OH I have a book recommendation about this : malice by heather Walter, which is a sapphic retelling of the sleeping beauty which is from the POV of malice, the villain in the story. I really liked it ❤
I was so obsessed with the dark fae from the maleficent movie world i dreamt an entire story complete with lore and everything. The speed with wc i clicked on this video...hilarious.
Cottagegore!! (Cottage + gore) The dark, bloody cousin of cottagecore is 100% my vibe 🖤🔪🫀🍄🥀🍁🩸🦴🖤 House of Hollow, Queens of Renthia series, For the Wolf, Juniper & Thorn, Slewfoot, The Tangleroot Palace, Mexican Gothic, All the Murmuring Bones, Into the Heartless Wood, The Bone Houses, Follow Me to Ground, Small Favors, This Poison Heart (a bit too high fantasy to perfectly fit, but maybe a little bit The Ninth Rain. it definitely gets both the naturey and horror elements)
I've read a lot of these and the rest are on my TBR. I never hear anyone mention the Queens of Renthia series but I have read two of the three books and really enjoyed them.
@@__________________________6633 imo its not a light read, as the prose isnt very straightforward and rather "flowery" and the subject matter is also quite melancholic and sad, BUT Circe was one of my favourite reads this year partially because of these two reasons, so Id say read it as soon as youre in the mood for a book that isnt too light!!
my partner and i have been using the term ‘botanical horror’ for books like this! we’re obsessed! top recs of ours are other words for smoke by sarah maria griffin, house of hollow by krystal sutherland, and baby teeth by meg grehan
Spinning Silver, Uprooted and the girl in the tower all fit the cottagecore theme quite well, imo! Also maybe some stormy Agatha Christie, such as And then there were none.
I was going to mention Uprooted instantly! The Winternight trilogy (Bear and the Nightingale, Girl in the Tower, and Winter of the Witch) is also such a great suggestion
T. Kingfisher has a bunch of books that fit this vibe. "Nettle & Bone" (quest through the forest with a witch, includes loveable reanimated skeleton dog) is her latest in that category, but I can also recommend "The Raven and the Reindeer" (a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen") and "The Twisted Ones" (that one is more horror, I know it's not your usual). Also, for mushrooms and rot with a gothic mansion setting, "What Moves the Dead" is her retelling of E. A. Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher.”
I loved What Moves the Dead. It really captured the creepiness and the dread, and I was feeling quite disturbed by the end. Super atmospheric and great Gothic horror.
For maximum Dark Cottagecore vibes, read the short story The Erl-King by Angela Carter. It’s just what you’re looking for! It’s part of the Bloody Chamber short story collection as well.
Women feeling isolated and not taken seriously seems to be a bit of a recurring theme in Shirley Jackson's work. I'm currently reading 'Dark tales' - a collection of her short stories - she really is an excellent writer.
I liked Among the Beasts and Briars - it was definitely a YA vibe. The fox thing didn't weird me out, but my favorite part was that she was the gardener's daughter. For a darker forest vibe, with an actual cottage in the story, you might like The Will and the Wilds by Charlie Holmberg. I haven't read Fortuna Sworn yet. I had the same reaction you did when I finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle.
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dark cottagecore reminds me of fairytales and I think it'll be the perfect reading aesthetic for January! I love reading fantasy in the wintertime, so I feel like this will be perfect for this time of year.
Your digital painting gives me The Ancient Magus' Bride vibes. Shirley Jackson is a favorite author of mine. Her short story, The Lottery and novels Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in a Castle are my favorites.
Finding books that fit with this aesthetic isn't easy, but in the last couple of years since I fell in love with cottagegore, here are some gems I've run across: "A Walk In A Darker Wood" (short story anthology, edited by Sarah Walker), "Tales From The Hinterland" by Melissa Albert, and "The Sisters Of The Winter Wood" by Rena Rossner. And although these aren't books, I just wanted to include a few more suggestions for anyone out there who, like me, simply can't get enough of this aesthetic... The album "O My Heart," by Mother Mother, is *very* cottagegore. If you're looking for something with a dark Americana kind of vibe, The Builders And The Butchers is a great band to check out -- gothic bluegrass, very dark lyrics, and the singer's voice is amazing. Compilations of "Deep Woods/Cryptid Stories" by Raven Reads (here on RU-vid) have the perfect combination of being woodsy, cozy, and deliciously spooky. The 1970's film "The Wicker Man" and the 2016 movie "The Witch" beautifully capture the essence of cottagegore (not to mention they're both masterpieces of psychological horror). And for anyone here who doesn't already know about it, you've simply got to check out the "Cottagegore" playlist by Kester Spach (on RU-vid). It captures this vibe *flawlessly.* Thanks so much to everyone else on here who posted their book recommendations -- I'm always looking for more cottagegore stories!
If you want the good misty atmosphere in dark cottage core you should read the FOR THE WOLF series by hannah whitmen! This series explores the red riding hood trope but crosses it with beauty and the beast. The author is amazing at atmosphere and keeping you engaged in all the details. My only critic is that it can be a little slow but i love it!
An enchantment of ravens, a fragile enchantment, t kingfisher’s books, into the heartless wood, juniper and thorn, and silver in the wood all give me goblincore /dark cottagecore vibes!
Loved the Winternight trilogy. Similar mythology/folklore, similar time period, but different interpretation, I also just finished The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore.
I think you would like Nettle and bone by T Kingfisher. It’s a dark fantasy with witches, a bone dog and a demon hen. For me was a really cozy quest like book
my favorite piece of media at the moment that I feel fits this aesthetic rather perfectly is the Mabel Podcast. ghosts, fae, nature, abandoned house overtaken by shrubbery and rot. made me fall in love with this aesthetic and i've been seeking books and other media that even come close to replicating it ever since. (also they have official transcripts on their website so you can read along as well!)
i'm watching this in the morning with my coffee and it's very broody outside and oh my lord watching you draw was so calming and lovely - thank you! loving this aesthetic and definitely have to check out we have always lived in this castle!
The Shady Hollow series by Juneau Black fits this perfectly! It’s about a small town murder & all the characters are animals who live in the forest. It’s amazing & one of my top 5 favorites!
Okay, so Ink Heart is well enough known and I feel some people are disappointed by it BUT I'd like to recommend book two and three (Ink Blood & Ink Death) because the story changes so much, they become very fairytale-esque and especially the third one got big dark cottagecore vibes in my opinion (and one of my favorite settings of all time - I'm just saying BIG ASS trees!) I just re-read the series and was surprised how much they hold up for me even as a 25yr old. 🧡
Agree wholeheartedly!! I read the second book first by mistake and honestly the second and third are way better than the first. I feel they are way more fleshed out in a sense. Thank you for reminding me of this series, omw to reread it
It's been a while since I've read The Will and the Wilds by Charlie N. Holmberg but I remember it had nice nature/cottagecore/demon vibe, it lowkey gave me dark studio Ghibli feels? I would also highly recommend reading short story by Leigh Bardugo The Witch of Duva, it has this dark fairytale element that I adored
Dark cottage core is such a vibe! If you’re looking for another one that falls under that genre, I highly recommend A Daughter of the Trolls by McKenzie Catron! It’s dark, lush, and full of those eerie cottage core vibes! It’s all about Fae too!
Your deer head portrait is SO reminiscent of the Rusty Lake games, which I 100% recommend. I would even venture to say they have the cottagegore vibe 🌿🍄
This video made me realise that a lot of my favourite horror/spooky books fit into this genre. They all have to do with nature, funghi, flowers etc. I'm talking about House of Hollow, Mexican Gothic, Horrid, What moves the Dead etc. And some comments made me realise this is called cottagecore so I'm definitely going to look for more of those books and read more in 2023
For dark cottagecore I would recommend A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross. It's an isolated island, lots of people live in cottages, there are nature spirits, herb gardens and a mystery that needs to be solved. I love this kind of aesthetic as well as more gothic vibes as well. For those gothic vibes i would recommend One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig or A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson.
“A spell of winter” by Helen Dunmore fits into this aesthetic perfectly in my opinion. It is quite dark and deals with disturbing themes, but i feel like it captures the dark woods and the feeling of isolation really well
I HIGHLY recommend the two novellas Silver in the Wood (Emily Tesh) and The Faerie Hounds of York (Arden Powerll) for dark cottagecore vibes. I think you'd love them, and the second is also the perfect winter read! I agree with other recommendations that House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland is also perfect for dark cottagecore.
I have been loving your videos sooo much ❤️ it's almost like a ritual - you post = okay now it's time to relax, light a candle and write down my next reads from your video 🍁🍂 take care xx
You might like A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft for this vibe! It includes a cottage in the woods, a fox hunt, and a slight romance (i think its YA).
I'm in love with this aesthetic too but didn't knew the term until now, thanks! Just finished What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher and I think you may like it. There's an elderly micologist, weird nature and gothic vibes...🍄
Among the beast and breyers is a perfect book for dark cottage Core. I didn't enjoy it the first time I read it because I expected something else for the ending. But just know that it's going to be a fairy tale ending and then you'll be happy. I read it the second time around knowing that's going to be a fairy tale ending and I was extremely happy.
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert would fall under Dark Cottagecore but it's pretty graphic. If you're looking for characters who treat each other badly then you'd probably love Zodiac Academy!
when i say i want to read / watch something dark, i usually mean media with dark and complex topics and maybe more morally grey characters than the usual heroes vs villains trope. btw, it's so nice to see you drawing again! that piece of art was so cool!!
a great book that fits this genre would be the gorgeous graphic novel, ‘through the woods’ by emily caroll !! it’s a brilliant short story anthology in graphic novel form
My favorite book from my middle school years was "I Am Morgan le Fay" by Nancy Springer and it was very dark cottagecore. I've never in my life met anyone else who's read it, so it's a hidden dark cottagecore gem if anyone wants something underrated! ;) I would also recommend another of my middle school favorites which was "Sabriel' by Garth Nix. I don't know if it would be dark cottagecore or dark academia, maybe both? But either way it is still one of my absolute favorite series, and again it's very underrated in my opinion.
I recently read ‘The bear and the nightingale’ by Katherine Arden, this is the first in a three book series. I would say it loosely fits into the dark cottage core genre. Includes a lot of entities from Slavic folklore and myth, interesting read.
Writing down notes for books I have to check out in the future. But personally, I would recommend the 13 Treasures series. It is middle grade, but it's all about dark, gritty fairies and magic and I enjoyed it so much in middle/high school
I don't care for the cottagecore at all, but I think the subtle arch of an eyebrow in your drawing and the way it connects to the nose just got me out of my drawing depression. I literally dropped my work in the middle of an email and had to draw a little face next to my work notes.
'The Folk of The Air' series has a very cottage core vibe imo, as well as 'Enchantment of Ravens' and 'Uprooted' and 'These Hollow Vows' Edit: btw your earrings are EVERYTHING!!!
This video + all the wonderful comments recommending other books have added so many interesting books I'd never known of otherwise to my To-Read list. Thanks!
Ok but that candle bottle is actually genius. Put a candle in there it slowly melts down and falls to the bottom and eventually you'll fill it all the way up and you can reuse the wax for whatever.
I recommend The Lighthouse Witches and The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke! They are great gothic tales with witches/fairies, haunted lighthouses or manors in the woods, mother-child relationships, and have multiple timelines/multiple perspectives. Great mystery and horror with a connection to nature.
I wanna say The Binding by Bridget Collins is very cottagecore with a bit of darkness. First our main character lives in a cottage for a good part of the book, there is a lot of forest scenes, dusty rooms and books and an overall automnal wintery setting !
Witch Wood by John Buchan is a great dark evil woods book - and you can be smug reading it because it's almost 100 years old and full of Scottish historical context. Also The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson fulfils the dark evil woods criteria
Shirley Jackson was agoraphobic so a lot of the feeling on anxiety in "We always lived in the castle" rings so true. Great gothic novel. Def sad, especially when it all hit the fan
i love ashley poston's geekerella series (ya modern fairytale retelling romances all centred around fandom and cons), i think she does the fun ya romances really well and i love her characters, but based on that i wouldn't think that atmospheric ya fantasy would really work with her style. i really recommend geekerella if you're looking for a cute celebration of fandom, though :))
I have been in this journey as well with books gothic horror/folk horror/ dark cottage core. Books on my wishlist include Horrid In the Night Wood The Hollow Places In the house in the dark of the woods Follow me to ground
omg all the talk of 'evil forests' reminds me so much of uprooted by naomi novik, i read it a while ago but it was so great! idk if it fits the cottagecore aspect as much but i would still recommend :)
For something little different but still dark cottagecore i recommend Hare house. No magic, but lot's of superstition and misty, snowy forest full of legends and mystery
idk if this counts exactly? BUT “Little Thieves” is a spin on the Goose Girl fairytale but from the perspective of the ‘villain’. The girl is also the adopted daughter of the Goddesses of Fortune and Death (they r very cute together btw)! Its very fun and the main couples are also very cute and its vibes are immaculate. The descriptions of the monsters are very dark-fae inspired too! Not exactly ~naturey~ but its a very good read! But be warned, there is mention of s*exual assault directed at children, but never directly described.
You HAVE to let the 'butt' of the candle burn into the bottle! Its the coolest! They drop with a little 'flump' sound and continue to burn a few seconds and then the flame dies. I would consider it as pretty safe and interesting to watch - was my favorite part actually.
