Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
The midnight star
Marie Lu
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
Adelina stands on the edge of her dark empire, the White Wolf's reign shaking with every step. Her power feels unstoppable — until a new danger crashes into her world, forcing her to choose between old enemies and new threats. But what will happen when the shadows inside her threaten to tear everything apart?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Adelina, the White Wolf, leads her Roses on a dangerous quest alongside former enemies while her own cruelty grows and her inner darkness spirals out of control. Expect fantasy violence, wartime conflict, revenge-driven betrayals, and emotionally heavy, morally complicated choices, with an ambiguous ending. It best suits older teen readers comfortable with dark, intense fantasy.
Why we rated The midnight star ME (Moderate)
The midnight star is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 314 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 The midnight star 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Dark Subject Matter, Moral Complexity.
Thematically, The midnight star explores ability, quests, revenge, fantasy world-building, and adventure — 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 ability, quests, revenge.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
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
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780399167850
- Pages
- 314
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction