Oathbound

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How do you feel about the choices Bree made at the beginning and end of the novel? Would you have made the same choices in her situation?

2. Which plot developments did you see coming, and which came as a surprise? Did you expect Bree would get her memories back and reunite with her friends? Did you see the final plot twist of the novel coming? How effectively did Deonn manage or manipulate your expectations?

3. Did the novel’s ending leave you eager to read the next book in the series? How did Deonn provide narrative resolution while maintaining mystery and suspense in the narrative arc of the series?

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

1. Have you ever felt pressure to be someone you are not because of your legacy or the people around you?

2. Have you ever put your own plans on hold to help a stranger, as Bree does in rescuing the Rootcrafter girls? If so, what led you to make this choice?

3. How does the novel depict the relationship between biological family and “found family”? How does this align with your own experience of these concepts?

4. Has there ever been a time when you chose yourself over your friends? How do you feel about Bree’s choice to get her soul back and risk Alice’s life?

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

1. What do you think Deonn is trying to say about the political impact of legends and myths by rewriting the story of King Arthur?

2. How does the exploitation of Bree’s powers and the four kidnapped Rootcrafter girls reflect the treatment of Black girls in modern society?

3. Does the Order or its Council of Regents have any parallels in the real world? How do its structures of power reflect real-world social hierarchies?

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

1. How does Bree’s role as a King guide her decision-making throughout the novel? What other roles are in tension with this one?

2. How did the jumps between different times and perspectives impact your reading experience? Did it confuse you or help you to better understand the relationships presented in the novel?

3. Why do you think Nick’s perspective is only given once in the novel, whereas characters like William, Mariah, and Natasia have multiple chapters from their point of view?

4. Bree loses Excalibur right at the beginning of the novel. How does this loss affect Bree’s character development for the rest of the book?

5. How does the revelation that Erebus is Selwyn’s father change the tone of the novel? Did this change your thoughts or feelings about either character?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. How do you think Bree, Nick, and Sel will come out of the novel’s ending standoff? Write a new final scene in which this standoff is resolved.

2. If you were in Bree’s place, would you have bargained with a demon? Why or why not? Write an interior monologue from your own perspective in which you face and consider this choice.

3. If you could have one of the characters’ powers in the novel, which would you choose, and what would you use it for?