Willmar Public Library Reads discussion

1. What do you think of the Crown’s Game competition? Do you think the rules are fair? Why do you think the game has gone on for so long?

2. Each person participating in the game gets five moves. What did you think about Vika and Nikolai’s moves?

3. What did you think about the relationships between Galina/Nikolai and Sergei/Vika? Does their relationship affect how they play the game?

4. The book has two brother-sister pairs (Sergei/Galina and Pasha/Yuliana). What do you think about their relationships with one another? How are they similar/different?

5. What did you think about the character Aizhana? Was she right to take revenge on the tsar? Do you think she has really left St. Petersburg?

6. Now that the tsar is dead, do you think Pasha will make a good replacement? Do you think he wants to be tsar?

7. Why do you think Nikolai kept his magic a secret from Pasha? Do you think things would have ended differently if Pasha knew Nikolai was an enchanter all along?

8. Do you think it made sense for Vika and Nikolai to fall for each other? Do you think it was because of their magical connection or something else?

9. What did you think about the love triangles? What do you think will happen between Pasha and Vika now that Nikolai is dead?

10. Were you surprised that Pasha and Nikolai were brothers?

11. Did you expect Pasha to order a duel to the death? Do you think there may have been a way to beat the game without an enchanter dying? What would you have done?

12. This book is part of a series. What do you think will happen in the second book?

13. What did you think of the book overall?