The smoke thieves
Sally Green
The smoke thieves
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Sally Green
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
The heart-pounding conclusion to the daring Smoke Thieves trilogy. In this conclusion to the epic Smoke Thieves trilogy, the world has erupted into all-out war. King Aloysius is mining powerful demon smoke and using it to fuel an unstoppable army of children. March, now banished for treason, has joined up with this boy army. Forbidden from ever seeing Edyon again, and overwhelmed by his own betrayal, March no longer cares if he lives or dies. Catherine--now queen of Pitoria--must find a way to defeat the boy army, while also grappling with her own troubles: her secret demon smoke addiction, and unresolved tension with her former lover, Ambrose. Catherine seeks military support from Calidor by reaching out to her illegitimate cousin Edyon, who has been proclaimed heir to the Calidorian throne. But Edyon has almost no power as he's entangled in the unfamiliar machinations and manipulations of the royal court, finding that being the claimed son of a prince may be no easier than being a bastard. With Catherine, his love, now married off and moving on, and his brother and sister tortured and executed before him, Ambrose doesn't know what his role in this world is any more. He leads an expedition into the demon world, hoping to destroy the boy army's stores of demon smoke. In this underground world, he runs into Tash, whom everyone had believed dead. She has survived in this new world using magical abilities that, prior to now, only demons had. Aloysius will send his demon smoke-powered boy army to kill them all, if he can. But what nobody knows is that there is more to the smoke than meets the eye...
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 8 book. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.
Why we rated The smoke thieves Level 0
The smoke thieves is written at a Level 8 reading level across 544 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The smoke thieves works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate The smoke thieves as Unrated because the content sits in the "Unrated" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the unrated intensity score.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
Level 0 — UnratedThis book has not yet been rated for content intensity.
Was our "Unrated" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780425290217
- Pages
- 544
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction