Katherine Arden

A dull flush crept across Konstantin’s cheekbones. His hand fumbled among his paints. “I have a task, Vasilisa Petrovna. I must save you from yourselves. God has punishments for those who stray.”

“A self-appointed task,” said Vasya, “in service of your own pride. Why is it for you to say what God wants? The people would never revere you so, if you had not made them afraid.”

“God gave me a task.” He bit off each word, almost spitting.

“We are men and women,” she retorted. “We are not a task.

Soon the old autumn sun would bed down in cloud blankets, and there would be weeks of gray rain before it finally decided to snow

What if a vampire army came through the gates right now? Or no, it’s sunny. Werewolves? Or what if the Brewsters’ Halloween skeleton decided to unhook himself from the third-floor window and lurch out the door?

She wanted to go outside, she wanted to ride her bike, and she didn’t want to rejoin chess club

The entire sixth grade was staring. The kids in front started backing away. A lot of them thought she had cracked since last year

It was good to be alone in the warm sunshine. The river ran silver to her right, chattering over rocks. The fire-colored trees shook their leaves down around her. It wasn’t hot, exactly—but warm for October.

The swimming hole was Ollie’s favorite place. Not far from her house, it had a secret spot on a rock half-hidden by a waterfall.

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini

Reading it meant going to a new place where she wasn’t Olivia Adler at all.