I got so much reading done in September- probably because I started another reread of the ACOTAR Graphic Audios to jog my memory in time for the new release this month, and they're just so addictive.
I ticked off fourteen books, began two others, had nine five star reads (though, it doesn't really count when most of them are rereads), and finally got to read Sea of Charms- and loved it!
August Reading Stats:
📖 14 books completed, 2 started.
📖 5 hardbacks.
🎧 9 audiobooks
📖 2012 pages (4289 pages including audiobooks).
🎧 69.4 hours listened at 1.1x to 1.3x speed.
📖 9 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads!
📖 Average rating: 4.59 stars.
📖 Average book length: 429 pages.
📖 Average time to finish: 5 days.
I went into the month intending to read all the sci-fi books for a science fiction themed reading challenge that I participated in, but I ended up finishing a grand total of one (1) sci-fi books, and devoured so much fantasy instead. It had to be the most un-sci-fi-y sci-fi reading challenge ever, but thankfully, the prompts are open to interpretation, so anything goes.
I Read:
📖Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole. 3.75⭐
📖Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst. 5⭐
📖Twig's Travelling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy. 4⭐
📖Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole. 3.5⭐
📖The Mirror of Infinite Endings by Stephanie Garber. 4⭐
🎧Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Thorns and Roses Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Thorns and Roses Graphic Audio Part Two by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Mist and Fury Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Mist and Fury Graphic Audio Part Two by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Wings and Ruin Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Wings and Ruin Graphic Audio Part Two by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Wings and Ruin Graphic Audio Part Three by Sarah J. Maas. 5⭐ (Reread).
🎧A Court of Frost and Starlight Graphic Audio by Sarah J. Maas. 4⭐ (Reread).
And I started
📖Heat of the Everflame by Penn Cole.
🎧A Court of Silver Flames Graphic Audio Part One by Sarah J. Maas. (Reread).
Favourite Reads: My favourite new read for September was Sea of Charms, followed by The Mirror of Infinite Endings, and Twig's Travelling Tomes
Sea of Charms was one of my most highly-anticipated books for 2026. I'd been excited for this third installment in The Spellshop series since I finished book two, The Enchanted Greenhouse, last summer, and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint. It was a cosy and whimsical delight, and it's sure to enchant anyone who believes in magic, adventures, interspecies friendships, second chances at love, the beauty of music, and the healing powers of the sea. It has sentient plants, a sassy singing sea serpent, winged cats, dragons, sea turtle swimming instructors, unicorns with musical hooves, a bespelled boat, adorable parents that believe in peach pie for breakfast, a sweet prodigy musician, and all manner of wondrous things that make the story so magical and captivating. I thought the story had the perfect balance of whimsical fantasy adventure and touching real-life issues, and it added so much heart to the book. Amongst the daring quests and the charming magical creatures, it touched on some heavy topics, like controlling relationships, abandonment, corrupt governments, rebellion, and debt through familial scamming, and the author explored each of them in a realistic and sensitive way. I found Marin's story particularly compelling, as she worked to rebuild her life following an emotionally abusive relationship that had gradually chipped away at her until it made her big personality small. The way her despicable ex-fiancée manipulated her and her parents infuriated me, but it was inspiring how she weathered his continued attempts to ruin her life with dignity and determination until the very end. And uplifting to see her gradually regaining her confidence, and trust in others with her new friends, and building a happy life for herself. Dax was also an interesting character with how he appeared to be just a sweet and naïve young musician with a cheerful and optimistic disposition, until you dug deeper and learned how difficult his life had been. My favourite character was probably Perri, the sea serpent, though; he was so sassy and cute, and I loved Ree, the sentient Wax Myrtle plant, too. The show-burn, friends-to-lovers relationship was the perfect mix of frustrating and satisfying, and the friendships were wonderful, too. I also love how this book blended the three Spellshop worlds together with some cameos and crossovers with previous characters and islands, and it was fun to explore more of the world, like the infamous city of Alyssium. The only thing I really didn't like about Sea of Charms with Marin's obnoxious ex-fiancée, who was one of the most detestable villains I've ever read. He was a well-written antagonist, though- which I know thanks to the numbers of times I was left wishing he'd get mauled to death by winged cats every time he opened his spiteful little mouth. Overall, I adored this book, and everything about it. It was cute, it was imaginative, it made me feel, and it offered some much needed escapism from the real world. If you're looking for a story that will leave you feeling happy and content, engage your imagination, take you on a journey, and perhaps infuse you with some emotional pain, get yourself a copy immediately! You won't regret it. You can find my full review of Sea of Charms on Goodreads here.
Twig's Traveling Tomes was another feel-good cosy fantasy- this time about a reclusive young witch with a travelling bookshop and unique magic that allows her to match people with their perfect books. She is tasked with using her powers to find the missing pages of her ex-mentor's stolen grimoire, and gets thrown together with a charming erstwhile thief, a guard with a dragon phobia, a sassy jilted gardener, and a couple of kooky old wizards. Together, they travel the four kingdoms and face all kinds of threats and mythical beings in order to retrieve the pages, from sirens who put on musical productions to lure their victims, to fireflies that are flying embers of fire. But perhaps the biggest threat of all is the handsome ex-thief that seems intent on stealing Louella's heart, no matter how hard she tries to guard it... It was such a cute, cosy, and wonderfully whimsical read, and perfect for curling up with in autumn. The plot and characters were so funny that it had me laughing throughout, especially at Everett's relentless flirting and back-and-forth with Louella, and the overall silliness of the writing. It was so fun and light-hearted, and provided a great distraction from the rising dread of the real world for a while. I loved the found family vibes, the quests, the imaginative world-building, the characters, the unique creatures, and especially the travelling bookshop and slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance. Louella's bookshop and tree house were the setting my bookish dreams are made of, and I got lost in the magic of both. I loved the chemistry between Everett and Louella, and Everett was a swoon-worthy love-interest. Why are all the best men fictional? *Sigh.* While I loved it, I do feel that the writing quality declined during the last quarter. The dialogue became a little too cheesy for my taste after the moms joined the story, and the enemies became lovers- I'm just not a fan of soppy romance- but I can't deny that it was an enjoyable read overall, and had some great twists and turns and shocking reveals along the way. If you want a cosy, witchy romance read for autumn, it's well worth the read. My full review can be found on Goodreads here.
I'm still trying to organise my thoughts on The Mirror of Infinite Endings, but if you enjoyed the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, I think you'll enjoy the new novella as much as I did. It was so much fun to return to The Hollow, spend time with Jacks and Evangeline as a loved-up couple, see Evangeline exploring a different life through the mirror, and enjoy the obvious sexual tension between Chaos and Lala. Yes, it was fluff, but sometimes fluff is exactly what you need.
Favourite Listens: I had the best month rereading the Graphic Audio versions of the ACOTAR series to catch myself up before A Court of Splintered Harmony was released, and I enjoyed them all so much, it's near impossible to narrow them down to just one favourite. ACOSF and ACOMAF are my favourite books in the series so far, but ACOWAR is just so good in this format, so I'm not even going to try to choose between them. I love them all- even the questionable festive novella, ACOFAS.
I also loved relistening to Project Hail Mary for the second time this year for my reading challenge. It's one of my all-time favourite sci-fi books- if not my favourite, and it just gets better with every read. If you haven't read it but love the film, you need to check it out!
Least Favourites: There wasn't a book that I truly hated in September, but if my life depended on me choosing a least favourite, it would probably be Glow of the Everflame. It was pretty chaotic and far-fetched, even for a fantasy book, one of the love interests was detestable, and so many of the side-characters were loathsome. It was entertaining enough, had good found family vibes, and addictive slow-burn romance, but it won't be cracking my top ten or even my top forty any time soon, and there are far better fantasy/ romantasy books out there to spend your time on. (If you want recommendations, I'm always happy to give them)!
So, that's what I read in September.
Have you read any good books lately?
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