October was a fantastic reading month for me, though I didn’t get through all the spooky books I ambitiously saved for October. I ended the month with 16 books read and three books rolling over into November. I kept my system of reading several books simultaneously to split between physical books and audiobooks.

Physical Books:

Legendbord by Tracy Deonn

I started October with Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. I got this book from a friend when we made a book trade-off. I did a mixture of reading between the physical copy and the audiobook. I enjoyed this book, and I enjoyed the narrator they chose for the audiobook. I initially rated it three stars, but I am bumping it to 4 stars due to how great of a job it did with talking about systematic racism even in this fantasy world. It wasn’t five stars for me because I’m not very familiar with the Arthorian Legend, and at times, I got lost and bored.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi was all over bookstagram. I am assuming that the final installment has come out in September, so I went out and bought all three books at once. I intended on reading the whole series in October, but I didn’t get the chance to do so. I rated this 5/5 stars.

A Darker Shade of Magic Series by V. E. Schwab

So, i binge read. A Darker Shade of Magic series this month. One of my bookstagram friend swears by this series, so i had to check it out. I’m not going to rate each book individually here, but I’d say I would rate the series as a whole 4/5 stars. First book was fantastic, second was meh, third was good, but left a lot of things unanswered. However, I believe Schwab is currently working on another book involving this universe/characters, so I am interested to find out if some of my questions get answered.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

The Ex Hex, to me, was not worth the hype. I rated it 2.5/5 stars. I felt it had potential, but the story fell flat for me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just wasn’t it for me. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman was 4/5 stars for me, mostly because I enjoy Hoffman’s writing, but I didn’t connect with the characters this time around. I lowkey didn’t care much for them, but it was still well written, and I love the Owen’s family anyways, so in the end I was just glad to have more of them.

Heartstopper Volume 1,2 & 3 by Alice Oseman

It has been years since I’ve read a graphic novel and Heartstopper by Alice Oseman stole my whole damn heart! I love Nick and Charlie. This graphic novel series gave me all the feels, to the point it’s my new comfort read. I can’t wait to get volume 4. 100000×100000 Stars!

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Ever After had me crying off the bat. A beautifully written story of self-discovery, identity, and belonging. To all my trans friend, trans people, and trans kids, i see you and I love YOU! This was a 5/5 stars. I started with the audiobook on the Libby app, and by 11% in, I ran to the bookstore and bought it. It’s that good!

Audiobooks:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I got this book as a trade-off with a friend, and although I started reading the physical copy, I ended up reading a great majority via audiobook. I believe I rated it 4/5 stars.

The Poet X by Ellizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Acevedo is quickly becoming one of my favorite Latinx authors and favorite author in general. The Poet X was a book in verse, and I am glad I read it via audiobook. It was such a beautiful story. 5/5 stars.

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crytal Maldonado

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega was another 5/5 stars for me. The story was compeling and heartfelt. I loved Charlie’s character development. I loved the fat and Puerto Rican representation.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

I rated this book 2.5, and I was being gracious. You all lied to me. I don’t get the hype. That’s all I’m saying. I’m going to have a hard time believing anything bookstagram and book took hypes from now on.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

I got to 31% of this audiobook and decided to DNF. This gets zero stars from me. This book was poorly written. The MC Theo was trash and not in the way that still keeps you engaged in the story even though you hate the MC. I was not too fond of the author’s use of language; it was misogynistic, fatphobic, and racist. For a book based on a therapist, I found it handled topics like mental illness, suicide, and self-harming quite tactless; it felt like the author was sensationalizing it. It was disgusting.

So this wraps up my October reading. I wish I had squeezed more spooky books, but overall I’m happy with what I did get to read. The three books rolling over to November were A Lot Like Adios, Skin of the Sea, and Blazewrath Games. If you’ve read any of these books, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts.