Introduction

In the midst of England’s Reformation, a young novice will risk everything to defy the most powerful men of her era.

In 1538, England’s bloody power struggle between crown and cross threatens to tear the country apart. Novice Joanna Stafford has tasted the wrath of the royal court, discovered what lies within the king’s torture rooms, and escaped death at the hands of those desperate to possess the power of an ancient relic.

Even with all she has experienced, the quiet life is not for Joanna. Despite the possibilities of arrest and imprisonment, she becomes caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting Henry VIII himself. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna realizes her role is more critical than she’d ever imagined. She must choose between those she loves most and assuming her part in a prophecy foretold by three seers. Repelled by violence, Joanna seizes a future with a man who loves her. But no matter how hard she tries, she cannot escape the spreading darkness of her destiny.

To learn the final, sinister piece of the prophecy, she flees across Europe with a corrupt spy sent by Spain. As she completes the puzzle in the dungeon of a twelfth-century Belgian fortress, Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lies at the center of these deadly prophecies. . . .

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Excerpt

When Preparing for Martyrdom on the night of December 28, 1538, I did not think of those I love. Hiding in a narrow cemetery with seven men, all of us poised to commit violence on the steps of Canterbury Cathedral, I instead stared at the words carved into the tombstone I huddled behind: "Here lieth interred the body of Brother Batholomeus Giles, of Christ-Church Priory, Canterbury, who departed this life on the sixteenth of June, 1525." ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

What role does prophecy play in The Chalice? In what ways does Joanna’s character change over the course of the novel? In the end, how have the events of the novel changed her forever? Sometimes Joanna wants Geoffrey near her, yet at other times she pushes him away. What is your impression of their relationship?

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»	Nancy Bilyeau's website
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