The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee

Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singer’s chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her, one wants to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all.  As she mines her memories for clues, she recalls her life as an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept up into the glitzy, gritty world of Second Empire Paris. In order to survive, she transformed herself from… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape

Jade War by Fonda Lee

Jade War by Fonda Lee

On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years. Beyond Kekon’s borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon’s most prized resource, could make them rich – or give them the edge they’d need to topple their rivals… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Ableism
  • Racial hate crimes
  • Rape mentioned
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Drug use
  • Abortion
  • Blood & injury depiction
  • Body horror
  • Murder
  • Graphic torture
  • Gun violence
  • Strangulation
  • Explosion

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

Jade, the mysterious and magical substance once exclusive to the Green Bone warriors of Kekon, is now known and coveted throughout the world. Everyone wants access to the supernatural abilities it provides, from traditional forces such as governments, mercenaries, and criminal kingpins, to modern players, including doctors, athletes, and movie studios. As the struggle over the control of jade grows ever larger and more deadly, the Kaul family, and the ancient ways of the Kekonese Green Bones, will never be the same. The Kauls have been battered by war and… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape mentioned
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Torture

The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell

The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell

Marnie and her little sister Nelly have always been different. Marnie leads a life of smoking, drinking and drugs; Nelly enjoys playing the violin, eating cornflakes with Coke and reading Harry Potter. But on Christmas Eve, the sisters have to join forces and put their differences aside. And when Lennie, the old guy next door, starts to get suspicious, it’s only a matter of time before their terrible secret is discovered.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape, implied
  • Domestic violence
  • Alcoholism
  • Drug abuse

Prisoner by Annika Martin and Skye Warren

Prisoner by Annika Martin and Skye Warren

He seethes with raw power the first time I see him—pure menace and rippling muscles in shackles. He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape*

*Context : The heroine is given a sleeping medication and cannot give her full consent.

The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye

The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye

Russia is on the brink of great change. Pasha’s coronation approaches, and Vika is now the Imperial Enchanter, but the role she once coveted may be more difficult—and dangerous—than she ever expected. Pasha is grappling with his own problems—his legitimacy is in doubt, the girl he loves loathes him, and he believes his best friend is dead. When a challenger to the throne emerges—and with the magic in Russia growing rapidly—Pasha must do whatever it takes to keep his position and protect his kingdom. For Nikolai, the ending of the Crown’s Game stung deeply… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Classism
  • Persecution for witchcraft
  • Rape, implied
  • Sexual harassment
  • Nightmares
  • Attempted suicide mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Dead bodies
  • Amputation
  • Physical injury
  • Death of a friend
  • Death of a mother & guardian
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Explosion
  • Gun violence
  • Incarceration & captivity
  • Avalanche
  • War, revolt & rebellion themes
  • Poverty themes

Mika in Real Life by Holly Miller

Mika in Real Life by Holly Miller

At thirty-five, Mika Suzuki’s life is a mess. Her last relationship ended in flames. Her roommate-slash-best friend might be a hoarder. She’s a perpetual disappointment to her traditional Japanese parents. And, most recently, she’s been fired from her latest dead-end job. Mika is at her lowest point when she receives a phone call from Penny—the daughter she placed for adoption sixteen years ago. Penny is determined to forge a relationship with her birth mother, and in turn, Mika longs to be someone Penny is proud of. Faced with her own inadequacies, Mika embellishes a fact about her life. What… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Sexism
  • Rape

Empress of All Seasons by Holly Miller

Empress of All Seasons by Holly Miller

Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yōkai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy. Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren’t hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slavery
  • Rape
  • Child abuse
  • Parental abandonment
  • Self-injury
  • Childbirth
  • Forced adoption
  • Exile
  • Death by starvation
  • Murder
  • Poisoning
  • Explosions
  • Fire
  • Cyclones
  • Animal attack
  • Animal cruelty & death
  • Bullying

A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert

Ruth Kabbah is okay with being an outcast. Between her autism, her comic book nerdery, and the whiff of scandal her small town can’t forget, Ruth will always be Ravenswood’s black sheep. Since she prefers silence and solitude to gossip and pub crawls, that suits her just fine—until Evan Miller comes to town. Ex-military man Evan is gorgeous, confident… and he’s Ruth’s new neighbour. Unlike everyone else, he doesn’t seem to mind her crotchety ways or her cooking disasters. In fact, if Ruth didn’t know any better, she… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Abelsim
  • Racism
  • Rape mentioned
  • Abusive relationship recounted
  • Cheating recounted
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Death of a mother from terminal cancer recounted
  • Death of a father during active military duty
  • Stalking

Believe Like a Child by Paige Dearth

Believe Like a Child by Paige Dearth

Alessa’s uncle is a child predator, and she’s one of his victims. At sixteen, after the death of her only friend, Alessa finds herself isolated at home with her uncle. Unable to live there, she runs away. Alone on the streets of North Philadelphia, she encounters more people who hurt her. About to hit rock bottom, Alessa breaks free from her new tormentors and finds refuge in a shelter for homeless and abused women. Wherever she goes, however, trouble keeps seeking her out, until she meets three people who change the course of her life. Though Alessa’s bittersweet journey is fraught… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Incestuous paedophilia & rape of a child (uncle-niece)
  • Child sex work
  • Death of a friend
  • Kidnapping
  • Homelessness
  • Parent sustained a debilitating injured during military deployment