Written by Moriah

Ghosts, skeletons, zombies, haunted houses, witches, vampires, everything beautiful that comes with the time of Halloween [my favorite time of year]. The stories get scarier and with that my to-be-read pile of books gets taller and taller, threatening to fall on me.

Here are five Young Adult novels with various spooky themes and levels of impending doom!

Compound Fracture – Andrew Joseph White

An Appalachian thriller following trans teen Miles Abernathy who had a plan set for the night; come out to his parents via email, give his estranged friend some closure about their old accident, and work on something to expose the corrupt sheriff in town. When every part of that night goes wrong, Miles is thrown back into the center of a generational blood feud that every Abernethy before him has struggled with.

I was able to read an early copy of this through Netgalley and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. AJW has the ability to cover rough subjects with the care it needs but wraps it in so much love of family, Appalachia, finding people who support you, and navigating the hatred from those who choose to misunderstand you no matter what. The strong connection of family, chosen or blood, meant much more to me than I can describe.

Content/Trigger warnings are included in the author’s note

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces  – Linda Cheng

In this Sapphic Korean Pop horror, Sunny Lee is haunted by the scandal that ended her career. But when a K-Pop workshop opens up in her hometown, Sunny jumps at the chance to reconnect with her ex-groupmate Candie and try to learn more about the details surrounding their old groupmate, Mina’s death, especially now that the situation is repeating to other competitors in the workshop.

Once I switched from the audiobook to the eBook, I was absolutely invested. The plot moves so quickly between flashbacks in the group’s old life, to the present day with the competition. It’s a great read to get through in one sitting if you have the time. Especially with the pacing and reveals along the way. The sequel Beautiful Brutal Bodies is set to be released next year so now is the perfect time to read it!

CW: Self-harm, suicide, gore, on page torture

Wake the bones – Elizabeth Kilcoyne

Laurel Early is haunted. By academics, her mother’s past, her friends’ choices, her ex who is still alive, and the bones of animals that are showing up near her house. A very atmospheric southern gothic horror following an ensemble of characters that are intertwined in this small town with varying levels of suffocation and heartbreak.

At this moment, this is the only gothic horror that has never lost my interest throughout the story. The perspective changes, the conversations, and the overall eerie vibes of the story worked beautifully. And the isolation of a small southern town is great for horror.

Content/Trigger warnings are included in author’s note as well as the author’s website which is linked in the book

Take all of us – Natalie Leif

In West Virginia, there are chill zombies. Ian and his best friend Eric have figured out ways to mercy-kill the infected before they get worse. But when Ian has a seizure in the middle of an evacuation, he wakes up dead. And alone. Deciding to get answers before losing himself, Ian sets out to find Eric to confess, while Eric sets out to kill Ian. For a semi-complicated unbury-your-gays horror, this was so well done.

While I mainly read this for the disability representation, I was in the theme of reading/watching zombie media and I got so invested in the story. The miscommunication throughout the story balanced well between hilarious and heavy. I loved the ending and ended up wishing for it to be a longer novel.

Old Wounds: Logan-Ashley Kisner

Erin and Max are two trans teens working to get to California for different reasons. As they travel through rural middle America, they get separated and stranded in the middle of a forest where the locals are looking to complete a female sacrifice.

I have been looking forward to reading this since it was published last month. Found it very hard to summarize the synopsis while avoiding spoilers, but I have been wanting to read more queer horror lately. It will be interesting to see the story play out regarding the interpersonal relationship between Erin and Max being exes as they stumble upon this horrible setting

Just as a closing reminder, these five books cover really scary themes. Everyone has their limits, and I would rather you choose to read something that won’t interfere with your mental health. I hope this October is kind to you. Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to comment and share your thoughts!