For some, spooky season is a way of life, not only to be celebrated on just Halloween. But for those who only get into the scary stuff this time of year, know we aren’t mad at you. No matter what type of person you are, odds are you love books and we happen to have some to recommend to get you in the mood for magic, terror, and more.
Magic
Night of the Witch – Enemies to lovers romantasy set in the medieval German witch trials
By Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
10/3/23
New York Times bestselling authors Sara Raasch and Beth Revis transport readers to medieval Germany in this enemies to lovers romantasy perfect for fans of Serpent & Dove.
Fritzi is the sole survivor of her coven after they’re brutally attacked. Otto is the captain of the witch-hunters responsible for the slaying. When fate intervenes, they join forces to seek vengeance on those who have killed their loved ones. As they delve into the heart of the Black Forest, they have only each other. She’s a witch and he’s a hunter, in what world can they stay together?
Bring Me Your Midnight – Atmospheric angsty forbidden love romantasy
By Rachel Griffin
8/1/23
The next spellbinding standalone fantasy from NYT bestselling author Rachel Griffin that will sweep readers off their feet with its forbidden romance and lush atmosphere.
Tana’s loveless marriage to the Governor’s son will finally bring peace between the Witches and the Mainlanders. But when her coven is unable to calm the restless waters around their island, it puts everyone’s lives at risk. Until Wolfe, an alluring outcast, reveals forbidden magic that could tame the seas, but banish her from her coven forever. Will Tana follow her heart or remain loyal to duty?
Also from Rachel Griffin:
Wild is the Witch
8/2/22
In this romantic, contemporary fantasy standalone, witch-in-hiding Iris Gray conjures a dangerous spell against Pike Adler, a boy she hates, that she never means to cast. But the curse is stolen by an owl before she can dispel it, and if the owl dies, the magic will be released, dooming Pike—and the whole region—to chaos and destruction.
So Iris and Pike set out into the unforgiving wilderness in search of the bird that could cost Pike his life. But he doesn’t know the truth, and Iris must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect her secret, the boy she’s grown to love, and the fate of their home.
The Nature of Witches
6/1/21
Clara Densmore is the one witch who can save the earth from total destruction—but her position comes with a price. As her power grows stronger, it targets those closest to her. As Clara takes the world on her shoulders, she falls fast and hard for Sang, her training partner. Fires burn. Storms rage. With time running out, Clara must make an impossible choice.
The Nature of Witches is a timely and unputdownable novel about the power of weather. The power of love. And the power one girl has to choose her own fate in the face of it all.
The Shadow Sister – Hoodoo Inspired magic
By Lily Meade
6/27/23
From a dazzling new voice comes a YA speculative thriller rooted in Hoodoo tradition and folklore about a biracial Black girl whose sister returns from her abduction changed in ways that trauma alone can’t explain.
Perfect for fans of Jordan Peele’s Us and Tiffany D. Jackson, this searing debut tackles complex family dynamics and generational trauma with sinister storytelling that will grip you until you turn the very last page.
The forthcoming newest addition to the Sourcebooks Fire coven:
The Poisons We Drink – Black Girl Magic
By Bethany Baptiste
3/5/24
Get ready to fall under the spell of this witchy fantasy debut that blends politics, rebellion, and sisterhood. Perfect for fans of Legendborn, Wings of Ebony, and Blood Like Magic.
Eighteen-year-older witcher Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer, making illegal love potions to support her family. When Venus’s mother is killed by an anti-witcher’s iron bullet, she finds herself caring for her younger sister and falling into the inner circle of a corrupt High Witcher’s coven, tasked with making potions to persuade and enslave D.C.’s most influential politicians. But as Venus learns to love herself, she discovers that she, and the world, might be worth fighting for.
Horror
Where He Can’t Find You – Small town with a serial killer problem
By Darcy Coates
11/7/23
This chilling atmospheric horror from USA Today bestselling author Darcy Coates is perfect for fans of Natasha Preston.
Abby Ward lives in a town haunted by disappearances. People vanish in broad daylight and when they return their bodies have been dismembered and stitched back together in unnatural ways. When Abby’s sister Hope vanishes, she must race against the clock to get her back. But is this the work of a human killer… or something far darker?
Swarm – Killer “butterflies”
By Jennifer D. Lyle
11/7/23
A group of teens must band together to stay alive during an invasion brought on by climate change in this horror survival thriller for fans of A Quiet Place and Bird Box.
Anxiety-prone teen Shur spots a freakishly huge butterfly floating over the soccer field and within minutes, phones are buzzing with emergency alerts: the creatures are everywhere. Shur, her brothers, and their best friends make it back to her home and it quickly becomes apparent that they must survive whatever is coming on their own. But soon the “butterflies” aren’t the only thing trying to get in. To protect her family and survive the invasions, Shur must find strength in her anxiety and protect her sanctuary at any cost.
We Don’t Swim Here – They can’t shake the ghosts of their past
By Vincent Tirado
5/2/23
In Hillwood no one swims. No one goes near the water even though there’s a gorgeous lake. And a pool at the abandoned rec center. And another in the school basement. There are rules in Hillwood, rules and rituals that keep people safe. But when newcomer Bronwyn starts asking questions, the answers could be deadly.
Fans of Lovecraft Country and The Taking of Jake Livingston should get ready to dive into this creepy horror that explores America’s racist history through a small town with a dark secret.
Also from Vincent Tirado:
Burn Down, Rise Up
4/4/23
When unexplained disappearances and a mysterious illness infiltrate the Bronx, Raquel discovers that both things are tied to an urban legend called the Echo Game that is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and that the rules of the game are based on a dark chapter in New York’s past. In an effort to save their home and everyone they love, Raquel and her friends will play the game and destroy the evil lurking underground—or die trying.
This Delicious Death – Queer zombie teens at Coachella
By Kayla Cottingham
4/25/23
Four best friends, one music festival, and a cooler filled with human organs: this summer is about to get gory.
Jennifer’s Body meets Riverdale in this new sapphic horror standalone from New York Times bestselling author Kayla Cottingham.
Three years ago, the Hollowing infected a percentage of the human population with a hunger for human flesh—including Zoey and her best friends. When a strange drug at a music festival turns their hunger feral, the girls must catch the culprit before their weekend turns into a blood bath.
Also from Kayla Cottingham:
My Dearest Darkest
3/29/22
Wilder Girls meets The Craft in this sapphic horror debut that asks: What price would you be willing to pay to achieve your deepest desires?
Finch Chamberlain wasn’t the only thing to awaken on the night she should have died. Now, the creature that brought her back lurks in the tunnels of her boarding school, gaining power by granting wishes for students in exchange for gruesome offerings. And if Finch and Selena St. Clair, the popular girl she feels inexplicably drawn to, can’t find a way to stop it, it will devour them all.
Sci-Fi
The Warning and The Fallout – A bingeable duology
By Kristy Acevedo
Final book out 9/5/23
In six months, a comet will destroy the planet. This is the end of humanity; there is no way to prevent it.
From award-winning author Kristy Acevedo comes a chilling dystopian duology about a young girl who learns that the world is ending and must decide if she will escape to an unknown, parallel future or take her chance with the present. Readers craving a return to the dystopian genre will clamor for this pulse-pounding adventure.
Thrillers
Four Found Dead – Slasher thriller with nostalgic vibes
By Natalie D. Richards
5/2/23
Grab the popcorn and settle in for the new heartpounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Natalie D. Richards—perfect for teen slasher film fans!
Jo and her co-workers are working their last shift at Tempest Theaters before it closes its doors forever. But then one of the crew turns up murdered and they realize they’re locked inside with the killer. The only exits lead to the adjoining abandoned mall. Will they make it out alive or will the killer keep hunting them until there’s no one left?
You Won’t Believe Me – Can they survive the end of the world *28 Days Later vibes*
By Cyn Balog
6/27/23
For fans of Natasha Preston’s The Cellar, a brilliantly layered suspense thriller with mind-bending twists that will keep readers guessing until the very end!
When Willow wakes up strapped to a bed she has no memory getting into, she has nothing but questions. Everything changes when her captor dies and she learns she’s not the only one trapped in the house. Can she trust Elijah as they try to survive, or does he know more than what he’s telling her?
What Happened on Hicks Road – I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes
By Hannah Jayne
8/1/23
Buckle your seatbelts for a pulse-pounding new thriller from fan favorite author Hannah Jayne!
Being the new girl in town is rough. So when Sadie’s invited to hang out with the popular kids from school, she jumps at the chance. But while Sadie’s driving them home after a party, she hits something in the road. Her new friends say it was nothing, maybe a deer. But Sadie’s determined to discover the truth about what or who jumped in front of her car…even if it kills her.
Tag, You’re Dead – A deadly game
By Kathryn Foxfield
12/5/23
When a reality star unveils his latest stunt – a live-streamed, citywide game where the winner becomes one of his personal assistants – his fans go wild. But four contestants have secret motivations that will drive them to do whatever it takes. From the bestselling author of Good Girls Die First comes a pulse-pounding thriller full of knife-edge tension and twists.
