Team OwlCrate Books Of The Month: What We Read In August 2025

This is the first book in the Defy the Night series, and what a way to start. After that ending, I need book 2 right now!

Tessa is doing everything she can to keep her neighbors and those she loves from getting sick, including stealing from the kingdom. She knows that if she is caught, she will be killed but knows that it is the only way her friends will survive.

Prince Corrick is the justice of the king. He is a ruthless disciplinarian. Or so it would seem. Tessa decides to steal from the palace one night and gets caught. What is to be her fate now?

This story was so good. The romance was great, and the adventure was fun. I also loved the banter. I cannot wait to read book two.

I adored this book, and I need the next book right this very minute!!

Rae is dying when she is approached by a woman offering her life. The woman tells her that she will send her into her favorite fantasy book series, and all Rae has to do is get this magical flower in order to live. Rae had no idea she would be entering the book as a villain. This makes it a little harder but a lot more fun. Rae assembles her squad of villains and attempts to move the story along without too much disruption and without her being beheaded.

I could not put this book down. It made me laugh and cry at the same time. I cannot wait to read book two!

Florence is a ghostwriter for a popular romance author. She has done great until now. She no longer believes in love and does not think she can write a believable love story. Her new editor will not give her an extension on the book, and it is due ASAP. Her dad dies, and while home, the ghost of her new editor shows up. Everything is a mess. Of course she starts to fall for her ghost editor, knowing she has to help him move on.

I loved this book so much. It was such a good story, and the romance was so sweet. I felt the grief in this book so hard. It did make me cry. I highly recommend this one.

Looking to start a new fantasy series that is seriously fun and addictive? I think The Raven Scholar might be it! It's been a long time since I started a new book and immediately thought, "This is it. This is the vibe."

We follow Neema, who is tasked with solving a murder while also competing for the throne in cutthroat trials. It's fast, it's fun, and there are sassy ravens. This book checks all the boxes, really!

I was so hooked on this series! I read the first book in a book club with my friends and had to continue it. The tension between the characters, the found family, and the lore is so intriguing to me. I finished it just in time for the new book publishing this September, and with the brutal way this one ended, I'm ready to binge through that book and freak out even more about it all!

I devoured these books! This series is a dark romantasy about a young mage who is captured by her mortal enemy bent on exacting revenge. When I tell you I could not put these two books down, I am not kidding!

These books are full of forbidden love, passionate angst, and forced proximity, but also a strong fantasy plot. I am loving seeing things unfold and cannot wait for more!

The criminally underrated author, Jess Kidd, has now turned her literary talents to cozy murder! 

Having read all of her books (which are normally speculative, creepy, and often paranormal), I was a little surprised by this pivot. But, as always, she provided a fabulous reading experience—following former nun Nora Breen as she leaves her convent to find out what happened to her former novice in the seemingly quiet seaside town of Gulls Nest, 1954. 

Nora was such an awesome protagonist, and Jess Kidd delivered a cozy mystery with depth, intelligence, all the fall vibes, and a smidge of her trademark creepiness. This is the perfect fall read.