Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did Broken Dove meet your expectations for the dystopian romantasy genre? In what ways did it feel familiar to other books you’ve read, and where did it surprise you or subvert your expectations?

2. The author uses the pseudonym “Dani Francis,” creating a real-world mystery around the book. How did knowing the author’s identity is a secret affect your reading experience, if at all? Did it add another layer of intrigue to the story for you?

3. Think about the ending, which crashes right into a cliffhanger and shifts to Cross’s point of view for the final chapter. What was your immediate reaction to this abrupt shift and the unresolved questions it leaves?

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

1. Think about a time you felt a conflict between a personal loyalty and a larger commitment to a group or an ideal, like Evlynne does in the case of Fisher. How do you navigate situations where personal bonds clash with principles?

2. Wren spends much of the novel hiding the truth about her parents, the “Tin Block Traitors,” for fear of being ostracized. Have you ever felt the need to hide a part of your own story or family background to fit in or avoid judgment?

3. Cross repeatedly hides his suffering from Wren, like when he downplays the severity of his imprisonment. In what ways can protecting someone you care about by hiding the truth actually push them away?

4. Wren does not regret the decision to pull out Tana from the Salt Mine, even though it could have endangered the mission. Would you have made a similar choice?

5. Do you connect with Xavier’s choice of staying back at the Hollow with the Faithful? Would you choose to stay with a community that accepts you for who you are or with one that shares your political beliefs? Is the decision ever easy?

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

1. General Travis Redden uses propaganda to portray the Modified people as an “unnatural” scourge to justify their persecution. Where do you see similar tactics of scapegoating and dehumanizing a minority group in either historical events or contemporary society?

2. How does the damage to nature in the novel’s post-apocalyptic world link with real-world concerns around environmental degradation?

3. What did you make of the gender dynamics in the novel? Why are characters like Wren and Karra pitted as rivals?

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

1. What is the significance of the telepathic links throughout the novel? How does the author use the creation, violation, and severing of these mental connections to illustrate the health or decay of the characters’ relationships, especially between Wren and Cross?

2. The theme of The Impossibility of Moral Purity in War is central to the story. How do the actions of Adrienne, Kallister, and Wren herself demonstrate that in war, the lines between hero and villain can become dangerously blurred?

3. How does the symbol of the bloodmark evolve in its meaning throughout the story? It begins as a sign of Wren’s dangerous power, but what new layers of meaning does it take on when discovered on characters like Valeria and Fisher?

4. Kallister Ash transforms from a seemingly compassionate mentor into a ruthless tyrant. What were the early clues or moments of foreshadowing that hinted at his true nature, and how does his character arc complicate the idea of a “righteous” rebellion?

5. Why do you think the author chose to make Grayson Blake a “grounder,” with the ability to sense and soothe the emotions of others? How does this specific power contrast with his own inability to process his grief and trauma?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you are a member of the Uprising’s Authority right after the Bramble Base disaster. How would you have voted on Kallister’s motion for Order Five to dissolve the council, and what would your reasoning be?

2. If you could give one piece of advice to either Wren or Cross at the moment they decide to end their relationship, what would it be?

3. Picture yourself as a screenwriter adapting Broken Dove for a television series. Which subplot or minor character would you choose to expand on to enrich the world and the story, and why?