Reading Recommendations: Spooktastic Reads 2021!

It’s that time of the year again where horror films reign, kids go trick or treating, and candy is everywhere! Since Halloween is coming up later this month, I’ve compiled yet another list of creepy novels to satisfy your horror cravings. Each book has its own horror rating, from one to three ghosts:

Enjoy these spooky tales to fill your night with fright!

*See last year’s recommendations here!*

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In this psychological horror graphic novel butterflies ominously fly around the town and the rumor of a mysterious legend starts to circulate around a local tunnel. When a body is found by this tunnel’s entrance the legend seems to be confirmed and then children offer a sacrifice. Arie, their classmate whom they believe to be the cause of the curse, is shoved into a well that leads to the Nijigahara tunnel.

The story fasts forward ten years later the character has to live with what they’ve done or suffered through due to the incident. This story is the definition of the “butterfly effect” as it follows the main characters through multiple timelines (which at times gets a bit confusing). It’s gritty, dark, and very complex. The artwork is beautiful but also leaves an uneasy haunting effect on the reader.

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Ghost Girl tells the story of a young girl named Zee and her older sister abbey where they live by themselves. Abby struggles with taking on the role of caretaker as their Dad looks for work out of state. Unlike other kids, Zee is ostracized by the kids and gets the nickname “ghost girl” because of her white hair and affinity for the supernatural.

Zee is a kind and creative young girl who loves to create ghost stories learning about the supernatural and just sharing her uniqueness that gets her to believe. She and her best friend Elijah thrive on finding fun, spooky things, but things really take a turn when certain we’re supernatural things start happening, and her nickname actually starts to become fitting. (Review)

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A Deadly Fortune follows Amelia, a woman who tells fortunes for a living. She has the power to see premonitions and beyond the ordinary. After an unfortunate accident, she awakes from deep sleep to terrifying nightmares and disturbing visions. And this leads her to accidentally turn up in an asylum where no one knows who she is. How will she escape and what are the secrets behind her ghostly sightings?

The suspense mixed with elements of the supernatural is what had me hooked into this story. The constant shift of changing perspectives keeps the story moving forward at a smooth pace. It’s a page-turner with a lot of surprises and at many times it caught me off guard with all of its twists and turns.

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The novel throws the reader immediately into a zombie-filled universe and we get snippets of what life was like before the outbreak through Jeremiah’s flashbacks. Though he can be a bit crass at times, he’s a good guy and his character really grew on me throughout the book. I was rooting for him throughout the whole story. He’s doing his best to survive each day along with his furry side-kick Joe, the dog. He has a very tough exterior and hates to rely on anyone for help. On the inside though, he has a very kind heart and always looks out for others; as we see in many events throughout the book.

I liked that the story was action-packed and just when you thought the characters are out of danger, they are thrown into the crossfire once again. At times, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next!

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In this tale the main character, Daniel is desperate for a job at the risk of being homeless. Against his better judgment, he receives a job as a groundskeeper at an ancient estate, Craven Manor. When he takes the job immediately he notices things are very wrong and the longer he stays learns about the dark history of the manor and tries to unravel its secrets.

This is the third novel I’ve read by Coates and I was not disappointed. It has all of the formulaic bits of a haunted house story, but she adds some unique elements to make the story entertaining. It was one of those novels that I thought I had figured out and then the plot did a 180 degree spin on me. Coates is a very detailed writer which made this such an immersive reading experience. A fantastic spine-tingling tale.

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Madhouse is a short fast-paced novel that never stops propelling forward even from the beginning. As soon as readers are introduced to the main characters we head into the darkness of the lair that is The Andersons.

The whole plot is a game of cat and mouse as Lucas, the main character tries to survive in house full of horrors that seems to have no escape. The book has a creepy and unnerving feeling as you read it and it keeps the reader hooked with the twists and turns. This novel is gory, full of jumpscares, and has a thick layer of suspense.

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Shallow Graves is a spooky novel set around a haunted house and man grappled with grief after a tragedy. The main character Robert inherits a house that is so decrepit that no one would ever want to stay there. It’s always raining, the corridors are ominous, and the atmosphere feels as if someone is always watching you.

This is a novel where the reader can pick up hints on more of the strange happenings in the plot while the main character remains unaware of the situation. It was interesting to see him solve the pieces of the puzzle and wonder when Robert would come to a point of self-realization. A few jumpscare moments here and there in this novel, but I appreciated that the book relies moreso on the suspense factor.

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Do you have any “Spooktastic Reads” you’ll be reading for Halloween? Do you have any recommendations to share? Comment below!