Crown of Midnight

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How did you feel about Celaena’s pretense of serving the king while secretly disobeying his commands? When is it morally acceptable to refuse to obey a governmental authority in this way?

2. Many of the characters keep important secrets from people they are supposed to be close to. Which characters’ dishonesty made you dislike them? Which characters told lies or kept secrets that seemed morally justified? What is the difference between the secrets that bothered you and the secrets that didn’t?

3. Crown of Midnight contains many scenes of violence. How do your personal beliefs about violence impact your reception of these scenes and your interpretation of their meaning?

4. When Nehemia asks Celaena for help to save her people, what are Celaena’s reasons for refusing? Do you find her refusal cowardly, as Nehemia does? What factors influence your answer—would you feel differently if Celaena were a more ordinary person, or if Nehemia were asking for something more selfish, for instance? What does your reasoning reveal about your own values?

5. Many events in this novel suggest that loyalty is not always praiseworthy. Do you agree with this perspective? What experiences have you had that argue for or against this idea?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How are prisons and labor camps used to maintain control in Adarlan? Is incarceration ever used in similar ways in real-world societies?

2. The suppression of magic is a common motif in fantasy novels, standing in for real-world sources of power that threaten the ruling class. What are some of the sources of power ordinary people have access to in the real world that might feel threatening to those who want to exercise control over the population?

3. Several characters in the novel make morally questionable decisions in the name of freedom. Can you think of real-world figures who have harmed innocent parties in their pursuit of liberation? Is this ever justified?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism. 

1. The Throne of Glass series started as a retelling of the Cinderella story, but as Maas continued to write and revise, the story moved in a more original direction. Do you see any echoes of the Cinderella story in Crown of Midnight? In general, how would you say this novel is influenced by fairy tales? For instance, what is the relationship between Baba Yaga and Baba Yellowlegs?

2. Which characters sacrifice the most in the service of their communities? How do their sacrifices create growth in other characters, advance the plot, and support the novel’s themes?

3. What is the purpose of including Chaol’s narrative perspective? Which themes would be less clearly communicated if the novel only offered Celaena’s perspective?

4. How does the story use riddles to create tension and suspense? In what other ways do riddles develop the story’s atmosphere?

5. What is the traditional meaning of “wyrd”? How does this history illuminate the Wyrd in Crown of Midnight? What evidence in the text argues for or against the idea of a fixed fate that people are powerless to change? How does your answer impact your interpretation of the Wyrd?