Breadcrumbs: Chapters 21–25

by Anne Ursu
In this modernized fairy tale, Hazel must journey into an icy forest to rescue her best friend Jack from a snow queen.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–13, Chapters 14–20, Chapters 21–25
25 words 75 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. floe
    a flat mass of ice drifting at sea
    His home was a small ice floe in the middle of an inky lake.
  2. mirth
    great merriment
    The witch came and asked him questions and pronounced him delightful, but he could see no delight in her eyes. Amusement, perhaps. Maybe even mirth. But never delight.
  3. seething
    in constant agitation
    Hazel could not see a path ahead of her, but still she moved forward into the great seething nothing—for she had put her faith in the cold now, as it was all she had left.
  4. nobility
    elevation of mind and exaltation of character
    It should have been determination pulling her forward, the surety of her quest, the nobility of her heart.
  5. tumult
    violent agitation
    It was not survivable, the cold and the tumult and the endless sickening sky.
  6. minaret
    a slender tower with balconies, especially on a mosque
    It was simple—a small square with a dome framed by four minarets.
  7. preside
    act as executive officer
    It was like this plain had birthed it, just for Jack, and now it presided proudly over this kingdom of nothing.
  8. lamentable
    bad; unfortunate
    She was a lamentable splotch, her black hair and brown skin and green shirt and blue jeans and purple backpack a speck in this eternal whiteness.
  9. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    Hazel did not know what she’d expected. Servants. Minions. Something.
  10. appraise
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
    Hazel shivered and clattered as the witch appraised her.
  11. chaise longue
    a long chair for reclining
    There was a long white chaise longue and two tall, curvy white armchairs.
  12. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    The witch’s brow furrowed.
  13. inexorable
    impossible to prevent, resist, or stop
    Something released inside of her, some cold inexorable pulling.
  14. diligently
    in a hard-working manner
    He worked diligently, constantly, but every time he made something fit together, another problem presented itself.
  15. valiantly
    with heroic courage or bravery
    “Um, I’m sorry,” she said, struggling valiantly to keep her voice steady.
  16. scuff
    mar or wear away by rubbing or scraping
    His eyes fell on the big black scuff, then the signature.
  17. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    “Hazel,” he repeated, like her name was a revelation.
  18. leach
    use a liquid to dissolve out or remove a substance
    She held him like that, willing him to leach warmth from her, willing his body to learn from the rhythm of her heartbeat, the steadiness of her breath.
  19. desolate
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    The witch did not step toward them, she did not call to them, she merely stood there, completely still, the center of this desolate universe, while the air bowed to her.
  20. roil
    make turbid by stirring up the sediments of
    And the water roiled, and the witch watched on, and Hazel could hear the bells of her voice in her head: Do you see, now, there are things worse than the ice.
  21. patter
    make light, rapid and repeated sounds
    She kept pattering along, “Almost there, almost there, just a little farther.”
  22. trill
    sing or play alternating with the half note above or below
    The other raven trilled at her, and she got the distinct impression it was telling her she was an idiot.
  23. hackles
    a feeling of anger and animosity
    Hazel’s hackles instinctively went up, and then she breathed them away.
  24. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
    “I see,” said Tyler’s mom, looking dubious.
  25. thrall
    the state of being under the control of another person
    She found her friend in the thrall of a queen who lived in a palace of ice and had a heart to match.
Created on Tue Apr 14 11:06:08 EDT 2020 (updated Tue Apr 14 11:21:35 EDT 2020)

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