I’ve always been intrigued by monsters. I grew up watching or reading anything that had a monster in it, much to the chagrin of my monster-hating mother. Over time, I grew bored with the same monsters in the same historical settings. It wasn’t until I discovered some of the books on this list that I found writers doing new, fun, and inventive things that reinvigorated my own love for them. I’m always going to be a monster junky, but I always hope to find authors that can bring these classic terrors into the modern world.
This is the first book that made me feel like I was in a fully realized location. I couldn’t put it down and continue to revisit it annually because the depth of detail in the town and its citizens draws me in and makes the events more impactful as they unfold.
I’ve always enjoyed a good vampire story, but Salem’s Lot was the first vampire story that made me a little nervous of the creaking sounds in the hallway or a tapping at a window.
#1 BESTSELLER • Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book.
But when two young boys venture into the woods, and only one returns alive, Mears begins to realize that something sinister is at work.
In fact, his hometown is under siege from forces of darkness far beyond his imagination. And only he, with a small group of allies, can hope to contain the evil that…
I love the adrenaline-pumping action that blends seamlessly into the horror elements of this book. I read it in a single sitting because I could not put it down. Every page was filled with monsters, action, and suspense. I also love the core characters at the heart of this book.
All of them share different backgrounds but come together through a common thread. The humor in this book made me laugh out loud while reading it. I can’t stress enough just how fun it was to turn the page and see what happened next.
I was enamored with the main character from this book. Learning about the world and mythology with her made it way more enjoyable for me and put me right beside her for the ride. Every terror, struggle, victory, and loss were so much more poignant because I was so attached to Laura Caxton.
The villain is evil with a capital E, and I found myself hating them more with each exposure to them. Solid action and tension that kept me interested and hanging on.
The monster knelt in the mud, his balled fists punching at the ground, his head bowed. He started to get up and Arkeley shot him again. He'd had thirteen bullets to start with how many did he have left? All the official reports say they are dead-extinct since the late '80s, when a fed named Jameson Arkeley nailed the last vampire in a fight that nearly killed him. But the evidence proves otherwise. When a state trooper named Caxton calls the FBI looking for help in the middle of the night, it is Arkeley who gets the assignment - who…
I loved the tie-in to classic superstitions and historical events that lay the foundation for this story. I found the spreading evil within the town to be one of the most compelling parts of the story. While the heroes were nice, I wanted to see just how far this malignant force would spread before being stopped.
I liked that the protagonists truly struggle and are in real peril. I enjoyed the more subdued action of the book and the real-world tone that it set.
"This is horror on a grand scale, reminiscent of Stephen King." --Publishers Weekly
The book that launched the Pine Deep trilogy
Thirty years ago, a blues musician called the Bone Man killed the devil at the crossroads, only to be beaten and hung like a scarecrow in a cornfield--or so the story goes. Today, the people of Pine Deep celebrate their town's grisly past by luring tourists to the famous haunted hayride, full of chills and scares. But this year, "The Spookiest Town in America" will learn the true meaning of fear. Its residents will see the real face of…
I was hooked after meeting the characters and seeing them interact with one another. I could easily imagine these people as real and the town of Hettford felt like a slice of life. The comedic tone caught me off-guard, but I quickly grew to want to spend more time with the loveable losers that form the Hettford Witch Hunt group.
Four friends; Jack, Emera, Ameth, and Owen go to the Friedkin School for Girls. It's supposed to be simple, go pick up Emera and Ameth's sister Ruby. On the first night, a werewolf infiltrates the school. Now the army has arrived, but protecting the people at the school is their top priority. The only hope of understanding the creature's origin and motives rests in the two old journals belonging to the house's former owners.
Modern military might faces off against ancient animal savagery as those caught in the middle try to survive.
A fractured mind or a global conspiracy? Uncovering the truth can be hell when nobody believes you… and you can’t even trust yourself.
"A fantastic science fiction thriller with a sincere and important message.”—Kirkus Reviews.
“A breathtaking, deeply dark alternate-history Earth with complex characters, layered worldbuilding, and twist after twist after twist.”—Julianna Caro, Reedsy Discovery.
Broken Mirror is the first volume in a queer psychological science fiction saga that looks at the stigma of mental illness and the hellish distrust and alienation that goes with it.
Broken Mirror: the start of a smart, complex, and imaginative cyberpunk alternate history saga. Literary science fiction from a fresh, young voice.
In a skewed mirror universe, a mentally ill young man searches for his grandfather’s killer.
Someone killed Jefferson Eastmore. His grandson Victor is sure of it, but no one believes him.
Diagnosed with mirror resonance syndrome and shunned by Semiautonomous California society, Victor suffers from hyperempathy, blank outs, and sensory overload. Jefferson devoted his life to researching mental illness and curing Broken Mirrors like Victor through genetic engineering, but now that he’s gone, Victor must walk a narrow…
