'The Buried and the Bound' Book Club Readalong Day 4!

Welcome to the fourth day of our book club readalong for OwlCrate's January book, The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan!

Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for Chapters 16-22 of The Buried and the Bound, so make sure you read are finished this section before continuing.

Discussion questions are listed below, and anyone who participates in the comments will be entered to win a free OwlCrate box!

The story continues...

Chapter 16:
Leo finds himself at the bottom of a hole, the ground having caved beneath him. It’s a tunnel, and as he tries to explore to find a way out the air becomes stiflingly hot. He heads back to the hole when he hears Aziza call for him, and Tristan riding a hound jumps down. That’s when the heat takes over and then there is nothing but the voice.

Chapter 17:
Tristan realizes the hag has seen Leo through their bond, and understands who Leo is. She uses it to get in Leo’s head to urge him to come to her, knowing that if Leo enters the borderlands Aziza would likely follow. Leo urges Aziza to hurt him and run, so that he has an excuse for why they got away.

Chapter 18:
The voice was comforting to Leo. It told him it could break his curse.

Chapter 19:
Aziza (poorly) drives Leo to the library where Meryl helps bring him inside. Leo falls asleep, and Meryl tells Aziza that there is something else in the forest, but she is forbidden to speak of it. Aziza decides to go to Elphame to try to get a sandman to help Leo.

Chapter 20:
The hag tortures Tristan for his ineptitude, but she doesn’t know he betrayed her. The nymph Aziza gave her lock of hair to gives it to the hag, who consumes it, granting herself a sliver of Aziza’s magic. She sends Tristan to find Aziza once more.

Chapter 21:
The Ash Witch has Aziza. A voice told her that Aziza is responsible for everything that is wrong with Blackthorn, and so the Ash Witch must kill her. Aziza is being tied to a stake over a fire when Tristan and a hound appear to help. A battle ensues, and when it looks like the Ash Witch might be the victor, Leo shoves an emergency flare into her stomach. With the last bit of his energy Tristan summons two hounds, who drag the Ash Witch away into the forest.

Chapter 22:
They take Tristan, who is passed out, back to the library.

Once back at home Leo faces the wrath of his very angry parents who didn’t know where he disappeared to. Argument over, Leo ponders the thing he took from his parent’s bedroom, which Aziza thinks may be part of a fairy wing, as well as what his parents did to end up cursed in the first place. Not knowing what else to do, he clears the fairy protections from the perimeter of his house.

 Questions:

1. Why do you think Meryl is forbidden to speak of what she knows?
   

2. Why do you think Leo's parents have what appears to be part of a fairy wing?
3. What do you think the hag will do now that she has a small bit of Aziza's magic?
4. Do you think the hag knows what happened between Tristan, Aziza, Leo and the Ash Witch?

Never miss a box! Subscribe to OwlCrate today with code OCBLOG15 to save 15% on a new subscription!