The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband’s awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure —a silent companion —-that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of The Bridge are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition–that is, until she notices the figure’s eyes following her.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Misogyny
  • Sexual assault
  • Child abuse
  • Suicide
  • Miscarriage
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Murder
  • Fire
  • Animal death

So Happy for You by Celia Laskey

So Happy for You by Celia Laskey

Robin and Ellie have been best friends since childhood. When Robin came out, Ellie was there for her. When Ellie’s father died, Robin had her back. But when Ellie asks Robin to be her maid of honour, she is reluctant. A queer academic, Robin is dubious of the elaborate wedding rituals now sweeping the nation, which go far beyond champagne toasts and a bouquet toss. But loyalty wins out, and Robin accepts. Yet, as the wedding weekend approaches, a series of ominous occurrences lead Robin to second-guess her decision. It seems that everyone in the bridal party is out to get… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Queermisia
  • Abortion mentioned
  • Attempted murder
  • Animal death

The Front Runner by Elsie Silver

The Front Runner by Elsie Silver

Stefan Dalca is beautiful, brooding, and bossy. He’s also public enemy number one in this small town, with a murky past that’s hard to overlook. And I just agreed to three fake dates with him. I may be a renowned veterinarian, but when I find myself in a sticky situation, Stefan is my last hope. I need his help to save a sick foal and what he wants in return is me. Our time together starts out as a simple transaction, but the more time I spend with him, the more I wonder if he’s not quite the villain they’ve made him out to be. With every intimate conversation and lingering look, the tension between us builds. I’ve been drawn to Stefan since the… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Animal death

Frogkisser by Garth Nix

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix

Poor Princess Anya. Forced to live with her evil stepmother’s new husband, her evil stepstepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her stepstepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own. Aided by a loyal talking dog, a boy thief trapped in the body of a newt, and some extraordinarily mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest that, if she plays it right, will ultimately free her land—and teach her a thing or two about the use of power, the effectiveness of a well-placed pucker, and the finding of friends in places both high and low.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Physical injury, including a broken hip
  • Animal death, off-page (dog, weasel, owl)

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. Nothing else, just a list of names on a single sheet of paper. None of the nine people know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke – until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list. First, a well-liked old man is drowned on a beach in the small town of Kennewick, Maine. Then, a father is shot in the back while running through his quiet neighbourhood in suburban Massachusetts. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Misogyny
  • Racism mentioned
  • Ableism (r slur), on-page
  • Sexual assault mentioned (groping)
  • Child abuse and neglect recounted including a mention of child sexual assault
  • Spousal abandonment
  • Abusive relationship (scs)
  • Cheating
  • Sex work, on-page
  • Familial estrangement mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption, on-page
  • Alcohol abuse (implied)
  • Recreational drug use, on-page
  • Chronic leg injury
  • Grief and loss depiction
  • Death of a girlfriend from an oxycontin overdose mentioned
  • Death of a husband and a pet dog in a car accident recounted
  • Death of a sister from drowning recounted
  • Murder by drowning
  • Murder by gun violence
  • Murder by poisoning
  • Stalking
  • Animal dead body mentioned (seagull)

A Girl Called Corpse by Reece Carter

A Girl Called Corpse by Reece Carter

With a body made of wax, seaweed for hair and polished abalone shells for eyes, Corpse is bound to haunt the Witches’ sea shack forever. She has no memory of the kid she was before she was snatched and ended up on the rock-that-doesn’t-exist. But the delivery of an unexpected message sets Corpse off on a surprising quest, searching for answers to the old and familiar questions that have filled her not-brain since the day she first woke up a ghost. Questions about her name. Questions about her family. With only her eight-legged friend Simon for company, Corpse heads into the unknown. There will be danger cruelly… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Parental abandonment mentioned,
  • Memory loss
  • Physical injuries including burns
  • Body horror
  • Death of a mother and father mentioned
  • Murder and attempted murder of a child
  • Near-drowning incident
  • Loss of autonomy discussed (possession)
  • Animal death (bird, spider)

Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson

Thirteen-year-old Annabella Ballinkay has never been normal, even by her psychic family’s standards. Every generation uses their abilities to help run the Ravenfall Inn, a sprawling, magical B&B at the crossroads of the human world and the Otherworld. But it’s hard to contribute when your only power is foreseeing death. So when fourteen-year-old Colin Pierce arrives at Ravenfall searching for his missing older brother and the supernatural creature who killed their parents, Anna jumps at the chance to help. But the mysteries tied to Colin go much deeper than either of.… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Absent parent
  • Near-miscarriage mentioned
  • Blood and injury depiction
  • Murder of a mother and father (seen through visions, protagonist discovered his dead parents’ bodies)
  • Death of a mother in a hospital mentioned
  • Torture mentioned
  • Physical assault
  • Disappearance of a sibling
  • Loss of autonomy (possession)
  • Animal death including the on-page death of a pet cat (resurrected)

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after–and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past. But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Paedophilia
  • Sexual harassment
  • Child abuse
  • Animal death

Their Vicious Darling by Nikki St. Crowe

Their Vicious Darling by Nikki St. Crowe

The Dark One has finally accepted me…just in time for everything to change. Because Vane’s brother, The Crocodile, has just arrived on Neverland soil and he’s not alone. He’s brought with him members of the royal Darkland family and they want Vane’s Death Shadow back at any cost. Of course, Peter Pan, Vane, Kas and Bash, they’re all familiar with war. But war isn’t easy when love is on the line. I know those vicious Lost Boys would do anything to protect me. But what if I’m not the one that needs saving? As power shifts on the island and shadows are claimed, all five of us have to let go of who we were, if we have any chance of becoming who we are destined to be.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Sexism
  • Slut-shaming
  • Threats of rape
  • Parental infidelity mentioned
  • Physical child abuse recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Smoking mentioned
  • Drugging recounted
  • Cannibalism and blood-drinking
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Physical assault
  • Battle scene
  • Death of a pet recounted (wolf)

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slavery
  • Adult-minor relationship
  • Blood depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a parent
  • Kidnapping
  • Animal death