Horror
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
Baker, Kylie Lee.
"Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner—but the bloody messes don't bother her, not when she's already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister being pushed in front of a train. The killer was never caught, and Cora is still haunted by his last words: 'bat eater.' These days nobody can reach Cora: not her aunt; not her weird colleagues; and especially not the slack-jawed shadow lurking around her door frame. After all, it can't be real—can it? After a series of unexplained killings in Chinatown, Cora believes someone might be targeting East Asian women, and something might be targeting Cora herself."
Cold Eternity
Barnes, S. A.
ON ORDER BOOK
Horror, Science Fiction
"Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago… The cryo program is long defunct, and the AI hologram "hosts" are glitchy. The ship feels like a crypt, and the isolation gets to Halley almost immediately. She starts to see figures crawling in the hallways, and there’s a constant scraping, slithering, and rattling echoing in the vents. It’s not long before Halley realizes she may have gotten herself trapped in an even more dangerous situation than the one she was running from…."
Are you a long time fan of the "Alien" franchise? Does deep space and cosmic terrors that go bump in the night sound like your kind of read? Then S.A. Barnes' newest space horror is the perfect novel for you. -Madison C
When the Wolf Comes Home.
Cassidy, Nat.
"One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy's father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives. As they attempt to evade the boy's increasingly desperate father, horrifying incidents of butchery follow them. At first, Jess thinks she understands what they're up against, but she's about to learn there's more to these surreal and grisly events than she could've ever imagined. And that when the wolf finally comes home, none will be spared."
If you're in the mood for classic monster horrors, this is the book for you. Not only does Nat Cassidy deliver on a novelized creature feature, but also offers readers a deep exploration of family bonds and grief navigation. -Madison C
The September house
Orlando, Carissa, author.
FICTION Orlando Carissa
Horror, Thriller
You can survive anything. That's what Margaret tells herself when the walls of her house start to drip blood every September. She's learned how to live with it...and the other terrifying apparitions that have made the sprawling Victorian house she and her husband bought four years ago turn from a dream home into a living nightmare. But she can outlast all of it. Hal felt differently, though. Her husband couldn't take the hauntings anymore, and he left. But now he's not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine arrives, intent on looking for her missing father, convinced something grim has happened to him. With every desperate attempt Katherine makes at finding Hal, the hauntings at the September House grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.
What would you endure to stay in your dream home? In this thrilling psychological horror debut, we're introduced to Margaret, a woman determined to stay in her perfect abode...even if it kills her. -Madison C
Bury your gays
Tingle, Chuck, author.
FICTION Tingle Chuck
Diverse Characters, Read Woke, Horror, LGBTQ+
Bury Your Gays is a heart-pounding new novel from USA Today bestselling author Chuck Tingle about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead. Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell. But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, "for the algorithm," in the upcoming season finale. Misha refuses, but he soon realizes that he's just put a target on his back. And what's worse, monsters from his horror movie days are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles. Haunted by his past, Misha must risk his entire future--before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good.
"Bury Your Gays" is a refreshing original look at horror that will entice readers who crave a dark and suspenseful tale of queer joy, coercive capitalism, and the unrelenting power of the human spirit. It is a must-read for fans of LGBTQIA+ fiction and horror enthusiasts. -Madison C
The reformatory : a novel
Due, Tananarive, 1966- author.
FICTION Due Tananari
Historical Fiction, Horror
Gracetown, Florida. June 1950. Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie's journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory. Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it's too late.
This Tananarive Due novel is a haunting work of historical fiction based on the real-life story of her Great Uncle, killed with so many others at the notorious Dozier School for Boys. "The Reformatory" will possess any reader who appreciates historical fiction, horror, and novels that take a hard look at the often-hidden truths of racism in America. -Madison C
The troop
Cutter, Nick, author.
FICTION Cutter Nick
Horror
During a camping trip on an uninhabited island, scoutmaster Tim Riggs and his troop of boys encounter an unexpected intruder - shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry - that exposes the campers to something far more frightening than anything found in the wilderness. When a bioengineered microorganism begins to spread, the ensuing struggle for survival will pit the troop against the elements, the infected...and one another.
For fans of old-school horror with unrelenting terror, "The Troop" is a story with well-developed characters that will appeal to anyone who craves a dark venture of survival and the unbreakable bond of friendship in the face of unimaginable horror. -Madison C
Boys in the valley
Fracassi, Philip, 1970- author.
FICTION Fracassi Philip
Horror
St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys. Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania. Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future...a family. Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides. Others turn up dead. Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives - and perhaps their eternal souls - are at risk.
If you thought the struggles of adolescence was enough to make you shudder, try mixing in a malevolent spirit and a setting where no one can hear you scream, and you have "Boys in the Valley." This novel is a gripping and suspenseful read that will speak to fans of dark, atmospheric horrors in a story that is "Lord of the Flies" meets "The Exorcist." A book to read with the lights on! -Madison C
House of Hollow
Sutherland, Krystal, author.
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Sutherland, Krystal
Horror, LGBTQ+
Something happened to Iris Hollow and her two older sisters Grey and Vivi when they were children, something they can't quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats. When Grey goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister's ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind. As Iris retraces Grey's last known footsteps, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.
"House of Hollow" is an entrancing read for fans of atmospheric fantasy and gothic horror who desire a suspenseful tale of the lengths sisters will go for each other, with an ending that will linger with you for days. -Madison C
Incidents around the house : a novel
Malerman, Josh, author.
FICTION Malerman Josh
Horror
A horror novel about a haunting, told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls "Other Mommy." To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There's Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: "Can I go inside your heart?" When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay. Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe, but other incidents show cracks in her parents' marriage. The safety Bela relies on is about to unravel. But Other Mommy needs an answer. "Incidents Around the House" is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror about a family as haunted as their home.
This novel is a spine-chilling, wholly unique story of true horror about a family as haunted as their home. "Incidents Around the House" will enthrall readers who enjoy stories that explore the intricacies of childhood innocence versus the forces of evil and the distance one family will go to keep everything they hold dear. -Madison C
Sometimes, the most horrifying thing isn't supernatural entities, but other humans. Kylie Lee Baker's novel is a rare stand-out in the market of pandemic-themed books, thoughtfully exploring how fear can turn into prejudice, which can all spillover in the face of societal calamity. Blending real world issues with monstrous supernatural elements, this novel is a must-read for horror fans. -Madison C