Death of a Parent & Guardian – Page 184

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism & racial slurs
Misogyny
Child abuse
Parental abandonment
Self-injury
Death of a mother recounted
Torture
Forced institutionalization & abuse by medical professionals
Animal cruelty & abuse (off-page)

The Silence of Bones by June Hur

The Silence of Bones by June Hur

Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.

As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder. But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Religious persecution & hate crimes (central theme)
Misogyny & gendered slurs
Slut-shaming
Ableist language
Indentured servitude
Sexual assault (unwanted touching) mentioned (chp 9)
Suicide, attempted suicide & suicidal ideation recounted and discussed (multiple times)
Suicide from a fall mentioned (chp 1)
Suicide from hanging mentioned (chp 16)
Alcohol consumption mentioned
Pregnancy & childbirth mentioned
Death of a baby and infanticide recounted
Graphic blood & gore depiction
Graphic dead bodies and autopsy scene
Graphic physical injuries, illness & wound descriptions
Needles
Nonconsensual branding and resulting scars recounted
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a brother (on-page)
Death of a father recounted
Death of a mother recounted
Death of a sister recounted
Death from starvation & exposure to the cold mentioned
Murder & attempted murder
Regicide (off-page)
Torture (one on-page scene, otherwise discussed or recounted)
Kidnapping & hostage situation
Whipping mentioned (chp 3)
Police brutality and violence
Drowning mentioned & near-drowning incident
Animal attack (chp 2)
Animal injuries mentioned (chp 9)
Animal death, hunting, & animal butchering mentioned
Poverty themes

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism & racial slurs
Ableism & ableist slurs (r slur)
Classism
Conversion therapy
Graphic domestic & parental abuse
Slavery and forced labour
Graphic rape & prison rape
Paedophilia & child sexual assault
Incest
Alcoholism & substance addiction
PTSD
Depression
Suicide & self-harm
Miscarriage & infertility themes
Blood & gore depiction
Graphic physical injuries
Starvation
Nonconsensual psychiatric hospitalisation
Death of a parent
Death of a sibling
Death of an infant
Police brutality & violence
Murder & executions, including the execution of a child
Death in police custody and in prison
Graphic animal abuse
Homelessness
Poverty themes

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

Fatima lives in the city of Noor, a thriving stop along the Silk Road. There the music of myriad languages fills the air, and people of all faiths weave their lives together. However, the city bears scars of its recent past, when the chaotic tribe of Shayateen djinn slaughtered its entire population — except for Fatima and two other humans. Now ruled by a new maharajah, Noor is protected from the Shayateen by the Ifrit, djinn of order and reason, and by their commander, Zulfikar.

But when one of the most potent of the Ifrit dies, Fatima is changed in ways she cannot fathom, ways that scare even those who love her. Oud in hand, Fatima is drawn into the intrigues of the maharajah and his sister, the affairs of Zulfikar and the djinn, and the dangers of a magical battlefield.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Sexual harassment
Grief depiction
Death of a brother recounted
Death of a father recounted
Disappearance of a sibling
Murder & attempted murder
Massacre and genocide recounted
Knife violence & stabbing
Poisoning
Fire
War themes
Poverty themes

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Transmisia
Deadnaming & misgendering
Gender dysphoria
Coming out themes
Parental abandonment recounted
Disownment and child homelessness
Blood depiction & use of blood for magic and in rituals
Dead bodies
Serious injury of a loved one
Hospital (brief scene)
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a father & mother recounted
Disappearance of a loved one
Murder & attempted murder
Knife violence & stabbing
Gun violence recounted
Police racial discrimination mentioned
Car accident mentioned
Smoking & alcohol consumption mentioned
Animal blood used for magic and in rituals

All the Ways Home

All the Ways Home by Elsie Chapman

Sometimes, home isn’t where you expect to find it.

After losing his mom in a fatal car crash, Kaede Hirano–now living with a grandfather who is more stranger than family–developed anger issues and spent his last year of middle school acting out.

Best-friendless and critically in danger repeating the seventh grade, Kaede is given a summer assignment: write an essay about what home means to him, which will be even tougher now that he’s on his way to Japan to reconnect with his estranged father and older half-brother. Still, if there’s a chance Kaede can finally build a new family from an old one, he’s willing to try. But building new relationships isn’t as easy as destroying his old ones, and one last desperate act will change the way Kaede sees everyone–including himself.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother
Car accident recounted

The Lost Sisters by Holly Black

The Lost Sisters by Holly Black

Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes . . .

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Cheating
Coerced marriage discussed
Alcohol consumption
Blood & gore depiction, including dead bodies
Murder discussed
Death of a mother & father recounted
Near-drowning incident
Bullying

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Gumiho: Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Eighteen-year-old Gu Miyoung has a secret. She’s a gumiho–a nine-tailed fox who survives by consuming the energy of men. But she’s also half-human and has a soft spot for people. So she won’t kill indiscriminately. With the help of a shaman, Miyoung only takes the lives of men who have committed terrible crimes. Devouring their life force is a morbid kind of justice… or so she tells herself.

But killing men no one would ever miss in bustling modern-day Seoul also helps Miyoung keep a low profile. She and her mother protect themselves by hiding in plain sight. That is until Miyoung crosses paths with a handsome boy her age as he’s being attacked by a goblin in the woods… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Classism
Ableist language
Physical, emotional & verbal parental abuse
Parental neglect & abandonment
Nightmares
Suicide & attempted suicide discussed
Suicidal ideation
Alcohol consumption
Pregnancy mentioned
Blood & gore depiction
Seizures, multiple on-page scenes
Coma
Hospital (setting)
Medical procedures, including blood tests & surgery mentioned
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother, on-page
Death of a grandmother, on-page
Murder & attempted murder
Physical assault
Attempted infanticide recounted
Hostage situation
Drowning recounted
Loss of autonomy (theme)*
Bullying

*Note: The main character is a gumiho, and people are able to control her actions and force her to follow their instructions when they possess her fox bead.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance – and Papi’s secrets – the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Coming out themes
Sexual harassment
Sexual assault & attempted rape of a minor, on-page
Sex trafficking & coerced sex work of a minor discussed
Cheating
Pregnancy discussed
Premature childbirth scene & resuscitation of a newborn
Emesis
Cancer mentioned
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother from dengue fever recounted
Death of a father & husband (theme)
Death of a sister mentioned
Stalking
Plane crash, off-page but discussed throughout the novel
Poverty themes

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A Brown

A Song of Wraiths & Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Racism and racial slurs
Colonialism themes
Refugee experiences
Riots and stampede
Police brutality
Emotional & physical child abuse
Cheating mentioned
Anxiety
Panic attack, described in detail on-page
Hallucinations
Depersonalisation & derealization
Self-harm & self-harm ideation
Alcohol consumption
Emesis
Blood depiction
Grief & loss depiction (theme)
Death of a father recounted
Death of a mother, on-page
Death of a sister recounted
Death in a fire recounted
Hostage situation
Kidnapping & attempted kidnapping
Knife violence & stabbing
Murder & attempted murder
Regicide
Whipping of feet mentioned
Animal cruelty
Animal death, including animal sacrifice