READERS GUIDE

Reading Group Discussion Questions for These Vile Hearts
1.     Maddox’s diabetes is not just a medical condition but a force shaping her choices, fears, money, autonomy, and desperation. How did the novel’s portrayal of chronic illness affect the way you understood her pact with the Myrtle Queen? Did you ever understand Maddox’s willingness to accept the bargain, even if you didn’t agree with it?
2.     Castor’s curse makes love dangerous, while Maddox’s life has taught her that needing people is dangerous. How do their fears mirror each other?
3.     Which was your favorite scene in the book, and why?
4.     How about your favorite line or paragraph?
5.     If you could sit down with one character and tell them one hard truth, who would it be, and what would you say?
6.     Maddox and Castor are both shaped by childhood abandonment and family wounds. How did their different histories influence the way they responded to intimacy?
7.     Tamarind’s loyalty to Castor is complicated by duty, old friendship, fear, and love. How did your feelings about Tamarind change over the course of the story?
8.     Were you surprised by the final transformation Maddox undergoes? Did it feel like a cure, a curse, a rebirth, or something more complicated?
9.     The ending leaves Maddox and Castor changed, separated, and still bound up in dangerous politics. What do you most hope happens next for them?
10.  If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?