Team Owlcrate Books Of The Month: What We Read In September 2024

Political intrigue, messy family relationships, morally gray characters, a unique romantic subplot, and an even more unique spin on vampires... I loved every second of it.

I’m so glad that this isn't a standalone because I need more of these characters and this world in my life!

The Trans rep also meant a lot to me, especially the details regarding gender affirming “health care” in a fantasy setting. High rec from me!

Finally read this after it lived on my shelves for over two years! It was everything I hoped for. Classic ghost story, gothic vibes, a deep and dark history, a family curse, creepy kids... I loved it. It was right on the brink of being too odd for me, but it never went over that line.

I loved that I still had questions at the end without feeling frustrated. It was also told in a really cool way with tons of perspectives that spanned several timelines. Great rec for spooky season! Especially for those who don’t want any gore!

This is the third book in the Devil’s Night Series, a dark academic novel about four boys known as the Four Horsemen who cause havoc every year on Devil’s Night (the night before Halloween).

While I enjoyed the entire series, Kill Switch was by far my favorite! The book follows the darkest male character of the group, Damon, and his story is honestly so emotional. I could not stop reading it!

This was my favorite romance read of the month! It is a sports romance (he’s a pro football player) and follows Ramsey and his should-be ex-wife Hazel.

Ramsey is on recent parole from prison and finds out that the divorce paperwork he and his wife filed actually never went through. He heads back to his family ranch where Hazel lives so he can win her back. But there's a catch - Hazel is engaged.

Honestly, this book blew me away. It was so different from every other romance book I’ve read (and I read a lot of them!) and I loved the suspense in this. My jaw dropped at the end when it all came together.

This was a dark western romance done perfectly, and I couldn’t put it down! If you like an enemies-to-lovers romance with a twist, pick this up!

The second book in the Indian Lake trilogy, Don't Fear the Reaper, was just as good, if not better, than the first!

The book follows Jade as she returns to Proofrock and quickly finds herself living out a slasher movie. It's campy, it's gory, it's dark, it's tongue-in-cheek, and of course it is PACKED with horror references.

As someone who isn't really a horror movie aficionado (see: I don't watch them), I loved this book, and I can see those who ARE fans of the genre adding this one to the all-time favorites list.

I can't deny it — if Maureen Johnson writes a mystery, I will read it. Death at Morning House is a YA standalone following Marlowe as she takes a job as a tour guide for the summer at a secluded island mansion. Queue the house's mysterious past coming to light, and Marlowe trying to get to the bottom of things.

Of course this book is laugh out loud funny while also having a compelling mystery our heroes need to solve. If you're a fan of Maureen's Stevie Bell mysteries, this will scratch the itch while we wait for the next book in the series!

Castle of the Cursed pulled me in right from the start. A cursed castle and a silver-eyed boy only Estela can see had me wanting to know all the secrets.

After experiencing the mysterious loss of her parents, Estela begins to lose touch with reality. When she receives an invitation from an estranged aunt to a castle in Spain, she accepts it. The longer she is there, the more strange things begin to happen. Estela starts to uncover the secrets of her family, and as time goes by, she is not sure who to trust.

I loved the story. The mysteries were so good. I did not want to put the book down.

Sweetest Darkness is so much more than a YA horror thriller. It is a book about found family, grief, sacrifice, and the love of family and friends.

Quinn is trying to deal with the grief of losing his parents young and, most recently, his grandmother, who raised him. This has shifted his relationship with his brother to be more of a father-son one, and they are having a hard time making ends meet.

Quinn and his friends June and Selena keep having a recurring shared dream about the Alvarado Hotel in town. In the dream, there is a safe filled with riches that could solve all of Quinn's problems, but what lurks in the safe instead is something very dangerous.

The mystery in this book is so interesting. I love the action and the creepiness. I loved the side characters too; they were a perfect addition to the story.

I am such a sucker for a hockey romance! Walk of Shame grabbed me from the start.

Astrid experiences the ultimate humiliation on the day of her wedding. Her husband-to-be FaceTimes her to tell her he cannot marry her. To make matters worse, he was the goalie on the hockey team her dad coaches. It was the only thing anyone wanted to talk about for a long time, and after that, Astrid decided no more hockey!

She also decided to only have one night stands to keep everything simple and sweet. That is until she sleeps with the goalie coach on her dad’s team to train her ex!

I loved this book! It was so funny and had all the spice. Avery Flynn tells such a good story.