Best of YA: Horror!

Working as a Children’s Bookseller, with a focus on YA, means that I’m constantly having to look at new releases and new trends and what’s currently popular – and I LOVE IT! Having a good knowledge of what books are on offer mean that I can offer the best recommendations possible to any customers who need a hand. Because of this, I started a series called The Best of YA – lists of some of the most popular books on offer and some that I think are fab!
(You can also check out the other posts in this series: fairytale re-tellings, thrillers and representation!)

If there’s one thing that I’m always on the look out for in the YA section of my bookshop, it’s a good horror story. The shelves are full of fantasy, adventure, contemporary and romance but the horror novels feel few and far between. As a big fan of horror films, scary stories and true crime documentaries, I’ll never turn down the opportunity for some spook so thought I’d compile a little list of the horror books on offer for young adults (or anyone, we don’t judge).

Just a note here that there are a whole bunch of other books that could fit into the genre of horror (i.e anything with zombies) but for this list I’ve tried to focus on stories that are really meant to give you a scare!

As always, links have been provided to Goodreads for more information 😊

Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell
(creepy dolls)

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
(ghosts)

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
(killer clown)

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis
(creepy urban legends)

It Rains by Gregg Hurwitz
(zombies)

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
(zombies)

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
(murderous demons)

Horrid by Katrina Leno
(ghosts and creepy old houses)

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
(ghostly roads, body horror)

Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw
(vampires!)

Last One to Die by Cynthia Murphy
(serial killer and a creepy museum)