Horror is so ALIVE in 2025

Head's Up Horror Fiction Lovers!

“Horror is so alive in this moment. And five minutes from now, it will be stronger than it is right now. Stand in one place and you can hear it evolving, transforming, shedding its skin over, and over, and over again. It emerges from its scaled casing a newer creation than it was before with a fire burning in its belly for more growth, more boundaries to cross, and more wrongs to right. Horror is relentless in its efforts to reach the heart of readers and win new souls to the genre.” -Sadie Hartmann, from the Bram Stoker Award-winning book, 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered

2025 is a special year for horror. It seems like, for the last five years, horror has been trying to outdo itself every year. All you need to do is take a very close look at the yearly lists hosted on Read Jump Scares organized/compiled by Emily Hughes (congratulations to Emily and all the 2024 Bram Stoker Awards Nominations on the Final Ballot!)

2020 Horror Books
2021 Horror Books
2022 Horror Books
2023 Horror Books
2024 Horror Books
2025 Horror Books

2025 Horror Covers-Credit Emily Hughes “Read Jump Scares”

2025 will see releases from critically acclaimed horror authors like,

Stephen King, Joe Hill, Alma Katsu, Rachel Harrison, Christopher Golden, Catriona Ward, Sarah Gailey, Stephen Graham Jones, Grady Hendrix, Philip Fracassi, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Cynthia Pelayo, Daniel Kraus, Clay MacLeod Chapman, T. Kingfisher, Laura Purcell, A. G. Slatter, Cherie Priest, Cassandra Khaw, Hailey Piper, Sarah Pinborough, Caitlin Starling, V. Castro, Chuck Wendig, C. J. Cooke, Ania Ahlborn, Gemma Amor, Delilah S. Dawson, Brian Keene, Eric LaRocca, and more!

Historical horror maven Alma Katsu turns her talents to the modern world for the first time, in this terrifying tale about an all-powerful family with an ancient evil under its thumb.

There are so many exceptional debuts and returning champions! Already I have read a few books by new-to-me authors that have BLOWN MY MIND!

The Lamb by Lucy Rose is one of the best debut novels I have ever read. (full review)

With this gothic coming-of-age tale, novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts—and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.

Another brilliant debut is Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine. It must not be missed. It follows in the footsteps of Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Tananarieve Due’s The Reformatory. A coming-of-age ghost story set in Pre-Civil War times (full review)

A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister’s ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms.

So many follow-up books from break-out talents in previous years who had banger debuts and are releasing highly anticipated sophomore efforts as well as authors who are going for a three-peat! I just finished HUNGERSTONE by Kat Dunn and it was everything! Don’t miss it (audiobook on hoopla)

Exciting Follow-ups!

Erika T. Wurth, Ling Ling Huang, Johanna Van Veen, Erin E. Adams, David Barnett, and Agustina Bazterrica

From the author of Natural Beauty, set in the fiercely competitive art world, a novel about an obsessive friendship upended by a cutting-edge technology purported to enhance empathy and connection

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito is a title you will hear a lot about. It has a movie already in production with piping-hot, young actresses tied to the leading roles,

Margaret Qualley & Thomasin McKenzie (my full review)

From the acclaimed author of Mrs. March comes the riveting tale of a bloodthirsty governess who learns the true meaning of vengeance.

Three-peats!

Nat Cassidy, Chuck Tingle, Isabel Cañas

I’m trying to keep up with as many new titles as I can this year, while also catching up on backlist titles I missed while I was writing my new book, Feral & Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women

Look for my monthly wrap-ups at the LineUp!