Discuss this retelling of Persephone and Hades in light of the original Greek myth. How has St. Clair updated the conventions or traditional events of the ancient story? In what ways has she changed the characters? What do these changes afford her story, and what might they say about the demands of modern narratives as compared to tales of antiquity or the scope of modern myths?

Examine Hades and Persephone’s love in light of one of the romance tropes from which it borrows: the May-December romance, billionaire romance, mafia romance, or another trope of your choosing. In what ways do the characters and their actions conform to the conventions of this subgenre? In what ways do they resist this casting, and what does such deviation suggest?

Analyze the setting of A Touch of Ruin and discuss what the inheritance from the ancient Greek myths adds to the story. What meaning or influence can you find beyond the magical or fantasy realm? What has St. Clair updated or changed, and what has she retained? What do these changes or holdovers say about this world and its story?