Thrilltober Guest Post ft. moonlightbooks

This is my second year hosting #Thrilltober and I wanted to do something special. I've asked a couple of amazing people what they think of the thriller genre and I was super luckily that Aamir (from @moonlight_books) wanted to write a guest post for my blog! 

Without further delay, here is Aamir's amazing guest post! 

You know, sometimes I’d like to say I put the spook in spooky because quite honestly October is by far my favourite month! The hot cocoa, the falling leaves, the gloomy atmosphere. All of it. Unless you live in South Africa where it is actually Spring and yet the weather still remains cold so hey, it’s Fall in my mind. First of all thank you so much to Melleny for inviting me to be a guest blogger for #Thrilltober. We often freak about about all kinds of books together and she is GENUINELY the sweetest person ever. I mean, how can someone as sweet as her enjoy reading twisted, messed-up thriller books? The answer to that is simple: Thriller books are the best kind! 

The Thriller genre to me, encapsulates that “edege-of-your-seat, unable-to-put-it-down” kinda feeling. Honestly speaking, while reading many books from this genre, I could literally feel and hear my heart thumping in anticipation to reach the end. This is what thriller means to me. A rollercoaster of emotions paired with the protagonist uncovering a mystery alongside the reader is the best kind of thriller. Another personal fave would be an unreliable narrator. This may through the narrator consuming huge amounts of alcohol all the time or maybe they are pathological liars and hide things from the reader. 

What really makes or breaks a thriller read for me would be the ending. Even if the middle of the book is mediocre, if the climax is spectacular and makes my jaw drop to the freaking floor, then it has done it’s job. More so, it should come to no surprise (if you follow me on instagram) that I am absolutely obsessed with ANYTHING Riley Sager writes! His craft for storytelling and his endings are so well thought out and will have you yelling at 2am. No seriously, his endings are SO smart and will have your mind reeling long after you finished the book. I also recently got into Ruth Ware and The Death of Mrs Westaway is incredibly twisty and intricately woven. I’m sure you can pick up a common theme here. I really respect and commend thriller writers who are smart about the stories they want to tell. The plot needs to be convoluted without being too messy or unrealistic and I should need to doubt EVERY character. Smart thrillers are just the crème de la crème! Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinsborough is one I read earlier this year since everybody and their mothers were gushing about that final twist at the very end and damn was that hella insane! 

Aside from Adult thrillers, I also enjoy YA mysteries. Here are some of my faves: ANYTHING by Kara Thomas (The Darkest Corners and Little Monsters), Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus, Stalking Jack The Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco and one that I have on my tbr is A Good Girls Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson! Speaking of tbrs, this October I will be reading: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, Bad Apple by Zoje Stage, Verity by Colleen Hoover (heard this one is seriously messed up!), The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo, The Turn of The Key by Ruth Ware and honestly ALL THE THRILLERS I CAN GET AHOLD OF!!

All in all, the thriller and horror genre is dear to me, as I grew up watching tons of horror and every kind of psychological thriller movies I could find. Once I began to consume them in the form of a book, I couldn’t stop. It’s always a great time with a Thriller novel and it is honestly one hell of a ride you never want to get off from! 

Happy Spooky Season yall!! goes back to pumpkin carving