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Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

When children go missing, people want answers. When children go missing in the small coastal town of Astoria, people look to Wendy for answers.

It’s been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road, and gets pulled into the mystery haunting the town.

Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, claims that if they don’t do something, the missing children will meet the same fate as her brothers. In order to find them and rescue the missing kids, Wendy must confront what’s waiting for her in the woods.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Anxiety
Trauma & flashbacks
Blood depiction
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a children, on-page
Murder
Gun violence
Kidnapping
Disappearance of a child & family members
Car accident

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her… Read more,

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Rape of a child and sexual abuse
Suicide and self-harm
Drug abuse and overdose
Murder

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

The dashing young king, Nikolai Lantsov, has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war–and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army. Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threat-ening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha general, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible…. Read more,

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Fatphobia & body-shaming
Slavery
Sexual assault (implied)
Substance addiction & drug abuse
Suicide
Torture
Captivity
War themes
Bullying

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed book cover

Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone), Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya. Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Misogyny
Racism, islamophobia & antisemitism
Hate crimes (off-page)
Alcohol consumption
Emesis recounted
Death of a grandfather recounted
Cyberharassment

Context : A secondary character takes pictures of the protagonists almost kissing and posts them online without their consent. This is discussed in-depth.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives.

Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Persecution for witchcraft
Classism
Indentured servitude discussed
Forced underaged sex work recounted
Child rape recounted
Child abuse
Parental abandonment
Disownment
Drug addiction
Gambling addiction
Drug dependency and withdrawal discussed
Recreational drug use recounted
Alcohol consumption
Pregnancy mentioned (secondary character)
Blood and gore depiction
Graphic physical injuries
Chronic illness and pain
Plague mentioned
Consensual body modification
Death of a boyfriend and death of a friend, on-page
Murder & attempted murder
Torture, on-page
Explosions
Gun violence
Knife violence & stabbing
Kidnapping & captivity
Imprisonment
Home invasion
Blackmail and death threats
Poverty themes and debt collection mentioned

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Sophie wants one thing for Christmas-a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.

Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents’ house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That’s when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Grey-area cheating
Pregnancy complications and premature birth

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire

Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to “Be Sure” before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Intersexmisia
Coming out themes
Blood depictiom
Physical injuries
Murder discussed
Kidnapping
Bullying

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

Tavia is already at odds with the world, forced to keep her siren identity under wraps in a society that wants to keep her kind under lock and key. Never mind she’s also stuck in Portland, Oregon, a city with only a handful of black folk and even fewer of those with magical powers. At least she has her bestie Effie by her side as they tackle high school drama, family secrets, and unrequited crushes.

But everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation; the girls’ favorite Internet fashion icon reveals she’s also a siren, and the news rips through their community. Tensions escalate when Effie starts being haunted by demons from her past, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice during a police stop. No secret seems safe anymore—soon Portland won’t be either.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism & racist microaggressions
Racial profiling
Misogyny & misogynoir
Parental abandonment
Child abuse
Anxiety & anxiety attacks
Self-harm
Suicide attempt recounted, on-page
Scars
Death of a mother by cancer recounted
Death of a child implied
Disappearance of a friend
Murde, off-page
Kidnapping & confinement
Police brutality & violence
Bullying

A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha

A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha

There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic—her curse—has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only reminds her that the people of Portugal have been enduring the same pain. If only it were possible to reverse her magic. Then she could turn flowers…into food.

Fatyan, a beautiful Enchanted Moura, is the only one who can help. But she is trapped by magical binds. She can teach Yzabel how to control her curse—if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss. As the King of Portugal’s betrothed, Yzabel would be committing treason, but what good is a king if his country has starved to death?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Homomisia
Sexism
Sexual harassment
Ritualistic self-harm
Blood depiction
Body horror
Murder

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Fatmisia & body shaming
Racism & racial slurs
Slavery
Attempted rape
Threats of rape
Child abuse
Domestic violence
Self-harm
Death of a parent recounted
Death of a friend
Torture
Kidnapping
War themes