Fall is well and truly here and with it Kate’s favorite month on the blog where she explores all things spooky and creepy in preparation of Halloween! Serena quietly tries to slip in some cozy witch romances here or there, but mostly just closes her eyes and pretends it’s still summer. Either way, here are some of the titles we’re looking forward to this month!
Serena’s Picks
Book: “The Sixth Faction” by Veronica Roth
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
Why I’m Interested: This has to be one of the oddest things I’ve ever seen, an author going back and re-imagining her original blockbuster series. But man, I’m here for it. I only read the first book in the “Divergent” series and was honestly not that impressed. It was only later that I rediscovered Veronica Roth, and she’s since become a must-read author for me. So in many ways, I feel like I’m the perfect reader for this book: I don’t have much knowledge of the first series or many expectations to compare it to, but I’m also a huge fan of her books now. I’m so excited to see what this is all about!
Book: “Reap and Sow” by Charlotte B. Plumb
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
Why I’m Interested: Probably mostly the beautiful cover art? But also, I’m always excited to check out a debut author, even if this one sounds a bit familiar overall. A young woman makes a bargain with a demon to save her siblings but, oh no, begins to have feelings! So, this could go either way. It could surprise me greatly and remind me why some of these tropes became popular in the first place. Or….it could continue to prove that the romantasy genre is too bound up in tropes for its own good. I really don’t know which way this will go, but hope live eternal, so here we go!
Book: “The Scarlet Ball” by Nghi Vo
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
Why I’m Interested: Speaking of awesome covers! I’ve read a few novellas by this author and have really enjoyed them. Her fantasy worlds are so creative and unique, and this one sounds like more of the same! Something about demonic husbands set in the Gilded Age in New York City? I mean, that’s ally I really need to know. But again, look at that cover! It looks dark, gothic, and everything I want from historical fantasy!
Kate’s Picks
Book: “Off the Reservation” by Stephen Graham Jones
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
Why I’m Interested: Not only is this a new Stephen Graham Jones horror novel, it is also a follow up to “The Only Good Indians”! I didn’t realize there was going to be a sequel to that book, so it was a fantastic surprise. It follows a group of Indigenous Blackfeet activists who are determined to reclaim and repatriate the remains of a Blackfoot child who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. But after they get the bones and start the journey home, strange things begin to happen. Then terrifying things. I imagine that this one will not only be scary, but also deeply emotional considering the subject matter. I can’t wait to check it out.
Book: “What Feeds Below” by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
Publication Date: October 6, 2026
Why I’m Interested: I really loved Schlote-Bonne’s previous novel “The Mean Ones”, and this one sounds incredibly unique and strange, but in a good way. This one also sounds a bit more dark fantasy than straight up horror, but I’m always down for dark fantasy. A large chasm filled with carnivorous plants and other dangers sits next to a large city, where people have found ways to profit off of the hazards. Two orphan friends Petra and Jade even lead tours down into the Void for adventurous (and rich) tourists. But after Jade gets lost in the lower and more dangerous levels of the Void, Petra is determined to save her, no matter what.
Book: “Savage Lake” by Nick Medina
Publication Date: October 27, 2026
Why I’m Interested: Cabin the woods horror!! I live for that stuff and I don’t feel like I’ve read a lot of it lately! So let’s all thank Nick Medina for bringing it back into my orbit this October! A mother named Nell and teenage son Oscar are returning to the lake house that holds terrible memories for her, hoping that she can fix it up and sell it and be done with it forever. But when the local Tribe, which owns the land, shuts down all of the roads around the lake with no explanation, Nell and Oscar are trapped in the cabin. As time goes on and weird things happen, Oscar also realizes that there is something going on with his mother. This one has LOTS of promise.
What books are you looking forward to reading this month? Let us know in the comments!
