It’s incredible to think that September is already over. I’m currently in Spain, visiting my family for a while and staying at my parents’ house. I’ve gone from the gloomy and rainy cold weather in England to the hot and sunny Spain. If you’ve been on this blog before, then you’ll know I prefer the English weather.
While I’m glad to be here catching up with family I haven’t seen since last Christmas, I hate missing the start of autumn. Here, it’s still the end of summer; the leaves haven’t turned yet, and it will be a while before they do.
I read seven books this month, mostly romance, and I’ve added two of them to my top ten books of 2023.
Romance reads
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Genre: romance, fantasy, mystery
How I read it: physical copy
My review: 5/5
I love this book, and I couldn’t get enough of it. It reminded me of Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin, which I read in August, because they’re both set on an island home to old families of witches who sell their homemade products to the tourists visiting the island. I love both books equally, and while they start pretty similar, they have very different storylines.
In Spells for Forgetting, Emery is trying to figure out who murdered her best friend more than ten years ago, and most people in her town believe her ex-boyfriend is the killer.
There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting.
Sometimes the signs were subtle, like a fleeting shadow or an echo in the trees. Other times, the island wasn’t gentle with her words. This wasn’t like the gentle shift of wind before a storm. Something dead had woken.
You, Again by Kate Goldbeck
Genre: romance, lgbt
How I read it: on my kindle
My review: 5/5
Inspired by When Harry Met Sally, but in this case, Sally is a bisexual wanna-be stand-up comedian, and Harry is a struggling chef from a wealthy family.
I loved it! This was my second favourite read of the month, and I want it to become a movie or a TV show with all the autumn vibes.
No one should marry the person who makes them happy. Marry the person you want by your side at your absolute lowest point.
My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
Genre: romance, fantasy
How I read it: on my kindle
My review: 3/5
It’s a cute, fast read about a librarian moving into a weirdly cheap flat. Similar to What We Do In The Shadows, I had high expectations for this book, and while it was a fun read, I was expecting a more detailed story.
Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn
Genre: romance, fantasy
How I read it: on my kindle
My review: 2/5
This was on my TBR list on my Autumn bucket list and aesthetics blog post, and I couldn’t be more disappointed. The vibes are completely off with this one. I love witchy reads, especially with enemies to lovers, but this one didn’t feel like that.
YA
Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo, Dani Pendergast (Illustrator)
Genre: graphic novel, fantasy, YA
How I read it: copy borrowed from the library
My review: 4/5
I really enjoyed this prequel to the Shadow and Bone series. It’s focused on Eryk as a lonely teenager before he created the Fold and became the Darkling. I love the illustrations, it’s a lovely book!
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Genre: dark academia, fantasy, YA
How I read it: ebook borrowed from the library
My review: 4/5
While I enjoyed this story, it felt like the plot was all over the place. I found the characters interesting, and I love the story’s setting, a secret society of magical academics who are the caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest ancient civilisations.
A lot is going on in this book, and I definitely didn’t expect the ending. This is pure dark academia, and I love the vibes, but after reading this first book, I need a break before reading the other two in the series.
Thriller read
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
Genre: mystery, thriller
How I read it: on my kindle
My review: 2/5
This was a very annoying read. I couldn’t get into the story because of the way it was written and how all the events were presented. I’m sure a lot of people will love this book, and they might find the delivery original, but for me, I struggled to finish it.
I’m finishing this post on October 1st! Happy Spooky Season to those who celebrate! I have a long list of Witchy and Dark Academia books to read in October, and I can’t wait!
Willow in Winter 