The Safe Pages Rating
Romance
I actually enjoyed the romance in the book. There were no love triangles like many young adult books do and it was not as cringey as I expected. There were a few unrealistic parts, but it is a YA fantasy book so that is to be expected. The two main characters kiss a few times, and the kisses are described in a paragraph or so. Nothing beyond that happened. There are two characters that are married, and although nothing happens in the book, a few jokes are made about them.
Violence
There is violence in the book including stabbing, choking, sword-fighting, and several other methods. There are threats and cruel characters. However, the violence aftermath is not graphically described outside of some of the characters’ injuries. Although there was violence, it was not graphic.
Language
There were a few sweard words, including “b*itch” and “*ss”, but they were infrequent and nothing harsher was used. There may have been a total of half a dozen swear words throughout the book.
Drugs and Alcohol
One of the first scenes involves a celebration where some of the characters do get drunk, but it is brief and nothing beyond the celebration occurs. There are some instances of the characters drinking wine, but the scenes were short.
Diversity
Because the book takes place in a fantasy world, the diversity was not what we are familiar with. However, there are characters from different kingdoms that are forced to get along and get over their differences.
Demographic
The book is for Young Adult readers, which are typically ages 13-18. I would say anyone in middle school or older would be able to read this book. Although there is a male and female main character, the book may be more geared towards girls because of the romance aspect, but boys might also appreciate it.
Storyline
I really loved this book! I am so tired of all the popular fantasy books having graphic content that renders them unreadable. I just wanted a fun fantasy book, and this delivered. The characters were great, the storyline was good, and the world-building was done well. This was a book that I had been craving! Even though I’m not a young adult anymore, sometimes those books really do deliver.
The Safe Pages Rating System
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