In October, I read 9 books:
1. Malediction's Embrace by Candice Morris - It was really well done. I enjoyed my read through of it and now I kind of want to build what amounts to a Drow fighter? Minolynn "Lynn" Niraeth has lost her parents at an astoundingly young age. One at the hands of her brother, Xaraan, whom she is now chasing. From what we know, he'd fallen to a very evil godling and she wants to save him before its too late. I loved it. The way it read like a D&D campaign that hasn't immediately gone off the rails is beautiful.
2. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying a Vampire by Grady Hendrix - Dude with no history at all just blows into town one day in 1993. No one knows a thing about him. He wiggles his way into the fabric of the South Carolina town. Eventually his true nature comes out and a book club works together to protect their community from a monster. I liked it. I found it weird that I personally knew someone who shared a name with one of the characters (though to the best of my knowledge, she did not live in South Carolina in the 90s?). Definitely taking second and third looks at people who just show up with no kind of family or community ties from now on.
3. Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews - I have absolutely no idea what I read. It was sad, it was scary, it had hope. I'm lost on how exactly to describe this book. We follow Andrew Perrault as he enters into his senior year at this private boarding school in the US somewhere. I don't exactly remember where. He is already marked as an outsider as he is Australian and people make fun of him for that alone. We then follow as all this weird stuff goes down at the school. There will be a better review here. I loved it and I am going to certainly look into more books by C.G. Drews in the future.
4. The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde - This was very unique as far as books go. I have never seen any where the tale of the Oak and Holly Kings are told by themselves. Kierse thought she was a perfectly above average thief who just happened to like wrens. When she found out what was really going on, boy did that color her world. I enjoyed how monsters of various flavors were included in the story as just being part of the world, but then also had an actual history of how they got there. The only thing I don't follow is the necessity of including a somewhat graphic sex scene. Eh, to each their own.
5. Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert - What...what did I read? I am usually really good at guessing what's happening throughout a thriller and I was absolutely clueless. I kept making my guesses about who the Outcast was. I thought for sure I'd had it right and then Markert threw one hell of a curveball at us with the psychic connection between people. I loved it and I am going to keep looking for more Markert books when they come out.
6. Sons of Darkness by Gourav Mohanty - This was interesting. I definitely enjoyed most of it. Didn't really like how we kept getting pushed back and forth in the narrative's timeline until they all meshed together in the end. The lack of separated chapters in the audiobook also kind of made it weird. If I paused it in the middle of Krishna or Shishupal's POV and their names weren't immediately mentioned, it would take me a bit of time to figure out who I was reading from. Other than that, I did like the India-inspired tale.
7. Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown - I honestly only picked this up because of the author. I have been a fan of Millie Bobby Brown for a while (and not just for her role of Jane/Eleven in Stranger Things) and I was curious at how she would do as an author. I was not disappointed. Yes, I am aware that she did not actually write the book herself. She used a ghostwriter and she simply worked with her. I loved following the Morris family as they just tried to survive WWII. We follow her through a few months of her life in Bethnal Green during 1944-1945. How she falls in love, loses those closest to her, and ends up on the adventure of a lifetime.
8. Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur - This was picked at random. I had requested it from NetGalley and got declined and then found it on Audible and well, I couldn't resist. It was interesting watching them work their way through their relationship. The romantic and the realist navigating an attraction that felt like it was straight out of the movies. I loved how she kind of started adopting more realistic ideology and he did the same with romantic.
9. Small Favors by Erin A. Craig - This book was so odd. I thought at first is was going to be just this cute novel about a apiarist and their life. Nope. Not even a little. This town is cut off from everything else and they kind of have to rely on themselves or two trips out to the city for supplies. Something happens. These...monsters? I guess...appear and no one can make it past the pass and into the city. And winter is approaching so they will need to get provisions. They can't. I guessed how Whitaker was involved from the beginning and it was definitely worth it for his part in the story. He had been given the tools to be able to help them break free. I think everyone should check it out!!