Best Horror Books of 2023

Love watching your movie and book reviews so much❤ . Millennial me identifies with you ✨

mister magic was an excellent read that i'm glad i checked out. also liked last word. taylor adams is an auto buy author for me.
hated the devil takes you home. too much spanish, meanders a lot by saying if you're white you're stupid and awful. what a waste of ink and paper that book was.

I loved Episode 13 so much! I have heard several people talk about how it started great, but ended up sucking, and I am just... not okay with that. No, I am, I celebrate their right to be completely wrong, 😀, but it's very nice to hear that all of the book worked for you too.
And The September House was so good! Loved how dark it turned out to be. And I kind of want my own ghost-maid that makes me tea...😊
I can highly recommend Mary by Nat Cassidy, that book is just amazing, Weird and creepy in all the best ways, I adored the characters, and that ending? Oh my god, I loved it so!

Great video and thanks for sharing your list. I read Black Sheep and loved it. Looking forward to reading these books, especially Nestlings. 👏🏻👏🏻

Been looking for some good horror recommendations. Thanks for a great video 😊🖤

Have you read 'The Children of Red Peak' by Craig DiLouie yet? I'm in the process of finishing it and between it and 'Episode Thirteen ' it just solidified that I need to read all his stuff!

Most of my TBR came from your videos this year, and they were all bangers! Can't thank you enough! My favorites were Black Sheep, How to Sell a Haunted House, The Last Word, and Clown in a Cornfield 2. And I am dying to read Clown in a Cornfield 3 in 2024!

I read a lot of the same books you did this year (quite a few bc you mentioned them either as something you were looking forward to when it released or because you rated it highly in one of your "what I read" videos). I think The September House was my favorite first read of the year. It kind of came out of left field and swept me away. The dark humor was everything I didn't know I was looking for in a haunted house book. I can't wait to see what else that author does in the future.

You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight was also a pleasant surprise and is in my top first reads for the year.

I enjoyed Episode 13 and Mister Magic (though I liked the author's novel Hide a little more). Definitely in the top half of my reads for the year.

A good portion of the books I thought were going to be hits for me ended up being middle of the road which was a little disappointing but none of them were bad.

The last 3 reads of the year though were very strong (Road of Bones by Christopher Golden, Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes, Hide by Kiersten White) and the book I'm reading now is excellent (Ararat by Christopher Golden).

Thanks as always for your reviews as you have yet to steer me wrong!

I LOVED MISTER MAGIC! It’s a mix of Candle Cove with IT
Everything about this book make me obsessed with it haha

I loved the September house, too! So quirky and series. I was obsessed and wanted to drink tea every time it was referenced 😂

Nestlings & Black Sheep were in my top 5 favorite horror books of the year! I had skipped Mary when it came out, but now I feel like I need to read it as well.

Have you found it more difficult to sit down and read the last few years? I know for many it has been an issue due to social media and the quick and frequent dopamine hits you can get from using your phone.

Just read you're not supposed to die tonight...the ending surprised me

NAT CASSIDY!!! im currently reading her (first?) novel, Mary, and i LOVE it!!! highly recommend 👌🏼

Is she referencing Candle Cove & Other Stories by Kris Straub? Is it actually scary?

i really like found footage movies, but never read found footage book dont know how would i like that

I was very pleasantly surprised by The September House! Candy Cane Kills is going on my tbr!!

I LOVED Episode 13! Ghost shows are so nostalgic.

ALSO Mister Magic sounds so cool, I will def be picking that one up!

Thanks for your honest reviews! Mister Magic sounds fantastic, especially growing up during the 80's and 90's. I remember making fun of Barney while being slightly terrified by the overall cloud of lurking creepiness. Aside from the beloved Captain Kangaroo--may he rest in peace--hosts of children's programs always seems rather off to me. (I did grow up watching Peewee Herman. Paul Rubins was talented, but Peewee is disturbing . . .). Honestly, Episode 13 was not a hit for me. I read it was better to listen to the audio version of it due to the found-footage aspect; therefore, after devouring The Black Tapes and Video Palace, I had to use my last Audible credit. Unfortunately, it just completely fell flat. And the ending was "meh" compared to the build up. However, it might be worth it to return to it around Halloween. The September House was also a miss for me. The mental illness and abuse aspect have being huge tropes in modern writing, and they are getting old. As something who lived through both, I am tired of seeing it. It's not "trigger"; rather, it seems like Deus Ex Machina. I also loathed the way she always chided her daughter for "language". That being said, I think it's wonderful that so many people like the novel, and they are able to connect with it. That's great! And thank you :) I now have more novels to add to my full shelves ;)

35 is good, bruh! I'm lucky to knock out 12. Great vid, thanks.

I loved episode thirteen!

I’m currently reading Black Sheep. Still too early for any opinions.

Great recommendations😄

Great reviews. I also read 3 in 2023 and picked up 3 based on your description. Thanks

Episode 13 is amazing. Such a great book. I finished it so fast. So good!

Great selection of books. Episode 13 is a new classic.

I vibe with your vibing to weird vibes. Not enough weird vibes out there

I had such hopes for The Nestlings by Nat Cassidy…sigh…SMH. And Suffer the Children? Lord, that book needs to be unwritten. Sooooo bad.

Craig d is one of my favorite zombie books author

Piercing is just amazing to me, I love Ryu's books. I'd recommend Audition and In the Miso Soup as well.

Thank you for the recommendations!

@Mandy’sMorgueOfHorror I have been looking for some good horror novels to read to get me into the horror genre in literature and I must say these sound like some fun albeit extremely dark tales.


One thing, I will say is if you liked the book Mister Magic which I haven’t read Mandy but, from the concept you were explaining then you might have fun watching a Hulu Original flick called Mr. Crockett which has a really similar plot but with it’s own unique twist, I don’t want to spoil it but really, it would be a fun movie to check out if you liked the book Mister Magic.