Military Violence & War Themes – Page 60

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Body shaming
Slut-shaming
Slavery
Physical & psychological child abuse
Cheating
Disownment
Nightmares mentioned
Suicide, on-page
Coerced self-harm
Alcohol consumption & abuse
Drug use & drugging
Self-harm (mithridatism)
Death of a pregnant character mentioned*
Blood and gore depiction, including dead bodies & emesis
Graphic physical injuries
Decapitation & dismemberment mentioned
Grief & loss depiction
Death of mother and father, on-page
Death of friend
Death of a sister & brother
Death by a fall mentioned
Drowning
Murder and attempted murder
Knife and sword violence & stabbing
Strangulation
Torture
Kidnapping & captivity
Loss of autonomy (glamour magic)
War themes discussed
Bullying

*Context: The father of an unborn child poisons his pregnant consort in an attempt to murder her and the unborn child.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Child abuse & neglect recounted
Parental abandonment recounted
Cheating mentioned
Alcohol consumption
Blood and gore depiction
Cannibalism mentioned
Murder
War themes

Halt’s Peril by John Flanagan

Halt’s Peril by John Flanagan

The renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders has journeyed from kingdom to kingdom, conning the innocent out of their few valuables. Will and Halt, his mentor, are ambushed by the cult’s deadly assassins when Halt is pierced by a poisoned arrow. Now Will must travel day and night in search of the one person with the power to cure Halt: Malkallam the Sorcerer.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Alcohol consumption
Blood and gore depiction
Captivity
Cave collapse
Cult
Dead bodies and body parts
Grief and loss depiction
Knife violence
Medical treatment/procedures and physical injuries
Murder and attempted murder
Nightmares and night terrors
Phobias
Animal death
Poverty themes
Stalking

The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan

The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan

Mankind puts its faith in many things–gods, kings, money–anything for protection from the world’s many dangers. When a cult springs up in neighboring Clonmel, promising to quell the recent attacks by lawless marauders, people flock from all over to offer gold in exchange for protection. But this particular group, with which Halt is all too familiar, has a less than charitable agenda. Secrets will be unveiled and battles fought to the death as Will and Horace help Halt in ridding the land of a dangerous enemy.The worldwide phenomenon is back with a gripping new adventure. Yet for these Rangers, the peril is only beginning. . .

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Verbal abuse
Alcohol consumption and non-consensual drugging
Estrangement
Animal death and hunting
Building collapse and fire
Cults
Dead bodies and body parts
Death of a sibling
Knife violence, regicide, murder and attempted murder
Physical injuries
Poverty themes
War and military themes

Oakleaf Bearers by John Flanagan

Oakleaf Bearers by John Flanagan

Still far from home after escaping slavery in the icebound land of Skandia, young Will and Evanlyn’s plans to return to Araluen are spoiled when Evanlyn is taken captive. Though still weak, Will employs his Ranger training to locate his friend but soon finds himself fatally outnumbered. Will is certain death is close at hand, until Halt and Horace make a daring last-minute rescue.

But their reunion is cut short by the horrifying discovery that Skandia’s borders have been breached by the Temujai army – and Araluen is next in their sights.

Only an unlikely union can save the two kingdoms, but can it hold long enough to vanquish a ruthless new enemy?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Addiction, including substance addiction (mentioned) and non-consensual drugging (mentioned)
Kidnapping
Knife violence, murder and attempted murder
Physical injuries
Suicide by self-sacrifice
Animal death and hunting
Banishment and exile
Slavery
War and military themes

*Alternative title The Battle for Skandia

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

Kidnapped after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue Will, and he will do anything to keep his promise–even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will’s friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged constantly by freelance knights–but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soon he begins to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around with his uncanny skill. Even so, will they be in time to rescue Will from a horrific life of slavery?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Alcohol consumption, addiction and non-consensual drugging
Body horror, physical injuries, physical illness and dead bodies/body parts
Verbal abuse
Hallucinations, delusions and suicide
Knife violence, murder and attempted murder
Banishment, exile and captivity
Blizzard
Whipping and flogging
Poverty themes
Animal death and hunting
War and military themes

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

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

They have always scared him in the past — the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied….

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Verbal abuse
Burns, whipping and physical injuries
Death of a parent
Conscription
Knife violence, murder and attempted murder
Fire
Hunting
Bullying
War and military themes

Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton

Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton

In the ancient river kingdom, where touch is a battlefield and bodies the instruments of war, Mia Rose has pledged her life to hunting Gwyrach: women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath, and blood. The same women who killed her mother without a single scratch.

But when Mia’s father announces an alliance with the royal family, she is forced to trade in her knives and trousers for a sumptuous silk gown. Determined to forge her own path forward, Mia plots a daring escape, but could never predict the greatest betrayal of all: her own body. Mia possesses the very magic she has sworn to destroy.

Now, as she untangles the secrets of her past, Mia must learn to trust her heart…even if it kills her.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misogyny (central theme)
Homomisia, coming out themes and hate crimes
Rape (mostly recounted, one graphic on-page scene) and sexual assault
Forced non-consensual arranged marriage
Physical abuse
Suicide and suicidal ideation (mentioned)
Blood and gore depiction, including dead bodies
Grief and loss depiction
Death of mother & wife recounted
Death of a father & husband recounted
Emesis
Graphic physical injuries and illness
Torture (secondary character, off-page)
Murder & attempted murder
Poisoning
Imprisonment
War themes
Graphic animal death, animal bodies, and hunting
Mind control discussed

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