Accomplice to the Villain

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your overall impressions of Accomplice to the Villain. Which were your favorite and/or least favorite aspects of the novel, and why?

2. How did your experience reading Accomplice to the Villain compare to your experiences reading Assistant to the Villain and Apprentice to the Villain? How do the titles function together?

3. Compare and contrast Accomplice to the Villain with other romantic fantasy novels. What narrative and thematic parallels do you notice between Maehrer’s title and titles like Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thrones and Roses and/or Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone?

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

1. How did you respond to the revelation that Evie’s parents gave her dark magic to Trystan? How did this plot twist affirm or subvert your expectations for the characters’ future?

2. Trystan feels trapped by his assigned role as The Villain. Have you ever felt weighed down by others’ expectations of who you should be? How does your personal experience compare and contrast with Trystan’s?

3. How does Evie and Trystan’s forbidden romance resonate with your own romantic experiences? Which aspects of their dynamic were least and/or most believable to you, and why?

4. Evie has a complex family life. How do her relationships with her siblings and parents resonate with your own? Which aspects of her family culture were least relatable to you, and why?

5. Trystan and Kingsley have a close bond but feel distant from each other in the narrative present. How does their friendship compare to your closest friendships? Have you ever gone through periods of distance from your friends? How did you overcome them?

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

1. Analyze the novel as a work of social commentary. Which aspects of the characters’ society are analogous to contemporary society? Particularly consider the roles each character or set of characters is forced to play within their professional and family lives.

2. Explore the events and experiences that contribute to Evie’s journey towards self-empowerment. How does her journey either subvert or challenge gender stereotypes about women’s roles in society? Identify examples from the text.

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

1. The novel is written in the third person, though each chapter connects to a specific point of view character. Analyze how this formal choice relates to the overarching themes. How would the novel differ if written in the first-person?

2. What impact have family expectations played on Evie and Trystan’s adult selves? Do they overcome these familial challenges? Why or why not?

3. Explore how the Massacre Manor setting impacts each of its inhabitants. How do the characters’ actions and personalities change outside of this location?

4. Identify three symbols in the novel and explore their significance to the novel’s themes. For example, what do Rennedawn, the guvre, and Evie’s sketch represent, and how do they function within the wider narrative world?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were Trystan and you’d just discovered that your parents had infused you with your lover’s dark magic, how would you respond? How would your behavior differ from or align with Trystan’s? What would you do differently, and why?

2. Create a collage that captures the tenor and trajectory of Evie and Trystan’s relationship. As you select your images, consider which scenes and plot points contribute to their evolving dynamic. Share your collage and explain your reasoning behind the images you chose.