The scourge series was a different take on the apocalypse, and I would say a more realistic one. There are your bad characters and your good ones. All are well developed with motives that ring true for me. Very likeable and very unlikeable too, they all question the morality of what they are doing to survive. There are violent acts, the romances are sweet but not graphic. I get turned off by gratuitous swear words. This author does not use much. So not for kids but fine for everyone else.