Fall is the perfect time to cozy yourself up with a new book. Many readers proclaim fall as a time to read books with darker themes. Whether it be a thought-provoking thriller or a dark academia mystery, this list contains some of the best essential fall books everyone should give a shot at reading.
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen – Shea Ernshaw
Shea Ernshaw takes Tim Burton’s beloved classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and gives it a whole new perspective in Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. The story follows Sally Skellington as she adapts to her new role as Queen of Halloween Town and unknowingly puts everyone’s lives at stake. Will she be able to fix everything, or will she tear herself apart at the seams trying?
Monday’s Not Coming – Tiffany D. Jackson
How can a whole person, a kid, disappear and no one say a word? Like, if the sun just up and left one day, you’d think someone would sound an alarm, right?”
Monday’s Not Coming is a story that will resonate with the reader for years. After the mysterious disappearance of her best friend, Monday, Claudia seems to be the only person asking questions. This shocking novel not only has great representation, but a deep message about friendship and loss.
A Lesson in Vengeance – Victoria Lee
A Lesson in Vengeance takes the dark academia genre to a whole new level in this beautifully crafted mystery about witchcraft, dead girlfriends, and an all-girls boarding school. This novel follows Felicity Morrow, a girl drawn to the dark, and Ellis Haley, a self-proclaimed method writer set on finishing her next novel. Together, Felicity and Ellis embark on a journey to investigate the Dalloway Five, witches who once lived in the same dorms as they do, for Ellis’ new novel.
If We Were Villains – M. L. Rio
“When did we become such terrible people?” “Maybe we’ve always been terrible.”.”
If We Were Villains is one of those books that truly sucks a reader in from start to finish. The novel is set up in acts, just like a Shakespearean play which the novel so heavily references and quotes. The story follows Oliver Marks as he recounts his own tragedy to Detective Colborne, the officer who put him in jail ten years prior.
Cackle – Rachel Harrison
Cackle is the perfect witchy book for fall. The story follows Annie on her path to restart her life after her longtime boyfriend broke up with her. She moves from the city to a small town upstate where she meets a mysterious girl named Sophie. Sophie has everything from good looks, a giant house, and even strange rumours about her. What will happen to Annie when she starts to see why the townspeople are afraid of Sophie?
The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides
“Perhaps some of us are simply born evil, and despite our best efforts we remain that way.”
Nobody knows why Alicia Berenson, a normal girl with a normal life, shot her husband in the face five times and never spoke another word since. Fascinated by her story, psychotherapist Theo Faber takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery behind Alicia. The Silent Patient is a story that will draw the reader in and stick with them for a long time to come.
