Happy New Year, horror fans! We’re starting off the year with a bang. Some of my most anticipated books of the year are out this month, including quite a few outstanding horror novels.
If you love scary stuff (and don’t we all?), 2025 is shaping up to be your year already. We’ve got witches, we’ve got ghosts, we’ve got possession…all the hits (and quite a few surprises) are here. Check it out!
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman (Quirk Books, January 7)
This one hits uncomfortably close to home in our current political climate. Noah’s parents have been watching far-right news channels for a long time, which is disturbing enough on its own. But then Noah returns to his family home in Richmond, Virginia, and finds the place a complete wreck. Then his mother attacks him. It turns out Noah’s family isn’t the only one that is being affected like this. Families are tearing each other apart across the country, and it only gets worse the more they watch the news.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix (Berkley, January 14)
Yes, this is a book about witches, but a lot of the horrors in this book just have to do with the realities of pregnancy. This is especially true in 1970, when unwed young mothers (or “wayward girls”) were whisked away to places like Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida. When 15-year-old Fern falls pregnant, that’s exactly where her family puts her. She is terrified and alone, but there, she meets a lot of girls who have similar stories to their own. Together, they uncover a dark and powerful magic.
Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias (Zando, January 14)
Here’s a debut novel you’ll want to add to your TBR this month. Teenager Carina Marshall takes a job as an au pair for the wealthy Hall family. Their gorgeous and stately Jamaican estate, called the Blackbead House, seems to be the perfect escape for Carina after months of rumors and targeted bullying. But the house is not what it seems. In fact, it might be haunted. Something in that house might be out to get her.
Strange Pictures by Uketsu (Pushkin Vertigo, January 14)
This Japanese bestseller is finally being published in the US, with a translation by Jim Rion! It all starts with a series of simple, child-like pictures. But each picture pulls the reader into a spine-chilling mystery. As you read, you are invited to make connections in the pictures yourself and uncover how the images’ stories are intertwined to tell a bigger and even more horrifying story.
We Do Not Part by Han Kang (Hogarth, January 21)
Here’s a new one from Han Kang, author of The Vegetarian. When Kyungha’s friend Inseon injures herself in an accident, she begs Kyungha to go to her home on Jeju Island and rescue her pet bird, Ama. But when she makes her way to the island, she is bombarded with ice and snow. What awaits her at Inseon’s home is nothing Kyungha could have anticipated, and she finds herself uncovering ghosts of South Korea’s past.
Motheater by Linda H. Codega (Erewhon Books, January 21)
This queer horror/fantasy is set in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, where Benethea “Bennie” Mattox investigates the mysterious deaths of miners on Kire Mountain. Her investigation in the mountain leads her to an almost-drowned woman who has forgotten her name and goes only by the name of Motheater. Motheater claims that she is the last witch of the Ridge and that she was tasked with keeping industry off the mountain.
Our Winter Monster by Dennis Mahoney (Hell’s Hundred, January 28)
The holidays might be over, but it’s still chilly outside, so a winter horror story really fits the bill this month. Holly and Brian’s relationship has been on the rocks for quite a while, but they’re desperate to reconnect. They decide to book a ski village getaway in the hopes of rekindling their romance. But on their way there, a blizzard hits and they lose control of the car. Crashing in the middle of a blizzard is super inconvenient, especially when there’s a horrifying monster on the loose.
At Dark, I Become Loathsome by Eric LaRocca (Blackstone Publishing, January 28)
Eric LaRocca’s stories are always suuuper creepy, and their latest definitely lives up to expectations. It all starts with a line of text, written on the internet: “If you’re reading this, you’ve likely thought that the world would be a better place without you.” Ashley Lutin, who wrote the line, has often felt this way since his wife died and his son disappeared. But he has created a ritual for himself to get him through his grief—and it involves connecting with other people who have thought about dying.
Old Soul by Susan Barker (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January 28)
Here’s another new horror novel focused on grief, and this one kicks off when two strangers meet in Osaka airport. Both Jake and Mariko lost someone important to them, and before their deaths, they both saw the same woman, even though they were 6,000 miles apart. The dark-haired woman came looking for Mariko and then just as mysteriously disappeared. Now Jake is intent on finding her and uncovering the mystery behind their loved ones’ deaths and the deaths of many others throughout the years.
Excited for more horror? Be sure you subscribe to The Fright Stuff, and make sure you come back next month for even more new release announcements! Stay spooky!