Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Forsaken
Tom Sniegoski
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IE, means intense content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
Aaron, a boy caught between the human world and the realm of angels, faces dangerous battles that test his courage and heart. As dark forces threaten everything he loves, he must confront painful losses and make impossible choices. This thrilling adventure explores the fight between good and evil with intense action and emotional depth.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 6-7 book with intense content intensity. Content themes include alcohol abuse, mutilation, death of child. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated Forsaken IE (Intense)
Forsaken is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 399 pages (approximately 86,902 words). 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.
Read aloud, Forsaken runs about 9.7 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Forsaken as IE (Intense, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Alcohol Abuse, Mutilation, Death of Child, Death of Parent, Blood/Gore, Gun Violence, Hospital Scene.
Thematically, Forsaken explores angels, supernatural, good and evil, love, and fiction — 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.
- ✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about angels, supernatural, good and evil.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 4 more books in the Fallen series.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 13 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! 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
IE · Intense · 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
Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
5/10Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
More in the Fallen Series
The fallen.
Tom Sniegoski
The fallen.
Tom Sniegoski
Aerie
Tom Sniegoski
Aerie
Tom Sniegoski
Reckoning
Tom Sniegoski
Reckoning
Tom Sniegoski
Fallen volume 3 End of Days
Thomas E. Sniegoski
Fallen volume 3 End of Days
Thomas E. Sniegoski
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781442446991
- Pages
- 399
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2012
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 86,902
- Read-Aloud
- ~9h 39m
- Text Density
- Standard