Craving spine-tingling mystery and foggy old mansions? These gothic recs have all the chills. Whether you’re here for the creepy castles or the slow-burn shivers, gothic fiction always leaves you wondering what might be lurking just out of sight. Which one will you lose sleep over first?
November’s rolling in, and so are the new book releases that’ll keep you warm when you refuse to leave your blanket burrito. From thrilling mysteries to epic fantasies, here’s your guide to November 2024’s must-reads. Get cozy, because your TBR is about to grow—again.
Lara Bronson’s The Time Tournament kicks off the Order of the Dragon series with a mix of time travel (love!), witches, dragon shifters, and a battle to the death, all set against the backdrop of real historical events in Eastern Europe. The premise is fascinating, blending fantasy with historical fiction, and I’m left curious and eager to grab the next book.
Who else loves books that make them want to wear turtlenecks, solve a murder, and brood in a library for hours? Here’s a list of dark academia reads to fuel your mysterious intellectual vibe!
Within the Embers is a great continuation of T.A. Reilly’s Scattered Destinies series. Its mix of magic, high stakes, romance, and time travel, combined with a badass, relatable female main character; a swoonworthy male main character; and a cliffhanger that leaves you craving the next book, will appeal to fans of fantasy series like ACOTAR, TOG, and The Empyrean.
September saw me finishing up the copyedit for an upcoming release (Addictive Contact!), reading a few more books of a historical romance series, and getting through half a dozen ARCs. My ratings were kind of all over the place this month, though there were a few standout novels I really loved!
October is almost here, and so are some seriously awesome book releases for fall! Whether you’re into spooky thrillers, epic fantasy, or feel-good reads, there’s something for everyone. Check out these highly-anticipated October 2024 drops that are definitely worth adding to your TBR!
Oath of Betrayal, book 1 of Olena Nikitin’s new The Cursed Bonds duology, is a stunning entry into high fantasy, brimming with epic world-building, a unique magic system, and Nikitin’s signature fascinating blend of Slavic mythology.
Conquist by Dirk Strasser is an immersive historical fantasy that takes readers into 16th-century Peru during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, blending real events or details with a gripping, imaginative story. If you’re looking for a book that’s not only exciting but also makes you reflect on the nature of conquest—both external and internal—Conquist is well worth the read.
Vilest Things by Chloe Gong is a brilliantly layered sequel that surpasses the first book in its complexity and depth. The political intrigue, high stakes, constant plot twists, and the intoxicatingly dysfunctional romance subplot make it such a good read. Gong’s ability to mix humor, tragedy, and romance within such a dark, twisty framework is impressive. A must-read for fans of retellings, star-crossed lovers, morally gray characters, and fantasy worlds where the price of power is steep.
Nicola Lagioia’s The City of the Living is a literary true crime novel based on a 2016 murder with seemingly no motivation. An interesting story, I appreciated the lens that this case, and Rome, was viewed and analyzed through. This book is unique in the way the author interprets the concrete and the abstract—a tough thing to approach and balance, even more so given the context of real, and horrifying, events such as true crime . . . most especially a reprehensible murder.
Cursed by Gold by Jamie Dalton offers a refreshing spin on familiar fairy tale elements, blending the untouchable curse of King Midas with the darker undertones of a thief’s desperate mission. When Scarlet, our Cinderella, tries to steal a necklace and ends up crossing paths with the cursed king, Remme, things get interesting . . .
