The 10 best cosy Halloween books for adults

Mika wasn’t looking for a family. In fact, she was happy being alone, adhering to her three rules:

1. Hide your magic

2. Keep your head down

3. Stay away from other witches

But when she’s given the chance to teach three young witches at the mysterious Nowhere House, she takes the opportunity to start a new life. But other dangers lurk… What will she risk to protect the life (and the people) she never knew she wanted?

For the past eleven years, Kiela has worked at the Great Library of Alyssium, protecting spellbooks for the city’s elite. But when the spark of revolution burns down the library, Kiela takes all the books she can and flees to the faraway island where she grew up.

With her assistant, Caz (a sentient spider plant), Kiela determines to redistribute the magic that the empire has slowly been draining from the island. But opening her own spellshop is risky business, as sharing magic with commoners is punishable by death. Does she have what it takes to make things right?

Sera Swan was once one of Britain’s most powerful witches. But after sacrificing most of her magic to save her aunt, she now runs an enchanted inn full of quirky guests.

Secretly, she longs for a future where her power returns, but it seems near-impossible until she meets Luke Larsen. As a magical historian, he might hold the key to restoring her power, but can he put aside his icy persona long enough to help?

Winifred Hall is a governess at Witchwood Manor, a grand Victorian house full of otherworldly dangers. So when her bratty young charge transforms overnight, she knows he’s been abducted by the Fair Folk and replaced by an imposter.

To make matters worse, the lord of the Manor is the only man in England who doesn’t believe in faeries, leaving Winnie to rescue the young lord-to-be alone. Exploring the other side of the house, she enlists the help of dubious faerie butler, Mr Quincy. With his help, she might be able to reach the centre of the Witchwood Knot and save the boy.

Yarrow, Kentucky is a place full of magic – and a long-lasting rivalry between the Haywood and Bonner families.

The Haywoods are known for their shadow garden, which produces fruits with incredible taste and heart-mending abilities. The Bonners, on the other hand, are known for their bourbon, of which the Haywood fruits are a particularly important ingredient. One day each year, a shot of Bonner bourbon will make your worst memory disappear. But twenty years ago, the town collectively lost the memory of an entire summer.

As events from that summer start to surface, the two families must reckon with the rift between them to help the town untangle its dark secrets.

Kate is perfectly happy with her solitary life as a hedge witch. But, at her sister’s request, she finds herself preparing to host her coven’s annual Halloween gathering.

In the midst of her planning, a practitioner of forbidden magic named Matthew Cypher seeks sanctuary, a request which Kate is bound to honour. Juggling everything at once, she comes across a tome of dark magic, with an inscription scrawled across it by her recently deceased mother. As she begins to question her memories, she can only turn to Matthew for help. Who can she really trust?

It’s been a while since Belladonna Blackthorn saw her magical spark. Between balancing work at her beloved bookshop and handling her toxic boss, perfecting her magic is the last thing on her mind.

But on her twentieth birthday, Belle receives a summons: she must test her worthiness as a witch or lose her magic forever. With only the month of October to get things back on track, she will need all the help she can get to reignite her spark before it’s too late.

After her long-time boyfriend dumps her, Annie decides to change her life. Tired of playing it safe, she moves from Manhattan to take a teaching job in a small village upstate.

Before long, the beautiful, magnetic Sophie has taken an interest in Annie, encouraging her to stop apologising and start living for herself. Annie is charmed by her new friend, but why is the rest of the town so standoffish? Sure, Sophie’s appearance is ageless. Sure, she lives in a mansion in the middle of the woods. And she does seem to hold a certain power. But she couldn’t be a witch… could she?

In Tangleroot Valley, every witch has her cat dragon. Well, every witch except for Aloysia Papplewick. And while she wishes things were different, she’s preoccupied with her chaotic farm and the planning of the upcoming Harvest Festival.

But when her best friend’s brother, Hollis, brings danger and distraction to her door, Aloysia is whisked away on a magical quest – one that might bring her closer to a magical spark she never expected.

After a heartbreaking break-up with Rhys Penhallow nine years ago, Vivienne Jones reacted the way most witches would: putting a curse on him. When he returns to Graves Glen, Vivi watches as his every move results in calamity. Perhaps her curse wasn’t so harmless after all.

As the curse starts to affect the town, the exes must work together to break the curse. Together, they might be able to stop the evil wind-up toys, outraged ghost, and maybe even save Rhys’s life.