Chapter 5: Colin — Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens in the middle of the ballroom celebration at Ravenfall. Colin and Anna are talking when a scream cuts through the noise. Anna initially dismisses it as Max, the cat, messing with a guest, but a second and third scream follow. The house groans as if bending in the wind, and the lights flicker. Nora and Elaine try to calm the guests, but Anna’s face shows genuine panic, and Colin realizes this is not a normal occurrence.

Chaos erupts as guests flee. Colin instinctively steps in front of Anna and sees the cause: ghosts are appearing throughout the ballroom. One man in a blue cardigan hovers two inches off the ground, half inside a wall. Another wears a black funeral suit with a gaping hole in his chest and walks straight through a guest. All the spirits are outlined in a lustrous silver glow. Colin asks Anna if they are dead, and she replies, “More or less.”

Nora calls for Max. The cat leaps from the table and begins to transform. His body ripples, his shoulders broaden, his paws grow longer, and bulges extend from his back. His tail lengthens and spikes shoot out along it. In moments, the small black cat is replaced by a huge creature with lean muscle, a square muzzle, a thick angular head, giant dragonesque wings, and jagged teeth. Anna reminds Colin that this is a jabberwocky. Max turns a nearly transparent ethereal silver and steps into the path of a spirit. The spirit walks into him, and Max’s body ripples, absorbing it like a drop of water into a pond. He then moves around the room, gathering spirits one by one.

Colin expects to be scared, but instead he feels curious. He tells Anna she owes him many answers when this is over. Anna gives him a strange look of pleasant surprise and excitement, but then her face pales. Colin follows her gaze and freezes: his parents are stumbling toward them, silvery and ghostly. His mother’s face is colorless and slack, and his father’s gray eyes are dull and empty. Both bear vicious purple handprints on their throats. Anna tries to pull Colin away, but he cannot move. His parents’ heads loll unnaturally, and Colin’s stomach turns. He whispers, “They’re dead.”

His parents stop in front of them. Colin tries to touch his father, but his fingers go straight through with a phantom chill. His father’s mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out. Colin asks what the people wanted and why they killed his parents. Anna asks his mother why she is here. The mother’s form flickers like a faulty light, and she whispers hoarsely, “Keep him safe. They’re coming.” Then both parents disappear.

Colin stares at the empty space, then collapses into a chair and buries his face in his hands. When he closes his eyes, he sees his parents’ empty faces. Anna tries to comfort him, saying everything will be okay. Colin notices her hand on his arm and asks why she is not having a vision when she touches him. Anna replies, “I see only one.” This small piece of information grounds Colin, and he realizes that what overwhelmed him was not the strange things he learned but the questions that came with them.

Anna retracts her hand. The ghosts are gone, and Elaine and Nora are reassuring the remaining guests, passing off the event as a performance. Max has returned to his feline form and sits licking one paw. Colin asks what happened and how his parents died. Anna looks uncomfortable but explains that spirits are always around in Wick, and the closer to Samhain it gets, the easier it is for them to cross over. A flood of spirits is unusual, even for Ravenfall. She adds that when people die violently, their spirits sometimes do not move on; their unfinished business keeps them tethered to the human world.

Colin clenches his fists and asks if his parents came to warn him, meaning he is their unfinished business. Anna says she does not know. She mentions that she first saw a wisp, which never happens this far from Samhain, and now this flood of spirits. She says, “It’s not good, Colin. What’s dead needs to stay dead.” Regret crosses her face when Colin flinches, and she apologizes. She offers to walk him back to his room.

Colin stays quiet on the way, replaying the scene in his head. When they reach his bedroom door, he realizes the house never announced another guest. He asks about Liam, but Anna shakes her head, saying the house would have told them. Colin looks down the hall, wondering what could be keeping Liam. He thinks Liam would have found the men and had them arrested by now, unless he was still tracking them down or something worse happened. Colin stops the thought before it forms. He believes Liam would not have let himself get hurt or left him alone. He promised he would be there. Colin resolves that until Liam arrives, it is up to him to find answers.

Key Events

Ghosts appear in the ballroom during the celebration, causing panic among the guests.
Max transforms from a cat into a large winged jabberwocky and absorbs the spirits one by one.
Colin’s parents appear as ghosts with purple handprints on their throats and deliver a warning: “Keep him safe. They’re coming.”
Anna explains that spirits appear more frequently near Samhain and that violent deaths can tether spirits to the human world.
Colin learns that Anna sees only one vision when she touches him, which grounds him.
Colin realizes the house never announced another guest, and Liam has still not arrived.
Colin decides to find answers on his own while waiting for Liam.

Character Development

Colin undergoes a significant shift in this chapter. Initially, he is overwhelmed by the supernatural events, but his reaction evolves from fear to curiosity. He notes that he feels more curious than scared, and he asks for answers rather than retreating. The appearance of his parents’ ghosts forces him to confront grief and loss, but it also gives him a clear purpose: to understand what happened and to protect himself from the coming threat. His resolve to find answers himself, despite Liam’s absence, marks a move from passive observer to active participant in the mystery.

Anna serves as a guide and protector. She tries to shield Colin from the ghosts, especially his parents, and she explains the rules of the supernatural world. Her discomfort when discussing violent deaths and unfinished business reveals that she carries her own burdens. Her comment that she sees only one vision hints at a limitation or a personal connection that is not yet fully explained.

Max is revealed to be more than a cat. His transformation into a jabberwocky shows that even the household pets are part of the hidden supernatural world. His ability to absorb spirits suggests a protective role, and his calm return to feline form afterward indicates that this is a routine occurrence for him.

Colin’s parents appear only as ghosts, but their warning establishes them as caring figures who are concerned for Colin’s safety even after death. Their violent deaths and the purple handprints on their throats suggest murder, adding a layer of mystery to the plot.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The thinning veil at Samhain: Anna explains that spirits cross over more easily as Samhain approaches. This motif establishes a seasonal rhythm to the supernatural activity and raises the stakes as the holiday nears.
Unfinished business and violent death: The idea that spirits remain tethered to the human world when they die violently is central. Colin’s parents’ appearance suggests they have unfinished business related to protecting him.
The house as a sentient entity: Ravenfall itself is aware of guests and announces arrivals. Colin’s realization that the house never announced Liam’s arrival is a key clue, implying that the house’s knowledge is reliable and that Liam’s absence is significant.
The jabberwocky as a guardian: Max’s transformation from a small cat to a fearsome creature symbolizes the hidden power within the seemingly ordinary. It also reinforces the idea that protection can come from unexpected sources.
The purple handprint: This visual symbol of violence recurs on the throats of Colin’s parents, marking them as victims of murder and linking their deaths to the larger threat that is “coming.”

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the novel. It introduces the central mystery of Colin’s parents’ deaths and the warning that something is coming. It also establishes the rules of the supernatural world—spirits, Samhain, and the role of Ravenfall as a haven. Colin’s decision to seek answers himself sets up his active role in the plot, while Liam’s unexplained absence creates a secondary mystery that will likely drive future events. The chapter deepens the emotional stakes by connecting the supernatural threat directly to Colin’s family, making his quest personal. It also showcases the world-building, from Max’s transformation to the house’s sentience, and sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Colin feel more curious than scared when he sees the ghosts and Max’s transformation?

Colin explains that he expected to be scared, but instead he feels curious. He had already believed Anna’s explanations about her powers, and the Wish Cider and ghosts “seal the deal.” The strangeness is not what overwhelms him; it is the unanswered questions. His curiosity drives him to ask for answers and ultimately to seek them himself.

2. What does the purple handprint on Colin’s parents’ throats suggest, and how does it connect to the warning they deliver?

The purple handprints are a visual sign of violence, indicating that Colin’s parents were murdered. Their warning, “Keep him safe. They’re coming,” suggests that the same threat that killed them is now targeting Colin. The handprints tie their deaths to the larger mystery of who or what is coming, making Colin’s quest for answers a matter of survival.

3. How does the house’s failure to announce another guest affect Colin’s understanding of Liam’s absence?

Colin realizes that the house never announced another guest, and Anna confirms that the house would have told them. This means Liam has not arrived at Ravenfall, which is unusual because he promised to be there. Colin considers possibilities—Liam might still be tracking the men, or something might have happened to him. The house’s sentience makes its silence a reliable clue, deepening the mystery and motivating Colin to act on his own.