Supernatural stories – Four fun books get sapphically gothic for October

In advance of Halloween, we present a quartet of intriguing books about women, dealing with witchy powers, ghosts and other supernatural creatures, including themselves.

“A Slow and Secret Poison” by Carmella Lowkis, $28 hardcover, Simon & Schuster

Carmella Lowkis’ sophomore book is like a sapphic Jane Eyre. “A Slow and Secret Poison” is like a trick of the light in a decrepit room. Everything is certainly not as it appears, and covered in spiderwebs. Lowkis continues to tread the waters of historical fiction, as her first novel follows two estranged sisters in 19th-century Paris.

Set in 1922, the novel follows curses and shadows of the past hide in the walls of Harfold Manor, where a gardener falls in love with her employer. Vee Morgan takes up a post in the south of England to work as a gardener under Lady Arabella Lascy.

With this latest novel, Lowkis puts a sapphic spin on the tragic love of the Gothic Romance genre, with female characters who are empowered in their actions. “A Slow and Secret Poison” presents queerness with historical accuracy, as existing in frequently shrouded relationships, but allows characters’ obstacles to relate outside of their sexuality.

Lowkis crafts a slowly unravelling mystery which is perfect for readers craving passion, less than reliable narrators and a bit of a spooky season scare.

https://www.simonandschuster.com
https://www.instagram.com/carmellalowkis

“Witchlore” by Emma Hinds, $21 hardcover, $16 paperback, $12 Kindle, $18 audiobook, Wednesday Books

Emma Hinds’ debut novel “Witchlore” follows nonbinary shapeshifter Orlando, who returns to Demdike College of Witchcraft after tragic events have left them as an outcast. But with the new year of college comes new student Bastian, who knows a spell to bring Orlando’s ex-girlfriend back from the dead. However, complications arise as Orlando and Bastian develop feelings for each other.

Hinds comes at her debut with a background in fanfiction and theatre, experience that regretfully doesn’t help this novel hit the mark. While conceptually interesting, it feels as if this magical alternate universe and people who inhabit it are only developed enough to provide stepping stones for the two central characters to eventually kiss.

Everyone is superseded by Orlando, including Bastian, whose motivations and actions cater to Orlando’s desires from their first meeting. Hinds’ secondary characters are not characters. They’re simply clichéd plot devices.

https://wednesdaybooks.com
https://emmahinds.com

“The Keeper of Magical Things” by Julie Leong, $19 paperback, Penguin/Random House

Bestselling author Julie Leong’s upcoming novel “The Keeper of Magical Things” follows almost-mage Certainty Bulrush on a path to earn her magedom, and romance along the way. She is set out on a seemingly mundane assignment with successful and beautiful Mage Aurelia.

What starts out as a task to transport minimally valuable magical artifacts from small village Shpelling turns into something much more complex. Leong’s narration unveils how the Guild’s choices have damaged the lives of residents of Shpelling and elsewhere. Certainty is an underdog approaching their journey with empathy and drive, even for the inanimate objects she can communicate with.

Leong, who writes out of San Francisco, gives us a cozy adventure that deals with the power relations built out of a magical reality and a world that is built up substantially. 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
https://www.julieleong.com/

“A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love” by Ann Rose, $19 paperback, $11 ebook, Penguin Publishing Group
In Ann Rose’s “A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love,” Pepper White is keeper of the amulet, tethering her soul to The Dead of Night store, a Halloween boutique that needs a human soul to operate.

The book opens with “The Dead of Night Keeper Agreement,” a list of nine rules for the keeper of the amulet to follow. Pepper, tricked by the last Keeper of the Store to take over, is not only tied to this store, but when it disappears between peak seasons, so does she. But something changes when she meets Christina Loring. The romantic spark makes Pepper want to fight for more time.

“A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love” splits perspectives between Pepper and Christina, counting down when the store closes, from 70 days. Pepper’s ageless life is not worth the isolation that accompanies it, but there is no easy path to love in her current constraints. This book is a comfy read for those who want Halloween last all year. 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
https://www.amroseauthor.com