Want to read more YA horror? Start here! 2024 edition

• Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
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It’s time for an updated dive into the YA horror landscape and how you can track down some of the best, most talked about titles around right now. If you’re an author writing YA horror and want to update your knowledge or you’re thinking about stepping into that world and have no idea where to start, these are some great books to kick things off. And even better, each book can lead you down a whole new rabbit hole of books if you investigate the author, the publisher, the acknowledgements page, the agent, etc. You’ll have an unmanageable pile of YA horror books to read through before you know it!

Every year for National Library Lover’s Day, the Horror Writers Association, United for Libraries, Book Rio and Booklist come together to select their Summer Scares Reading List. These are titles selected by a panel of librarians and authors to promote horror to all ages. Here are their 2024 picks:

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
Published by Pan Macmillan on 21/09/2021
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Horror
Pages: 368

For months, a gruesome killer has been plaguing the Midwest. The murderer’s calling card? The bodies they leave behind are completely drained of blood.

Aspiring journalist Michael Jensen, desperate to escape his small-town life, can hardly believe it when the Bloodless Murders come to sleepy Black Deer Falls, Minnesota. Or that his father, the sheriff, located the only suspect: fifteen-year-old Marie Catherine Hale.

Tiny Marie doesn’t look capable of committing the grisly, inhumane attacks that are gripping the nation. At least, not on her own. With Marie refusing to talk to anyone but Michael, he agrees to tell her side of the story.

But how can Michael trust Marie’s confession when it calls into question everything he's ever known . . . when falling for her lies may cost him his life?

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake is the bone-chilling supernatural thriller for older readers, perfect for fans of Rory Power.

Dead Flip by Sara Farizan
Published by Hachette UK on 30/08/2022
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Pages: 272

In this “terrifyingly fun” (NYT) horror comedy, two friends must solve the mystery of their long-missing former friend’s supernatural reappearance—perfect for fans of Stranger Things.

Growing up, Cori, Maz, and Sam were inseparable best friends, sharing their love for pop culture, Halloween, and arcade games. Now it’s 1992, Sam has been missing for five years, and Cori and Maz aren’t speaking anymore. How could they be, when Cori is sure Sam is dead, and Maz has good reason to believe he was kidnapped by a supernatural pinball machine?
 
These days, all Maz wants to do is party and run away from his past. Meanwhile, Cori hides her abiding love of horror movies and her queer self under the bubblegum veneer of a high school queen bee. But then Sam returns—still twelve years old, while his best friends are now seventeen. What really happened the night he disappeared? And just because he's back, does that mean he's safe? To find answers, Cori, Maz, and Sam will need to reveal secrets they never told one another, then and now. And Sam’s is the darkest of all . . .
 
Award-winning author Sara Farizan delivers edge-of-your-seat terror, with her insightful characters, witty narration, and trademark referential humor.

* "Well-crafted homage to narratives like It and Stranger Things . . . A great choice for stalwart horror fans and newcomers to the genre." —Booklist, starred review
 

#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil
Published by Freeform on 09/07/2019
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories
Pages: 368

@doctorfusionbebop: Some 17 y. o. chick named Dee Guerrera was just sent to Alcatraz 2.0 for killing her stepsister. So, how long do you think she'll last?
@morrisdavis72195: I hope she meets justice! She'll get what's coming to her! BWAHAHA!
@EltonJohnForevzz: Me? I think Dee's innocent. And I hope she can survive.
WELCOME TO THE NEAR FUTURE, where good and honest citizens can enjoy watching the executions of society's most infamous convicted felons, streaming live on The Postman app from the suburbanized prison island Alcatraz 2.0.
When seventeen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up in a haze, lying on the ground of a dimly lit warehouse, she realizes she's about to be the next victim of the app. Knowing hardened criminals are getting a taste of their own medicine in this place is one thing, but Dee refuses to roll over and die for a heinous crime she didn't commit. Can Dee and her newly formed posse, the Death Row Breakfast Club, prove she's innocent before she ends up wrongfully murdered for the world to see? Or will The Postman's cast of executioners kill them off one by one?

The Horror Writers Association awards Bram Stoker Awards to horror writers every year. Earlier this year (even though it was the 2023 awards), the shortlist for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel featured:

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on 20/06/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Pages: 240

This heart-pounding slasher by New York Times bestselling author and TikTok sensation Kalynn Bayron is perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson's White Smoke, Friday the 13th, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Get Out.

Charity Curtis has the summer job of her dreams, playing the “final girl” at Camp Mirror Lake. Guests pay to be scared in this full-contact terror game, as Charity and her summer crew recreate scenes from a classic slasher film, Curse of Camp Mirror Lake. The more realistic the fear, the better for business.

But in the last weekend of the season, Charity's co-workers begin disappearing. And when one ends up dead, Charity's role as the final girl suddenly becomes all too real. If Charity and her girlfriend Bezi hope to survive the night, they'll need to figure out what this killer is after. Is there more to the story of Mirror Lake and its dangerous past than Charity ever suspected?

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
Published by Tundra Book Group on 14/05/2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age
Pages: 280

After inadvertently starting rumors of a haunted cemetery, a teen befriends a ghost in this young adult novel exploring grief and belonging by the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of The Marrow Thieves series, now available in paperback.

Winifred has lived in the apartment above the cemetery office with her father, who works in the crematorium, all her life, close to her mother's grave. With her sixteenth birthday only days away, Winifred has settled into a lazy summer schedule, lugging her obese Chihuahua around the grounds in a squeaky red wagon to visit the neglected gravesides and nursing a serious crush on her best friend, Jack.

Her habit of wandering the graveyard at all hours has started a rumor that Winterson Cemetery might be haunted. It’s welcome news since the crematorium is on the verge of closure and her father’s job is being outsourced. Now that the ghost tours have started, Winifred just might be able to save her father’s job and the only home she’s ever known, not to mention being able to stay close to where her mother is buried. All she has to do is get help from her con-artist cousin to keep up the ruse and somehow manage to stop her father from believing his wife has returned from the grave. But when Phil, an actual ghost of a teen girl who lived and died in the ravine next to the cemetery, starts showing up, Winifred begins to question everything she believes about life, love and death. Especially love.

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons
Published by Tor Publishing Group on 26/09/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Pages: 320

AT DAWN HE’LL BE GONE AND YOU’LL BE HERE FOREVER.

Kristen Simmons's masterful breakout horror novel that's "Jumanji but Japanese-inspired" (Kendare Blake) about estranged friends playing a deadly game in a nightmarish folkloric underworld. This edition includes a beautiful foil case stamp.

“Twists, turns, and genuine palpable emotion.” —David Levithan • “Haunting and unforgettable.” —Melissa de la Cruz • “A nightmare I didn’t want to end.” —Terry J. Benton-Walker • “Absorbing.” —C. L. Herman • “Bone-chilling.” —Lauren Shippen • “Heart-pounding.” —Margaret Rogerson • “Twisted.” —Lish McBride • “Won't let me sleep!” —Chelsea Mueller • "Full of surprises." —C. J. Redwine • “Intense.” —Kendare Blake

Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors—Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax—have reunited for one strange and terrible reason: they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.

Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one goal: find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished—an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they're dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen's grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:

They have one night to complete seven challenges or they'll all be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices—blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

And once again, not everyone will make it out alive.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Published by Candlewick Press on 11/04/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Ghost Stories
Pages: 320

NSK Neustadt Laureate and New York Times best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith delivers a thrilling cross-genre follow-up to the acclaimed Hearts Unbroken.

Deftly leading readers to the literary crossroads of contemporary realism and haunting mystery, Cynthia Leitich Smith revisits the world of her American Indian Youth Literature Award winner Hearts Unbroken. Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He’s excited to take part in the fun, spooky show—until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an “Indian maiden,” a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Folklore aside, unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. A creepy man is stalking teenage girls and young women, particularly Indigenous women; dogs are fretful and on edge; and wild animals are behaving strangely. While Hughie weighs how and when to speak up about the bigoted legend, he and his friends begin to investigate the crossroads and whether it might be haunted after all. As Moon rises on All Hallow’s Eve, will they be able to protect themselves and their community? Gripping and evocative, Harvest House showcases a versatile storyteller at her spooky, unsettling best.

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing on 28/02/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Pages: 384

*** A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ***

"A riveting debut from a remarkable new voice! Trang Thanh Tran weaves an impressive gothic mystery in which Jade's father is determined to restore a decrepit home to its former glory and Jade is the only person who feels the soul-crushing devastation of colonialism lingering within its walls." -Angeline Boulley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Firekeeper's Daughter

Jade Nguyen has always lied to fit in. She's straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough – at least for this summer with her estranged father in Vietnam. Just five weeks of ignoring the quietly decaying French colonial house he's fixing up, then college and freedom are hers.

But soon Jade begins waking up every morning certain that something has clawed down her throat. . . from the inside. Then the ghost of a beautiful bride visits her with a cryptic warning: DON'T EAT.

When her father and little sister don't believe her, Jade decides to scare them into leaving by staging some haunting events of her own. She recruits Florence, the daughter of her dad's business associate (and more of a distraction than Jade bargained for) to help.

But the house has other plans. It's hungry. A home, after all, is only as powerful as those who breathe new life into its bones. And this one is determined never to be abandoned again ...

This deliciously spooky, yearningly romantic ghost story from a brilliant debut author will thrill fans of Kalynn Bayron and Wilder Girls by Rory Power.

Ginger Nuts of Horror pointed out on their blog how rare it is that any non-American YA gets nominated for the Stoker Award and so put together their own alternative list. It’s a long list and I don’t have space for all the titles here so check out the original article.

The Undying of Obedience Wellrest by Nicholas Bowling
Published by Chicken House on 09/11/2023
Genres: Fiction / Horror
Pages: 304

To the horror of young grave-digger, Ned, body-snatchers have been visiting his churchyard in the dead of night. Until now, he'd been daydreaming about another visitor, daughter of the manor, Obedience Wellrest. But 16-year-old Obedience has troubles of her own: her loving but overbearing father, and his wish to see her married to a rich man of science, Phineas Mordaunt. But when Mordaunt starts to poke his nose into her family history -- in particular, the ruinous research of late Uncle Herbert -- Obedience enters into a dangerous game of Death, and Ned might be the only person who can save her.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng
Published by Roaring Brook Press on 07/11/2023
Pages: 320

A cutthroat K-pop competition leads to a dark obsession in this twisty sapphic horror-romance. Perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting and Yellowjackets.

"A perfect blend of folk horror and dazzling showbiz that will grip you from page one." ―Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times-bestselling author of She is a Haunting

"The sweetest spot between horror and romance." ―Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights

You’ll love them to death . . .

Two years have passed since Sunny Lee lost her best friend Mina in a mysterious death. With their other BFF, Candie, the trio had been the hottest up-and-coming teen pop group, until it all suddenly ended. And Sunny can't help but wonder if Candie had something to do with it.

Now, Sunny is still seeking answers. When she discovers that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop, Sunny follows, hoping to uncover the reason why Mina died... and why she died so violently. Sunny and Candie's reunion is haunted by more than Mina's death as the old spark between them returns, even stronger than before. But there's no time for romance when the lines between nightmare and reality start to blur, leaving their competitors' bodies bizarrely maimed and mutilated. To survive, Sunny must expose the dark secrets surrounding Candie and the workshop's twisted promise for fame.

Stitched with cutting commentary on the ugly side of stardom and impossible beauty standards, Linda Cheng’s mind-bending, feminist thriller will have readers screaming and swooning for more.

*Don't miss the chilling companion novel, Beautiful Brutal Bodies, coming Fall 2025*

Where He Can't Find You by Darcy Coates
Published by Black Owl Books on 07/11/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Horror
Pages: 416

DON'T WALK ALONE, OR THE STITCHER WILL FIND YOU.

Abby Ward lives in a town haunted by disappearances. People vanish, and when they're found, their bodies have been dismembered and sewn back together in unnatural ways. But is it the work of a human killer…or something far darker?

DON'T STAY OUT LATE, OR THE STITCHER WILL TAKE YOU.

She and her younger sister live by a strict set of rules designed to keep them safe―which is why it's such a shock when Hope is taken. Desperate to get her back, Abby tells the police everything she knows, but they claim their hands are tied.

DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES, OR THE STITCHER WILL REMAKE YOU.

With every hour precious, Abby and her friends are caught in a desperate game of cat and mouse. They have to get Hope back. Quickly. Before too much of her is cut away. And before everything they care about is swallowed up by the darkness waiting in the tunnels beneath the home they thought they knew.

What Walks These Halls by Amy Clarkin
Published by The O'Brien Press Ltd on 10/04/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / General
Pages: 384

A prickling sensation grew on the back of her neck, spreading up her scalp. It was the feeling of being watched. She whirled to face the doorway but it was empty.

Raven O'Sullivan doesn't remember what happened in Hyacinth House five years ago. When her father died during a paranormal investigation there, everyone said it was an accident, but she's pretty certain it's her fault.

Her brother, Archer, wasn't there that night. When asked to investigate the supposed ghost of Hyacinth House, he can't resist saying yes. Even if his sister wants nothing to do with it.

Éabha McLoughlin has grown up seeing and hearing things no one else does. Now that she's starting college, she finally has the freedom to find out why. The daring Archer and his eclectic team seem like a good place to start.

But everyone has their secrets, and they all lead back to Hyacinth House ...

The Witches of Pendle by Yvette Fielding
Published by Andersen Press Limited on 28/09/2023
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Horror
Pages: 154

When a new family moves into a house in Pendle, they discover a witch's bottle filled with curses. Soon the spirits of those accused of witchcraft in the infamous Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 are released, wreaking havoc in the area.
Eve, Clovis and Tom are enlisted to investigate in their latest and most challenging mission yet. Together with their mentor, Professor Rufus, they must go up against the ghosts of the Pendle witches. But the ghosts are hellbent on possessing the descendants of those who were responsible for their deadly trials. Can the ghost-hunting trio put a stop to the possessions before it's too late?

Getting Away with Murder by Kathryn Foxfield
Published by Sourcebooks on 05/11/2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Mysteries & Detective Stories
Pages: 320

The bestselling author of Good Girls Die First is back with an entertaining, high-octane and read-in-a-single-sitting new thriller.

Walking disaster Saffron and her perfectionist twin sister Georgia have only one thing in common-they are both obsessed with battle royale video game Sole Survivor.

While working at a brand new, high tech escape room complex, Saffron poses a question to the resident AI: which high school stereotype would survive the longest in a real life version of Sole Survivor? She is convinced a rebel like her would beat a know-it-all like Georgia. Unbeknown to her, the AI decides to determine the answer to her question by testing it out for real. It invites Saffron and Georgia's gamer friends to a preview of the escape rooms, but then it locks the doors and turns the rooms into a life-or-death battle to be the last player standing.

The rebel, the know-it-all, the princess, the jock, the geek, the weirdo, the star, the artist and the criminal. Just like in Sole Survivor, only one can survive the night...

• It's Cabin in the Woods meets Squid Game
• Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus.
• Knife-edge tension and twists you won't see coming.

Game Over Girl by Naomi Gibson
Published by Chicken House on 24/06/2024
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction / General
Pages: 352

An edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from the acclaimed author of Every Line of You- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder meets virtual reality ...

'This dark, dystopian thriller is genuinely disturbing and the final twist is a genuine shock ... Chilling.' DAILY MAIL

'A pixelated whirlwind of a ride through the darkest secrets of the human mind, explored through the lens of virtual reality gaming!' LEE NEWBERY, AUTHOR OF THE LAST FIREFOX

Lola's been selected to play a new virtual reality game - Better Than Life.

In her game, she's loved. Is beautiful. Can do whatever she wants. But she quickly breaks the one rule: not to recreate people or places from real life. She recreates her house and a boy she fancies. Soon she's skipping school to play.

But Lola has secrets - dark ones that begin to surface inside her game - and the more she tries to fix her problems, the more she overlooks a much bigger threat ...

• An original, high-concept psychological thriller - Holly Jackson meets VR horror
• Set in an exclusive boarding school, this rollercoaster ride of a story involves an unreliable narrator,immersive gaming, a dark secret and a huge twist
• Perfect for fans of Cynthia Murphy and Kathryn Foxfield

PRAISE FOR EVERY LINE OF YOU:

'What a debut. So tense - and it didn't lead where I thought it was going.'SUE WALLMAN, author of YOUR TURN TO DIE

'Frankensteinmeets Heathers. Bonnie and Clyde for the digital age, Every Line of Youis a gripping thriller about the power of AI and a fresh twist on the intensity of first love.'AMY MCCAW, author of MINA AND THE UNDEAD

Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge
Published by Pan Macmillan on 21/09/2023
Pages: 120

"This elegiac story, part way between picture book and novella, is perfect for autumn"
Children's Book of the Week – The Sunday Times

The award-winning, bestselling Frances Hardinge and Emily Gravett unite for the first time to conjure up a thrilling gothic fairy tale of ghosts and magic, highly illustrated throughout in luscious blue.

On the island of Merlank, the Dead must not be allowed to linger. The very sight of their ghosts can kill you. When young Milo is thrust into the role of Ferryman following his father’s sudden death, he is the one who must carry away the Dead.

Pursued by a vengeful lord and two malignant magicians, Milo must navigate strange and perilous seas where untold threats whisper in the mist. Does he have the courage and imagination to complete his urgent mission?

From the Costa Book Award-winning Frances Hardinge, author of The Lie Tree and Unraveller, with spectacular illustrations from double Kate Greenaway Medal winner Emily Gravett, this riveting coming-of-age tale will sweep you away on an unforgettable journey.

Island of Whispers is a beautifully written story for anyone who loves mysterious fantasy worlds and graphic novels. Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Someone is Watching You by Tess James-Mackey
Published by Hachette UK on 02/02/2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
Pages: 304

How far would you go for a dare?
Nia would do anything to win the approval of her boyfriend Scott and his friends, especially mean girl Olivia. Olivia dares Nia to explore an abandoned prison. Facing dark tunnels, distant noises and creepy mementoes left behind by incarcerated criminals will surely all be worth it to finally become part of the group. But it isn't long before Nia and her little sister, Kayla, find themselves trapped inside.

And then Kayla vanishes.

Suddenly, this feels like more than a game gone wrong. There is a horrifying secret hidden within the prison's walls - and now someone is hellbent on making sure Nia and her little sister become its last inmates...

An utterly compelling take on toxic friendship from a remarkable UK debut author.

Bookshops’ and publishers’ top picks

Take a look at the YA bestsellers at the big book stores in your country or children’s publishers online. You might not be able to filter by YA AND horror but you could pick one category and scroll through the results for titles and covers that shout ‘horror’ at you. Alternatively, you can Google ‘bestselling YA horror’ and you’ll find publishers’ top lists that way.

• WH Smith YA horror
• Penguin Teen YA horror recommendations 
• Amazon’s bestsellers in YA horror
• Barnes & Noble’s Teen Horror bestsellers 

Where else can you look?

• Book Riot posts a lot about horror including YA so look out for articles like 8 Chilling YA Halloween Books to Help You Get Ready for the Spooky Season (2023) and 9 YA Novels from the Horror Renaissance You Need to Read (2023).
• Goodreads will give you lists of the most read books in any genre and while their ratings don’t necessarily mean they’re brilliant books, it’s a really useful way of understanding what’s popular.
• Brightly is a great site focused on raising readers and they often cover YA horror titles.
• Ginger Nuts of Horror is a fun horror blog that often reviews YA titles.