𝑲𝑶𝑻𝑳𝑪 𝑨𝒍𝒍

Discussion and Trivia Questions About 'Everblaze'

1. What are some advantages of working together as a team on a project or mission compared toworking alone? What makes a team strong and successful? What factors can undermine a team?

2. Edaline tells Sophie, "Our world has been teetering on the edge of a blade for a very long time."What are some of the political problems among the elves? What are their relationships andconflicts with the ogres and dwarves? Describe the conflicts of the Black Swan and the kidnapperswith the elf world.

3. Even though the Council requires a reluctant Sophie to heal Fintan, they also put blame on herwhen it gets out of control. Describe how they punish her for probing King Dimitar's mind. Fitzdescribes the Council's treatment of Sophie as making her a "scapegoat." What does he mean bythat? Discuss whether the Council treats Sophie fairly, including her punishment. 

4. Sophie tries to heal Fintan in Oblivimyre, which Sandor and Grady call "a place best forgotten."Describe what Oblivimyre looks like, its history, and what happens to Sophie there. Discuss theword "Oblivimyre" and what other words it might be related to. Does the name suit the place?Why or why not?

5. Early in the book, Dex's ability as a Technopath is finally revealed to the rest of his world. Describethe changes this triggers, and why it's so important to him and his family. What kind of troubledoes his talent get him into? How does he show his loyalty to Sophie? 

6. Master Leto, the Beacon of Silver Tower, changes during the novel in how he treats Sophie. What'shis attitude when she encounters him in chapters 15 and 16? What does he do that surprises herin those scenes? How does he help her later in the story?

7. Ogres play an important role in the plot. Analyze scenes that convey information about ogres in generaland about King Dimitar in specific. Compare the ogres and their society to the elves and theirs. 

8. By the end of the book, Sophie realizes that she, Fitz, Keefe, Dex, and Biana are stronger andmore able to protect one another when they work together. "Individually they were vulnerable. Buttogether they were a team." Describe the skills that each of the friends brings to the team andhow their strengths complement each other.

9. After reading the book, go back and reread the preface. What scene does it show from later in thenovel? What purpose does the preface serve? Discuss why the author chose this particular sceneto open the book. 

10. This fantasy adventure has a lot of mystery elements. Sophie is trying to figure out who theNeverseen are and what role Black Swan plays in her life. Describe how she gathers informationabout each of those mysterious aspects of her life and what she learns about them by the end ofthe book.

11. At the same time, Sophie is trying to understand more about Jolie. Explain how she goes aboutfinding out about Jolie. How does Vertina contribute to what Sophie learns? What are the mostuseful clues and sources of information that Sophie finds?

12. Sophie's ability to enter the minds of others proves important several times in the plot. Describe atleast two times that she does it, what the consequences are, and how it moves the plot forward. 

13. The plot contains many gripping scenes where Sophie and her allies face danger. Find one suchscene and examine what makes it exciting. Analyze how the author creates a fast pace throughsentence length and choice of words, especially verbs. What adds to the suspense and sense ofdanger in the scene? 

14. More than one character is betrayed by someone they care for. Describe these betrayals. Whobetrayed whom? Why? 

15. Parts of this story explore the role of parents in a person's life. Describe how Sophie and Keefeboth worry about the influence of their parents on who they are. Keefe says, "Our family doesn'tdecide who we are. We decide who we are." What does he mean? Discuss how that's true of bothof them. 

16. Friendship is at the heart of this story. Sophie's friends want to help her pursue the kidnappers,but she worries about putting them in danger, calling her friends the "Let's Ruin Our Lives Club."What are some of the dangers they face? Which of her friends get hurt, and how? Why do theychoose to keep helping her?