Series: Serafina #3
Published by Disney Hyperion on July 3rd, 2017
Genres: Action & Adventure, Animals, General, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 368
The storms are coming.... Something has happened to Serafina. She has awoken into a darkness she does not understand, scarred from a terrible battle, only to find that life at Biltmore Estate has changed in unimaginable ways. Old friends do unthinkable things and enemies seem all around.A mysterious threat moves towards Biltmore, a force without a name, bringing with it violent storms and flooding that stands to uproot everything in its path. Serafina must uncover the truth about what has happened to her and find a way to harness her strange new powers before it's too late. With only days to achieve the impossible, Serafina fights to reclaim herself as the Guardian of Biltmore, friend of Braeden, daughter of her Pa, and heroine of the Blue Ridge Mountains and all the folk and creatures that call it home. In the epic third installment of Robert Beatty's #1 bestselling series, Serafina takes her rightful place among literary champions as she battles fiercely to defend all she loves and become everything that she is meant to be.
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Secular (contains paranormal elements that some Christians may find offensive)
ASEL Rating:moderately detailed violence
Content to be aware of: Spirits, Sorcery, Buried alive, Reanimation of a corpse.
Recommended for: Fans of Young Adult fiction with magical elements.
Suggested Age: 11+
Serafina and the Splintered Heart is book #3 in the Serafina series by Robert Beatty. Other books in the series include Serafina and the Black Cloak (#1), and Serafina and the Twisted Staff (#2).
I picked this series up because of all the hype—fully expected to hate it—and actually loved it. The Serafina books are paranormal/horror geared towards elementary students. And while some feel that the book borders on being too violent for their particular children, I didn’t feel that way at all. I think this all comes down to knowing what your child can or can’t handle.
Yes, there are some pretty intense moments. The book begins with Serafina digging herself out of her own grave and it progresses to dark magic that may or may not employ the use of enchanted black widow spiders. Creepy!
This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I kept turning the pages to see how Serafina would overcome the return of an old foe. And I wanted to know if another young lady would find redemption from her past mistakes.
This book and series have a lot to offer. Friendship, acceptance of a child who is physically different and the courage to do what we need to.
Her pa had told her once that true courage wasn’t because you didn’t feel fear. True courage was when you were scared of something, but you did it anyway because it needed to be done.
Due to content that may be scary for some readers, I would definitely suggest parents read this series before passing it on to their children. I was personally okay with the content and I knew my 10 and twelve-year-old could handle it. I would not let my eight-year-old read the series at this time.
Overall, this is one of my favorite Young Adult series and I look forward to the next series being published by Robert Beatty. Willa of the Wood releases on July 10,2018.
Book Trailer
About Robert Beatty
Robert Beatty is the author of the #1 New York Times best selling Serafina series published by Disney Hyperion, a spooky mystery-thriller about a brave and unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate.
Serafina and the Black Cloak was a #1 New York Times best seller, has been on the list for more than 59 weeks, and won the prestigious 2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. The second book in the series, Serafina and the Twisted Staff, became a #1 New York Times best seller in the first week of its launch and earned a “Starred Review” from Kirkus Reviews, which said, “Even better than its predecessor, a sequel that delivers nonstop thrills from beginning to end.” Enjoyed by both young readers and adults, the books are being taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide. When the third book, Serafina and the Splintered Heart, came out in July 2017, it earned a Starred Review from Kirkus Reviews and propelled the Serafina Series onto the New York Times Best Selling Series List.
Robert Beatty lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina with his wife and three daughters, who help create and refine his stories. He loves to explore Biltmore Estate and the darkened forest trails where his novels take place. He writes full-time now, but in his past lives, Robert was one of the early pioneers of cloud computing, the founder/CEO of Plex Systems, and the chairman/CTO of Narrative Magazine. In 2007, he was named an Entrepreneur of the Year.
Really sounds like an exciting book.
It is! Loved the whole series and the next looks great as well
All these series!!! Lol.