Chasing the Prophecy: Beyonders, Book 3

A number of key, beloved characters die, by sword, monster, fire, or explosion and mostly by choice to save their friends and their world from evil. The worst of it: a monster tears one character in half. Also in the mix: a hanging, the killing of horses, ships set ablaze and exploded, assassination attempts, enemies shot with arrows and decapitated by swords, drugging, and more big explosions killing many. There's also talk about the plague from Book 2, characters tortured in the past -- King Galloran is given someone else's eyes as part of the torture and Rachel is threatened with the same.

Jason has eyes for Corinne and sometimes talks about how pretty he finds her. He's a bit flustered once when they ride the same horse.

Aram pretends to be falling-down drunk to distract some sailors, plus some drinking in a pub by locals.

Parents need to know that like the rest of the Beyonders series, the publisher is marketing Chasing the Prophecy to ages 8 to 12, but ages 10 through 17 are a better fit for this fantasy trilogy. The author delves deep into his characters' motivations and includes lots of detail about the world he creates -- so it's meant for patient, more seasoned readers, not those new to fantasy books. There's also the level of violence to consider. Many beloved characters developed throughout the series die by sword, monster, fire, magic, or explosion. But the author creates a better balance in his finale; less gore and more time thinking about what the loss means, what sacrifice means, and when it's time to step up and be brave and heroic.