Books To Read This October

It’s October, a.k.a. one of my favorite months in any given year. And, typically, I put together a short list of recommendations, comprised of books that I’ve read throughout the year that are perfect for the Halloween season too.

• The first one is Breakup From Hell by Anna Dàvila Cardinal. Technically I read this book last year, but, since the HarperCollins union strike was happening, my review was posted later in 2023 instead. There is a strong religious element in the story, since it deals specifically with demons, as the title pretty much suggests. But Breakup From Hell was still a good story with a few scares. (To read my review click HERE)

• Up next is Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall. I’ll have a review for this one later in the month, but I’m choosing to mention it here as well. I won’t say too much about it right now, but just know that it has magic, mystery, plenty of folklore-like aspects, and a strong witchy vibe to it.

• My next recommendation is Michelle Jabès Corpora’s Holly Horror. It’s an eerie and incredibly atmospheric story. And while it’s setting—including Hobbie House—wasn’t isolated, there was an insular and solitary note to the story that’s due to how the perspective of the main character was written. If you’re looking for a creepy ghost story, then Holly Horror is one I would definitely recommend. (To read my review click HERE) 

• Another ghost story is the middle grade novel: Field of Screams by Wendy Parris. There were plenty of frightening moments in this story, which was balanced with the personal journey for the main character, Rebecca, as well. (To read my review click HERE)

• Ninth House and Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo were a surprise for me. They’re dark, but I really like how Bardugo does the mysteries alongside the supernatural and secret society aspects. But, while I loved them, this recommendation comes with a slight warning. These are very dark novels, and I’d keep that in mind. (To read my review click HERE and HERE) 

• A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid had gothic trappings in a fantasy setting combined with myths, academic rivals, and a sense of dread and isolation. It’s one of the most atmospheric novels I’ve read this year and, with everything mentioned above, it would make for a perfect read this October. (To read my review click HERE)

• My next one is The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland. This is one of my top favorite books of the year so far because of its take on vampires. It’s essentially a character study, for a vampire grappling with what it means to be a vampire and live that long of a life through the many horrors of history. It’s also a dual timeline novel, set throughout history and to the present of the character’s life.(To read my review click HERE) 

• Last but certainly not least is Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! This is another good one. Films and occultism in 90s Mexico, delivered with Moreno-Garcia’s usual flare for vibrant characterization and a thrilling page-turning adventure. (To read my review click HERE)

So those are my recommendations. If you have your own, feel free to leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading!   

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Hell Bent
Series: Alex Stern #2
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Source/Format: Purchased; Paperback
More Details: Fantasy; Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Flatiron Books; January 10, 2023

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell in #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo's Hell Bent.

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale. Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.

The one sequel this year that I didn’t realize I should be anticipating was Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo. I happened to read Ninth House in April to get out of a bad reading slump, and I loved it so much that I purchased a copy of Hell Bent. And I loved this sequel as much as the first.

I was so glad to be back with Alex, Dawes, Turner, and the other characters as a daring, dangerous, and reckless plan was hatched to rescue Darlington.

One of the highlights of this series continues to be the characters. There were familiar faces, like Tripp Helmuth. With every heist there is a team, and Alex’s allies (and the way they tackled the needs for their quest) was fantastic. Dawes is just Dawes: studious, shy, and incredibly reliable. Her friendship and understanding with Alex wasn’t without some hurdles, but it was one of my favorite platonic relationships in Hell Bent. There’s Turner too, who could sometimes be more reluctant, but I liked how much more background was revealed about him.

In general, there’s something so dark and realistic (and horrifying) about these books, but the grit suited the overall atmosphere and the contents of the story. A literal heist that involved burglarizing hell, and I don’t mean that metaphorically either.

Less time was spent on describing Yale, but the locations didn’t deviate much from the last book. Basically, much of the world building was done in Ninth House, and its sequel just built on the ground rules that were already established. A lot of the book was devoted to the main quest-type plotline, but there were plenty of other mysteries—about the magic, the secret societies, and the characters as well as new cryptic deaths—that made every moment interesting.

Overall, Hell Bent was an excellent sequel.

The Friday 56 (235) & Book Beginnings: Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell in #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo's Hell Bent.

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale. Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.

Beginning: "Alex approached Black Elm as if she were sidling up to a wild animal, cautious in her walk up the long, curving driveway, careful not to show her fear."

56: "Dawes kept her eyes on the window. There wasn't much to see--the ally, the side of a neatly upkept Victorian."

Comments: I had so much fun with Ninth House's sequel, Hell Bent. What are you reading this week?

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ninth House
Series: Alex Stern #1
Author: Leigh Brardugo
Source/Format: Purchased; paperback
More Details: Urban Fantasy; Mystery; Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Flatiron Books; October 8, 2019

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

I haven’t picked up a Leigh Bardugo book since Shadow & Bone. I know-I know, it’s been a long time. That being said, I was interested in Ninth House because of how different it was to Bardugo’s other series. It was her 2019 adult debut, and I’d heard enough about its dark aspects to know what I was in for. I made a great choice though, because Ninth House was the book that finally got me out of my reading slump.

I enjoyed the details that were put into describing Yale, the magic, and the societies. It made the story dynamic and immersive. With the mystery (and subsequent sleuthing), it felt a little like a whodunit. And, with such an interesting setting—defined by intricate world building— I was glad the characters also lived up to my expectations. For the most part, they were morally complicated. Galaxy (Alex) Stern had a tragic backstory. She was cautious—and her fears weren’t without cause, since the supernatural aspects of Ninth House had never done her any favors—but she was a fighter who was willing to grab any opportunity that could offer even a small hint of security. That was, in large part, what made me love her character so much. Dawes, well, she was just great. And, though his chapters were set in the recent past, Daniel (Darlington) Arlington was charismatic, and I really clicked with his enthusiasm for magic and his position as “Vergil”—even though the circumstances, as it was made clear by the narrative, wasn’t exactly what he wanted. Even so, his pretentious remarks and frequent quoting combined with Alex’s deadpan/frank way of putting things into perspective, were some of the highlights of Ninth House.

I ended up really loving the story. The ending is a cliffhanger. So, as of writing this, the copy of Hell Bent I purchased is on the way, and I’m looking forward to it.

The Friday 56 (232) & Book Beginnings: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Beginning: "Alex hurried across the wide, alien plane of Beinecke Plaza, boots thudding over flat squares of clean concrete." 

56: "A vague, confused expression crossed his face."

Comments: Last month, I read Ninth House to get out of my reading slump. I really loved the story, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. What are you reading this week?