Nightmare Fuel / Legacy of Orïsha

• Some of the scariest things in this book is the Realism-Induced Horror:
  • Early on, Zel's father almost drowns to death trying to provide for his family who lost one parent to the regime.
  • The fact that, because of who you are, you can be locked up or even killed. Truth in Television in parts of the world.
  • Police Brutality is on full display here - yes, it's fantastical, but they have almost no accountability for their actions whatsoever.
  • The torture scene in which Zélie has body parts sliced open in a way to cause pain, and has a slur carved onto her body with a red hot dagger. What's more? It's completely ineffective.
  • The abuse Amari and Inan faced growing up.
• There is a Ban on Magic. The things that're showcased actually makes Inan - and perhaps even the reader - question if maybe the king had a point:
  • The clan whose powers come from the god of healing also have the power of disease... These people are called "Cancers". And yes, this means they give people diseases right there. Rapidly acting diseases.
  • Inan describes some people affected by Welder magics to have their arrowheads "fused with their skeletons".
  • People can use Blood Magic to increase their powers up to tenfold - often at the expense of their lives. Kwame does this with his Burner magic and causes a massive firestorm that incinerates everyone near him.
  • Inan's own power as a Connector is surprisingly scary enough - his power is to reach out to peoples' minds. While he can usually only do this to communicate with them telepathically, he can also take control of their bodies remotely, which causes turquoise gems to appear in their hair.