by WB Intern, Deborah Darden
Halloween is, literally, right around the corner and we all know what means. Sure, it’s the perfect time to don your most creative costume and stock up on candy, but for us bookworms, it also entails binge-reading our favorite thrillers!
So in the spirit of all things ghoulish and mysterious, we’ve put together a special list of recommendations just for you! There’s plenty of variety and you might even see some familiar faces. Happy reading!
A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik – This story is centered around El, and no, this isn’t the same El from Stranger Things, although, they may have some things in common. Our El has more than enough problems to deal with on a regular basis. From monsters to a school that literally takes the lives of its students should they fail to graduate, it’s going to take more than controlling her dark power for El to survive the Scholomance. Here’s a fun spoiler: the third installment of this series was just released in September! Cheers to more reading!
The Ex Hex (Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling – All of us may have wished we could’ve placed a not-so-pleasant charm on the person who broke our hearts. Well, Vivienne Jones does exactly that in this tale of petty vengeance. Sadly, the hex came with some unexpected side effects that don’t just affect her ex-boyfriend, but the people of the town they live in. This is an interesting story of how the two lovebirds do whatever they can to make things right. This is another series that released a new book!
The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly – Here is a story catered to the mystery-lovers. It’s about a young woman named Nell Churcher who is still reeling from the aftermath of her father’s book. He created a treasure hunt surrounding the murder of a fictional character he called Elinore, in which readers were tasked to find her skeleton. Of course, there were some who got a little too invested in the search. To make things worse – Nell has to return home to her family because the story isn’t over. We’re curious to see how Nell will keep her head on straight in the midst of this chaos.
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries by Various Authors – In this collection of short stories, a beloved character, originally created by author Agatha Christie, springs to life once more. Twelve amazing women writers including Naomi Alderman and Jean Kwok take the puzzle-solver Jane Marple to different places around the world to unravel the most bizarre of crimes. Fortunately for Marple, these types of cases are right up her alley!
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix – The title of this book made us giggle with delight and for good reason. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to see some good ol’ southern women hunt a vampire, then this one is definitely for you. Furthermore, the author chose the perfect city to stage this fight: Charleston. Join Patricia Campbell and her book club as they use their passion for suspense and true crime to stop this new threat to their community.
In the Dark by Brandon Massey – A thriller with a hefty mix of paranormal activity and a tragic backstory makes up the structure of this story. Trust us when we say it is not for the faint of heart. It’s a story with a pretty common beginning we’ve seen before. The Bowden family finds the ideal home to raise their daughter and as you probably expected, things take a turn for the worst when the previous resident shows up demanding that they leave. Which of you brave souls will see how this innocent family will escape this crisis?
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs – Obviously, this list wouldn’t be complete without sharing at least one story where one of our favorite supernatural creatures makes an appearance. That’s right, we’re talking about werewolves! Mercedes Thompson, or Mercy for short, is just trying to make a living as a proficient mechanic. However, she and some of her magical companions are about to get into some trouble.
The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa – We’ll wrap up these recommendations with this story about Meghan Chase, just your average girl who, on her sixteenth birthday, finds out she’s not so average. Meghan learns she’s actually a fairy princess and her father, who vanished when she was little, desperately needs her help. Join Meghan and her best friend as they protect what’s precious to them!
Which one do you want to read first? Share your thoughts with us on social media!
About the Author
Deborah Darden is a writer born and raised in Texas. She currently resides in Round Rock, just outside of Austin. She is a graduate of Full Sail University with a BFA in Creative Writing. Deborah has a passion for telling stories across different platforms and is currently working on a book series as well as a YouTube web series. She also enjoys writing short stories and even hopes to one day create her own anime television show. Apart from writing, Deborah loves reading and watching her favorite films.