Top Ten Spooky (But Not Too Spooky) Young Adult Books

Hey all! Top Ten Tuesday is a book blog meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! Today’s topic is Halloween Freebie! So in honor of halloween I wanted to share some of my favorite spooky creepy books! But obviously not too creepy because I’m a huge wimp so like no horror or anything. not much scariness because I’m a scary cat. just a bit spooky, for a little halloweeny shiver.

1. House of Salt and Sorrows

This is about the spookiest I can take lmao. There’s definitely a bit of a light gothic horror vibe going. I mean, cursed mansion, daughters dying and disappearing, twisted enchantments…

2. The Wicked Deep

This is the perfect atmospheric book to read this time of year and honestly it blew me away. This small town is so creepy with kids being possessed and dying every summer and yeah.

3. Songs From The Deep

Another deliciously spooky book! There’s a big murder mystery and sirens luring people to their death so yeah.

4. Sea Witch

Villain stories are always a bit creepy right? And this one definitely has the distinct vibe that something isn’t right, something isn’t what it seems. I mean, a dead girl back to life?

5. The Hazel Wood

This book definitely is a bit spooky with these creepy fairytales that nobody can find coming to life? Yes.

6. Fairest

This novella from the Lunar Chronicles is so good because Levana is so bad. There’s definitely the sense of unnerve the whole time, how can she be doing these awful things??

7. The Coldest Girl In Coldtown

Gah I love Holly Black so much and this book was low-key super creepy I mean vampires done right. I mean killing people which is very not glamorous but society fetishizes and idealizes it and yeah there’s definitely something that feels off there.

8. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

Another phenomenal villain backstory! You can’t tell the story of the evil queen, complete with murder and heart eating, without getting the shivers, right?

9. Bad Girls Don’t Die

I read this like 10 years ago lmao and idk if anyone else has read it but it left such an impression on me it was creeeeepy. The closest to horror I get? I mean, creepy dolls, vengeful spirits, haunted houses, people getting possessed and called insane?

10. Wendy Darling

Okay hear me out you wouldn’t think a Peter Pan retelling would be creepy but!! Think about it what part of stealing kids from their beds in the middle of the night isn’t creepy? taking them to be killed by grown men pirates? Starting to lose their memories of the real world and forget who they are and maybe just trapping them in Neverland forever? tbh this series is criminally underrated

Honestly, beyond the ten on this list, I thought up of so many paranormal books that are deliciously spooky but not too spooky that I read in, like, the years 2012-2015 and I low-key miss the paranormal stuff now? I mean, I was obsessed with it now that I think about it I was reading all this creepy stuff and now I’m so boring reading these sanitized romcoms.

All I have to say is can we bring back the creepy urban fantasy paranormal romance with vampires and ghosts and curses and demons that were all having their golden age in 2014 but this time with diverse characters?? please?

(yes I’m planning on reading Cemetery Boys I have it on hold at the library)

Let’s Chat

What are some of your favorite spooky books? Do you like any of these? Do you like scary books or are you a huge wimp like me? I’d love to chat in the comments below