Category Archives: Queer Lit

Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

High in a snowy mountain range, a monastery that holds more than just faith clings to the side of a cliff. Below, thwarted by a lake, a bloodthirsty horde of raiders await the coming of winter and the frozen path to destroy the sanctuary and its secrets. The Bloodwitch Aeduan has teamed up with the Threadwitch Iseult and the magical girl Owl to stop the destruction. But to do so, he must confront his own father, and his past.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Nightmares
  • Graphic blood & gore depiction including dead bodies
  • Graphic physical injuries & illness
  • Emesis
  • Death of a baby, on-page
  • Death of a wife & daughter mentioned
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Mass murder & massacres, on-page
  • Torture mentioned
  • Gun violence
  • Knife violence & stabbing
  • Fire
  • Explosions, on-page
  • Decapitation
  • Loss of autonomy (possession)
  • Kidnapping
  • Disappearance of a friend
  • Imprisonment mentioned
  • War & military violence (theme)

The Ever Cruel Kingdom by Rin Chupeco

The Ever Cruel Kingdom by Rin Chupeco

After a treacherous journey and a life-shattering meeting with a twin neither knew they had, Haidee and Odessa expected to emerge from the Great Abyss to a world set right. But though the planet is turning once again, the creatures of the abyss will not rest until they have tasted another goddess’s sacrifice. To break the cycle, Haidee and Odessa need answers that lie beyond the seven gates of the underworld, within the Cruel Kingdom itself. The shadows of the underworld may hunger to tear them apart, but these two sisters are determined to heal their world—together.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Emotional abuse & gaslighting
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Self harm
  • Blood depiction
  • Cannibalism
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a parent
  • Murder
  • Animal death

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Classism
  • Indentured servitude of children, discussed in-depth
  • Sexual assault, on-page
  • Child abuse
  • Forced arranged marriage
  • Gambling addiction recovery & relapse (theme)
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption & abuse, recounted & discussed
  • Drugging
  • Blood & gore depiction,
  • Dead bodies & body parts
  • Needles
  • Terminal illness (plague-like), recounted & on-page
  • Depiction of starvation
  • Cannibalism mentioned
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother & father recounted
  • Death of children, on-page
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Knife violence & stabbing
  • Torture recounted
  • Whipping recounted
  • Hanging mentioned
  • Kidnapping & captivity
  • Blackmail
  • Death by a fall recounted
  • Near-drowning incident
  • War themes discussed
  • Poverty themes & debt collection (theme)

The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew

The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew

Jessika Keller is a good girl: she obeys her father, does her best to impress Herr Fisher at the Bund Deutscher Mädel meetings and is set to be a world champion ice skater. Her neighbour Clementine is not so submissive. Outspoken and radical, Clem is delectably dangerous and rebellious. And the regime has noticed. Jess cannot keep both her perfect life and her dearest friend. But which can she live without?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Antisemitism
  • Queermisia
  • Torture
  • Fire

Snowsisters by Tom Wilinsky and Jen Sternick

Snowsisters by Tom Wilinsky & Jen Sternick

High school students—Soph, who attends private school in Manhattan, and Tess, a public school student who lives on a dairy farm in New Hampshire—are thrown together as roommates at a week-long writing conference. As they get to know each other and the other young women, both Soph and Tess discover unexpected truths and about friendship, their craft, and how to hold fast to their convictions while opening their hearts to love.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Transmisia
  • Misgendering
  • Child abuse
  • Bullying

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez

Now that college is over, English graduate Ben Cook is on the job hunt looking for something…anything…related to his passion for reading and writing. But interview after interview, hiring committee after hiring committee, Ben soon learns getting the dream job won’t be as easy as he thought. Proofreading? Journalism? Copywriting? Not enough experience. It turns out he doesn’t even have enough experience to be a garbage collector! But when Ben stumbles upon a “Now Hiring—No Experience Necessary” sign outside a restaurant, he jumps at the chance to land his first job. Plus, he can keep looking for a writing job in the mean… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Emesis

The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot by Alice Winters

The Hitman’s Guide to Tying the Knot Without Getting Shot by Alice Winters

Is a nice little wedding with Blow-up Randy and Jackson My Love too much to ask for? Clearly, because someone’s trying to kill one of us… again. Generally, this would be my thing and I would jump right in singing my murder song, but they want Jackson dead and I will do anything (and I mean anything) to keep him alive—including and not limited to: ten Dobermans, bulletproof glass, and dragging Cassel in with the promise of more Jerebear. These people have no idea what they’ve done targeting the man I love because I’m coming after them. But when it feels like everything might be lost, I start to understand that I have a family now who… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Murder mentioned

Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge

Cash Plays by Cordelia Kingsbridge

The Seven of Spades is back with a vengeance—the vigilante serial killer has resumed their murderous crusade, eluding the police at every turn. But a bloodthirsty killer isn’t the only threat facing Sin City. A devious saboteur is wreaking havoc in Las Vegas’s criminal underworld, and the entire city seems to be barreling toward an all-out gang war. As Detective Levi Abrams is pushed ever closer to his breaking point, his control over his dangerous rage slips further every day. His relationship with PI Dominic Russo should be a source of comfort, but Dominic is secretly locked in his own downward spiral, confronting a night… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism
  • Homomisia
  • Physical abuse
  • Gambling addiction
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Dead bodies
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Fire

Nine First Dates by Jennifer Ryder

Nine First Dates by Jennifer Ryder

Abbie, 25, Canberra. Aspiring event planner. Foodie. Aquarius. Coffee will always be my number-one beverage and I love watching sports. The gym isn’t for me—I love bike riding, camping and exploring the outdoors. Oh, and doughnuts are life. Looking for a partner to explore with and enjoy the good things in life. My new year’s resolution is to find a partner. Someone I can snort-laugh and get down and dirty with. Someone who gains the approval of my mum, but with whom I can also share this crazy ride called life. Not too much to ask, right? Thanks to my high school sweetheart, I’ve spent two years in Singletown, but now… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Fatmisia
  • Domestic violence
  • Blood depiction
  • Emesis
  • Death of a parent recounted

Fake Out by Eden Finley

Fake Out by Eden Finley

Maddox.The reason I rarely go home is three simple words: I’m a liar.. When the pressure to marry my childhood sweetheart became too much, I told her I was gay and then fled to New York like my ass was on fire. Now, five years later and after a drunken encounter, I find myself invited to her wedding. And I have to bring my boyfriend—the boyfriend who doesn’t exist because I’m straight. At least, I think I am. Meeting the guy I’m bribing to be my boyfriend for the weekend makes me question everything about myself. Damon. …Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Homomisia
  • Bismisia
  • Forced outing
  • Family member with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)