Spook-tacular Book Recommendations

October 7, 2020

To all the ghouls and gals,

Yes, I did title this Spook-tacular book recommendations and said ghouls and gals because I love puns 😂.

But it’s SPOOKY SEASON everyone!!!!

I know, I know, this year might be a bit different in what October and Halloween may be, but let’s not let the pandemic keep us down or keep us from celebrating in anyway we can. Life is too precious to spend it moping about how we may not get to trick-or-treat or have all those Halloween parties like we’re used to, but there are still other ways to have fun this season and I hope this blog post inspires you are gives you the cheer you need to still be festive.

Are you dressing up this year?

I have a whole other blog post I’m writing about Halloween and dressing up, and I’ll link it when I post it.

But this year, I don’t know if I’m going to do the same tradition I have every year with my family. Every year my younger cousins come over and we trick-or-treat in my neighborhood (more like they trick-or-treat and I watch). They all dress up in cute costumes as either Descendent characters, Harry Potter characters, a ninja, or whatever interests them this year. And there is nothing cuter than seeing a little kid dressed up in an adorable costume! 💕 And don’t even get me started on babies in cute costumes! I mean, have you ever seen those mouse costumes with the big ears like Despereaux?!!!! You have not lived if you have not seen a cute baby in a mouse costume with huge floppy ears bigger than their whole body. I kid you not. Get it, kid 😉. More like baby, I guess!

But I love this tradition with my cousins because it allows for some quality time with them when I sparingly seem them throughout the year. I see them some weekends, but I don’t know, I think it’s important to make time for loved ones and to genuinely be there with them. And I’ve been there since my cousins were born, holding their hands when they first learned to trick-or-treat, or to hold them when a scary monster walked by. So it’s special whenever Halloween comes around because it takes me back to when they were younger and they would rely on me. They’re older now—about upper elementary school and one is in sixth grade—-but I love how they still want to spend time with me. Because you know . . . when they get older they might not want to hang out with their older cousin or trick-or-treat in general. That’s why it’s important to cherish all the moments you can with your family while you can. This year, if we cannot trick-or-treat I have this idea I want to share with you.

My cousins didn’t grow up in the Disney era of great Halloween movies. Heck, the other day I asked my eight-year old cousin if she knew who Hannah Montana was? And you know what she told me? 🤪

Do YOU KNOW WHAT SHE TOLD ME?!!

She said, “I’ve heard of her. Is that a Youtuber?”

My mouth dropped and my eyes widened. I don’t know why my eyes widened because I could not look at her! 😆 Is Hannah Montana a YOUTUBER?!!!

I’M SORRY, WHAT?!

In that moment, I told her to get her mom’s phone and log into her Disney+. Then I showed her who Hannah Montana was, and the future teacher in me told her that her homework was to watch the first season and tell me about it later 😂.

But, seriously, I could not and will not get over how she did not know who Hannah Montana was!

Suffice to say, my cousins don’t know about the prime time of Disney. So they don’t know about Hocus Pocus, Twitches, Halloweentown, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Girl Vs. Monster, Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire, Under Wraps, or My Baby Sitter’s a Vampire.

Being the Disney fanatic and the cooler older cousin, if we can’t trick-or-treat this year, I hope they can come over to my family’s house and we can eat pizza, set out a big bowl of candy from them to eat from, and then they can sit in front of the TV in their costumes, watching all the greatest Disney movies until they fall asleep. I am culturing them in the great world of Halloween movies 😂. If they get bored of the movies and need a break, we can have a dance party to random Halloween songs, which they need more Halloween music if we’re being honest. My cousins are also at that age where they LOVE Tik Tok, so you know, if they want to make a Halloween Tik Tok because that’s fun for them, then that’s all that matters. And if they’re feeling real hyped up on sugar, maybe we can bake some pumpkin cookies or scones or make candy. Something fun for them to enjoy and do this Halloween. I just want to create a day/night that they can remember and not think back to, “Oh, that Halloween sucked because there was a pandemic and we couldn’t trick-or-treat.” Because, yes, this year has been one of the roughest years for all of us, but we can make the best out of it in all the ways we can. So that is my plan if trick-or-treating is not an option.

What are you Halloween plans this year? Any other creative ideas I could use? And, the bigger question, what is you favorite Disney Halloween movie? 😊 Let me know below in the comments!

Another plan if you are not big into celebrating Halloween or you don’t celebrate Halloween, is obviously, you can read books that put you in the mood of the spooky season. This is where I come in 😄. Because I’m here to tell you all the spooky season books that are perfect to make you creeped out and scared in the best way. And all the books that have a touch of magic, gore, mystery, and supernatural.

Because a lot of YA fantasy books involve the supernatural, I’m not going to list every single YA fantasy book out there, but if you are looking for a spooky season vibe book, I would highly recommend in general the fantasy or mystery branch of YA books. Most of the books I’m going to list below are from those branches, some are also contemporary.

These are just books that give me the spooky season vibes, but if you have books that get you in the Halloween spirit or books I didn’t list, also let me know below in the comments! Also, I just want to mention, I’m not the most avid reader of mystery or gory books, so these are recommendations from an average YA reader who reads a lot of fantasy and contemporary books. And if you have read some of the books listed, comment what from the book made it feel like Halloween for you? Was it the fear-factor, the magic, the supernatural? Let me know 😊.

So without further ado, here are books you can read to get you into the Halloween Spooky Season:

🔪🩸 Fear Factor 🔪🩸

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Series by Michelle Hopkins

A three book series with a spin-off from Noah Shaw’s perspective

Mara Dyer doesn’t know if she is crazy or haunted—all she knows is that everyone around her is dying in this suspenseful and “strong, inventive tale” (Kirkus Reviews).

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong.

After Mara survives the traumatizing accident at the old asylum, it makes sense that she has issues. She lost her best friend, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s sister, and as if that weren’t enough to cope with, her family moves to a new state in order to give her a fresh start. But that fresh start is quickly filled with hallucinations—or are they premonitions?—and then corpses, and the boundary between reality and nightmare is wavering. At school, there’s Noah, a devastatingly handsome charmer who seems determined to help Mara piece together what’s real, what’s imagined—and what’s very, very dangerous.

This fast-paced psychological—or is it paranormal?—thriller will leave you breathless for its sequel, The Evolution of Mara Dyer.

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin. When Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, asks Lowen to complete the remaining books in a contract his permanently injured wife is unable to fulfill, Lowen has no choice but to accept. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home with the intention of only staying one or two nights—long enough to sort through Verity’s chaotic home office to collect all the notes and outlines she’ll need to start writing the first novel. But the more time Lowen spends with Jeremy Crawford, the less of a hurry she is in to leave. While there, Lowen uncovers a hidden manuscript. An autobiography containing chilling admissions Verity planned to take to her grave, including the truth behind the events that turned their lives upside down. A truth that, if revealed to Jeremy, would further devastate the already grieving father. Lowen decides to keep the manuscript a secret, allowing Jeremy to continue to believe Verity is merely an innocent, unfortunate victim of circumstance. But as Lowen’s feelings for the devoted father and husband deepen, she wonders if keeping Jeremy in the dark is in her own best interest. After all, if Jeremy were to read his wife’s autobiography, the disturbing truth would make it impossible for him to continue to love her. A chilling romantic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.

See Me by Nicholas Sparks

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he’s determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria’s lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria’s past begin to surface.

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize.

✨🪄 Magic ✨🪄

The Windy City Magic Series by Crystal Cestari

A three book series

Book One: The Best Kind of Magic

Amber Sand is not a witch. The Sand family magical gene somehow leapfrogged over her. But she did get one highly specific bewitching talent: she can see true love. As a matchmaker, Amber’s pretty far down the sorcery food chain (even birthday party magicians rank higher), but after five seconds of eye contact, she can envision anyone’s soul mate. 
Amber works at her mother’s magic shop-Windy City Magic-in downtown Chicago, and she’s confident she’s seen every kind of happy ending there is: except for one-her own. (The Fates are tricky jerks that way.) So when Charlie Blitzman, the mayor’s son and most-desired boy in school, comes to her for help finding his father’s missing girlfriend, she’s distressed to find herself falling for him. Because while she can’t see her own match, she can see his–and it’s not Amber. How can she, an honest peddler of true love, pursue a boy she knows full well isn’t her match?
The Best Kind of Magic is set in urban Chicago and will appeal to readers who long for magic in the real world. With a sharp-witted and sassy heroine, a quirky cast of mystical beings, and a heady dose of adventure, this novel will have you laughing out loud and questioning your belief in happy endings.

Hexed Series by Michelle Krys

A two book series

Book one: Hexed

Indigo Blackwood is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and cool friends. On the surface, her life looks perfect. But when a guy dies violently right before her eyes and an ancient family Bible is stolen, Indie’s world spirals into darkness. Turns out Indie isn’t just a normal teenager: she has a destiny. And it involves much more than pom-poms and parties. 

If she doesn’t get that book back, every witch in existence will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, the hot warlock who has an uncanny knowledge of everything that matters, she’s a witch too.

Indie is about to uncover the many shadowy truths about her life—and a supernatural future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Four book series

Book one: The Raven Boys

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them–until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn’t believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

🔍🕵🏽‍♀️ Mystery 🔍🕵🏽‍♀️

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. 

How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.

This is the story of an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you’ll never expect.

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way… and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it’s too late?

One of Us is Lying Series by Karen M. McManus

Next book: Can You Keep a Secret?

Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
    Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. 
    Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. 
    Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
    Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
    And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

 
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose? 

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them. 

Sadie by Courtney Summers

When popular radio personality West McCray receives a desperate phone call from a stranger imploring him to find nineteen-year-old runaway Sadie Hunter, he’s not convinced there’s a story there; girls go missing all the time. But when it’s revealed that Sadie fled home after the brutal murder of her little sister, Mattie, West travels to the small town of Cold Creek, Colorado, to uncover what happened.

Sadie has no idea that her journey to avenge her sister will soon become the subject of a blockbuster podcast. Armed with a switchblade, Sadie follows meager clues hoping they’ll lead to the man who took Mattie’s life, because she’s determined to make him pay with his own. But as West traces her path to the darkest, most dangerous corners of big cities and small towns, a deeply unsettling mystery begins to unfold―one that’s bigger than them both. Can he find Sadie before it’s too late?

Alternating between Sadie’s unflinching voice as she hunts the killer and the podcast transcripts tracking the clues she’s left behind, Sadie is a breathless thriller about the lengths we go to protect the ones we love and the high price we pay when we can’t. It will haunt you long after you reach the final page.

All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

A thrilling debut, reminiscent of new fan favorites like One of Us Is Lying and the beloved classics by Agatha Christie, that will leave readers guessing until the explosive ending. 

“Welcome to dinner, and again, congratulations on being selected. Now you must do the selecting.”

What do the queen bee, star athlete, valedictorian, stoner, loner, and music geek all have in common? They were all invited to a scholarship dinner, only to discover it’s a trap. Someone has locked them into a room with a bomb, a syringe filled with poison, and a note saying they have an hour to pick someone to kill…or else everyone dies.

Amber Prescott is determined to get her classmates and herself out of the room alive, but that might be easier said than done. No one knows how they’re all connected or who would want them dead.

As they retrace the events over the past year that might have triggered their captor’s ultimatum, it becomes clear that everyone is hiding something.

And with the clock ticking down, confusion turns into fear, and fear morphs into panic as they race to answer the biggest question: Who will they choose to die?

We Were Liars By E. Lockhart

A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

 
We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. 
Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

🧛🏼 👽 Super-Natural 🧛🏼 👽

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

A six book series with a spin off called Bloodlines—HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOTH!

Book one: Vampire Academy

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

The LUX series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A five book series

Book One: Obsidian

There’s an alien next door. And with his looming height and eerie green eyes, he’s hot…until he opens his mouth. He’s infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, he marks me. Turns out he has a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal his abilities and the only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to him until my alien mojo fades. If I don’t kill him first, that is.

The Dark Elements Series by Jennifer L. Aremntrout

A three book series

Book one: White Hot Kiss

Layla just wants to fit in at school and go on a date with Zayne, whom she’s crushed on since forever. Trouble is, Zayne treats Layla like a sister—and Layla is a half demon, half gargoyle with abilities no one else possesses. And even though Zayne is a Warden, part of the race of gargoyles tasked with keeping humanity safe, Layla’s kiss will kill anything with a soul—including him.

Then she meets Roth—a demon who claims to know her secrets. Though Layla knows she should stay away, it’s tough when that whole no-kissing thing isn’t an issue. Trusting Roth could ruin her chances with Zayne, but as Layla discovers she’s the reason for a violent demon uprising, kissing the enemy suddenly pales in comparison to the looming end of the world.

Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs

A five book Series

Book one: Miss Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

🦸🏻‍♀️ 💥 Super Heroes 🦸🏻‍♀️ 💥

The DC Icon Series by various authors

Book One: Wonder Woman Warbringer

She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .  
Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may
have doomed the world.
 
Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

 
Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

Other DC Icon books include: Superman, Cat Woman, Batman, etc.

The Renegades Series by Marisa Meyer

A three Book Series

Book one: Renegades

Secret Identities.

Extraordinary Powers.

She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone…except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.

💜🦴 More Light-Hearted Fun 💜🦴

A Semi Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland

Ever since Esther Solar’s grandfather was cursed by Death, everyone in her family has been doomed to suffer one great fear in their lifetime. Esther’s father is agoraphobic and hasn’t left the basement in six years, her twin brother can’t be in the dark without a light on, and her mother is terrified of bad luck.
 
The Solars are consumed by their fears and, according to the legend of the curse, destined to die from them.
 
Esther doesn’t know what her great fear is yet (nor does she want to), a feat achieved by avoiding pretty much everything. Elevators, small spaces and crowds are all off-limits. So are haircuts, spiders, dolls, mirrors and three dozen other phobias she keeps a record of in her semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.
 
Then Esther is pickpocketed by Jonah Smallwood, an old elementary school classmate. Along with her phone, money and a fruit roll-up she’d been saving, Jonah also steals her list of fears. Despite the theft, Esther and Jonah become friends, and he sets a challenge for them: in an effort to break the curse that has crippled her family, they will meet every Sunday of senior year to work their way through the list, facing one terrifying fear at a time, including one that Esther hadn’t counted on: love.

Happy Spooky Season everyone! And stay safe 💕

As always, with love,

Pastel New Sig

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