October is hands down my favorite month. Anyone that knows me knows I don’t do contemporary shit. Unless it’s gay or diverse I really don’t care. The scary. The fantastical. The otherworldly gothics! The Hallows is where my soul is at. I have way too many books on my list but I look at TBRs as more like guidelines than actual rules. I’m not too attached to it.
Here is what I’m hoping to read for Halloween season!
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
I remember being honestly worried this book would go under people’s radar and wouldn’t get the support it should. The cover is not the best which is why I’m so happy that people actually came out and put the support behind it. Verdict is that this book is 5 star worthy. I remember doing a post on fantasy books I’m looking forward to and this was one of them. I’m fascinated with Arthurian legends and this book also deals with demon hunters which is aboslutely my thing. I know it has that City of Bones tagline but publishers tend to put anything on there as long as it refers to a white author’s popular fantasy series. I am here for Black girls getting to be at the center of fun fantasy books. It is time. More than time. It has demons, feminism, a bad boy (wags eyebrows), and southern black girl magic.
Feast of the Mother by Mirand Honfleur and Nicolette Andrews
Miranda Honfleur is apparently the best at slow burn fantasy romances amongst self published authors. Her Blade and Rose series is on my list of self pubs to read. Feast of the Mother by Honfleur and Nicolette Andrews is inspired by their slavic heritage. Apparently inspired by the Me Too movement, it has slavic lore and witches. Witches in the woods. Mothers worried for their daughters. Reapers and a murderer. This is the first in a dark romance series. For readers that love Juliet Marillier and Naomi Novik apparently.
A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire
I remember loving Rosemary & Rue. It dealt with some very serious issues, sex trafficking and grooming, and dealt with it very intelligently. I loved how sinister, eerie, and chilly the atmosphere was. It truly feels like the perfect Halloween/autumn read. A Local Habitation is the 2nd in the series. Apparently there are cats and mysteries. Also there’s a guy that I get the feeling is the love interest and he’s very broody and cat-like. I am into it.
Potkin and Stubbs by Sophie Green
This is a UK publication. It is not availbe on kindle so I ordered a paper copy. It is not here yet. Hopefully it’ll get here on time. Truly the UK knows how to do covers. It looks like edgy british sleuth-ery. I always add in some Middle Grade into my tbrs for some softness to balance out the heavier stuff. It has rain, ghosts, a mystery, chilling atmospheres, and british cuteness.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Learning has never been this deadly
That’s the first descriptor for A Deadly Education. The idea that magic schools, and schools in general, are sinister and squeese every deathly ounce of will a student has seems like an accurate thing that I would think more authors would have thought of. A Deadly Education seems oddly a lot like graduate school. No friendships unless strategic. Failure means certain death. You can’t leave until you graduate. That seems about right.
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It’s got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.
I’ve heard this book has vampires and goths. I’m also very intrigued with the pistachio ice cream part for some reason. I don’t know fantasy and ice cream. Who knew that would be such an interesting detail to me. I’m very ready for Indigenous authors writing fantasy worlds. Their voices will make the genre better than it is. I am intrigued by this strange version of America where dead animals are ghosts and a murdder mystery lies at the center.
Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves
Dia Reeves was writing Young Adult when very few Black authors were being published traditionally. She was also writing slasher horror in Young Adult when no one else was. She was ahead of the game. I think about how amazing it would be if she was alive today and publishing still felt like her stories were worth their time. I remember seeing a bunch of white bloggers trying to cancel her and after that I never really heard much of her. A lot of bloggers took her books off their lists. Not only that but I feel there was not enough Black bloggers in the community to support her. White reviewers should have but didn’t because they didn’t feel like they did not need diversity in their tbrs. I’ve been wanting to read this particular book for a while. Sisters who are best friends. Daughters of the Bonesaw Killer. It looks absolutely eerie and slasher-full.
The Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski
I have not yet read the Witcher but I’ve been meaning to test out Andrzej Sapkowski’s books for a while. I received the Tower of Fools from Orbit for review. It looks aboslutely slavic and atmospheric. I’ve heard Sapkowski’s writing is very fairy tale inspired but bloody. The premise of this is that the protagonist flees after being caught in an affair with a knight’s wife. Ok. I’ll roll with the flawed characterization that is clearly being worked at here. There’s a medieval asylum, and rebellion.
Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews
I have loved Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels series since I was in my early 20s. It was such a beloved series for me and I haven’t even finished it. The idea of it ending just….it’s such a nostalgic series for me. This is their slavic inspired witch series. At a quaint little Victorian Bed & Breakfast lives a witch named Dina. She serves otherworldly beings, like vampires and galactic villains. Seems weird, wild, and very slavic apparently.
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien
I have found very few cozy mysteries written by BIPOC. This is one of the few I’ve found. It looks like a cute little horror mystery where you die by the dumpling. It feels like it has that 1950s resaurant mystery feel to it.
Hex, Love and Rock and Roll by Kat Turner
I was initially intrigued by this idea of a witch and rock star romance. Helen accidentily hexes a rock star and gasp they have to break the curse. Inconvenient desires and magic cults? Sounds like total fluff. Might be terrible. I don’t know. But give me halloween based romances and this Bi is very happy.
Prince in Leather by Holly Trent
I don’t see a whole lot of Black authors writing paranormal romance, particularly in self publishing. I know Holly Trent comes highly recommended by Sarah Maclean, one of my favorite histrom authors. This one also has an innkeeper but it has a beach setting. Some guests check into the inn and one of them is a Sídhe prince. Of course he’s the leader of a fairy motorcycle club of assasins (cackling). This sounds fun and ridiculous, which given the recent news lately I absolutely need.
What do you plan on reading in October? Do you love Halloween? Are you interested in any of these books?
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