Books like 'The Drowning Summer'
Readers who enjoyed The Drowning Summer by Christine Lynn Herman also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary fantasy mystery urban fantasy horror supernatural lgbtq wlw paranormal magical-realism
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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsYadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free...Categorized as:
ghosts lgbtq magical-realism paranormal spooky witches-wizards action-adventure audiobook -
Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master by K. Ritz
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSynopsis: For five years Me’acca Mysuth Sheever has lived among his “sworn enemies,” pretending to be one of them. One night he buys a journal, its pages blank. The woman who sells him the journal extracts his promise to record his deeds for study. “Lo, the steps of your life mark the journey of your soul... -
Dead Man Walking by Pandora Pine
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCold Case Detective, Ronan O’Mara is stunned to see the breaking news that a well-known mobster he helped to put behind bars, Vito “The Dragon” Dragonni, has been released from prison after his life sentence is overturned on a technicality. When prominent members involved in the original case against The Dragon start turning up dead, Ronan starts to wonder if he’s next... -
Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe seventh book of the bestselling Rivers of London urban fantasy series returns to the adventures of Peter Grant, detective and apprentice wizard, as he solves magical crimes in the city of London.The Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud, and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run... -
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The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn unforgettable, high-stakes, laugh-out-loud funny novel, The Witchstone blends the merciless humor of The Good Place with the spellbinding fantasy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black stone...Categorized as:
paranormal witches-wizards spooky magical-realism fantasy horror fiction urban-fantasy -
Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom World Fantasy Award-winning author Charles de Lint, a tale of love, courage, and the transforming power of imagination Isabelle Copley's visionary art frees ancient spirits. As the young student of the cruel, brilliant artist Vincent Rushkin, she discovered she could paint images so vividly real they brought her wildest fantasies to life...Categorized as:
classics magical-realism paranormal retellings action-adventure anthologies audiobook contemporary -
Odd Thomas: You Are Destined To Be Together Forever by Dean Koontz
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe singular journey of Odd Thomas is approaching its unforgettable conclusion in Saint Odd. But before Odd’s destiny is revealed, this exclusive eBook short story looks back — way back — to where it all began for Odd Thomas and Stormy Llewellyn, two souls who are destined to be together forever...Categorized as:
ghosts magical-realism paranormal witches-wizards audiobook book contemporary fiction -
Shadow Web by Yasmine Galenorn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe holidays are here, and this year, they’re deadly…It’s my first Thanksgiving back in Moonshadow Bay, and everything is hunky-dory until the Witches Guild assigns me a research project for the upcoming Winter Solstice Festival. Not only do I melt down my computer, but I download a demon who ends up stuck in my house...Categorized as:
paranormal witches-wizards ghosts urban-fantasy contemporary magic mystery shapeshifters -
Crystal Web by Yasmine Galenorn
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsStrange events--stranger than usual--begin to happen around town, odd accidents and frightening encounters. The chief of police comes to Conjure Ink to ask us to investigate. As we delve deeper into what's going on, we find evidence that Moonshadow Bay is being visited by the infamous Mothman. And worse than that, he seems to have targeted my best friend Ari...Categorized as:
paranormal witches-wizards ghosts urban-fantasy contemporary fantasy magic shapeshifters -
Ghostly Attachments by Alexie Aaron
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt isn’t the chair rocking by itself that sends the young family fleeing in the middle of the night. It’s when it stops rocking and all hell breaks loose. This family needs help. Enter PEEPs (Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners) armed with the latest hi-tech gear and the ghost communication abilities of Mia Cooper. But this isn’t a normal case. Some of the ghosts aren’t playing fair... -
The Ghost of Ellwood by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“I didn't believe in ghosts. Until I met him.”As a horror novelist, Ben makes a living telling scary stories. However, he's struggling in his career and fears he's lost his touch. Not only is there a disconnect in his writing, but in his personal life as well. After his relationship goes south, he decides to start over and moves to Ivy Grove, a small town with a lot of history... -
Sixteen Souls by Rosie Talbot
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSixteen-year-old Charlie Frith has problems. His crush is dating someone else, his sisters have glitter-bombed his prosthesis (again), and he's a seer-of-spirits in York, the most haunted city in England, and all his friends are ghosts.To make matters worse, it seems that famous spirits are mysteriously vanishing from York's haunted streets and alleys... -
The Lamp of the Wicked by Phil Rickman
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt appears that the unlovely village of Underhowle is home to a serial killer. But as the police hunt for the bodies of more young women, Rev. Merrily Watkins fears that the detective in charge has become blinkered by ambition. Meanwhile, Merrily has more personal problems, like the anonymous phone calls, the candles and incense left burning in her church, and the alleged angelic visitations... -
The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit. She names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable...Categorized as:
ghosts magical-realism paranormal retellings spooky witches-wizards action-adventure asian-mc -
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Haunting Charlie by Wendy Wang
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIgnoring the dead can get you killed... All Charlie Payne wants is to lead a normal life and to be a good mom. But Charlie’s not exactly normal. She's from a long line of witches and she can see the dead. Susan Tate has inherited a beautiful old southern mansion on the coast. Unfortunately, the property came with a million necessary repairs. And ghosts... -
Black Opal by Catie Rhodes
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNote: This novella is the second installment in the Peri Jean Mace series. The print version is approximately 180 pages. Please be aware before purchasing that this is a short novel. "I knowed you'd be coming." The voice came from next to my arm, male but high and reedy. "You here to make things right, ain't you?" Not according to Peri Jean Mace... -
The Hollow and the Haunted by Camilla Raines
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this darkly magical, romantic YA fantasy debut, a closeted teenage psychic in small-town Washington foresees the death of his sworn enemy, and is forced to work with him to save his life. Sparks fly, but the dead are restless, and some ghosts don't want to stay buried...Perfect for fans of The Raven Cycle, Cemetery Boys and Sixteen Souls... -
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratings"If you live near the jungle, you will realize that what is real and what is not real is not always clear. In the forest there is not a big gap between the two."A Datin recalls her romance with an orang bunian. A teenage pontianak struggles to balance homework, bossy aunties, first love, and eating people... -
Long Lost by Jacqueline West
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEleven-year-old Fiona has just read a book that doesn’t exist. When Fiona’s family moves to be closer to her older sister’s figure skating club—and far from Fiona’s close-knit group of friends—nobody seems to notice Fiona’s unhappiness. Alone and out of place, Fiona ventures to the town’s library, a rambling mansion donated to the town by the long-dead heiress...Categorized as:
paranormal ghosts magical-realism spooky historical-fiction middle-grade fantasy mystery -
The Suffering by Rin Chupeco
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Tark knows what it is to be powerless. But Okiku changed that. A restless spirit who ended life as a victim and started death as an avenger, she’s groomed Tark to destroy the wicked...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal retellings spooky 21st-century action-adventure audiobook -
The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSeven girls tied by time.Five powers that bind.One curse to lock the horror away.One attic to keep the monsters at bay.After the storm of the century rips apart New Orleans, sixteen-year-old Adele Le Moyne wants nothing more than her now silent city to return to normal...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal spooky witches-wizards audiobook book -
The Ghost of Marlow House by Bobbi Holmes, Anna J. McIntyre
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she's never visited the property, Danielle's not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn't expect to find one of the house's previous owners still in residence... -
The Hidden by Jessica Verday
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA love that knows no bounds. Abbey knows that Caspian is her destiny. Theirs is a bond that transcends even death. But as Abbey finally learns the full truth about the dark fate that links her to Caspian and ties them both to the town of Sleepy Hollow, she suddenly has some very hard choices to make...Categorized as:
classics ghosts paranormal retellings witches-wizards action-adventure adaptations afterlife -
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 63 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Iris Hollow has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were children, something they can’t quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats. Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar... -
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Dark Rivers by Morgan Brice
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOne hundred years ago, a sheriff’s posse killed dark warlock Rhyfel Gremory, but his witch-disciples escaped, and their magic made them nearly immortal. To keep their power, each year one of the witch-disciples kills a descendant of one of the men in the posse, a twelve-year cycle that has cost dozens of lives, including that of Seth Tanner’s brother, Jesse... -
Her Loving Husband's Return by Meredith Allard
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBook Three of the bestselling Loving Husband Trilogy - "A perfect ending to this trilogy!" (Nicole L. Vermilya)What would you risk to return to the one you loved?James Wentworth's paranormal secret is no longer a secret, and now he and his beloved wife, Sarah, have been separated... -
Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA tightly woven blend of myth, magic, and the ties of a found family.Ghosts that speak in smoke. Spirits with teeth like glass. A parasitic, soul-eating spirit worm has gone into a feeding frenzy, but all the Jong-ro Police Department’s violent crimes unit sees is a string of suicides. Except for Kim Han-gil, Seoul’s only spirit detective. He’s seen this before...Categorized as:
lgbtq paranormal ghosts witches-wizards magical-realism fantasy urban-fantasy horror -
Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings“Am I dead?”Mebuyen sighs. She was hoping the girl would not ask.Spells and stories, urban legends and immigrant tales: the magic in Isabel Yap’s debut collection jumps right off the page, from the joy in her new novella, 'A Spell for Foolish Hearts' to the terrifying tension of the urban legend 'Have You Heard the One About Anamaria Marquez'... -
Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Beauty and the beast like you've never imagined!" —New York Times bestselling author Pintip DunnKEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom...Categorized as:
paranormal retellings magical-realism romance fantasy young-adult fiction supernatural -
Chapel of Ease by Alex Bledsoe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe latest installment in Alex Bledsoe's critically-acclaimed Tufa series that Kirkus Reviews calls "powerful, character-driven drama...a sheer delight." (starred review)When Matt Johanssen, a young New York actor, auditions for "Chapel of Ease," an off-Broadway musical, he is instantly charmed by Ray Parrish, the show's writer and composer...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction lgbtq magical-realism paranormal retellings adult audiobook -
Les aventures de Johnny Dixon: Le crâne du sorcier by John Bellairs
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Johnny Dixon and his friend Professor Childermass discover an old heirloom clock, the terror begins. The professor suddenly vanishes, and Johnny is left to solve the mystery--alone.Inside the clock Johnny discovers a miniature room, a room exactly like the one in which a murder took place long ago. And from the inside the little room Johnny pockets a tiny skull with magical powers...Categorized as:
classics ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards 20th-century action-adventure book -
The Unholy Cause by Joe Schreiber
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA "Supernatural" novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit CW series Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground... Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand.Categorized as:
classics ghosts paranormal retellings 21st-century action-adventure book contemporary -
The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt by John Bellairs
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsJohnny Dixon is sure that he can solve the riddle that will reveal the hiding place of wealthy Mr. Glomus's will--and net Johnny a hefty reward in the bargain. Although his neighbor Professor Childermass warns him to stay away from the Glomus mansion, Johnny can't resist a challenge. Soon he's alone in the deserted house..Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction paranormal season-summer witches-wizards 20th-century book children -
Threadneedle by Cari Thomas, Patricia Sebastián Hernández
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWithin the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.Magic is the first sin. It must be bound.Ever since Anna can remember, her aunt has warned her of the dangers of magic. She has taught her to fear how it twists and knots and turns into something dark and deadly.It was, after all, magic that killed her parents and left her in her aunt’s care...Categorized as:
historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal witches-wizards audiobook book contemporary fiction -
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The Boy in the Smoke by Maureen Johnson
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOn a cold night, Stephen Dene went to the Eton boathouse to perform a desperate act. But someone stopped him along the way, sending his life in a new and decidedly strange direction–leading him to London, to two new friends, and to a world of shadows and mystery... -
The Hexed by Heather Graham, Luke Daniels
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA place of history, secrets…and witchcraft.Devin Lyle has recently returned to the Salem area, but her timing couldn't be worse. Soon after she moved into the eighteenth-century cabin she inherited from her great-aunt Mina—her "crazy" great-aunt, who spoke to the dead—a woman was murdered nearby...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards adult audiobook book contemporary -
Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovitch
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsReturn to the world of Rivers of London in this first short story collection from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Ben Aaronovitch. Tales from the Folly is a carefully curated collection that gathers together previously published stories and brand new tales in the same place for the first time... -
Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power.La Cachette, Louisiana, is the worst place to be if you have something to hide... -
The Evil Inside by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSome deaths live on foreverFor as long as it has stood overlooking New England's jagged coastline, Lexington House has been the witness to madness…and murder. But in recent years the inexplicable malice that once tormented so many has lain as silent as its victims...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards adult audiobook book contemporary -
Lanny by Max Porter
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThere’s a village sixty miles outside London. It’s no different from many other villages in England: one pub, one church, red-brick cottages, council cottages and a few bigger houses dotted about. Voices rise up, as they might do anywhere, speaking of loving and needing and working and dying and walking the dogs...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal retellings spooky 21st-century adult -
Tales From the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA gorgeously illustrated collection of twelve fairy tales by the author of The Hazel Wood and The Night Country!Journey into the Hinterland, a brutal and beautiful world where a young woman spends a night with Death, brides are wed to a mysterious house in the trees, and an enchantress is killed twice―and still lives... -
Unhallowed Ground by Heather Graham
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Sarah McKinley is finally able to buy and restore the historic Florida mansion that she has always loved, she dismisses the horror stories of past residents vanishing and a long-dead housekeeper who practiced black magic. Then, in the midst of renovations, she makes a grim discovery...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal witches-wizards adult audiobook book contemporary -
The Merciless III: Origins of Evil by Danielle Vega
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsHorror queen Danielle Vega finally reveals the sinister mystery of how a teen girl named Brooklyn became the epitome of evil in this terrifying prequel to the series MTV calls "Mean Girls meets The Exorcist." Brooklyn knows that there's no good without evil, no right without wrong... -
Night of the Living Queers: 13 Tales of Terror & Delight by Ryan Douglass, Kalynn Bayron
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsNight of the Living Queers is a YA horror anthology that explores a night when anything is possible, exclusively featuring queer authors of color putting fresh spins on classic horror tropes and tales.No matter its name or occasion, Halloween is more than a Hallmark holiday, it’s a symbol of transformation... -
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The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost by John Bellairs
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCollapsed in a weird trance, Johnny Dixon is dying. Professor Childermass and Fergie soon learn the horrifying reason: Johnny is possessed by the spirit of the evil Warren Windrow. In a desperate effort to find a clue that will save Johnny's life, the professor and Fergie race to the gloomy Windrow estate. But demonic forces are waiting for them, and suddenly they're fighting for their own lives... -
The Barrow Will Send What it May by Margaret Killjoy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMargaret Killjoy’s Danielle Cain series is a dropkick-in-the-mouth anarcho-punk fantasy that pits traveling anarchist Danielle Cain against eternal spirits, hypocritical ideologues, and brutal, unfeeling officers of the law... -
Resurrectionists by Kim Wilkins
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsYoung Australian cellist Maisie Fielding is bored with her career and her overpowering, manipulative musical family. Faking a wrist injury, she takes time off to return to England, her mother's home country, to search for her own roots and to find out more about her grandmother, a 'white witch' who settled in a bleak village on the North Yorkshire coast...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction magical-realism paranormal witches-wizards adult audiobook book -
Dark Ladies: Conjure Wife/Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsConjure WifeWitchcraft. Norman Saylor considered it nothing but superstition, until he learned that his own wife was a practicing sorceress. Even still, he refuses to accept the truth that every woman knows...that in the secret occult warfare that governs our lives, witchcraft is a matter of life and death...Categorized as:
classics magical-realism paranormal witches-wizards adult anthologies contemporary dark -
Chasing Ghosts by Dean Cole
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHaunted pasts. Terrifying apparitions. Dark secrets.Quentin Strange is … well, strange. But it isn’t just his anachronistic sayings and dress sense, the fact that he’s a socially awkward, book-loving loner who’s possibly still a virgin at nearly thirty. He’s seeing and hearing things. Odd things. Ghostly things... -
The Ghost Chronicles by Marlo Berliner, S.P. McConnell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsCan Michael get to heaven before the devil gets him first, and if it means leaving Sarah is he sure he still wants to go?Michael Andrews had everything - a loving family, a great girlfriend and a promising basketball career. That was before the accident that took his life. Now, he's a ghost, wandering among the living, struggling to understand why he's stuck. All he wants is to move on...Categorized as:
ghosts historical-fiction paranormal spooky action-adventure book contemporary demons
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