Tag Archives: Sexual Assault

Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

“I would be content, ay, glad, to live with you as your servant, if I may not as your wife; so that I could only be near you, and get glimpses of you, and think of you as mine … I long for only one thing in heaven or earth or under the earth, to meet you, my own dear! Come to me – come to me, and save me from what threatens me!”

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D’Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her ‘cousin’ Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future. 

.Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Sexual assault
  • Sexual harassment

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

In the middle years of the ninth-century, the fierce Danes stormed onto British soil, hungry for spoils and conquest. Kingdom after kingdom fell to the ruthless invaders until but one realm remained. And suddenly the fate of all England—and the course of history—depended upon one man, one king.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Misogyny
  • Rape
  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Child abuse
  • Miscarriage
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Arson

Her Land, Her Love by Evangeline Parsons Yazzie

Her Land, Her Love by Evangeline Parsons Yazzie

The first novel, in a sweeping epic of one determined Navajo family’s efforts to persevere during the Long Walk, blends history, romance, conflict, culture, and family in a finely crafted story that is a true work of passion.

The story begins in Black Mesa, Arizona in 1865 at the start of the Navajo Long Walk. The woman at the heart of the story is Ninaanibaa’ (The Woman Warrior who Came Home Once Again) and her husband, Hashke Yil Naabaah (The Warrior Who Fights with Anger). When two of their daughters are kidnapped, they set out on a journey in search of their missing children.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Sexual assault

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket. In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat. The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist. Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke about town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous though utterly romantic results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it’s all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Ableism & ableist slur
  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Death of an aunt recounted

The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake

The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake

Miss Saunders, who’s skin is blotched with a rare skin condition, serves as a mirror to Maleeka Madison’s struggle against the burden of low self-esteem that many black girls face when they’re darker skinned. Miss Saunder’s is tough and through this, Maleeka learns to stand up to tough-talking Charlese. 

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Attemped rape
  • Bullying

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship. More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Sexism
  • Rape & sexual assault
  • Child abuse
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Kidnapping & confinement

Angry God by LJ Shen

Angry God by L.J. Shen

Vaughn Spencer. They call him an angry god. To me, he is nothing but a heartless prince. His parents rule this town. All I own is a grudge against him for that time he almost killed me. Between breaking hearts, noses and rules, Vaughn also finds the time to bully little ole’ me. I fight back, never expecting him to chase me across the ocean after we graduate high school. But here he is, living with me in a dark, looming castle on the outskirts of London. A fellow intern. A prodigal sculptor. A bloody genius. They say this place is haunted, and it is. Carlisle Castle hides two of our most awful secrets. Vaughn thinks he can kill the ghosts of his past, but what he doesn’t know? It’s my heart he’s slaying.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Paedophilia
  • Sexual assault
  • Suicide & self-harm mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood depiction
  • Murder
  • Bullying

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik 

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk–grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh–Miryem’s fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism
  • Domestic abuse
  • Graphic physical child abuse
  • Rape & sexual assault discussed
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Death of a parent
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a sibling
  • Murder
  • Animal death

Tehanu by Ursula Le Guin

Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin

In this fourth novel in the Earthsea series, we rejoin the young priestess the Tenar and powerful wizard Ged. Years before, they had helped each other at a time of darkness and danger. Together, they shared an adventure like no other. Tenar has since embraced the simple pleasures of an ordinary life, while Ged mourns the powers lost to him through no choice of his own.
Now the two must join forces again and help another in need-the physically, emotionally scarred child whose own destiny has yet to be revealed….

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Sexual assault of a child
  • Child abuse
  • Death of a child
  • Torture
  • Home invasion

The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin

The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin

Centuries ago, the moon Anarres was settled by utopian anarchists who left the Earthlike planet Urras in search of a better world, a new beginning. Now a brilliant physicist, Shevek, determines to reunite the two civilizations that have been separated by hatred since long before he was born.

The Dispossessed is a penetrating examination of society and humanity — and one man’s brave undertaking to question the unquestionable and ignite the fires of change.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Attempted rape