Shadowcaster: Shattered Realms, Book 2

Some battle scenes with heavy casualties. Not many gory details but a mention that some warriors possessing magic could only be disposed of by cutting off their heads and legs and that others were torn to bits by flying shrapnel staining the snow red. A few mourned deaths: A guard dies after an ambush, and someone's fiancé dies in the slaughter of her whole town. Two men are found with their throats slit, men fall to their deaths, a character is gravely injured by falling rocks, another is poisoned and nearly dies. Plenty of mentions of past wrongs in this long war: a soldier princess' head sent back to her mother in a box, a king who killed all his brothers, a spy who got her throat slit.

Main characters kiss and grope with talk of wishing for more and wishing for a "sheath." Talk of other characters, teens, in a sexual relationship. The graceful handling of an unwanted erection and some made-up bawdy talk about one male soldier's relationship with a female soldier.

Slightly saltier than the last book. "A--hole" a handful of times and a few of "bastards," "s--t," "hell," and "damn."

Lyss is only 15 but a seasoned soldier. She drinks wine and ale with friends in bars and at celebratory royal gatherings. She gets really drunk once when she feels profound loss and regrets it. Breon often smokes a substance called leaf. While he claims not to be addicted, it'll be clear to readers that he is very much addicted to it. He craves it constantly and it negatively affects his life.

Parents need to know that Shadowcaster, by Cinda Williams Chima, is the second book in the Shattered Realms fantasy series, a spin-off of the bestselling Seven Realms series. If you haven't read the first series, you can still keep up -- there's a map and some explanation near the beginning of the first book, Flamecaster, of how the magic in this world works. Just like in the first book, there's a war raging. Expect many deaths on the battlefield but not many gory details: Some warriors possessing magic can only be disposed of by cutting off their heads and legs, and flying shrapnel tears up soldiers and stains the snow red. You'll find a few mourned deaths: A guard dies after an ambush, and someone's fiancé dies in the slaughter of her whole town. Characters in their teens are treated as adult soldiers and drink adult drinks: wine and ale. One character is addicted to a smoked substance called leaf. Language is a little saltier than in the first book: "a--hole" is the most common insult. Readers who enjoy strong female characters will love Lyss. She looks more like a WNBA basketball star than a preening princess and is an accomplished soldier and capable leader to boot.