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The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

Kidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise–even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will’s friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged constantly by freelance knights–but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soon he begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. Even so, will they be in time to rescue Will from a horrific life of slavery?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Alcohol consumption, addiction and non-consensual drugging
Body horror, physical injuries, physical illness and dead bodies/body parts
Verbal abuse
Hallucinations, delusions and suicide
Knife violence, murder and attempted murder
Banishment, exile and captivity
Blizzard
Whipping and flogging
Poverty themes
Animal death and hunting
War and military themes

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

Bracing for a final clash with the evil warlord Morgarath, the Rangers rally the kingdom’s allies, and Will is chosen, along with his friend Horace, as special envoys to nearby Celtica. But the simple mission soon takes an unsettling turn – the Celticans have disappeared, their town abandoned. The scheming hand of Morgarath, it seems, has been far from idle. He has found a way to bring his legions over the once impassible eastern mountains and is planning to ambush the king’s army in a rout. Now with help many miles away, Will and Horace are the only ones standing in the way of the dark lord’s plans.They have shown great skill and courage in their training, but how will they fare in the face of true evil?

With bigger battles and higher stakes, John Flanagan’s epic adventure charges ahead with this rousing follow-up to The Ruins of Gorlan.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Disappearance of a loved one
Fire and arson
Grief and loss depiction
Hostage situation and kidnapping
Slavery
Knife violence
Mind control and possession
Physical injuries and wounds, murder and attempted murder
War and military themes

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

They have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied….

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Verbal abuse
Burns, whipping and physical injuries
Death of a parent
Conscription
Knife violence, murder and attempted murder
Fire
Hunting
Bullying
War and military themes

The Burning by Laura Bates

The Burning by Laura Bates

What happens when you can’t run or hide from a mistake that goes viral?

This powerful young adult novel by the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project is a necessary book every young adult needs.

A rumor is like fire. And a fire that spreads online… is impossible to extinguish.

New school. Check.
New town. Check.
New last name. Check.
Social media profiles? Deleted.

Anna and her mother have moved hundreds of miles to put the past behind them. Anna hopes to make a fresh start and escape the harassment she’s been subjected to. But then rumors and whispers start, and Anna tries to ignore what is happening by immersing herself in learning about Maggie, a local woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century. A woman who was shamed. Silenced. And whose story has unsettling parallels to Anna’s own.

From Laura Bates, internationally renowned feminist and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, comes a realistic fiction story for the #metoo era. It’s a powerful call to action, reminding all readers of the implications of sexism and the role we can each play in ending it.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misogyny, body-shaming and slut-shaming
Persecution of witchcraft
Sexual assault, sexual harassment and revenge plot
Abortion (mentioned)
Death of a parent (recounted)
Fire
Bullying

Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates

Suicide Forest by Jeremy Bates

Just outside of Tokyo lies Aokigahara, a vast forest and one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Japan…and also the most infamous spot to commit suicide in the world. Legend has it that the spirits of those many suicides are still roaming, haunting deep in the ancient woods.

When bad weather prevents a group of friends from climbing neighboring Mt. Fuji, they decide to spend the night camping in Aokigahara. But they get more than they bargained for when one of them is found hanged in the morning–and they realize there might be some truth to the legends after all.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Suicide
Rape

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Sixteen-year-old Mina is motherless, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Sexism
Parental abuse
Suicide, suicidal ideation and self-harm
Physical injuries and amputation
Grief depiction and death of a parent
Violence
Bullying

Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton

Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton

In the ancient river kingdom, where touch is a battlefield and bodies the instruments of war, Mia Rose has pledged her life to hunting Gwyrach: women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath, and blood. The same women who killed her mother without a single scratch.

But when Mia’s father announces an alliance with the royal family, she is forced to trade in her knives and trousers for a sumptuous silk gown. Determined to forge her own path forward, Mia plots a daring escape, but could never predict the greatest betrayal of all: her own body. Mia possesses the very magic she has sworn to destroy.

Now, as she untangles the secrets of her past, Mia must learn to trust her heart…even if it kills her.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misogyny (central theme)
Homomisia, coming out themes and hate crimes
Rape (mostly recounted, one graphic on-page scene) and sexual assault
Forced non-consensual arranged marriage
Physical abuse
Suicide and suicidal ideation (mentioned)
Blood and gore depiction, including dead bodies
Grief and loss depiction
Death of mother & wife recounted
Death of a father & husband recounted
Emesis
Graphic physical injuries and illness
Torture (secondary character, off-page)
Murder & attempted murder
Poisoning
Imprisonment
War themes
Graphic animal death, animal bodies, and hunting
Mind control discussed

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableist language
Physical injuries
Gun violence
Drowning
Car accident

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Child abuse
Animal death and hunting

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Body shaming
Suicide attempt by self-sacrifice
Alcohol consumption
Blood and gore depiction, including dead bodies
Physical injuries
Emesis
Murder & attempted murder
Physical and psychological torture
Knife violence
Gun violence
Explosions & bombings
Physical assault
Kidnapping & captivity
Hostage situation
Airship accident
War themes
Animal death
Animal dead bodies & body parts
Hunting