Ink Blood Sister Scribe

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Törzs places magical stories within realistic contemporary settings like an Antarctic research station and rural Vermont. How does this magical realism approach affect your reading experience? How does it compare to traditional fantasy like the Harry Potter series? Does being grounded in reality make the magic feel more believable or unsettling?

2. The novel shifts between three distinct locations and protagonists. How effective did you find this structure in building suspense and developing the characters? Which setting or character’s perspective drew you in most strongly?

3. What aspects of Ink Blood Sister Scribe have stayed with you—the family drama, the magical elements, or the story of institutional corruption?

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

1. Joanna feels trapped by her responsibility to protect the family’s book collection, while Esther is forced into constant travel to keep her family safe. Have you ever felt caught between personal desires and family obligations? How do you navigate competing responsibilities?

2. The sisters’ relationship is strained by years of separation and misunderstanding, yet they ultimately reconcile. What role do you think forgiveness plays in family relationships? How do you handle estrangement or conflict with people you love?

3. Books hold different kinds of magic for each character—Joanna loves romance novels, Esther treasures her mother’s Spanish novel, and Nicholas finds comfort in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Which books have provided you with a sense of transformation, comfort, or connection? What makes certain books feel magical to you?

4. Richard exploits Scribes by using their blood for magic, while claiming to protect them. How do you recognize when someone in a position of authority is taking advantage rather than genuinely helping? What warning signs have you learned to watch for?

5. Esther spends years believing she has no magical abilities before discovering she’s a Scribe. Have you ever discovered a talent or strength you didn’t know you possessed? How did that realization change your sense of identity?

6. The novel concludes with the characters choosing to risk losing their own magical abilities to end the bloodline restrictions. When have you made sacrifices for the greater good? How do you weigh personal costs against broader benefits?

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

1. Richard’s spell restricting magic to specific bloodlines serves as a critique of systems that limit power based on ancestry or inheritance. How does this magical concept reflect real-world issues of privilege, access, and systemic inequality? What parallels do you see to contemporary debates about inherited advantage?

2. The Library claims to preserve knowledge while actually exploiting those who create it. How does this dynamic mirror problems you see in modern institutions like universities, museums, or corporations? What responsibility do institutions have to the individuals who contribute to their success?

3. Törzs draws connections between the magical bloodline restrictions and historical persecution, particularly referencing 1939 Budapest. How effectively does the novel use fantasy elements to comment on real-world prejudice and violence? What does this approach allow the author to explore that realistic fiction might not?

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

1. The narrative shifts between Esther’s, Joanna’s, and Nicholas’s perspectives. How does this structure affect your understanding of each character? What did you gain from seeing events through multiple viewpoints that you might have missed with a single narrator?

2. Mirror magic enables communication across vast distances but also serves as a means of destruction when Trev is pushed through. How does Törzs use mirrors to explore themes of connection and separation? What makes this particular form of magic especially fitting for the story’s concerns?

3. Blood represents, among other things, the intimate sacrifice required for magic and the exploitation of Scribes. How does the author develop blood as a symbol of both connection and abuse? What effect does this duality have on your understanding of the magic system?

4. Esther and Joanna function as foils to each other in their magical abilities and circumstances. How do their contrasting situations—Esther’s constant travel versus Joanna’s confinement, Esther’s immunity versus Joanna’s ability to hear magic—illuminate the novel’s themes? What do their differences reveal about family bonds and individual identity?

5. Sky imagery appears throughout the novel, from the “infected” pale sky when Abe dies to the “hot blue sky” during the final spell (403). How does Törzs use sky descriptions to mark transitions and connect the characters across different locations? What emotions or meanings do these images convey?

6. Magical realism normalizes magic within realistic contemporary settings. How does this genre choice support the novel’s social critiques? What would be different if the story were set in an entirely fictional fantasy world?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The novel ends with the characters preparing to reverse Richard’s bloodline spell, despite the risk of losing their own abilities. Imagine you’re writing the sequel that shows the aftermath of this decision. What unexpected consequences might arise from democratizing magic, and how would the characters handle them?

2. Design your own magical book for the Library’s collection. What would your spell accomplish, what ritual would be required to write it, and what safeguards would you include to prevent misuse? How would you balance the book’s power with its potential dangers?

3. Rewrite the scene where Esther confronts Pearl about the stolen book from Pearl’s perspective. How might Pearl’s motivations and feelings differ from what Esther assumes? What internal conflicts would she experience about getting involved in magical affairs?

Need more conversation starters? Inspire your group with our Discussion Questions tool.