Book club resources
The Ashen Series
Welcome!
I’m so honored that you’ve chosen The Ashen Series for your book club! On this page, you’ll find a variety of resources including Demi’s FAQ, Discussion Questions, and Book Club Games. Use the table of contents to jump to where you need to go, and stay tuned for a printable PDF (coming soon!).
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Demi's FAQ
What inspired you to write The Road of Bones?
It wasn’t one specific idea that gave life to the story, but a hundred small ones that came together. At the time that I wrote Bones, I was going through an intense case of burnout and was trying to find my spark again. I was intrigued by the word ‘strength’, and wanted to explored it through Silla’s character. In this book, her strength is not in her skill with a sword, but rather in her resilience.
You touch on a number of topics in this book: addiction and domestic abuse among them. Why was it important for you to include these subject matters?
I have struggled with addiction through my life, and wanted to see that represented in a realistic way in the Romantasy genre. Writing Silla’s addiction storyline was cathartic for me! But when thinking about the DV and addiction storylines, in the end, it comes back to resilience. These events forever change a person, and to be able to find yourself in the aftermath is the true definition of strength.
The world of Íseldur is influenced by the Viking age. How did you go about creating this world?
The idea of Íseldur came to me while watching drone footage of an Icelandic volcano erupting. I love the contrasts of Iceland: fire and ice, black sand beaches and jagged canyons, rolling fields of alpine grasses and flowers. From there, Vikings naturally came, and extensive research into Viking society, weapons, attire, and speech.
There is a hint of science in the magic system. Can you explain where this came from?
I actually have a background in biochemistry, so when I started thinking about magic systems, naturally my mind went to science. While we don’t get into the magic system too much in The Road of Bones, it is explored in more detail in Kingdom of Claw.
I think of the Galdra calling their powers as a chemical reaction that is influenced by cold (suppresses the reaction), tension (enhances the reaction), and, of course, the catalyst (enhances the reaction).
Silla is so different from other Romantasy heroines. Can you tell us where her character came from?
Silla came from my love for contemporary romance. In some ways, she’s a romance heroine transplanted in a bleak, deadly world. I thought it would be so fun to have a heroine who completely contrasts the brutality of the Bloodaxe Crew. But just because she apologizes to rocks doesn’t mean Silla isn’t a badass in her own unique way!
There are a diverse array of characters in this book. Hekla has a prosthetic arm, while Sigrún is non-verbal. Why was it important to include such characters?
Our world is filled with all sorts of people, and I wanted Íseldur to represent that. And if you think about it, in a brutal, war-ravaged country, you’d have a lot of people dealing with injuries. We will understand and explore Hekla and Sigrún’s pasts and the nature of their injuries throughout the series.
Discussion Questions
1. How would you have reacted if your father's last request was for you to travel the Road of Bones?
2. If you could trade places with one character in The Road of Bones, who would it be?
3. Did you guess Silla's true identity before it was revealed?
4. Do you think Silla should have revealed her true identity to the Bloodaxe Crew before the queen's men attacked, even though Rey stopped her?
5. What similarities can you see between Silla and Skraeda's situations? What distinguishes the two from one another?
6. At what point did you realize Jonas's red flags were a little *too* red?
7. Do you think Ilías shares Jonas's goals, or do you think he wants something different for himself?
8. Having finished the book, can you recall any hints of Rey's true identity and nature?
9. What about the little blond girl's identity?
10. Which actors would you cast for the characters in this book?
Book club games
Would you rather:
- Fight a vampire deer or a wolf spider?
- Wield an axe or a sword?
- Die in prison or hunt your own kind for the queen?
- Live in poverty while moving from town to town, or be raised in luxury by your parents’ murderers?
- Kiss Jonas or Rey?
- Kiss Jonas or Skraeda?
- Kiss Jonas or a wolf spider?
- Ride in a wagon or ride on a horse?
- Camp in the forest or on black sand beaches?
Who said it?
- “Please. I’m as impenetrable as a shield wall.”
- “No food, no water. No clothing to protect you from the elements. Do you even know what road you’re on?”
- “If you intend to kill her, do it honorably. Thirst is a poor death.”
- “Your wits do not impress me thus far.”
- “It is a man’s world in which we live, Skraeda. Let them think us lambs, when truly, we are wolves.”
- “That man needs to hug a baby or pat a dog.”
- “You’ve broken me…bewitched me…I know nothing except that I am miserable. All I can think of are your lips; the smell of your hair. How you felt in my arms; the way you made me feel so alive.”
- “Because it takes a small man to be ruled by fear, and a large one to show mercy. And anyone can see you are no small man.”
- “I wanted to see the moment he realized that everything he had done to me—every slap, every punch, every kick—was kindling. It built me up into a raging wildfire, and now it was time for him to burn.”
- “My bruises have faded, but it seems I have wounds that cannot be seen.”
- “I wonder if the dowdy dresses and act of innocence are a trick, because good, sweet girls do not have a tongue as sharp and wicked as yours.”
- “They tried to harm you, and you answered in blood. You did not cower. You met them head-on and bested seasoned warriors.”
Answers:
1. Ilías, 2. Rey, 3. Hekla, 4. Rey, 5. Queen Signe, 6. Silla, 7. Jonas, 8. Silla, 9. Hekla, 10. Silla, 11. Jonas, 12. Rey
