Young Gothic by M.A. Bennett
I feel like the title and cover of this book really speaks for itself when it comes to autumnal/spooky reads – which is what I’d call these posts if it didn’t stray from the title schema of the other posts.
For me, a lot of reads I’d consider to be great for autumn are thrillers and paranormal books. It’s not often I’ll read a romance and think, wow those autumn vibes are off the charts. This book however has spooky vibes in droves.
I had a few nitpicks with this book when I read it, however as it was an ARC I’d like to think these were revised at least a little – I wasn’t the only reviewer to point them out. There’s just a lot of repeated descriptors and stereotypes.
As for why I loved this and think it’s a perfect autumn read, the tense atmosphere was incredible. Gothic mansions are such perfect settings for these types of reads and this one is staffed by people who can’t speak (think avoxes from The Hunger Games). The secrets they’re keeping must be pretty crazy right if they’ve had their ability to speak removed.
There’s a lot of crazy things going on in this book but the overall atmosphere and use of character archetypes we know well, make this a really fun read.
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Synopsis: Filled with deadly secrets and the monsters you thought only existed in your mind …
You’ve heard of Frankenstein’s monster, you’ve heard of Dracula, but have you heard of the Villa Diodati? Eve, Griffin, Hal and Ren embark on a summer they’ll never forget at the birthplace of all things Gothic.
The summer is beset by mysterious happenings, as the monsters they create begin to clamber out of their minds. Events rise to a horrible climax when, on a dark and stormy night, one of the villa’s guests is found dead and each of our foursome becomes a suspect in a gruesome murder.
It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. But when the stuff of nightmares becomes their reality, will they make it out alive?
All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters
This book screams autumn to me. Not only through its cover, but also the setting; an old university. There’s something about secret society/dark academia books that give me major autumn vibes, anyone else?
The concept of this book is unlike anything I’ve read before. Now, I can’t comment on that too much as it’s a huge spoiler and it’s not even hinted at in the synopsis. But it is very cool. I do think the first half outshines the second, but overall it’s a great read.
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Synopsis: Magni animi numquam moriuntur. Great minds never die.
The students in Corbin College’s elite academic society, Magni Viri, have it all–free tuition, inspirational professors, and dream jobs once they graduate. When first-gen college student Tara is offered a chance to enroll, she doesn’t hesitate.?
Except once she’s settled into the gorgeous Victorian dormitory, something strange starts to happen. She’s finally writing, but her stories are dark and twisted. Her dreams feel as if they could bury her alive. An unseen presence seems to stalk her through the halls.
And a chilling secret awaits Tara at the heart of Magni Viri–one that just might turn her nightmares into reality; one that might destroy her before she has a chance to escape.
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