Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm sharing my wrap up and mini reviews for the Autumn Equinox 2026 classes at Orilium for the Magical Readathon, hosted by G. @ Book Roast. This challenge ran all of September and I took 4 courses: getting an O in Elemental Studies, a Q in Astronomy, a Q in Restoration, and and O in Spells & Incantations (that's 6 books in total). Check out my original tbr here. Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read for this challenge:
Elemental StudiesO - Enchanted Forestry: Forest
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Hunted by Darcy Coates is a new favorite from the author! This novel doesn't really have the supernatural horror elements, but it is a very effective survival thriller. I wasn't expecting the cast to be as much of an ensemble that rotates around several characters, but the format really worked for me. What a ride!
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
O - Birthchart Numerology: Popular book from year: your DOB = XXYY (Y+Y+2000 = year)
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The Haunting of Rookward House by Darcy Coates isn't bad at all, but I wouldn't quite consider it a favorite from this author. It was still enjoyable overall, but I realized I wasn't as interested in the characters or the setting as usual. Mainly, I particularly enjoyed the 1966 scenes and I wish there were just more of them.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
Q - Twin Stars and How to Spot Them: Another book from an author who wrote your last 5 star book
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The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates is so close to being a five star read for me. I always enjoy this author and this one is no exception. The storyline itself is pretty unique. it's creepy, and and the characters are all well fleshed out. I felt like I really sped through it and remained engrossed in it. Remy is a top of the line lead from this author. I do think that I preferred the first half of the story to the rest though.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
O - Cardiac Biomancy: Heart
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The original book, The Phantom of the Opera novel, the movies, and the musical are some of my favorite things. That said, this YA reimagining, Phantom Heart (Phantom Heart #1) by Kelly Creagh, did not work at all for me for a lot of different reasons but the main reason is that the characters don't have any chemistry in any way and are hard to keep separate. I feel like I should rewatch the musical adaptation or another one soon to recover.
Q - Jitter Jinx: Verb in the title
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Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee writes great YA historical fiction and for some reason I'd been putting off this mystery for too long. I was quite invested in this one the characters, the time period, and the setting of this novel. I appreciate how much this draws on lesser known old Hollywood. It definitely reminded me that I should rewatch some Anna May Wong films.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
O - Recollection Charm: Added to your TBR last month
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The Mortons by Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld is quite a solid dark academia book. I wouldn't quite call it a favorite of the genre, but the style and tone are amazing. It's so atmospheric! It definitely reminded me that I need to pick up some Scott Westerfeld books that I've missed.
My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
Did you take part in this readathon? Have you read any of these books? As always, thanks for visiting and perhaps even commenting down below!
I will have to track down Hunted!
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