Slavery & Indentured Servitude – Page 13

Witchmark by CL Polk

Witchmark by C.L. Polk

Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family’s interest or to be committed to a witches’ asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans’ hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is. When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witch… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Slavery
Homophobia
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Dissociation & depersonalisation
Alcohol consumption
Blood depiction
Medical experimentation
Cancer
Death of a spouse
Poisoning
Strangulation
Torture
War themes

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly. Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Period-typical sexism & ableism
Slavery
Forced sex work
Suicide
Involuntary psychiatric hospitalisation
Murder of a father
Physical assault & kidnapping

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water. There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Slavery mentioned
Suicide, attempted suicide & suicidal ideation
Emesis
Murder
Torture
Kidnapping & captivity
Graphic animal death & cruelty

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it with untrustworthy new allies and the empire as his enemy. Though he has convinced himself that he no longer loves Kestrel, Arin hasn’t forgotten her, or how she became exactly the kind of person he has always despised. She cared more for the empire than she did for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she did for him.. At least, that’s what he thinks. In the frozen north, Kestrel is a prisoner in a brutal work camp. As she searches desperately for a… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery
Forced drug dependency
Suicidal ideation
Torture
War themes
Animal cruelty

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

When his master’s eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or “Titch,” is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor, and abolitionist. He initiates Wash into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky; where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human; and where a boy born in chains can embrace a life of dignity and meaning. But when a man is killed and a bounty is placed on Wash’s head, Titch abandons everything to save him… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery
Racism & racial slurs
Body mutilation & disfigurement
Torture mentioned

The Company of Fiends by Kathryn Moon

The Company of Fiends by Kathryn Moon

After eight years on the stage with The Company of Fiends, the glow of the spotlight is starting to wear thin for Hazel Nix. The theatre is perfect for a girl like her—one with a secret she keeps even from her more monstrous peers—but playing pretend is only exciting for so long. After so many lovers, on stage and otherwise, Hazel has yet to make a lasting connection with anyone and considers taking her last bow at the company. Just as Hazel encounters a new and intriguing patron, disaster strikes the theatre. Girls are going missing… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery
Human trafficking mentioned
Parental abandonment recounted
Child abuse recounted
Attempted sexual assault
Involuntary body modifications recounted
Cannibalism mentioned
Death of a father recounted
Murder
Torture, off-page
Strangulation
Home invasion
Physical assault (mugging)

The Ones That Disappeared by Zana Fraillon

The Ones That Disappeared by Zana Fraillon

Separated, scared and looking after a small child, Esra will do whatever she can to reunite with her friend Miran, who was captured by the police – the police who she mustn’t trust. Hiding in the shadows of the forest, Esra is found by a local boy, a boy with his own story. Together they will create a man out of mud. A man who will come to life and lead them through a dark labyrinth of tunnels until they finally have the courage the step above ground. Until they finally have the courage to speak their story. Until they finally have the courage to be free.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery
Child abuse
Death of a sibling recounted
Death of a child
Murder

Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, Princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores. The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn, but the entire… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery mentioned
Threats of rape
Body horror
Animal death
War themes

Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake

Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake

Katya’s power to freeze anything she touches has made her an outcast in her isolated village. And when she loses control of her ability, accidentally killing several villagers, she is banished to the palace of the terrifying Prince Sasha in Kiev, At the castle, though, she is surprised to find that Sasha is just like her—with his own strange talent, the ability to summon fire. Instead of punishment, Sasha offers Katya friendship, and the chance to embrace her power rather than fear it. But outside the walls of Kiev, Sasha’s enemies… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery mentioned
Mass murder

Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst

Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst

Princesses Denna and Mare are in love and together at last–only to face a new set of dangers. Mare just wants to settle down with the girl she loves, which would be easier if Denna weren’t gifted with forbidden and volatile fire magic. Denna must learn to control her powers, which means travelling in secret to the kingdom of Zumorda, where she can seek training without fear of persecution. Determined to help, Mare has agreed to serve as an ambassador as a cover for their journey. But just as Mare and Denna arrive in Zumorda, an attack on a border town… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery mentioned
Animal cruelty