Her Soul for Revenge

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Did the novel’s romantic arc make you confident that Zane and Juniper would stay together for eternity? Why or why not?

2. If you read Her Soul to Take, compare Juniper’s and Rae’s methods of fighting the Libiri. Is one better than the other? Do they work together? Are both necessary?

3. Her Soul for Revenge has morally gray protagonists who pursue violence and revenge without remorse. Compare Juniper’s and Zane’s choices to the protagonists of other morally gray romance novels, like From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout or Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver. How did the different moral values of these characters affect your overall impressions of each book?

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

1. Using the novel’s framework for what happens after you bargain away your soul, can you think of anything that would push you to make a deal with a demon like Juniper did?

2. Juniper feels that the most dangerous people hide in plain sight, often by assuming roles that make them look respectable: for example, the doting father, the police officer, or the career woman. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

3. Do you have any piercings or tattoos? Do they have personal meaning to you, like what’s reflected in the novel? What is your relationship to these modifications?

4. How do you manage memories that you might prefer to avoid? Do you feel that it’s best to face them head-on, or is it helpful to try to put these memories aside?

5. Have you ever desired revenge? How did you manage that desire?

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

1. How does the novel’s depiction of hell contradict or overlap with different religious or cultural expressions of hell? How do these differences affect the novel’s sense of moral values?

2. How does the novel present the question of religion? Does it frame all religions as dangerous, like the Libiri, or is the cult singular? How does this align with or diverge from cultural narratives about religion that you’ve experienced?

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

1. How did the dual points of view affect your understanding of the different characters? What, for example, did Zane’s perspective tell you about Juniper that Juniper herself might not realize?

2. What is the significance of Abelaum as a symbol? Does its significance differ for the novel’s different characters?

3. How do the nightmare sequences affect the novel’s tone? Does your opinion change if you compare the italicized sequences (which are presented as clearly outside the text) and the Watcher-inspired sequences, which appear as part of the regular narrative and are only later revealed as not real?

4. Which of the protagonists changes more in the book? Do they change the same amount? How does your answer affect your view of Her Soul for Revenge as being more centrally about Juniper or Zane?

5. Think about genre and your understanding of the text. Laroux uses themes from dark romance, erotica, and horror. How did each of these genres affect your expectations of the novel as you read it?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine Juniper and Zane’s first trip to Hell. What do you think they would do there?

2. Both Juniper and Zane have many tattoos and piercings. Design their next body modification, imagining that it commemorates something from the novel. What would you design? What would you choose to commemorate?