndWhiteMorality}} traditional good vs. evil story.]] This quickly became muddy ''at best'' in book one, and the conflict became even greyer in book two. The Tenebrous aren't monsters—they're complex, individual creatures capable of feeling love and grief and everything in between.

* FamilyEyeResemblance: Denizen has the same hard {{grey eyes}} as Vivian.

* GreyEyes: The Hardwicks both have grey eyes, described as “the color and softness of a nail.”

''The Forever Court'' takes place six months later, with the Order [[{{NothingIsTheSameAnymore}} still dealing with the aftermath of the events of the first book]] and the implications it carried. And nowhere are the effects felt stronger than in Seraphim Row.

But as Denizen is adjusting to his new life of Knighthood, the Order receives an unexpected letter from the Tenebrous. And not only that, but another dangerous power is gathering in preparation for war...

The third book in the trilogy—''The Endless King''—comes out Spring, 2018.

* AnAesop: Bravery is a choice.

* {{Bookends}}: The prologue of the first book is called “Tick,” and chapter 31 is titled “Tock.”

* {{Determinator}}: ''Vivian.'' She's been a Knight for nearly two decades and has risen to the position of Malleus, which in and of itself implies this, but she also [[spoiler: gets shot {{in the back}} at nearly point-blank range, ''survives it'', gets up, and prepares to go back into battle only a few hours later.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: D'Aubigny and Jack fighting the Clockwork Three so Darcie and Abigail could get away. Jack survives but is left severely wounded, and D'Aubigny dies.]]

* HeroWithAUniqueName: Most everyone else has a real name (Vivian, Simon, Abigail, etc.) and then there's ''Denizen.'' Somewhat Subverted in book two with the introduction of Edifice Greaves, who isn't TheHero, but whose name is also a noun not usually given as a name.

* MeaningfulName: ''Everything''.

* MeaningfulEcho: “Well, you know what they say about plans.”

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Endless King

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Vivian comes back after being shot and laying in a pool of her own blood for who-knows-how-long.]]

** Corinne means “beautiful maiden” and her last name references Julie D'Aubigny.

It's the first book in a trilogy. Book two, ''The Forever Court'', comes out in April, 2017.

* AmbiguousAllegiance: [[spoiler:[[{{AmbiguouslyEvil}} Grey.]] While most of what he does is because of [[{{ManchurianAgent}} thralldom]] and [[{{BrainwashedAndCrazy}} not free will,]] not all of his actions are so cut-and-dry. He shot Vivian in a [[{{MercyKill}} distorted attempt to help,]] but stole her hammer despite having no orders to do so, and has [[{{MysteriousPast}} such unclear motives and backstory]] that [[{{AlternateCharacterInterpretation}} it's nearly impossible to say anything about him]] except that he's an extremely [[{{AccidentalPun}} grey]] character. [[{{AllThereInTheManual}} Also, ]] his [[{{ConflictingLoyalty}} allegiance is divided]], and he's called a traitor in-universe multiple times.]]

* BackToBackBadasses: D'Aubigny and Grey fight Pick-Up-the-Pieces in this manner.

* BigBadEnsemble: The Endless King and the Clockwork Three.

* BondingOverMissingParents: Downplayed, but it's definitely there between Denizen and Grey. [[spoiler:One has to wonder where this will go when Grey learns that Denizen isn't actually an orphan.]]
* {{Bookends}}: The prologue is called “Tick,” and chapter 31 is titled “Tock.”

** Naturally, the kids aren't excused from this, either. [[{{GuiltComplex}} Darcie takes it hard whenever someone gets hurt.]] [[{{MuggleBestFriend}} Simon]] is stuck in an extremely traumatic RunOrDie situation at Crosscaper and Denizen gets to experience several near-death experiences, [[spoiler: betrayal by the second friend he's ever made, the death of someone he cared about, and witnesses [[{{BodyHorror}} other various]] [[{{HarmfulToMinors}} traumatic events,]] which send him into a mild HeroicSafeMode.]]

* CapitalLettersAreMagic: As usual for the genre, this trope is employed... and it's ''[[{{UpToEleven}} all over the place.]]'' Not only is “Knight” always capitalized, there's also the Cost, TheOrder, the King [[note]]the “Endless” part of his name seems to be optional in casual conversation[[/note]], the Court [[note]]in reference to the Forever Court, so this one may be justified[[/note]], Dawnings, Breaches, Tenebrous, the Book of Rust, Cants and Higher Cants [[note]]which are also called Epithets[[/note]], and the name of every single Cant revealed so far.

** Tons in the prologue.

* HeroWithAUniqueName: Most everyone else has a real name (Vivian, Simon, Abigail, etc.) and then there's ''Denizen.''

* HumanoidAbomination: The Clockwork Three, [[spoiler:Mercy]], and apparently some other older Tenebrous.

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Played With. [[spoiler:The Clockwork Three want Vivian to kill Grey because they think it'd be fun. Once Grey makes it perfectly clear that he has to fight her, she doesn't even try to talk him back and ends up neutralizing--but not killing--him.]]

* LastNameBasis: Everyone with D'Aubigny and Jack. Denizen also called Grey “[=McCarron=]” for a little while.

* PowerAtAPrice: The Cost, which turns Knights' skin to iron.

* PunctuationShaker: Tenebrous names employ this sometimes, such as with Pick-Up-the-Pieces and the title Tenebrous use for the Endless King, That-Which-Is-Endless.

* SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable: Comes up in regards to [[spoiler:Grey shooting Vivian.]] Denizen seems to place it more on the unforgivable end, but the action is ambiguous enough that cases could be made for both sides.

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: “Denizen... I'm not your aunt. [[{{LukeIAmYourFather}} I'm your mother.]]”]]

[[{{MeaningfulName}} Denizen Hardwick]] is an orphan. And he has been for eleven of his thirteen years of life—that is, until he's contacted by [[{{LongLostRelative}} an aunt he's never heard of before]] and sees her colleague destroy a [[{{EldritchAbomination}} reality-defying shadow monster]] with spoken sunrise.

He's taken to a place called Seraphim Row, a candle-lit mansion of secrets, and learns that creatures called the Tenebrous tear into our world through the shadows. And his aunt is part of an ancient order of [[{{MagicKnight}} Knights]] who fight to beat them back. Not only that, but Denizen has [[{{SuperpowerfulGenetics}} fire in his own bloodstream,]] giving him the potential to join their fight... and possibly [[{{LockedOutOfTheLoop}} finally get answers about his parents as well.]]

* BondingOverMissingParents: Downplayed, but it's definitely there between Denizen and Grey. [[spoiler:One has to wonder where this will go when Grey learns that [[{{LukeIAmYourFather}} Denizen isn't actually an orphan.]]]]

* CallingTheOldManOut: When Denizen ''finally'' does this to Vivian, it's one of the most satisfying moments of the book.

* ShoutOut: Vivian has fought a Tenebrous named [[{{Literature/RawheadRex}} Rawhead Rex.]]

* TattooAsCharacterType: D'Aubigny has two tattoos: a colorful dominant one across her shoulders, and a black rose on her stomach (although the meaning of that one doesn't fit). Grey has a bird on his shoulder blade. Both characters do have supernatural powers, although neither has actually ever even mentioned their tattoos.

* AnAesop: Bravery is a choice.

** A fuller is a part of a sword.

* DramaticThunder: Frequent at Crosscaper, and often Lampshaded by Simon.

* GoodIsNotNice: She may be protecting the world from shadow monsters, but Vivian still acts very rude to Denizen, refusing to speak to him and criticizing almost everything he does.

* WhamLine: [[spoiler: “Denizen... I'm not your aunt. I'm your mother.”]]

* ConvenientlyAnOrphan: Lampshaded multiple times. Denizen, Simon, and Grey are all orphans.

* AmbiguousAllegiance: [[spoiler:[[{{AmbiguouslyEvil}} Grey.]] While most of what he does is because of [[{{ManchurianAgent}} thralldom]] and [[{{BrainwashedAndCrazy}} not free will,]] not all of his actions are so cut-and-dry. He shot Vivian in a [[{{MercyKill}} distorted attempt to help,]] but stole her hammer despite having no orders to do so, and has [[{{MysteriousPast}} such unclear motives and backstory]] that [[{{AlternateCharacterInterpretation}} it's nearly impossible to say anything about him]] except that he's an extremely [[{{AccidentalPun}} grey]] character. [[{{AllThereInTheManual}} Word of God also says]] that his [[{{ConflictingLoyalty}} allegiance is divided]], and he's called a traitor in-universe multiple times.]]

* HumanoidAbomination: The Clockwork Three, and apparently some other older Tenebrous.

* AmbiguouslyEvil: [[spoiler:Grey. While most of what he does is because of [[{{ManchurianAgent}} thralldom]] and [[{{BrainwashedAndCrazy}} not free will,]] not all of his actions are so cut-and-dry. He shot Vivian in a [[{{MercyKill}} distorted attempt to help,]] stole her hammer despite having no orders to do so, and has [[{{MysteriousPast}} such unclear motives and backstory]] that [[{{AlternateCharacterInterpretation}} it's nearly impossible to say anything about him]] except that he's an extremely [[{{AccidentalPun}} grey character]]. [[{{AllThereInTheManual}} Word of God also says]] that his [[{{ConflictingLoyalty}} allegiance is divided]], and he's called a traitor multiple times.]]

-->--Motto of the Order of the Borrowed Dark

He's taken to a place called Seraphim Row, a candle-lit mansion of secrets, and learns that creatures called the Tenebrous tear into our world through the shadows. And his aunt is part of an ancient order of [[{{MagicKnight}} Knights]] who fight to beat them back. Not only that, but Denizen has fire in his own bloodstream, giving him the potential to join their fight... and possibly [[{{ParentalAbandonment}} finally get answers about his parents as well.]]

** Denizen developed a skeptical view of life and some pretty severe trust issues because of his time at Crosscaper Orphanage ([[{{GenreSavvy}} and reading lots of novels with this trope]]), and his war-hardened aunt refuses to talk to him about his parents... [[{{TheReveal}} He eventually learns]] that [[spoiler: Vivian is his mother, who left him in an orphanage because her world got his father killed, and she wanted to keep him away from it. This only ends up sucking him further in, however.]]

* InsistentTerminology: Every Knight has their own, much to Denizen's confusion: Vivian hates the word "magic," D'Aubigny insists that their fight against the Tenebrous is pest control and not "war," and Grey says Tenebrous aren't [[{{NotUsingTheZWord}} monsters]].

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 25. [[spoiler: Vivian gets shot and we learn that Grey is a thrall for the Clockwork Three,]] to name just a few things that happen.

--> '''Author Bio:''' Dave Rudden enjoys cats, adventure, and [[{{BreadEggsMilkSquick}} being cruel to fictional children.]]