Welcome to the first day of our book club read-along for OwlCrate's September book, Lakesedge!
Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER discussion for Chapters 1-4 of Lakesedge, 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 begins...
The shadows cover Arien and Leta as Arien has a nightmare and he scratches and snarls while Leta tries to tell him it’s just a dream. He awakes, apologizing for hurting her and crying but Leta tells him he needs to be quiet or Mother will hear. Mother is the person that found them at the side of the road when Leta was just six and Arien a baby, but any warmth she may have had for them then is now gone. She slams into the room and wretches Arien in front of an altar of the Lady, seeming to want to burn off the remaining shadows that remain on Arien’s hands. Leta, determined not to let Mother hurt Arien any more, throws the glass candle on the floor, breaking it. Mother makes her kneel in the shards and once she has, Mother retreats back to her room. Arien helps Leta clean the glass and blood from her knees and Leta vows that Mother will never hurt Arien again.
Arien and Leta are standing in line to present their tithe in Greymere. A girl comes up to them and tells them that Lord Sylvanan has come to collect the tithes - the only member of the Sylvanan family who remains, because it is said he killed all of them. Yikes! They call him the Monster of Lakesedge. All of a sudden Arien dashes away, and Leta runs after him into the forest. The shadows have come back, and it’s the first time they’ve done so during the day. Leta holds Arien's face and tells him to draw the shadows back, and slowly they dissipate. Back in the town Lord Sylvanan - the monster - approaches them for their tithe and he seems to know that there is something different about Arien.Back at the cottage the monster is waiting for them. He reveals that he saw what happened in the woods and insists that Arien is to come back to Lakesedge Estate with him. Leta demands to do with them and he eventually relents. They mount horses, Arien with someone named Florence, and Leta with the monster, stopping for the night at a small cottage on the road. Lord Sylvanan pulls Arien outside to talk, but neither will reveal to Leta what they discussed.
As night falls they settle in to bed and Leta tells Arien one of her favorite childhood stories as he falls asleep. She notices that the monster is listening to her story and she abruptly stops. He turns over and while everyone else is asleep Leta decides they can't stay. After rousing Arien they flee into the woods, running, and hear the monster call after them. Running, they get separated in a blighted wood that has been consumed by darkness and a wolf starts to come after Leta. She cowers as it goes to attack, but is saved by the monster who uses the shadows to subdue the wolf, but not before he gets bitten. Arien tells Leta that the monster came back for her. They follow the monster back to the cottage. Where else could they go?
Questions:
- What do you think Lord Sylvanan wants to do with Arien? Do you really think he can help?
- How do you think Arien ended up plagued by shadows?
- Do you think Lord Sylvanan truly did murder his entire family? If not, what do you think happened to them?
- Who do you think Florence is?
- Did you enjoy the first section of the book?
Pick up your signed exclusive copy of Lakesedge in the OwlCrate Shop!
