With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, It’s time to find some of the best revenge horror books. Valentine’s Day isn’t the most romantic day out of the year but it’s also the best time to get your revenge on your exes who did you dirty or should I say that did the main character dirty.
I know I’m not the only one who finds it satisfying to read a book where the main character comes back with a vengeance no matter what way it’s done. They seem to dwell in our darkest desires for justice turning them into an unforgettable tale.
Why Revenge Horror is So Gripping
Revenge horror books aren’t just about getting payback though. It’s all about the tension and questioning the morality of the main character. Do you root for them to get their revenge? Or do you automatically want them to go to jail? The fact that these books explore justice and rage maybe mixed in with some eerieness make the story all the better.
Must-Read Revenge Horror Books
I would love to know if you have read any of these and what you thought!
Carrie by Stephen King
Most of you have to know Carrie by now. I feel like this is one of Stephen King’s more popular books. There have even been multiple movies about the story as well.
Granted I haven’t read the book yet but I have watched most of the movies for it. If you have read the book then please let me know in the comments if it would even be worth reading at this point!
Here is what Carrie is about.
Carrie is a book by Stephen King that follows a high school girl who is just a little bit naive. This makes her a little bit on the innocent side as well. But for years she has been getting bullied relentlessly just because of the way that she is. But when she gets elected as prom queen they do the unthinkable to her. After that, her telekinetic powers come into full force as goes into a full-on rampage.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
I really wish that I could get into Stephen’s books but his writing style just isn’t for me. But I know there are tons of people who like his books with this one being one of the top ones.
The story seems really creepy and I might have to give it a second chance sometime soon.
Here is what The Only Good Indians is about.
The Only Good Indians has become quite a popular book in recent years. The story follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their past comes back to haunt them. They are in the biggest struggle of their lives as they are being tracked by an entity that wants its revenge on them. Unfortunately, they are left helpless because they left their culture and traditions behind and now it’s coming to haunt them in a vengeful way.
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
The Girl With All of the Gifts would be a great book on this list to read and then watch the book. Out of all of the other books I feel like this one would be one of the better revenge horror books on the list.
I hope I can get my hands on this one sometime soon for that matter!
Here is what The Girls with All of the Gifts is about.
Dr. Caldwell Melanie is a special girl. According to him, she is his little genius.
Melanie is locked up in a cell and every morning she has to wait to be collected from class. Sergeant Parks is usually the one that comes for her and every time he has his gun pointed at her all the while she’s strapped in a wheelchair. It crosses her mind that they don’t like her. She even jokes that she won’t bite but they never laugh.
School is something that she really loves. Her favorite things to learn is spelling and the world outside of class. When she tells her teacher about all of the things she wants to do when she grows up, her teacher can’t help but feel a little sad.
The Ruins by Scott Smith
This is another pretty popular book on the list of revenge horror books. I believe that this one has a movie as well that you can watch on Netflix.
I have to admit that this one seems pretty creepy and I’m trying to decide if this one is one that I would actually like to read or not.
If you’ve read it then I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Here is what the ruins is about.
A group of friends are trapped in the Mexican jungle when they stumble on a horror unlike anything they have ever seen. Two young couples are on a relaxing Mexican vacation and all they want to do is spend their days under the sun. That is until one of the brothers of the friends disappears.
They make the decision to go out in the woods in hopes that they can find him. But what turns out to be a fun day trip winds up turning into a nightmare when they find the site of the ancient ruins.
Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
This just so happens to be another on the list of revenge horror books where I wound up watching the movie before reading the book. In fact, I still haven’t read it mostly because of the fact that I have watched the movie beforehand.
Maybe soon I will push myself into reading this one.
Here is what Let Me In is about.
Let Me In takes place in 1981 and follows the scary tale of Oskar and Eli. It all starts off when they find the body of a teenager and his body has no blood. Twelve-year-old Oskar is hoping this means that revenge has come. Revenge for all of the bullying he has to endure at school. Even though he’s a little fascinated by the murder, it’s not all that important to him right now.
A new girl has moved in next door to him. She’s a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s cube but she’s able to solve it almost instantly. Eventually, they become friends and that leads into something more. The closer he gets to her the more he realizes that something is odd about her. That something only comes out at night.
Final Thoughts: When Payback Turns Deadly
Revenge horror books, even though they are awesome, make us aware that actions have consequences. Sometimes those consequences are horrifying. If you love unsettling books that blur the lines between a victim and a villain, then these are the right books for you.
Do you have a favorite revenge horror book? Make sure to let me know in the comments because I’m always looking for my next read!
If you liked this post then maybe you will like our list of camping horror books.