Halloween is creeping around the corner, and you know what that means—time to surround yourself with all things spooky, spine-tingling, and pumpkin-flavored. But if you've already carved your jack-o'-lantern, binged all the scary movies, and even contemplated being the neighborhood's "cool" ghost this year, I've got just the thing to help you get into that frightfully festive spirit: books! Because what says "I love Halloween" more than scaring yourself silly and being unable to sleep without the light on? These spooky Halloween reads will help you get into the frightful festive spirit, making the season unforgettable.
So grab your favorite oversized hoodie, a steaming cup of witch’s brew (okay, it's just hot chocolate, but let's be festive), and get ready to curl up with these 7 spooky halloween reads that'll leave you sleeping with one eye open—or just swaddled in a blanket burrito. Either way, it’ll be worth it.
1. "Anna Dressed in Blood" by Kendare Blake
If Supernatural and Ghostbusters had a YA book baby, this would be it. Meet Cas Lowood, a seventeen-year-old who inherited an unusual vocation: he hunts down the murderous dead. Armed with his father's mysterious athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. His next target? Anna Korlov, also known as Anna Dressed in Blood—a girl who was brutally murdered in 1958 and now haunts her old Victorian home, killing anyone who dares enter.
But here's the plot twist: Anna is both terrifying and tragically captivating. She's a ghost unlike any Cas has faced before; she still wears the dress she wore on the day of her murder—now dripping with blood—and she spares Cas's life. As Cas gets to know her (you know, as one does with murderous ghosts), he discovers that there's more to her gory existence than meets the eye. This book is a perfect blend of horror and heart, filled with witty banter and a touch of romance, and it might just make you reconsider your stance on dating the undead.
2. "The Bone Houses" by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Ever thought your job was tough? Try being a gravedigger in a village where the dead don't like to stay, well, dead. Enter Ryn, a teen gravedigger in a remote village nestled against a mysterious forest. The problem? The dead are rising due to an ancient curse, and the "Bone Houses" (the reanimated corpses) are becoming increasingly aggressive.
When Ellis, an apprentice mapmaker with chronic pain and a hidden past, arrives in town seeking to chart the feared mountains, he inadvertently becomes entwined in Ryn's quest. Together, they venture into the heart of the mountains to find the source of the curse and stop the undead once and for all. Set against a backdrop inspired by Welsh folklore, this book is crawling with skeletal zombies, ancient curses, and just enough dark humor to keep you grinning through the gloom. It's like a zombie apocalypse, but make it medieval—with a heartfelt exploration of family and grief.
3. "House of Salt and Sorrows" by Erin A. Craig
Take the classic tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, add a dash of gothic horror, and you've got yourself "House of Salt and Sorrows." Annaleigh lives at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters and their father, the Duke. Once, there were twelve sisters, but tragedy keeps striking, and now four of them are dead under mysterious circumstances—each death more tragic than the last.
Convinced their deaths aren't accidents, Annaleigh starts to unravel the dark secrets lurking within their salty abode. When her sisters start sneaking out at night to attend glittering balls, dancing their nights away, Annaleigh wonders whether they've been cursed by the gods. Ghostly visions plague her, and a mysterious stranger with his own secrets appears. Is he a friend or foe? This book will make you think twice about late-night dance parties in enchanted ballrooms, as it weaves a haunting mystery filled with romance, magic, and a touch of madness.
4. "The Diviners" by Libba Bray
Flappers, jazz, and things that go bump in the night—welcome to the Roaring Twenties with a supernatural twist. Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her small Ohio hometown to the bustling streets of New York City, and she's ecstatic. She's planning to live it up with her Ziegfeld dancer cousin and her friends. But when a rash of occult-based murders starts terrorizing the city, Evie's secret ability to "read" objects for memories might be the key to catching the killer known as Naughty John.
As she teams up with an eclectic cast—including a charming pickpocket, a numbers runner with a golden voice, and a Harlem poet—their paths converge in unexpected ways. Mixing historical fiction with the paranormal, "The Diviners" is like "The Great Gatsby" met "Stranger Things" at a speakeasy. It's lush, it's eerie, and it might just have you using 1920s slang unironically. And let's be honest, who doesn't want to bring back "the cat's pajamas"?
Ever wondered what would happen if you had a near-death experience and could suddenly see ghosts? No? Just Cassidy Blake then. After she nearly drowns, Cass gains the ability to see beyond the Veil, the world of spirits. Oh, and her best friend Jacob? He's a ghost. Her parents, ironically oblivious to real ghosts, are famous ghost-hunting authors who decide to film a TV show in Edinburgh—a city teeming with restless phantoms and haunted history.
As Cass explores the shadowy streets and eerie graveyards, she encounters a sinister ghost known as the Raven in Red, who poses a threat not just to her, but to the living world. "City of Ghosts" is a middle-grade gem that's equally enjoyable for YA readers and adults who don't mind admitting they still sleep with a teddy bear. It's spooky without being nightmare-inducing, and it's packed with enough Scottish charm to make you crave haggis (or maybe just shortbread). Plus, it's the start of a series, so if you get hooked, there's more spectral adventures to enjoy.
6. "The Hazel Wood" by Melissa Albert
Fairy tales are all fun and games until they start coming to life and stalking you. Alice Proserpine has spent her seventeen years on the road with her mother, always a few steps ahead of the strange bad luck that plagues them. When her reclusive grandmother—author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales—dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice's mother is abducted by figures who claim to come from the Hinterland, the supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set.
Left with nothing but her mother's cryptic message to "stay away from the Hazel Wood," Alice teams up with Ellery Finch, a classmate who happens to be an expert on her grandmother's work. Together, they venture into the Hazel Wood and the Hinterland, where the boundary between reality and fiction blurs. This book is a twisted love letter to the original, grim versions of fairy tales. It's enchanting, it's dark, and it'll make you question every bedtime story you were ever told. Remember, never trust a place where the trees seem to whisper your name.
7. "Gallant" by V.E. Schwab
Imagine finding an invitation to a place you've always dreamed of, only to discover it's not quite what you expected. Olivia Prior has spent her life at Merilance School for Girls, with nothing but her mother’s old journal as a connection to her past—a journal that paints her mother’s mind unraveling into madness. Then, a letter arrives inviting her to Gallant, the home her mother warned her about.
Once there, Olivia finds a family she didn’t know she had, but also shadows lurking in the dark. Gallant is an eerie gothic fantasy that is both beautiful and haunting, with the kind of writing that pulls you in like a whisper in the night. If you're a fan of old creaky houses, secret gardens, and ghostly mysteries, this one's for you. It’ll make you want to peek over your shoulder to see if anything’s following.
.
There you have it—seven books that'll make your Halloween season delightfully dreadful. Whether you're into vengeful ghosts, undead creatures, or cursed towns, there's something here to make your spooky heart skip a beat (or two).
So, which of these tales will you be diving into first? Or better yet, do you have any other spine-chilling recommendations to share? Let's swap ghost stories in the comments—if you dare!