Belladonna is a completed trilogy (Belladonna, Foxglove, and Wisteria), with one novella (Holly) that came out in late September. It’s classified as a romantasy with mystery elements.

The first two books are about a girl, Signa Farrow, who is bounced from home to home after the death of her parents. Eventually, she ends up at Thorn Grove, home to her relatives, the Hawthornes. A mysterious illness has befallen the women of the Hawthorne family–before Signa even arrives, Lillian, the mother, dies, and Blythe, the daughter, grows very sick. At first, Signa believes it’s just a disease and thinks nothing more of it. But then the ghost of Lillian appears and reveals to Signa that she believes she was poisoned, and she needs Signa to find out who poisoned her. From there, Signa embarks on a quest to find justice, aided by–and romanced by–Death himself.

The third book takes on the point of view of Blythe and builds off the events of books 2 and 3.

When I explained the premise of Belladonna, Brooke Holmer (10) said she “liked the sound of it [Belladonna], especially how dark it sounds.” This series is gothic and perfect for the Halloween season, especially since it features literal Death. There are ghosts, haunted mansions, rainy seaside cliffs, and graveyards. Jasmine Moawad (10) says, “It’s [Belladona is] a lot about death and life, so it relates to fall, which is when the leaves are dying.” Admittedly, I regretted reading this series–at the time that l did, which was over the summer. If I’d read it during the fall, I’m sure I would’ve been that much more immersed. And I already gave all three books 4+ stars (out of 5), so that’s saying something.

Any mystery book by Holly Jackson fits right in with the spooky season vibes. This one is a standalone and is set after Halloween.

This book follows Jet Mason, the daughter of a wealthy construction company owner, who knows she knows she can always do it later. Complete college, find a stable job, make a name for herself–she’s only 27, and she can just do it later.

Until an incident on Halloween night leaves her with seven days to live.

Now, a deadline with the finality of death looms over Jet’s head. She wasted all her time thinking she would always have more left, but now that she knows she doesn’t, she’s determined to do one thing: figure out who exactly hit her over the head on Halloween. Essentially, Jet is going to solve her own murder.

This book was perfectly crafted. There were a million tiny threads that were all different colors scattered throughout the book, and I was constantly wondering how they would all fit together without looking like an amalgamation. Holly Jackson weaved them into a beautiful tapestry that I promptly destroyed with my tears by the end of the story. 

I went into this book telling myself I wasn’t going to get attached to Jet, knowing she was going to die by the end. But despite my best efforts, I absolutely fell in love with Jet and her best friend/helper, Billy. I just couldn’t help it.

This is a completed duology (Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows) with one prequel book, Wild Reverence.

This story follows Iris Winnow, a journalist at the Oath Gazette, who’s gunning for the title of columnist. But she doesn’t know if she’ll make it. Her home life has worsened as of late: her brother’s missing after fighting at the warfront, and her mother’s turned to alcoholism to cope. She’s the sole provider for her family, and her recent work has been slipping because of it.

To make matters worse, her handsome rival Roman Kitt is aiming for the same position.

A series of divine coincidences leads to letters meant for Iris’s brother ending up in Roman’s hands. Thus, Iris and her rival form a magical connection. But can it withstand distance, rivalry, and, more importantly, war?

Divine Rivals was a masterpiece. Rebecca Ross’s writing was lyrical and flowing, constantly filled with lush and atmospheric description. Her characters were realistic and the depictions of war, even a magical one, felt so vivid. The rivalry between Roman and Iris, even when we know they just can’t help but be drawn to each other, was so magnetic. It’s the perfect not-quite-cozy-but-definitely-alluring fall read to curl up with–alongside a typewriter and a cup of hot chocolate, of course.

This standalone is admittedly one I haven’t read, because it’s on my fall to-be-read list. I have read some of V.E Schwab’s other books (Vicious and Vengeful) and can wholeheartedly confirm that those are works of art.

From what I know, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is a triple timeline, triple point-of-view vampire fantasy about three rage-filled women. The first is Maria, a beautiful but wild noblewoman who knows her only hope for escape is vampirism. The second is 19th century Charlotte, who lives a peaceful but walled-in life, and finds that her freedom comes at a similar price. The third is Alice, who moved halfway across the world in order to start anew, but finds herself questioning her own past, present, and future. All three women and their timelines intertwine, with the 16th century Maria making decisions that will affect 21st century Alice.

Can a more fall-aesthetic book exist? A gripping, delicious, biting vampire book about women, infused with the same to-die-for writing I know is V.E Schwab’s trademark? I think not. Just writing this recommendation sent Bury our Bones in the Midnight Soil rocketing up to the top spot on my to-be-read list.

There’s no doubt that fall is the best season to curl up in bed with a good book. The only question is which good book.