🍁 👻 Second Sundays - October 2023 🎃🍁

☕ Happy Second Sunday, and Happy Spooky Season! 👻

So, let's address the elephant in the room right away - If you've been reading these blogs long enough, you'll know by now that I'm a mood reader and I look at my monthly TBRs as suggestions rather than must-dos. This month definitely became a case of "I thought I knew what I wanted but now that I'm here I really want THAT instead." 😅

I normally don't get burned out by a series, but this time I really think the seasonal mood change from summer to autumn is what did it to me. Therefore, my reread of Heroes of Olympus, and subsequently, Chalice of the Gods, has been pushed aside for another time (perhaps closer to the release of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians show coming out in December! Squee! Or, much more likely, next summer...).

There - now that that's out of the way, let's get to what I DID read and see if any of these might be next on your own list!

🍁SEPTEMBER READS & REVIEWS 🍁

My first read of the month, I enjoyed Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer far more than I expected to. The story follows Evie, an endearingly clumsy young woman who literally stumbles into the position of assistant to the local murderous menace named "The Villain." It's a low-stakes (mostly), slice-of-life, very slow-burn romantasy with a sarcastic and snarky humor that is probably the primary reason I read through it so fast. It reads like "Renfield" or "Warm Bodies" meets The Princess Bride and Pride & Prejudice in all the best ways.

The book is strongly woman-led, with a cast of mostly female characters aside from The Villain himself, the "magical animal trainer" Blake, and the endearing frog Kingsley who speaks with one-word signs. While the almost Elizabeth and Darcy-like slow-burn relationship (with a lot of extra snark) between Evie and The Villain is the primary romance, there are a few others building under the radar.

While the romance is certainly a focus of the story, there is also a wider plot in the conflict between The Villain and the ruler of the land, King Benedict, as well as some office drama sub-plots between the employees of the villain. There's also a small dose of espionage "who-done-it" and more than a few darker themes and violent scenes that remind you this isn't a traditional romance story.

The office drama was honestly probably the best part of the book, though I can admit I also became invested in the romances and wanted to see how they ended. Which, by the way, there's something I wish I'd known going into it - this is apparently a series (unconfirmed if it's two or three books), and this first book ends on a big cliffhanger. 👀

If you're looking for a cozy fantasy that strays to the dark side, this is your go to. 😉

Be Sure is a collection of the first three novellas in the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. I've been wanting to read this series for a while (the first book, Every Heart a Doorway, has been on my tbr for at least five years 😬) and then this omnibus came out this year, illustrated by one of my new favorite artists, Rovina Cai, so I snapped it up, and this month turned out to be the month to get started!

The premise for the series is - what happens to the children who go through doorways to other worlds when they come back? The answer - some of them got to Miss Eleanor West's school for wayward children, where they learn to "move on." The main character, Nancy, went to an Underworld, and we follow her as she meets other students, learns about the other worlds, and tries to come to terms with her new reality and the fact that she may never be able to return to the Underworld she fell in love with.

The strongest characteristic of this story is the worldbuilding. Like Nancy, I still don't completely understand the finer details of what makes a high Nonsense or high Logic world and all the nuances in between, but that's the entire allure, and I'm sure the sequential novellas expand on this concept. Lands like Wonderland and Narnia are either alluded to or loosely mentioned with just enough vaguely familiar detail to make you think - could it be? I also loved the theme that each world chose to open its door to each child for a specific reason, and that each child is fundamentally changed - or rather, they became their true selves, which doesn't exactly mesh well with our world.

The story does take a gothic, grim turn rather suddenly, becoming a kind of "who done it" tale in the best way. If you're looking for something similar in theme and length to a Grimm fairytale, this novella would be right up your lane.

🎃 OCTOBER/AUTUMN TBR 🎃

I'm technically calling this my autumn wishlist because I have no idea which month exactly I'll read these or in what order, I just know I want to read all of them before winter comes.

I'm debating whether to read the next two Wayward Children books this month because I have so many others I want to read while it's still spooky season, but I'm also feeling a novella binge coming on, so we'll see!

Sanderson's third Secret Project came out earlier than I expected, so I'll definitely be reading it. Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is Sanderson's homage to the Final Fantasy X video game (one of my all-time favorites!) and manga (also a big manga/anime fan!), and it's also his self-proclaimed favorite book of all the Secret Projects he wrote. Needless to say, I'm excited about this one!

This is probably my most anticipated book of 2023. It's the sequel to One Dark Window which I have been obsessing over since I read it last year. A land where magic is viewed as a disease, a land cursed, and a woman with a monster who lives in her head - and the monster may be the only way to save the kingdom. Two Twisted Crowns comes out on October 17, so I'll be doing a reread of One Dark Window immediately followed by this book as soon as it comes out!

All of these are in the same Grimm fairytale niche as Wayward Children and One Dark Window. Nettle & Bone is about a woman who makes a deal with a witch to complete three difficult tasks in order to gain the means to free her sister from an abusive husband, who also happens to be king. In Godkiller, the gods are not only exiled, but hunted down by order of the king. Unfortunately, now godkiller Kissen needs their help. The Book Eaters is about a secret society of people who survive by eating books, but now one of them has been born that has a dark drive to eat human minds.

Can you see my reading mood yet? 😅

I am DETERMINED to read both of these before the end of the year. A world at war, forbidden magic, and of course dragons. A Day of Fallen Night is a prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, so I may read that one first even though it was published second, but we shall see. They are behemoths (804 and 862 pages respectively), but I like big books and I cannot lie!

👻 OTHER OCTOBER NEW RELEASES I'M EXCITED FOR 👻

I've heard this one described as a book to help get over the Fourth Wing hangover, and while I'm not really a romantasy fan, I was completely engrossed by Fourth Wing, and the premise of powerful light and dark magics colliding is enough to have me at least strongly intrigued by The Hurricane Wars.

Another "Grimm" type of book, Starling House tantalizingly hints at an Alice in Wonderland cameo and has a strong chance of invading my autumn tbr.

The Silmarillion Exclusive Edition. Like the illustrated edition, but prettier and with more exclusives. And, it's Tolkien. Need I say more?

🍁 Happy Reading! 🍁