Rating Horror Books that Will Give You Nightmares

Photo by Florencia Viadana on Unsplash

FTC: Some links may be affiliate links. Read more. 

I am an avid reader of all things horror and mystery. Though I enjoy a supernatural element with my horror, I don’t need it. I have read five books so far that have given me goosebumps. Whether listening to the audiobook or reading the words myself, I found the following stories have put the scare back into scary.

I tend to review books more often now and have even started making comments while I read along on Goodreads. If you are interested in seeing my read-along notes or following my reviews, you can find me there. The following books are stories I have read so far this year. If you read any of these, proceed with caution; some of these will give you nightmares.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a quick read filled with gothic tropes with a lot of Japanese culture intertwined into the story. I liked that I learned things about Japanese culture by reading this book. I had to google what certain things meant.

The characters are mostly insufferable, and due to this being a short read, you don't get much time to grow to like them or care about them. The writing was a little off-putting because the narration was too wordy for my taste. Though the descriptions were great, I would've liked more horror than first-person ramblings.

Cassandra did a pretty good job integrating the back story where it would fit into the story. And it is a creepy story. I'd love to reread it in the hopes I grow to like it more. I feel a lot of the drama between characters took away from the story being scary in the first place. Also, there was some meta about horror films that felt randomly placed. But another read-through might make it make more sense. Overall, this is a decent scary story.

Rating: 🥀🥀🥀

There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

Although this story had a lot more romance than mystery, I am so glad that I took the time to read it. This is, in fact, a very well-written horror book. If romantic horror was a genre, it needs to be in it. Stephanie did a fantastic job with descriptions and showing the reader versus telling. But she also told when necessary to advance the story. I like how there wasn't any lingering on unimportant parts near the story’s climax. This was such a great read, and the suspense was so good I had to force myself to put it down.

This is a book, so it will move slower than a movie. I had to remind myself of that. The ending had me so emotional I shed tears. This book was better than the Netflix movie version. So many critical differences from the book were missing. I recommend this ten times over!

Rating: 🥀🥀🥀🥀

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts is a haunting tale told by Cassidy involving vails, adventures, and a ghastly best friend named Jacob. This story was so enthralling you won’t want to put it down. It started slowly as books do, but there’s something about Cassidy’s narration that eggs you to read on. I really enjoyed this story, and I am so excited to read the next one. Jacob is a curious ghost who has a lot of personality, but there’s something strange about a ghost who won’t move on. And maybe even something a little dangerous about it too. If you enjoy paranormal adventures, then you’ll love this book!

Rating: 🥀🥀🥀🥀

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

This adventure in Paris was much more fast pace. Though I’m sad Laura wasn’t as active in this installment, I’m glad she was still there to offer guidance and assistance when she could to Cassidy. And sweet Jacob! There’s definitely something odd with him, but I love that we learned more about him in this book. I’m curious whether Cassidy will ever tell her parents what’s going on. Or if they will figure it out by how often she seems to slip away. This story is so great. I love the descriptions and characters in this series so far. It’s definitely paranormal!

Rating: 🥀🥀🥀🥀

Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab

Though I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first two, Schwab still manages to create a wonderful world full of ghosts and things that go bump in the night alongside the mundane. I think that the setting be in NOLA helped too. Laura has grown to be one of my favorite characters, and I hope that we get more of her in terms of development. So far, it seems she primarily exists as an expert to help Cassidy and Jacob during times of stress. If I could give half stars, I’d give a 3.5.

Rating: 🥀🥀🥀

Being a reader can be quite expensive, so I recommend borrowing from your local library or a friend. You can also find tons of ebooks and audiobooks available on free apps like Libby. There’s also Hoopla digital which is also free. All you need to access these is a library card. So tell me, what have you read so far?

Socials:

---

---

---