Photos: Chicago of Public Library
Everybody knows about horror books such as “ Goosebumps” by R.L Steine and supernatural romance books like “Twilight” by Stephanie Myer, but here are some other spooktacular books to sink your fangs into this Spooktober.
“Juniper & Thron” by Ava Reid. Ava Reid sets out to retell The Juniper Tree in this gothic fantasy. Marlinchen and her two sisters live with their wizard father in a city shifting from magic to industry. A night on the town brings Marlinchen to encounter a male ballerina named Sevastysan. The foreign Sevastysan embodies everything that Marlinchen’s xenophobic father despises, but Marlinchen cannot help but fall in love with the first man who’s ever called her beautiful. Everything is not as it seems though, as a mysterious beast with unquenchable hunger begins to haunt the man in town, and Marlinchen begins to wonder if the beast is closer than she thinks.
“The Gods Of Endings” by Jacquiline Holland. A preschool teacher might seem like a strange occupation for a vampire, but to Collete, her classroom is a sanctuary from the dark reality her students will have to face when they grow up. However, everything begins to change in Collete’s life when she gets a new student named Leo who has promising artistic abilities and needs more support than Collete knows how to give.
“City Of Nightmares” and “Cage Of Dreams “ by Rebecca Schaffer. Ness doesn’t allow herself to dream, because every time she goes to sleep, she has the chance to wake up as her worst fear. Everyone in the city of Newham has a chance to turn into a monster; that’s why the city never sleeps. The city is filled with crime and corruption, but when Ness gets caught in the middle of a crime scandal a nightmare boy might be her only ally out of this nightmare.
Every nightmare began as a dream. In her thrilling sequel, Ness comes face to face with her worst enemy: herself. As someone who worshiped Rebecca Schafer’s previous young adult trilogy Market of Monster series, I highly recommend you check out these books— you will not be able to put them down.
“Children Of Chicago” & “The Shoemakers Magician” by Cynthia Pelayo. Detective Lauren is called to investigate a murder that bears close resemblance to her own sister’s murder. There are a lot of dark things lurking in the streets of Chicago, but Lauren cannot believe it when she encounters a real-life fairytale character striking deals with Chicago youth.
This is another tale in the anthology series by Pelayo. Horror movie fan Paloma is living a charming life after an abusive childhood. She has a flourishing YouTube channel dedicated to horror movies, and their history. She has a dedicated husband, and a son who shares her passion for horror movies, but when Paloma begins to get calls about a fabled lost movie, she might just find her life transformed into a real-life horror movie.
“Silver Nitrate” by Silvia Moreno- Garcia. Childhood best friends Montserrat and Tristan could not be more different. Montserrat prefers to be lost in audio production well, Tristain prefers the spotlight as an actor. The two of their lives get interrupted when they get an eccentric old neighbor who tells them stories of a lost Mexican horror film. The two childhood friends always loved watching Mexican horror movies, but the occult could not be real such things only existed on the screen, or so they initially believed.
“All Dead Lie Down” by Kyrle McAuley. Marin Blythe finds herself under the temporary guardianship of acclaimed horror writer Alice Lovelace. Marin spends a lot of her days drawn to Alice’s eldest daughter Evie, who seems to reciprocate Marin’s feelings for her. However, their love begins to be tested as the dead refuse to lie down.