A Torch Against the Night

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did the shift between three perspectives, particularly Helene’s viewpoint, change your reading experience compared to the first book, An Ember in the Ashes? What did you gain, or lose, by seeing the conflict through her eyes?

2. The novel’s pacing is relentless, moving from a desperate chase to a political conspiracy and finally to an intense prison break. Which section of the story did you find most gripping, and why? Were there any points at which you felt like the narrative lagged?

3. What did you think of the book’s blend of brutal, Roman-inspired military fantasy and its fantasy elements, like the jinn and the Waiting Place? Did one aspect of the world-building resonate with you more than the other?

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

1. Helene is constantly torn between her loyalty to Elias and her sworn duty to a corrupt Empire. Can you think of a time when you’ve felt caught between a personal loyalty and a professional or civic obligation?

2. Mamie Rila uses storytelling as a powerful tool to incite a riot and create a diversion. How have stories, whether family histories, cultural myths, or even news narratives, shaped your own understanding of community or resistance?

3. What experiences in your own life, big or small, have pushed you to discover strengths or a level of resilience you didn’t know you possessed, much like Laia does on her journey to Kauf?

4. Elias redefines his grandfather’s violent mantra, turning a creed about killing into a declaration of devotion for Laia. Have you ever reinterpreted a piece of advice or a belief from your past to better fit the person you are today?

5. The characters often face “impossible choices” where every option leads to some form of loss. When you’re faced with a difficult decision that has no clear “right” answer, what principles or values help guide you?

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

1. The Martial Empire attempts to control the Scholar population by systematically erasing their history, knowledge, and even their lives. Can you see parallels between this fictional genocide and historical or current events in which a ruling power has sought to oppress a group by controlling their narrative?

2. How does the novel’s depiction of absolute power leading to moral decay, as seen in Emperor Marcus and the Commandant, reflect real-world political dynamics? What does the story suggest about the kind of personality that seeks and maintains such power?

3. The Scholar Resistance begins with small, desperate acts that eventually fuel a larger uprising. What does the book argue about the catalysts for social change and the role that individual sacrifice plays in movements of collective liberation?

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

1. How does Helene’s first-person perspective complicate the moral landscape of the series? By seeing her internal torment, how did it affect your view of her as an antagonist?

2. What significance does the Waiting Place hold in the story? How does it serve as a literal setting and a metaphorical place along Elias’s journey?  

3. Secrets and storytelling are used as weapons by many characters. In what ways do figures like Keenan, Mamie Rila, and the Warden use narratives to manipulate, inspire, or control others?

4. The silver masks are a powerful symbol of identity. How do Elias and Helene’s contrasting relationships with the mask—one casting it off, the other being forced to embrace it—illustrate their divergent paths?

5. How did the twist revealing Keenan as the ancient jinn, the Nightbringer, affect your understanding of the story’s central conflict? How did it reframe the political struggle?

6. The impossible choices Helene faces are a staple of dystopian young adult (YA) fiction. How do her sacrifices and moral compromises compare to those made by characters in a series like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, or Divergent, in which personal desires are constantly weighed against a greater cause?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. At the end of the novel, Helene fully embraces her identity as the Blood Shrike, having been “unmade.” Imagine you were to write the next chapter from her perspective. What would be her first strategic move against the Commandant, and what internal thoughts would accompany it?

2. Elias is now the Soul Catcher, a supernatural guardian bound to the Forest of Dusk. If you could create a “day in the life” for him in this new role, what would it look like? What kinds of souls might he guide, and how would he balance that eternal duty with his connection to Laia?

3. The Warden is a chillingly sadistic character, but his backstory is never fully explained. Imagine you’re writing a prequel short story about him. What events do you think shaped him into the intellectual monster who runs Kauf Prison?