Kingdoms is a fantastical series that depicts many different ways of death as it is based in the world of Teros, during times of war. In the Kingdom of Chaos, we follow many characters of the race known as: the Orken.
The Orken are brutal creatures whose entire lives revolve around war and subsequently: killing. Decapitation, crushing of skulls, death by axe, sword and arrow are all featured in this gory beginning to the Kingdoms series.
Along with a violent society, the Orken do not marry as other races do. In the beginning chapters, we read that the Orken males take a “mate” and procure children through her. They are loyal to this mate until she dies, at which point they would find another mate fulfill their reproductive duties. Other than these brief mentions, there is no sexual caution for this story.
Family ties within the Orken culture are another thing to be cautious of when considering this story for your teen. We read of many instances of family members killing each other as their bonds are not enduring and love is not an emotion found in the Orken culture.
A spiritual warning may need to be mentioned. The lore of Kingdoms features a Creator of the world and although we never hear from, see, or have direct encounters with this Creator, the presence of a higher power is quite evident as the story progresses. Also, a character introduced in the latter chapters features abilities that some may view as sorcery: please note that the power of this character, and characters introduced in later stories, does not stem from witchcraft, magic, sorcery, or divination. Teros is a fantastical world and thus the creatures and beings who live within it have access to abilities that would be considered supernatural to our own definition of physics.
Kingdoms is an Author’s Favourite, however the violence makes this story inappropriate for children of most ages.