Characters Bloodmarked Tracy Deonn

Alice Chen: The Unbreakable Best Friend in Bloodmarked

Overview

Alice Chen is Bree Matthews’s best friend and a crucial ally in the Legendborn world. At first presented as an ordinary university student, Alice is quickly swept into the supernatural conflict after being mesmered by the Order’s Seneschal Tacitus to forget all knowledge of the Order and Bree’s powers. Her arc transforms her from a victim of magical manipulation into a resourceful, courageous, and fiercely loyal young woman who helps orchestrate Bree’s escape and later supports her fight against the Regents.

Plot Role

Alice’s primary plot function is to serve as Bree’s anchor to the human world and to demonstrate the human cost of the Order’s secrecy and abuse of power. She is captured and mesmered by the Regents in Chapter 16 as a means of silencing any witness. Yet her memory is permanently restored when Bree’s healing ancestor Jessie uses Bree’s body as a conduit to break the mesmer. This event makes Alice immune to future mesmer attempts—a fact she later reveals in Chapter 24. When Bree escapes the Institute in Chapter 18, Alice is waiting in a Jeep, having learned of the plan via the Liege network. From that point, she becomes a full participant in Bree’s mission, using her sharp mind, street smarts, and newly acquired combat tools to fight alongside the Legendborn fugitives.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Loyalty and Devotion

Alice’s primary motivation is her love for Bree. Even after being mesmered to forget, her inherent loyalty survives: the mesmer could erase the memories but not the bond. When her memory returns, she immediately dedicates herself to Bree’s safety. She risks her life to drive to the Institute’s service exit and waits in the dark, trusting a voice on a hidden earpiece.

Bravery Under Pressure

Though a non-magical human, Alice repeatedly displays courage. In Chapter 34, she walks up to the demon broker Valec and negotiates a deal by offering valuable information about a thief in his bar. Her voice shakes, but she pushes through fear to secure Bree’s freedom. Alice also learns to fight: she asks Gillian for training and acquires iron knuckles (which negate aether) and an ultrasonic device (“Super Mosquito”) to disable Merlins and demons (Chapter 24).

Quick Thinking and Resourcefulness

Alice demonstrates sharp intellect. She deduces that Bree’s healing made her permanently immune to mesmer. She also picks up Legendborn lore rapidly—understanding the properties of iron, aether, and the function of the ultrasonic device. When trapped at the Crossroads Lounge, she spots the bartender Miranda stealing vials of aether and uses that intelligence as leverage, turning a dangerous situation into a bargaining chip.

Empathy and Emotional Support

Alice is Bree’s emotional rock. In Chapter 30, when Bree is furious about being forced into hiding, Alice holds her and promises, “I’ll be with you. We’ll find another way for you to fight.” She comforts Bree, cracks jokes to lighten the mood, and even braids Bree’s hair, maintaining a sense of normalcy. Her empathy also helps extract a confession from the traitor Jonas in Chapter 26, showing her value beyond physical combat.

Chronological Arc

  1. Before the events of Bloodmarked (backstory): Alice is Bree’s roommate and best friend in the Early College program. She is unaware of the Legendborn until she learns about Bree’s powers during the Rite of Kings in Legendborn.

  2. Mesmer and Erasure (Chapter 16): Following the Rite, Tacitus mesmeres Alice to wipe her memory of the Order and of Bree’s connection to it. She continues living normally, believing Bree is just a friend who moved away.

  3. Memory Restored (likely during the attack in Chapter 5, implied by Chapter 24): When Bree is possessed by ancestor Jessie during a healing, Jessie uses Bree’s root to permanently break the mesmer. Alice remembers everything—and becomes immune to future mesmer attempts.

  4. Escape from the Institute (Chapter 18): Bree sneaks out of the Institute’s gilded prison using a hidden earpiece and keycard. Alice waits in a black Jeep, having coordinated with the Lieges. They drive away to a safehouse.

  5. Safehouse and Training (Chapter 24): At the Georgia safehouse, Alice shows Bree her iron knuckles and ultrasonic device. She explains her theory about permanent mesmer immunity. She also helps Bree realize she can use her Mediumship to consult dead ancestors.

  6. Crossroads Lounge Negotiation (Chapter 34–35): At the magical bar, Alice volunteers a bargain with Valec. She whispers that bartender Miranda is stealing aether vials, exposing the thief and earning the group’s freedom and a meeting with Lucille.

  7. After the Final Battle (Chapter 59–60): Alice is wounded and falls into a coma. William heals her with aether, but fears permanent damage. Bree sits vigil, apologizing and confessing her love before leaving to face the Hunter. Alice’s fate is left uncertain at the book’s end.

Relationships

Bree Matthews

Alice and Bree share a deep, sisterly bond. Alice is the only character outside the Legendborn world who completely knows and accepts Bree for who she is. She calls Bree “Matty” and offers unconditional support, even when Bree’s decisions seem reckless. Their relationship is tested by the secrecy of the Order, but Alice never wavers. After the mesmer, she becomes Bree’s most trusted confidante.

Selwyn Kane

Alice is openly wary of Sel. She distrusts his cambion nature and his history of hunting Bree. In Chapter 24, she calls him “scary” and “a jerk,” though she later grudgingly cooperates. She also teases Bree about Sel, showing she recognises Bree’s feelings. Still, Alice keeps her distance and prioritises Bree’s safety over any alliance.

William

Alice gets along well with William, who respects her intelligence. They share humorous banter, and William helps train her in using the ultrasonic device. Their friendship is low-key but supportive.

The Lieges (Gillian, Samira, Lyssa)

Alice builds a rapport with the Liege women who help plan Bree’s rescue. Samira gives her the ultrasonic device. Gillian teaches her to punch. These connections show Alice integrating into the underground network fighting the Order.

Valec

Alice impresses Valec with her bravery and sharp trading. He calls her mind “wicked sharp” Chapter 44. Their interaction is a key turning point: she gambles with information and wins his respect, securing safe passage.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision 1: Choosing to help Bree escape

After her memory returns, Alice decides to risk everything to rescue Bree. She drives to the Institute, ignores the danger, and waits in the Jeep. Consequence: She is fully drawn into the legendborn conflict, but she becomes indispensable to Bree’s survival.

Decision 2: Learning to fight

Alice asks Gillian to train her with iron knuckles and takes the ultrasonic device. Consequence: She can defend herself and others against magical threats, transforming from a victim to an active fighter.

Decision 3: Bargaining with Valec

At the Crossroads Lounge, Alice steps forward to offer a deal: she will reveal a thief in exchange for the group’s freedom. Consequence: The group gains an audience with Lucille and temporary safety, but Alice also puts herself in a dangerous position with a demon broker. The deal also reveals her quick thinking and courage under pressure.

Decision 4: Staying with Bree when ordered to hide

When Sel, William, and Alice decide that Bree must be hidden while they rescue Nick, Alice argues with Bree but ultimately accepts the plan. She then promises to find another way for Bree to fight. Consequence: Alice demonstrates loyalty while respecting the group’s tactical needs. She continues to support Bree emotionally and practically.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Grief and Intergenerational Trauma

Alice is a symbol of the pain caused by the Order’s secrecy and racism. Her mesmer represents how institutions erase inconvenient truths. Her eventual recovery and immunity reflect Bree’s own journey toward reclaiming her history and identity. Read more about grief and intergenerational trauma.

Institutional Racism

Alice, like Bree, is a young Black woman targeted by a white-dominated institution. The Regents mesmer her to maintain control, treating her as collateral damage. Her resistance—especially her immunity to mesmer—parallels Bree’s fight against the Order’s oppression. See the institutional racism theme page.

Ancestral Legacy

Alice’s permanent mesmer immunity comes from Bree’s ancestor Jessie. This shows how ancestral power can protect the living. Alice embodies the idea that the past can shield the future. Explore ancestral legacy.

Choice vs. Fate

Alice chooses to fight despite having no magical powers. She could have stayed safe, but she actively picks to involve herself. Her agency contrasts with the fatalism of the Legendborn bloodlines. More on choice vs. fate.

Trust and Betrayal

Alice’s story highlights trust: she trusts Bree even after the mesmer endangers her. She also gains the trust of the Lieges and Valec through her honest negotiation. The betrayal of the Order (mesmering her) is contrasted with her own trustworthiness. Read about trust and betrayal.

5 Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. How does Alice become permanently immune to mesmer?

Bree’s ancestor Jessie, a healer, possessed Bree’s body after Isaac attacked Alice in Legendborn. Using Bree’s Bloodcraft and Medium powers, Jessie broke the original mesmer and in doing so rewired Alice’s mind to resist all future mesmeric effects. Alice herself deduces this in Chapter 24, explaining that the healing “stuck.”

2. What weapons does Alice pick up to defend herself?

Alice acquires iron knuckles (which negate aether) and an omnidirectional ultrasonic acoustic device called a “Super Mosquito.” The device can incapacitate demons and cambions by targeting their sensitive hearing. She also learns basic hand-to-hand combat from Liege Gillian.

3. Why does Alice decide to strike a deal with the demon broker Valec?

At the Crossroads Lounge, the group is threatened with violence or being forced to make a demonic bargain. Alice notices bartender Miranda stealing vials of aether. She uses that information to propose a trade: her intelligence in exchange for her friends’ freedom and an audience with Lucille. Her gamble works, and Valec respects her sharpness.

4. How does Alice react when Bree tells her she might have to go into hiding?

In Chapter 30, Bree is furious about being hidden while Sel, William, and Alice rescue Nick. Alice comforts Bree, holds her, and promises, “I’ll be with you. We’ll find another way for you to fight.” She puts aside her own desire to fight to support Bree’s emotions.

5. What is Alice’s fate at the end of Bloodmarked?

Alice falls into a coma after being healed by William during the final battle. William fears the aether used may cause permanent damage. Bree sits with her, apologizes, and says she loves her before leaving to confront the Hunter. Alice’s condition is left unresolved, setting up her fate for the next book.