The wicked within

Name: The wicked within
Author: Kelly Keaton
ISBN: 9781442493155

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Kelly Keaton

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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 a curse had haunted your family for hundreds of years? In a post-apocalyptic New Orleans, Ari races against time to break the gorgon spell that threatens the women she loves. But when a powerful relic disappears and whispers of an ancient force grow louder, can she stop the darkness before it’s too late?

Themes

SupernaturalGood and EvilMythologyAdventure Family

Quick Assessment

Ari races to lift a curse passed down through her family while Athena hunts the same missing relic in a ruined New Orleans. Expect supernatural peril, a blood trail tied to murders, and a romance that includes sensual content, so it suits older teens more than younger readers. The story ends on a tense, unresolved note as the larger threat is still unfolding.

Why we rated The wicked within ME (Moderate)

The wicked within is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 280 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 wicked within 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, The wicked within explores supernatural, good and evil, mythology, adventure, and family — 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 supernatural, good and evil, mythology.

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 · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Moderate

Reading 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.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?