Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Dry and Sarcastic
Nikki isn't your average world-weary and cynical teenager—she's actually spent a century having her emotions drained by an immortal sociopath. So while lots of teens are jaded, there's some extra zing to her words when she sarcastically describes things for us. And girl has totally earned it.
For instance, Nikki's return to high school after the Feed majorly stinks. Most people think she was on drugs—but then again, in her mind, that's better than the alternative. She tells us:
I'd rather people believed the rumors than have to try to explain that I'd been in some version of the Underworld for a hundred years. I didn't need everyone thinking I was crazy, too. (2.51)
Do you get a whiff of dry humor there, or is it just us? Nikki's all, yeah, sure—believe I was an addict; it's better than thinking I'm nuts. And when she is, we can just see her eyes rolling.
At another point, Nikki jokes about her dad reading a pamphlet titled "Defining Expectations: How to Reconnect with Your Strung-Out Teenage Daughter" (2.65) because of how awkward his attempts to reconnect with her are after the Feed. Sarcasm: check.
The dry, cynical tone Nikki employs keeps us chuckling even as we feel badly for what she's going through. It's a refreshing—if dark—take on teenage angst. And like we said, Nikki isn't just fronting when it comes to her world-weariness. She's had a long slog, and seen a whole lot of terrible stuff, so she's really earned the cynicism she feels by the time we meet her.