Character Analysis
A fifteen-year-old with a smart mouth and some seriously impressive magic tricks, Wisty is a dedicated daughter and sister. When we first meet her, she has no idea that she's a witch (though, when she later has time to reflect, she wonders if her mother tried to drop some hints over the years). Early in the book, Wisty receives two clues that suggest she has magical abilities: First, she's arrested for being a witch, and then she bursts into flames as she's being dragged away to prison.
Despite these signs, it takes Wisty a while to warm to the possibility of her own magic. To be fair, between being sentenced to death and imprisoned, she has a lot going on. Through all of this, Wisty leans on her brother, with whom she's very close. In prison, they grow even closer: "It seemed so obvious to me now: Whit was a great brother. I wished that it wouldn't have taken a New Order hellhole to prove that one to me" (39.3), she says. Through all their trials, Wisty maintains her sense of humor. No matter how dire the situation, Wisty inevitably has something sassy to say.
Totally Insecure
On top of all the witch stuff and being wrongly imprisoned, Wisty's dealing with something that a lot of girls her age face: plain-old insecurity. As she becomes more aware of her magical powers, Wisty worries that she's somehow defective. She says,
Except for my flower-power first name, I'd mostly escaped freakishness in my life. Now I was an official freak, three times over. A witch flamethrowing radioactive freak. (23.12)
On the upside, her freaky ways come in handy on several occasions, saving the day for both Wisty and those around her when they're under attack.
Wisty's discomfort with who she is doesn't stop at her supernatural skill-set, though. She's also sensitive about her appearance:
I used to stare at myself in the mirror—with my too-fair skin, my too-many freckles, and this awful splotch of red hair—and think that nature, genetics, and karma had really shafted me. (49.2)
She sees her brother's girlfriend, Celia, who's beautiful even in death, and feels a stab of envy. Wisty's very life may be imminently threatened, but she's still a teenager at heart.
Building Confidence
As Wisty becomes more familiar with her powers, her abilities sharpen and her confidence grows. Going into the prison raid, she's the only person who thinks to formulate a plan. She believes in herself so much that she talks Whit through his doubts and leads the team to victory. "I refused to back off my idea, because it was a good one," she says. "I was sure of it" (76.4). Looks like someone's coming into her own a bit.
Because of her leadership role, and because her powers are flashier than Whit's, Wisty seems to be the more powerful of the Allgood siblings. She also experiences the most personal growth—perhaps a byproduct of being the younger of the two. After the prison raid, her appearance changes to reflect this internal change. "Her hair was more auburn than its former red, more like our mother's," Whit observes. (96.21) No doubt about it: Wisty is growing up. And we'll bet dollars to donuts that she keeps coming into her own in future books. So look out, The One Who Is The One—Wisty's a force to be reckoned with.
Wisty's Timeline