The Way of Kings - (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

Weighing in at a whopping 1007 pages, this is not an undertaking for the novice fantasy reader. Nor is it a novel for children. Although the language is tame by usual adult fiction standards, there is enough violence to give your twelve-year-old nightmares.

Language - Mild

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - Moderate (to Heavy)

Adult Themes - Some

Although parts seemed to drag on, Sanderson generally does a great job of keeping the stakes high and the characters flawed (yet likeable). I'll definitely be looking for the second in the series. I still haven't figured out at what point I'll let my children read it, though.

The Way of Kings gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars. 

The Star Ratings on this site are inversely based on amount of mature material found in the books. 

The less objectionable, the content, the more stars it earns.

Another Guest Review - His Majesty's Dragon - (PG) - and My First Page

If you're interested in reading or critiquing the first page of my YA sci-fi novel, check out this blog contest:
Miss Snark's First Victim: January Secret Agent #4

Tomorrow marks the start of the Kickstarter campaign for my eBook editing app, but today I'm excited to post a review by a new Guest Surgeon.

Dr. Burdsal is Executive Editor and Co-founder of Wordshop Editing. Here's her SSG review of His Majesty's Dragon:

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

His Majesty's Dragon is the first installment in the 9-book Temeraire Series.  The characters were well-rounded, and there are some unique and lovable aspects of the world (specifically the relationships between the captains and their dragons). The setting was excellent, complete with historic realism in dialogue.

Language - None

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - Mild

Adult Themes - A few

Since it is set in the British military during the Napoleonic Wars, some sections read like a war report. Discussions on battle can get a little heavy and hard to follow. This makes the book ill-suited to younger readers. 

Swearing in the book is limited to antiquated British slurs, like "blast." There is no explicit sexual content, but there are adult themes like illegitimacy, as well as some innuendo that leads to a relationship of "sleepovers." The author tastefully skips over any nighttime scenes.

His Majesty's Dragon gets a (PG) rating for content.  

Four stars. 

The Star Ratings on this site are inversely based on amount of mature material found in the books. 

The less objectionable, the content, the more stars it earns.

Special Thanks to Dr. Burdsal for her review. You can follow her on Twitter or Goodreads.

The Warrior Heir - (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

This is an older fantasy that my brother recommended. The profanity is mild, but what you have to watch out for is the violence. Several people die in brutal/bloody ways. Although you don't generally see it happen, he describes the blood and the mangled bodies ("nearly ripped in half" sort of thing.)

Overall, I found it interesting but couldn't relate to the I-don't-know-what-I-want-but-I-like-to-whine main character. The stats presented here are for the first half of the book. (I made it to 7 of 11 CDs before I gave up.) But unless there was a surprise sex scene at the end, this should give you an idea if you want your teens reading it.

Language - Mild

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - Moderate

Adult Themes - Some

The Warrior Heir gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars. 

(The STAR RATINGS on this blog represent MATURE CONTENT only. The less objectionable content, the higher the rating.)

Spotlight - Brandon Mull (Certified Safe Author)

Several years ago I picked up the first Fablehaven book at random from the library. The first half was okay, but near the end I found myself getting genuinely freaked out. Not that it was violent or disturbing, Brandon just did a great job making the story seem real. I decided to give the second book in the series a try and I'm glad I did. (It was much better than the first.) Thus began my like-alot-affair with Mr. Mull. I've read most of his books and there's nary a swear word to be found. Nor is there anything sexual. The only thing parents might need to watch out for is mild fantasy violence and kids disobeying their elders. The covers below each represent entire series, so if you find you like Brandon's style you'll have enough material to last you through adolescence. (Or your midlife crisis.)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - G

In general, the Fablehaven books get better as they go. (Although #2 will always be my favorite.) The Candy Shop Wars I enjoyed least, and I still haven't read the sequel. The first and second books in the Beyonders series were phenomenal (if you can overlook that stupid hippo) although by the third book, Brandon's horrible prose and meandering plotting was starting to get to me. The book still sits half finished in my locker at work.

Language - None

Sexuality - None

Violence - Mild

Adult Themes - A Few

I reiterate, the writing in these books is sub-par. Don't expect to be intellectually stimulated. Brandon does a whole lot of telling instead of showing and he loves him some adverbs. But if you're not a lit-snob like me, you shouldn't have any trouble losing yourself in the incredibly creative stories.

Brandon Mull's books get a blanket (G) rating for content.  

Five stars.