Best horror books of 2024
If you love horror books then you are in the right place! This is one of my favorite posts that I have been able to make, mostly because I’m a big horror fan and I’m discovering books that I haven’t come across yet. So far these are the best horror books of 2024 that I have come across and are highly rated.
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I haven’t heard of many of these, but it seems like many people are interested in them, especially with the high ratings!
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Best horror books of 2024
I would love to know if you have read any of these books, so make sure to leave me a comment, and let’s discuss!
I’m going to try my best to keep checking the best horror books of 2024 post to make sure that I’m including all of the books that are highly rated. Maybe by the end of the year, the ratings for some of the books that I have on here may drop.
A Mask of Flies
A Mask of Flies is the first on our list and I have to admit that I love the cover to this one. Love, love, love. It looks a little creepy which is what usually grabs my attention in books and I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. From the synopsis, I can only imagine why this one is a favorite from all of the readers out there!
Here is what A Mask of Flies is about.
Anne Heller’s whole career is being a criminal. After a messed up bank heist she has no choice but to go back to her family’s cabin. It’s not something she wants to do because it’s secluded and it’s the place where her mother died.
Two people have come along for the ride, one of them being her partner. The other is Dutch who just so happens to be a police officer she has taken hostage. While they are waiting for help Anne decides to take a look around only to find strange relics of her mother’s.
As she tries to figure out more her friend winds up going missing only to turn up dead. Anne and the cop bury her friend but that night he comes back to life from the grave and knocks on their door. It’s not a dream. It’s not a hallucination either. But she knows that it’s not exactly her friend either. He’s something else and he’s hungry.
If you’re interested in A Mask of Flies then you can find it through the links below.
We Kept her in the Cellar
I have to admit I love it when fairy tales and horror combine so it’s no shocker that this will be one of the best horror books of 2024. I’ll be adding We Kept Her in the Cellar will be one that I add to my TBR soon!
Here is what We Kept Her in the Cellar is about.
There are always two sides to every story. This dark fairy tale is told from the stepsister’s point of view.
Eunice has three simple rules… One is to always call Cinderella family. Two, she can’t let Cinderella have access to rats or mice. Three, she can’t look at Cinderella between 12 and 3 a.m.
Cinderella has terrifying powers. Eunice is expected to care for her and help keep the family’s secret. For years she has done exactly that. But that came at the price of her childhood flying by in a blur of nightmares. When she makes friends with a prince and gets an invitation to the ball, Eunice is willing to do anything to break free.
Her younger sister, Hortense, steps up to take care of Cinderella so Eunice quickly takes her chance to go to the ball. That is until Cinderella escapes. Cinderella goes to the ball with her powers and sweeps the prince off his feet. But she leaves behind carnage and destruction.
With Cinderella’s loss, Eunice has to figure out what she’s willing to sacrifice to stop Cinderella.
If you’re interested in this book you can find it through the links below.
What the Woods Took
I have the advanced copy for this one and I’m working my way towards it. I’m pretty excited to get started on it but it’s a matter of when exactly am I going to get to it. I have gotten myself in a sticky situation where I’ve overloaded myself with books that I have been meaning to get to.
This is a YA horror novel that I’m sure many of you will enjoy. Even if you don’t enjoy many young adult books I would still try to read this one. Who knows this book might be added to your best horror books of 2024.
Here is what What the Woods Took is about.
Devin wakes up in the middle of the night to two men in her bedroom. She calls out to her foster parents for help, but she quickly realizes that this is a planned abduction. An abduction everyone signed up for but Devin. She’s shoved into a van and dropped off in the Idaho woods with other confused teens. Soon they get answers from two camp counselors that they have been put in an experimental therapy program. If they can learn to change and survive a fifty-day hike they’ll come out better versions of themselves. At least that’s what the counselors say.
From the get-go, Devin is determined to escape. But there’s something strange about the woods. There are inhuman faces between the trees. When the campers wake up to find the counselors missing they find themselves stranded. Having to fend for themselves they realize they have to learn to trust one another to survive. What lies in the woods might not be as dangerous as what the campers are hiding from each other. If the monsters wind up having their way then no one will leave the woods alive.
If you’re interested in this book then you can find it through the links below.
Small Town Horror
I have been meaning to read this one. I live in a somewhat small town so I always enjoy books that revolve around them. As much as I hated living in this town growing up these sorts of books tend to give me a different perspective.
Granted, this one will likely give me a scary perspective.
Here is what Small Town Horror is about.
Andrew had thought he left his past behind. When receives a phone call from an old friend, he has no choice but to go back home and face his memories. The memories bring back the horror of that night that changed everything, years ago.
Their past is not dead and the curse that has been laid upon them threatens to destroy everything they have become.
Dear Hannah
Dear Hannah seems to have a unique twist to it! In a way it kind of reminds me of Dexter.
I don’t think many books revolve around the main characters who are evil in a sense. Characters that have this desire to hurt people. At least I haven’t come across many books that are like this.
So, when I find a book like this it stands out to me. I’m pretty sure that’s why this is one of the Best horror books of 2024.
Here is what Dear Hannah is about.
Hannah has always had dark thoughts. Even has a kid she tried to murder her mother. But now that was sixteen years ago and after therapy, those nasty thoughts have since subsided.
Hannah is now twenty-four and is living a somewhat normal life of content. She’s married to a real estate agent, Jacob, and she’s the stepmom to his teenage daughter Joelle. The three of them are in a great home and she loves her career as a phlebotomist. This job is perfect for her occasional need to hurt people.
When Joelle starts to change in ways that Hanna doesn’t like, her deliberately planned existence starts to threaten to come apart. Her life is slipping out of her control and it makes Hanna revert to old habits. The only thing worse than a baby sociopath is a grown one.
Our Wicked Histories
Our Wicked Histories seems like a pretty interesting read and I just had to include it with the best horror books of 2024. Hopefully, some of my readers will enjoy this one like I know I probably will.
Here is what Our Wicked Histories is about.
The lake at Wren Hall has something in it.
That’s what the locals say. Meg doesn’t care much about the rumors though. She gets an invitation to spend her Halloween weekend at a retreat of the rich Wren twins. She understands the invitation for what it is. It’s her last chance to get a spot at Greyscott’s. It’s an exclusive British art school that she was able to attend on a scholarship until last summer. The twins are clever, beautiful, and talented. They are also the pride of Greyscott. At one point one of the twins, Lottie Wren, was Meg’s best friend. But they aren’t close anymore.
Since Meg has left the school none of her old friend group has even talked to her. They don’t talk about what happened that led to her being suspended from the school. Now, Meg will do anything she can to earn back their forgiveness.
Wren Hall turns out to be completely different from what Meg was expecting. The place is damp and drafty and the mirrors are all covered up. The lake is covered in weeds and it’s surrounded by legends that still haunt the land to this day. The corrupted legacy is something the place is unable to shake.
People aren’t the only ones who keep secrets but places can keep them too, and Wren Hall is surrounded by them. When the past starts to rise to the present, Meg has to ask herself how well she really knows her best friends, or if they will even be able to survive the weekend.
All the Fiends of Hell
Adam Nevill has become a pretty popular horror author over the past couple of years. I have to admit that I haven’t had the chance to read one of his books and I know that I should! I’m not sure what’s holding me back from reading them.
Actually yes I do. I’ve been struggling to get caught up with all of the books I have accumulated over the past year or so. Lately, I have been kind of hoarding the books and now I’m starting to feel a bit overwhelmed when it comes to finishing them. I will be stopping this though and trying to get caught up.
Here is what All the Fiends of Hell is about.
The morning is here, but seeing it is not a blessing. The scattered survivors are faced with blood-red skies and an overrun of scary predators that never came from Earth. They are a horrible force trying to erase animal life from the planet. In the deserted landscapes of England, some people can hide and outrun the terrors. That is until a rumor claims that the sea can offer an escape.
Karl is an ordinary and directionless person who is one of the few who made it through the first night. With the company of two orphans, they run south. Soon they realize that escaping that way was probably the wrong idea because the world there has transformed and scary creatures await. Trying to escape the aliens Karl realizes that he’s not as ordinary or directionless as he once thought.
Mean Spirited
Supernatural type of books are my absolute favorite so I know I’m going to have to add Mean Spirited to my TBR. I’m sure there’s a really good reason why this book is one of the best horror books of 2024 and it makes me want to get my hands on it.
Mean Spirited seems creepy and reminds me of Cuijo a little bit. On a plus side, I just realized that the book is on Kindle Unlimited so I’ll try to get to this one soon.
Here is what Mean Spirited is about.
Matt is a teacher during the day but spends all night drinking. He’s struggling to hide his functioning alcoholism from his ex-wife, Lucy, and his six-year-old son, Mikey. Everything seems to go out of control when one of his former students is killed and Matt is left with her dog, Conehead. Something seems to be a little off with Conehead. There’s a dark presence that’s following him and soon people around the dog start to die. The only way he’s able to protect his son is to sober up and work with Lucy to unmask the dog’s past. With that, he has to face a completely shocking secret and an evil that’s so persistent that it threatens to release hell on the entire town.
So Thirsty
I’m a part of a book club in my area that’s reading this book. I have heard quite a few good things about the book from everyone that has read it so far. A part of me wants to read it, but our library doesn’t have it and I can’t justify spending twenty dollars on a book when I didn’t like the author’s last book.
Maybe that’s just me but this one does sound pretty good!
Here is what So Thirsty is about.
Sloane dreads her birthday. She doesn’t want to be reminded of getting older. She doesn’t want to think about feeling indifferent about her life either.
Her husband gives her a surprise with a getaway for the weekend. It’s not a getaway with him, but instead with her best friend and troublemaker, Naomi.
She expects it to be a cozy weekend in robes, wine tasting, and avoiding issues she doesn’t want to think about, like her husband cheating. When they make it to their rental cottage, Sloane realizes that Naomi has a different type of weekend in mind. She wants Sloane to stand up for herself and to live her life. So Naomi plans a wild night out with some mysterious strangers, but things take a horrifying turn that changes their lives forever.
Old Wounds
I have to admit that the cover of this book is what captures my attention to it. I’m not sure how I feel about the storyline of it though, but I know there’s an audience out there for something like this.
It sounds like it might be pretty creepy and attention-grabbing.
If you have read it then make sure to let me know how it was in the comments.
Here is what Old Wounds is about.
Erin and Max are trans kids who just want to get to California. Max just wants to be able to transition, and Erin is trying to understand why she’s on this trip, to begin with. The two of them suddenly broke up two years earlier so they shouldn’t even be making this trip together.
When they find themselves stranded, and then separated, in the middle of the creepy wood, they realize that they have bigger problems.
There’s a creature hunting them through the shadows that feeds on girls. Then some locals are trying to find a female sacrifice. If they have any hopes of surviving they will have to come together and stop running from their attackers, each other, and themselves.
I’ll Be Waiting
This one has caught my attention for a while. I can’t wait to get started on it and see if it lives up to my expectations.
Here is what the book is about.
Nicola was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child so she never really expected to see adulthood. When medical advances let her live into her thirties she meets Anton. He teaches her to dream of a future, together. When they get married, months later Anton dies in a horrible car accident. Before he dies he’s able to tell her, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
That private moment became public when someone who was around the crash scene took it to press. What makes it worse is that the person claims that it wasn’t Anton who said those words but his ghost over his body.
When the story went public, spiritualists wouldn’t leave her alone and promised closure. She’s going down in a spiral and in hopes to help her, her friends and family try to find a respectful medium. To do a seance, they rent the beach house that her family once owned.
The medium tries to do what he needs to but things start happening. Doors that are supposed to be locked start to open. Swarms of insects surround the house. It doesn’t help that she starts hearing footsteps and voices through the house. She’s haunted by her past. Unknown to the others this isn’t her first time trying to contact the dead. They also don’t know that Nicola isn’t her real name.
That’s about the time that she finds the first body.
The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.
Such Lovely Skin
Such Lovely Skin is one book that I’m excited to read. I love books that kind of revolve around video games. It always grabs my attention! So, I’m excited that this is one of the best horror books of 2024. I’m hoping this is one I can try and read soon!
Here is what Such Lovely Skin is about.
The entire summer, Viv, has been wrecked with guilt about causing the accident that killed her little sister. She’s a determined gamer and a constant liar. After taking a break from gaming after her sister’s death she decided to return to Twitch Streaming. She hasn’t told her parents the truth about the accident, but she hopes that when she makes it big in streaming giving them the money will help them forgive her.
Before school starts, Viv finds the ideal horror game that’ll help make her Twitch comeback. When she decides to do an offline practice run a NPC asks Viv for a secret. She decides to tell them the truth about what happened since an NPC can’t tell anyone what happened. In doing that she accidentally invites a demonic mimic into her life.
Since she lies just about all of the time no one believes her when she tells them about her evil doppelganger. She has lied to get her friend’s sympathy and has spread rumors for attention, so why would anyone trust her now? The only person to believe her is Ash. He’s a cute social outcast who Viv at one point bullied. When trying to clear her name and kill the mimic, Viv realizes that her lies have hurt people who never even deserved it, including herself.
The Blonde Dies First
I need to get caught up with the ARCs (advanced copies) that I’ve managed to get. Over the past year or so I wound up getting so many books that now I’m feeling overwhelmed and struggling to get caught up.
This book is one of those that I got an advanced copy of and still haven’t managed to read yet. But I have been seeing raving reviews on this one and I can’t wait to read it and see if I like it or not.
I can understand why this one made it to the best horror books of 2024 though. It caught my attention quickly and I know it probably did with others too.
Here is what The Blonde Dies First is about.
Devon is being left behind by her smart twin sister, Drew. It’s a fact of life. Now Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a year early. That’s to have the best summer ever. They commit to a bit too much, and the twins and their friends learn why you don’t ever mess with an Ouija board.
They know that the creeping venomous figure is not from around here and their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. It feels very human and go after them in a predictable slasher movie kill order. That means Devon, the blonde, is first and her crush, Yaya, is the final girl who must kill or be killed to end the vicious cycle.
Devon doesn’t like playing by anyone else’s rules, not even the demons. The longer this goes on the more she feels Drew and Yaya are slipping away from her even as she attempts to help them survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge in their favor? Or will their best summer be their last?
Don’t Let the Forest In
I’m trying to decide if this is one that I want to read or not. I have to admit that it does sound really good though, so it’s no wonder that it’s on the list of best horror books of 2024.
Hopefully, this is one that I can try and check out soon!
Here is what Don’t let the forest in is about.
Andrew has always found comfort in twisted fairytales. He usually writes them for the one person who can ground him to reality. That person just so happens to be Thomas, he’s the guy who always has ink-stained hands and hair life fall leaves. When he and his twin sister return to Wickwood Academy, she has been keeping him at a distance, and he finds himself leaning on his friends more.
Something strange is going on with Thomas. His parents are abusive and they have just vanished. When Thomas arrives at school there’s blood on his sleeve. Every time Andrew tries to ask anything about it Thomas just shuts down. What makes it weirder Andrew can tell that Thomas is haunted by something and notices that he has lost interest in his artwork.
Thomas wants to know what’s going on with his friend and why he’s acting so weird, so he follows Thomas into the forest that is supposed to be off-limits. While out there he finds him fighting a monster that he drew. Thomas’s drawings are coming to life and killing those who are close to him. To make sure no one else dies, the boys fight the monsters every night. As their obsession with each other grows stronger, so do the monsters, and Andrew begins to worry that the only way to stop the monsters might be to kill the person who drew them…
What books on the best horror books of 2024 have you read? Are there any others that I should add to the list?
