Category Archives: Young Adult

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship. More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexism
  • Rape & sexual assault
  • Child abuse
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Kidnapping & confinement

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power: 1) Woo the Shadow King. 2) Marry him. 3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself. But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexism
  • Rape mentioned
  • Murder
  • Blackmail

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization. And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Self-sacrifice
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Death of a mother

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

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive. 

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child & infant abandonment
  • Self-sacrificial suicide mentioned
  • Childbirth mentioned
  • Sanctioned murder (central theme)
  • Gun violence, specifically tranquilisers

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake 

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake

Frankie Rosenberg is passionate about the environment, a sophomore at New Sunnydale High School, and the daughter of the most powerful witch in Sunnydale history. Her mom, Willow, is slowly teaching her magic on the condition that she use it to better the world. But Frankie’s happily quiet life is upended when new girl Hailey shows up with news that the annual Slayer convention has been the target of an attack, and all the Slayers—including Buffy, Faith, and Hailey’s older sister Vi—might be dead. That means it’s time for this generation’s Slayer to be born.

But being the first ever Slayer-Witch means learning how to wield a stake while trying to control her budding powers… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Coerced self-injury
  • Blood & gore depiction, including blood-drinking
  • Dismemberment & decapitation
  • Death of parents in a car accident recounted
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Exsangination
  • Explosion

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake 

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.

September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.

Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Abandonment
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a friend
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a parent
  • Murder
  • Animal death

Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake 

Queens of Fennbirn by Kendare Blake

Uncover the sisters’ origins, dive deep into the catastrophic reign of the Oracle Queen, and reveal layers of Fennbirn’s past, hidden until now.

The Young Queens: Get a glimpse of triplet queens Mirabella, Arsinoe, and Katharine during a short period of time when they protected and loved one another. From birth until their claiming ceremonies, this is the story of the three sisters’ lives…before they were at stake.

The Oracle Queen: Everyone knows the legend of Elsabet, the Oracle Queen. The one who went mad. The one who orchestrated a senseless, horrific slaying of three entire houses. But what really happened? Discover the true story behind the queen who could foresee the future…just not her own downfall.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Death from childbirth
  • Blood depiction
  • Beheading mentioned
  • Murder
  • Knife violence & stabbing
  • Poisoning
  • Fire