Questions and Prompts to get your Book Club started thinking and talking about

Deals with the Devil!

 

 

General Questions

 

1. If you could ask Veronica Ford anything, what would you ask her?

2. How does the book’s title work in relation to the story? If you could give the book a new title, what would it be?

3. Did Deals with the Devil remind you of other books? How would you classify the genre (paranormal fantasy, young adult fantasy, urban fantasy, etc.)?

4. Are there scenes or moments from the book you’re still thinking about? Which scene has stuck with you the most? Why?

5. What was your favorite part of the book?

6. What was your least favorite?

7. What did you think of the writing? Are there any standout sentences?

8. Did you reread any passages? If so, which ones?

9. Did the book feel real to you?

10. Which twist or moment surprised you the most?

11. Did you guess the ending? At what point?

12. Are there plot points the book didn’t address? Why do you think Veronica Ford didn’t address these?

13. Did this book hook you enough to read the next one?

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Questions about relationships in Deals with the Devil

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1. There are many relationships in the book: for example, between Luna and Marlowe, Luna and Pam, Pam and Nicki…which relationships did you find the most interesting? Why?

2. What do you think of the relationship between Luna, her Gram, and her mother?

3. What do you think about the relationship between Luna and Marlowe? Did you like the “heat” level of the book?

4. Was the connection between Luna and Marlowe believable? If so, as what point did they click for you? What did you think about the pacing of this relationship? Why do you think Ford wrote it this way?

5. What exactly, is the relationship between Luna and Marlowe?

6. What about the connection between Luna and Pam?

7. What do you think about Luna’s time with her ancestors? Did they help her or not?

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Questions about character in Deals with the Devil

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1. Which characters did you like best? Least? Why?

2. Did any of the characters remind you of real people in your own life?

3. Which of Luna’s ancestors did you like the best? Least? Why? Which one would you like to know more about?

4. What do we learn about Luna from her ancestors? Why do you think they each gave her those particular memories?

5. Let’s face it: Luna may not think she’s a prude, but she’s definitely a little uptight at the beginning of the novel. Why is this? Does she change?

6. Luna is forced to come out of her shell a little bit, to make friends and then trust them with some scary and even dangerous things about her. Do you think she grows in this way? What other lessons does she learn, or should learn?

7. What other changes do you see in Luna over the course of the novel? Howa re these changes revealed?

8. Are there moments when you don't like Luna? Is she a fully sympathetic character, or is she sometimes kind of a jerk?

9. What kind of man is Marlowe? Who do you think he is to Luna?

10. What about Nathan? Do you think he’s trustworthy? More trustworthy than Marlowe? Why or why not?

11. Of all the people in Luna’s coven, Nicki seems to the most reluctant to get truly involved, seeming to stay somewhat at the surface of everything. This is in direct contrast to Pam’s enthusiasm. Why do you think Nicki is like this?

12. William seems to slide easily into Luna’s world of magic and chaos; why do you think that is?

13. Yet in some ways, Williams also stays above the chaos, never getting deeply involved until the end. Why do you think that is?

14. Luna has mixed feelings about Sabrina; she likes her (she's so dang perky!) and she also doesn't like her (she's so dang perky!). Luna seems to be a bit envious of Sabrina, but at the same time a little wary of her. She doesn't entirely trust her, but she does want to keep her safe. What do you think of Sabrina? Why do you think Luna feels this way about her?

15. Karen begins the novel as a very efficient administrative assistant. At the end, she’s clearly tipped over into a kind of madness. What sends her over this edge? Can you identify moments or scenes in the novel when we see this happening?

16. In her conversations with her family (Gram, Uncle Sean, and Aunt Kate) and with Gram and Naasira, Luna learns about the relationship between magic, science, and faith. What do think about this relationship? Does it make sense to you in the context of the story? What about outside of the story, in “real” life? Why do you think Luna learns about this from these people in her life, as opposed to a magical message or through her own research, or some other method?

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Questions about the structure and literary devices of the novel

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1. Roses, strawberries, and locusts keep popping up in the book – what do they represent, in the book and in the “real” world? What about the crumbling rock walls Luna loves so much?

2. The story as told by Luna is bookended with two scenes that occur outside of the story. They’re even told in the present tense as opposed to the past tense of the novel. What do you think is the purpose of these two scenes? What do they reveal about Luna, about magic, about central or upcoming conflicts in the series? What do they foreshadow?

3. On her website, Veronica Ford reveals background information about some of the chapter titles throughout the series. Which chapter titles in Deals with the Devil did you find most intriguing? Why?

4. How did the setting impact the story? Do you feel like the setting was a mere backdrop, or more like another character in the story? What parts of the setting really stand out for you?

5. Ford uses a lot of fantasy and romance tropes in Deals with the Devil (for example, “the chosen one”, memory loss, the mysterious stranger). What is the purpose of these tropes? Do you think she used them effectively? Can you think of any tropes that she subverted or upended?

6. What do you think will happen next for Luna and her coven?

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Questions about theme in Deals with the Devil

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1. What do you think is the central theme of the novel? Why do you think this is the theme? Is it effectively drawn out for you?

2. Are there other themes in the story?