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The Bone Charming Book Club Discussion Questions

The Bone Charmer

By Breeana Shields

Book Discussion Questions

 

1.      “It’s not healthy to know too much about your own future,” Della says. Would you choose to have a bone kenning?

2.      Latham says that, “Fate is predictable, but choice isn’t.” And Saskia insists that the power of choice is “the greater luxury.” How are Saskia, Bram, Declan, and Della’s choices unpredictable? Is the power of choice a luxury?

3.      “Trying to escape your fate is like trying to make a toad croon like a songbird...No matter how good your intentions, you’re just wasting your time.” Do you believe in fate?  Do you believe there is a perfect mate for you? For everyone? Would you choose to be bone-matched?

4.      “You have a hundred possible futures, my love,” Della says. Do you think that’s true for everyone? Every age?

5.      Gran explains that fate and freedom aren’t opposites... “they’re partners in the dance of life. Always circling each other, touching and then coming apart again, both made more beautiful by the existence of the other.” Do you agree? Would you pick fate or freedom?

6.      What do you think the bones in the story are a symbol of?

·         “Bones are the source of all magic,” Nora says, pacing along the stage in the amphitheater. “They are the most permanent part of us, enduring long after the flesh has rotted away. But even while our bones are still within our bodies, they are powerful. If broken, they can heal themselves. And the marrow within them fights off evil, wards off disease, and keeps you well. But eventually, we all succumb to the grip of death; the magic in our bones is all that remains.”

·         “When everything else is destroyed, the bones always manage to survive.”

7.      What type of bone magic would you study if you attended Ivory Hall? (Bone Charmers, Bone Masons, Bone Breakers, and/or Bone Healers)

8.      How are the tattoos on the characters’ bodies created? Would you want your past experiences or present feelings to show on your skin?

9.      If you could pick one sight, which one would it be: first (past), second (present), or third (future)? Which one do you think is the most powerful? Which sight do you think will help Saskia the most?

10  “Do you ever wish you could go back in time and choose a different path?” Saskia asks. Do you have anything small or big in your past that you would like to change?

11 Which reality did you want Saskia to keep? What did you think of the ending?

Review: A Golden Fury by Samantha Cohoe

 

A GOLDEN FURY by Samantha Cohoe

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A perfect read like for fans of Addie Thorley’s AN AFFAIR OF POISONS.

Thea and her mother are alchemists, but just before they’ve completed the philosopher’s stone her mother locked her out of their lab and went mad. Thea is sent back to England to a father who doesn’t know she exists and only her notes and her letters from Will. Both her father and Will want her knowledge, but who can she trust? And is the stone cursed?

Thea is a passionate and intelligent heroine that is sure to appeal to modern readers. She is naive at times, but her heart is always in the right place. The setting is as explosive as the alchemy; beginning in Revolutionary France and then to England on the brink of war. I loved the references to Mary Wollstonecraft’s VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN. There’s a strong feminist streak that I adored.

BOOK DESCRIPTION: 

Set in eighteenth century England, Samantha Cohoe’s debut novel, A GOLDEN FURY (Wednesday Books; October 13, 2020), follows a young alchemist as she tries to save the people she loves from the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone. The streets of London and Oxford come to life as this historical fantasy unravels. Weaving together an alluring story of magic and danger, Samantha’s debut has her heroine making messy decisions as she toes the line between good and evil while it becomes blurred.

Thea Hope longs to be an alchemist out of the shadow of her famous mother. The two of them are close to creating the legendary Philosopher’s Stone—whose properties include immortality and can turn any metal into gold—but just when the promise of the Stone’s riches is in their grasp, Thea’s mother destroys the Stone in a sudden fit of violent madness.

While combing through her mother’s notes, Thea learns that there’s a curse on the Stone that causes anyone who tries to make it to lose their sanity. With the threat of the French Revolution looming, Thea is sent to Oxford for her safety, to live with the father who doesn’t know she exists. But in Oxford, there are alchemists after the Stone who don’t believe Thea’s warning about the curse—instead, they’ll stop at nothing to steal Thea’s knowledge of how to create the Stone. But Thea can only run for so long, and soon she will have to choose: create the Stone and sacrifice her sanity, or let the people she loves die.

A GOLDEN FURY and the curse of the Philosopher’s Stone will haunt you long after the final page.

Published by Wednesday Books **On Sale October, 2020**

Hardcover | $18.99 | ISBN: 9781250220400| Ebook ISBN: 9781250220417

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Samantha Cohoe writes historically-inspired young adult fantasy. She was raised in San Luis Obispo, California, where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood of beach trips, omnivorous reading, and writing stories brimming with adverbs. She currently lives in Denver with her family and divides her time among teaching Latin, mothering, writing, reading, and deleting adverbs. A Golden Fury is her debut novel.

A ROYAL CHRISTMAS QUANDARY comes out today!

It's time to celebrate Christmas in October! A ROYAL CHRISTMAS QUANDARY comes out today. Here is what other authors are saying:

In case you missed my October newsletter, you can still read it here! 

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Finding Happiness

 “I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but like everybody else, it must be in my own way.” -EMMA by Jane Austen. 

What makes you perfectly happy? 

For myself, my husband, chocolate, a good book, and a bubble bath 

One Way or Another

 What are some of your favorite romcoms? 

ONE WAY OR ANOTHER by Kara McDowell has all of the charm and romance of a Hallmark movie plus the depth and drama of a well-written novel.

Paige suffers from crippling anxiety and even the smallest of decisions, sends her into a spiral of overthinking. So when she is offered two different ways to celebrate Christmas, she is undecided. Go to New York with her mom on her first airplane ride and do all the things on her list. Or, enjoy the holiday at her best friend’s cabin who she also happens to be in love with. Fate and a knock on the head, give her the opportunity to enjoy both options...

I loved seeing how the two “fates” differed and how they were the same. I also enjoyed Paige’s character growth in both scenarios. And what is a Christmas story without romance? Well this one has plenty of misunderstandings, misses, and holiday kisses. 

Character Cards: Prince Bertie

 Bertie is a bit of a disappointment to his parents; sandwiched between Vicky and Alice (both genius-level intellect), he’s ordinary. More charming than virtuous. More spontaneous than serious. But because he is male, he is the heir to Queen Victoria’s throne. He’s only 19, but his sister Vicky is already vetting princesses in Europe for his future wife. He and Drina are friends, and he wants to help her break the entail on her family’s estate.

Princess Alice Character Card

 This week I’m going to highlight two REAL royal characters! Queen Victoria, her husband, and eight of her nine children are characters in A ROYAL CHRISTMAS QUANDARY. 

Princess Alice is the third child and at the ripe old age of 17 needs to pick a prince fast (her older sister Vicky was engaged at 14; yikes!). Her parents have given her until Christmas to pick her future husband. Luckily, her best friend Drina is ready to help her find the perfect prince. 

Preorder gifts and purchase links. 

A Royal Christmas Quandary Book Trailer

 A Royal Christmas Quandary Preorder Links!

Get a prize pack in the mail when you preorder. Info here.

5 Weeks of Giveaways

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be doing a #giveaway every Monday for five weeks on Facebook and Instagram! I’m celebrating the release of A ROYAL CHRISTMAS QUANDARY on Oct 6, 2020. It’s a full-length ebook for only $7.80. Get a prize pack in the mail when you preorder it. I’ve also partnered with some lovely authors for double the swag two of those weeks. Enter every week for the best chance to win! [image error]

Mr. Malcolm’s List

Have you ever created a list of attributes for a spouse/partner? 

I did in high school and it’s a hoot! There’s like 30 requirements (most of them are ridiculous). 

MR. MALCOLM’S LIST by Suzanne Allain is definitely a book you’ll want to add to your TBR list! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

When Julia learns from her cousin, Lord Cassidy, that Mr. Malcolm has moved on because she didn’t meet all the requirements on his list, she’s livid. She comes up with a scheme—have Mr. Malcolm fall in love with her old school fellow, Selina, and then have her snub him for not meeting HER list. Selina is eager to be London and is told by Julia if she doesn’t follow through with the scheme, she’ll lose her invitation. Both Selina and Mr. Malcolm have instant attraction, but Selina is piqued that she is being tested from his list. And Julia is out for revenge at all costs. 

Mr. Malcolm’s list for an acceptable wife is worthy of Mr. Darcy. He’s looking for perfection, but he realizes by the end that love can’t be found on a list. 

This book has everything on your list for a Sweet Regency romp:

1. Romance

2. Handsome hero

3. Intelligent heroine 

4. Schemes / setups 

5. Mistaken identities 

6. Engaging side-characters 

7. Happy ending