A River Enchanted

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss child abduction and pregnancy loss. In addition, the source text uses outdated and offensive terms for children whose parents are not married, which are only replicated in this section in direct quotes of the source.

Jack is the protagonist of the text. He is described as being tall, with dark hair and sharp features. He is the first character to appear, and most of the narrative follows his perspective. The Tamerlaines sent him away to the mainland to attend university and study music when he was a child, and he is summoned to return 10 years later by Adaira, Heiress of the East, to use his musical abilities to solve the mystery of the missing girls. Jack is a dynamic character, whose sense of self and relationship to his community grows throughout the narrative. When he first arrives back in Cadence, he doesn’t feel as though he belongs, categorizing himself as a mainlander even as those around him welcome him back into the Tamerlaine clan. He felt unwanted and alone as a child and carries these feelings into adulthood.