The Shadow Wand: The Black Witch Chronicles, Book 3

Parents need to know that The Shadow Wand, the third book in the Black Witch Chronicles, has much more sexual content than previous books in the series. If teens are in that phase where they're thinking about their own sexuality and what kind of partner they want to have and to be someday, there are good messages here about using birth control and being a committed and equal partner. That said, the "fasted" or married couple's first night together goes on for pages and leaves little to the imagination. There's some sexual violence, too, with a man nearly raping a woman in the serving class (only to have her employer tell her to wear "less tempting clothes") and an attempted rape that ends in a severe beating of the predator. Other violence includes the death of a major character who's heavily mourned, the masacre of young fae, the whipping of prisoners, and attacks by assassins and giant magic bugs that cause major injuries. As the series gets closer to all-out war and genocide, characters recall stories of being beaten as children for being different and running for their lives to escape enslavement or death. Other mature content includes some drinking, heavily once to mask the pain of an injury, and rare swearing, including "hell," "damn," and"bitch." The main character, Elloren, besides experiencing a sexual awakening in The Shadow Wand, fights her own fears to become the warrior that her imploding world needs now.