Maleeka’s skin is often compared to chocolate through the literary devices of simile and metaphor. What are some other similes and metaphors in the novel, and how do they frame certain characters or elements as positive or negative?

What are the twins, Raise and Rayna, like? How do you know this? How does the novel characterize them?

Akeelma’s diary entries often parallel Maleeka’s life. Describe the connection between each Akeelma excerpt and Maleeka’s situation at the time she writes it. Why do you think Maleeka creatively reimagines those events in the ways that she does?