Hey there! This week I’m participating in Six for Sunday, a meme hosted by Steph at A Little But a Lot. In Six for Sunday, you get to choose 6 books (normally) that fit whatever the prompt is for that week. The theme for the month is “Rainbows Make the World Brighter” and today’s topic is:
Favorite Spooky Books
I don’t read a ton of spooky or scary books, but I have read some YA books lately with some spooky, Gothic vibes, so I’m going to focus on those. Let’s check them out!
1. Down Comes the Night by Alison Saft
Title: Down Comes the Night
Author: Allison Saft
Page Length: 400
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness.
Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.
The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.
With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall.
Allison Saft’s Down Comes the Night is a snow-drenched romantic fantasy that keeps you racing through the pages long into the night.
Love makes monsters of us all.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | My Review
2. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
Title: For the Wolf
Author: Hannah Whitten
Series: Wilderwood #1
Page Length: 448
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Publisher: Orbit Books
Synopsis: The first daughter is for the Throne.
The second daughter is for the Wolf.
For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn’t the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood.
As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he’ll return the world’s captured gods.
Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can’t control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can’t hurt those she loves. Again.
But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn’t learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | My Review
3. Lakesedge by Lydia Clipstone
Title: Lakesedge
Author: Lyndall Clipstone
Series: World at the Lake’s Edge
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: Sept. 28, 2021
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Synopsis: A lush gothic fantasy about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake. Perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.
There are monsters in the world.
When Violeta Graceling arrives at haunted Lakesedge estate, she expects to find a monster. She knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.
There are monsters in the woods.
As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn…
There’s a monster in the shadows, and now it knows my name.
Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | My Review
4. A Far Wilder Magic by Alison Saft
Title: A Far Wilder Magic
Author: Allison Saft
Page Length: 384
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Synopsis: When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.
Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.
Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive tht long. In A Far Wilder Magic, Allison Saft has written an achingly tender love story set against a deadly hunt in an atmospheric, rich fantasy world that will sweep you away.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | My Review
5. Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent
Title: Red Wolf
Author: Rachel Vincent
Page Length: 368
Publication Date: July 20, 2021
Publisher: Harper Teen
Synopsis:
This high stakes, pacey reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood is perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber and Megan Spooner.
For as long as sixteen-year-old Adele can remember the village of Oakvale has been surrounding by the dark woods—a forest filled with terrible monsters that light cannot penetrate. Like every person who grows up in Oakvale she has been told to steer clear of the woods unless absolutely necessary.
But unlike her neighbors in Oakvale, Adele has a very good reason for going into the woods. Adele is one of a long line of guardians, women who are able to change into wolves and who are tasked with the job of protecting their village while never letting any of the villagers know of their existence.
But when following her calling means abandoning the person she loves, the future she imagined for herself, and her values she must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her neighbors safe.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | My Review
6. Stalking Shadows by Cyla Panin
Title: Stalking Shadows
Author: Cyla Panin
Publication Date: Sept. 14, 2021
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Amulet Books
Synopsis: A gothic YA fantasy debut about a young woman striving to break her sister’s curse and stop the killing in her small French town
Seventeen-year-old Marie mixes perfumes to sell on market day in her small eighteenth-century French town. She wants to make enough to save a dowry for her sister, Ama, in hopes of Ama marrying well and Marie living in the level of freedom afforded only to spinster aunts. But her perfumes are more than sweet scents in cheap, cut-glass bottles: A certain few are laced with death. Marie laces the perfume delicately—not with poison but with a hint of honeysuckle she’s trained her sister to respond to. Marie marks her victim, and Ama attacks. But she doesn’t attack as a girl. She kills as a beast.
Marking Ama’s victims controls the damage to keep suspicion at bay. But when a young boy turns up dead one morning, Marie is forced to acknowledge she might be losing control of Ama. And if she can’t control her, she’ll have to cure her. Marie knows the only place she’ll find the cure is in the mansion where Ama was cursed in the first place, home of Lord Sebastien LeClaire. But once she gets into the mansion, she discovers dark secrets hidden away—secrets of the curse, of Lord Sebastien . . . and of herself.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | My Review
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Have you read any of these books? Have you read any others with Gothic vibes? Comment below!
I really want to pick up Red Wolf, it sounds so good!
I know it got mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. There are a few interesting twists, and it definitely didn’t go in the direction I expected, which was cool.
Lakesedge sounds very good!
Oooh, that’s a good one!
Oh I love these recommendations, thank you so much for sharing Julie! I adore Gothic novels, and have heard especially good things about For The Wolf.
Thanks, Stephen! I really enjoyed For the Wolf, though it was a bit bloodier than I anticipated. I’m loving the Gothic YA books this year. 🙂
For the Wolf has been one of my favorite fantasy reads this year – such a well-done retelling! And while I wait for the sequel, I now have more gothic tales to keep me occupied. Thanks for the recommendations!
Nice! I hope you enjoy! I can’t wait for the sequel either. I follow the author on Twitter and they post teasers for book 2 – It sounds fantastic!
I have A Far Wilder Magic and am looking forward to reading it ❤️
Ooooh, I hope you enjoy it!
Love a good gothic book! I thought Down Comes The Night was pretty good, I adored the gothic atmosphere and vibes! Still need to read For The Wolf 🥺✨
Oooh, For the Wolf is good. And Saft’s upcoming release A Far Wilder Magic is really good too!