Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

Bonds of Brass by Emily Skrutskie

Ettian Nassun’s life was shattered when the merciless Umber Empire invaded. He’s spent seven years putting himself back together under its rule, joining an Umber military academy and becoming the best pilot in his class. Even better, he’s met Gal Veres–his exasperating and infuriatingly enticing roommate who’s made the Academy feel like a new home. But when dozens of classmates spring an assassination plot on Gal, a devastating secret comes to light: Gal is the heir to the Umber Empire. Ettian barely manages to save his best friend and flee the compromised … Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse
  • Death of a parent recounted
  • Torture mentioned
  • Explosion
  • Electrocution
  • Hostage situation
  • War themes
  • Homelessness
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Crossbones by Kimberly Vale

Crossbones by Kimberly Vale

The Blood Bell tolls, marking the death of the pirate king and the start of the Trials—a heart-stopping competition where the reward is the Bone Crown. Only one contender can claim the coveted island throne; each will gamble life and limb to win. Csilla Abado yearns to prove her strength to the seasoned pirates who balk at her youth and to her elder sister who has always craved Csilla’s captainship. She will risk everything to become the first pirate queen, no matter the cost. Kane Blackwater wants to leave… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother, on-page and recounted
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Eye trauma & loss of vision
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Explosion
  • Drowning
  • Fire
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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
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The Four Profound Weaves by RB Lemberg

The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg

The Surun’ do not speak of the master weaver, Benesret, who creates the cloth of bone for assassins in the Great Burri Desert. But Uiziya now seeks her aunt Benesret in order to learn the final weave, although the price for knowledge may be far too dear to pay. Among the Khana, women travel in caravans to trade, while men remain in the inner quarter as scholars. A nameless man struggles to embody Khana masculinity, after many years of performing the life of a woman, trader, wife, and grandmother. As the past catches up to the nameless man, he must choose between the life he dreamed of and Uiziya, and Uiziya must….. Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Transmisia
  • Deadnaming
  • Misgendering
  • Misogyny
  • Torture
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A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

In the final days of December 2004, in a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa hides in the woods when her father is abducted by Russian forces. Fearing for her life, she flees with their neighbour Akhmed—a failed physician—to the bombed-out hospital, where Sonja, the one remaining doctor, treats a steady stream of wounded rebels and refugees and mourns her missing sister. Over the course of five dramatic days, Akhmed and Sonja reach back into their pasts to unravel the intricate mystery that unexpectedly binds them and decides their fate….

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Attempted rape
  • Substance addiction
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • War themes
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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.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Slavery
  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Body mutilation & disfigurement
  • Torture mentioned
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The Record Keeper by Agnes Gomillion

The Record Keeper by Agnes Gomillion

After World War III, Earth is in ruins, and the final armies have come to a reluctant truce. Everyone must obey the law—in every way—or risk shattering the fragile peace and endangering the entire human race. Although Arika Cobane is a member of the race whose backbreaking labour provides food for the remnants of humanity, she is destined to become a member of the Kongo elite. After ten gruelling years of training, she is on the threshold of taking her place of privilege far from the fields. But everything changes when a new student arrives. Hosea Khan spews dangerous… Read more.

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Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Torture
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Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

After embarking on a journey to bring her papa home from war, Anya discovers a powerful forest creature who attacks travelers with weaponized sound. But she soon learns that he’s not the monster the kingdom should fear. There’s an even greater evil that lurks under Kiev. Can Anya stop the monster, save her papa, and find her way home? Or will the secrets of Kiev leave Anya and her friends trapped beneath the city forever? In Kiev, Anya and her friends find themselves involved with an aggressive elf, an earnest archer, and a bellicose princess. But who is the real monster?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Antisemitism
  • Sexism
  • Torture
  • Animal cruelty
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The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

After a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a yearly ritual. This year, it is my turn. My name is Ivy Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Misogyny
  • Paedophilia & child sexual assault
  • Rape
  • Domestic abuse
  • Suicide
  • Murder
  • Torture
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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)
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