2026 is looking to be a huge year for book lovers and horror is no exception. From revenge horror to slashers to witches and hauntings, there’s something for everyone on this list. Reader beware, there’s plenty to go bump in the night in the new year.

Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer (2/10)

When Camille Deming isn’t being the perfect tradwife, she’s posting about it for her followers. Taking inspiration form other tradwives, she finds the only thing her lifestyle is missing is a baby. With things strained with her husband, Graham, Camille feels pressure from her followers and fears her social media following will never grow. When she discovers a well behind her house, Camille wishes for a baby. After being visited by a strange creature one night, her wish comes true. Soon, Camille realizes that all wishes come with a warning as her pregnancy rapidly progresses and she begins to crave raw meat.

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Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward (2/24)

Nowhere is an abandoned ranch that is a home for runaways and rumored to be haunted by the movie-star who used to own it. Now, two siblings are running to Nowhere in the dark of the night hoping to find freedom. Escaping the evil they once knew, something darker is waiting for them at Nowhere.

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Small Town Slasher by Stephanie Rose (3/3)

Jenna is a horror fanatic who has just come to rural Montana for a stay at a horror themed rental cabin. Hoping this adventure will help with her struggles with anxiety, the small town of Marion has been haunted by a massacre. 25 years ago, the Bitter Butcher killed eleven people, ending on the land that Jenna’s vacation cabin sits on. Shortly after arriving in Marion, a body is found and new killings start to happen all tied to the original massacre. Teaming up with two locals, Jenna, must find out what secret the town is hiding before she’s the next victim.

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Mother Is Watching by Karma Brown (3/17)

Tilly is a thirty-nine-year-old mother and art conservator. Her latest task is to restore The Mother, a painting believed to be work of a female surgeon who created this painting after a personal tragedy. It is rumored to be the fourth piece in a collection that’s known to only have three works. After receiving the painting, Tilly finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, fighting off insect swarms, receiving visits from her dead mother, and hearing sinister whispers. Now, Tilly realizes the only way to escape these hauntings is to destroy The Mother before The Mother reveals her own plans.

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Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher (3/24)

In the year 1899, Sonia Wilson is a scientific illustrator who is beginning to lose hope as she has no work or prospects. When the reclusive Dr. Halder offers Sonia a job illustrating his insect collection, she doesn’t hesitate to move into his North Carolina manor. Upon arriving, she finds herself wondering what happened to Dr. Halder’s wife, why the animals are acting strangely, and what is the origin of the rumors of “blood thiefs?” Joining forces with a local healer and the housekeeper, she finds Dr. Halder’s studies include parasitic maggots that burrow themselves in human flesh and experiments that may put her in extreme danger.

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The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore (3/24)

Zina is in her twenties living a quiet life with her grandmother, Baba Valya, since her mother’s death. The two own a tearoom on rue Daru in Paris where they serve tea by day and perform seances at night for their loyal clientele. When Princess Olga and her brother arrive looking for answers in their father’s disappearance, Zina performs the seance. Upon summoning the Grand Duke, he begins to haunt her shop and hints that he knows something dark and disturbing about her mother’s death.

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Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas (3/31)

Emmett Truesdale is a retail worker who has never met the “beauty standards” of Southern California. At over three hundred pounds, Emmett carries his childhood trauma internally and externally. Now he feels stuck in his job, his love life, and his body after trying every diet imaginable. Feeling desperate, he enrolls in the clinical trial for a weight loss product called Obexity. Although the treatment is awful, the results are incredible and it seems like everything in Emmett’s life improves overnight. Side effects of Obexity include lost time, overwhelming cravings, and the disappearance of people who mistreated him. As the police warn the public of a cannibalistic killer on the loose, Emmette fears he is turning into a monster.

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Witch Queen Rising by Savannah Stephens (4/21)

There’s no greater honor for a New Orleans witchkin than to become the Prime, a witch chosen to rule. Meant to pass between two rival Houses of magic, this title is not meant for the wayward daughter of a former Prime who died under mysterious circumstances. Seraphine was titled the Tick Witch for her ability to feed on magic and make it her own, a powerful outcast who is not only feared but misunderstood. Now, she must earn the respect of her people, the politics of the paranormal, and heal her broken heart from her werewolf ex as she navigates power-hungry vampires and the skeletons in her family’s closet.

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The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer (4/21)

Macy Mullins is unexpectedly drawn to a caretaker job posting. For three days of work and competitive pay, it seems like just what she needs after having bad luck with her recent job interviews. Besides, Macy knows she can’t be picky right now. What’s three days of work? After arriving a house surrounded by the Oregon Coast wilderness, Macy finds that this side gig meant to help provide for her younger sister soon becomes a nightmare.

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Molka by Monika Kim (4/28)

Molka is an abbreviation for molrae-kamera, or a hidden camera meant to capture images and videos for voyeurs. IT technician Junyoung has the network which reaches the whole office he works at in Seoul. He can see it all. When the women in the building are dismissive of him, he pulls up images and remembers he is the one who holds the power. When Junyoung meets the romantic Dahye, she seems to be different than the other women. Dahye is sick of living in the shadow of her older sister who died tragically years ago. The only one who truly seems to appreciate Dahye is her rich, handsome, and famous boyfriend. When a scandal rocks the city, Dahye’s fairytale dreams turn into a nightmare as Junyoung’s obsessions grows darker and Dahye is willing to go to extreme measures for revenge.

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