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Scary books trending on #HorrorTok
Gory and spine tingling horror novels that BookTokers can’t stop raving about.
Published on March 19, 2024
The End Of Alice
A.M. HomesAccording to horror enthusiast @baker.reads, this is a “devastating and disgusting” read that is impossible to put down. Homes dives into two of the most disturbed minds imaginable — one a convicted child murderer who has spent the last 23 years in prison, the other a 19-year-old burgeoning pedophile who shares her intent to groom a young boy. As the pen pals engage in an increasingly lurid correspondence, readers are sucked into the darkest side of human nature and left to ponder the existence of the real-life monsters that walk amongst us.
Mine
Robert McCammonMcCammon (“Swan Song,” “They Thirst”) introduces a seriously unhinged character in the form of Mary Terrell, AKA Mary Terror, a homicidal psychopath who kidnaps a baby to deliver to her former lover. But as brutal as Mary is, readers will discover that a mother determined to save her baby can be even worse. The 1990 Bram Stoker Award winner is a nonstop roller coaster of a thriller with plenty of blood, guts, and gore.
Last Days
Adam NevillIf you’re looking for a novel that will absolutely rip your nervous system to shreds, BookToker @ghostlyreads has a suggestion right up your alley. Nevill’s “Last Days” follows a documentary crew tasked with investigating an infamous cult that met a bloody demise. The filmmakers get more than they bargained for when strange and troubling events plague their every move.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things: A Novel
Iain ReidReid’s critically acclaimed Canadian thriller is a psychological saga for the ages. As you might guess from the title, Jake’s girlfriend is thinking of breaking up with him. But first she agrees to go to an awkward dinner with his parents on their farm. Things only get more tense, bizarre, and terrifying as the evening progresses.
Tender Is the Flesh
Agustina BazterricaThis sci-fi dystopian — and Bazterrica’s debut novel — tells the tale of a future world where a mysterious virus has rendered all animal meat poisonous to humans. Unfortunately, humanity finds cannibalism a more appetizing option than going vegetarian.
The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel
Paul TremblayA quiet vacation turns nightmarish when Eric and Andrew, along with their daughter Wen, are confronted by four strangers demanding the impossible. Two-time Bram Stoker winner Tremblay (“A Head Full of Ghosts”) unites apocalyptic horror with psychological thriller.
The Butterfly Garden
Dot Hutchison“The Butterfly Garden,” the first installment of “The Collector” series, frequently makes appearances on #HorrorTok lists for best abduction books. In the present day, the FBI discovers a gruesome crime scene: A garden that served as a torture chamber for young women who were held against their will for decades. Interviews with a survivor named Maya slowly reveal the horrors inflicted upon the captives. But is there more to Maya’s story than meets the eye? In an utterly addicting thriller, Hutchison manages to balance the ugliness that surrounded the captives with the beauty and power of the friendships they formed.
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham JonesStephen Graham Jones’ horror novel, one of the buzziest books of 2020, is “scary good” according to author Tommy Orange, who says: “[‘The Only Good Indians’] is full of humor and bone chilling images. It’s got love and revenge, blood and basketball. … It also both reveals and subverts ideas about contemporary Native life and identity.” Years after four young friends go hunting on forbidden land, an eerie supernatural being stalks them, hellbent on vengeance in this gory thriller.
Crossroads
Laurel HightowerHightower’s gut-wrenching novella proves there’s more to horror than jump scares and gore. Sometimes, emotional horror is just as, if not more, terrifying. After losing her son to a tragic car accident, Chris embarks on a desperate journey to see him just one more time. She’ll go to any lengths, even if it means appeasing a dark and sinister entity. Heavy with grief, this is a beautifully written tale of loss, sacrifice, and raw emotion.
Misery
Stephen KingThis novel is said to be one of King’s favorites, and HorrorTokers enthusiastically agree. Famous author Paul Sheldon is kidnapped by a demented fan who demands another novel — one reviving a popular character that Paul recently killed off. It’s hard to decide what’s more frightening about “Misery” — the near-unbearable suspense or the no-holds-barred gore.
Horrorstor: A Novel
Grady HendrixThink the checkout lines at IKEA are scary? Try spending the night at Hendrix’s fictional version of the furniture megastore where supernatural forces will help you … into the grave. After a wave of mysterious wanton destruction of merchandise, three intrepid employees volunteer to stake out the store overnight to find out who — or what — is behind all the carnage.
Brother
Ania AhlbornThe Morrows take effed up family dysfunction to the next level in this bloody coming-of-age story featuring cannibalistic serial killers. As the black sheep, Michael wants nothing more than to escape his twisted adoptive family, but his sadistic brother will go to any length to keep him from leaving. Alborn’s atmospheric thriller frequently tops #BookTok reading recommendation lists thanks to its stomach-churning descriptions of gore and violence.
Dead Inside
Chandler MorrisonMorrison plumbs the deepest depths of human depravity in what many BookTokers have declared to be one of the most disturbing books they’ve ever read. No subject is taboo in this twisted romance between a necrophiliac hospital security guard and a cannibalistic maternity doctor.
The Twisted Ones
T. KingfisherIf you’re looking for a lighter brand of folk horror that mixes in a bit of humor, check out Kingfisher’s supernatural thriller. Melissa (AKA Mouse) and her dog get more than they bargain for after being tasked with cleaning out her late grandmother’s house in the backwoods of North Carolina. Beyond the ordinary horror of dealing with the overflowing house of a hoarder, Mouse must also contend with ghoulish monsters lurking in the woods. Twisted, indeed.
The Deep
Nick CutterA bizarre plague is wiping people’s memories, turning them into husks of themselves. Veterinarian Luke Nelson is tasked with researching a new biological substance that could save humanity, but the lab is miles below sea level. When Luke arrives, it’s clear something eerie — possibly evil — is at play. Cutter (“The Troop”) takes readers on a psychologically terrifying journey in “The Deep” — a book that feels increasingly suffocating, and not just because it takes place in the darkest depths of the Pacific Ocean.