THE CALL TO WITCHERY — DISCUSSION GUIDE

Discussion questions for readers who want to go deeper into Abigail’s story.

WELCOME!

book clubs are made for conversation

The Call to Witchery may be a story about magic, but much of what Abigail faces is very human.

She is dealing with grief she has never fully resolved, family members who love her but do not always know when to stop pushing, power she did not ask for, and responsibilities she would rather avoid. Along the way, she has to decide what courage looks like when fear does not disappear—and what it means to finally stop hiding from herself.

These questions are designed to help your group go beyond what happened in the story and talk about the choices, relationships, loyalties, losses, and ideas underneath it.

There are no “right” answers. In fact, some of the most interesting parts of the book are the places where readers may disagree about whether a character made the right choice.

A note before you begin: This discussion guide contains spoilers for the entire book and is intended for readers who have finished The Call to Witchery.

DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE DISCUSSION GUIDE

abigail: hiding, grief, & choice

1. Abigail has spent seventeen years refusing to activate her amulet. Did you understand her decision, even when the people around her believed she was making a mistake?

Magic is closely connected to the loss of Abigail's parents, the unwanted public attention that followed their deaths, and the person she was before her life changed.

2. Abigail believes she has built herself a safe and controlled life. At what point does safety become another form of hiding?

Was there a particular moment when you felt Abigail could no longer maintain the life she had created?

3. Nan, Gramps and Jane all love Abigail, but they also push her toward magic when she does not want it. Were they right to interfere?

Where is the line between helping someone you love and deciding what is best for them?

4. Abigail is frightened by her magic partly because it responds to emotion. How did that affect the way you thought about power and control in the story?

Abigail does not simply need to become more powerful. She needs to learn how to live with power she cannot always predict.

5. Abigail is thirty-five, with an established career, home, family and history before the story begins. Did having an adult protagonist change the way you experienced her journey?

Did her reluctance to throw away the life she had already built make her choices more understandable?

power, control and harmon

6. Harmon Slade is publicly charming, wealthy and admired, while privately becoming increasingly dangerous. What did you think of him as a villain?

Was there a point at which you stopped wondering whether he might be reasoned with?

7. When Abigail learns about Keerla, we discover there is more behind Harmon's behaviour than we initially knew. Did this change the way you viewed him?

Can understanding why someone behaves as they do ever change how much responsibility they bear for their actions?

8. Monet and Abigail approach magic very differently. Monet values research, discipline and control, while Abigail often works from instinct and emotion. What do you think they learn from one another?

How did your view of Monet change over the course of the story?

loyalty, protection & loss

9. Buddy, Francesco and Samarra each play very different roles in Abigail's life. Which of them had the greatest impact on you?

What do the animal characters contribute beyond humour, companionship or protection?

10. Francesco's death causes Abigail's magic to erupt almost completely beyond her control. What did that scene reveal about Abigail at that point in her journey?

Was her reaction a failure of control, an expression of grief, or something more complicated?

11. Abigail is furious when she discovers that Queen Cyethriel knew about Keerla and Harmon's history but did not warn her. Was Abigail justified?

Cyethriel argues that what happened between Harmon and Keerla was Elven business that was not hers to reveal. Who did you agree with?

12. Several characters in the novel make choices because they believe they are protecting someone else. Which acts of protection felt justified to you, and which crossed the line into control?

Did your answer change depending on whether the person doing the protecting had good intentions?

answering the call

13. Fear does not disappear for Abigail by the end of the book. Instead, her relationship with fear changes. What do you think she has learned about courage?

Near the end, Monet suggests that the others are not necessarily less frightened than Abigail—they have simply decided that being frightened does not change what must be done.

14. What do you think is the real turning point in Abigail's transformation?

Is it accepting the amulet? Learning magic? Protecting someone else? Confronting Harmon? Agreeing to defend the Elven Village? Or something entirely different?

15. By the end of the novel, what has changed most: Abigail's relationship with magic, her relationship with responsibility, or her relationship with herself?

The story begins with a woman determined to stay outside the magical world and ends with Abigail promising that she will answer the call if the Elven Village needs her.

Just for Fun

Which magical companion would you choose: Buddy, Francesco or Samarra?

Would you want the Light Amulet if it chose you?

Which character would you most like to have dinner with?

Which character would you least like to find standing at your door?

If you could ask Abigail one question after the final chapter, what would it be?

what happens next

The Call to Witchery is Book One of The Witchery Trilogy.

Abigail’s story continues in The Challenge of Witchery.

Invite Lorraine to Your Book Club

If your book club is reading The Call to Witchery, I would love to hear about it.

Depending on availability, I may also be able to join book clubs virtually for a conversation

about the story, the characters, the world of The Witchery Trilogy, and the experience of writing the book.

Contact Lorraine About Your Book Club - [email protected]

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