The Haunted by Danielle Vega, 304 pages

The Haunted was frequently referred to as "YA's answer to Stephen King" which made me really excited to read it. I also love anything paranormal, especially a good haunted house book, which is exactly what this was. My opinion of this book was that it was just okay. It wasn't anything great and it's laughable that it was compared to King in any way, but I did find elements of this story really creepy and it was fun to read with Fall right around the corner. This book has been on my radar for quite a while, so I had a lot of hype built up around it, which I think made my overall impression of the book worse than what it could have been. This was a fast read and there was action right from the get-go, which is always a plus. I think this is definitely a good read for someone who doesn't read many thrillers or horror novels and wants to dabble in the genres, but if you're an avid thriller/horror reader for myself, this one will be pretty bland.  

The Lost by Natasha Preston, 304 pages

Anytime that I want to read something in the thriller genre that doesn't require a lot of thought, I always go to Natasha Preston's books. Everything I've read by Preston has been in the YA thriller/horror genre and they've all been super fast paced and jam-packed with tons of twist and turns. I flew through this in a couple of hours which doesn't necessarily make it a great book but it was a nice break from what I've been reading recently. 

The Lost follows best friends Piper and Luna, who take it upon themselves to investigate the recent disappearances of teens in their town. During the investigation, the girls meet three handsome guys who are in college somewhere near where they live. They're quickly horrified to realize that the guys were not who they seemed to originally be, and have kidnapped both of the girls. To make matters worse, it doesn't seem like the kidnapper's first time abducting someone. The girls are taken and left in a building with other kidnapped teens, forced to fight for their lives.

None of the characters were great by any means and I found a lot of them to be annoying, but I let a lot of that slide when it comes to YA, especially YA thrillers. The ending was disappointing but overall, this was a fun one!

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill, 692 pages

NOS4A2 is a horror novel written by Joe Hill, who happens to be Stephen King's son. I've read some other stuff by Hill and enjoyed it. I've seen a ton of good reviews about NOS4A2 so I was really anxious to dive in. Unfortunately, I found myself pretty unimpressed overall. A lot of this book involves a lot of Fantasy, which is a genre that I really struggle with. I like my thrillers and horror novels to be as realistic as possible, so I struggled to connect to this. I did find a lot of it creepy but it felt really long-winded so I found myself getting bored. I decided to read this now because there is currently a show based off the novel on cable and I've been waiting to start watching it until I had read the book first. I still would recommend this to anyone who enjoys horror, but not my favorite of the genre!

Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay, 341 pages

Paul Tremblay is my favorite author, and I'd been saving this book to read because it's one of the only ones that he's written that I hadn't read yet. Disappearance at Devil's Rock is about a group of young boys who venture out to the woods one night, and only 2 of the 3 return. There is a lot of mystery around Devil's Rock and it is a fictional urban legend. I really enjoyed this read, although I didn't enjoy it as much as his other books. I still would recommend this for thriller/horror lovers like myself!

Dracula by Bram Stoker, 454 pages

First published in 1897, Dracula is gothic horror at its best.  The story is told through the letters and diary entries of several of the characters.

The novel begins when a young English lawyer, Jonathan Harker, visits Count Dracula at his castle in Transylvania in order to complete a real estate transaction.  While there he discovers the diabolical intent of the Count.

Back in England, it falls to Professor Van Helsing, along with a handful of other heroes, including Jonathon and his fiancée, Mina, to stop the vampire.

I listened to the book and enjoyed this very proper Victorian horror story.  I am not typically of fan of horror but the story is told in such flowery and proper English that I couldn't help but get a kick out of it.

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix, 337 pages

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix is a supernatural horror novel, but also has some dry humor in there. A tad too unrealistic for me, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, but I still would give this one 3/5 stars. It was fast paced and some parts really made my skin crawl.

Over twenty years after her almost success as the guitarist for metal band Dürk Würk, Kris has hit rock bottom, working as a receptionist at a Best Western and barely getting by. She is still bitter about what split the band up, and now is reeling: Terry, former best friend and lead singer of Dürk Würk is going on tour with his new group, Koffin. Kris decides to confront Terry about what happened, and tries to rally the troops to come with her, including multiple former band members. She soon realizes that Terry's success stemmed for something far more sinister than just screwing over the rest of the band... he potentially sold their souls. 

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding, 304 pages

This. Book. Is. So. Creepy!!  I finished this in one night, because I couldn't put it down. Not only is this book entirely creepy, it also hits on every parent's worst nightmares. I can't get over how scary this book is, and have already been recommending it to everyone I know. Little Darlings is set to be published in April 2019.

Lauren just gave birth to twin boys, and is exhausted. But, when she hears a woman in the next room over, seemingly singing to her twins, she's excited to find someone who can relate to her current status. The next morning, she asks the nurse about the woman from the other room, and is met with a puzzled look, the room has been empty since Lauren arrived. The next night, Lauren hears the same noises, and lets herself into the room. She finds a strange woman singing to herself, and when she meets her eyes, she instantly knows something is not right. The woman begins talking about exchanging the twins, which results in Lauren locking herself in the hospital bathroom, taking refuge with her twins. When the police arrive, the hospital is searched and no one is found, resulting in Lauren being placed on a psychiatric hold. She knows what she saw, but no one will listen to her. Everyone around her keeps talking about how tired she is. A few weeks later, Lauren is home with the boys, and the paranoia hasn't wavered. Leaving the house to get some fresh air, Lauren's worst nightmares come true, and the boys are kidnapped. Thankfully, they're found shortly after, and everyone is elated except Lauren, who knows that the twins look like her boys, but they are anything but.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman, 262 Pages

Bird Box has been on my "To Read" list for quite a while now, and once my husband started bugging me to watch the new Netflix adaptation of it with him, I bumped it to the top. (Can't watch it without reading it first, y'all!) I don't scare easily in regards to book and this book truly scared me. By scared me, I mean it was so intense and horrifying to think of a world like the one these poor people are living in. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who is a horror fan like myself, or anyone who enjoys a good, suspenseful book!

Asylum by Madeleine Roux, 317 Pages

I listened to the audio version of this, and it took me literally a month to finish it. (In my defense- I don't have a long commute or anything that gives me the chance to listen to audiobooks, so I mostly have 15 minute increments while I'm in the carpool line at my kid's school!) Asylum is a Young Adult thriller/horror novel, and while there were some creepy parts of the story, I was overall unimpressed. I felt like it was also more juvenile than Young Adult.

Dan Crawford is spending his summer at New Hampshire College Prep. He sees it at a chance for new friends, independence and his last hurrah before he goes off to college. He's a little hesitant when he finds out that instead of a dormitory, he's being housed in a former asylum. Dan decides to take advantage of the creepy living situation, and decides to explore the old asylum with his new friends Jordan and Abby. The three friends realize that they've arrived here under no coincidence, but because of a past that somehow involves them.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, 246 pages

The Haunting of Hill House has been on my to-read list forever. As a lover of all things horror, I have read thousands of times that this book is one of the best of the genre, and an absolute must-read. Unfortunately, it fell really flat with me. I know that this book was originally published in the 1950's, but I struggled with the language used in the book. I also thought that a lot of the book was mostly just rambling from the characters, particularly Eleanor. I found myself skipping tons of dialogue because it seemed to be nonsense. There were a few parts that really made my skin crawl, but I overall was unimpressed.

Dr. Montague is in search of evidence of paranormal activity in the Hill House. In attempt to document said evidence, he decides to rent the house and invite a group of strangers to stay with him in the home. Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke (the future heir to Hill House) arrive, and sit around, waiting for the activity to start. What appears to be a scary week or two in a potentially haunted house turns out to be far worse, as Hill House attempts to claim it's next victim.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage, 320 Pages

First and foremost- I was graciously granted an advanced copy of Baby Teeth by Netgalley and the publisher.

This book was honestly terrifying. I don't scare easily in terms of books, but this one really got to me. I felt the need to look over my shoulder the entire time I read this. I can't imagine being in the position of not trusting your own child, and being afraid of her. I will definitely recommend this to anyone who is a horror fan like myself.

Suzette and Hanna have an explosive relationship. Suzette, the mother, is terrified of her daughter, Hanna. Hanna has never spoken a word, but finds other ways to terrorize her mom on a daily basis. The minute her dad gets home, Hanna morphs into a sweet angel, incapable of doing the terrible things her mother claims she does. As Hanna's outbursts become worse, Suzette begins to realize something is seriously wrong with her daughter, and it could be life-threatening for her.

Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, 219 pages

2018 is the 200th anniversary of the publication of the classic book Frankenstein and it is on the PBS "Great American Reads" list.  I figured it was a great time to read this classic book for the first time.

Many people, including some of the librarians I work with, love Frankenstein and their encouragement helped me finish it.  I mostly wanted to thump Victor Frankenstein on the noggin throughout the book and tell him any problems that arose in his life were indeed his fault because he panicked and couldn't love what he created.

Didn't enjoy it, but glad I read it.

   

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, 288 pages

Tremblay is another one of my favorite authors. I recommend him to anyone who loves a good horror novel. I've been anxiously waiting for this release and it didn't disappoint. This book was truly horrifying.

Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are spending time at their remote cabin. They are miles away from any sort of civilization or cell service, and enjoying the uninterrupted family time. Wen is 7 years old and enjoys exploring outside. While catching grasshoppers in their front yard, a stranger suddenly appears at the end of the driveway. He introduces himself as Leonard, and quickly gains Wen's trust and interest. Everything changes when Leonard looks at her and says, "None of what's going to happen is your fault." Wen notices 3 more strangers quickly approaching, and runs inside to warn her dad's, but not before Leonard tells her that he and the strangers need her family's help saving the world.

Misery by Stephen King, 433 pages

This was actually my first book I've ever read by King. I've always found his stuff to be very intimidating, mostly due to his writing style and also the length of his novels. A lot of people recommended Misery to me, so I finally gave it a try. It was borderline to gory for me, but I also found myself on the edge of my seat for a lot of it, especially the ending!

Paul Sheldon is a best-selling author and recently woke up utterly disoriented after a car accident. He is being tended to by his number one fan, Annie Wilkes. After finishing his most recent novel and realizing that he killed of the main, beloved character, Annie quickly switches from Paul's carer to his captor. She is willing to go to grisly lengths to force Paul to write the next book in the series, and bring back the character that she can't live without.

Strange Weather by Joe Hill, 432 Pages

Strange Weather is a collection of four short novels that mostly fall in the horror/thriller genre. The author is Joe Hill, who is actually Stephen King's son! I found their writing pretty similar, and I enjoyed this book. I will say... I found the novel "Loaded" difficult to read, but the rest of them were okay. Overall, I would recommend this one to patron's that are interested in the horror genre, and are fans of King!

The Last Halloween by Abby Howard 448 pages

Oh, man, this is an awesome book!  I love the artwork and the story.  This started as a web comic that got published as a glorious book I can hold in my hands.  It makes me so happy.  Young Mona has a big problem, primarily a giant monster that calls on her Halloween night.  This leads her to run for help, but she finds more kids...who turn out to be monsters, also.  Well, things aren't looking great, especially since Mona gets tagged to try to stop humanity from being destroyed by monsters since the entity that was keeping it all in balance has disappeared.  This has a great energy and the white on black illustration is just gorgeous.  I can't recommend this more highly!

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins 289 Pages

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. While it was a very generic horror story, it was a quick and fun read if you're interested in the horror genre. This book definitely reminded me of the Scream movies- a little bit cheesy, but enough scary moments to keep me interested. I am not a fan of gore, and there were parts of this that were really pushing me to my limit in that aspect. 

 Makani moved to Nebraska to get away from her troubling past, but finds herself in the middle of something more sinister than what she was running away from. Someone is killing off her classmates one by one, and the police are having a painfully hard time figuring out who the culprit is. I genuinely enjoyed Makani and Ollie, and found myself rooting for them early on. I also really loved the friendship between Makani, Ollie, Darby and Alex- it reminded me of the kind of group of friends I wish I had had in high school.  I was a little disappointed with how quickly you find out who the killer is, and the reasoning behind the murders was a little lackluster in my opinion. There was romance tied into this story, which I didn't mind, but would have if there was any more added in there. 

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay 286 Pages

This one really messed with my head. It was disturbing and so creepy. I couldn't get myself to put this book down, and stayed up until 3 AM to finish it, then found myself unable to sleep because I was so creeped out. Very rarely do I find a book that genuinely scares me, and this one had a couple of moments that left the hair standing up on the back of my neck. I'm still completely undecided on what actually happened at the end of this book, which just adds to the mind-games that Tremblay plays. My one complaint about it was the blog-like entries. I felt like they dragged on and were a little unnecessary. (She says, via a blog entry.) Another great read for anyone who likes horror/thriller novels. 

Final Girls by Riley Sager 350 Pages

Final Girls had a slow start, but I'm glad that I stuck with it because it paid off in the end. This novel is very reminiscent of a slasher movie, and really gives you that "things definitely aren't as they seem" feeling, which sticks with you until the end. I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I loved or hated the main character, Quincy. (Final opinion is still unknown.) I felt the ending was a little overstimulating, but one that I did not see coming. There are plenty of unexpected twists in there to keep you entertained. It was a fast-paced, addicting read that I would definitely recommend to horror/thriller fans.  

The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein 329 pages

Chris Grabenstein is well-known for his Mr. Lemoncello series and for working with James Patterson on books like I, Funny.  You can imagine my surprise, then, that he could be such an effective and chilling horror writer.  This story is still very accessible to children, probably 5th grade and up would be the recommendation, but there were some very spooky bits.  This is the first in a series where the protagonist, Zach Jennings, not only sees ghosts, but interacts with them and solves mysteries with his super cool stepmom.  Grabenstein has proven that he can write exceptional stories for all ages.  I think teens and adults who enjoy a ghost story with personality and lots of atmosphere would enjoy this one, too.