A Ruin of Roses

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your reaction to the romance between Finley and Nyfain. Does the relationship seem healthy? Why or why not?

2. Compare A Ruin of Roses to other fantasy retellings of Beauty and the Beast, such as Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses or Naomi Novik’s Uprooted. How do each of the books you compared build off the source text and make it their own? What does each adaptation offer in terms of commentary against the original?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Reflect on the ideas discussed in The Importance of Resilience, and relate them to a time you cultivated resilience in the face of strife. Do you more strongly identify with Finley or Nyfain’s outlook for the kingdom? Why?

2. Discuss The Harm that Comes from Shirking Responsibility. Have you ever used blame to get out of taking responsibility? How did it make you feel? Would you do it again? Why or why not?

3. Have you ever been in a romantic relationship that ended as Finley’s did with her ex-boyfriend? If so, did you react as Finley did? Does her reaction seem realistic?

4. Explore the societal structure of Finley’s village. Compare and contrast it to the societal structure you live in. Are they similar? Completely different? What comments does Finley’s village offer about your societal experiences?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Analyze how A Ruin of Roses comments on gender inequality and traditional gender ideology. How do Finley and Hannon specifically add to the discussion of traditionally masculine and feminine roles?

2. Explore how the ideas discussed in Escaping Restrictive Gender Norms apply to the real world. In what ways does the society in which you live use gender expectations to force people into restrictive roles? In what ways does it allow people to be nonconforming?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Analyze Breene’s choice to include the Prologue. Does this introductory chapter add to the story’s overall effectiveness? Why or why not? Would the story stand up without the Prologue?

2. Discuss Hadriel and Hannon as representations of the worlds from which each comes. How are they products of their lives in the castle/village? How do they break the mold of the world they live in (if at all)?

3. Explore the significance of the demonic presence in the castle and the sexual acts that backdrop life there. How does the inclusion of these acts build the world of the castle? What does it offer in terms of how the curse has affected the castle denizens? Would the book be the same without these acts as a backdrop here?

4. Discuss Breene’s use of the everlass plant throughout the book. How does the everlass symbolize or depart from the use of roses in other popular adaptations of Beauty and the Beast? Is the everlass meant to stand in for roses? Why or why not?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If this book were adapted into a movie, who would you cast as Finley and Nyfain? Is your choice more based on their appropriateness for the individual characters or their potential on-screen chemistry?

2. Create a playlist made up of songs that capture key scenes from the book. Would you use any of the songs from either Disney adaptation of Beauty and the Beast? Why or why not, and if so, for which scenes?