In the last two or three months, I decided to do something I hadn’t before:
read
scary books. For some reason, I stayed far away from anything with
high levels of horror, suspense, or thrills for the most part. I want to say
my
primary reason for avoiding them is because I falsely expected them to be
the
same as the standard, designed only to make the audience jump, kind of
horror
movies I see advertised so often. I like to form connections with
characters, so
horror/scary books just seemed to be the least likely place I would find
them.
However, I think my real reason for shying away was simple fear because it
is
incredibly easy to make me scared enough to lock every single door. Far more
than
likely, I would be the person who gets killed/attacked in the first five
minutes
of a scary story or movie.
Even with my reluctance, I try my best to keep an open mind, especially when
trying new genres,
so I gave in and ended up finding so many beautiful,
scary, and generally awesome stories. From creepy cults to deadly unreliable
narrators, I have fallen head over heels in love with scary books. I’ve
found
characters who have touched me just as deeply as those in romance or
fantasy,
plot lines that left me gasping, and authors whose imaginations awe me.
Since it
is October and nearing Halloween, I thought I would share a few of the
recent
gems I’ve read, loved, and happily hid under the covers for more than once.
About:
Romeo and Juliet meets Children of the Corn in this one-of-a-kind
romantic horror
“When you fall in love, you will carve out your heart and throw it into the
deepest ocean. You will be all in—blood and salt.”
These are the last words Ash Larkin hears before her mother returns to the
spiritual commune she escaped long ago. But when Ash follows her to Quivira,
Kansas, something sinister and ancient waits among the rustling cornstalks
of
this village lost to time.
Ash is plagued by memories of her ancestor, Katia, which harken back to the
town’s history of unrequited love and murder, alchemy and immortality.
Charming
traditions soon give way to a string of gruesome deaths, and Ash feels drawn
to
Dane, a forbidden boy with secrets of his own.
As the community prepares for a ceremony five hundred years in the making,
Ash
must fight not only to save her mother, but herself—and discover the truth
about
Quivira before it’s too late. Before she’s all in—blood and salt.
About:
22 minutes separate Julia Vann's before and after.
Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.
After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-
two
minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that's what she tells the
police.
Now that she's Lucy Black, she's able to begin again. And her fresh start
has
attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will
do
anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes
notice,
Lucy's forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left
behind.
One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It's only just
beginning. . . .
In this deliciously twisted contemporary thriller, family can be a real
killer.
For fans of WE WERE LIARS and readers who love unique multiple perspectives
that
leave clues like breadcrumbs until they reach the stunning conclusion.
About:
Winnie Flynn doesn’t believe in ghosts. (Though she wouldn’t mind a visit
from
her mom, explaining why she took her own life.) When her mysterious aunt
Maggie,
a high-profile TV producer, recruits Winnie to spend a summer working as a
production assistant on her current reality hit, Fantastic, Fearsome, she
suddenly finds herself in the one place her mother would never go: New
Jersey.
New Jersey’s famous Devil makes perfect fodder for Maggie’s show. But as the
filming progresses, Winnie sees and hears things that make her think that
the
Devil might not be totally fake after all. Things that involve her and her
family. Things about her mother’s death that might explain why she’s never
met
Aunt Maggie until now.
Winnie soon discovers her family’s history is deeply entwined with the
Devil’s.
If she’s going to make it out of the Pine Barrens alive, she might have to
start
believing in what her aunt is telling her. And, find out what she isn’t.
LOL, Samantha! Debbies always die in horror movies and books so that's a running joke for me when we watch them. I'll have to check these books out as I know our tastes are often so similar. (Debbie Wiley 3:50pm October 16, 2015)
This year I decided to read outside of my normal genre as well, and horror was on my agenda as well. Needless to say, my first horror book was a sad disappointment, and I won't give the title out, but let's just say that the story line was lame, and it was anything but scary. It was more predictable than anything else. The books you chose have merit, and I will put them on my list, since you recommended them. You weren't the first one to recommend a couple of them, so it looks like I'll have to give them a closer look!! (Peggy Roberson 3:15pm October 17, 2015)