Tag Archives: War Themes & Military Violence

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of war themes & military violence, including political coups, battle scenes, and other related topics.

See also Genocide, Rebellion, revolution & mutiny, Military service & deployment, Conscription, Chemical gassing & warfare, and Police brutality & violence.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd

Set in an imagined future England that has given itself over to fascism, this groundbreaking story captures both the suffocating nature of life in an authoritarian police state and the redemptive power of the human spirit which rebels against it.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Racism & racial slurs
  • Homomisia & homomisic slurs
  • Antisemitism
  • Paedophilia
  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Domestic violence & abuse
  • Recreational drug use
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Medical experimentation
  • Dead bodies
  • Dismemberment
  • Torture
  • Imprisonment
  • Concentration camps
  • Riots
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Stormblood by Jeremy Szal

Stormblood by Jeremy Szal

Vakov Fukasawa used to be a Reaper, a biosoldier fighting for the intergalactic governing body of Harmony against a brutal invading empire. Now, he fights against the stormtech: the DNA of an extinct alien race Harmony injected into him, altering his body chemistry and making him permanently addicted to adrenaline and aggression. It made him the perfect soldier, but it also opened a new drug market that has millions hopelessly addicted to their own body chemistry.

But when Harmony tells him that his former ally Reapers are being murdered, Vakov is appalled to discover his estranged brother is likely involved in the killings. They haven’t spoken in years, but Vakov can’t let his brother down, and investigates. But the deeper he goes, the more addicted to stormtech he becomes, and Vakov discovers that the war might not be over after all. It’ll take everything he has to unearth this terrible secret, although doing so might mean betraying his brother. If his own body doesn’t betray him first.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Child abuse recounted
  • Attempted suicide & self-harm recounted
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Military violence
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Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past… She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Child abuse mentioned
  • Sex work mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & injury depiction, including mentions of corpse mutilation, dead bodies, broken bones, beheading & branding
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Torture mentioned
  • Physical assault & fistfights mentioned
  • Poisoning mentioned
  • Hostage situation (being held at knifepoint)
  • Knife & bow and arrow violence
  • War themes & general fantasy violence (on-page)

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Frost & Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated–scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Misogyny
  • Depression
  • Alcoholism
  • Torture mentioned
  • War themes
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A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Wings & Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Rape
  • Abusive relationship recounted
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Alcoholism
  • Disordered eating
  • War themes
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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
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Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

In 1979, Daisy Jones and The Six split up. Together, they had redefined the 70’s music scene, creating an iconic sound that rocked the world. Apart, they baffled a world that had hung on their every verse.

This book is an attempt to piece together a clear portrait of the band’s rise to fame and their abrupt and infamous split. The following oral history is a compilation of interviews, emails, transcripts, and lyrics, all pertaining to the personal and professional lives of the members of the band The Six and singer Daisy Jones.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Slut-shaming
  • Abusive relationship
  • Cheating
  • Substance addiction & recovery (theme)
  • Recreational drug use & abuse
  • Alcohol consumption & abuse
  • Overdose mentioned
  • Pregnancy & childbirth mentioned
  • Abortion
  • Emesis
  • Death from a heart attack
  • Death of a friend
  • Vietnam War mentioned
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All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

One by one the boys begin to fall…

In 1914 a room full of German schoolboys, fresh-faced and idealistic, are goaded by their schoolmaster to troop off to the ‘glorious war’. With the fire and patriotism of youth they sign up. What follows is the moving story of a young ‘unknown soldier’ experiencing the horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Blood & gore depiction
  • World War One
  • Animal death
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City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

The Mortal War is over, and sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most importantly of all—she can finally call Jace her boyfriend.

But nothing comes without a price… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Hate crimes
  • Child abuse recounted
  • Intimate partner violence recounted
  • Disownment
  • Substance addiction mentioned
  • Nightmares
  • Nonconsensual drugging
  • Infertility themes
  • Blood & gore depiction, including blood-drinking
  • Physical injuries
  • Dead bodies
  • Medical experimentation
  • Comas
  • Emesis
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Death of a brother
  • Death of a parent
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Knife violence & stabbing
  • Gun violence
  • Explosion
  • War themes & battle scenes
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath just can’t let go. Now that they’re in college, Cath must decide if she’s ready to start living her own life. But does she even want to if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Cath doesn’t need friends IRL. She has her twin sister, Wren, and she’s a popular fanfic writer in the Simon Snow community with thousands of fans online.  But now that she’s in college, Cath is completely outside of her comfort zone. There are suddenly all these new people in her life. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming boyfriend, a writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome new writing partner … And she’s barely heard from Wren all semester!

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Antisemitism
  • Starvation
  • Death of a child
  • Murder & mass murder
  • Chemical gassing
  • Concentration camp (setting)
  • The Holocaust & World War Two
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