Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Days of blood & starlight
Laini Taylor
Days of blood & starlight
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Laini Taylor
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
What if the person you loved was also your greatest enemy? Imagine discovering secrets that change everything you believed about yourself and the world around you. Now, Karou must choose between revenge and hope as a war rages on, and the fate of many hangs in the balance.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Art student Karou learns that her origins are bound to an angel and a devil whose love sparked a centuries-old war, and she must choose between vengeance and the man who betrayed her. Expect sustained battle violence, gore, hangings, and choking, along with stalking and sexual assault that is mentioned and, in one scene, shown onscreen. The romance and heartbreak are emotionally heavy, so this suits mature teen readers who can discuss its darker material.
Why we rated Days of blood & starlight ME (Moderate)
Days of blood & starlight is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 517 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.
We rate Days of blood & starlight as ME (Moderate, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Emotional: Loss & Grief, Emotional: Fear & Anxiety, Physical/Safety: Fantasy Violence.
Thematically, Days of blood & starlight explores adventure, fantasy & magic, supernatural, friendship, and coming of age — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, fantasy & magic, supernatural.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
For Parents
Content Intensity
ME · Moderate · EmotionalReading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate
Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780316133975
- Pages
- 517
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2012
- Type
- Fiction