Emberhawk
Jamie Foley

The start of the story opens with the scene of Kira being chased by a massive trace cat.  She's clearly running for dear life, but manages to catch it in the trap she had set.  Her brother Lee comes to her rescue with his lasso and together they snap its neck.  Lee goes to the body and finishes the job with a knife.

A young man is shot in the shoulder with an arrow.  Fleeing from the shooter, he runs through the forest, jostling the arrow shaft painfully.  In defense, a character grabs at the shaft, twisting it in the wound and causing him to black out.  He wakes in a barn; eventually soldiers come to question him.  One of the leaders resorts to torture, digging his thumb into the young man's wound.

A man uses a wooden hammer to knock out two soldiers in his escape.

A girl runs through the forest, trips down a hill and twists her ankle rather severely.  She bleeds from a cut to her arm as well.  Warned that blood draws the predators that stalk the woods...

Something known as the Sacrificial War ten years prior---it's implied there were human sacrifices (including children)...

A city falls under attack; many explosions level homes and businesses.  Massive elevators in the city are sabotaged, injuring the masses of people crowding to escape.  A man burns his hands badly in an attempt to keep from falling to his death.

An enemy has his neck snapped when he's lassoed and thrown head over heels, leaving him to dangle suspended.

Arrows shot at enemy; man incinerated by blast from a wyvern; young man killed (throat flayed open, blood everywhere).

An elemental attacks a couple people in a forest, torturing them.  They writhe in pain.  One girl is later burned by a handprint to her neck.

Aeo is the name of the creator god, known as the one God.  The people of different cultures worship & idolize different beings known as amos elementals.  Many pray to the water goddess, among others, etc.  There's a shrine to a seven-tailed fox.

A character follows the creator God & often prays to Him.

Different cultures have a variety of abilities.  There's an element called Phoera that runs silver through the veins of some people and gives them control & manipulative elements over fire & invisibility, among other things.

Others can manipulate water, and are known as wavesingers.

A fox spirit has swirling green eyes with no pupils & can speak just like a human.  [SPOILER] We find later that he's a trai'yeth---a lesser elemental (but still amazingly powerful).

None, other than slang such as "bleeding stars", "what the tails," etc.  "Bleeding" is used every now & then---similarly to the British slang "bloody."

Different plants are used for medicinal purposes:  blissroot for pain, aloe vera for burns, and something known as fadeleaf as a sedative.  Herbal medicines, teas, and poultices are present.  As well as bottle of saké (an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin).

The predators known as d'hakkas are scary "tree-scorpion", spider-like creatures with a scorpion tale & heavily armored body.  The tail uses one of two poisons: one rots the blood of their victims, and the other sedates them.

At least one person is obviously drunk in one scene that takes place in a restaurant.

This was such an AMAZING, epic fantasy adventure and I SO TOTALLY NEED THE SEQUEL.  That's all I can say in conclusion.  ;D  If you enjoy incredible, clean fantasy with amazing cultural world building, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.

a hearty FIVE out of FIVE stars