I personally don’t need much excuse to read scary books, but Halloween seems like the more fun time of year to read them. If you are looking for some material to pick up this month, here are a few ideas.
"Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs.
While I am not quite sure this book can be classified as horror, it does have some scary moments. It's good for someone who might be a little squeamish or scares easily. Plus, it is a lot of fun to read and is filled with old photographs.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children tells the story of Jacob, a teenaged boy who travels to Wales in the wake of family tragedy to find answers to the secrets of his grandfather’s past. There, he finds Miss Peregrine, who runs an orphanage for children with special, or “peculiar” powers, and the kids under her care. Jake discovers he is just like them and his once ordinary life becomes extraordinary.
"Anna Dressed in Blood" by Kendare Blake.
One of my all-time personal favorite novels, this book follows Theseus Cassio “Cas” Lowood, a ghost hunter, who encounters Anna, a ghost unlike any other. He travels to her small town in Canada to end her murderous rampage, except what he thought was going to be a simple mission of hunt and kill is far more complicated than he ever anticipated.
The ghosts in this book aren’t the stereotypical ones you see in the movies. Everyone can see them, they are physical (meaning, if they touched you, you can feel it), and some of them have powers, like Anna. The mythology behind the ghost hunters and witches in this story is different, too. The novel has gory moments, but nothing like you would see on American Horror Story.
"The Dead House" by Dawn Kurtagich.
This book is told in an interesting format of diary entries, police reports, interviews, and video clips related to a fire that destroyed a high school and took the lives of three students. The main focus of the investigation is Kaitlyn Johnson, whose diary is discovered in the ruins of the school, only many say Kaitlyn does not exist. Kaitlyn is the alter ego of student Carly Johnson, who disappeared after the fire.
The diary entries detail Kaitlyn’s descent into madness as she tries to protect herself and Carly in the events leading up to the fire. The Dead House tips the balance between fantasy and psychological horror: you don’t know what is real and what is not.
"Blood and Chocolate" by Annette Curtis Klause.
This book has a more “realistic” portrayal of werewolves, mirroring the habits of real wolves, as well as the approach to a human/werewolf interpersonal relationship. Naturally, it has its gruesome, scary moments.
Vivian, a werewolf and the daughter of a deceased Alpha that has left her pack in disarray, falls in love with a human boy named Aiden, a lover of all things magical. Her pack struggles to put themselves back together after tragedy and Gabriel, a sexy older wolf that is shoo-in for the position her father vacated, continues to pursue Vivian despite her objections. Only a killer is on the loose, threatening the safety Vivian’s pack.
"Flowers in the Attic" by VC Andrews.
Another oldie but a goodie, Flowers in the Attic is more of a gothic horror. Four children are locked up in the attic of their horrible grandmother’s mansion by their greedy mother, promising they will be released when their grandfather dies and they will be rich beyond their wildest dreams. Only the kids are trapped in the attic for five years and everything that happens in between is horrendous.
Flowers in the Attic is one of the most disturbing novels I have read to date. The grandmother is a thing straight out of hell and the children’s mother is no better, plus there is sibling incest.
"Through the Woods" by Emily Carroll.
This is a graphic novel collection of five scary stories. Some are creepier than others and the artwork is beautiful, changing to fit the atmosphere of the specific story. It is not too frightening. Still, I would still not recommend reading this book before bed, like I did. Otherwise, you might think a ghostly shadow is standing over your bed or you hear a woman singing under the floorboards.
"The Women in the Walls" by Amy Lukavics.
Another recent read for me, The Women in the Walls is the definition of creepy. Lucy Acosta, a troubled seventeen-year-old girl, lives in a secluded mansion with her father, her aunt Penelope, and her cousin Margaret until Penelope disappears in the woods surrounding their house. Shortly after her mother’s disappearance, Margaret’s sanity slowly unravels, leaving Lucy alone to deal with a centuries-old family curse.
The whole “haunted house” trope might be cliché, but Amy Lukavics makes it work. There are several disturbing scenes throughout the novel, usually revolving around Penelope or Margaret, and it appears that anyone who enters the house, even those unrelated to the Acostas, go mad.
"Half Bad" by Sally Green.
The witches of Half Bad are divided by White and Black magic. The witches that practice white magic claim to be good, while the witches that practice black magic are labeled as evil. Nathan, the protagonist of the trilogy, is both a Black and White witch. In his world, that makes him an abomination.
The magic system is fascinating but complicated and the world is a far cry from Hogwarts. In fact, the proclaimed evil character in this series makes Voldemort look tame.
"As I Descended" by Robin Talley.
A young adult lesbian retelling of Macbeth set in a Southern boarding school. Makes you want to read it in that one sentence, doesn't it?
As I Descended follows Maria and Lily, two girls who are in a secret relationship, desperate to make sure Maria wins a scholarship that will get her into the same college with Lily. Only everybody knows beautiful, popular trainwreck Delilah will get the prize. But Maria and Lily are willing to do anything to make sure that never happens.
"This Savage Song" by Victoria Schwab.
Monsters birthed from human violence—Malachi, Corsai, and Sunai—stalk the streets of a city torn apart by war. Kate, the daughter of the leader of the human half of the city, and August, the son of the leader of the monster half of the city, are two kids who are trying to fit in what they think is the right way. When they are forced to come together, their world as they know it will never be the same again.
Happy reading!
