Autumnal Reads
The “ber” months are my favourite, the weather is cool (if a bit soggy), the evenings are drawing in, and I can wear cosy jumpers again. But all of that leads to one fantastic element – guilt free reading.
It somehow seems less of an issue to spend Saturday afternoon reading when it’s storming outside. Summer feels like it’s guilting me into actually doing things. So, now that we’re on the path to fully fledged autumn, here are five books I can’t wait to read that have autumnal vibes.
Alchemised by Sen Li Yu
Alchemised took the Booktok community by storm, but under another name. Sen Li Yu self-published it as Manacled. It was dark (and I mean dark!) fanfiction of Harry Potter. But the author made the decision to re-write the entire 900-page book, to distance it from its fanfic origins. So, now under the title Alchemised, and with no hint of the source material, it’s being released on 23rd September.
What’s it about?
In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy — and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past. Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner — of war and of her own mind.
Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed. In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile, undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive. According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks.
But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit? To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own. . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.
Why do I want to Read it?
Honestly, because it sounds insane; call it morbid curiosity. I was intrigued by the premise when it was titled Manacled, but now that it’s been rewritten, I’m excited to dive in. I actually received a very elusive Advanced Copy, which I haven’t had much time to read, but from what I’ve read so far, I like it. It’s atmospheric from the start and hooks you in with a “What on earth is going on?” feel. You can’t help but keep reading to find out what on earth is actually going on. The vibes are very much One Dark Window, although content wise, I expect it will get much darker. After all, it is full of necromancers.
All the Devils by Catelyn Wilson
This is a new release, and new to my TBR. As many of you know, we stock the Imaginarium with books we’d like to read, as well as ones we read and loved. This one we want to read.
What’s it about?
Hell is empty and all the demons are at Ravenswood Academy . . .Mourning the sudden death of her sister, Andy Emmerson knows she must come to terms with a life without Violet. But on the day of the funeral Andy is shocked to discover one thing: the person in that casket is not her sister. Violet is alive.
Convinced her sister's elite boarding school is covering up the truth, Andy enrols at Ravenswood Academy to discover what really happened and find Violet. The school is as beautiful and haunting as the students within it and Andy learns that it's not just good grades that drives these pupils. Something much darker is at play.
After discovering a cryptic note from her sister, Andy must follow a set of clues to unlock the truth. This will bring her into contact with secret societies, ancient magic, demons and monsters. And a charming senior named Jae Han who has his own reasons for finding out what happened to Violet . . . Soon Andy realises the price she must pay to bring her sister home is darker and more dangerous than she ever could have imagined.
Why Do I want to read it?
The cover is a good start…But also, it’s a dark academia, so September is the perfect month to read it. It’s been compared to Leigh Bardugo and Wednesday, and as a duology (book 2 is out in hardback in November) it doesn’t have the commitment of a long series.
The Place Where They Buried Your Heart – Christina Henry
You can’t have a list of autumnal reads without at least one horror in the mix. I’m not usually a fan of horror. I want to be scared, and I never am. But Christina Henry is a master at storytelling, so I’m adding this to the list.
What’s it about?
On an otherwise ordinary street in Chicago, there is a house. An abandoned house where, once upon a time, terrible things happened. The children who live on this block are told by their parents to stay away from that house. But of course, children don’t listen. Children think it’s fun to be scared, to dare each other to go inside.
Jessie Campanelli did what many older sisters do and dared her little brother Paul. But unlike all the other kids who went inside that abandoned house, Paul didn’t return. His two friends, Jake and Richie, said that the house ate Paul. Of course adults didn’t believe that. Adults never believe what kids say. They thought someone kidnapped Paul, or otherwise hurt him.
They thought Paul had disappeared in a way that was ordinary, explainable. The disappearance of her little brother broke Jessie’s family apart in ways that would never be repaired. Jessie grew up, had a child of her own, kept living on the same street where the house that ate her brother sat, crouched and waiting.
And darkness seemed to spread out from that house, a darkness that was alive—alive and hungry.
Why Do I want to read it?
I’ve read other Christina Henry books and really liked them. So, after reading a few horror novels from new (to me) authors, I figured I should read one from a tried and tested author. I love the idea of a haunted house and add in what feels like a vengeful sister whose waited years… it sounds like a recipe for a brilliant book. The Place Where They Buried Your Heart is out in paperback on 4th November.
Paladin’s Grace – T. Kingfisher
Don’t ask me why, but Spring and Autumn lend themselves well to reading cosy fantasy books. And the first in The Saint of Steel series is one that’s been on my list for a while.
What’s it about?
Whilst foraging for startleflower, perfumer Grace finds herself pursued by ruffians and rescued by a handsome paladin in shining armour. Only, to outwit her hunters they must pretend to be doing something very unrespectable in an alleyway.
Stephen, a broken paladin, spends his time knitting socks and working as a bodyguard, living only for the chance to be useful. But that all changes when he saves Grace and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now, Stephen and Grace must navigate a web of treachery and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind.
Why do I want to Read it?
T. Kingfisher has an insane talent for writing real characters, ones that I connect with almost instantly. So, even if cosy fantasy isn’t you’re thing, I’d highly recommend checking out her other books. But Paladin’s Grace has got such high praise. I very rarely listen to reviews, but when customers – who know what I like – are telling me to read it, it’s hard to ignore.
The book has been described as “darkly whimsical” and if autumn isn’t a time for dark whimsy, I don’t know when is.
Ordinary Monsters – J.M. Miro
This is a book that’s been on by TBR for ages, but it feels like one that needs the right time. And by that, I mean in the throes of a winter storm.
What’s it about?
1882. North of Edinburgh, on the edge of an isolated loch, lies an institution of crumbling stone, where a strange doctor collects orphans with unusual abilities.
In London, two children with such powers are hunted by a figure of darkness – a man made of smoke. Charlie Ovid discovers a gift for healing himself through a brutal upbringing in Mississippi, while Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight, glows with a strange bluish light. When two grizzled detectives are recruited to escort them north to safety, they are confronted by a sinister, dangerous force that threatens to upend the world as they know it.
What follows is a journey from the gaslit streets of London to the lochs of Scotland, where other gifted children – the Talents – have been gathered at Cairndale Institute, and the realms of the dead and the living collide. As secrets within the Institute unfurl, Marlowe, Charlie and the rest of the Talents will discover the truth about their abilities and the nature of the force that is stalking them: that the worst monsters sometimes come bearing the sweetest gifts.
Why do I want to Read it?
Victorian setting, creepy characters and supernatural horrors. Need I say more? No, but I’m going to. One of the characters is described as “unmoving as a pillar of darkness, but it had no face, only smoke.” The storytelling in this novel has been praised by well renowned authors, and I think it’s a book that grip you tight and not let go until you turn the last page. For the pedants amongst us, they’re actually re-printing Ordinary Monsters to match book 2. Both the reprint of Ordinary Monsters and book 2 Bringer of Dust are out on 23rd October.
