- Characters often run into things that trigger specific memories. What's so important about these memories? How come certain words like "chandelier" hold so much weight in the characters' minds?
- It might seem clear why the book shifts between Pressia and Partridge's points of view, but why do we get sections with Lyda and El Capitan? And why don't we get Bradwell's perspective?
- If you lived in this post-apocalyptic world, would you want to be a Pure or a wretch? Remember, if you're a Pure, your behavioral and physical coding is altered. But if you're a wretch, you're fused and scarred.
- Pressia often puts her trust into people that she doesn't know. Do you think that Pressia is weak in that she is too trusting, or do you think that her trust in others reveals something else about her?
- Pressia and Bradwell have a relationship filled with sexual tension. What is it about Pressia and Bradwell's relationship that reflects the theme of hope in the novel?
- Is Partridge really Pure? Just because he is "the Pure," does that actually make him a Pure?
- How is Pressia similar—and how is she different—from The Hunger Game's Katniss Everdeen?
- Do you like how El Capitan treats Helmud? Is it funny? Is it wrong?