Listen — when I’m not writing romance novels all day, I’m just a book-loving bitch who wants to curl up on the couch and read all day. Which is one of the many, many reasons why this crisp, seasons-changing, crunchy-leaves, witchy-spooky-cozy time of the year is a) one of my favorites and b) the best time to read. And I’ve always loved a scary story.
So — below are my top recommendations for autumnal reads that fall into the spooky-witchy-cozy category. Some are scary, some atmospheric and tense, some more action-packed or sci-fi, and others have more of a spells-and-tarot vibe. Each of these were stunning, five-star reads that pulled me in from page one and kept me enthralled and captivated.
Have fun (and keep the lights on)…
The Year of the Witching, Alexis Henderson: I adored this book! A dark feminist fantasy novel with bite to it. Read if you love witches/witchcraft, want to dismantle the patriarchy, and love a strong heroine. This book was creepy enough to be fun, atmospheric enough to suit the fall mood, and full of vivid imagery and precise story-telling.
Dread Nation (and book 2: The Deathless Divide), Justina Ireland: Jane McKeene is one of the most amazing heroines I've ever read (as is Katherine, in book 2) and the plot, the character-building and the dramatic pacing were sheer brilliance. These books, and this series, are utterly unique, utterly distinctive and some of the best story-telling I've read in years. I cannot recommend enough!
Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Lush, seductive and deadly - this creepy, eerie, gothic horror novel gave me the shivers in the best way. Nightmares, foggy graveyards, family curses and poison in the walls - Mexican Gothic was unique and enthralling and just the right amount of spooky. Plus Noemí Taboada was the perfect heroine, I loved every moment she was on the page.
The Scapegracers, Hannah Abigail Clarke: Holy shit this book was perfect in every way. If you love witchy stories, but also loved the movie Heathers (who didn't??) and enjoy a heroine with a totally unique voice and a dark sense of a humor (and a penchant for magic) I cannot recommend this book enough! It's tough, funny, dark, queer, and absolutely the magical book I wished I'd had when I was a teenager.
Gideon the Ninth (and Harrow the Ninth), Tamsyn Muir: A gory, funny, pulpy, irreverent sci-fi novel about lesbian necromancers in space = WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE! Plus skeletons, haunted mansions, family drama and a deathless emperor. It was so perfect I felt changed afterward. One flesh, one end. Folks who know me know that I routinely recognize these books as some of my all-time favorites. 💗
Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo: Man, oh man. This was the perfect book to bring for our four-days camping — I ended each night around the campfire, obsessively reading every single page. If you like dark magic, fantasy, horror and an amazing, morally gray anti-heroine than damn I think you’d like this book! I read it compulsively and thought about it non-stop.
The Once and Future Witches, Alix E. Harrow: A dazzling, poetic fantasy novel about sisterhood, rebellious women, and feral, woodsy magic/witchcraft. It absolutely blew me away!