The best horror books for teens are a delight for anyone who loves a good creepy story. Although here at break by books we have previously featured the 30 horror short story books you should read, today we will highlight the best horror books.
And now an epic list of the 20 best horror books for teens!
anna dressed in blood by kendare blake
To kick off this list of the best horror books for teens is Anna in a Dress of Blood, definitely one of the best horror books of all time. In this chilling novel, the first in a two-book series, Cas Lowood has inherited her father’s powers to kill the dead. After her father is killed when a ghost turned on him, Cas, his witch mother, and her cat with supernatural powers travel the country, slaying spirits. But he’s not ready for Anna, a ghost still wearing the white dress she wore when she was murdered as a teenager. only now her dress is stained with blood. Anna tests Cas’s moral compass as she stirs her heart in a romantic way.
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how to read it: buy anna dressed in blood on amazon
asylum by madeline roux
This disturbing teen novel is the first in a three-book horror series. Like the infamously groundbreaking pictorial novel Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, another great horror novel, Asylum incorporates actual photographs of closed mental institutions. Sixteen-year-old Dan is excited about the summer camp he will be attending, preparing for the University of New Hampshire. Dan soon makes friends, Abby and Jordan, who are also intrigued by the campus’ dark past as a haven for the intractable criminally insane. but the deeper they delve into the history of their new home, the clearer it becomes that they were meant to be there for a reason. The photographs in this book are haunting and effective in this gripping novel that kicks off a horror series you’ll want to add to your history.
how to read it: buy asylum on amazon
while descending by robin talley
Robin Talley’s horror novel As I Descended is actually a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In this queer version, Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are a power couple at Acheron High School’s elite academy. With their sights set on the competitive Cawdor Kingsley prize, Maria and Lily will do anything to prevent popular Delilah Dufrey from winning the prize, and that means summoning and scheming with the ghosts that still haunt Archeron, the site of an ancient plantation. as i descended is a delight for fans of the paranormal.
how to read it: shop like i came down on amazon
bad witch burned by jessica lewis
In this fantastic horror novel (I think I coined a new term there!), Katrell uses her powers to talk to the dead and earn some extra cash. But it’s not enough money to support her and her mom (and her mom’s latest bad boyfriend), so Katrell tries to get out of the game. she instead raises a body from the dead. And then things get even more complicated when Katrell tries to escape from sinister forces to catch her.
how to read it: buy the burning of wicked witches on amazon
kim liggett’s blood and salt
ash follows his mother to the quaint little town of quivira, kansas, a small community on an elevated area surrounded by cornfields. and dark secrets. Ash succumbs to the lingering power of her ancestor Katia, who is tied to Quivira’s bloody past, and falls for Dane, a troublesome but swoon-worthy boy. As murders rage across Quivira, Ash and Dane look into their city’s ghostly past, which is about to be reactivated, to find a future that leaves them together and alive. blood and salt is the first twisted book in a horror series.
how to read it: buy blood and salt on amazon
the coldest girl in coldtown by holly black
Even the title of this horror book has me hooked! In The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, legendary fantasy writer Holly Black tells a hair-raising tale. Tana lives in a world between cold towns, walled cities where monsters and humans are quarantined. once you enter a cold town, you can never leave. Then one morning, Tana wakes up to see dead bodies everywhere. To save two victims of the massacre, her ex-boyfriend and another boy, Tana has to venture into the very heart of Coldtown. this original story is one of the best horror novels of all time.
how to read it: buy the coldest girl in coldtown on amazon
five midnights by ann dávila cardenal
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Lupe Dávila, from Vermont, is visiting her family in Puerto Rico when her uncle, the police chief, is called to the scene of a bloody murder. then more murders occur, each part of a group of five close-knit friends. Lupe joins forces with her new friend, Javier, who is part of the group she joins to solve the case, although it is clear that the murderer may not be from this world… this novel is based on the Puerto Rican legend of the cuckoo, a boogeyman and monster who preys on young people and makes them “disappear”.
how to read it: buy five midnights on amazon
the girl from the chupeco rin well
Definitely one of the best horror books of all time, The Girl at the Well is a retelling of a popular Japanese tradition, the story of the okiku. In Rin Chupeco’s book, the first part of a two-part horror series, Okiku stalks the streets, killing child killers like the one who took his life. But when he meets a boy named Tark, who is under the spell of a demon that has imprisoned Tark inside his own body, Okiku finds a new purpose: to save him. okiku joins him in a series of exorcisms and rituals that take them from the American suburbs to Japan.
how to read it: buy the girl from the well on amazon
neil gaiman’s graveyard book
It’s no surprise to any regular reader of this blog that I’m a big fan of neil gaiman. I have recommended his books on this blog before and wrote a review of his exquisitely empowering art issues. In The Graveyard Book, Gaiman has delivered another five-star reading. Premised as an homage to Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book stars Nobody “Bod” Owens, who evaded a murderer as a baby by escaping through a window and finding his way to a graveyard. it is there that he is protected by an eclectic set of ghosts who raise him as their own. But Bod’s idyllic innocence doesn’t last forever, and his life is threatened again when the killer of his parents returns to finish the job he started. To defeat him, Bod will need to tap into the living and the dead to help him search for him. this is obvious: the graveyard book is among the best horror books of all time,
If you like this one, you’ll definitely want to check out the two-part graphic novel adaptation.
how to read it: buy the cemetery book on amazon
rick yancey’s monsterologist
rick yancey’s horror novel ya, the monsterologist, was nominated for the printz award, a prestigious award given to the best young adult books of the year. And it’s no surprise why the monstrumologist secured a spot on the short list; This captivating and creepy story is fantastically told and ranks among the best horror books for teens. It’s not a joke; This is one of the best horror books. In this novel, the orphan Will Henry is the assistant of Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, I am a distant scientist or, more accurately, a “monstrumologist”, who studies monsters. Set in Victorian England, this novel follows Will as he and Dr. warhop tries to stop vicious man-eating monsters from taking over the world. Featuring scenes in the lab, graveyard, and asylum, the Monsterologist takes you on a bloody journey through Victorian London.
how to read it: buy the monsterologist on amazon
ghost heart by kelly creagh
The Phantom Heart of Kelly Creagh is a neo-Gothic take on Gaston Leroux’s beloved classic, The Phantom of the Opera, making it one of the best, most creative horror books. In this novel, seventeen-year-old Stephanie Armand doesn’t believe in ghosts or paranormal spirits, even if her little sister claims a masked man is hiding in her closet and the dilapidated Victorian house her contractor father is renovating is known to is obsessed. When Lucas, a paranormal addict, enters Stephanie’s life, romance and the supernatural are amplified in her life, especially when she continues to have dreams about eighteen-year-old Erik, who haunts her dreams and may have ties to the of his sister. masked man. If he craves a racy romance with a brooding hero and gothic touches, this is the one for you.
how to read it: buy the ghost heart on amazon
claire legrand sawkill girls
This creepy novel is easily one of the best horror books for teens. On Sawkill Rock Island, three girls, Marion, Zoey and Val, are just trying to stay alive. your enemy? a menacing force, claimed by some to be a monster called “the collector,” has been stealing girls for decades. helpless residents have looked the other way. not this time. As their stories intertwine, these three heroines come together to try to confront and stop the force that plagues their community forever. even if it means coming face to face with evil itself. A feminist read with teeth, Sawkill Girls is a top choice for any list of the best psychological horror books for young adults.
how to read it: buy sawkill girls on amazon
ryan douglass’s shot of jake livingston
it’s hard for jake livingston to fit in, being one of the few black kids in st. clair prep and constantly in the shadow of his popular older brother. what makes him even more unique is his ability to see and talk to ghosts, most of which are peaceful and non-threatening. Until Jake meets Sawyer, a troubled teenage ghost who killed six of his classmates at a nearby high school and then took his own life. sawyer chases after jake, making his life hell. can jake put sawyer to rest forever? you’ll run through this book to find out and see why it’s one of the top picks for the best horror books.
how to read it: buy the jake livingston shot on amazon
there’s someone inside your house by stephanie perkins
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This horror-romance slasher novel stars Makani Young, who left her past obscurity in Hawaii behind to move to her grandmother’s house in Nebraska. Makani gets a chance to start over, and Ella’s new hunk Ollie Ella offers her a fresh start to a healthy relationship. then her high school students keep getting attacked one by one by an assassin. As Makani, Ollie and her friends try to find the truth behind the murders, the evil circles draw ever closer. If you like this book, continue reading further, The Woods Are Always Watching, for a horror series you’ll definitely want to watch.
how to read it: buy there is someone inside your house on amazon
through the woods by emily carroll
Do you love horror graphic novels? test through the forest. This graphic novel by Emily Carroll puts new twists on five familiar tales. each of which is detailed in gory, creepy, and vivid detail.
here is an excerpt:
Through the Woods is one of the best horror books for teens and the kind of book that gives you nightmares as the creepy and creepy imagery lingers long after you’ve closed the book.
how to read it: shop through the woods on amazon
courtney alameda shutter
In this terrifying story, one of the best psychological horror books for young adults, micheline helsing has the unique abilities of a tetrachromat, someone who sees the auras of the dead. And as one of the last Van Helsings (in real life, the heroic Dr. Van Helsing was a character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula), Micheline specializes in exorcising monsters both corporeal and supernatural by capturing them on film. Micheline continues the search for her with the help of some friends, including her crush, Ryder. But one day, things go wrong, and Micheline and her friends become infected with a curse known as the “chain of souls”. Now Micheline has seven days to exorcise herself and her colleagues or risk death. Things get even more dire when her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, intervenes, complicating her race to break the curse and live free.
how to read it: buy shutter on amazon
slasher girls & monster boys edited by april genevieve tucholke
I featured this short story anthology, arguably among the best horror books, in my “30 Best Horror Storybooks” list, and it belongs here too. The tales in this terrifying anthology will have you sleeping with the lights on, with contributions from powerhouse writers like Nova Ren Suma, Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, and Kendare Blake (whose Anna Dressed in Blood previously appeared on this list of the best horror books for children). teenagers). if you want a quick hit of terror, this is the book for you.
how to read it: buy slasher girls & monster boys on amazon
maggie tokuda-hall squad, illustrated by lisa sterle
Fans of graphic novels and horror comics will fall in love with Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s Squad featuring illustrations by Lisa Sterle. New girl Becca brushes off the bullying and is instantly welcomed into the hottest clique at the high school she recently transferred to. But then Becca realizes that her new friends Arianna, Marley and Mandy have a secret…they are werewolves and they hunt children who prey on innocent girls. Becca also asks to be turned into a werewolf, and so she begins her journey. When the team kills Arianna’s evil boyfriend, the police begin searching for a serial killer on the loose. you’ll quickly go through this to find out what happens next.
how to read it: buy squad on amazon
lilly anderson’s undead girl gang
In this exciting read, Lily Anderson has written a fun and funny horror story for all time. Wiccan teen Mila Floris is comfortable in her own skin as long as Ella’s best friend Riley De Ella is by her side. When three girls, including Riley, are murdered, Mila suspects murder. Harnessing her powers and the words of an ancient grimoire, Mila brings her three classmates back to life. While they have no memory of her murder, the new friends have seven days to find her killer before the spell wears off and they are forced to return to the grave. a fascinating and heartfelt gang of undead girls is one of the best smart and sassy horror books for teens.
how to read it: buy undead girl gang on amazon
what big rose szabo teeth
Our last entry on this list of the best horror books for teens is what big teeth, a creature feature you’ll want in your tbr. After being separated from her family for years, Eleanor Zarin runs away from boarding school after a horrific incident and returns home seeking comfort and healing. But once again, Eleanor is reminded of her strange family, which are monsters that roam the forest surrounding the family estate and divine fortunes in the guts of dead birds. To survive, Eleanor has to come to terms with her wild family…and the darkness within her.
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