October 2025
- Lindsay Mattison
- Sep 30, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 8, 2025
Gothic, Paranormal, or Supernatural
This corner of fantasy leans into shadow and mystery, where atmosphere and the uncanny guide the story. The settings are often eerie or decaying, from vast castles to haunted forests to mist-covered towns, each place carrying the weight of secrets. Ghosts, witches, vampires, sirens, and strange forces move through these worlds, not only as threats but as reflections of desire, fear, and the darker sides of humanity. At its heart this kind of fantasy suggests that reality is thin and fragile, that unseen powers are always pressing close, and that beauty and terror often walk hand in hand.
Anathema
by Keri Lake
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Verdict:
This one had us talking. The magic and darker world pulled us in, but the story felt scattered with too many loose ends, plot holes, rushed relationships (even though it was a 'slow burn'), and trauma that wasn’t handled with much care. Some loved the creepy, almost Wizard of Oz / Alice in Wonderland meets horror vibe and the magical world and system, others wanted more depth (and fewer unrelated or non-plot serving info dumps).
All the Murmuring Bones
by A.G. Slatter
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Verdict:
This one sounded like a haunting fairytale with Irish folklore, family curses and mermaid with nefarious intentions but the storytelling left us divided. We loved the premise and vibes in general, but the pacing and structure felt scattered. The folklore was rich at times, yet the emotional depth?.... a bit shallow. The main character drifted through murder, magic, and motherhood with little reaction, leaving us wondering if that detachment was intentional by the author for the storytelling style or just poor execution. The bones of the story was there, but overall it needed more life threaded in.
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