Slavery & Indentured Servitude – Page 29

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus is trying his best. He tries to be the best employee he can be at the local ice cream shop; the best boyfriend he can be to his amazing girlfriend, Talia; the best protector he can be over his little brother, Isaiah. But as much as Alex tries, he often comes up short.

It’s hard to for him to be present when every time he touches an object or person, Alex sees into its future. When he touches a scoop, he has a vision of him using it to scoop ice cream. When he touches his car, he sees it years from now, totaled and underwater. When he touches Talia, he sees them at the precipice of breaking up, and that terrifies him. Alex feels these visions are a curse, distracting him, making him anxious and unable to live an ordinary life.

And when Alex touches a photo that gives him a vision of his brother’s imminent death, everything changes.

With Alex now in a race against time, death, and circumstances, he and Isaiah must grapple with their past, their future, and what it means to be a young Black man in America in the present.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Racism
Self-harm
Depression
Anxiety
Death of a parent
Death of a sibling
Anti-black violence
Slavery
Inter-generational trauma
Poverty
Police brutality

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Slavery
Sexual assault
Rape mentioned
Emotional abuse & gaslighting
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Torture
Genocide & mass murder

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she flees Kenettra with her sister to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good when her very existence depends on darkness?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Slavery
Rape
Child sex slavery
Child abuse recounted
Hallucinations
Murder recounted
Knife violence & stabbing
Torture
Shipwreck
War & rebellion themes

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she’s struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can’t seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta’s orbit. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Rape
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Miscarriage mentioned
Traumatic labor & childbirth

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

Crescent City: House of Earth & Blood by Sarah J. Maas

Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.

Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.

As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Misogyny
Slut-shaming
Slavery
Depression
Suicidal ideation
Murder

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don’t.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Slavery
Rape mentioned
Recreational drug use
Blood & gore depiction
War themes

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Slavery
Misogyny
Classism
Slut shaming
Sexual harassment
Rape mentioned
Forced arranged marriage mentioned
Trauma & nightmares
Attempted suicide recounted
Suicidal ideation
Alcohol consumption
Substance addiction
Nonconsensual drugging
Recreational drug abuse
Blood & gore depiction
Physical injury
Emesis
Dead bodies
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a boyfriend recounted
Death of an mother & father recounted
Murder & attempted murder
Knife violence
Poisoning
Torture
Whipping recounted
Imprisonment
Death by a fall
War & colonialism themes
Animal death & hunting mentioned

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Forced servitude & slavery
Misogyny
Classism
Persecution for witchcraft
Rape mentioned
Forced sex work
Child abuse recounted
Cheating mentioned
Trauma & nightmares
Attempted suicide (on-page)
Suicidal ideation
Alcohol consumption
Graphic blood & gore depiction
Emesis
Dead bodies
Decapitation
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a boyfriend recounted
Death of an mother & father recounted
Death of a friend
Murder & attempted murder
Imprisonment

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin’s Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas – together in one edition for the first time – Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn’s orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord	• Alcohol consumption • Blood & gore depiction • Physical injuries • Murder • Knifer violence • Physical assault • Imprisonment • Blackmail • Building collapse
The Assassin and the Healer	• Victim blaming • Rape mentioned • Sexual harassment • Alcohol consumption • Blood depiction • Physical injury • Emesis • Death of a mother • Murder • Knife violence & stabbing • Physical assault • Hostage situation
The Assassin and the Desert	• Adult-minor relationship • Alcohol consumption • Nonconsensual drugging • Murder • Torture • Hostage situation • Fire
The Assassin and the Underworld	• Misogyny • Slavery • Slut-shaming • Forced sex work • Suicide • Murder & attempted murder • Torture • Poisoning • Fire • Drowning
The Assassin and the Empire	• Threats of rape • Emesis • Murder • Torture

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece, bound by blood and oath, must lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

Slavery & human trafficking
Rape
Child abuse & neglect
Self harm
Blood & gore depiction
Physical injuries
Murder
Torture
Kidnapping
Animal death
War themes & military violence