Hoohoo, friends of the blade.
I’m absolutely excited for autumn! It’s getting colder, the light is golden, there’s finally some rain and it’s time to cuddle up! With a fantasy book? A romance? A mix? Or some horror, even? All of this sounds so good to me and I can’t wait to curl up in my reading chair and have some exciting October book releases for every mood I could be in. Why don’t you join me with any of the following books?
Guide:
đłď¸âđ = LGBTQ+ | âĽď¸ = romance | âď¸ = fantasy | đŞ = fantastical elements | đ¨ = YA
1st October
Heir by Sabaa Tahir
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Growing up in the Kegari slums, Aiz has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.
Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, Sirsha is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.
Quil is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but heâs loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.
I’m currently rereading the first three books of the Ember Quartet because I still haven’t read book 4, A Sky Beyond the Storm. I kind of forgot about Heir but now that I’m immersed in this world again and am reminded of how much I love the world, the characters and Sabaa’s storytelling, I absolutely cannot wait to finish Ember and then start Heir immediately hellooooo!!!
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
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It’s been five years since Charlotte Donovan was ditched at the altar by her ex-fiancĂŠe, and sheâs doing more than okay. Sure, her single mother never checks in, but she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and her life in New York is a dream come true. As the holidays draw near, her ensemble mate Sloane persuades Charlotte and the rest of the quartet to spend Christmas with her family in Coloradoâit is much cozier and quieter than Manhattan, and it would guarantee more practice time for the quartetâs upcoming tour. But when Charlotte arrives, she discovers that Sloaneâs sister Adele also brought a friend homeâand that friend is none other than her ex, Brighton. All Brighton Fairbrook wanted was to have the holliest, jolliest Christmasâand try to forget that her band kicked her out. But instead, sheâs stuck pretending like she and her ex are strangersâwhich proves to be difficult when Sloane and Adeleâs mom signs them all up for a series of Christmas dating events. Charlotte and Brighton are soon entrenched in horseback riding and cookie decorating, but Charlotte still wonât talk to her. Brighton can hardly blame her after what she did. After a few days, however, things start to slip through. Memories. Music. The way they used to play togetherâBrighton on guitar, Charlotte on her violinâand it all feels painfully familiar. But itâs all in the past and nothing can melt the ice in their hearts…right?
Not in the mood for Christmas yet, but I know what I’m going to read in December! This sounds so chaotic and emotional and it’s by Ashley Herring Blake and cozy surroundings and ahh!! This will be the perfect read to cuddle up in winter!
Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
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As a skilled kitchen witch, Dina Whitlock knows her way around a pastry recipe. In fact, she runs her very own London cafĂŠ serving magic-infused pastries for her loyal customers. But only a select few friends know about her magical abilities or the hex that has plagued her love life. Itâs hard to fall in love when your partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the second they start to have feelings for you.
Scott Mason is back from traveling the world and is excited to begin his new job as a curator at the British Museum. After leaving London to heal from a brutal breakup two years ago, Scott only now realizes how much he missed out on. Now that his best friendâs wedding is right around the corner, Scott is determined to be the most amazing best man ever, but he doesnât expect to be bewitched by the maid of honor, who also happens to be the owner of his new favorite cafĂŠ and, more surprisingly, a witch?!
After a weekend in the countryside full of peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, thereâs no denying the chemistry between them. But thereâs just one problem: The hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger. In the past, sheâs always cut her losses, but this time is different. Scott could be the one. Will Dina be able to undo the hex, before itâs too late?
Witchy romanceeeeee here I come. Magic in food? A curator? Ah! Something right to my taste here!!
8th October
A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney
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Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.
Kateâs solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their covenâs annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kateâs birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kateâs past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kateâs duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soulâheâs a practitioner of forbidden magic whoâs tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.
As she juggles Matthewâs arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased motherâs. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.
Ok, this sounds like a lot of chaos, breakdowns, comforting each other, growing into yourself and standing up for yourself. I really hope this is what it’s going to be. And I simply love witchy romances. A must read for me.
Swordcrossed by Freya Markse
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Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family’s wealth, something that Matti has been tryingâand failingâto do for the past ten years.
What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.
Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsibleâand inconveniently handsomeâwool merchant like Matti.
However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti’s wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?
It’s gay, has swords and the synopsis screams chaos and anguish and drama, I don’t need to know anything more, thank you very much.
The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan
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At the spry young age of twenty-five, Sai has led a quiet life, keeping the family teahouse up and runningâeven if that means ignoring the past-due noticesâand taking care of his ailing mother. But he has a not-so-secret gift that heâs parlayed into a side career: he was born with the ability see the red threads of fate between soulmates, which lends itself nicely to matchmaking. Sai has thus far been content not to follow his own thread, the only one heâs ever seen thatâs gray and fraying.
But Saiâs ordinary existence is about to be turned upside-down by a pair of shining dragon scales. When his motherâs doctor sells them to him, claiming them as a miracle cure, Sai is pretty sure heâs being scammed. When the medicine actually worksâand the terrifying, ruthless emperor catches windâSai is thrust into the search for a dragon long thought extinct that will lead him into the throes of a brewing war and deep into foreign lands, facing down challenges both magical and mortal on an unexpected adventure. And for the very first time, as his own thread of fate begins to move, he may be able to solve the mystery of his Fated One on the other end of the line.
Magic? Dragons? Adventure for someone in their twenties? Yes, yup, please give it to me, thank you.
15th October
If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
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It’s been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now sheâs a publishing pariah and hasnât been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.
Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling âbook without a soul,â as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.
But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, theyâre stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and⌠maybe they shouldnât have been enemies at all? But if they canât stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.
This sounds cute and fun and like a lot of banter with just the right amount of the supernatural mixed in. Absolutely here for author romances and haunted castles.
Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee
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When Prince Xian was a boy, a white snake bit his mother and condemned her to a slow, painful death. The only known cure is an elusive spirit pearlâor an antidote created from the rare white snake itself. Desperate and determined, Xian travels to the city of Changle, where an oracle predicted he would find and capture a white snake.
Seven years ago, Zhen, a white snake in the West Lake, consumed a coveted spirit pearl, which gave him special powersâincluding the ability to change into human form.
In Changle, Xian encounters an enigmatic but beautiful stable boy named Zhen. The two are immediately drawn to each other, but Zhen soon realizes that he is the white snake Xian is hunting. As their feelings grow deeper, will the truth about Zhenâs identity tear them apart?
Came for the cover, stayed for the angst this promises. And I liked Fake Dates and Mooncakes by the same author and I’m excited to see what she does with fantasy!
20th October
Us Against the Likes by Marie Voinson
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An (anxious) travel influencer, a sister (first and forever), a (hopefully) future award winner.
Against her motherâs wishes, Abby Martins drops out of university to follow her dream: share her travel stories with the world.
With over 90 000 followers and her sisterâs help, a talented photographer and her forever best friend, Abbyâs thriving on this new path. Sheâs managing her anxiety (for the most part) and sheâs (almost) making a living out of her passion.
Winning a prestigious travel influencer award might just be the thing to push her off that ledge.
Desperate to prove herself, Abby steps out of her comfort zone. From Scotland to Italy, from unexpected influencer trips to thrilling collaborations, Abby stretches herself and her own mental health thin for the likes.
But what, and most importantly, who, will she risk to lose on her way?
I’ve followed Marie’s blog Drizzle and Hurricane Books for quite a while now and I was so excited when she announced she’s publish her first book and then I was lucky enough to get an ARC and loving it! I’m excited to hold a physical copy of Us Against the Likes in my hands next month! If you like sister relationships, self acceptance and growth as well as travelling, this book is definitely for you.
29th October
Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
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Once upon a time, Andrew had cut out his heart and given it to this boy, and he was very sure Thomas had no idea that Andrew would do anything for him.
Protect him. Lie for him. Kill for him.
High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to realityâThomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.
But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas wonât say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artworkâwhimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrewâs wicked stories.
Desperate to figure out whatâs wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monsterâThomasâs drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creatorâŚ
Horror? Not for me. Horror paired with a forest? Sign me the fuck up. I’m all for creepy, magical forests and a bit of gay body horror. Yeah, I’m – I’m absolutely down for this.
Check out exciting September book releases here.
What October book releases are you excited for? Do you, like me, read more fantasy in the colder months? What book are you going to curl up with next month?
Until next time,
