Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favourite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen. Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is… Read more.

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Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Suicide mentioned
  • Physical injury (broken ankle)
  • Murder by decapitation mentioned
  • Knife & sword violence
  • Alcohol consumption & mentions of smoking (hookah)
  • Animal attack (magical bird)
  • War themes discussed

The Penelopiad of Margaret Atwood

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

In Homer’s account in The Odyssey, Penelope—wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy—is portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife. Left alone for twenty years when Odysseus goes off to fight in the Trojan War after the abduction of Helen, Penelope manages, in the face of scandalous rumors, to maintain the kingdom of Ithaca, bring up her wayward son, and keep over a hundred suitors at bay, simultaneously. When Odysseus finally comes home, he kills her suitors and—curiously—twelve of her maids.

In a splendid contemporary twist to the ancient story, Margaret Atwood has chosen to give the telling of it to Penelope and to her twelve hanged maids,

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Child marriage
  • Rape & sexual assault
  • Murder
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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Forced sex work
  • Sexual assault
  • Physical & emotional abuse
  • Child abuse
  • Arranged marriage
  • Murder
  • Torture
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Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: Tessa Gray. So when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Misogyny
  • Forced marriage
  • Drug dependency
  • Suicide & attempted suicide
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Pregnancy
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Physical injuries
  • Emesis
  • Terminal illness
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a friend
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a father
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Torture
  • Kidnapping & captivity
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Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe by Madeline Miller

In the house of Helios, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power – the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.

Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Rape (on-page)
  • Rape by coercion recounted & discussed
  • Incest mentioned
  • Emotional, verbal & physical abuse
  • Cheating
  • Arranged & forced marriage
  • Nightmares
  • Suicide & suicidal ideation
  • Self-harm
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Nonconsensual drugging
  • Graphic caesarean childbirth (on-page)
  • Pregnancy
  • Blood & physical injury depiction
  • Dead bodies
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a sibling
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a father
  • Death of a husband
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Death from a fall
  • Death by drowning mentioned
  • Animal death (on-page)
  • Bestiality mentioned & recounted
  • Bullying
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The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl & the Atlantic Complex by Eoin Colfer

Artemis’s mother is gravely ill. Unfortunately the cure, an endangered lemur, was made extinct eight years ago . . . by Artemis Fowl. Talk about awkward.

What if he could travel back in time, outwit his former self and bring the lemur home? With the right demon warlock, it might be possible.

But we all remember the young Artemis. He was, to put it mildly, a pretty terrible human being, so this won’t be easy.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Forced marriage mentioned
  • Physical injury
  • Explosion
  • Electrocution
  • Kidnapping
  • Mind control
  • Animal attack
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Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Misogyny
  • Rape mentioned
  • Forced marriage
  • Child abandonment mentioned
  • Domestic violence
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Self-harm
  • Nonconsensual drugging
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Physical injuries
  • Medical experimentation
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Torture
  • Fire & immolation
  • Kidnapping
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The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

If you have picked up this book with the hope of finding a simple and cheery tale, I’m afraid you have picked up the wrong book altogether. The story may seem cheery at first, when the Baudelaire children spend time in the company of some interesting reptiles and a giddy uncle, but don’t be fooled. If you know anything at all about the unlucky Baudelaire children, you already know that even pleasant events lead down the same road to misery.

In fact, within the pages you now hold in your hands, the three siblings endure a car accident, a terrible odor, a deadly serpent, a long knife, a large brass reading lamp, and the appearance of a person they’d hoped never to see again.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Attempted adult-minor marriage recounted
  • Child abuse
  • Death of a mother & father recounted
  • Murder
  • Kidnapping
  • Blackmail
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The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

I’m sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Attempted forced adult-minor marriage
  • Child abuse
  • Death of a parent
  • Kidnapping
  • Blackmail
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The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

Maia, the youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an “accident,” he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favour with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the spectre of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Homomisia
  • Racism
  • Physical & verbal abuse mentioned
  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Arranged marriage
  • Suicide
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a father
  • Death of a brother
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