5 Spooky Reads to make your spine tingle this Halloween!
5 Spooky Reads To Make Your Spine Tingle This Halloween!
Introduction:
It’s no secret that I read A LOT, but what’s surprised me this year is how I’ve sort of fallen in love with horror. I’m not a huge horror movie fan, so the fact that I love the genre is a bit of an oddity. Perhaps then, the reason I’ve gotten into all things spooky, supernatural, and horror when it comes to fiction has something to do with the fact that I’ve been treated to some incredible books this year!
So, without further ado, here are just a few of my favourites!
Good Girl’s Die First by Katheryn Foxfield
SYNOPSIS:
Blackmail lures sixteen-year-old Ava to the derelict carnival on Portgrave Pier. She is one of ten teenagers, all with secrets they intend to protect whatever the cost. When fog and magic swallow the pier, the group find themselves cut off from the real world and from their morals.
As the teenagers turn on each other, Ava will have to face up to the secret that brought her to the pier and decide how far she's willing to go to survive.
My Thoughts:
When i took this book off the shelf, i thought i was in store for a YA Thriller. What i got was something a little more bone chilling than i expected. With the setting being a derelict carnival, I expected it to be a little eerie, however i ended up jumping during reading this one. The true evil in this novel isn’t just the human nature of the human characters, but something a little more supernatural, and something that came as entirely unexpected to me as the reader. If you love creepy carnivals, clowns, and ancient evil with a side of ritual sacrifice, this one might be your next favourite read!
The Year Of The Witching by Alexis Henderson
SYNOPSIS:
Born on the fringes of Bethel, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. For it was in Bethel that the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, and so cleansed the land.
And then a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel.
It is a forbidden place, haunted by the spirits of the witches who bestow an extraordinary gift on Immanuelle. The diary of her dead mother . . .
Fascinated by and fearful of the secrets the diary reveals, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once consorted with witches. And as the truth about the Prophets, the Church and their history is revealed, so Immanuelle understands what must be done. For the real threat to Bethel is its own darkness.
My Thoughts:
I got this book as a bonus for spending so much in Waterstones on my Birthday, i ended up with a ton of store credit, so i grabbed this and I am so glad i did. Described by critics as The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Village, this gritty take on witchcraft in a small isolated town of Bethel had me turning the pages long after i should have gone to bed. The Mythology and Lord built into this story was fantastically creepy, with characters such as Lilith leaving the readers up all night with the memory of her haunting stare. Gritty, raw, and in many ways heartbreaking, this was the perfect October read!
Dracul by J.D. Barker and Dacre Stoker
SYNOPSIS
Dracul reveals not only the true origins of Dracula himself, but also of his creator, Bram Stoker . . . and of the elusive, enigmatic woman who connects them.
It is 1868, and a 21-year-old Bram Stoker has locked himself inside an abbey's tower to confront a vile and ungodly beast. He is armed with mirrors and crucifixes and holy water and a gun - and is kept company by a bottle of plum brandy. His fervent prayer is that he will survive this one night - a night that will prove to be the longest of his life . . .
Desperate to leave a record of what he has witnessed, the young man scribbles out the events that brought him to this point - and tells an extraordinary tale of childhood illness, a mysterious nanny, and stories once thought to be fables now proved to be true.
My Thoughts:
I was seriously hesitant when i started reading this. As a lover of the original Dracula I was, as you can imagine, tentative about a prequel. However, knowing and loving J.D. Barker as I do- and seeing that Dacre Stoker was involved in the project, i was also very curious and a tad excited. I was not dissapointed, and i think it says a great deal about both the writers involved that they were able to create something so incredibly fitting when put beside the original. This story was creepy, with tension building throughout the entire book that left me on the edge of my seat. I read this book in one sitting, and I honestly can’t recommend it enough to fans of Dracula!
The Tell Tale Heart and Other Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
SYNOPSIS:
A masquerade ball in a secluded abbey; a vendetta settled in the wine cellars of an Italian palazzo; a gloomy castle in a desolated landscape; the beating of a heart beneath the floorboards: the plots and settings of Poe’s dark, mysterious tales continue to haunt the popular imagination. This new selection introduces the greatest Gothic fiction from one of the most deranged and deliciously weird writers of the 19th century. The tales are accompanied by the classic illustrations of Harry Clarke, an artist fully alive to the deep darkness at the heart of Poe’s writing.
My Thoughts:
I bought this stunning British Library hard back collection of Poe’s stories a few years ago, but only got around to reading it recently. I can totally see how Poe got his reputation for writing horror which leaves the reader oddly uncomfortable. For me personally Berenice freaked me out the most, because i have this thing about teeth, and the way the tension was built throughout the narrative was to me, a work of art. If you haven’t read Poe, i suggest you get started, because this master of horror is one not to be missed!
Forsaken by J.D. Barker
SYNOPSIS:
When horror author Thad McAlister began his latest novel, a tale rooted in the witch trials of centuries past, the words flowed effortlessly. The story poured forth, filling page after page with the most frightening character ever to crawl from his imagination. It was his greatest work, one that would guarantee him a position among the legends of the craft.
But was it really fiction?
He inadvertently opened a door, one that would soon jeopardize the lives of his family.
She wants to come back.
At home, his wife struggles to keep their family alive. Secretly wondering if she caused it all…a deal she made long ago. A deal with the Forsaken.
My Thoughts:
After reading the 4MK Thriller series by J.D. Barker i was hungry for more of his work. This novel was amazing, and it left me feeling a little sick by the end. Which is a good thing in horror, right? Anyway, the ritualistic details, the inclusion of childish points of view, as well as the ending to this was extremely disturbing, and also AWESOME! The anxiety i had read this book made me actually sweat the closer i got to the end, and i feel like this is a MUST read for fans of Stephen King as well!
Conclusion:
To conclude, there are literally SO many books i could have included here. I have literally only just begun to explore this genre, and i find the level of talent within it to be breath taking. It truly takes a talent to write these kinds of stories, that make a reader feel fear while they’re snuggled up in their jammies with a cup of hot chocolate, but their mind is somewhere entirely darker, and more terrifying.
What spooky stories have you read and loved lately?
Drop me a comment and let me know!
Stay magical,
Kristy Nicolle x
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
When I told my Barista, Jess, that I was looking for a long series to hold my attention, she was flabbergasted to discover I’d never read the Sookie Stackhouse novels, or seen the show True Blood, which is based off them. In between customers who had come in for their daily dose of Botany and Beans magic, she got up google and started showing me some of the ovary-busting hotness that is the male half of the True Blood cast. Colour me intrigued. I found myself downloading the first book there and then, right in the coffee shop. This is my review of the first instalment, Dead Until Dark.