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We love all things autumnal at The Fairy Tale Magazine, but nothing signals the fall season more than a return to school. If you enjoy enchanted school stories, dark academia aesthetics, or cozy tales about magical libraries, pour a hot cup of mulled cider and enjoy some recommendations from my book review and “to be read” piles! Happy autumn reading!
Described by the author as a book that “reads like drinking hot chocolate,” Sara Beth Durst’s The Spellshop is the feel good book of the season. It begins in the Great Library of Alyssium, features ancient books filled with forbidden spells, and offers readers a front seat to the development of a sweet and humorous romance. Did I mention there’s a talking plant? You can read my review here.
The library in Paula Brackston’s novel The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish is set at Hereford Cathedral where the new librarian Hecate learns she can communicate with the dead. If you enjoy mysterious stories set in 19th century London that explore myth, legend, and history, pick up a copy of this book now before the second installment in the series is released. You can read my review here.
One of the next books on my autumn “to be read” list is The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. It’s about a vanishing bookshop on a quiet street in Dublin that helps people discover the extraordinary nature of their own lives. This looks like a must read for fans of literature and love! Review coming soon!
Draw Down the Moon by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast is a novel for all those who enjoy schools of magic. Academia de la Luna is a school located on Moon Island, and the students are divided into houses based on the elemental signs of earth, air, water, and fire. You can read my review here.
The Society for Soulless Girls takes place at the Carvell Academy of the Arts, and fans of dark academia should buckle up for an exciting ride when they open this book. The college harbors a sinister past, and two incoming freshmen must use their studies in philosophy and literature to navigate a dangerous landscape while coming to terms with their own emotional growth. You can read my review of Laura Steven’s novel here.
Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning is another dark academic selection perfect for the month of September. The protagonist of this novel is a voracious reader, and, when she is given the opportunity to design a new manor home in honor of her favorite deceased author, she is drawn into a Gothic mystery. You can read my review here.
The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H. G. Parry also holds the promise of a dark academic aesthetic. It features not only a secret magical academy but a secret world of magical English aristocrats. I can’t wait to learn more about the spells, curses, and faeries in this book releasing in October!
This month, I’ll be reading S. T. Gibson’s An Education in Malice, a story about an intense academic rivalry at Saint Perpetua’s College. Fans of Carmilla, the 1872 Gothic novella by Sheridan Le Fanu will want to check this one out!
Devotees of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy Rebecca Buchanan's novella The Adventures of the Faerie Coffin: Being the First Morstan and Holmes Occult Detection. Set at the Frazier Academy in Edinburgh, this delightful story offers a supernatural twist on detective fiction. You can read my review here.
If you are new to the dark academia genre, then Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is the place to start! This classic story of murder and mayhem takes place on a New England college campus, and you won’t be able to put it down!
And, finally, if you’d like some help sinking into the autumn vibe before you choose the next novel on your “to be read” list, give The Cottagecore Autumn a try! This how-to book promises to inspire all the whimsy and wonder of the season! Happy reading!
Kelly Jarvis works as the Assistant Editor for The Fairy Tale Magazine where she writes stories, poems, essays, book reviews, and interviews. Her poetry has also been featured or is forthcoming in Blue Heron Review, Mermaids Monthly, Eternal Haunted Summer, Forget Me Not Press, The Magic of Us, A Moon of One’s Own, Baseball Bard, and Corvid Queen. Her short fiction has appeared in The Chamber Magazine and the World Weaver Press Anthology Mothers of Enchantment: New Tales of Fairy Godmothers. You can connect with her on Facebook (Kelly Jarvis, Author) or Instagram (@kellyjarviswriter) or find her at https://kellyjarviswriter.com/
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