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Horror fans, our favorite time of year is nearly upon us. It’s almost fall, and you know what that means. Time to make everything pumpkin-flavored. Time to admire the beautiful multi-colored fall foliage. Time to break out all of the scary decorations, unless you’re like me and keep them up all year. Most importantly, it is time to amp up your TBR with even more scary books than ever before.
If you’re looking for new horror books, here are three absolute must-reads this season.
The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne (Creature, September 30)
Ever since Sadie witnessed her best friend’s murder 18 years ago, nothing has been the same. She hears a strange voice in her head and dead animals talk to her. Her therapist tells her these are just symptoms of PTSD, but Sadie’s not so sure. Especially when she and her boyfriend decide to take a trip to a cabin in the woods, and the voices and the visions get worse. She swears someone is stalking her in the night, and the voice in her head is now telling her to do terrible things.
Futility by Nuzo Onoh (Titan, October 1)
Love horror novels about female rage? Same. And Futility is a juicy one. This novel follows two women living in Abuja, Nigeria. Chia owns one of the best restaurants in town and is well-known for her captivating beauty and delicious pepper soup. But nothing about Chia is what it seems. Meanwhile, 50-year-old Claire is living with her younger boyfriend and his cousin. When she visits Chia’s restaurant, everything she thinks she knows about her carefully planned life quickly unravels. Both women are filled with jealousy and anger, so neither can resist when a trickster spirit offers them an opportunity for revenge.
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Doubleday, November 4)
From the moment Eniiyi was born, so much about her life and identity had already been decided. Eniyii was born the same day her mother Ebun buried their cousin Monife. Everyone believes Eniiyi is the reincarnation of Monife’s spirit, and therefore, she’s fated to live a life of tragedy. What’s more, Eniiyi is haunted by a family curse that claims, “No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace…” So when Eniiyi falls in love, is it doomed from the start? Or can she finally break a pattern of abandonment that has followed her family for generations?
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Happy spooky reading, horror fans! If you’d like more reading recommendations for all things scary, check out these works of body horror, these excellent horror short story collections, and these new releases for horror movie buffs.