Into the Bright Unknown: Gold Seer Trilogy, Book 3

Parents need to know that Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson (the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy) is the final bold chapter in the Gold Seer trilogy. It stars Lee, a girl whose parents were murdered in Georgia by her own uncle. In Book 1, Walk on Earth a Stranger, Lee heads West to find gold with her "witchy" ability. In Book 2, Like a River Glorious, she's taken hostage in a mining town. In Into the Bright Unknown, Lee heads to San Francisco in 1850 and faces off against a greedy businessman out to exploit everyone. The violence is much milder in this book than in the others in the series. There's the usual Wild West gun-toting, but only one man is shot. There are fights and robberies. A man is beaten badly and there's a hanging. Plus there's a kidnapping of a free black man by smugglers paid to re-enslave him, a part of real history in the Old West. Historical details like that abound, and the focus extends beyond the white settlers you usually hear about. Lee's friends and allies are black, Native American, and Chinese, and strong women. Many scenes are set in gambling dens and bars where adults drink the hard stuff. There's plenty of smoking, as well. Engaged characters kiss, and there's talk of prostitutes at a hotel.