Hostage Situation – Page 6 – Trigger Warning Database

Network Effect by Martha Wells

Network Effect by Martha Wells

You know that feeling when you’re at work, and you’ve had enough of people, and then the boss walks in with yet another job that needs to be done right this second or the world will end, but all you want to do is go home and binge your favorite shows? And you’re a sentient murder machine programmed for destruction? Congratulations, you’re Murderbot.

When Murderbot’s human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action.

Drastic action it is, then.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Indentured servitude & slavery discussed
Amnesia
Blood & gore depiction
Physical injuries
Contagion
Murder & attempted murder
Gun violence
Explosions
Kidnapping & hostage situation
Loss of autonomy discussed

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue? And what will become of it when it’s caught?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Amnesia
Blood depiction & physical injuries
Attempted murder
Explosion
Strangulation
Kidnapping & hostage situation

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism
Paedophilia & child sexual abuse (theme)
Child pornography
Sex work
Child abandonment & neglect
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Alcoholism
Substance addiction
Disordered eating, mentioned
Attempted suicide
Self-injury (unintentional)
Alcohol & drug abuse
Overdose mentioned
Pregnancy mentioned
Terminal cancer mentioned
Graphic blood depiction
Physical injury & illness
Emesis
Hospitalisation
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a sister and child
Death of a grandmother
Death of a husband mentioned
Murder
Knife violence
Physical assault
Fire
Disappearance of a sibling
Hostage situation
Stalking
Car accident
Homelessness
Poverty

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan

Bracing for a final clash with the evil warlord Morgarath, the Rangers rally the kingdom’s allies, and Will is chosen, along with his friend Horace, as special envoys to nearby Celtica. But the simple mission soon takes an unsettling turn – the Celticans have disappeared, their town abandoned. The scheming hand of Morgarath, it seems, has been far from idle. He has found a way to bring his legions over the once impassible eastern mountains and is planning to ambush the king’s army in a rout. Now with help many miles away, Will and Horace are the only ones standing in the way of the dark lord’s plans.They have shown great skill and courage in their training, but how will they fare in the face of true evil?

With bigger battles and higher stakes, John Flanagan’s epic adventure charges ahead with this rousing follow-up to The Ruins of Gorlan.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Disappearance of a loved one
Fire and arson
Grief and loss depiction
Hostage situation and kidnapping
Slavery
Knife violence
Mind control and possession
Physical injuries and wounds, murder and attempted murder
War and military themes

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Body shaming
Suicide attempt by self-sacrifice
Alcohol consumption
Blood and gore depiction, including dead bodies
Physical injuries
Emesis
Murder & attempted murder
Physical and psychological torture
Knife violence
Gun violence
Explosions & bombings
Physical assault
Kidnapping & captivity
Hostage situation
Airship accident
War themes
Animal death
Animal dead bodies & body parts
Hunting

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Classism
Ableist language
Fatmisia
Slavery (mentioned)
Kiss without consent
Blood and gore depiction, dead bodies and physical injuries
Death of a friend and parents (recounted)
Murder and attempted murder
Kidnapping, hostage situation and blackmail
War themes
Graphic animal death

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Classism
Victim blaming
Facial difference discrimination
Persecution for witchcraft (mentioned)
Rape and sexual assault (recounted)
Parental abandonment (implied)
Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Suicide attempt as self-sacrifice (recounted)
Alcohol consumption
Blood and gore depiction, dead bodies, eyeball trauma and branding
Physical sickness and scars
Death of a brother, son, girlfriend and friend (recounted)
Murder and attempted murder
Explosion, knife violence, physical assault and poisoning
Captivity, blackmail, hostage situation, exile and banishment
War themes
Animal death and bodies (recounted), hunting

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

Melati Ahmad looks like your typical moviegoing, Beatles-obsessed sixteen-year-old. Unlike most other sixteen-year-olds though, Mel also believes that she harbors a djinn inside her, one who threatens her with horrific images of her mother’s death unless she adheres to an elaborate ritual of counting and tapping to keep him satisfied.

But there are things that Melati can’t protect her mother from. On the evening of May 13th, 1969, racial tensions in her home city of Kuala Lumpur boil over. The Chinese and Malays are at war, and Mel and her mother become separated by a city in flames.

With a 24-hour curfew in place and all lines of communication down, it will take the help of a Chinese boy named Vincent and all of the courage and grit in Melati’s arsenal to overcome the violence on the streets, her own prejudices, and her djinn’s surging power to make it back to the one person she can’t risk losing.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism, internalised ableism & ableist language
Racism & race riots (theme)
Anxiety & panic attacks
OCD & intrusive thoughts (protagonist)
Hospital
Blood & gore depiction
Emesis
Death of a mother discussed
Murder & attempted murder
Knife violence
Fire & being burned alive
Hostage situation
Displacement & homelessness

Sovereign by April Daniels

Sovereign by April Daniels

Only nine months after her debut as the superhero Dreadnought, Danny Tozer is already a scarred veteran. Protecting a city the size of New Port is a team-sized job and she’s doing it alone. Between her newfound celebrity and her demanding cape duties, Dreadnought is stretched thin, and it’s only going to get worse.

When she crosses a newly discovered billionaire supervillain, Dreadnought comes under attack from all quarters. From her troubled family life to her disintegrating friendship with Calamity, there’s no lever too cruel for this villain to use against her… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Ableism & ableist language
Transmisia & transmisic slurs
Misgendering
Nightmares & night terrors
Self harm
Suicidal ideation mentioned
Nonconsensual drugging (sedative)
Minor blood depiction
Physical injuries, including paraplegia & loss of limb
Murder & attempted murder
Torture
Gun violence
Explosion
Kidnapping
Hostage situation
Fire
Near-drowning incident
Imprisonment
Tear gas
Homelessness

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