Books Via Ashley discussion

Discussion Questions!
Remember, you can answer some or all, and ask your own!

1. Which character did you like the most? Which character did you like the least? How did you relate to them overall?

2. There were many situations in Empress that had real world comparisons. Which ones stood out most to you?

3. How did you feel about the setting? What aspect engaged you the most?

1. Which character did you like the most? Which character did you like the least? How did you relate to them overall?

I think I liked Aly the most, as his character felt the most realistic of the main characters. I liked that he was a good problem solver even though he made mistakes. I didn't really like Rhee, though she got better by the end. I didn't like that she was set up as this strong determined fighter when she was really a naive brat.

2. The two real-world scenarios that stood out to me where the perception/acceptance of refugees and also user-privacy.

For the refugee one, we see from Aly's point of view how he feels like he has to work twice as hard and always be mindful of what he does, because he knows one mistake will reflect badly on all of his people. And how being a refugee from his destroyed world and all the loss that incurs has really affected him emotionally and mentally. I really liked having a character that shows this, as it's a reality so many people in this world face today. We see many people, victims of a war they didn't want or start, facing prejudice because of their skin color or religion. (I would like to see a YA book where a religious character isn't weird or extreme though).

And with the cube technology that is so important to the book, we can see parallels in today's social media, where your memories/pictures can be exploited. In the book it goes even deeper, as the hardware is literally in people's brains, but it raises some ethics questions that I have no doubt humanity will face very soon in the future as technology progresses.

3. I really liked the setting. I liked that there were non-huminoid characters and they had to learn to co-exist. And space travel is always fun. I thought the various ways it had developed was fun to see. For instance, what basically was an interstellar train around the solar system.