With the spooky season coming up, there’s really no better time to get cozy with a blanket and a good horror book to kick off Halloween this year. For me personally. there are tons of great spine-chilling novels coming out this year; here are some of my most anticipated horror books of 2023.
~Top 10 Most Anticipated Horror Books Of 2023~
Before we dive in, do keep in mind that the horror genre comes with its own plethora of trigger warnings and content warnings to be wary of. Since I have not yet read any of the 2023 horror books listed below, I cannot vouch for the content warnings myself; please take some time to look them up before diving in.
1. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
I have become a fan of Cassandra Khaw ever since I read their novella These Deathless Bones, and I cannot wait for The Salt Grows Heavy to come to my local library so I can get lost in her spine-chillingly creepy world.
A cross-genre of horror and fantasy, The Salt Grows Heavy is a twisted version of The Little Mermaid along with other folklore: in this version of the story, the mermaid is forced to marry a prince, and her daughters destroy his kingdom. Eventually, the mermaid flees to a strange village full of immortal blood-thirsty children and crosses paths with a plague doctor with insidious motives of his own.
Release Date: May 2, 2023
2. Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
There’s just something strangely satisfying about a horror novel or a horror movie where reality TV is involved–and that’s what you get with Craig DiLouie’s Episode Thirteen. Following the story of a couple who has created a successful reality hit series centered around ghost hunting, Episode Thirteen shows all the things that go wrong when the crew decides to document their investigations at a haunted mansion that may not let them leave alive.
Release Date: January 24, 2023
3. The Spite House by Johnny Compton
I love horror novels and movies that do not just scare you, but also make you think deeply about other real-life subject matters–it’s not something you would expect from the horror genre, but as Mike Flannagan has shown with his masterpieces like The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Rin Chupeco with their YA horror Sacrifice, the horror genre has plenty of room for all kinds of conversations.
Which is one of the reasons why I really look forward to reading The Spite House by Johnny Compton. A gothic thriller about a father on the run with emphasis on grief and trauma, The Spite House is one of my most anticipated horror books of 2023.
Release Date: February 7, 2023
4. Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt
I have heard so many praises for Alison Rumfitt’s Tell Me I’m Worthless that I am convinced I need this horror book in my life. The story follows Alice, a teenager who spends one night with her friends Ila and Hannah at a haunted house. Ila and Alice make it out alive the next morning; but Hannah is claimed by the house, and it’s up to the girls to face their terrors and rescue their friend.
Release Date: January 17, 2023
5. Everything The Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca
While I am not sure if it’s the best idea to read horror novels that take place in small towns when I am currently living in one (okay to be fair, London is one of the 11 largest cities in Canada…but it feels more like a small town), Eric LaRocca’s Everything The Darkness Eats sounds like one hell of a terrifyingly good book! Bizarre disappearances, dark magic and rituals, and a good dose of whodunnit investigative mystery—if these things sound like your thing, then Everything The Darkness Eats should be on your list of most anticipated horror books of 2023 too.
Release Date: June 6, 2023
6. Spin A Black Yarn by Josh Malerman
I have recently discovered my love for anthologies in 2023, starting with Vida Cruz-Borja’s phenomenal collection of fantasy stories in Song Of The Mango And Other New Myths and Jonathan Strahan’s beautiful collection of time travel romance stories, Someone In Time. So when I heard about Josh Malerman’s horror anthology Spin A Black Yarn, I knew this could very well be one of my favorite horror books of 2023.
A collection of spine-chilling stories about murders, haunted houses, and even a trip to outer space, Spin A Black Yarn has a little something for anyone who is a fan of the horror genre.
Release Date: August 15, 2023
7. The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter
Pitched as a blend of Black Mirror and The Amityville Horror, Nick Cutter’s The Handyman Method is one of the most intriguing horror books of 2023 that follows the nightmarish story of a family who movies into a new house and comes in contact with a mysterious online DIY instructor who has rather strange suggestions to fix the problems in their new home.
Release Date: August 8, 2023
8. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Grace
It’s a real shame that I have yet to start any of Silvia Moreno-Grace’s books–they weren’t available in my home country, but now that I have moved to Canada, I plan on changing this as soon as possible, starting with one of her 2023 horror books, Silver Nitrate. Set in the ’90s Mexico City, Silver Nitrate is a gripping Gothic Horror about an ancient curse that haunts a lost film and triggers one woman’s supernatural abilities.
Release Date: July 18, 2023
9. She Is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran
Young Adult horror is one of my favorite genres, and She Is A Haunting by Trang Than Tran makes it way in my most anticipated horror books of 2023 list because it has everything I love: diverse representation, Southeast Asian settings, LGBTQ, a bit of fantasy and a whole lot of Gothic Horror.
Release Date: February 28, 2023
10. What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher
Last but not least, What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher is on my list of the most anticipated horror books of 2023–technically, it’s been on my top 10 horror books list since last year, but I haven’t had the chance to get around it. A retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall Of The House of Usher, What Moves The Dead is a terrifying atmospheric horror book that is sure to give me nightmares this fall.
Aaand that wraps up my list of the top 10 most anticipated horror books of 2023? Which of these books are you looking forward to reading the most? Let me know in the comments below and leave links to your favorite horror books as well!