Terminal Illness – Trigger Warning Database

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows

Edward (long live the king) is the King of England. He’s also dying, which is inconvenient, as he’s only sixteen and he’d much rather be planning for his first kiss than considering who will inherit his crown.

Jane (reads too many books) is Edward’s cousin, and far more interested in books than romance. Unfortunately for Jane, Edward has arranged to marry her off to secure the line of succession. And there’s something a little odd about her intended… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexism
Forced marriage
Terminal illness
Poisoning

Go the Distance by Jen Calonita

Go the Distance by Jen Calonita

After Hercules proves he’s a true hero and regains his godship, all seems right in the world. That is, until Zeus tells Meg that she can’t be with Hercules because she’s, well, mortal. Luckily, Hera has a solution, offering Meg a chance to prove herself worthy of a spot on Mt. Olympus–as a god. All Meg has to do is complete a mysterious quest.

The mission? Oh, just to rescue her ex’s current wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend she saved by selling her soul to Hades.… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Terminal illness
Blood depiction

Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano

Seasons of the Storm by Elle Cosimano

One cold, crisp night, Jack Sommers was faced with a choice—live forever according to the ancient, magical rules of Gaia, or die.

Jack chose to live, and in exchange, he became a Winter—an immortal physical embodiment of the season on Earth. Every year, he must hunt the Season who comes before him. Summer kills Spring. Autumn kills Summer. Winter kills Autumn. And Spring kills Winter… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Suicide
Alcohol consumption
Terminal illness

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

The Alexandrian Society is a secret society of magical academicians, the best in the world. Their members are caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity. And those who earn a place among their number will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, the world’s six most uniquely talented magicians are selected for initiation – and here are the chosen few… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child abuse & neglect recounted
Cheating
Suicide, on-page
Alcohol consumption
Blood depiction
Death of a sibling from a terminal illness recounted
Murder & attempted murder
Gun violence
Loss of autonomy (mind control)

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Melly only joined the school band because her best friend, Olivia, begged her to. But to her surprise, quiet Melly loves playing the drums. It’s the only time she doesn’t feel like a mouse. Now, she and Olivia are about to spend the next two weeks at Camp Rockaway, jamming under the stars in the Michigan woods.

But this summer brings big changes for Melly: her parents split up, her best friend ditches her, and Melly finds herself falling for a girl at camp named Adeline. To top it off, Melly’s not sure she has what it takes to be a real rock ‘n’ roll drummer. Will she be able to make music from all the noise in her heart?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Ableist language
Sexism
Toxic friendship
Parent with Multiple Sclerosis

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it’s a different woman every night, but that’s just fine with her.

When Delilah’s estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Lesbomisia (d slur)
Cheating recounted
Parental abandonment, off-page
Emotional abusive relationship & gaslighting mentioned
Toxic relationship with step-parent
Alcohol consumption
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a father from an aneurysm recounted
Death of a mother from cervical cancer recounted
Death of a spouse from cancer mentioned

Confess by A Zavarelli

Confess by A. Zavarelli

One contract. Two signatures. A marriage of inconvenience.

Lucian West is one of the most hated men in America. He’s a ruthless attorney who gets what he wants in the courtroom, and outside of it. Now, he wants me. For reasons I can’t fathom, he’s determined to make me his wife. He makes it clear he’s not above blackmailing me to put a ring on my finger. But he should know I can’t be domesticated. I don’t know how to love men. I only know how to leave them… with everything I want… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child sex trafficking
Child sexual abuse recounted
Terminal illness
Death of a child

Arrival by Ted Chiang

Arrival by Ted Chiang

From a soaring Babylonian tower that connects a flat Earth with the heavens above, to a world where angelic visitations are a wondrous and terrifying part of everyday life; from a neural modification that eliminates the appeal of physical beauty, to an alien language that challenges our very perception of time and reality… Chiang’s rigorously imagined stories invite us to question our understanding of the universe and our place in it.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Terminal illness
Death of a child

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

What if men built a tower from Earth to Heaven-and broke through to Heaven’s other side? What if we discovered that the fundamentals of mathematics were arbitrary and inconsistent? What if there were a science of naming things that calls life into being from inanimate matter? What if exposure to an alien language forever changed our perception of time? What if all the beliefs of fundamentalist Christianity were literally true, and the sight of sinners being swallowed into fiery pits were a routine event on city streets? These are the kinds of outrageous questions posed by the stories of Ted Chiang. Stories of your life . . . and others..

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Terminal illness
Death of a child

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he’s part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumour. And they are wrong on every count.

Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn, and the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit and cunning. He steals from the rich – they’re the only ones worth stealing from – but the poor can go steal for themselves. What Locke cons, wheedles and tricks into his possession is strictly for him and his band of fellow con-artists and thieves: the Gentleman Bastards… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Fatmisia
Rape mentioned
Sex work
Suicide mentioned
Blood & gore depiction
Terminal illness
Murder
Torture
Loss of autonomy (mind control)