Books With ‘Dark’ In the Title That I Want To Read

Hi all!  It’s Sabrina.  As you may know, I am participating in the Buzzword Reading Challenge this year – and the way I’m doing it is reading one book each month that matches that month’s prompt.  For September, the prompt is to read a book with “dark” in the title, and there are so many books that match that prompt that I want to read!  I know it’s quite a few months away, but I need to be prepared!  So, I thought today I would look into and then talk about the books with “dark” in their title that are on my TBR and see if that helps me to pick one.

I found these books by searching my Goodreads TBR for “dark” and wrote down all the books listed that fit for this prompt – then I searched my library’s catalogue to see if I could narrow it down a little.  I’ve been left with a whole twenty-one books, so I have my work cut out for me when it comes to choosing just one… or maybe two… we’ll see 😉

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This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel

Target Age: YA
Genres: Historical, Fantasy, Horror
Page Count: 298

I recently decided to use the personalised recommendations feature that The StoryGraph offers (I did a whole post about it here), and there were a couple of books suggested to me that were by this author.  Unfortunately, my library didn’t have those books, but it does have this one!  So I think it would be interesting to give it a go.  It’s also related to Frankenstein, which is a classic I really enjoyed, so that’s another good sign about this book!

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The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Target Age: YA
Genres: Horror, Historical, Fantasy
Page Count: 304

I remember I wanted to read this book last year, but I ran out of time before I had to return it, so it would be nice to revisit it.  Weirdly, this is also Frankenstein related, in case you somehow missed that, so again – a good sign!

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And I Darken by Kiersten White

Target Age: YA
Genres: Historical, Fantasy, Romance
Page Count: 475

This is written by the same author as the above book, and I will mention now that I have read a book by her before!  I read Paranormalcy when I was pretty young and I remember thinking that it was really fun and also funny.  I never continued with the series though, so I am fairly interested to see if I still like the author now.  This book also has really good ratings from lots of reviewers I trust, so I am intrigued.

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In The House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt

Target Age: Adult
Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Historical
Page Count: 218

Before this post, I didn’t really know anything about this book, but for some reason I just thought it would be good, lol.  Now, having read the synopsis, I still think that, though I worry it might be too spooky for me!  Still, there is a promise of lyrical writing, which I am typically a fan of so I would be interested to give this one a go.  Plus – it’s quite short!

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A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo

Target Age: YA
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
Page Count: 288

I haven’t read any books by this author before, but I get the sense that she is a classic YA author, so I would love to give her work a try.  I will say that I haven’t found myself enjoying that many YA mystery/thrillers, but I had some luck with The Girls I’ve Been (by a different author) earlier this year, so I do have some hope!

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Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Target Age: Adult
Genres: Horror, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Page Count: 272

I read and enjoyed Gods of Jade and Shadow by the same author last year, so I that is already a point for this book!  I also haven’t read any books about vampires for a decent amount of time, and I feel like it would be the right time to try again soon, so that’s another point!

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Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Target Age: YA
Genres: Fantasy
Page Count: 403

I think Anna Dressed in Blood was the first horror I ever read, and I really enjoyed it back when I read it – in 2013!  Considering that year, I’d say it was one of the first lot of YA books I ever read too.  It would be really interesting to read more from this author now that I’m older.  I also have a good friend who loves this series, so I have reasonably high hopes for it.

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The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé

Target Age: YA
Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Thriller
Page Count: 329

I read Here There Are Monsters by the same author last year (check out my review here), so I would like to try something else by her!  Also, it’s about a former dancer and I think that would be interesting to read about.

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We Set The Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Target Age: YA
Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Romance
Page Count: 364

I’ve heard mixed things about this one, so I do want to see where I sit on the scale.  I’m also really intrigued by the romance featured in this story, so that is a big selling point for the book.

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There Will Come A Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Target Age: YA
Genres: Fantasy
Page Count: 496

This is on my “tbr asap” shelf, so at some point I was really wanting to read this – but now, I don’t remember ever hearing about it, lol.  This is why my GR TBR is out of control.  Anyway, the cover is quite striking and I do love an ensemble cast, so this could be a winner.

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The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Target Age: Adult
Genres: Historical, Mystery, Thriller
Page Count: 463

Even though I didn’t fall in love with the author’s other book, this one just sounds so good that I feel like I need to at least try it!  I was a little on the fence about it when I first heard about it, but Stephen’s review convinced me I need to give it a go at some point.

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The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

Target Age: YA
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Page Count: 336

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story, and apparently, this would be a good book for that!  I’ve also seen reviews that say it has beautiful writing, which is a huge draw for me.  I’ve also seen reviews that say it has a lot of plot holes though, lol, so I guess I need to keep that in mind.

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Things We Say in the Dark by Kirsty Logan

Target Age: Adult
Genres: Horror, Fantasy
Page Count: 226

This is a short book of short stories that promise to be strange and dark, and all those qualities have me super intrigued.  It’s been a while since I read a book of short stories so I would love to give this one, which sounds fairly unique, a go.

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Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Target Age: Adult
Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Page Count: 309

Honestly, I can’t see myself picking this up any time soon, but maybe I will be in the mood for something like this when September rolls around?  Although, I do need to read two other faerie books this year, so I probably don’t want to overdo it.

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Draw the Dark by Ilsa J. Bick

Target Age: YA
Genres: Horror, Historical
Page Count: 328

I remember that I had not heard of this book until I read Roberta’s amazing review of it – and found myself intrigued by multiple aspects of it – especially the art and history.  It definitely sounds like something unique and I’m interested to see if I would enjoy it!

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Defy the Dark by Saundra Mitchell and more

Target Age: YA
Genres: Mixed
Page Count: 480

Another book of short stories, this time in the YA age range.  The synopsis definitely makes this sound like horror, but apparently it is a mix of genres and the stories are generally dark and creepy – and if I’m not mistaken, they all take place in the dark, so perhaps this book most embodies the prompt!

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Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

Target Age: YA
Genres: Historical, Fantasy
Page Count: 485

I can’t glean very much about this book from its synopsis, but it’s by an Australian author and I am always interested to read more from Australian authors, especially YA that’s not realistic fiction!  It also has pretty good ratings from reviewers I trust, so I’m excited knowing that.

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Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

Target Age: YA
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure
Page Count: 428

This is another book on my “tbr asap” shelf on GR, and after reading the synopsis, I can see why.  I love books with exploring-based quests and well written sister relationships, so I think this could be a hit for me.

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The Dark Game by Jonathan Janz

Target Age: Adult
Genres: Horror, Mystery
Page Count: 352

I know Vera is a fan of this author, but I also know that she was let down by this specific book, so I could be in for a disappointment if I pick up this one.  Still, the premise sounds so good that I couldn’t resist adding it to my TBR when I first heard about it.

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We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin

Target Age: Adult
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Page Count: 352

I don’t remember adding this book to my TBR, but wow, is that cover pretty!  I am quite interested in this book, because it’s been described as atmospheric plus it deals with two related mysteries, which is something I like in a thriller – the more layers, the better.

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The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

Target Age: YA
Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller
Page Count: 352

This book isn’t going to be released until August, so the chances of me getting it from the library in time for September are fairly slim.  Still, this book sounds so captivating that I had to include it on this list.  Plus, this is another gorgeous cover!

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In conclusion: 

Writing this post hasn’t helped me at all, because now I want to read every single one of these books immediately 🤦‍♀️ Thanks for reading though!

What do you think?

Have you read any of these books?  Which ones do you think I should prioritise?  Are you participating in the Buzzword Reading Challenge?  Let me know!