Read in October 2025
October has always been one of my favourite reading months. Autumn simply creates the coziest reading atmosphere, and it’s the perfect time to reach for more atmospheric or spooky fiction.
I didn’t manage to finish every book I had picked out for the month, but that’s perfectly fine. In the end, I still finished (or nearly finished) a lovely stack of books, enough to tick a few more titles off my neverending list.
In total, I completed 8 books in October, amounting to 3275 pages. That brings the average October book to 409 pages/book.
There were also two books that, despite giving them a fair chance to grab me, I eventually decided to set aside. Together they still added 249 pages to the count, so they definitely deserve a small mention.
Because of that, October turned out to be a bit of a mixed month in terms of ratings. Alongside the two DNFs, I finished 2 books with 2 stars, 4 with 3 stars, and 2 with 4 stars, bringing the average October read to a neat 3.0 stars.
As for target audience, I read 2 Young Adult books and 8 adult books.
As always, I switched things up in format: 1 e-book, 4 audiobooks, and 5 physically owned books.
Genre-wise, I explored 4 main genres: romance (1), science fiction (1), horror (3), and fantasy (5).
Below you’ll find the list of books I read in October, along with my star ratings.
Click on the link to jump to the blurb and my review! As always, please be mindful that both blurbs and reviews may contain spoilers — especially for sequels in a series. Sometimes I also hide spoilers behind collapsible or blacked-out text.
- Saft, Allison – A Dark and Drowning Tide (DNF)
- Kelsey, Naomi – The Darkening Globe ★★★★
- Kova, Elise – A Duet with the Siren Duke (Married to Magic #4) (DNF)
- Kingfisher, T. – The Twisted Ones 🎧 ★★★★
- Reid, Ava – A Theory of Dreaming (A Study in Drowning #2) ★★★
- Hazelwood, Ali – Mate (Bride #2) ★★★
- Black, Holly – Book of Night (The Charlatan Duology #1) 🎧 ★★
- Black, Holly – Thief of Night (The Charlatan Duology #2) 🎧 ★★
- Drews, C.G. – Don’t Let the Forest In ★★★
- Liu, Cixin – Death’s End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #3) 🎧 ★★★
Saft, Allison – A Dark and Drowning Tide (DNF)
Genre: Fantasy
Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.
The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.
But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.
As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.
I made it to about 31% of A Dark and Drowning Tide before deciding to set it aside. The setup initially intrigued me, with the murder on a boat ans the political tensions between different regions uniting under one reluctant nation. It actually reminded me a little of Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, but with a more serious and somber tone, and ultimately lacking the charm or wit that could have made the premise come alive.
The introductions were messy, with a stream of names, regions, and histories that never quite took shape. The worldbuilding felt woefully underdeveloped and was mostly told through heavy info dumps rather than woven naturally into the story. The odd use of German words scattered throughout only added to the sense of disjointedness.
The characters sadly couldn’t make up for the lack of a solid foundation. Everyone came across as immature and unpleasant, especially the main character, who seemed permanently angry and mean-spirited. It felt as if this book started as a YA story, but then they simply aged up the cast without changing their behaviour.
The pacing was slow, the interludes with folklore didn’t flow well, and by the time I reached page 114, I realised I simply didn’t care. Not about the mystery, not about the world, and not about the people in it.
It’s a shame, because the writing itself shows potential, and I usually love folklore-inspired stories. But this one just didn’t click with me.
Kelsey, Naomi – The Darkening Globe ★★★★
Genre: Horror
1597, London. When Beatrice’s husband returns from exploring the New World, he comes home with unexpected a mysterious woman, and an enormous painted globe.
As Hugh refuses to explain who their female guest is, Beatrice’s foreboding grows. The unwieldy globe now strikes her as sinister – a reminder of the world of secrets pervading her household.
Then one night, the great, hulking globe begins to turn of its own accord. Terrifying new illustrations appear on its face – and when untimely deaths ensue, Beatrice is convinced that the drawings are connected.
Desperate to prove that she is not paranoid, Beatrice risks everything to uncover the truth. What sinister force is behind these killings? What really happened on Hugh’s excursion to the Americas? Who is the strange woman who won’t leave her house? And on this otherworldly map of murders, who will be painted as the final victim?
The Darkening Globe is a wonderfully atmospheric read. Eerie, sinister, and filled with that creeping sense of dread that slowly crawls up your spine. It’s a spooky story interwoven with the fascinating historical backdrop of discovery, conquest, and courtly intrigue, walking the delicate line between the natural and the supernatural.
I loved the setting and how the story kept unfolding in unexpected ways. Nothing turned out quite as I thought it would, which made the reading experience all the more engaging. It’s mysterious, clever, and full of twists that kept me captivated until the end.
If I had one critique, it’s that the villain lacked the depth to truly stand out, and some of the final explanations felt a little unfinished. Even so, this was a darkly imaginative and thoroughly entertaining read that lingered with me long after I turned the last page.
Kova, Elise – A Duet with the Siren Duke (Married to Magic #4) (DNF)
Genre: Fantasy
Victoria risks everything to leave a dangerous marriage and gain a second chance at life. But when her escape goes awry, she finds herself caught in the strong embrace of a mysterious siren, forced to choose: temporary salvation or immediate death.
And so, a cursed deal is struck.
Five years later, Victoria is alive—and the world’s finest ship captain. But her debt to the siren looms while her conniving ex has demanded a king’s ransom as the final price of her freedom. Victoria refuses to cause her family to suffer any more on her behalf, and is determined to make things right before her time is up. But that time is cut short.
The siren comes for her. Six months early.
Taken to the magical and deadly Eversea, home of the sirens, Victoria discovers she’s the sacrifice upon which all sirens pin their hopes. If they want to appease an angry god and save a world on the brink of destruction, then they need her. Which gives her the perfect leverage.
Victoria strikes a new bargain: the Siren Duke will help save her family, and she’ll fulfill his demands. It’s a good bargain until a flicker of passion ignites in the scarred remnants of Victoria’s heart, threatening all she’s worked for. As the sacrifice for the God of Death, she’s meant to give up everything that draws her to the world of the living. But that’s impossible when all she can think about is how this handsome siren’s song, and his hands, make her feel very much alive.
In a realm of ancient magic, submerged secrets, and forgotten gods, can love find a place among shattered hearts as they race against time and the blossoming of forbidden desires? Or will the delicate songs of their hearts be silenced once and for all?
A Duet with the Siren Duke is a complete, *stand alone novel*. It’s for readers looking for a fantasy romance with deep lore, second-chance love, sacrifice, forbidden and slow-burn romance that sizzles on the page, and a happily ever after where love triumphs over all.
While it is set in the Married to Magic universe, readers can start with this book as all Married to Magic novels are stand alones.
After about 24% of A Duet with the Siren Duke I deciding to put it down. Almost from the start, the writing felt overly drawn out and repetitive. The main character’s inner monologues kept circling the same thoughts, only to reach slightly different conclusions a few paragraphs later, which quickly became frustrating to read.
The characters also felt flat, with unrealistic achievements and side characters who were mentioned once as if I should already know their entire backstory. The lack of depth, combined with the constant repetition and inconsistency in tone, made it hard to stay invested.
I probably could have pushed through, but the fact that I was sighing and rolling my eyes every few pages made it clear this book just wasn’t working for me. Honestly, this series as a whole seems to be suffering from a bit of fatigue. Each installment has been a solid but unremarkable three-star read for me so far. Enjoyable enough, but nothing that truly sticks. Even though I already own the next book, I think it’s time for me to call it quits on this series.
🎧 Kingfisher, T. – The Twisted Ones ★★★★
Genre: Horror
Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there’s more—Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather’s journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants…until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself.
Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors—because sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real, and they’re looking for you. And if she doesn’t face them head on, she might not survive to tell the tale.
“I made faces like the faces on the rocks, and I twisted myself about like the twisted ones, and I lay down flat on the ground like the dead ones.”
This bizarre and haunting line, repeated several times throughout the novel, perfectly captures the story’s eerie, atmospheric tone. Set in an old house at the edge of the woods, it has that slow, creeping sense of dread that builds beautifully, while still radiating something surprisingly cozy. It’s the perfect kind of horror for readers like me, who want to feel unsettled without losing sleep over it
The characters, and especially our narrator Mouse, are grounded, funny and deeply likeable. They make logical choices and feel utterly real. I also loved the inclusion of Foxy, a sixty-year-old woman portrayed as strong, capable and a force to be reckoned with, which is a nice change from the usual “weak granny” or “villainous crone” stereotype. And of course, I have to mention Bongo, the bestest doggy and such a very good boy.
The story walks a fine line between psychological tension and folkloric horror, peppered with humour and heart. While the antagonists themselves were a little underwhelming once revealed, and not all questions were fully answered, the unsettling atmosphere more than made up for it.
All in all, this was a highly entertaining, cleverly layered horror fantasy filled with mystery, suspense, and just the right touch of humour. Each new book I read from Kingfisher only cements her more as a favourite author and this one was no exception. Also highly recommend the audiobook!
Reid, Ava – A Theory of Dreaming (A Study in Drowning #2) ★★★
Genre: Fantasy
All stories come to an end.
Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.
But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?
With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking.
As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.
Are dreams ever truly just dreams?
A Theory of Dreaming feels like slipping back into a half-remembered dream: hazy, melancholic, and oddly comforting. Reid’s prose remains as hypnotic and immersive as ever, wrapping the reader in a nostalgic, almost lethargic atmosphere that’s both soothing and disquieting. The story drifts rather than drives forward, steeped in suggestion and ambiguity, more concerned with mood than momentum.
That vagueness, though beautifully written, comes at a cost. The plot feels thin and uncertain, filled with hints at depth that never quite materialise. Effy’s regression is particularly frustrating to read; after all her growth in A Study in Drowning, watching her surrender her progress and drift into apathy felt disheartening. Her passivity clashes with the fighting spirit she once showed, leaving her character hollowed out.
Reid’s language, however, remains her greatest strength. It’s lush, lyrical, and strangely intoxicating. Even when I recognised the story’s flaws, I couldn’t look away. It’s only after finishing that I realised how little substance there truly was beneath all that beauty. The frequent cigarette imagery, romanticised almost to excess, further added to the sense of languid self-indulgence that defines the book.
Ultimately, A Theory of Dreaming is an exquisite illusion: gorgeous to experience, yet strangely empty when examined up close. It’s a book I found deeply engrossing in the moment, but one that fades quickly, like the remnants of a dream upon waking.
Hazelwood, Ali – Mate (Bride #2) ★★★
Genre: Romantiek
Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey to the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left—if he’ll have her.
As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn’t matter if Serena doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.
But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her—and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…
After spotting the October Illumicrate calendar illustration featuring Misery and Serena, I was reminded that Ali Hazelwood had released Mate, the sequel to Bride, this time giving Serena the spotlight. Between darker, more atmospheric reads, I thought it would be the perfect light-hearted palate cleanser.
As expected, Hazelwood’s trademark humour and witty banter shine. The exchanges between Serena and Koen are sharp, funny, and endlessly entertaining. Both characters have strong, likable personalities, and the book strikes a surprisingly good balance between plot and romance. The tone is playfully self-aware, poking fun at all the werewolf–vampire obsessions that many of us grew up with, and that sense of nostalgia makes it even more enjoyable.
I especially appreciated Hazelwood’s effort to give her paranormal world a pseudo-scientific grounding. The evolutionary explanations for different species add a clever twist that appeals to the sceptical reader. That said, Serena’s personal struggles are resolved a bit too easily, undercutting what could have been a more powerful commentary on how women’s health issues are often minimised or ignored.
The book did start to drag around the halfway point and might have benefited from being slightly shorter. The intimate scenes, though intentionally hazy to reflect Serena’s muddled state of mind, felt cruder and less natural than Hazelwood’s usual style, which made them harder to enjoy.
Still, Mate is a fun, easy, and thoroughly entertaining read. Just the right mix of cringe, charm, and clever parody. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s exactly what makes it such a delight.
🎧 Black, Holly – Book of Night (The Charlatan Duology #1) ★★
Genre: Fantasy
Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgängers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.
Coming back to Book of Night a second time confirmed much of what I felt on my first read: this is a book filled with fascinating ideas but weighed down by uneven execution. The pacing still feels sluggish, surprisingly so for a novel barely 300 pages long, and the lack of tension and proper world-building remains its greatest weakness. The shadow-based magic system continues to intrigue me, but it’s frustratingly underdeveloped; terms and concepts appear without explanation, leaving the rules of this world vague and confusing.
That said, experiencing the story as an audiobook this time around made a noticeable difference. The narrator’s performance added texture and warmth, particularly to Charlie’s character, whom I found far more engaging and sympathetic than before. The side characters still suffer from minimal development, but hearing distinct voices gave them a bit more presence, even when the text itself didn’t.
In the end, my opinion hasn’t changed much: Book of Night is a novel brimming with potential that never quite delivers on its promise. The ideas are bold and alluring, but the story lacks depth and drive. Still, there’s enough here to make me curious about what the sequel might bring.
🎧 Black, Holly – Thief of Night (The Charlatan Duology #2) ★★
Genre: Fantasy
There’d always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked from the day she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn’t willing to double down on. She may be good enough to steal a shadow from a tower, but will she be good enough to steal back a heart?
Thief of Night picks up immediately after Book of Night ends, and I’m glad I revisited the first book beforehand. Without that refresher, I would have been completely lost. The story dives straight in, offering a decent continuation, though it doesn’t quite feel worth the long wait between instalments.
As before, the world remains frustratingly flimsy, with a magic system full of intriguing terms (gloamists, masks, puppeteers, cabal, and more) that ultimately add little substance. There’s a mystery at the heart of the book, but it unfolds slowly, and despite the flurry of plotlines, few are developed with enough depth to truly land. Side characters, both old and new, still feel like sketches rather than people. Even Charlie and Vince’s relationship, which carries a stronger romantic thread this time, lacks the emotional conviction it promises.
That said, the audiobook narration once again elevates the experience. The performances bring warmth, urgency, and a real sense of atmosphere that the text alone often lacks. Even when the pacing dragged or the logic wobbled, I found myself engaged thanks to the voices guiding me through.
In the end, Thief of Night is enjoyable enough in the moment as a dark, urban-tinged fantasy that’s fun to listen to, but it falls short of being fully satisfying. Too many threads are introduced, too few are tied up meaningfully, and the conclusion feels oddly anticlimactic, with Charlie shouldering most of the fallout. It’s a story I’m glad to have read, but one I doubt will linger long.
Drews, C.G. – Don’t Let the Forest In ★★★
Genre: Horror
Kill for him.
High school senior Andrew Perrault finds refuge in the twisted fairytales that he writes for the only person who can ground him to reality―Thomas Rye, the boy with perpetually ink-stained hands and hair like autumn leaves. And with his twin sister, Dove, inexplicably keeping him at a cold distance upon their return to Wickwood Academy, Andrew finds himself leaning on his friend even more.
But something strange is going on with Thomas. His abusive parents have mysteriously vanished, and he arrives at school with blood on his sleeve. Thomas won’t say a word about it, and shuts down whenever Andrew tries to ask him questions. Stranger still, Thomas is haunted by something, and he seems to have lost interest in his artwork―whimsically macabre sketches of the monsters from Andrew’s wicked stories.
Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with his friend, Andrew follows Thomas into the off-limits forest one night and catches him fighting a nightmarish monster―Thomas’s drawings have come to life and are killing anyone close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys battle the monsters every night. But as their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to fear that the only way to stop the creatures might be to destroy their creator…
Don’t Let the Forest In begins with an absolutely mesmerising dark, lush, and nightmarishly beautiful atmosphere. C.G. Drews’ writing is gorgeously rich, dripping with fairytale horror and macabre lyricism. The interwoven stories that Andrew writes and Thomas illustrates are hauntingly vivid, and the grotesque imagery is both striking and unsettling in the best possible way.
However, the magic soon begins to wear thin. What starts as hypnotic and immersive gradually turns repetitive, weighed down by endless cycles of inner monologue and overwrought introspection. The prose remains beautiful, but it begins to smother the story rather than serve it. The plot, if it can be called that, stagnates, and by the time the twist arrives, it’s difficult to care. The ambiguous ending only adds to the frustration, leaving things unresolved in a way that feels more unsatisfying than thought-provoking.
There’s no denying Drews’ talent for evocative, eerie imagery and emotional depth, nor the strong representation threaded throughout. Yet despite its stunning language and haunting tone, Don’t Let the Forest In ultimately couldn’t sustain my interest past the halfway point, making it an unfortunate, yet beautifully written disappointment.
🎧 Liu, Cixin – Death’s End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #3) ★★★
Genre: Sci-Fi
Earth enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the infusion of Trisolaran knowledge and, with human science advancing and the Trisolarans adopting Earth culture, it seems that the two civilizations can co-exist peacefully as equals without the terrible threat of mutually assured annihilation. But peace has made humanity complacent.
Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the 21st century, awakens from hibernation in this new age. She brings knowledge of a long-forgotten program dating from the start of the Trisolar Crisis, and her presence may upset the delicate balance between two worlds. Will humanity reach for the stars or die in its cradle?
Reading Death’s End felt like closing the circle on a trilogy I admired more for its ideas than for its execution. Just like The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, I finished this book with a mix of awe and frustration, fascinated by Cixin Liu’s imagination, yet exhausted by his detached way of storytelling.
The ideas here are undeniably brilliant. The scale is staggering: the fate of humanity unfolds across centuries, galaxies, and dimensions, each era defined by a new threat, disaster, or scientific breakthrough that ushers in a new era. The concepts truly made me feel how small we are in the vastness of the universe, how insignificant our solar system is in the grand cosmic design. That deeply pessimistic vission is, to me, both the trilogy’s greatest strength and its greatest curse.
Still, I found Death’s End slightly more engaging than the previous installments. Certain storylines and narrative choices held my attention more strongly, and those chapters flew by. But they make up only a fraction of this 700+-page tome, which otherwise often read more like a textbook than a novel. The writing felt heavy, dry, and emotionally hollow. Many times, I felt as though I was reading a scientific paper rather than experiencing a story. Don’t get me wrong, I love intelligent fiction, but I read to be immersed, not to feel like I should analyze and evaluate the text. That feels too much like work. This trilogy demands constant focus and intellectual effort but gives back very little emotional reward. The characters remain soulless vessels, and the story — filled with devastating, world-shattering events — somehow manages to feel curiously emotionless and distant.
What makes it even harder to swallow is the blatant sexism. The female protagonist in Death’s End seems to exist mainly to demonstrate how women are bound to fail or are too emotional to make the right decisions. All meaningful progress and insight come from male characters. It’s not just offensively stereotypical, it also undermines every opportunity the story might have had to say something truly meaningful about humanity.
I also struggled with the storytelling itself. So many fascinating ideas are touched upon but rarely explored. Intriguing storylines, epic battles, new technologies, even entire civilizations are introduced only to be abandoned without explanation. That constant cycle of broken expectations only deepened the emotional detachment I felt.
In the end, I’m still glad I read the entire trilogy, if only to finally understand what all the fuss was about. I can absolutely see why so many readers are impressed by its massive scope and ambition. It’s an immensely thoughtful, pessimistic, and intellectually rich series. But despite all that, I simply didn’t enjoy the reading experience. Death’s End, and by extension, the entire Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, is undeniably a monument of ideas, yet ultimately a barren story without a heart.
