City of Heavenly Fire: The Mortal Instruments, Book 6

There's usually plenty of blood -- and ichor or demon blood -- spilled in this series. Expect a few gory scenes including a demon's death with a "jumbled mass of steaming internal organs pouring out," and a werewolf's eyes being clawed and then the claws being "covered in blood and smears of liquid brain matter and vitreous humor." There also are deaths and a couple decapitations in battle scenes and some sad deaths from stabbings. Shadowhunters must fight against and kill former loved ones who were "turned" by drinking from a demon cup; a child must kill the shell of his own father, and there's talk of a man committing suicide after having to kill his turned best friend. The heroes face kidnapping and imprisonment, plus there are a few nasty injuries from demons, fire, and a stabbing. Talk of many werewolves and Shadowhunters turned or killed en masse. Much talk of the heroes missing their brother Max, who was killed in a previous book. An 11-year-old girl looks at pictures of her parents dead on a beach. A mention that baby Jace was cut out of the body of his dead mother.

Clary and Jace -- both almost 17-- have sex for the first time, with mention of a condom being unwrapped as well as naked bodies. More couples, two straight and one gay, kiss and get a bit passionate rolling around together. A faerie queen gets out of bed with her lover and walks around naked. Plenty of jokingly bawdy banter among friends about characters going off and having sex and the walk of shame. The evil Sebastian makes it known that he would like to have an incestuous relationship with his sister Clary.

Some uses of "bastard" and "bitch" but mostly versions of "goddamn" and "hell."

Simon's given spiked blood and falls asleep drunk. There's wine at a party as well as wine brought out in a cave hideout that older teens drink, plus champagne at a wedding that everyone drinks. A vampire smokes a cigarette (noting that the undead don't have to worry about cancer).

Parents need to know that Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series has always been meant for more mature teen readers. But the sexual content is a bit more mature in City of Heavenly Fire and the previous installment, City of Lost Souls, than in the others. Here main characters have sex for the first time (with a condom), and other couples -- straight and gay -- do plenty of kissing and rolling around together. The series continues to be bloody and violent, with some truly gory moments -- guts spilling, heads rolling -- and some profoundly sad ones, such as when a 12-year-old boy must kill his own father because his father drank out of a cup that "turned" him evil. There are more sad deaths, mostly by stabbing, and some battle scenes and talk of massacres. The older teen characters drink wine together. They also fight alongside one another, showing loyalty, friendship, and bravery -- big themes of the series. Clare includes a gay relationship with all the complexity and then some of a straight one -- which is rare, especially for a fantasy series. She also introduces her first autistic character, Tiberius, who will figure more prominently in her follow-up series, The Dark Artifices.