Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
After escaping the Howling Tower with Mops, Benjamin is determined to find out where his parents are. But the two friends are unable to avoidcapture again, and after witnessing the cruelty of the gallow-boat, where he finds his father as one of the saps used to power it, they are taken to be pet-saps by King Antonius and Queen Dearie. When Benjamin rebels violently against the Queen's cruel attempts at obedience training, Benjamin finds himself facing a worse horror than he ever could have imagined...What will be the future for him and Mops?
Is The Fighting Pit appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 11 and up.
This middle-grade fantasy features themes of enslavement, forced labor, and violent rebellion. Benjamin witnesses his father being used as forced labor to power a ship and faces cruel 'obedience training' before violently rebelling. The concept of 'saps' (seemingly enslaved beings) and references to worse horrors ahead suggest dark, disturbing content.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include torture, slavery, captivity, and death of parent (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Kids will follow Benjamin's desperate quest to find his parents and escape captivity with his friend Mops in this darker fantasy adventure.