Best Horror Books of 2023

There were so many great horror books in 2023. In this video I'm talking about the best horror books of the year. What books made your list?

Timestamp:
0:00 Intro
0:33 The Books
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
1:58 Suffer the Children by Craig DiLouie
3:06 Mister Magic by Kiersten White
5:17 The September House by Carissa Orlando
8:17 Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
9:40 Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
11:25 You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
12:25 Candy Cane Kills by Brian Mcauley
13:30 The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
14:35 Piercing by Ryu Murakami
15:23 The Last Word by Taylor Adams
---

Let's become spooky besties~

[ShesMajickal_]

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

[stephanierenee]

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.

[jc]

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.

[mariewesterlind]

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!

[caska_]

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!

[adamsteinbacher]

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!

[EllenEmryReads]

I LOVED Episode 13! Ghost shows are so nostalgic.

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

[imheretopanic]

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

[tb-tksj]

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

[bookswithb]

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

[theothercomicguy]

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

[SinnfulBooks]

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 ;)

[misasue]

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!

[osonhodeleon]

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

[Booksinthedark]

I loved episode thirteen!

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

Great recommendations😄

[therosebride]

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!

[happyhauntslibrary]

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

[paullucas]

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

[loureed]

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

[ranielledocha]

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