If you are anything like me, reading or watching anything with too much 'scary' content tends to make it hard to sleep. In my case, most scary movies are not great but I do love a spooky theme in books, especially in fantasy or sci-fi. I decided to make a list of some of my favorite books with spooky themes that don't leave you with too many scars or nightmares (at least in my case). I know there are probably a lot more books that fall into this category, but these are some I've read recently, or find myself going back to over the years.
Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt
This story is a thrilling tale that follows Wil as she tries to figure out what happened to her mother a year ago and Elwood, who is determined to live for one day before his parents send him away.
That is until he learns he isn't being sent away and was instead raised to be a sacrifice for the cult his dad is in charge of.
Even though they haven't talked since her mom disappeared, Elwood goes to Wil for help, and to find a way to survive.
This book is set in creepy woods, with a cult vibe and an underlying romance. I honestly really loved that it was both spooky but had that thrill of having something at risk during the events of the book.
Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch and Beth Revis
Fritzi is one of the last members of her coven, after the brutal murder of the rest of her family by the witch hunters. She is determined to find her young cousin, and save her from the witch hunters before it is too late.
Otto is a witch hunter, one of the best for his age, but he is starting to see the flaws in their ideals. When trying to use his sister to set witches free, he runs into Fritzi, who makes his sister disappear while trying to save her.
Together Otto and Fritzi must save the other witches, while also finding their way to the well of magic in the woods. But sometimes the people meant to help you, are actually the cause of the probably. A great new read to add to your spooky TBR.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
Red and her five friends are on an RV trip to their spring break destination. It is a long trip, but they are all excited.
That is until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There is no cell service, no nearby houses and someone who is trying to kill them.
When they realize the RV's tires have been shot out by a sniper, who is watching them from the woods. The sniper is looking for a secret from one of them, and if they try to escape they will die.
In a fast paced story that takes place in less than 24 hours, the friends are trying to figure out who is the target while also trying to survive until someone can help them.
Horrid by Katrina Leno
Jane North-Robinson and her mother move to a dreary house in Maine where her mother grew up following the death of her father.
Looking for a fresh start but instead Jane finds herself in North Manor's dilapidated walls, that seem to be haunted. As Jane settles into her new home, the house becomes the target for a local 'bad seed' as well as feeling more and more alone within its walls.
Until Jane starts to learn why her mom keeps one door in the house locked, always. And how this one door holds the secrets to her mom's past and stories Jane never knew about her family.
A perfect short, spooky book to get you in the spooky season mood,
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, who has summoned a ghost that won't leave him alone. Yadriel's family runs a cemetery and the men of his family help spirits move on.
Yadriel wants to prove himself as a real brujo, even if his family is unaccepting of his gender. He uses his best friend to preform the ritual himself and to find the spirit of his murdered cousin and help set it free.
Instead he gets the spirit of Julian, a local bad boy at school who does not want to go quietly into the afterlife. When Yadriel agrees to help Julian tie up some loose ends, they start to develop a friendship.
A friendship that will make it a lot harder to let Julian go when the time comes.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born into a life of luxury and privilege, but social teas and dress fittings aren't really her thing.
Instead, she sneaks to her uncle's laboratory to study forensic medicine, against her father's wishes. It is there she meets Thomas, her uncle's apprentice who is studying medicine in the ways Audrey wishes she could.
When a series of savagely killed corpses comes through the lab, Audrey starts to believe it is the work of serial killer, and starts to investigate.
As she, and Thomas, come closer to the answers of who the killer might be, she starts to realize the investigation brings her closer and closer to her own small circle.
My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine
I've spoken about this book a lot in the last month. In a more 'soft' romcom book for spooky season.
Cassie is a struggling artist, who finds an ad for 'too goo to be true' cheap rent and decides to look into it. What she finds is an apartment out of the last century and a a roommate who looks like he's been asleep for hundreds of years. The deal is simple, don't wake him during the day, pay rent and help him.
That is until she learns he is a vampire, and the deal changes. Now after accepting who he is, she has promised to help him learn about the modern world. So he can fit in and thrive in modern day Chicago. This book definitely has more romance and humor than the others on the list. It's definitely a cute read.
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Ryn only cares about two things, her family and her family's graveyard, and right now both are in dire straits. Ryn and her siblings are trying to keep themselves a float after the death of their parents by being gravediggers at the cemetery.
The issue is, in their small town is that the dead don't stay dead. The risen corpses are known as 'bone houses' and are the result of a decades old curse.
Then Ellis shows up in the town, a mapmaker with a mysterious past. Now the bone houses are attacking with more ferocity. To figure out how to stop the bone houses, Ellis and Ryn decide to go on an adventure to the heart of the mountains, and learn more about themselves in the process.
This is just a short list of some of my favorite 'creepy' reads. I hope you find it helpful!
What creepy reads do you suggest?
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