How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Father always said that, with war on the horizon, everyone in the household had to be prepared. (2.13)
The idea that war is coming overshadows the whole first half of the novel—everyone is looking toward it and expecting it. It seems to us like this might make it easier to prevent, but we guess not when you're a nation-state with alliances all tied up like last year's Christmas lights.
Quote #2
"Assassins struck twice in the morning," Volger said. "Serb schoolboys hardly older than you, first with bombs and then with pistols. Both times they failed. Then last night a feast was given in your father's honor, and he was toasted for his bravery. But poison took your parents in the night." (5.35)
The assassination of Alek's parents really is the first major step on the road to war—as the assassination of the real Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Princess Sophie was in real life. And to think: people thought it was no big deal at the time.
Quote #3
His Serene Highness, Prince Aleksander of Hohenberg, was alone now. He might never see his home again. The armed forces of two empires were hunting him, set against one walker and four men. (6.41)
We'll be honest: we do not like those odds. If we weren't sure that Alek was one of the protagonists, we'd be pretty worried about him.