Discussion Guide for ETHERI

1. Relationships play a big role in Mari's life. Who do you think has the biggest impact on her, and why?

2. How did you view the relationship between Mari and Rhu? What were their strengths, and where could they improve?

3. Junie is protective of Mari, but she also brings danger into her life. Did Junie make the right decisions? What would you have done differently?

4. Parental figures like Whittaker, Junie, and Lord Grant were vital to Mari's support network. Have you had people play similar roles in your own life?

5. Mari errs on the side of caution and privacy when it comes to reading minds. If you were a mind reader, how would you use that power?

6. Mari had to balance her own loyalties between her village, her friends in the Blaze, and herself; was she consistent? Which choices did you agree with, and which did you disagree with?

7. We saw all kinds of Etheri abilities—if you were an Etheri, which kinds of abilities would you like to have?

8. We saw sibling relationships between Rhu and Rhel, Aivry and Harp, Hana and Cirilla, and Fynn and Emory. Which relationship did you relate to the most, and why?

9. The Etheri villages are queer-normative. How did you see that reflected in dialogue and exposition? What are some ways to build a more affirming world?

10. How does loneliness affect the story and its characters? Who could have used a helping hand?

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Sage T. Green, Author