Death of a Parent & Guardian – Page 188

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

The daughter of a union with an outsider that cast her once-proud family into disgrace, Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol and lead a life of submission, devotion and absolute conformity, like all the women in the settlement.

But a chance mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood that surrounds Bethel – a place where the first prophet once pursued and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still walking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the diary of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realises the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her . . .

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism & colourism
Misogyny
Slut-shaming
Ableist language
Persecution for witchcraft
Physical, verbal & emotional child abuse
Sexual assault
Rape & statutory rape recounted
Paedophilia & child molestation recounted
Forced nonconsensual marriage*
Exile & ex-communication
Alcohol consumption
Suicide recounted
Self-harm & self-inflicted injuries
Pregnancy & child pregnancy (secondary character)
Death from childbirth (two on-page scenes), and mentions of miscarriage & stillbirth
Graphic blood depiction & menstruation discussed
Plague (multiple)
Seizures & stroke (side character)
Nonconsensual branding
Emesis
Death of a mother & father recounted
Death of a son recounted
Death of a best friend (on-page)
Strangulation
Drowning
Being burned alive
Earthquake
Imprisonment & captivity
Murder & attempted murder
Knife violence & stabbing
Animal death & sacrifice

Note: This book portrays a cult which uses its beliefs to justify abuse, torture, misogyny, racism & paedophilia, including the marriage, rape (‘bedding’) & impregnation of multiple children (not graphic or on-page, but mentioned & discussed by secondary characters).

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Ableism & ableist language
Persecution for ‘witchcraft’ (theme)
Indentured servitude and slavery
Forced underaged sex work recounted
Child abuse recounted
Disownment
Substance and gambling addiction
Nightmares
Coerced suicide (implied)
Alcohol consumption, recreational drug use & non-consensual drugging including forced and coerced drug dependency
Blood, gore & injury depiction including dead bodies, emesis, medical experimentation, plague, eyeball trauma, and non-consensual body modifications
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a father & brother recounted
Death of a friend
Murder & attempted murder
Physical assault
Knife and gun violence
Torture
Strangulation
Explosions
Kidnapping and captivity
Incarceration
Drowning
Animal death
Animal attack & death by an animal attack
Bullying

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Fatmisia & body shaming
Racism & racial slurs
Slavery
Attempted rape
Threats of rape
Child abuse
Domestic violence
Self-harm
Death of a parent recounted
Death of a friend
Torture
Kidnapping
War themes

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

Liz Lighty has always believed she’s too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it’s okay — Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.

But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz’s plans come crashing down . . . until she’s reminded of her school’s scholarship for prom king and queen. There’s nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events,.. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Classism
Racism
Queermisia, specifically lesbomisia & transmisia
Public outing
Anxiety & panic attacks
Emesis
Hospital visits due to medical emergency
Chronic illness (sickle cell anemia)
Death of a mother recounted

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why–or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man’s love of puzzles, riddles, and codes.

Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed: four Hawthorne grandsons who grew up with every expectation that they would inherit billions… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Parental abandonment
Physical child abuse recounted
Abusive relationship
Emotional & physical intimate partner violence (off-page)
Cheating mentioned (chp 55)
Revenge pornography involving a minor mentioned (chp 59)
Alcohol consumption
Minor blood depiction & physical injury (chp 52-54)
Grief & loss depiction
Death due to heart attack mentioned (chp 55 & 78)
Death of a sister recounted
Death of a girlfriend recounted
Death of a grandfather, off-page (theme)
Death of a mother recounted
Attempted murder, on-page (chp 52 & 68)
Gun violence (on-page in chp 52)
Car accident (chp 68)
Homelessness mentioned

Love Language by Reese Morrison

Love Language by Reese Morrison

Marco and Greg would both rather be anywhere than a kink club on Valentine’s Day. Marco doesn’t have the patience to speech-read in a hearing crowd. And Greg is still mourning his Sir who passed away three years ago.

But when Greg steps in to explain something in ASL, Marco can’t stop thinking about the light he sees in those sad eyes. Strong, older, fluent in sign language, and sweetly submissive, Greg is exactly Marco’s type. Even if Greg isn’t ready for another relationship yet, Marco isn’t ready to let him go… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Transmisia
Sex scenes involving consensual non-consensual kink & incest play, on-page
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother
Death of a partner recounted

Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

Alex + Ada, Vols. 1-3 by Jonathan Luna & Sarah Vaughn

From JONATHAN LUNA (GIRLS, THE SWORD, ULTRA, Spider-Woman: Origin) and SARAH VAUGHN (Sparkshooter) comes ALEX + ADA, a sci-fi drama set in the near future. The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But after Ada is dropped into his life, he discovers she is more than just a robot.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Volume #1

Sexual harassment
Scalpels & needles
Death of a friend mentioned
Mass murder mentioned

Volume #2

Discrimination
Amputation & prosthetic limbs discussed
Mass murder mentioned
Ex-soldier secondary character

Volume #3

Discrimination & hate crimes
Dysphoria discussed
Alcohol consumption
Blood depiction & minor physical injuries
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a grandmother
Murder
Mass murder mentioned
Physical assault
Hanging
Explosion
Gun violence
Imprisonment

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza

The only surviving heir to an ancient Kalusian dynasty, Rhee has spent her life training to destroy the people who killed her family. Now, on the eve of her coronation, the time has finally come for Rhee to claim her throne – and her revenge.

Alyosha is a Wraetan who has risen above his war refugee origins to find fame as the dashing star of a DroneVision show. Despite his popularity, Aly struggles with anti-Wraetan prejudices and the pressure of being perfect in the public eye.

Their paths collide with one brutal act of violence: Rhee is attacked, barely escaping with her life. Aly is blamed for her presumed murder… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableist language
Racism & racial slurs, including internment camps
Blood depiction (chp 3)
Unethical human medical experimentation (chp 16)
Needles (chp 6 & 8)
Consensual and non-consensual drugging (chp 6, 7 & 22)
Death of mother, father & sister recounted
Death of a mother (on-page, chp 25)
Death of a friend (chp 14)
Explosions recounted & on-page (chp 1 & 15)
Murder & attempted murder (chp 1, 3)
Strangulation (chp 1)
Knife violence (chp 3)
Police brutality & violence (chp 15)
Torture (chap 7)
Mind control discussed
Imprisonment (chp 17)
Poisoning (chp 25)

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