Top new horror books out this week: 28 Sep - 4 Oct 2025
Last updated:
October 4, 2025
This week featuring new releases by Stephanie Garber, Akwaeke Emezi, T. Kingfisher, Lorna Cook, Ivy Pochoda, Harley Laroux, Stephen Graham Jones, Rachel Harrison, Meagan Church, Julie C. Dao, Kalynn Bayron and many more.
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Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
It starts with a class in an old movie theater.Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, taught by a woman called the Professor.Most students believe the Professor’s stories are just fiction. There isn’t a man in Hollywood who you can call to find out the time you’ll die. There’s not a haunted hotel bar in Los Angeles that the devil likes to frequent. There’s no such thing as magic.But . .romance · fantasy · historical-fiction · fiction · dark-academia · paranormal · urban-fantasy · horror · supernatural · book -
![Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi]()
Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi
From New York Times bestselling author Akwaeke Emezi comes a steamy paranormal romance set in the Black South—a bold new foray that takes us on a journey of magic and fantasy, from the whispering creeks outside the city of Salvation to the very depths of Hell itself...romance · fantasy · fiction · lgbtq · paranormal · low-fantasy · poc-mc · historical-fiction · myths · horror -
![What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher]()
What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher
The next novella in the New York Times bestselling Sworn Soldier series, featuring Alex Easton investigating the dark, mysterious depths of a coal mine in AmericaAlex Easton does not want to visit America.They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.But when their old friend Dr...horror · fantasy · gothic · fiction · lgbtq · historical-fiction · spooky · season-autumn · audiobook · dark -
![The Distant Daughter by Lorna Cook]()
The Distant Daughter by Lorna Cook
Singapore, 1941: Singapore City lights up with explosions as the first Japanese bombs rain down. Until now, the war has seemed a distant threat for Issey and her friends, drinking and dancing at Raffles. But with the Japanese invasion looming, Issey knows she must leave. Mysterious, handsome Alex Cartwright has sworn he will see her to safety...romance · historical-fiction · fiction · historical · family · war · ww2 · action-adventure · survival · death -
![Eerie Basin by Ivy Pochoda]()
Eerie Basin by Ivy Pochoda
An old haunt in a once-derelict Brooklyn neighborhood harbors terrifying secrets in a wickedly chilling short story by Ivy Pochoda, the award-winning author of Ecstasy.Erin tends bar at the last dive left in gentrified Red Hook, Brooklyn, where old-timers spin tales of the bar’s legacy and the waterfront’s crime-ridden past...urban · new-york-state · horror · fiction · mystery · fantasy · paranormal · supernatural · crime · audiobook -
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![House of Rayne by Harley Laroux]()
House of Rayne by Harley Laroux
From New York Times bestselling author Harley Laroux comes the unique standalone sapphic gothic romance, with mystery, the supernatural, and plenty of spice.Two women with very different lives share a night of passion, planning on it being a one stand. Only they meet again at a remote island in the Pacific Northwest, where one of them runs her family's bed and breakfast... -
![One Bad Night & Other Stories by Stephen Graham Jones, Rachel Harrison, S.A. Barnes, Kylie Lee Baker]()
One Bad Night & Other Stories by Stephen Graham Jones, Rachel Harrison, S.A. Barnes, Kylie Lee Baker
Horror lovers everywhere, get ready for... ONE BAD NIGHT.In “Two Observers of the Slaughter Rites on Gannet Island," an anthropologist and his wife travel to the remote Gannet Island to observe a mysterious yearly ritual.In “My Lithopedia," a woman learns that she had an unborn twin sister, extracted as a stone baby during her late mother’s autopsy and decides to keep it... -
![The Mad Wife: A Novel by Meagan Church]()
The Mad Wife: A Novel by Meagan Church
With odes of The Bell Jar comes a searing historical suspense following a 1950s housewife who, when a mysterious new wife moves across the way, begins to unearth dark secrets about her neighborhood and her own mind. In the 1950s, nothing is valued more than conformity, and Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the ideal housewife...historical-fiction · fiction · horror · mystery · historical · feminism · literary-fiction · thriller · suspense · psychological -
![So Blooms the Dawn by Julie C. Dao]()
So Blooms the Dawn by Julie C. Dao
Freshly vampiric Lucy Westenra thirsts for revenge in the second and final book of this Dracula retelling from critically acclaimed author Julie C. Dao.Lucy Westenra, the flirtatious, wealthy, and beautiful debutante who once dazzled London society, is no more. Manipulated into thinking that Vlad understood her fervent darkness, she has become his bitter, blood-spattered, and lifeless bride...romance · horror · vampires · new-adult · fantasy · retellings · poc-author · spooky · historical-fiction · cannibalism -
![Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron]()
Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron
New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is back with a Frankenstein-tinged horror romance.Meka is used to death. After all, it's the family business.As a newly certified mortician's assistant at her parents' funeral home, her days are not for the faint of heart...romance · horror · fantasy · young-adult · retellings · paranormal · lgbtq · fiction · dark · mystery -
![Pounded in the Patch by Dana LeeAnn]()
Pounded in the Patch by Dana LeeAnn
* RANKED TOP 100 IN THE ENTIRE KINDLE STORE *I whispered my darkest fantasy. He made it my reality. A moonlit pumpkin patch deep in the forest, where jack-o'-lanterns glow and fog clouds my vision. It's exactly the kind of place I’ve always dreamed of being hunted, chased by a masked man until I have nothing left to give.Tonight, my fantasy is my reality...romance · steamy · dark · billionaire · stalking · spooky · fiction · horror · contemporary · kidnapping -
![Bonepetal by Nova Kane]()
Bonepetal by Nova Kane
When Salem broke her vow, she broke the veil.One year after losing Finn to fire, cult, and sacrifice, she swore she’d never love again. She lied. Now Finn is back—feral, obsessive, wearing death like a crown, and he’s come to claim what was always his.A Halloween novella of possession, blood, and bone-deep love... -
![The Moss by Lisa Lueddecke]()
The Moss by Lisa Lueddecke
I know how to find her. Don’t follow me. I mean it. It will break Dad if you do. I love you, Em.P.S. Stay away from the Sedge Man. He won’t stop, like a hunter, until there’s nothing left of you. A year after her sister Eve’s sudden disappearance, Emma returns to the small town of Scarrow in northern Maine...horror · young-adult · paranormal · audiobook · fiction · fantasy · supernatural · gothic · folk-horror · rural -
![The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi]()
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers cringing, laughing, and guessing until the very last page.Rose DuBois is not your average final girl.Rose is in her late 70s, living out her golden years at the Autumn Springs Retirement Home...horror · mystery · fiction · audiobook · suspense · crime · slasher · serial-killers · thriller · contemporary -
![Daedalus Is Dead by Seamus Sullivan]()
Daedalus Is Dead by Seamus Sullivan
A delirious and gripping story of fatherhood and masculinity, told through the reimagined destinies of Greek mythic figures Daedalus, Icarus, King Minos, and the Minotaur.Daedalus of Crete is many things. The greatest architect in the world. The constructor of the Labyrinth that imprisoned the Minotaur...fantasy · retellings · myths · audiobook · fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · male-author · horror · dark -
![The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson]()
The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson
To err is human. To avenge is Divine. Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.But the merry widow has a secret...romance · vampires · dark · dark-fantasy · magic · mystery · steamy · revenge · monsters · political-intrigue -
![The Guy Sure Looks Like Plant Food To Me by Santana Knox]()
The Guy Sure Looks Like Plant Food To Me by Santana Knox
♪ ♬ THE FLOWERS THAT KILL IN THE SPRING - TRA - LA - LA ♬ ♪ From the best-selling author of Heartless Heathens, TGSLLPFTM is a killer rom-com, feel-good, magical short story about fated love blooming in the most unexpected of places. I'VE GIVEN HER SUNSHINEI’ve given her dirtShe's given me much moreThan I ever deserved... -
![The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne]()
The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.But the murders were seventeen years ago, back when her name was Sabrina. Now, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29-year-old...horror · fiction · mystery · paranormal · audiobook · suspense · contemporary · thriller · mental-illness · spooky -
![Ash on the Tongue by Lee McCormick]()
Ash on the Tongue by Lee McCormick
Humans were always secretly monsters, the rain just gave them an excuse.AubreyThe infected didn’t break me. They didn’t capture me for experiments and use me like an object. Humanity made me into the monster I am.I’m reckless because it makes me feel alive, careless because I’m addicted to pain. And I’m dangerous because I’ve got nothing left to live for...romance · mlm · dark · dystopia · post-apocalyptic · lgbtq · found-family · monsters · forced-proximity · survival -
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![Rotten by Bree Wiley]()
Rotten by Bree Wiley
Surviving is all I’ve ever known.Abandoned young, I was left to fend for myself in a place ruled by fear and control. Silver runs everything—rations, medicine, currency—and those like me, carriers of the infection, are treated less than human.Everyone I love is gone.All that’s left is my sister, but she vanished into Zone T years ago, and I won’t stop until I find her... -
![The Transition by Logan-Ashley Kisner]()
The Transition by Logan-Ashley Kisner
A transgender teen’s post-op recovery is derailed when he is bitten by a werewolf and his body begins to change. A thought-provoking page-turner that will haunt you for days!Hunter’s life is at a turning point: After years of fighting his father for it, he’s gotten top surgery. He’s finally starting to feel comfortable in his own skin . .horror · young-adult · lgbtq · paranormal · shapeshifters · trans-mc · fiction · fantasy · audiobook · contemporary -
![The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee]()
The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee
Jordan Peele’s Us meets The School For Good Mothers in this horror-tinged intergenerational saga, as a single mother’s doppelganger forces her to confront the legacy of violence that has shaped every woman in their family.Single mother Alice Chow is drowning...horror · fiction · family · mystery · contemporary · friendship · vampires · female-mc · monsters · book -
![The Captive by Kit Burgoyne]()
The Captive by Kit Burgoyne
A darkly comedic, cinematic horror about a revolutionary group who kidnap an heiress, only to discover she's pregnant with the antichrist, and she's about to give birth.From Ned Beauman, the Man Booker Prize longlisted author of The Teleportation Accident and Clarke Award winning author of Venomous Lumpsucker. Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Joe Hill...horror · fiction · contemporary · fantasy · audiobook · supernatural · satire · mystery · terror · dark -
![The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt]()
The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt
Horror Movie meets the scope and emotion of Stephen King in this heart-pounding, magnetic tour de force about a woman pulled into a cult horror film that is determined to have a sequel, by critically acclaimed author Michael Wehunt...horror · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · supernatural · psychological · thriller · ghosts · book · adult -
![Devoured: A Dark Monster Romance Novella by Ava Thorne]()
Devoured: A Dark Monster Romance Novella by Ava Thorne
Experience this dark historical monster romance that follows a woman's transformation from victim to supernatural predator in the haunting forests of ancient Britain. Set during the blood-soaked night of Samhain, witness a tale of revenge, power, and the dangerous seduction of embracing one's darkest nature...romance · fantasy · monsters · paranormal · demons · gothic · dark · dark-fantasy · shapeshifters · myths -
![Ghost of a Chance by Katherine Garbera]()
Ghost of a Chance by Katherine Garbera
Kirsty Henson is an expert at one thing: faking it. A mystery writer with a hit series, she knows her success relies on pretending she can talk to ghosts. It’s all fun and games until a steamy casual encounter sends Jasper Cotton careening into her life.Jasper is haunted…literally. His college roommate’s spirit is trapped in an old physics book—and has a weird obsession with Judge Judy...romance · paranormal · audiobook · contemporary · ghosts · cozy · haunted-places · fiction · enemies-to-lovers · family -
![Such a Feral Little Lamb by Alexandra Keillor]()
Such a Feral Little Lamb by Alexandra Keillor
“There’s enough room for us both down here. I could keep you tied to the bed. Have my desperate little lamb bleating for me.”Gravesend should be a town like any other. Abandoned. Neglected. Overrun by zombies. That’s why we’re here. We clear the zombies out. Let people move back in. Slowly, slowly reclaim what once belonged to us... -
![Map of Pain by Gale Ian Tate]()
Map of Pain by Gale Ian Tate
He was built to hunt monsters. He never expected one to heal him.Nick Walsh has been living on borrowed time for months—hiding in junkyards, fighting infection, and slowly dying from wounds that should have been treated long ago. As a former member of the Daylight Society, he knows exactly what monsters look like. He's been hunting them for years...romance · vampires · disability · mlm · paranormal · supernatural · urban-fantasy · fiction · lgbtq · horror -
![Hollow by Taylor Grothe]()
Hollow by Taylor Grothe
Don’t Let the Forest In meets The Whispering Dark in a queer YA cult horror following a recently diagnosed autistic teen who becomes enmeshed in a community of outcasts harboring sinister secrets.“One of the best horror novels of the year, full stop. Haunting, heartfelt, and downright creepy... -
![This Hunger of Ours by T. Pyre]()
This Hunger of Ours by T. Pyre
Beauty and the Beast meets Crimson Peak in this gothic tale that is as much a love story as it is a story of vengeance. Corabeth isn't living, she's surviving. In a cursed village, surrounded by misty woods, she is the black sheep, hated for her mother's crimes... -
![Harvest by Becca Chambers]()
Harvest by Becca Chambers
I don't know if I like reading anymore.Emmy moved to the small town of Ivywood to start anew in life. Being the booklover she is, she finds the one place in town that is perfect for a coffee shop that sells books. It's here she gets invited by a local book club member to join them, being invited to a party to get to know everyone first at the host’s farmhouse on the outskirts of town... -
![The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney]()
The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney
For readers of Our Wives Under the Sea and The Once and Future Witches comes a feminist gothic tale with a tough-as-nails female protagonist who must find her elderly aunt, long suspected of being a witch. A spooky, atmospheric, and fast-paced feminist tale about women called witches and the parts of our history we’d rather forgetMadeline is missing...horror · gothic · mystery · fiction · historical · witches-wizards · historical-fiction · female-mc · ghosts · supernatural -
![A Kingdom of Salt and Stone by Liv Webster]()
A Kingdom of Salt and Stone by Liv Webster
"The gods had no say in this imperative destiny"Maeve Willawood does not crave the life she has been forced to live. As one of the chosen, she has been punished with a role that goes against her morals. In a world born from chaos, the gods responsible have carefully selected mortals to carry a piece of their divine power. A gift to some, but a curse to others... -
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![The Last Feast by A.X. Cole]()
The Last Feast by A.X. Cole
Two broken lives. One violent moment. A choice between life and death. Just as every prisoner is given their final meal, the girl who has only ever been caged diverts from her planned demise for one last feast.When Auguste stumbles upon the carcass of a deer, he unknowingly attracts the attention of a woman with no future... -
![Fimbulvinter's Fires: a queer apocalyptic sci-fi horrormance by A.M. Weald]()
Fimbulvinter's Fires: a queer apocalyptic sci-fi horrormance by A.M. Weald
Worlds and hearts will be set aflame… Within moments of his escape pod crash-landing in a night-clad frozen forest, musician Asher Hollin is frostbitten, bleeding, a thief, and a killer. If not for technology looted from a dead prison guard, he’d be long dead, either from hypothermia or from being attacked by battleaxe-wielding not-quite-human marauders...romance · sci-fi · lgbtq · horror · fiction · dystopia · myths · post-apocalyptic · futuristic · book -
![It Begins by Eule Grey]()
It Begins by Eule Grey
Byron, PhD student and waistcoat admirer, knows about yearning and betrayal. It’s been four years since the love of his life, Ruben, walked off without explanation. Byron dreams of midnight sex he can’t fully remember and a beloved man with dancing eyes. If only Ruben would return… But life moves on... -
![Beneath the Bare and Twisted Branches: Spooky Stories of MM Romance by August Hare]()
Beneath the Bare and Twisted Branches: Spooky Stories of MM Romance by August Hare
A chill tumbles down your spine….You feel the ghost of a breath on your skin….Under the moon, lovers meet to steam up the cold October nights.At Halloween, the veil between worlds is thin, and the denizens of other realms come out to play. Accompanied by the rattle of brittle leaves and lit by the grinning glows of jack-o-lanterns, these men have mischief in mind... -
![The Opening Act is Death by Visha Graves]()
The Opening Act is Death by Visha Graves
She built the carnival from corpses. He came to make her feel again.In a forgotten corner of the world, the Carnival of the Damned opens only for the broken.Madame Noir dances on knives and commands the stage with blood on her hands and ice in her chest. She feels nothing by choice... -
![The Final Chapter: A Fight Like Final Girls Short Story by T M Lunn]()
The Final Chapter: A Fight Like Final Girls Short Story by T M Lunn
Welcome to Fight Like Final Girls, a multi-author collection of standalone Thriller and Horror short stories and novellas. In this series, you'll find badass characters fighting until they're the last one standing, doing anything necessary, in order to live until tomorrow. Could you do what they had to? Read and find out!Liv’s day is like any other for a successful thriller writer...horror · slasher · serial-killers · anthologies · fiction · psychological · suspense · thriller · adult -
![Dreams Beneath the Veil by Sienna Hawthorne]()
Dreams Beneath the Veil by Sienna Hawthorne
Ravenna dreams of death. Corbin delivers it. Ravenna’s gift as an oracle has never been reliable, yet when a dead prince appears in her visions, she may be the only one who can unravel the mystery around his death. But there’s another figure that haunts her dreams–one that fills her with both longing and dread...
