Category Archives: Fantasy & Paranormal

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik 

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

Before Captain Will Laurence can prepare his crew for the slow voyage home from China, new orders arrive for him and his dragon, Temeraire: they must fly home immediately, stopping only in Istanbul to collect three priceless dragon eggs, purchased by the British government from the Ottoman Empire.

But the cross-continental journey is fraught with danger; not only will they have to scale mountains and traverse vast hostile deserts, but a Machiavellian herald precedes them, spreading political menace in her wake. Holding Temeraire responsible for the death of her princely companion, Lien has absconded from China consumed by vengeance. If she can, she will destroy everything and everyone Temeraire loves.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Death from a fall
  • Animal death
  • War themes

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik 

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets. There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a parent recounted
  • Murder
  • Fire
  • Bullying

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik 

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk–grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh–Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism
  • Domestic abuse
  • Graphic physical child abuse
  • Rape & sexual assault discussed
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Death of a parent
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a sibling
  • Murder
  • Animal death

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

In the vast dominion of Seven Cities, in the Holy Desert Raraku, the seer Sha’ik and her followers prepare for the long-prophesied uprising known as the Whirlwind. Unprecedented in size and savagery, this maelstrom of fanaticism and bloodlust will embroil the Malazan Empire in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Graphic rape
  • Drug use
  • Graphic body horror
  • Torture
  • War theme
  • Animal death
  • Animal abuse

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with the formidable Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen’s rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.

For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, surviving cadre mage of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Emesis
  • Loss of autonomy
  • War themes

Rocannon’s World by Ursula Le Guin

Rocannon’s World by Ursula K. Le Guin

Earth-scientist Rocannon has been leading an ethnological survey on a remote world populated by three native races: the cavern-dwelling Gdemiar, the elvish Fiia, and the warrior clan, Liuar. But when the technologically primitive planet is suddenly invaded by a fleet of ships from the stars, rebels against the League of All Worlds, Rocannon is the only survey member left alive. Marooned among alien peoples, he leads the battle to free this newly discovered world – and finds that legends grow around him as he fights. 

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death of a child
  • War themes

The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula Le Guin

The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin

When the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.

Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations of their society. For every blow against the invaders is a blow to the humanity of the Athsheans. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slavery
  • Racism
  • Graphic rape
  • Genocide

Tehanu by Ursula Le Guin

Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin

In this fourth novel in the Earthsea series, we rejoin the young priestess the Tenar and powerful wizard Ged. Years before, they had helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Together, they shared an adventure like no other. Tenar has since embraced the simple pleasures of an ordinary life, while Ged mourns the powers lost to him through no choice of his own.
Now the two must join forces again and help another in need-the physically, emotionally scarred child whose own destiny has yet to be revealed….

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Sexual assault of a child
  • Child abuse
  • Death of a child
  • Torture
  • Home invasion

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

On Abeth the vastness of the ice holds no room for individuals. Survival together is barely possible. No one survives alone.

To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal. And Yaz is not the same.

Yaz is torn from the only life she’s ever known, away from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her days with, and has to carve out a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected. A world full of difference and mystery and danger… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Blood & gore depiction

The Ash House by Angharad Walker

The Ash House by Angharad Walker

The Ash House by Angharad Walker

When Eleven-year-old Sol arrives at the Ash House, desperate for a cure for his complex pain syndrome, he finds a community of strange children long abandoned by their mysterious Headmaster.

The children at the Ash House want the new boy to love their home as much as they do. They give him a name like theirs. They show him the dorms and tell him about the wonderful oasis that the Headmaster has created for them. But the new boy already has a name. Doesn’t he? At least he did before he walked through those gates…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Medical experimentation
  • Blood depiction
  • Physical injury & illness
  • Chronic pain
  • Kidnapping implied
  • Captivity implied
  • Animal attack