Fall is the time of pumpkin everything, football games, and oversized sweaters. Where books are concerned, fall is the time for dark, atmospheric books, historical fiction, and fantasy worlds. Aka, my favorite kinds of books. Below are 12 of my favorite fall reads complete with vague, so as not to accidentally spoil anyone, descriptions and a few of my feelings on them. Okay, okay, a lot of my feelings on them.

1. "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

The second you finish this then you need to pick up the second and final book, Crooked Kingdom. This book is a YA high fantasy novel about six teens that have to complete an impossible heist and boy oh boy is it dark. That’s about all I can say without spoiling it but if you like character driven books than this is the one for you. It has characters of different ethnicities, from different backgrounds, with different sexualities, with mental illnesses, with learning disabilities, and with physical disabilities. This was one of those books where the moment I finished it I wanted to re-read it. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how much I love this book.

2. "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

This is the book that all have heard of but few have read. If you haven’t read it, you are missing out. Dracula is one of my favorite classics and will make you love vampires whether you like a certain YA book or not. The characters are amazing, the writing style is gorgeous, and there are so many twists and turns in this novel that’ll keep on the edge of your comfy reading chair and engaged the entire time. I recommend finding the Writer’s Digest edition, pictured above, because the commentary takes the book from a ten to a twelve. After reading this book you’ll be a proud member of The Good-Guy Gang of Vampire Hunters.

3. "Three Dark Crowns" by Kendare Blake

The sequel, One Dark Throne, was just released so you won’t have to wait a year for the second book like I did (and I still haven’t recovered). This book is about triplet sisters who each have a special power and on their sixteenth birthday will fight to the death for the throne. I’ll never be over how deep, raw, complex, and simply fantastic the characters in this book are. This book was absolutely mind blowing to the point that I audibly gasped multiple times throughout it. My Goodreads review for this book started with “BOI” and involved me keeping the keyboard on caps lock a lot if that gives an idea about how great of a book this is.

4. "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

This is a book that I discovered because a certain actor, aka Tom Holland, is going to be starring in the movie adaption. As someone who always tries to read the book before the movie, and is going to see every movie Tom is in from now on because of Spider-Man Homecoming, I had to read the book. This first book, in a series of three, is about a world where everyone’s thoughts are projected through something called The Noise and is set in a village where there are no more women. One day, the last kid in town and his dog (whom I LOVE) find a break in the noise where there’s only silence. The silence leads them to a girl, and next thing you know the world is falling apart. This book stressed me out and made me furious while being absolutely fantastic and making me love it. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that one.

5. "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley

Ah, yes. The classic monster novel. This, like many classics, is one that everyone knows about but few have actually taken the time to read. I had to read this for school a few years back and I fell in love. It’s always nice when you enjoy an assigned book, isn’t it? I know that you think you know the story but let me let you in on a little secret: the monster is not called Frankenstein. In fact, he is never given a name. And, he is much more eloquent than the movie adaptations portray him to be. Throughout the story, you’ll be questioning who is the real monster. This is a gripping read that will have you questioning everything and will keep your heart pounding.

6. "The Raven Boys" by Maggie Stiefvater

This is a book that was on my TBR (To Be Read) pile for years but it was never very high up so I continued to read everything besides it. I finally decided to get it from my library and I was blown away. I’ll forever be kicking myself for waiting so long to read it. This book is about a girl who belongs to a family of psychics, though she herself is not one. She meets four boys who go to the local preppy boy’s school and together they start searching for a buried Welch king. I know it sounds strange, but trust me when I say that you’ll love it. This is one of those books that when I try to explain my love for it, it comes out sounding like gibberish because there are too many emotions.

7. "Girl on a Wire" by Gwenda Bond

I feel like any kind of circus book is going to be a perfect fall read but the one I want to force suggest you read is this one. This is about a family of circus performers who sign onto a circus where their rivals are also performing. Then, accidents start happening and the main character has to team up with the “enemy” to try and stop the bad luck that has hit the circus. Not only is this a great mystery book, it’s also totally swoon worthy if you’re into that sort of thing (and even if you’re not). This is the kind of book that will leave wanting more of the story, of the characters, and will make you want to join the circus. Don’t forget to pick up the sequel, Girl in the Shadows, because it’s just as good and equally swoon worthy.

8. "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson can do in 144 pages what many books could not do with 344 pages. This book is so well done. This is another book that, like Frankenstein, looks into the morality of man and from the beginning to the end you’re hooked. Even if you know who the elusive Mr. Hyde is, it will not take away from the story and you might even forget it at times because Stevenson does such a good job of hiding it (or should I say Hydeing it? No? Sorry). Listen up, if you’re into gothic fiction and you haven’t read this book, or any of the other classic gothic novels on this list, then you are really missing out. This is the kind of book that you re-read every Halloween because you never tire of it.

9. "These Shallow Graves" by Jennifer Donnelly

Thanks to the musical Newsies, I have a love for the late 1800s, early 1900s journalism culture. Throw a little murder mystery into the mix and that’s what I call a party. This book is about a girl who is from a wealthy family but wants to be a reporter. One day her father is found dead in his study and it is said to be suicide. She knows that’s not the case and enlists the help of a reporter from her father’s staff to help her figure out what really happened. I was reading this book on a plane ride and at one point I gasped so loudly the man next to me asked if I was alright. This is a book that will keep you hooked the entire time and there are some things about it I’ll never be able to get over.

10. "The Kiss of Deception" by Mary E. Pearson

I picked this book up on a whim and quickly fell in love with it. It’s about a princess who is betrothed to someone she’s never met and decides to flee rather than marry him. Two people go after her: the prince who was supposed to marry her, and an assassin who is set on killing her. And you, as the reader, don’t know who is who. You read that right. While reading, you have to try to figure out which guy is the prince and which is the assassin. This book was a whirlwind from start to finish and trust me when I say you’ll want to make sure you have the next two in the series bought and ready to go. Like strong female characters? Read this book.

11. "Tiger Lily" by Jodi Lynn Anderson

I love the Disney Peter Pan adaptation because I absolutely love Tiger Lily. Probably because when I was younger I was obsessed with Native American culture to the point that if a piece of flint even somewhat resembled an arrowhead it found its way into my rock collection. This book is the story of Peter Pan, told from the point of view of Tiger Lily, with a bit of a twist. If you love complex characters that have to face genuine problems then you’ll love this book. I’m going to leave you with a quote that should solidify your want to read it: “Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you’ve heard. The boy and girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn’t win. In some places, there is something ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case.”

12. "The Young Elites" by Marie Lu

Perhaps the darkest of the books on this list because our protagonist is a morally ambiguous antagonist. This book is set in a fantasy world that was swept with a plague where those who didn’t die ended up with physically deformities. Some, known as The Elite, ended up with powers as well. It follows a girl who has been put down her whole life when she meets and becomes one of The Elites, and she begins to take her newfound powers a bit too far. A powerful story about the relationships between good and evil that will have you questioning yourself when you sympathize with even the darkest of characters. And if you think this first book is dark, just wait until you finish the trilogy.

Now go! Go to Barnes and Noble, Amazon, or Book Outlet, buy these books, then read them all and come back here to gush about them with me.