Exodus

How does Cecelia systematically dismantle the performative masculinity that Tobias King uses to maintain his authority over her?

The chess motif draws attention to Tobias’s belief in control. How do Cecelia’s actions make her a more strategic game-player while simultaneously challenging Tobias’s ruthless worldview?

How does the author’s frequent allusions to The Thorn Birds frame Cecelia’s understanding of her own agency? Be sure to consider how she embraces and ultimately rejects the novel’s narrative of tragic, fated love.

The revelation that Roman Horner acted to protect Cecelia and her mother complicates his initial role as the story’s primary villain. How does this narrative twist reframe The Ravenhood’s vigilante crusade?

Trace the symbolic evolution of the raven wings throughout the novel.

How does Stewart’s novel conform to the key tropes of the dark romance genre? What aspects of the story uphold the genre’s typically misogynistic, patriarchal standards? What aspects challenge these conventions?

How does the author use key settings such as battlegrounds in the psychological war between Cecelia and Tobias?

What are the practical reasons behind the novel’s six-year jump forward in time?