Physical Abuse/Assault

A few places throughout the book reference abuse by parental figures. The main character, Astra, is threatened and attacked by a man in Chapters Seven and Eight, though she escapes both times and gains the upper hand in each situation. (Chapter Eight is the more descriptive and violent of the interactions.) She also has a brief encounter with unwanted attention and confrontation in Chapter Thirty-Two, but it is resolved quickly in her favor.

Suicide

Chapter Twenty-Five has brief mentions of suicide. One character is mentioned in a story from the past and another tells of their attempted suicide and shows their scars. Both attempts and acts of suicide happen off-page and are not described in detail in this book. 

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Additional Details

This story also contains mentions of alcohol and gambling.

Physical Abuse/Assault

The story begins with a memory of the main character, Alak, being attacked and physically assaulted by his drunk father. During this encounter, Alak defends himself and ends up killing his abuser.

Suicide

This story deals heavily with the theme of suicide, focussing the events in the lasttwo portions of the story. One character is discovered in her bed after the act and another character attempts suicide shortly after. The first suicide happens off-page, but the second does not. The second attempt is not successful and the character decides that life might be worth living after all.

US National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 

1-800-273-8255

UK National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 

0800 689 5652

Canada Suicide Prevention Service Call:

1-833-456-4566

Canada Suicide Prevention Service Text: 45645

Australia Suicide Callback Service: 

1300 659 467

Australia Talk Suicide:

https://suicidepreventionpathways.org.au/make-a-referral

Additional Details

This story also deals with general trauma from growing up with an abuser, killing in self-defense, and slight themes of depression and feeling unworthy and unloved. 

Mentions of Suicide

This is a continuation of the previously mentioned suicide and suicide attempts discussed in the first book. No suicide attempts are performed on the page. (Chapter Thirty-One)

Sexual Assault

Sexual assault of a male character is attempted by a female character at the very end of Chapter Ten. She fails in her attempt. Potential sexual assault is also hinted at as a possibility in Chapter Thirty-Three. No sexual assault is actually completed.

PTSD & Past Trauma

This is a reoccurring thing throughout the book as Astra struggles with the guilt of having to kill off attacking enemies to survive and Alak battles with his past. These events reach a climax in Chapters Thirty-Seven and Thirty-Eight when the characters are forced to confront their deepest fears and insecurities.

Grief

Several characters grieve throughout the book as they relive previous traumas and experience new ones. This grief is especially strong in the final chapters and prologue.

Eating Disorder/Anxiety/Depression

The main character in this novella experiences some bought of anxiety and depression that are largely brought on by him struggling with his sexuality. Part of the way this manifests is by the character purposefully skipping meals.

Brief Homophobic Encounters

The main character of this novella is gay and he has a brief encounter with an enemy where his sexuality is questioned and mocked. During this encounter he is essentially outed to a large group of people. Another smaller encounter happens afterwards between the main character and someone he thought was his friend. Despite those negative reactions, he does find support and comfort in his other (better) friends and comes to accept that being gay is perfectly fine. In the end he embraces who he is with the help of those friends. 

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Additional Details

This story also involves drinking and getting drunk.

Mentions of Suicide

This is a continuation of the previously mentioned suicide and suicide attempts discussed in the first book. (Chapter Seven) No suicide attempts are performed on the page. Another character struggling with depression struggles with brief suicidal thoughts. (Heaviest in Chapter Twenty-Five)

Brief Homophobic Encounters 

Slightly unsupportive comments are made toward a same sex relationship. This is mostly seen in the final chapters. 

PTSD & Past Trauma

This is a reoccurring thing throughout the book as Astra struggles with the guilt of having to kill off attacking enemies to survive and Alak battles with his past. Ehren also struggles to accept the losses he experienced previously.

Grief

Several characters grieve throughout the book as they relive previous traumas and experience new ones. This grief is especially strong in the first few chapters but is reoccurring.

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Depression

One character struggles with heavy depression throughout the book but it is especially heavy in Chapters Two and Four.

Mentions of Suicide/Self Harm

No suicide attempts are performed on the page, but a story is told in Chapter Thirty-One of a character's past suicide attempts. This character also experiences some self-harm, but no details are given. Another character struggling with depression struggles with brief suicidal thoughts and purposely clutches something tightly in his hand until it cuts his skin (Chapter Twenty).

Amputation, Decapitation

This book has several battle scenes that are bloody and violent. In one scene an enemy's hand is cut off in battle. In Chapter Twenty-Eight, a character undergoes off-page torture that leads to a battle ending in the loss of a hand as well as two decapitations. The descriptions are not overtly graphic and are over quickly. The following chapters in this character's POV occasionally show this character struggling to come to terms with the amputation. 

PTSD & Past Trauma

This is a reoccurring thing throughout the book as Astra struggles with the guilt of having to kill off attacking enemies to survive and Alak battles with his past. Ehren also struggles to accept the losses he experienced previously as well as learning to cope with new injuries and his escalating duties in the war. Chapter Thirty-Eight shows a character struggling to accept help and treatment based on previous traumatic experiences. 

Grief

Several characters grieve throughout the book as they relive previous traumas and experience new ones. This grief is especially strong Chapters Five, Six, Ten, Twenty, Forty-Four, and Forty-Nine, but there are glimpses of grief on and off throughout the book.

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Depression, Anxiety

One character struggles with heavy depression throughout the book but it is especially heavy in Chapters Ten and Twenty. A character also has a brief panic attack in Chapter Ten and another slight panic attack in Chapter Twenty.

Anxiety & Panic Attacks

One character has a panic attack on page where his breathing is uneven, his chest feels tight, and his fingers tingle. He recovers quickly. (Chapter Five) Later in the book (Chapter Thirty-Nine) a different character has a panic attack that leads to him vomiting. Other more minor instances of anxiety are experienced by all the main characters throughout the book. 

Sick/Dying Parents

The king in this book is sick and dying. Prince Tybalt, the king's only son, is one of the main characters and therefore part of his story centers around him dealing with the failing health of his father. In chapter five, he visits his father and witnesses him coughing up blood. This leads him to having a minor panic attack. At other points throughout the story, Ty and other characters discuss his father's failing health and inevitable death. 

Blood, Injuries, & Death

This story contain multiple battle scenes that result in injury and death. One of the main characters is a trained assassin and takes out several attackers throughout the series without an qualms or guilt surrounding his kills. In addition to blood from wounds, blood is a key component of the plot and is mentioned and described on multiple occasions. 

Consumption of Alcohol

All of the main characters drink alcohol throughout the story. Since the legal drinking age in this world is sixteen, none of the drinking would be considered underage even though one of the characters is nineteen. One of the characters tends to overindulge in alcohol and gets drunk on several occasions, leading to him getting into verbal altercations. 

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Raised Voices

While drunk, one character yells at another character to whom he is engaged. He calms down slightly before leaving the room and never reacts in a physically abusive way. He apologizes later for his actions and rectifies his behavior as the story continues. (Chapter Nine) These two characters argue again later in the books. (Chapter Twenty-One)