Book title: Spindle of Life

This book deals with dark themes such as the abuse and indoctrination of young people, but in a gentle and sensitive manner, as it tackles difficult topics like suppression, coming of age with trauma, and the age-old human issue: fear of the unknown.

RCRS 3: romance with heavier kissing (no sex)

  • portrayal of bullying and violence
  • (tame) descriptions of physical  and emotional abuse by authorities
  • implied, non-explicit sexual harassment between an adult and non-consenting young adult
  • religious trauma, indoctrination and inernalization of prejudice
  • heartache & betrayal
  • some tame descriptions and mentions of violence & torture & blood
  • tame descriptions of punishments such as flogging
  • portrayal of prejudice/stereotyping that is disproven by the end.

SPECIFIC CONTENT WARNINGS

Content Warnings

Book title: Scissors of Death

This book contains strong emotional descriptions related to death, grief and heartache.

RCRS 4: romance with a bit more modified content (Fade to black, no sex on page)

  • brief, non-descriptive attempt at sexual assault (ch 2 - no physical touch) that is sometimes referenced later.
  • descriptions of yearning and desire
  • tension filled romantic scenes with stronger, sensual descriptions (ch 17 & 22)
  • one scene that goes fade-to-black prior to intercourse (ch 33)
  • suicide ideation and a brief, non-graphic attempted suicide (ch 29)  
  • tame depictions of violence and murder
  • portrayal of emotional neglect/abuse
  • heartache & betrayal
  • death and grief
  • portrayal of prejudice/stereotyping that is disproven by the end.

SPECIFIC CONTENT WARNINGS

Book title: Thread of Fortune

This book contains various depictions of sexual assault and harassment on different scales, one of which connected to the Jocasta complex. These are sensitively portrayed and mostly implied save for a few instances, but present.

RCRS 4 toeing the line of a 5 (fade-to-black, a couple of lines with tame, yet explicit descriptions)

  • Sexual harassment & abuse by family
  • Jocasta complex (incestuous sexual desire of a mother towards her son)
  • flashbacks with implied sexual assault (various scenes part 1 and 2)
  • descriptions of yearning, desire & grief
  • scenes/sentences with very mild & tame explicit sexual description (practically fade-to-black), ch.  19, 25 & 42
  • blood and gore
  • war, violence and perversion.
  • death & killing.
  • portrayal of prejudice

SPECIFIC CONTENT WARNINGS

Book title: Heir of Sin

This book contains some open door explicit sexual content, some scenes with bullying, one scene of sexual coercion early on and a scenes involving a spiked drink.

RCRS 7 or 8: multiple explicit scenes with sexual content. Sensual/emotional descriptions.

  • explicit sexual coercion (oral), chapter 2
  • some scenes with bullying, emotional and physical
  • secrets and betrayal
  • spiked drink scene chapter 12-13
  • purity culture/slut-shaming/outdated views on sexuality imposed by the FMC's society of which she has to overcome
  • sexually explicit scenes that adds to the plot*, chapter 11, 14, 19, 20,  and 28. A theme of the book is female sexual liberation and it is therefore not recommended to skip these scenes without losing the emotional connection and chemistry of the characters.

SPECIFIC CONTENT WARNINGS

Frequently Asked Questions

What's a content warning?

Content warnings (otherwise known as trigger warnings) are important to some, and less so for others.

For some, content warnings allows them to
  • choose whether or not they want to pick up a book that might be triggering or leave it for later.
  • be prepared for triggering content that they may decide to skip if they prefer.

For others, and me personally, content warnings can be:
  • a spoiler
  • misleading
  • a trigger in itself

Frequently Asked Questions

What's a content warning?

Content warnings (otherwise known as trigger warnings) are important to some, and less so for others. For some, content warnings allow them to choose whether or not they want to pick up a book that might be triggering or leave it for later. For more complex triggers, it also allows them to skip that part of the book if they prefer. For others, content warnings can be a spoiler, misleading, or, at worst, a trigger in itself.

How can a content warning be a trigger?

PTSD memories are stored differently in the brain than normal memories in that they are stored with emotional and physical reactions. This is why things that reminds someone of a traumatic incident can cause a trauma-response (an activation of the memory and emotional responses) as if the person is reliving the past incident in the presence. Content warnings, if specific enough, may have a similar effect and the reader may in turn:

  • be dissuaded from reading the story, assuming the descriptions are worse or more triggering than they are.
  • spend their entire read in anxious anticipation of being triggered.
  • be robbed of their natural reaction to triggering content, which typically would've been an indicator of where they're at in their healing journey.
  • be reminded of their trauma (as it's their closest reference point) and activated.

What's your Views on Content warnings?

Based on my experience as someone with complex PTSD and who've spent 1/3 of my life in therapy, I have reservations against content warnings. Per my experience and observations, content warnings would have to be quite specific to truly have an effect and not cause unduly stress, at which point they become a spoiler at best, or a trigger at worst.

As such, I believe the negative sideeffects are more likely to occur than the positive and that content warnings run a higher risk of doing more harm than good. However, I also respect that they work for some and that everyone's healing journey is different.

Why keep your content warnings on a separate page and not in your books?

My YA books have brief content warnings if they contain dark themes, mature content or big trauma triggers, but in general, I want to protect my fellow [PTSD affected] readers from unnecessary stress and spoilers.

By keeping my content warnings on a separate page, those who prefer to avoid content warnings can do so and those who feel like they need specific* warnings can easily seek them out. I've considered putting a page at the back of print books, but those are harder to update. This, to date, has been the most efficient way to cater to as many as possible.

Due to Amazon's bots also flagging books with different types of words typically found in content warnings (including the word "content warnings" itself) both inside books and in the book's sales description, this solution also helps me provide a more thorough list of content warnings without running the risk of having my books removed from Amazon.

If you have any other concerns or questions regarding content warnings (for my books specifically),
please don't hesitate to email contact@qvamington.com

Go back to home