rachel @ typed truths

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

I’m sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Attempted forced adult-minor marriage
Child abuse
Death of a parent
Kidnapping
Blackmail

The Spite Game by Anna Snoekstra

The Spite Game by Anna Snoekstra

Mercilessly bullied in high school, Ava knows she needs to put the past behind her and move on, but she can’t—not until she’s exacted precise, catastrophic revenge on the people who hurt her the most.

First, she watches Saanvi. Saanvi has it all together on the surface but everyone does bad things when they think no one is watching and Ava only wants what’s fair—to destroy Saanvi’s life the way her own was destroyed. Next, she watches Cass. She’s there as Cass tries on wedding dresses, she’s there when Cass betrays her fiancé. She’s the reason Cass’s entire future comes crashing down.

Finally, Ava watches Mel. Mel was always the ringleader and if anyone has to pay, it’s her. But one tiny slipup and Ava realizes the truth: Mel knows she’s being watched, and she’s ready to play Ava’s games to the bitter end.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Paedophilia
Recreational drug use
Seizures
Bullying

Little Secrets by Anna Snoekstra

Little Secrets by Anna Snoekstra

An arsonist is on the loose in Colmstock, Australia, most recently burning down the town’s courthouse and killing a young boy who was trapped inside. The clock is ticking for Rose Blakey. With nothing but rejections from newspapers piling up, her job pulling beers for cops at the local tavern isn’t nearly enough to cover rent. Rose needs a story-a big one.

In the weeks after the courthouse fire, precise porcelain replicas of Colmstock’s daughters begin turning up on doorsteps, terrifying parents and testing the limits of the town’s already fractured police force. Rose may have finally found her story. But as her articles gain traction and the boundaries of her investigation blur, Colmstock is seized by a seething paranoia. Soon, no one is safe from suspicion. And when Rose’s attention turns to the mysterious stranger living in the rooms behind the tavern, neighbor turns on neighbor and the darkest side of self-preservation is revealed.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Fire & arson
Death of a child

Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

In 2003, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappeared. She’d been enjoying her teenage summer break but mysteriously ominous things began to happen—blood in the bed, periods of blackouts, a feeling of being watched—though Bec remained oblivious of what was to come.

Eleven years later she is replaced. A young woman, desperate after being arrested, claims to be the decade-missing Bec. But Bec’s welcoming family friends are not quite as they seem. As the imposter dodges the detective investigating her case, she begins to delve into the life of the real Bec Winter—and soon realizes that whoever took Bec is still at large, and that she is in imminent danger.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Self harm
Alcohol abuse
Blood depiction
Fire & bushfire
Disappearance of a loved one
Animal death
Animal cruelty

When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow

When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow

Last month, Elin tried to kill herself. She knows she’s lucky that her parents found her in time. Lucky to be going to prom with her three best friends. Like it never happened. And if she has anything to say about it, no one but her best friends will ever know it did.

Jenna, Rosie, and Ket will do anything to make sure it never happens again. That’s why they’re determined to make prom the perfect night. The night that convinces Elin that life is worth living. Except, at prom, Elin goes missing.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Depression
Attempted suicide
Blackmail
Disappearance of a friend

Navigating the Stars by Maria V Snyder

Navigating the Stars by Maria V. Snyder

Terra Cotta Warriors have been discovered on other planets in the Milky Way Galaxy. And Lyra Daniels’ parents are the archaeological Experts (yes with a capital E) on the Warriors and have dragged her to the various planets to study them despite the time dilation causing havoc with her social life.

When one of the many Warrior planets goes silent, and looters attack her research base, Lyra becomes involved in discovering why the Warriors were placed on these planets. And, more importantly, by who.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Death of a friend
Home invasion
Explosion
Attempted kidnapping

Night Study by Maria V Snyder

Night Study by Maria V. Snyder

Ever since being kidnapped from the Illiais Jungle as a child, Yelena Zaltana’s has been fraught with peril. But the recent loss of her Soulfinding abilities has endangered her more than ever before. As she desperately searches for a way to reclaim her magic, her enemies are closing in, and neither Ixia nor Sitia are safe for her anymore. Especially since the growing discord between the two countries and the possibility of a war threatens everything Yelena holds dear.

Valek is determined to protect Yelena, but he’s quickly running out of options. The Commander suspects that his loyalties are divided, and he’s been keeping secrets from Valek…secrets that put him, Yelena and all their friends in terrible danger. As they uncover the various layers of the Commander’s mysterious plans, they realize it’s far more sinister that they could have ever imagined.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Rape recounted
Murder
Torture
Kidnapping

Fire Study by Maria V Snyder

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena’s unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena’s fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before…

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Fire
Torture

Magic Study by Maria V Snyder

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Yelena is a survivor. Kidnapped as a child, held prisoner as a teen, then released to act as a poison taster, she is now a student of magic. But these magic skills place her in imminent danger, and with an execution order on her head, she has no choice but to escape to Sitia, the land of her birth.

But nothing in Sitia is familiar. As she struggles to understand where she belongs and how to control her powers, a rogue magician emerges – and Yelena catches his eye. Suddenly she is embroiled in a situation not of her making. And once again her magical abilities will either save her life… or be her downfall.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Rape recounted
Sexual assault
Attempted suicide mentioned
Suicidal ideation
Murder
Kidnapping & captivity
Torture

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can’t control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misgendering
Rape & attempted rape recounted
Sexual assault
Sexual harassment
Suicidal ideation
Murder
Kidnapping & captivity
Torture
Poisoning (theme)