The TBR pile on my Kindle has officially reached “towering” status, but this Halloween season, two new additions have jumped straight to the front of the line. There’s something about autumn that demands dark fantasy and witchy tales, and Alchemised by Senlin Yu and Summoning the Winds: The Lanthorne Ordinary Witches by Cynthia Raleigh promise to deliver exactly that.
Alchemised has already caught fire as a #1 New York Times Bestseller, and one look at that hauntingly beautiful cover tells you why. This is dark fantasy at its finest, a world of necromancy, alchemy, and secrets buried deep in a war-torn land. Helena Marino, our protagonist, is a prisoner with missing memories, and I’m already hooked by the mystery of what she’s hiding in those lost fragments of her mind. The High Reeve, her necromancer captor, promises to be deliciously complex, and I can’t wait to unravel the secrets of his crumbling estate alongside Helena.
Then there’s Summoning the Winds, which takes us to 1660 Connecticut during the height of witch trial hysteria. Yarrow Pickering is an herbal woman running the Lanthorne Ordinary when accusations of witchcraft tear through her village. But here’s the twist that has me absolutely intrigued: what happens when one of the accused truly is a witch? This blend of historical fiction and fantasy feels perfect for curling up with as the leaves fall and the nights grow longer.
Two strong heroines, two worlds steeped in magic and danger, and two stories I can’t wait to lose myself in. Who knows? By the time the first frost arrives, I might actually make a dent in that Kindle TBR pile.
What to Bake While You Read
No autumn reading session is complete without something warm from the oven. This apple crisp is my ritual whenever I settle in with a new book, the kind of dessert that fills your home with those cozy fall scents while you lose yourself in another world.
Cozy Autumn Apple Crisp
The perfect companion for your dark fantasy reading session
For the Filling:
- 6-7 medium apples (mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp works beautifully), peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (keeps it from getting too watery)
For the Crisp Topping:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats (or substitute with ¾ cup finely chopped walnuts for a nuttier, crunchier topping)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch. Spread them in a greased 9×9 baking dish.
For the topping, mix oats (or finely chopped walnuts), flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a fork or your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle this glorious, crumbly mixture over the apples.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the apples are bubbling around the edges. Let it cool for about 10 minutes – just long enough to read another chapter.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and settle in with your book.
Happy Reading!
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