13 Frightfully Good YA Horror Novels
by Feliza Casano
Who doesn’t love a good scary story? Young adult fiction is full of horror, and not just of the embarrassing-nightmare variety. From ghosts and demons in possession of homes to serial killers making their rounds through schools and parties, here are 13 terrifying books to introduce you to young adult horror — and maybe even keep you awake at night.
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Slasher Girls & Monster Boys
Available from:This young adult horror anthology brings together some of the most incredible voices in YA horror. From the unsettlingly supernatural to disturbingly plausible realism, Slasher Girls & Monster Boys is the best way to get a taste of everything YA horror has to offer.
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Monstrous
Available from:A small town in Alabama, a haunted forest, and a hefty dose of superstition make this southern YA horror novel a pulse-pounding delight! When Latavia moves in with her aunt, she finds the town rules bizarre and overly strict. But she soon realizes the rules are there for a reason — and breaking them has deadly consequences.
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The Merciless
Available from:When Sofia starts at her new school, she’s pleasantly surprised to find herself falling in with the most popular girls in school. At least until their leader declares that the school oddball needs to be exorcised. Despite her uncertainty, Sofia agrees to help, only to discover the girls’ idea of an exorcism looks an awful lot more like torture.
Readers will also love Vega's chilling ghost story, The Haunted.
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The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Available from:The fence around the village protects those inside it from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. The Unconsecrated are always ready to attack, and the Guardians and the Sisterhood are the only protection the villagers have. These are the truths Mary has learned and knows to be true — until she learns they may not be truths at all.
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The Taking of Jake Livingston
Available from:As a teenage medium, Jake isn’t like other high schoolers. However, he does his best with crushes, friendship drama, racism, and helping dead people move on. But when a violent and vengeful ghost starts to haunt him, Jake may have met his match.
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There's Someone Inside Your House
Available from:After moving to Nebraska from Hawaii, Makani is still adjusting to her new life — which isn’t made any easier when her classmates begin to die in a series of increasingly gruesome murders. And as the hunt for the killer intensifies, Makani is forced to face the dark secrets she’d hoped she’d left back in Hawaii.
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Funeral Songs for Dying Girls
Available from:Everyone thinks the cemetery is haunted, but it’s just Winifred — a (living) teen girl who wanders the grounds late at night. The rumors create an unexpected windfall for Winifred and her father, but things take a chilling turn when an actual ghost appears. If you want a story with hair-raising spooks, dry humor, and first love, this one is for you!
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Escape Room
Available from:Prepare for enough thrills and chills to get your heart racing! When four teenage friends go to an escape room, they expect to have fun collecting clues and solving puzzles. But the game becomes a nightmare when they realize that the only way out of this escape room is in a body bag.
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A Line in the Dark
Available from:You may know this author from her award-winning and bestselling historical novel, Last Night at the Telegraph Club. While A Line in the Dark deals with friendship and first love, it also has a darker theme: murder. It’s about two girls who get pulled into a group of wealthy and privileged teens with sinister secrets.
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Horror Hotel
Available from:Ghost hunting, teenage influencers, and a haunted hotel in Los Angeles combine into a fast-paced YA horror novel that will send shivers racing down your spine. With enough twists and turns to keep you squarely in your seat, this book will keep you reading well past bedtime.
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Harvest House
Available from:From NSK Neustadt Laureate and New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith comes a haunting novel about legends, racism, and ghosts. Hughie Wolfe is spending Halloween volunteering at a haunted house rooted in the local (racist) folklore. When strange things start happening, Hughie wonders if the legend has more truth than he thought.
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The Lake
Available from:No list of YA horror novels would be complete without one of Natasha Preston’s bone-chilling stories. Esme and Kayla return to their childhood camp as counselors, and both girls agree to keep the dark events of their past a secret. But someone at the lakeside camp knows what they did, and the girls must decide how far they’ll go to keep their secret safe.
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Beasts of Prey
Available from:Magic, monsters, and an epic hunt make this dark YA fantasy a must-read for horror fans. Koffi and Ekon join forces to hunt monsters in the Greater Jungle, a place filled with wild magic and nightmarish beasts. Pick this one up if you love spooky books in a magical setting!
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2023.