Spooky Reads to Devour this Halloween Season

With spooky season here, and Halloween nearing, I thought this would be the best time to share some of my favourite spooky and not-that-spooky, thrilling, and heart-wrenching reads to get you in the spirit of the season.

Here are some of my favourite spooky and not-so-spooky but definitely thrilling reads:

The Witch Haven By Sasha Peyton Smith

I read this book last month and don’t know how I never knew about this book! I saw it looking so beautiful on the shelf and practically bought it without even reading the back cover.

It is a perfect blend of intrigue and creepy without being too creepy.

I won’t post the full synopsis here, you can click the link above to see it but to give you a brief summary, it’s 20th Century New York, a school for witches, twists, betrayal, and a love hard to forget. I finished this book in one day and stared at it for the coming days wondering how the hell I am going to get over it.

The second book cames out today actually (it is on my TBR for October) and I cannot wait to read it later today! A PSL, some cozy reading socks, and a cozier blanket and I am ready to get spooked!

The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E Schwab

I can’t find the words to explain how incredible this story was. It had the right elements of spooky, keeping you pulled in and wanting to reach the last page more than ever.

Another historical fiction, it follows a young woman named Addie who makes a deal with the devil that goes horribly wrong. She is now cursed to walk amongst the people of the world, never being seen for eternity. Until someone does see her one day.

The compelling way V.E Schwab writes has beautifully woven a story to last time and keeps me thinking about it even months after I finished it.

White Smoke by Tiffany D Jackson

This may be the one of the best YA psychological thrillers I’ve ever read. It reminds me of the perfect horror film about a haunted house and a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The story follows a girl whose family moves to a new town, a new house that is not what it seems.

Highly recommend reading for those spooky vibes that linger even after you put the book down!

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

This is one I read back in August and it put me right into the magical/spooky autumn spirit.

This story is about a girl who is dragged into another world created by her grandmother who was a writer. So much is at stake as she tries to find who kidnapped her mother, and navigate the world with a fan of her grandmother’s story.

I mean… a world within a world, magic, fairytales, and darkness all wrapped up in a book that has some creepy characters.

I read this in one sitting at night and had to turn on all my lights … I then added the rest of the books in the series to my TBR.

The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

I love me a good mystery novel. This one is by far in my top 5!

It is a thriller for sure, keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I couldn’t put the book down even to eat (which if you know me, you know I LOVE food). I found myself scared and intrigued at the same time.

The story is about a small town where murder is not a surprise. But one murder in particular is on the mind of our main character and she can’t stop until she finds out who the killer really is.

It is not particularly for the faint-hearted, but it does have some sweet moments amidst the creepy.

FYI – the rest of the series is out now!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I mean… what a classic!

This book is definitely creepy and spooky in the best way possible. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend. And if you watched the movie, then you’ll enjoy the book that much more.

I always find myself gravitated to this book each year as we near the 31st of the month.

For those who may not have seen the movie, the book follows a girl who explores her house to discover a weird and completely frightening other world that is so similar to hers but not.

Miss Peregrine’s home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This one is another great read for this time of year!

It is everything you want in a book about strange children, a deserted home in a deserted island, and everything in between that can go wrong.

There is an air of mystery and as you read, the spookiness build and builds until you have to stop reading… only to open the book back up and read again.

Entertaining and wonderfully written, this story will keep you up at night in both a good and bad way!

The Original Folk & Fairy-Tales of the Brother’s Grimm – Translated by Jack Zipes

And somehow I kept the creepiest and spookiest for last…

This is not your average story book… these are the original fairy-tales that have inspired some of the Disney beauts you see today.

The stories in this collection are uncut… the gore, weirdness, pure disgusting, and immoral plots in some of the fairytales you know will make you wonder how in the hell the Disney version even got made.

A true eye-opener but an even more intriguing read.

It definitely should have come with trigger warnings… but if you’re brave enough, these are the stories that will have you calling everyone you know to express your horror.

Those are all the books that will definitely put you in that spooky spirit this Halloween season.

If you’re brave enough to read any of them or if you already have, please let me know which ones and your thoughts!!

Happy Reading

x

M