The Forest That Eats October

By J D Harris

The Forest That Eats October
By J.D. Harris

Every October, Hallowmere celebrates the Lantern Harvest. But this year, the past has started singing.

The town of Hallowmere is famous for its autumn magic: glowing lanterns, spiced buns, pumpkin stalls, leaf crowns, and thirteen days of cosy harvest celebrations. Visitors see a picture-perfect festival town wrapped in copper leaves and candlelight.

Rowan Bell knows better.

When she discovers an old school photograph from 1978 with thirteen children's faces scratched out, something long buried begins to wake. Ghostly children appear in the festival crowd. Names vanish from records. Old songs echo beneath the town hall. And as each lantern is lit, Hallowmere moves closer to repeating a terrible bargain it once made with the forest.

With the help of Milo Crane, a camera that captures what others cannot see, and her formidable grandmother's hidden archive of warnings, Rowan must uncover the truth before the thirteenth lantern burns.

But Hallowmere has spent decades forgetting what it gave away.

And October is hungry again.

Darkly whimsical, eerie and autumn-soaked, The Forest That Eats October is a haunting YA/teen fantasy mystery filled with ghost children, forgotten names, strange folklore, sinister festivals, old bargains, and a town determined not to remember.

Perfect for readers who love atmospheric autumn stories, cosy-creepy mysteries, magical forests, Halloween folklore, and tales where the prettiest traditions hide the darkest secrets.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H7PTJD3J
• ISBN13: 9798185676141
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.7" x 5.3"