Representation – Page 135 – Trigger Warning Database

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen

Simi prayed to the gods, once. Now she serves them as Mami Wata–a mermaid–collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi goes against an ancient decree and does the unthinkable–she saves his life. And punishment awaits those who dare to defy the gods. To protect the other Mami Wata, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But all is not as it seems. There’s the boy she rescued, who knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail. Danger lurks at every… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Slavery discussed
Alcohol consumption (wine)
Emesis
Blood and injury depiction
Sword and axe violence
Strangulation, on-page
Kidnapping and captivity of children
Drowning, on-page
Shipwreck and boating accidents, on-page
Lightning storms ,on-page
Mentions of war
Animal death mentioned (cows, goats)
Animal attack (hyena, shark, birds)

Bruised by Tanya Boteju

Bruised by Tanya Boteju

To Daya Wijesinghe, a bruise is a mixture of comfort and control. Since her parents died in an accident she survived, bruises have become a way to keep her pain on the surface of her skin so she doesn’t need to deal with the ache deep in her heart.

So when chance and circumstances bring her to a roller derby bout, Daya is hooked. Yes, the rules are confusing and the sport seems to require the kind of teamwork and human interaction Daya generally avoids… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Parental abandonment
Self-harm
Death of a parent
Car accident

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

Perpetually awkward Nima Kumara-Clark is bored with her insular community of Bridgeton, in love with her straight girlfriend, and trying to move past her mother’s unexpected departure. After a bewildering encounter at a local festival, Nima finds herself suddenly immersed in the drag scene on the other side of town.

Macho drag kings, magical queens, new love interests, and surprising allies propel Nima both painfully and hilariously closer to a self she never knew she could be—one that can confidently express and accept love. But she’ll have to learn to accept lost love to get there.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia & homomisic slurs
Misgendering
Parental abandonment
Domestic violence
Alcohol consumption
Emesis
Bullying

Sink or Swim by Annabeth Albert

Sink or Swim by Annabeth Albert

Navy chief Calder Euler loves to win big. His latest score? A remote mountain cabin. Checking it out is supposed to be a quick trip, but Calder’s luck abruptly turns when a freak injury and a freakier snowstorm leave him stranded. Oh, and the cabin isn’t empty. A silver fox caring for two young girls claims that the property is his, but Calder’s paperwork says otherwise.

Felix Sigurd is on a losing streak, and his ex-husband risking the cabin in a reckless bet is only… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Divorce
Concussion recounted
Navy service

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

The Hanging Tree was the Tyburn gallows which stood where Marble Arch stands today. Oxford Street was the last trip of the condemned. Some things don’t change. The place has a bloody and haunted legacy and now blood has returned to the empty Mayfair mansions of the world’s super-rich. And blood mixed with magic is a job for Peter Grant. Peter Grant is back as are Nightingale et al. at the Folly and the various river gods, ghosts and spirits who attach themselves to England’s last wizard and the Met’s reluctant investigator of all things supernatural.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Alcohol consumption
Blood & gore depiction
Body horror
Death of a mother from leukemia mentioned
Murder & attempted murder
Gun violence
Building collapse

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain

Albert Entwistle was a postman. It was one of the few things everyone knew about him. And it was one of the few things he was comfortable with people knowing.

64-year-old Albert Entwistle has been a postie in a quiet town in Northern England for all his life, living alone since the death of his mam 18 years ago. He keeps himself to himself. He always has. But he’s just learned he’ll be forced to retire at his next birthday. With no friends and nothing to look forward to, the lonely future he faces terrifies him. He realises it’s… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia
Racism

Getting His Game Back by Gia de Cadenet

Getting His Game Back by Gia de Cadenet

Khalil Sarda went through a rough patch last year, but now he’s nearly back to his old self. All he has to do is keep his “stuff” in the past. Real men don’t have depression and go to therapy–or, at least they don’t admit it. He’s ready to focus on his growing chain of barbershops, take care of his beloved Detroit community, and get back to being the ladies’ man his family and friends tease him for being. It’ll be easy . . . until Vanessa throws him completely off his game… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Depression
Suicidal ideation

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

Ash Persaud is about to become a reaper in the afterlife, but she is determined to see her first love Poppy Morgan again, the only thing that separates them is death. Car headlights. The last thing Ash hears is the snap of breaking glass as the windscreen hits her and breaks into a million pieces like stars. But she made it, she’s still here. Or is she?

This New Year’s Eve, Ash is gets an RSVP from the afterlife she can’t decline: to join a clan of fierce girl reapers who take the souls of the city’s dead to await… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Suicide mentioned
Overdose mentioned
Grief & loss depiction

Year on Fire by Julie Buxbaum

Year on Fire by Julie Buxbaum

What secrets will people keep—or reveal—to protect those they love? This novel, set against the frightening backdrop of an encroaching fire season, sparks reflection about friendship, the allure of romantic love, and loyalty to family. Can a single kiss change everything?

It was a year on fire. They fell in love. Someone was bound to get burned… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Homomisia
Child abuse & neglect
Coming out themes
Self-harm mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Arson

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler

Doro knows no higher authority than himself. An ancient spirit with boundless powers, he possesses humans, killing without remorse as he jumps from body to body to sustain his own life. With a lonely eternity ahead of him, Doro breeds supernaturally gifted humans into empires that obey his every desire. He fears no one — until he meets Anyanwu. Anyanwu is an entity like Doro and yet different. She can heal with a bite and transform her own body, mending injuries and reversing aging. She uses her powers to cure her neighbours and birth entire tribes, surrounding herself with kindred who both fear and respect her. No one poses a true threat to Anyanwu — until she meets Doro… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery
Rape
Sexual assault of a minor
Forced breeding