BLOOD FOR BLOOD

Ryan Graudin was born in Charleston, South Carolina, with a severe case of wanderlust. When she’s not traveling, she’s busy writing and spending time with her husband and wolf dog. She is the author of the All That Glows series and Walled City.

1. The sequel structure includes a prelude, four parts, and two interludes. What did the prelude and interlude provide? How do they inform the story in the four parts?

2. Luka hears Yael’s name for the first time on page 67. Why is the name so unfamiliar and unique to him? Why does he not realize until page 188 when he hears Miriam’s name why the names sound so different? Why are names so important throughout the book?

3. On page 193 when Yael asks Luka why he didn’t join the resistance, he asks, “Why choose to get crushed when you can survive?” and Yael responds, “Some of us never had that choice.” How has fear affected Luka’s life and Yael’s life differently?

4. On page 332, Luka realizes the enormous differences between his childhood struggles and Yael’s. He tells Yael, “It must seem so small to you.” And Yael responds, “No person’s life is small.” Why is this sentence so important to the meaning of the overall book?

5. When Yael visits the artist for her final two tattoos, he tells her not to pay: “What are two more wolves compared to a new start?” How do you think Yael feels about the sacrifices and deaths that were made for this “new start”? He also says, “It will take time to heal just like all the others.” What else does this relate to besides the physical tattoos?

Read our interview with Ryan Graudin on the Reading Group Choices blog!