Chills and Thrills! My Favorite Halloween Reads: Part 2

     This is the second installment of my favorite books to read during Halloween season! From creepy ghosts, to witches and Frankenstein's monster, these books will keep you awake at night! From turning the page is suspense or giving you the creeps, well...read for yourself and find out!

Heart's Blood is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in Celtic Ireland. While it is a fairy tale retelling, it has a gothic setting and a chilling atmosphere! A young woman arrives in a town that has been cursed. There are also ghosts in this novel. Just by reading the first page, it will give you goosebumps!

The Architect of Song is the first the Haunted Heart series, which is a paranormal trilogy set in the Victorian era. The heroine is deaf and is damaged by her past. I absolutely adored the love triangle between the heroine, the ghost, and the mysterious lord. The Architect of Song is an emotional coming of age tale. It is one of my favorite novels of all time! If you like this novel, be sure to check out the rest of the Haunted Hearts series, The Hummingbird Heart and The Glass Butterfly. While they are not as good as The Architect of Song, they are still fun, romantic ghost stories!

The Witch of Painted Sorrows is also one of my favorite novels of all time! The novel is about a young woman who gets possessed by a ghost!  I found the ghost to be one of the most intriguing characters in the novel! The Witch of Painted Sorrows has everything you want in a Halloween read! There are ghosts, witches, and a secret cult! If you loved The Witch of Painted Sorrows, be sure to check out the rest of the novels in M. J. Rose's paranormal series, The Secret Language of Stones and The Library of Light and Shadow! They were immensely satisfying reads that lived up to its predecessor!

The Dark Days Club is a young adult paranormal series. The novel is set in the Regency era and features a sassy heroine that hunts demons! This is a perfect mix for fans of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and The Mortal Instrument series!

All of Simone St. James's novels are excellent Halloween reads because they feature creepy ghosts! However, this is my favorite novel by the author. The setting is eerie and the ghosts are the most terrifying! Reading this book will definitely make your hair stand on end!

The Silent Companions is a creepy Victorian ghost story! It is about a woman that discovers a wooden figure that looks like herself! This novel is a fun Halloween read because it not only has ghosts, but also creepy dolls! I highly recommend that you read this novel on a dark and stormy night to heighten the effect!

Set in ancient Wales, Eleanor and the Iron King is about a young woman who moves into her betrothed's castle. There she finds that the castle is haunted by her fiancé's late wife! Eleanor and the Iron King is a classic gothic novel that is reminiscent of Jane Eyre and Rebecca! 

The Spellbook of Katrina van Tassel is a feminist retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! It is narrated by Ichabod Crane's love interest. It not only features the Headless Horseman, but Katrina also tells other ghost stories that haunt Sleepy Hollow! Also, the author included witches in the Sleepy Hollow world!

This novel is about a family that moves into a haunted mansion. It not only features spooky ghosts but also witches! It serves up a full cauldron of chills!

You can't have a Halloween read without Frankenstein! This Frankestein retelling is told from the perspective of a young girl who was adopted by the Frankensteins and was a companion to their son, Victor! The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a creative but very faithful retelling of the original. I highly recommend this novel, and be sure to read it during a lightning storm!