Alexander asked:

Is this book suitable for a 12 year old?

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10 years ago
10 answers

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Amy

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Aaron Street I agree with some of the other comments, there is some quite harsh sexual, torched and violence. IT is not particularly graphic but it is also not tame. I would put these book for young adults (16+). Later books also are more detailed as the character get older.

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Gareld Butler You bet. It seems precisely written for this age group but is still entertaining to those of us much older. I have to disagree with some of the other responses as I didn't find the violence to be very graphic at all. I have seen much worse on network crime dramas on TV. I also found it hopeful in that, even though there were certainly other characters that didn't like young Fitz and tended to mistreat him, he was always able to overcome the obstacles they put in front of him and maintained a good attitude through everything.

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Amy Rugg I would not want my son to read this at 12. It's a depressing story about a boy who is mistreated and abused and at about 12 is taught to become an assassin. He was corrupted at an early age. While his teacher is somewhat kind to him, he has very little as far as true kindness or love in his life. This is not a fun fantasy book for teens. Beyond that it is a very boring read at first and i cannot see many twelve year olds reading it. I don't want to spoil anything but other traumatic things happen to him as well. I would say if this book was a movie it would be PG-13 just for certain scenes.

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Lucinda Jane It depends on their maturity level, but I would generally say that 12 is a little too young. It's more apparent in the later books, but this series can get fairly graphic. Descriptions of physical torture, rape, murder, etc. Besides, it's an extremely depressing story and I can't see many 12-year-olds enjoying it, or understanding some of the more nuanced themes behind it. It's a brilliant series, don't get me wrong- possibly my favourite fantasy series ever- but I would wait a few years before letting your 12-year-old read it.

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Sean Carter I can only speak for this book because I am between the series myself but I am amazed at how well this book addresses sticky issues. Like others have mentioned it does deal with an illegitimate child and how he is ostracized by society. It also does deal with poisoning and learning the art of killing people (hence the name). It also has some brutally true to life experiences where the character just can't win whether that is having his hopes crushed, body bruised, or even will to live questioned. So, if that sounds like something you want your child to experience or explore I would highly recommend it. She does not mince words when telling the story of life through the main character's eyes. The only issue, as mentioned by others, is that it moves slowly but I never found it boring and she certainly doesn't spend paragraphs talking about people's clothing and nothing else like Robert Jordan does. Also, the reading level may be higher than a 12 year old may be able to comprehend because her writing is quite poetic at times. So for a well-read 12 year old that isn't afraid to dive into some less than happy ending topics I feel like this is suitable. Read it yourself if you want. It's definitely more appropriate than A Song of Ice and Fire (A Game of Thrones) or The Blade Itself (Fitzgerald) for a teen. Also there is hardly any bad language in the book unless you don't like the term bastard or calling a female dog a b****.

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Daniowl I read some of this series (assassins apprentice and liveship traders) around this age so I don't see any problems with it. It does have some content which could be considered adult but I honestly wouldn't censor those sorts of things for kids. They are going to learn about it one way or another. The stories are interesting and complex and a great read for all ages.

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Yanek Note there is more rape and explicit sex in the Liveship Traders trilogy which follows this trilogy. The story is outstanding but I can't recommend it to someone of that age... as a parent of tweens myself.

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Derek Hermann I would definitely say it's suitable for a 12 year old. The only thing I would say is it's not a quick and easy read and could be challenging for some adolescent readers. As a father of teens and someone who also feels strongly about content, I applaud the question. There is nothing content-wise (sexual, language, etc.) except some mild violent content. I think the rich detail and thought provoking concepts would be well suited for a 12 year old.

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