Top new horror books out today: 20 Jan 2026
Last updated:
20 Jan 2026
Today featuring new releases by Simone St. James, Vincent Ralph, Shen Tao, Jumata Emill, Stacia Stark, Melissa Faliveno, Blaine Daigle, Erik J. Brown, I.V. Ophelia and many more.
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A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
Siblings return to the house they fled eighteen years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request to come home.Strange things happen in Fell, New York: A mysterious drowning at the town’s roadside motel. The unexplained death of a young girl whose body is left by the railroad tracks...horror · mystery · suspense · ghosts · thriller · whodunit · paranormal · fiction · supernatural · vampires -
![Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph]()
Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph
Would you Swipe to Die?When the new craze takes over Bleak Haven High, Ava Wilson refuses to join in. As the niece of an infamous murderer, it’s the last thing she needs.The mysterious website allows people to view their own ‘death’ – an AI generated version of their final slasher-movie-moments... -
![The Poet Empress by Shen Tao]()
The Poet Empress by Shen Tao
Debut author Shen Tao introduces readers to the lush, deadly world of The Poet Empress, a sweeping, epic and intimate fantasy perfect for fans of The Serpent & the Wings of Night, The Song of Achilles and She Who Became the Sun.In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.Wei Yin is desperate...romance · fantasy · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · audiobook · high-fantasy · sword-sorcery · myths · epic -
![I Don't Wish You Well by Jumata Emill]()
I Don't Wish You Well by Jumata Emill
A teen investigative podcaster decides to dig into the truth behind a grisly murder spree that rocked his hometown five years ago, but soon discovers that this cold case is still hiding deadly secrets—in this chilling thriller perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.Five years ago, the infamous Trojan murders turned the small town of Moss Pointe, Louisiana into a living nightmare...mystery · young-adult · lgbtq · audiobook · fiction · high-school · bullying · abuse · racism · crime -
![We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark]()
We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark
From the bestselling author of the Kingdom of Lies series comes a slow-burn romantasy set in a Roman-inspired world ruled by merciless vampires. Filled with breathtaking combat, vengeful gods, and magical creatures, We Who Will Die is the epic first installment in an enthralling new series perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent, Jasmine Mas, and Rebecca Yarros...romance · fantasy · vampires · slow-burn · royalty · political-intrigue · magic · found-family · action-adventure · fiction -
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![Hemlock by Melissa Faliveno]()
Hemlock by Melissa Faliveno
A woman haunted by a dark inheritance returns to the woods where her mother vanished, in this queer Gothic novel—a butch Black Swan. Sam, finally sober and stable with a cat and a long-term boyfriend in Brooklyn, returns alone to Hemlock, her family’s deteriorating cabin deep in the Wisconsin Northwoods, where her mother disappeared years before and never returned...horror · gothic · lgbtq · fiction · spooky · southern-gothic · thriller · mystery · psychological · literary-fiction -
![Porcelain Lullaby: A Horror Novel by Blaine Daigle]()
Porcelain Lullaby: A Horror Novel by Blaine Daigle
An abandoned orphanage. A buried secret. A dark truth.Jake and Nate Shepherd’s world shattered when they were children. After a night of horror, the boys woke to find their home the site of an unspeakable tragedy. One that fundamentally cracked the boys’ psyche and left them orphaned...horror · contemporary · spirituality · paranormal · fiction · suspense · supernatural · book · adult -
![Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown]()
Better the Devil by Erik J. Brown
A harrowing, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller about a queer homeless teen who, in a bid for safety, assumes the identity of a boy who went missing ten years ago...only to find that his new home is anything but a safe haven—from All That's Left in the World author Erik J. Brown!Perfect for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson, and Ryan La Sala...romance · young-adult · lgbtq · mystery · contemporary · horror · mlm · fiction · law-enforcement · book -
![Fruit of the Flesh by I.V. Ophelia]()
Fruit of the Flesh by I.V. Ophelia
Behind the glamour of Gilded Age New York, a marriage of convenience between an artisan and a ballerina masks their shared appetite for revenge in this darkly seductive gothic romance.In early 1900s New York, former ballerina Petronille De Villier makes an unconventional choice: Marry struggling sculptor Arkady Kamenev. For her, it’s an escape from her family’s unsavory legacy...romance · gothic · historical · historical-fiction · horror · dark · dark-academia · fantasy · fiction · marriage-of-convenience
