The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis book cover

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Slut-shaming
  • Misogyny and sexism
  • Victim blaming
  • Rape
  • Sexual assault
  • Paedophilia
  • Child pornography
  • Substance addiction
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Murder/s
  • Death of a sibling
  • Animal death
  • Animal abuse and cruelty
  • Fire, specifically arson
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A Dark & Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth

A Dark & Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth

Choose your player: the “ironborn” half-fae outcast of her royal fae family; a tempestuous Fury, exiled to earth from the Immortal Realm hellbent on revenge; a dutiful fae prince, determined to earn his place on the throne; or the prince’s brooding guardian, burdened with a terrible secret.

For centuries, the Eight Courts of Folk have lived among us, concealed by magic and bound by law to do no harm to humans. This arrangement has long kept peace in the Courts—until a series of gruesome and ritualistic murders rocks the city of Toronto and threatens to expose faeries to the human world.

Four queer teens, each who hold a key piece of the truth behind these murders, must form a tenuous alliance in their effort to track down the mysterious killer behind these crimes. If they fail, they risk the destruction of the faerie and human worlds alike. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a war brewing between the Mortal and Immortal Realms, and one of these teens is destined to tip the scales. The only question is: which way?

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism
  • Toxic relationship
  • Disownment
  • Addiction & drug use
  • Depression & PTSD
  • Suicide recounted (off-page) & suicidal ideation
  • Blood & gore depiction and minor body horror
  • Death of a child
  • Gun violence
  • Fire (arson)
  • Human trafficking
  • Stalking
  • Poverty themes

See the author’s note on the trigger and content warnings here.

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The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk

Autumn always knew exactly who she was—a talented artist and a loyal friend. Shay was defined by two things: her bond with her twin sister, Sasha, and her love of music. And Logan always turned to writing love songs when his love life was a little less than perfect.

But when tragedy strikes each of them, somehow music is no longer enough. Now Logan can’t stop watching vlogs of his dead ex-boyfriend. Shay is a music blogger struggling to keep it together. And Autumn sends messages that she knows can never be answered.

Despite the odds, one band’s music will reunite them and prove that after grief, beauty thrives in the people left behind.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Bimisia
  • Suicide recounted
  • Panic attacks
  • Substance addiction
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Recreational drug use, & drug abuse mentioned
  • Terminal cancer (leukemia)
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a best friend recounted
  • Death of a sister recounted
  • Death of an ex-boyfriend recounted
  • Car accident recounted
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Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

aurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel’s new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past.

When T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, she immediately falls under its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, her past. But as she becomes alienated from her friends and family, she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again. With help from an artist named Moses and her friend Kaylee, she’s able to begin to rewrite her story and start to move on from her addiction.

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Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Drug addiction & drug abuse (theme)
  • Death of a mother recounted
  • Death of a grandmother recounted
  • Hurricane Katrina
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As Many Nows as I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl

As Many Nows as I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl

In one impulsive moment the summer before they leave for college, overachievers Scarlett and David plunge into an irresistible swirl of romance, particle physics, and questionable decisions. Told in non-linear, vivid first-person chapters, As Many Nows As I Can Get is the story of a grounded girl who’s pulled into a lightning-strike romance with an electric-charged boy, and the enormity of the aftermath. Cerebral, accessible, bold, and unconventionally romantic, this is a powerful debut about grief, guilt, and reconciling who you think you need to be with the person you’ve been all along.’

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Misgendering
  • Depression
  • Substance addiction
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Recreational drug use & overdose
  • Teen pregnancy
  • Abortion & miscarriage mentioned
  • Cancer
  • Hospitalisation
  • Death of a parent
  • Gun violence mentioned
  • Car accident
  • Animal death

Oakleaf Bearers by John Flanagan

Oakleaf Bearers by John Flanagan

Oakleaf Bearers by John Flanagan book cover

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?

GoodreadsThe 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

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The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan book cover

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?

GoodreadsThe 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
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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman book cover

Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix up their own marriage. There’s a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in a motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Addiction, alcohol abuse (mentioned) and drug abuse (mentioned)
  • Depression, panic attacks and suicide attempt
  • Domestic abuse (mentioned)
  • Terminal illness and dementia
  • Death of a loved one
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Maya’s Notebook by Isabel Allende

Maya’s Notebook by Isabel ALlende

Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende book cover

Isabel Allende’s latest novel, set in the present day (a new departure for the author), tells the story of a 19-year-old American girl who finds refuge on a remote island off the coast of Chile after falling into a life of drugs, crime, and prostitution. There, in the company of a torture survivor, a lame dog, and other unforgettable characters, Maya Vidal writes her story, which includes pursuit by a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol. In the process, she unveils a terrible family secret, comes to understand the meaning of love and loyalty, and initiates the greatest adventure of her life: the journey into her own soul.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Rape and sexual assault
  • Mental health
  • Substance addiction
  • Hospitalisation
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Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh book cover

Odessa is one of Karthia’s master necromancers, catering to the kingdom’s ruling Dead. Whenever a noble dies, it’s Odessa’s job to raise them by retrieving their souls from a dreamy and dangerous shadow world called the Deadlands. But there is a cost to being raised–the Dead must remain shrouded, or risk transforming into zombie-like monsters known as Shades. If even a hint of flesh is exposed, the grotesque transformation will begin.

A dramatic uptick in Shade attacks raises suspicions and fears among Odessa’s necromancer community. Soon a crushing loss of one of their own reveals a disturbing conspiracy: someone is intentionally creating Shades by tearing shrouds from the Dead–and training them to attack. Odessa is faced with a terrifying question: What if her necromancer’s magic is the weapon that brings Karthia to its knees?

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Ableist language
  • Classism
  • Attempted kiss without consent
  • Substance addiction
  • Hallucinations and delusions
  • Self-harm
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Pill addiction, drug abuse, and nonconsensual detox
  • Graphic blood and gore, and dead bodies
  • Physical injuries and burns
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a boyfriend (on-page)
  • Death of a mentor,
  • Death of a father
  • Death of a girlfriend
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Strangulation & hanging (mentioned)
  • Fire
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