Here’s what I read in the month of October!

The Stats

Books Read: 13
Pages Read: 4,896

Romance: 3
Fantasy: 7
Horror/Thriller: 2
Mystery: 1

Adult/NA: 6
YA: 7

Physical: 3
Audio: 6
Kindle: 4
ARC: 5

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The Books

I’ve talked about all of these in depth so I’m keeping this pretty succinct. Check out the linked reviews for my in depth thoughts!

1. The Damned (The Beautiful #2) by Renée Ahdieh

This is the sequel to The Beautiful and if you thought book 1 wasn’t “paranormal enough” this definitely provides on that front! This greatly expands the world and I really enjoyed this continuation! I’m completely hooked and can’t wait for the next book!

2. The Casquette Girls (The Casquette Girls #1) by Alys Arden

I heard about this book through the book-ternet grapevine for fans of The Beautiful and it definitely has that same vibe! It has witches, vampires, complicated relationships, and a great New Orleans setting!

3. Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo

This book was a bit of a mixed bag. I thought the general idea/concept for this was good and the ending has me intrigued enough to pick up the sequel. But this pacing of this was off and this book tried way too hard to be “Dark”.

4. The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz

Definitely the biggest surprise of the month! I knew absolutely nothing going into this gothic romance novella and it blew me away. It’s super short so pick it up and let it take you on a wild ride.

5. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This was another hard one for me to review and rate. From a strictly objective viewpoint, this book definitely deserves a higher rating. It was well written and touched on a lot of poignant topics. But I didn’t enjoy my time reading it and honestly it just left me feeling nauseous…

6. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

My favorite read!! Omg I was so optimistically apprehensive going into this. I’ve never connected to Schwab’s writing but have always loved their premises. This book took things to a new level. The writing blew me away and I when I say I sobbed….

7. Every Sweet Regret (Orchid Valley #2) by Lexi Ryan

Lexi Ryan is a go to indie romance author for me and this was a fun continuation of this series. I thought the romance was sweet but they had an extensive off-page past foundation which left things feeling a little underdeveloped to the reader.

8. Capturing the Devil (Stalking Jack the Ripper #4) by Kerri Maniscalco

Another mixed bag of a book. Brutal honesty: first half of this book is utterly pointless and should have been cut entirely in editing in my option. But the second half, which actually contains a plot, was just as engaging as the rest of the series!

9. Snapped (Playbook #4) by Alexa Martin

This book has been getting some pretty negative reviews saying the representation in this is unrealistic and it’s really unfortunate. This book is an own voices view of being a biracial Black woman in the today’s society and it’s a very personal depiction based on Alexa Martin’s own life. I have a full review coming next week so definitely look out for that.

10. Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

I was a little shocked how much I ended up loving this creepy YA fantasy! I’ve seen some pretty mixed/disappointing reviews for this and I honestly don’t get why. This was insanely atmospheric and beautifully written. I loved it.

11. Kingdom of the Wicked (Kingdom of the Wicked #1) by Kerri Maniscalco

I ended up having a lot of mixed feelings about this new fantasy. I thought the premise was great and it started off amazingly creepy. But story got repetitive and the main character made one stupid decision after another until I was legitimately annoyed. But I’m definitely still intrigued enough to pick up the sequel.

12. Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell

This was a really fun slightly magical YA mystery that I listened to on audio. There was nothing wrong with it – the characters were likable, the plot was well paced (this less than 300 pages long), the mystery was well constructed. But it’s honestly just not something I’ll ever think about again.

13. White Hot Kiss (Dark Elements #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I’m officially obsessed with JLA. I just can’t get enough of her books! This book was just as addicting as the Covenant series I read earlier this year. It’s angsty and paranormal and has a love triangle I’m SO here for. I just loved it and all it’s corny goodness.

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I will actually most likely be completing 2-3 more books today since it’s the Paranormal Romance Readathon right now. But I will have those in a Weekly Wrap Up next weekend!

What was your favorite read October??

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