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Welcome back to Top 10 Tuesday here at BB&B! Again this tag was created by The Broke and the Bookish so check out their awesome blog for more! As today is Halloween (my favorite holiday of the year btw) I thought I would list for you my top 10 favorite spooky/creepy/dark reads. These aren't listed in any particular order, I just wrote them in as they came to me. So let's jump right in!
1. Wytches Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder. I Just discovered this series this year, although it has been out since 2015. As far as I know there is only 1 book in the series so far and it looks like there is a possibility of another volume in the works. This is a super dark and creepy horror graphic novel by the writer of some of my favorite Batman series including The Court of Owls, The City of Owls and Death of the Family. The story of Wytches is about a family who moves to a remote town by an incredibly creepy wood to escape a tragedy from their past. Turns out the woods contain something terrifyingly sinister... The art style in this is extraordinary and Snyder's take on witches is so dark and creepy, I just love this one! Perfect to read on a dark night with the lights down low.
2. Exquisite by Sarah Stovell. A dark story about 2 women authors, One world famous and a bestseller, the other a young woman just coming to the realization that writing is her calling. The 2 meet at an author retreat and a dark tale of obsession begins to unravel the lives of both women. This is a super atmospheric read that takes place in the UK. It's a really quick, fast-paced read that blurs the line between admiration and obsession.
3. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. I don't want to go in to great detail about the plot because I went in to this one knowing very little other than it was a creepy thriller and I enjoyed the heck out of this one! I wouldn't necessarily call this one "scary", but there were some supernatural elements and it was so atmospherically creepy. A woman's husband dies under mysterious circumstances on his way to investigate a town where strange disappearances occur very often. We explore the history of the town through the perspectives of the woman trying to find out what happened to her husband in the present, 2 young girls whose mother disappears from their home within the town one morning also in the present, and a woman who is trying to find out what happened to her young daughter who wandered off from their farm house in the same town in 19088.
4. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. What would a Halloween Reads list be without vampires?? Our main character lives on the fringes of a society where vampires rule over humans. She despises the monsters, until one day. she becomes one...
5. The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. This one is about a young girl who is the "mermaid" in her father's Coney Island boardwalk freak show. She falls in love with a young man taking pictures of trees by the Hudson river at night and starts to realize her life isn't quite the way she imagined it as he opens her eyes to harsh realities of the world. This isn't a horror or thriller novel, but it definitely has that dark freak show creepy vibe and since it's set in early 20th century it adds an additional layer of creepy factor. I gave this one 3 stars on Goodreads, just because it was a little slow-paced for me, but I also read a lot of fast-paced psychological thrillers, so I am probably biased. If you can get past the pacing or if you like slow-burn stories, the writing style is really beautiful and the characters are so three dimensional and engrossing.
6. Marrow By Tarryn Fisher. This Mystery/Thriller is about a cursed girl who lives in a cursed house with her cursed mother. She feels completely invisible in her hometown called The Bone, until one day she makes a friend in the wheelchair bound boy next door. When a 7-year-old neighborhood girl goes missing the two begin their own investigation in to what happened to her.
7. Breed by Chase Novak. this was a super creepy one (especially if you're preggo like me!). I would compare this book to Rosemary's baby in that it's about a couple who will do anything to have children. After numerous fertility treatments they are desperate to have a baby at any cost. A large portion of the story is told from the point of view of the twins the couple eventually has as they start to discover the steep price their parents had to pay to bring them in to the world.
8. Once by Staci Hart. This is a short story and had so much packed in to 2500 words. There's definitely a mystery factor mixed with a little supernatural. A fun, atmospheric, quick read.
9. A Discovery of Witches. This is the first installment in a trilogy by Deborah Harkness. I read this so long ago but the way magic is dealt with and the lovable main character still stick with me. It's about a young scholar who thinks magic and witchcraft are totally silly, finding out she is actually a powerful witch. Unlike the 100 YA books that have that same set up, this one is so unique and fun. Not scary at all but I love the witchcraft and the suspense in this story. Pacing is not an issue at all here!
10. Coraline by Niel Gaiman! I love this book and have re-read it several times since childhood. Niel Gaiman is amazing. That's all that needs to be said. If you haven't read it, do it now.
So those are some of my favorite Halloween reads. Let me know what your favorites are! I'm off to put the finishing touches on Ronan's Link costume. Hopefully my little guy rakes in the candy for Mommy tonight.
