I’m a big fan of the horror genre, so imagine my delight when I discovered all the awesome new 2021 horror books coming out this year!
Not only do we have new books by classic horror authors like Stephen King and contemporary favorites like Grady Hendrix, but we also have some brand new debut authors to enjoy! So buckle up, because this list of spooky books might just scare the pants off you.
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New Horror Books Coming in 2021
For me, there’s something about spine-tingling scary stories that I love. Well, a lot of things, actually.
It’s the characters you get attached to (sometimes unwisely), it’s the element of surprise, it’s the pulse-pounding dread that really gets your adrenaline pumping, and so much more. From the first moment I cracked open a Stephen King novel at a young age, I was hooked.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be just as pumped at the lineup of horror books we have to look forward to this year. From serial killers to dark fantasy to witchy books and beyond, there’s something here for everyone. I’m including YA horror, too – you’ll find those near the end of the list. So, let’s dive in!
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror
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“An unconventional vicar moves to a remote corner of the English countryside, only to discover a community haunted by death and disappearances both past and present–and intent on keeping its dark secrets–in this explosive, unsettling thriller from acclaimed author C. J. Tudor.”
Release date: February 9th, 2021
Later by Stephen King
Genre: Paranormal/Thriller/Horror
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“Later is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King’s classic novel IT, Later is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.”
Release date: March 2nd, 2021
The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon
Genre: Mystery/Horror
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“When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. Jax learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.”
Check out my full review here.
Release date: April 6th, 2021
Near the Bone by Christina Henry
Genre: Horror/Thriller
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“A woman trapped on a mountain attempts to survive more than one kind of monster, in a dread-inducing horror novel from the national bestselling author Christina Henry.”
Release date: April 13th, 2021
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Gothic
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“Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland is a genre-bending work of Gothic fiction. Here, monsters aren’t just individuals, but entire nations. It is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction.”
Release date: May 4th, 2021
Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror
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“It’s November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana’s in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.”
Release date: June 29th, 2021
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Genre: Horror/Thriller
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“A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.”
Release date: July 13th, 2021
A Touch of Jen by Beth Morgan
Genre: Contemporary Horror/Satire
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“A young couple’s toxic Instagram crush spins out of control and unleashes a sinister creature in this twisted, viciously funny debut.”
Release date: July 13th, 2021
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig
Genre: Horror
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“A family returns to their hometown—and to the dark past that haunts them still—in this masterpiece of literary horror by the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers.”
Release date: July 20th, 2021
Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar
Genre: Horror/Crime Thriller
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“A clever, terrifying, and heartrending work of metafiction, Chasing the Boogeyman is the ultimate marriage between horror fiction and true crime.”
Release date: August 17th, 2021
My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Genre: Horror
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“In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town, Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones.”
Release date: August 31st, 2021
Revelator by Daryl Gregory
Genre: Horror/Gothic
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“From the acclaimed author of Spoonbenders comes the gripping tale of a family’s mysterious religion, and the daughter who turns her back on their god.”
Release date: August 31st, 2021
Slewfoot by Brom
Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy/Historical Fiction
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“Set in Colonial New England, Slewfoot is a tale of magic and mystery, of triumph and terror as only dark fantasist Brom can tell it.”
Release date: September 14th, 2021
Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry
Genre: Horror/Retellings
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“In this atmospheric, terrifying novel that draws strongly from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the author of Alice and The Girl in Red works her trademark magic, spinning an engaging and frightening new story from a classic tale.”
Release date: September 28th, 2021
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
Genre: Horror/Thriller
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“This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it’s not what you think.”
Release date: September 28th, 2021
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Genre: Horror/Dark Fantasy
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“As Andrew searches for the truth of [his friend’s] death, he uncovers the lies and secrets left behind by the person he trusted most, discovering a family history soaked in blood and death. […] The walls Andrew has built against the world begin to crumble, letting in the phantom that hungers for him.”
Release date: September 28th, 2021
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
Genre: Horror
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“A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.”
Release date: October 5th, 2021
Reprieve by James Han Mattson
Genre: Literary Horror/Thriller
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“A chilling and blisteringly relevant literary novel of social horror centered around a brutal killing that takes place in a full-contact haunted escape room—a provocative exploration of capitalism, hate politics, racial fetishism, and our obsession with fear as entertainment.”
Release date: October 5th, 2021
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Genre: Horror/Gothic/Historical Fiction
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“Set in a dark-mirror version of post-war England, Starling crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon. This Crimson Peak-inspired story assembles, then upends, every expectation set in place by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca.”
Release date: October 19th, 2021
2021 Young Adult Horror Books
Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury
Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror
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“Everyone knows what happened to Alva’s mother, all those years ago. But when dark forces begin to stir in Ormscaula, Alva has to face a very different future – and question everything she thought she knew about her past…”
Release date: January 5th, 2021
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror
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When they were little girls, the Hollow sisters went missing. They returned a month later, but their eyes had turned darker and their hair had turned white. Years later, the eldest sister goes missing again, and it’s up to the younger two to find her.
Check out my full review here.
Release date: April 6th, 2021
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky
Genre: YA Horror/Thriller
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“New York Times –bestselling author Goldy Moldavsky delivers a deliciously twisty YA thriller that’s Scream meets Karen McManus about a mysterious club with an obsession for horror.”
Release date: April 13th, 2021
Small Favors by Erin A. Craig
Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror
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“Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range. To this day, visitors are few and rare. When a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.”
Release date: July 27th, 2021
The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal
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“Courtney Gould’s thrilling debut The Dead and the Dark is about the things that lurk in dark corners, the parts of you that can’t remain hidden, and about finding home in places―and people―you didn’t expect.”
Release date: August 3rd, 2021
The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins
Genre: YA Horror/Thriller
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“A traditional backwoods horror story set–first page to last–in the woods of the Pisgah National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
Release date: August 31st, 2021
White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson
Genre: YA Horror/Thriller
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“The Haunting of Hill House meets Get Out in this chilling YA psychological thriller and modern take on the classic haunted house story from New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson.”
Release date: September 14th, 2021
To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames
Genre: YA Horror/Mystery
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“Debut voice Alison Ames delivers with a chilling, feminist thriller, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls and Sawkill Girls.”
Release date: September 21st, 2021
Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood
Genre: YA Fantasy/Retellings/Horror
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“Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre.”
Release date: November 9th, 2021
There you have it: some of the most-anticipated, most exciting 2021 horror books! You might also be interested in:
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