Spooky Season is off to a Great Start – September Reads

We are on the cusp of October, when spooky season reading goes into high gear, but I’ve gotten a great head start in September. (and have stuck to my spooky season TBR surprisingly well). Here is what I’ve read so far:

Nocticadia

Nocticadia by Keri Lake* is a dark academia gothic romance. It takes place at an exclusive college situated on a secluded island. Lillia is a student, obsessed with finding the cause of the disease that took her mother. She gets an opportunity to study the disease at the only school that even acknowledges it’s existence, Dracadia. At Dracadia, she meets the broody, but brilliant ‘Dr. Death’, the professor studying the parasite behind the illness.

The gothic vibes of the college were immersive, and the forbidden romance was a potent slow burn. It had an engaging mystery with well set up reveals. The parasite was very creepy and a bit gross. There were some pretty gruesome moments, but only one that I felt was unnecessary. It was a bit long, but the last 20% or so made up for it. Once the reveals started happening, the pace didn’t let up. It was a ride to the end.

There are many triggers and graphic content, so please check the TW’s on Keri Lake’s website before reading.

P.S. I Spook You

P.S. I Spook You by S.E. Harmon* is the first book in the Spectral Files series. It follows SSA Rain Christensen as is sent back home to work on a cold case. Christensen unwillingly has an advantage in these cases – he can see ghosts. Being back home to help the local PD means working with his ex- boyfriend, Daniel.

The book is a paranormal mystery with a side of second chance romance. The ghosts are overall helpful, with only a few eerie moments. I enjoyed the mystery, and while I had an inkling of the suspect, it wasn’t until the final reveal that everything made sense. I’ll be reading the rest of the series, but it may take me a while to get through them.

A Dowry of Blood

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson* is a vivid reimagining of Dracula’s Brides told from the view point of the first bride, Constanta. It is told through an open letter and details her transformation, the time she has alone with Dracula, and leads up to the inclusion of Magdelena and eventually Alexi in the relationship.

I listened to this book in one setting. It is a quick listen, but had me engaged from the beginning. Dracula started out attentive and loving, and would pull that personal out when it suited his needs, but became increasingly greedy, jealous, and paranoid. Constanta ends up turning to the newcomers for comfort as Dracula’s manipulations increase in cruelty.

I wasn’t expecting to almost feel sorry for Dracula as time went on and his choices slowly turned the ones who loved him to the most extreme action. Don’t get me wrong, he was a monster and his fate was deserved. It’s a great spooky season read, especially for fans of vampires.

Phantasma

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith is my favorite spooky season read so far. It takes place in New Orleans and follows a Necromancer as she competes in Phantasma at The Devil’s Manor.

Ophelia enters into Phantasma in order to find her sister and save their family home. The competition has 9 levels, each reflecting a level of hell. There are Devils that can run the levels, Ghouls that haunt in gory, terrifying fashion, and your greatest fear lying in wait to attack. Ophelia meets Blackwell, a Phantom, that offers her a bargain – he’ll help her make it through the levels, if she helps him find the items that will release him from the Manor – for 10 years of her life.

The competition in this book was unique and kept me on my toes. Ophelia and Blackwell’s relationship grew so organically and the tension between the two sizzled. The book was on the gory side, with lots of violence in the levels (as one would expect from the level of hell), but I was never pulled out of the story by it. It kept me on the edge of my seat. The OCD representation felt very central to the story, not just tacked on.

The twist got me, I had multiple ideas that were all wrong, and I loved the way it tied everything together for a very satisfying ending.

There are a lot of triggers and graphic content in this one too, so check trigger warnings before reading.

Spooky Season TBR

After the stellar start to my fall reading, I’m excited about continuing through October with these reads:

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb*- a gothic thriller with ghosts (and will complete the V book in my A-Z Challenge)

The Cursed Sebastian Storm* and The Heart of Moonlight Falls*- I’ve read the prequel novella and the first book in the Moonlight Falls Series by Colette Rivera and have been waiting until October to finish the last two books.

Haunted Ever After by Jen Deluca – on the lighter side of things with a paranormal contemporary romance

Weyward by Emilia Hart* – a somewhat dark book club pick about witches and generational trauma

Thrum by Meg Smitherman* – a scifi gothic/horror novella set in space with aliens

Happy Reading!

**affiliate links to Bookshop.org unless unavailable, then linked to Amazon**

* can also be found in Kindle Unlimited