This post doesn’t really make all that much sense in…February, but here we are – better late than never! Anyway, no one says specific books have to be read and reviewed at certain times of year!
Back in autumn though, I decided I wanted to align my reading with the season for once. I’ve never really done this before, but I created an autumn TBR with a variety of cute and cosy autumnal reads as well as spooky or a little bit dark books for Halloween. My thinking is that these reviews and posts will be useful to others searching for autumnal reads in the future too!
I didn’t get through the entire list, but I did manage a good chunk of it. I prioritised books I already owned or those that were on the cheaper end of the scale. So here are my autumn 2024 books and thoughts:
Payback’s A Witch by Lana Harper – 8/10
Emmy, a witch, left her small town of Thistle Grove to the big city lights of Chicago, but her powers are waning there so she needs to return to her hometown. She runs into old friends and romances, which seems to set off the usual old small town gossip and dramas.
I was looking forward to the cute hometown romance with a fun twist, and this definitely delivered. I loved the vibe of the town and the story had an excellent premise. I saw another reviewer refer to it as a “John Tucker Must Die” type of storyline plus the Triwizard Games, and I absolutely have to agree. This is the first in a series too, so I’m 100% coming back to Thistle Grove for more!
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner – 6.5/10
In a dark London alley is a hidden apothecary shop. A woman dispenses poisons for other women to harm the men who wronged them, so long as the poison is never used to harm another woman and that she keeps track of every murderer and victim in the apothecary’s register. In present day, a woman called Caroline finds an old poison vial which leads her to discover secrets about the unsolved apothecary murders.
This has an absolutely gorgeous cover and an excellent premise. I enjoyed it, but for me it didn’t 100% live up to the hype or the promise. I think the present day storyline felt just a little flat for me and could have had more life – especially with the mudlarking parts which could be so fun. It was an immersive interesting read but I expected it to be a little bit “more” somehow.
Witchnapped in Westerham by Dionne Lister – 7.5/10
Lily is a photographer working in Sydney, but then a woman turns up on her doorstep who announces that she is a witch and Lily is too. Her brother has been “witchnapped” and she needs her help to find him along with the Paranormal Investigation Bureau. So they head off to Westerham in England to track down the brother as well as Lily’s magic powers.
This was a surprisingly cute read! I didn’t expect a whole lot from it as I grabbed it as part of a Stuff Your Kindle Day deal, and let’s be honest, those books often aren’t the BEST books. But I really enjoyed the ride this took you on! It’s not the best written book in the world, but it was an easy storyline to follow, it was funny, fun and pretty lightweight as far as autumnal reads go. It would make an excellent palate cleanser between some heavier seasonal reads.
The Black Witch by Laurie Forest – 9/10
This is witches again, but in a totally different, fantasy world kind of way. Elloren is the granddaughter of the last Black Witch, but doesn’t seem to hold the wondrous powers of her grandmother. In spite of this, she joins the prestigious university to become an apothecary but finds herself an outcast from all sides in a world where tensions are growing.
I genuinely loved this one. This is one of the reads from 2024 that has stuck with me and I’m excited to pick up the next one when I get a chance. It had that kind of epic feel that I associate with other fantasies (/romantasies) such as ACOTAR and Fourth Wing thanks to the excellent world building and vast expanse of the world. The found family aspect of this one is lovely, although it takes some time, as does the main character’s growth, but then again, there’s a whole series for this to happen.
I now understand where the criticisms initially came from before the book was launched, but honestly, you need to read the book before having an opinion on something the characters say and do – they are not indicative of the author’s beliefs and there for the purpose of building the rest of the world which has good AND bad in it. This could be a whole rant for another day, but honestly, believe me when I say that this is a good one, and not just for autumn!
The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore – 8.5/10
This is the second of the cutesy TikTok famous Dream Harbour books, and honestly, I’m a sucker for them! I mean, look at it! Obviously this is another cutesey, steamy small town romance, but this time set around a book store with secret hidden messages. The protagonists this time are the bookstore owner and a fisherman.
To be completely honest, despite the differing storylines, there isn’t a lot to set each of these novels apart – it’s not like they’re carbon copies of each other, but they have the same vibes and feel. And sometimes, that’s perfect, that’s exactly what you need. If so, you’re going to love this one, just like I did, in betwen heavier reads or as a quick, light autumn read that you can pick up and put down whenever needed and not have to think too hard about.
Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson – 6/10
This one wasn’t on my inital autumn TBR, but when it popped up on Prime reading (free!), I had to grab it for the season.
There was a little bit of mystery, a kind of crazy house and family, a romance and a bit of spice, and a slightly scary monster. It was a nicely wrapped up book, but not my favourite for this genre – I read better this season which knocked some stars off for me, but I can’t say in any way that it was a bad read at all – I enjoyed the ride!
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli – 9/10
I’m not sure if we’re going with Heartless Hunter or The Crimson Moth as the title for this one! Either way, this was an excellent read – probably one of my two favourites of the season along with The Black Witch. The characters were brilliant, so fully fleshed out – I love the morally grey aspects and the chemistry going down between them. It was immersive and had a brilliant (cliffhanger!) ending.
Witches were once rulers in this world but are now outcasts, and we follow Rune, who was once a witch but is now hunted. To throw people off the scent, she befriends and courts Gideon, a witch hunter. He isn’t all that keen on her from the sounds of it, but pretends to court her right back to insert himself into her social circles for intel. I’m sure you can figure out where this is going!
The next in the series is coming this year and I’m so excited for it!
The Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst – 7.5/10
This was probably the book of the season for a lot of people – it was everywhere on BookTok and Bookstagram and wherever else books are promoted. I mean, look at that cover – listen to that description! And to be fair, it pretty much lived up to the hype.
Kiela is a librarian in a great library where spellbooks from the world are gathered. But when the library is destroyed, she escapes to a remote island that was her childhood home, taking as many of the books with her as she can. With nothing else to do or any way to make money, she grows berries in her cottage garden to make jam. But she can’t resist the draw of magic and opens a spellshop on the island. There’s also an interesting and irritating new neighbour who helps her fix up her new home…
This is another cute, cosy fantasy with a very cool world that’s built well. It had all the elements to make it a fun read including a plant that talks, an interesting magic system, a cute cottage on an island, a found family and more. It’s worth a read if these all sound like your cup of tea. Don’t expect to be blown away by the story, but it makes for a fun time.
