LossBoth of the main characters have lost loved ones. Alek has just lost both of his parents at the beginning of the book and goes through the five stages of grief. Whereas Deryn's loss happened in the past. She wants to regain some part of him by flying again. She does this by joining the army.
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WarThe premise of this book is that it is an alternate history set in World War I. The war affects Alek the most as he is the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. He has to go on the run soon after his parents are killed, starting the war.
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EvolutionThere are two sides to this war mirroring the real-life events: The Clankers and Darwinists. The Darwinists have found a way to genetically modify animals by splicing their life strings together. They use these animals to fight their wars while the Clankers are horrified that they would play God.
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