Horror
December 2025

Recent Releases
Girl Dinner
by Olivie Blake

In parallel timelines, sociology professor Sloane and college sophomore Nina find themselves drawn to The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, whose picture-perfect facade harbors a sinister side to sisterhood. For another satirical horror novel about the pressures of modern womanhood, check out Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang.
One of Us
by Dan Chaon

In 1915 Ohio, 13-year-old orphaned twins Bolt and Eleanor, who share a psychic connection, run away from a murderous man claiming to be their uncle. They join the traveling circus Mr. Jengling’s Emporium of Wonders, which includes a death-foretelling woman and a dog-faced boy. While Bolt settles in, Eleanor doesn’t, and they still have their “uncle” on their trail in this “mesmerizing and macabre historical adventure” (Booklist). For fans of: Amiee Gibbs’ The Carnivale of Curiosities.
 
If the Dead Belong Here
by Carson Faust

When her little sister goes missing in 1996 Wisconsin, Indigenous teenager Nadine discovers she'll have to commune with the ghosts of her ancestors to help find her. For another haunting horror novel that draws on Indigenous folklore, check out Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan.
King Sorrow
by Joe Hill

Blackmailed into stealing rare books, college student Arthur Oakes and his friends summon King Sorrow, a powerful dragon from a supernatural realm. The creature saves them -- but their bargain binds them to provide an annual human sacrifice, unleashing dark, magical consequences that shadow their lives for decades. Try this next: The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill.
Slashed Beauties
by A. Rushby

In present-day Seoul, antiques dealer Alys sets out to destroy three 18th-century Anatomical Venuses, who supposedly come to life at night to murder ill-behaved men. Meanwhile, in 1769 London, a trio of sex workers seek gainful employment and make a fateful decision. Fans of dual timeline novels and body horror will want to check out this "feminist gothic that stretches its waxen hands across time" (Booklist). Try this next: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; Old Soul by Susan Barker.
2025 Debuts
Polybius
by Collin Armstrong

In 1982 small-town Tasker Bay, California, the technologically advanced arcade game Polybius becomes an overnight sensation, turning its players angry and violent. High schooler and arcade employee Andi teams up with Ro, the son of the local sheriff, to figure out what's really going on before Polybius completely destroys Tasker Bay. Based on an urban legend, this nostalgic debut will appeal to fans of Stephen King and Stranger Things.
How to Survive a Horror Story
by Mallory Arnold

Equal parts creepy and witty, this clever homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None stars seven writers called to the estate of recently deceased horror author Mortimer Queen for the reading of his will. Locked inside the house with no chance of escape, the writers are forced to solve a series of riddles -- or die. For fans of: The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Whiting Library
117 Main St., Chester, Vermont 05143
802-875-2277

https://www.whitinglibrary.org/