Kidlit – Page 45 – Trigger Warning Database

Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki

Soul Lanterns by Shaw Kuzki

Twelve-year-old Nozomi lives in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. She wasn’t even born when the bombing of Hiroshima took place. Every year Nozomi joins her family at the lantern-floating ceremony to honour those lost in the bombing. People write the names of their deceased loved ones along with messages of peace, on paper lanterns and set them afloat on the river. This year Nozomi realizes that her mother always releases one lantern with no name. She begins to ask questions, and when complicated stories of loss and loneliness unfold, Nozomi and her friends come up with a creative way to share their loved ones’ experiences… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Suicide
War themes

The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen

The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen

Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present. Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Kidnapping

Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson

Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz & Kat Helgeson

Gena (short for Genevieve) and Finn (short for Stephanie) have little in common. Book-smart Gena is preparing to leave her posh boarding school for college; down-to-earth Finn is a twenty-something struggling to make ends meet in the big city. Gena’s romantic life is a series of reluctant one-night-stands; Finn is making a go of it with long-term boyfriend Charlie. But they share a passion for Up Below, a buddy cop TV show with a cult fan following. Gena is a darling of the fangirl scene, keeping a popular blog and writing fan fiction. Finn’s online life is a secret, even from Charlie. The pair spark an unlikely online friendship that deepens… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Self-harm
Death by fire
Explosion

The Cruelest Mercy by Natalie Mae

The Cruelest Mercy by Natalie Mae

After surviving the Crossing, Zahru has sworn off adventures. While crown prince Jet navigates the looming threat of war, she’s content to simply figure out what the future holds for them. But they’re dealt a devastating blow when prince Kasta returns with a shocking claim: he’s the true winner of the Crossing and the rightful heir, and he bears the gods’ mark as proof. Even more surprising–he’s not the only one. Somehow, Zahru possesses the very same mark, giving her equal right to the throne. The last thing she wants is to rule beside her would-be executioner, but she can’t let Orkena fall into his merciless hands. So Zahru, Jet, and their allies must race against the clock to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Attempted murder
Knife & sword violence
Poisoning
Animal attacks

Bones of a Saint by Grant Farley

Bones of a Saint by Grant Farley

Fifteen-year-old RJ Armante has never known a life outside his dead-end hometown of Arcangel, CA. The Blackjacks still rule as they have for generations, luring the poorest kids into their monopoly on petty crime. For years, they’ve left RJ alone…until now. When the Blackjacks come knocking, they want RJ to prey upon an old loner. But RJ is at his breaking point. It’s not just about the gang who rules the town. It’s about Charley, his younger brother, who is disabled. It’s about Roxanne, the girl he can’t reach. It’s about the kids in his crew who have nothing to live for. If RJ is to resist, he must fight to free Arcangel of its past.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Alcohol consumption
Gun violence
Physical assault
Disappearance

The New Girl by Jesse Sutanto

The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. When she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she’s determined to make it work even though she’s never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she’s gotten herself into. As she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn’t what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone–especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Classism
Alcohol consumption
Drug use
Overdose
Blood & gore depiction
Eye trauma
Strangulation

The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri Smith

The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith

Japan 1945. Taro is a talented violinist and a kamikaze pilot in the days before his first and only mission. He believes he is ready to die for his country . . . until he meets Hana. Hana hasn’t been the same since the day she was buried alive in a collapsed trench during a bomb raid. She wonders if it would have been better to have died that day . . . until she meets Taro. A song will bring them together. The war will tear them apart. Is it possible to live an entire lifetime in eight short days?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Bombing
Vivisepulture (buried alive)
World War Two

A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray

A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray

The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the centre of a cross-dimensional feud since she first travelled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation—and that those plans could spell doom for dozens or hundreds of universes, each facing total annihilation. Paul Markov has always been at Marguerite’s side, but Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man—angry and shadowed by tragedy. He struggles to overcome the damage done… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableism
Suicide & attempted suicide
Suicidal ideation
Drugging
Substance addiction
Teen pregnancy from rape by coercion mentioned
Blood & gore depiction
Physical injuries
Hospitalisation
Medical treatment & procedures
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a daughter
Death of a sister
Murder & attempted murder
Physical assault
Gun violence
Explosion
Strangulation
Car accident
Hostage situation
Loss of autonomy*
Blackmail
War & rebellion themes

* Context : The use of futuristic technology to ‘take over’ people’s bodies without consent. Sexual conduct in this situation is not consented to by the host.

Act Cool by Tobly McSmith

Act Cool by Tobly McSmith

Aspiring actor August Greene just landed a coveted spot at the prestigious School of Performing Arts in New York. There’s only one problem: His conservative parents won’t accept that he’s transgender. And to stay with his aunt in the city, August must promise them he won’t transition. August is convinced he can play the part his parents want while acting cool and confident in the company of his talented new friends. But who is August when the lights go down? And where will he turn when the roles start hitting a little too close to home?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia
Transmisia
Deadnaming
Misgendering
Coming out themes
Threats of conversion therapy
Cheating mentioned
Suicidal ideation
Gender dysphoria
Alcohol consumption
Recreational drug use

When Fox is a Thousand by Larissa Lai

When Fox is a Thousand by Larissa Lai

When Fox is a Thousand is a lyrical, magical novel, rich with poetry and folklore and elements of the fairytale. Larissa Lai interweaves three narrative voices and their attendant cultures: an elusive fox growing toward wisdom and her 1000 birthday, the ninth-century Taoist poet/nun Yu Hsuan-Chi (a real person executed in China for murder), and the oddly named Artemis, a young Asian-American woman living in contemporary Vancouver.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Rape
Incest
Parental abuse
Abusive relationships