Witch's pyre

Name: Witch's pyre
Author: Josephine Angelini
ISBN: 9781250050915

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Josephine Angelini

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.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

What if you discovered you had magical powers and had to lead a battle against terrifying monsters? Lily Proctor isn’t just any girl—she’s a powerful witch caught between worlds, trying to save everyone without losing herself. But what if the biggest threat isn’t the monsters, but the darkness inside her own heart?

Themes

MagicTeenage GirlsFantasy World-Building Coming of Age Adventure

Quick Assessment

Lily, a teen witch who has lost her first love and been betrayed by someone new, must find a way to defeat the monstrous Woven in a strange world without using nuclear weapons or turning into a tyrant like her alternate self. The story deals with grief, loss, betrayal, and the costs of war, and it ends with hard choices about sacrifice. It is best suited to older teen readers who are comfortable with emotionally heavy, battle-focused fantasy.

Why we rated Witch's pyre ME (Moderate)

Witch's pyre is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 376 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 Witch's pyre 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.

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

Thematically, Witch's pyre explores magic, teenage girls, fantasy world-building, coming of age, 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 magic, teenage girls, fantasy world-building.

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

Moderate

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

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?