10 Horror Book Releases to Look Forward to in 2023
If You are a Horror Book Lover
New Year, New Books
There are a number of books coming out this year that you should snatch up at your earliest convenience. Like the day they release! From up-and-coming authors to household names, you do not want to miss out on these new horror books coming out in 2023.
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I discovered Darcy Coates several years ago quite by accident. I read one book and devoured the rest. Her books are cozy horror, meaning they are not necessarily going to give you nightmares, but they have great creepy settings and spooky plotlines. This book, The Twisted Dead, is the third book in her Gravekeeper series featuring Keira as the main character with her two friends, Zoe and Mason.
In the very first book, The Whispering Dead, Keira stumbles into a small town with no memories of who she is or where she came from.
She finds a hiding spot in the caretaker’s cabin of the town’s cemetery as she tries to figure out her next move and deal with her ability to see the dead. In the second book, The Ravenous Dead, Keira continues to take refuge in the caretaker’s cabin and is even taking care of the graveyard where she encounters a sinister presence in the forest that is determined to kill her. This third book is just as engrossing with a plot that involves the feared town recluse and his request for help from Keira and her friends in the form of cryptic letters left at each of their homes. I will not give any more away, but I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy and Darcy’s books just keep getting better and better. Check her out if you haven’t already.
Inside the Devil’s Nest by John Durgin- Release Date 1/27/2023
Last year saw the release of John’s debut novel, The Cursed Among Us, which I read in one sitting because it was THAT good. Now, you must check out his second release, Inside the Devil’s Nest, and be blown away again. John is an amazing storyteller, and this new book just keeps packing the punches. It follows Anthony Graham as he is forced to go on the run with his family after witnessing a murder at one of the properties he owns.
The only property he has that no one knows about is a deserted campground in need of renovations. This is where he decides to hide his family, not knowing that they are stepping right into the Devil’s Nest. Again, John does a fantastic job of bringing all the details together and keeping this reader on the edge of her seat. This book, and his debut novel, are required reading for horror lovers.
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I feel like I have been waiting for this book for years. I have read every Grady Hendrix book from Horrorstör to The Final Girl Support Group and even his non-fiction title Paperbacks from Hell. Grady’s books are just so entertaining with the right amount of humor and horror mixed to lighten the mood just before he sinks you back into the depths of despair.
This book is about Louise whose parents have died, and she must clean out their home to put it on the market. Working alongside her brother, there is apparently more than just furniture and memorabilia inside.
I have not had the opportunity to read this book yet, so I am very excited to get my hands on it. If Stephen Graham Jones likes it, I know I will.
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Speaking of Stephen Graham Jones, his newest release is next on the list. You may have heard of the book My Heart is a Chainsaw, which is about young Jade who has lived a traumatic life as a half-native, outcast in the town of Proofrock, Idaho. Noone wants anything to do with her, so she spends a lot of time alone enjoying horror films not knowing her life is about to turn into one.
This, my friends, is the long-awaited sequel and promises to be just as gory and entertaining as the first book. Jade returns to Proofrock just as an escaped serial killer begins a murderous rampage.
The killing spree begins on Thursday, December 12th and ends, quite fittingly, on Friday, December 13th. I’m not sure what Jade has in store for us this time, but she is a resourceful anti-heroine, and I expect nothing but a wild ride with this girl.
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Another master of storytelling, Kingfisher is here with yet another book that promises to be both amusing and terrifying. I read my first book by this author in 2022 and have been seeking out everything she has written since. I have been so enamored with her writing that I just devour whatever I lay my hands on.
This book sounds creepy with the storyline of a “perfect” family coming apart at the seams. The mom is acting strangely, and her daughter plans to get to the bottom of it.
The bottom may possibly include children underground according to one review. I am quite intrigued, and you should be, too. My birthday is March 29th, so if anyone is thinking about getting me a birthday gift…
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This is certainly shaping up to be a great reading year because another long-awaited sequel is dropping. For those of you who have read Ninth House, Alex Stern is back. In book one, Alex was given the chance of a new life as a student enrolled at Yale, but also had been tasked with figuring out which secret society is performing dark magic.
That book left readers with a cliffhanger that we have been anxious to resolve. It sounds like Hell Bent will pick up right where the story left off with Alex ready to search for her friend and mentor, Darlington, in the depths of Hell.
There will be continued entertainment of the supernatural kind, and the book promises to be as dark and twisted as the first. I am ready to be as “wowed” as Publishers Weekly predicts.
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This book is said to be inspired by the novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, and because that book was brutal, psychotic, and amazing, I am eager to read this debut about Maeve who works as a princess by day and dwells in bars by night. Within Maeve is another persona, one anxious to be given free reign to wreak havoc in the style of the infamous Patrick Bateman and she is about to be unleashed.
This book has reviews by Grady Hendrix, Stephen Graham Jones, and Tori Amos. It is bound to be a twisted, gore-filled treasure with feminist overtones.
I don’t think I can wait until June. I am desperately working to get my hands on it before then.
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In 2022, I read Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Khaw and fell in love with her style of writing. Blackened Teeth ended up being one of the most controversial topics over the last year as many people debated its merits. It seems readers either loved or hated the story. There was no in-between. I felt Khaw was magnificent at taking folklore and weaving it into her storyline.
The characters were obnoxious and annoying, and it completely suited the unraveling of relationships orchestrated by the entity in the background.
So, I am excited to see what she does with a story about a mermaid and doctor on a journey through the woods encountering a village of creepy children full of bloodlust. It’s bound to be incredible.
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If you have heard of The Last House on Needless Street or Little Eve, then you have heard of Catriona Ward. She is a fantastic author primarily based out of London and has won numerous awards for her writing.
This new release promises to be just as engrossing with a story about childhood friends who suffer a tragedy, and a now grown Wilder Harlow returning to the town to remember details of his youth for a memoir.
This book has been compared to Stand By Me, originally titled The Body, by Stephen King. As The Body is an all-time favorite and Little Eve is a phenomenal novel, I am looking forward to reading Looking Glass Sound.
River of Wrath (St. Benedict, #2) by Alexandra Weis and Lucas Astor- Release Date 1/31/2023
I do have an advanced reader copy of this book but have not had the opportunity to sit down with it yet, even though I am so excited to read it. This is the sequel to River of Ashes which introduced us to psychopath Beau Devereaux, the only child of the wealthiest family in town, the star quarterback of St. Benedict’s, and a growing evil who preys upon the girls who party alongside him at the river.
In this second installment, the Deveraux family seems to be at the crux of another tragedy, and an entity is making an appearance at the old abbey. More bodies and more mystery remind us that not all horror is supernatural. I became invested in the characters of the first book and am glad to get to revisit St. Benedict, even if it is due to more tragedy.
Movie Thoughts
While none of the above books have movie deals that I know of, I did hear back from Thomas Olde Heuvelt that both his books Hex and Echo are “in the works”, but that was all the information he could give me. I would highly recommend reading both books before seeing the movies, if you plan to. If not, read the books anyway. You won’t be disappointed. They are vastly different stories, but both horrific in their own way. When you do order, make sure to purchase the correct language as the originals are written in Dutch. I am not sure if the movies are being produced in Dutch with subtitles, or if they have been picked up by English-speaking studios. We will have to wait to find out!
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER GREAT BOOK REC?
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Seeing ghosts is literally in her blood.
Life is hard enough without having to deal with ghosts following you around every day. Maggie O’Connor wishes that she did not have psychic gifts but coming from a long line of Irish female seers, she never had a choice.
Faced with having to care for her departed sister’s orphaned baby, Maggie struggles to pay the rent while working for pennies at a local Bowery sweatshop. Her life goes from bad to worse when a wicked neighbor steals the baby.
Things look up when the handsome son of Maggie’s employer falls for her. Gershom understands that having psychic gifts does not necessarily make a woman crazy. If only the local judge agreed. When Maggie ends up at the New York City Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island, she must find a way to escape and return to Gershom’s loving arms.
Will Maggie be stuck in a madhouse forever? Even if she escapes, can she and Gershom rescue the lost baby? The obstacles seem insurmountable, but anything is possible with the assistance of ghostly helpers and Andrew Carnegie, one of America’s richest men.
Fairy Tales can come true- but not without suffering.