Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Horror October: Recommended Ghostly Reads


So for the second post as a part of Horror October, I thought I'd recommend some of the good ghost books I've read. Because you can't go past horror and Halloween and what not without ghosts. Oh, and if you missed the first introduction post I did with Chantelle here you go.

Disclaimer: Some of these recommended ghost books aren't really that scary. So I don't even know if they fit the genre of horror. But whatever. They have ghosts. That should be good enough :P

If you want actual scary ghosts:


Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
There are so many reasons to read this book.
1. Male protagonist
2. FREAKING SCARY GHOSTS. And gore. Yay!
3. A romance with a ghost that isn't cliched
4. There are probably more reasons, but it's been a while since I've read the book so forgive me if I stop here.
Oh, and if you read it, you'll need to grab yourself a copy of the sequel, because DANG THAT CLIFFHANGER!

Darkhouse by Karina Halle
This is the first book in the Experiment in Terror series and is basically about these two people who are trying to make a ghost hunting documentary thing. I personally didn't find most of the books in the series too scary, but the third book, Dead Sky Morning, was actually quite creepy. I'd probably only recommend the first five books in the series though, because it goes a bit downhill from there.

If you want ghosts that aren't really that scary but are still dangerous:


The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
I guess that some of these ghosts are actually scary. Well, the villain was scary (ish). But the highlight of this series is probably the supporting cast. All of the minor characters are really awesome. And while there isn't much romance in this first book, the second book <3.

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
Some good old fashioned ghost hunting. Apparently Supernatural style. Which I wouldn't know, because I haven't seen Supernatural. Regardless, lots of action and adventure, although the ghosts themselves aren't particularly scary at all.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab
Okay, totally not sure if these are even technically ghosts, but whatever. I'm counting them as ghosts. Basically there's this "archive" of the dead which is kind of like a library, but with bodies instead of books. Sounds beautiful. But seriously, this book was awesome, so go track down a copy!

If you want the previously mentioned "hot boy" ghosts:


Love You To Death by Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot, I love you. And this series is damn good. Although the last time I read this was maybe 3 or 4 years ago, so my tastes may have changed since then. Regardless, I'm going to recommend it because if you want to read a Cabot, this series is the one to go for.

In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
Okay, it's also been a while since I read this, so I'm sorry if I'm wrong about this but I'm about 80% sure that the ghost in this book is the boyfriend of the MC. And from the blurb it does seem that way. So I'm going to count it as a "hot boy" ghost. Argue with me in comments if you want.


Aaaaand that is literally the extent of good ghost books that I've read. I have read other good books featuring ghosts, but ghosts weren't the main featured creatures.
Anyway, go ahead and comment and recommend me some ghost books if you like :)



22 comments:

  1. The only ghost book I've read in the past few years (that I can recall) was good... but if I tell you which one it was, it would be a major spoiler (because the reader doesn't know that a certain character is a ghost right away)!

    I remember reading The Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones, though it was a long time ago and I can't remember anything about it, so it must not have been that amazing. There's A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb; it's about ghosts, but it's not about scary ghosts (though it's an awesome book, and one of my all-time favourites). I read a book when I was a kid called Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn. I thought it was pretty creepy, but it was a middle grade book and I was a middle grader when it first came out, so I'm not sure if it would have the same effect on me now (it was re-released in 2008, so I guess it must be sort of a modern classic).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dang now I'm intrigued as to what this book is!! Maybe I'll come across it some day....

      Nice recs! I'll have to add them to my TBR. I don't think I read enough ghost books :)

      Delete
  2. In the shadows of blackbirds, The archived & Anna dressed in blood are on my reading list. I liked The name of the star and I'm looking forward to the next book. Thanks for sharing your recommendations!

    Mel@thedailyprophecy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Madness Underneath is really good! A lot more focus on the romance :3

      Delete
  3. I tend to stay away from ghost books and shows/movies because they are the things that creep me out the most. And yet I have read and LOVED Anna Dressed in Blood (which is easily the creepiest book I have ever read), Shades of London, and the Mediator books. I think I might keep an eye out for the other books you've listed because I like to torture myself (and I've been wanting to read them anyway) :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES GO FOR IT! haha
      Anna Dressed in Blood is definitely really creepy. The author certainly doesn't pull any punches- BUT IT'S SO GOOD :D

      Delete
  4. Hahaha, thank you for the recommendations! :D They all sound pretty good, and I've not read any of them except for Anna Dressed In Blood!
    Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn was a terrifying read as well! I think it may make a good Horror read if you're looking for one ;)
    Thanks for sharing, Nara! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another Little Piece! I've heard a lot of things about that book. And it certainly looks pretty creepy! I'll have to grab it at some point.

      Delete
  5. These are some great recommendations Nara! I have a copy of In the Shadow of Blackbirds and there have been so many praising reviews for it, that I can't really go wrong with giving it a ago. I also adore Meg's books, I always turn to them when I need a quick pick me up and The Mediator series is one which I haven't read yet! Thanks for sharing a great post with us! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meg's books are the best. They're just so light and fun to read!
      In the Shadow of Blackbirds is definitely a good book. I seem to recall it's slightly creepy but certainly not as scary as some of the other ones up there :)

      Delete
  6. Nara awesome recommendations I own a few of these and have others on my wishlist! I love a good ghost story :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ghost stories are great! I don't know why I haven't read more of them!

      Delete
  7. I haven't read ANY of these! :( But I'm one of those people who wants books to match up with seasons and who you can always find reading spooky stories in October, so maybe I'll pick up The Archived this month. Thanks for the recommendations!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Archived is great! It's just a really original idea, and there's quite a bit of action and such to keep the pace rolling on :)

      Delete
  8. Anna and Unbreakable aren't too scary but did give me a few shivers. I have In The Shadow of Blackbirds on my shelf and it's all pretty and I wan't to start it pronto if it weren't for my crazy review schedule.

    Awesome recs, Nara! <33

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dang the review schedule! I'm kind of a mood reader, so if I don't feel like reading a review book it gets neglected and then I feel slightly guilty when I don't post a review haha.
      But In the Shadow of Blackbirds is quite good! I'd almost say it's more so just a historical read rather than a paranormal/horror

      Delete
  9. Oooh Anna Dressed in Blood has a male protagonist? For some reason I never noticed that before. Huh! It's been on my wishlist forever. I really should buy it this month for Halloween! Buuuttt... I probably won't. (Especially now that I know I'll need to buy the sequel as well because of a cliffhanger. ><)

    The Name of the Star is another one that has been on my wishlist, but I think that's primarily because it's written by Maureen Johnson and I've never read any of her books. I feel like I need to though just because she's always so present in social media!

    The rest look interesting, but if I'm honest I doubt I'll ever read them. There's never enough time! There's too many books! I feel like TBR piles can be more scary than any ghost book, haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES MALE PROTAGONIST! The cliffhanger is pretty bad. Not one of the worst ones I've ever read, but it's almost up there. Borrow it from the library maybe?

      It's funny because I've read a few of Maureen Johnson's contemporary novels and didn't particularly like them. The Shades of London series is the only one I've liked! And true- she's quite funny on Twitter.

      So many books, so little time. That's always the problem... hahaha TBR piles can definitely be the scariest of monsters

      Delete
  10. I've only read The Archived, which I struggled with a bit (second person whyyyy), and In the Shadow of the Blackbirds, which I love love love. Most of these are on my to-read pile though. Except not Unbreakable. I avoid Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl as much as I can. Except if I read an anthology, because they are in ALL of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Was it in second person? I can't remember haha. I just remember it being really awesome.
      The Beautiful Creatures series wasn't that great, but Unbreakable is quite different from that series, I think. Although there are still some really annoying aspects like a love triangle involving twins ugh.

      Delete
  11. Oh gosh, now I feel so guilty because I haven't read ANY of these - not even ANNA, which I've been telling myself to since forever! I've seen many reviews that have said that Anna gives them the jeepers, but I guess I never really believed them until now. Though I'm afraid that since I'm not easily scared in books, Anna won't really scare me as much as she has for other people. Oh well, if all else fails, at least there'll be the gore, right? I love gore. Gore gore gore.

    Obviously, I have issues.

    Isn't THE NAME OF THE STAR a retelling of the Jack the Ripper killings? I heard that from somewhere and ever since, I've been intrigued. Jack the Ripper is such a fascinating - albeit gruesome - person, and I find it amazing how he was never caught despite the horrible murders he committed. I definitely do want to give this series a go in the future! And heh, I have BLACKBIRDS sitting on my shelf right now. Just staring at me. Though I don't know how well the fact that the love interest is a ghost would sit with me. I'm not really a fan of these kinds of romances... *guilty*

    Thanks for these recs, Nara! Maybe once we've read THE SHINING, you'll be able to add that to the list as well. >:D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anna definitely has the gore. Lots of it haha. I kind of loved it too :P #issues

      Well it's not really a "retelling" of the Jack the Ripper killings per se because it's in present time where the killings have already happened in the past. But there's a ghost that does these killings in a Jack the Ripper fashion, if that makes sense.

      The romance in Blackbirds is pretty good. I can't remember 100% but I don't actually think it was the focus of the book. I feel like it was more about the mystery side of things?

      And YES THE SHINING. SO EXCITED :D

      Delete