I work with adolescents and I was impressed with how James kept adolescence incorporated into the character development and story. It is a terrible place to come into one’s adulthood, but I think some of the characteristics of adolescents (risk taking, strong emotions, creativity, self-construction, and more) mean that Lilith is a dynamic protagonist. She is not set in her identity nor her opinions, so we get to experience her world through her adolescent lens.