Author Archives: rachel @ typed truths

a tired aussie reader with a love of cats, libraries & sunflowers • she/her

Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indriðason

Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indriðason

The loner Erlendur has recently joined the police force as a young officer. The beat on the streets in Reykjavik is busy: traffic accidents, theft, domestic violence, contraband… And an unexplained death. When a tramp he met regularly on the night shift is found drowned in a ditch no one seems to care. But his fate haunts Erlendur and drags him inexorably into the strange and dark underworld of the city.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic violence
  • Alcoholism
  • Drug abuse

Chorus by Rebecca Kauffman

Chorus by Rebecca Kauffman

The seven Shaw siblings have long been haunted by two early and profoundly consequential events. Told in turn back and forth over time, from the early twentieth century through the 1950s, each sibling relays their own version of the memories that surround both their mother’s mysterious death and the circumstances leading up to and beyond one sister’s scandalous teenage pregnancy. As they move into adulthood, the siblings assume various new roles: caretaker to their aging father, addict, enabler, academic, decorated veteran, widow, and mothers and fathers… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Teen pregnancy
  • Death of a mother

The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George

The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George

Darby and Morgan haven’t spoken for two years, and their friend group has splintered. But when the body of their former science teacher is found in the marsh where they attended camp that summer, they realize they have more questions than answers . . . and even fewer memories. The group of reunited friends suspects that a murderer is stalking the coastal highway 30A, and they are desperate to recover their memories as quickly as possible . . . before their history they can’t remember repeats itself. As tensions rise… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse mentioned
  • Statutory rape
  • Attempted rape of a minor
  • Memory loss
  • Car accident
  • Kidnapping & hostage situtation
  • Blackmail
  • Death of a pet mentioned

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

It’s 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Physical, verbal & emotional child abuse recounted
  • Parental abandonment
  • Panic attack
  • Suicide recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Drugging mentioned
  • Stillbirth recounted
  • Blood & physical injuries depiction
  • Emesis
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother & father in a fire recounted
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Physical assault
  • Explosion
  • Poisoning
  • Kidnapping & hostage situation
  • Blackmail
  • Colonialism & slavery discussed
  • Animal death mentioned

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff

Everyone says that middle school is awful, but Trent knows nothing could be worse than the year he had in fifth grade, when a freak accident on Cedar Lake left one kid dead, and Trent with a brain full of terrible thoughts he can’t get rid of. Trent’s pretty positive the entire disaster was his fault, so for him middle school feels like a fresh start, a chance to prove to everyone that he’s not the horrible screw-up they seem to think he is.  If only Trent could make that fresh start happen. It isn’t until Trent gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Fallon Little—the girl with the mysterious… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Boss-employee relationship mentioned
  • Physical injury mentioned
  • Death of a child in an accidental hockey incident
  • Bullying

Wrecked Palace by Catherine Cowles

Wrecked Palace by Catherine Cowles

One night was all it took for everything to change. From college student to guardian in a single breath. My siblings became my world. No time for date nights or romantic dreams. Giving my all to make sure they were cared for. But Griffin had a brokenness that called to me—one that mirrored my own. Gruff and just a little bit reckless. He was the last thing I needed. But everything I wanted. Only someone isn’t happy about this new life I’m building. Deciding to set fire to everything I hold close. And when the smoke clears, there might be only ashes left behind.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child neglect
  • Trauma & nightmares
  • Death of a family in a boating accident
  • Drug use

To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger

To Be Devoured by Sara Tantlinger

What does carrion taste like? Andi has to know. The vultures circling outside her home taunt and invite her to come understand the secrets hiding in their banquet of decay. Fascination morphs into an obsessive need to know what the vultures know. Andi turns to Dr. Fawning, but even the therapist cannot help her comprehend the secrets she’s buried beneath anger-induced blackouts. Her girlfriend, Luna, tries to help Andi battle her inner darkness and infatuation with the vultures. However, the desire to taste dead flesh, to stitch… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Suicide & suicidal ideation mentioned
  • Self-harm
  • Death of a child mentioned
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Body horror
  • Graphic cannibalism
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Animal abuse & cruelty
  • Animal death

Untouchable by Sam Mariano

Untouchable by Sam Mariano

Senior year was off to a rough start: lube in my locker, panties on my front porch, unimaginative name-calling. See, I got a player suspended from the football team for harassing me, and in my small Texas town, you don’t mess with the football players—even if they mess with you first. I didn’t care if it was an unpopular thing to do; I stood up for myself… and in doing so, opened Pandora’s Box. I never dreamed I would attract the attention of locally worshipped star quarterback, Carter Mahoney. Never imagined his coveted attention would turn out to be such a nightmare. Beneath his carefully constructed façade lurks a monster, a predator looking… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slut-shaming
  • Sexual assault
  • Rape & statutory rape
  • Threats of rape
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Drugging
  • Bullying

Sacrifice by Katee Robert

Sacrifice by Katee Robert

All my life, I’ve wanted nothing more than to escape my father’s compound. Half human, half vampire, I have none of the perks and all of the weaknesses. Well, my father’s finally found a use for me. He’s sent me to Malachi Zion, the last vampire in his family. My role is to play resident blood bank and, should Malachi knock me up, my father gets access to a whole new bloodline to control. No one asks me what I want. But the longer I spend with Malachi, the more I realize that he’s not the monster I first thought, which makes it harder to resist the heat that flares between us. And then his two friends show up and complicate things…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse
  • Dubious consent scenario
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Pregnancy discussed
  • Scars
  • Blood depiction & blood play

Sugar by Bernice McFadden

Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden

Young and confident, with a swagger in her step, Sugar arrives in the southern town of Bigelow hoping to start over. Soon Bigelow is alight with gossip and suspicion, and Sugar fears her past is catching up with her. Then she meets Pearl, a woman trying to forget her own traumas. As these next-door neighbours become unlikely friends, they wonder if their lives could finally be changing for the better. But small towns have long memories…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse
  • Sex work
  • Murder