After I saw Lauren @ Always Me do this tag, I knew I’d have to give it a go; The Nightmare Before Christmas has been one of my favourite films since I was a little girl and, for me, it’s the perfect film to watch on the 1st November, when I’m still feeling spooky but also officially excited for Christmas.

This tag was created by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader!

Sally

A book with a character who loves someone so much and actually gets them in the end

I have to go with one of my all-time favourite novels: Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Not enough people have read it and yet it’s so good, and the relationship between Meche and Sebastian gives me many feelings.

Jack

A book with a character who longs for more

I think it’s safe to say that Evie O’Neill from The Diviners series by Libba Bray is a character who wants much more than she’s being offered as a young woman in 1920s America. She’s a complete mess and I love her.

Zero

A book with a loyal sidekick

There is no sidekick more loyal than Csevet, Maia’s secretary from The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison, and to be honest I wish I could have him around to organise my life.

Oogie Boogie

A book with one hell of a wicked villain

I hated the Maha in Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri. He was vile.

Halloween Town

A book that’s creepy or has a scary theme

I remember getting spooked while reading The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. It’s such a brilliant horror novel, but it is quite slow-moving so I feel like some people don’t give it a chance when the book as a whole is so worth it and so masterful.

Christmas Town

A book that left you feeling warm and fuzzy inside

Something about The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow filled me with nostalgia. It reminded me of that same longing for childhood I get if an old classic like The Neverending Story appears on TV, and Harrow’s writing is so beautiful.

What’s This?

A book that took you by surprise

I haven’t had much luck with Holly Black’s work in the past, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I ended up having a great time with The Cruel Prince. Is it a book full of toxic relationships? 100%, but that’s kind of the point. Throughout the history of folklore the fae have been tricksy and unkind, and I loved the way Black brought the fae to life.

If you want to have a go, consider yourself tagged!