The Ex Hex

One of Rhys’s personal values is the importance of choice—every person having the power to decide their life on their own terms. How does this belief cause tension between himself and his family, especially Simon? How does the behavior of his brothers, Llewellyn and Bowen, reinforce or contradict Rhys’s values?

Rhys, Vivi, and Gwyn grew up learning very different lessons about magic from their families. How does each character’s attitude toward magic change throughout the novel, and how does their viewpoint illuminate their understanding of their place in the world as a witch?

In its descriptions of places like Penhaven Manor and the haunted house outside Graves Glen, the novel often leans into the stereotypical imagery of horror or paranormal stories—although it injects those images with comedic quips from its characters. In what other ways does the novel embrace the tropes of a romance novel, a comedy, or a supernatural story, and how does it reinforce or overthrow those tropes?

Sometimes a character who appears briefly (or not at all) still has a tremendous presence in a literary work. Select one such character from The Ex Hex and explore how their actions—and the consequences of their actions—affect the main characters and keep the story moving forward in unexpected ways.

The Eurydice Candle is named after a figure in Greek mythology. What other allusions to literature, music, or popular culture feature in the narrative, and what purpose do those allusions serve?

The narration switches between Rhys and Vivi’s individual perspectives, but while the reader is experiencing one character’s thoughts, they do not have access to the other’s. What can be gained from this narrational approach, and how does it affect the reader’s understanding of each character’s experience?

One of Vivi’s main character arcs is her journey of self-actualization, which ends with her fully embracing both her “witchy” and human sides. Select no more than two scenes in the novel that are integral in Vivi’s identity journey, and explore how those moments not only serve her character development but also illuminate major themes in the novel as a whole.

Vivi and Rhys grew up in starkly different familial dynamics. Vivi is supported and loved by her relatives. Rhys’s family, on the other hand, seems comprised of individuals he chooses to love, rather than those to whom he feels obligated as blood relations. How does the novel explore the notion of a “chosen family,” and how do the characters learn to recognize the differences between duty and choice when it comes to forming familial attachments?