In Russia's cold north, a girl with magic in her blood stands between two worlds and two faiths. She can hear the old gods and spirits that others dismiss, giving her power over winter and darkness. Her choices ripple across her entire family's fate.
Ten Halloween reads, from fireside chills to full heat.
Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Spooky Romantasy Reads, Ranked by Spice Level
This post is part of Top Ten Tuesday, the weekly bookish linkup hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl at thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday where book bloggers everywhere answer the same prompt each week. This week is a Halloween freebie, and for a site that keeps a spice rating on every title in a fantasy romance database, the obvious move was to ask: how scary are we talking, and how hot?
So here are ten spooky romantasy and dark fantasy reads for the week of Halloween, sorted by the spice ratings we actually have on file. Starting with the books that will keep you up for the chills, and ending with the ones that will keep you up for other reasons. Every rating below comes from the site, not from vibes.
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Quick picks
The whole list at a glance. Tap a title to jump to the full entry.
| Rank | Book | Goodreads | Heat | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Bear and the Nightingale Katherine Arden | 4.1 | 0 · No spice | |
| 2 | Sorcery of Thorns Margaret Rogerson | 4.2 | 1 · Mild | Gothic |
| 3 | Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries Heather Fawcett | Not rated | 1 · Mild | Enemies to Lovers, Fae |
| 4 | House of Salt and Sorrows Erin A. Craig | 3.7 | 1 · Mild | Gothic |
| 5 | The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Sangu Mandanna | Not rated | 1 · Mild | Found Family, Second Chance |
| 6 | Ninth House Leigh Bardugo | Not rated | 2 · Warm | Dark Academia |
| 7 | Kingdom of the Wicked Kerri Maniscalco | 3.9 | 2 · Warm | Forbidden Love, Slow Burn |
| 8 | The Serpent and the Wings of Night Carissa Broadbent | 4.2 | 3 · Spicy | Vampire |
| 9 | Empire of the Vampire Jay Kristoff | Not rated | 3.5 · Spicy | Dark Romantasy, Morally Gray |
| 10 | A Touch of Darkness Scarlett St. Clair | 3.7 | 4 · Very spicy | Fated Mates |
- 1The Bear and the NightingaleKatherine Arden4.1No spice
- 2Sorcery of ThornsMargaret Rogerson4.2Mild
- 3Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of FaeriesHeather FawcettMild
- 4House of Salt and SorrowsErin A. Craig3.7Mild
- 5The Very Secret Society of Irregular WitchesSangu MandannaMild
- 6Ninth HouseLeigh BardugoWarm
- 7Kingdom of the WickedKerri Maniscalco3.9Warm
- 8The Serpent and the Wings of NightCarissa Broadbent4.2Spicy
- 9Empire of the VampireJay KristoffSpicy
- 10A Touch of DarknessScarlett St. Clair3.7Very spicy
Chills First (Spice 0 to 1)
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (Spice 0). Vasya grows up in a Russian village where the old household spirits are being forgotten, and something older and colder is waking in the forest. Zero heat, maximum frost. The best fireside-in-October book on this list.
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (Spice 1). Elisabeth was raised in a Great Library where grimoires are dangerous enough to turn into monsters, and then a sorcerer and his demon servant turn up. Bookish, sharp, and a lovely place to start if you want your romance with a side of dread.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett (Spice 1). A prickly Cambridge scholar studies faeries in the snowbound north, with a charming rival she absolutely does not want around. Cozy scholarship with teeth, and a very good fit for readers who like a slow burn romance with their folklore.
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig (Spice 1). A Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling on a cliffside estate where the sisters keep dying. Atmospheric, creepy, and light on romance, which is exactly right for a night alone with the lamp on.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (Spice 1). Mika Moon is a witch hiding in plain sight until she is invited to Nowhere House to teach three young witches. The coziest entry here, for the person who wants Halloween without the nightmares.
A librarian apprentice in a world where grimoires are alive and dangerous must solve a mystery that could destroy her world. Ancient magic awakens as alliances shift unexpectedly. Knowledge and power prove equally dangerous.
A prickly Cambridge professor studies the fae on a remote Scandinavian island. Her academic nemesis shows up with his own agenda. Cozy enemies-to-lovers between academics, charming dry humor, and fae research turning into something more.
Seven sisters live in a crumbling manor where one by one they fall mysteriously ill and die. The youngest, Annaleigh, begins to suspect a darker truth lurks beneath the tragedies. Uncovering the mystery may cost her everything, including her sanity.
Mika Moon has spent her life obeying one rule: witches stay away from other witches. Then she is invited to Nowhere House to teach three young witches, and the household comes with Jamie, a librarian who does not want her there. Found family, gentle heat, the cosiest witch romance on the shelf.
Then the Heat Rises (Spice 2 to 4)
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Spice 2). Alex Stern is sent to Yale to watch over the secret societies whose magic is not entirely safe. Dark, grim, and not really a romance, but it earns its place on any Halloween shelf.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco (Spice 2). Emilia, a witch in Sicily, summons a demon to hunt the thing that killed her twin sister, and gets a Prince of Hell for her trouble. Murder mystery first, flirting second, and the pacing is addictive.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent (Spice 3). A human raised among vampires enters a lethal tournament and ends up tied to someone she has every reason to distrust. If vampires are your Halloween thing, our vampire romance books list goes a lot deeper.
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff (Spice 3.5). A world where the sun has gone out and vampires won, told by the last silversaint of his order. It is a doorstopper and it is bleak, so please do not pick it up expecting a swoony love story.
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair (Spice 4). A Hades and Persephone retelling where a contract with the god of the Underworld turns into something far more complicated. The heat here is real, which brings me to the part where I welcome you.
That is our ten. If you came over from the linkup: welcome, and happy Halloween. If the spicier end of this list was your favorite part, our spiciest romantasy books collection is the place to go next, and the spice level scale explains exactly what each number means so nobody gets a surprise. For more shadows and morally gray company, try the dark romantasy books. Not sure what to read first? The book recommendation quiz will pick for you. And if you are another Top Ten Tuesday blogger with a Halloween list this week, leave your link in the comments. We read every one.
A dark tale of magic, politics, and danger plays out through the eyes of a woman caught in supernatural intrigue at an elite university. Power, secrets, and violence permeate every page. Darkness wins out.
Emilia wants revenge on the witch who cursed her family, but to get it she must make a deal with the Prince of Demons himself. Together they must solve the mystery behind her family's curse, all while resisting a dangerous attraction that neither of them expected. It's dark Italian folklore meets enemies-to-lovers with real teeth.
A paranormal romance where danger and supernatural passion collide in a world of ancient magic and forbidden connection. Two souls bound by fate and danger discover their bond might be their only salvation. Love here means accepting the darkness within and without.
Gabriel de León, a vampire hunter, tells his brutal life story in this gorgeously illustrated dark fantasy. Kristoff frames the entire narrative as an interview, weaving confession and combat as Gabriel recounts his decades-long war against the creatures of the night. The art is stunning, the prose is sharp, and the body count is high.
A paranormal woman is drawn to a being of shadow and supernatural power in a dark, dangerous romance. Magic and attraction bind them in ways that defy logic and survival instinct. She discovers that darkness can hold unexpected tenderness.
Not Sure About Spice Levels?
Our spice guide explains exactly what each heat level means.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are on this list?
10 books. 6 are part of a series and 4 are standalones.
Which books on this list are the spiciest?
A Touch of Darkness is rated 4 or higher on our heat scale. What the heat levels mean
Which books on this list have little or no spice?
The Bear and the Nightingale, Sorcery of Thorns, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, House of Salt and Sorrows and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches sit at 0 or 1 on our heat scale, so nothing explicit happens on the page. Spice Guide
Which book on this list has the highest Goodreads rating?
Sorcery of Thorns, with a 4.2 average from 120k ratings. Sorcery of Thorns
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