Destroy The Day: Adult Book Club Questions
- patricecarey8
- Jan 10
- 3 min read
Left for dead, but desperate to survive . . . they have one last chance to save their kingdom.
Prince Corrick is out of options. Held captive by the vicious Oren Crane, he’s desperate to reunite with Tessa, but will need to ally with the rebel leader Lochlan, who until now wished him dead. An unlikely but deadly pair, Corrick and Lochlan must plot their next moves carefully.
An island away, Tessa Cade is heartbroken and angry. Grieving Corrick, and unsure how to find a way back to Kandala, she doesn’t know who to trust. Until Rian—the man she trusts least—makes an offer: aid in a plot to finally oust Oren Crane and see what the future holds . . .
Meanwhile in Kandala, Harristan is dethroned and on the run. He’s struggling to unite the rebels in his fractured kingdom, but he finds support—and maybe more—in unexpected places.
Can Harristan be the king his people need? Can Corrick and Tessa find their way back to each other? As outside threats loom and the fires of revolution burn from within, time is running out to save their kingdom.
Quick Review of Destroy The Day
The last book in this YA fantasy romance trilogy gets me every time. I think its most impressive feature is getting me to empathize with the motivations of characters who do things I hate. It also embodies the concept that two things can be true (e.g. Rian can use questionable methods to secure peace but also truly care about his people), and it demonstrates that people who have very different perspectives can learn to trust and respect each other.
Alert! Intriguing Discussion Ahead
I encourage book clubs to move beyond questions like, “What did you like/dislike about the book?” and “Who was your favorite character and why?” My discussion questions typically focus on ethical and moral dilemmas, book scenarios applied to real life, and character motivations.
Book Club Questions
This book deals heavily with grief. Among Tessa, Erik/Rocco, Olive, Harrison, and Corrick, there’s grief over real and supposed deaths, the loss of characters’ own innocence, and the upheaval of life as they knew it. Discuss the characters’ different responses to grief. Whose do you identify with the most?
If you were in Tessa’s position, would you have been willing to ask Rian for help? Would you have offered to help the people of Ostiary?
Tessa and Corrick both find good people in Ostiary and learn that they’re just as desperate as the Kandalans, though for different resources. How does that apply to global divisions today?
Why do you think Lochlan gives ongoing support to Corrick? Are his reasons the same the whole book, or do they change?
Corrick and Lochlan argue over the impossible situation both were in: Corrick enforcing brutal laws to keep the kingdom running, and Lochlan breaking the law for medicine. Both felt they were justified in what they did. Without either changing their opinion, how did they break this deadlock and move forward with their relationship? Have you ever found yourself in a similar argument and were able to work through it?
How did your opinion of Rian change from the start of book 2 to the end of book 3? In your eyes, is he a good or bad person? A good or bad king?
Tessa is confronted repeatedly with the realization that Rian was trying his best with the information he had. That didn’t make his actions good, but it helped her work with him when necessary. Have you ever faced a situation when someone hurt you because of incorrect or incomplete information?
Having concluded the series, what are Corrick and Rian’s main similarities and differences?
At the end of the book, Rian wants to visit Kandala to make a new start with Tessa and Corrick. Tessa refuses for the moment, noting that she’s not sure she can ever trust Rian again. In her place, would you?
Do you think Harrison’s suicide plan was the only choice? Do you agree with his decision to disappear even though he survived?
For years, Corrick and Harrison kept their people at arm’s length because their parents were betrayed and killed. How was letting people in the key that finally gained them true support among their people?
While conversing with Laurel Pepperleaf near the book’s conclusion, Tessa reflects on becoming less naïve while not turning cynical. Where on that scale do you currently fall?
Below, you can download a PDF of the Destroy The Day discussion questions to print out and bring to your book club. I hope you have an intriguing discussion!
If you enjoyed these book club questions for Destroy The Day, sign up for Patrice Carey Hale’s newsletter to get book club recommendations, book updates, and special content.
Comments