Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane returns to the secretive, vampire-based world she was born into, where human bloodlines gain power through vampire bonds. When her sister June disappears, Kidan suspects the very vampire bound to their family, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad. To find her sister, Kidan enrolls at Uxlay University, where humans and vampires coexist under a fragile peace. Forced to live with Susenyos, Kidan must balance survival, vengeance, and unexpected feelings. As a mystery very similar to June’s rocks Uxlay University, Kidan uncovers a centuries-old threat that could destroy everything she cares about.
Immortal Dark is a book I absolutely can’t wait to read! Being able to read about Black vampires, which is not common in fantasy books, is a nice surprise, as well as how the author ties it into an academic setting. The danger, love, and mystery in the synopsis are very similar to Twilight, so I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
Voya Thomas has been waiting years to pass her Calling, a trial every witch must complete to gain their powers, but she fails. Given a rare second chance by her ancestor to redo her Calling, she had no idea that accepting meant agreeing to kill her first love, or else every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic. To preserve her family’s magic by the deadline, Voya is determined to succeed. The only problem is, she’s never been in love. Using a new genetic matchmaking program, she’s paired with Luc, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her. In order to save her bloodline, Voya has to decide what matters more: her family’s magic or her own heart.
Twitches is a must-watch movie for me every Halloween, so I might be a little biased, but anything involving witches will always be a must-read for me. Because of that, Blood Like Magic is right up my alley. Mixing witches and high stakes, plus an ultimatum factor? Sign me up! If you’re into witchy stories with a now-or-never element, this is a book to check out for the Halloween season.
Eighteen-year-old Nami Miyamoto is excited to celebrate her high school graduation at a party with her classmates, including the boy she’s had a crush on for years. But before she gets there, she is suddenly murdered. Instead of moving on, Nami wakes up in Infinity, a digital afterlife ruled by Ophelia, a virtual assistant who now presides over the souls of the dead. Ophelia has plans to erase humanity, and Nami must join a group of rebels to stop her. Along the way, she faces her past, her future, and what it truly means to be human.
Much like Coraline, Nami ends up in a similar yet creepy alternate world, except instead of a fake family, it’s an afterlife where AI has taken over. Both Nami and Coraline are strong female characters who need to outsmart the antagonist in order to escape the world they’re in. In Coraline, it’s the Other Mother with her iconic creepy smile, and in The Infinity Courts, it’s an AI queen pretending everything’s fine when it’s not.
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself as a real brujo (male practitioner of witchcraft chosen by Lady Death). With help from his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs a ritual that proves he’s a true brujo, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. Instead, he summons Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. Julian wants answers and closure before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants him to leave at all.
Okay, Coco, which is about the holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), might not technically be a Halloween movie, but they do share similar themes such as ghosts and skeletons. This Mexican holiday is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, and it honors and remembers the lives of loved ones who have passed on. Based on the synopsis, both the movie and book center around Dia de los Muertos, though Cemetery Boys also adds LGBTQ+ representation, which makes it stand out even more.
I loved researching and adding these books to my Halloween TBR, as they had the fantasy element that I crave and love, but were also from authors I may have not heard of before with different diverse perspectives. If you’re on the lookout for some unique, spooky YA books, these are definitely worth adding to your TBR!
Keonte Emerson, Pine Reads Review Writer, Editor, and Social Media