A Touch of Ruin

Examine Hades and Persephone’s love in light of one of the romance tropes from which it borrows: the May-December romance, billionaire romance, mafia romance, or another trope of your choosing. In what ways do the characters and their actions conform to the conventions of this subgenre? In what ways do they resist this casting, and what does such deviation suggest?

Analyze the setting of A Touch of Ruin and discuss what the inheritance from the ancient Greek myths adds to the story. What meaning or influence can you find beyond the magical or fantasy realm? What has St. Clair updated or changed, and what has she retained? What do these changes or holdovers say about this world and its story?

Examine the networks of female friendship that Persephone establishes and discuss what these add to the novel. You might, in particular, focus on how Leuce, Lexa, Sybil, and even Zofie are foils for Persephone. You might also discuss Hecate’s role as a mentor or friend.

Discuss Persephone’s wish for identity and the terms by which she wishes to define herself. How is her quest inflected by the struggle to realize and acknowledge her divine form and powers? In what ways does Persephone’s character arc reflect the conventional quests of the new adult novel, and in what respects is she different?

Make an argument for the modern allegories that St. Clair weaves into her story. Apollo as a modern entertainer is one, and Hermes as a fashion arbiter is another; you might see others. What parallels between St. Clair’s allegories and the original purpose of the stories can you find?

Discuss the novel’s treatment of life and death and the ways Persephone navigates these two realms. What argument can be made about Lexa’s death? Explain whether you see Persephone coming to a better understanding of death by the end of this novel.

Explore Demeter as an antagonist and discuss what she adds to the novel in terms of character conflict or thematic statement. You may wish to discuss Demeter’s role in light of other characters who mentor or educate Persephone, among them Aphrodite, Hermes, Hecate, Apollo, and even Hades. How does Demeter’s conception of being a goddess clash with Persephone’s? What do these differences signify?

Read other books in the Hades x Persephone saga and discuss the shared themes, images, or arguments made across the series as a whole. How does Persephone continue to grow and develop as a character, and what does that mean for her world?