The Prepared Parent (A Common Sense Review) ‘Serafina and the Black Cloak’

(The following review is not meant to dissuade or endorse but rather to inform parents and readers of content. I’ve done my best to point out what I feel is useful, but please use your own discretion as I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy.)

Title:

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Intended Audience:

Readers 8-12 years old

Synopsis:

This story centers on a young girl named Serafina who longs to be normal and to join other kids her own age, but she doesn’t dare. Serafina is different. She is unusually small, has heightened senses, can see in the dark, and only has four toes on each foot. For years her father has warned her to keep hidden and to remain in the shadows. As chief rat-catcher of The Biltmore Estate, this is usually easy to do, but everything changes the day she sees a mysterious man in a black cloak make a girl disappear. Now, Serafina must make a choice: Remain in the shadows like she’s always done, or risk everything to stop the man before he strikes again.

Themes:

Courage, friendship, horror, being different, choosing good over evil.

Language Content:

No swearing, euphemisms, or name calling observed.

Romantic Situations:

Butterflies and brief cuddling with a boy to stay warm.

Violence and Gore:

The main character fights with the man in the black cloak several times. Instances of biting and clawing at rotting flesh. Bloody hands are mentioned, guts of a dead deer, slash wounds, and attacks and bites from animals. A man’s body burns and his skin peels down into blood and bones.

Frightening Imagery:

The man in the black cloak absorbing children he wraps in his cloak as they scream. Flesh being stuck to the inside of a glove.

Magic and the Occult:

A human transforms into an animal. Serafina thinks she is a creature of the night and worries she is evil, but in the end decides she has a choice, and chooses good. She wonders if the man in the black cloak could be a demon but he’s more like a cursed man bending to the will of an enchanted cloak.

Use of Drugs and Alcohol:

Not by the main character. Mentions a man being a drunk and some others “tipping the jug.” Also mentions a man using chewing tobacco.

Disrespectful Attitudes:

Main character generally shows respect to father, but does disobey him several times in order to continue her investigation and help stop the man in the black cloak.

Final Thoughts:

For those expecting a light fantasy going in, I will warn you, this book is scarier than it appears on the cover. May be better suited for older children. Probably not ideal for more sensitive kids. Some serious stranger danger vibes. The man in the black cloak absorbs children while assuring them, “I won’t hurt you.” Serafina is also nearly crushed while the man is pressing down on top of her, trying to kill her. Could be upsetting especially if someone has suffered abuse in the past.

Overall it was an enjoyable book with an intriguing plot that will keep the reader’s attention to the end and just might lead to some late night reading sessions under the covers.

Emily A. Steward is a writer of Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. Her books can be found on Amazon.com and at participating retailers.