While the dawning of a new year is all about change and resolutions, there's one tradition I'm so thrilled to be bringing with me from last year: highlighting all the wonderful indie horror releases each month! I've said it before and I'll say it again, the freshest, most chilling stories are being published (and written) by the underdogs. And we're here to help you find them.
Though many of us will be living in our own personal nightmare struggling to remember to write 2024 on all our important documents, there's plenty of real scares coming your way to kick off the year. From sinister anthologies to tense gothic terror, here are four essential horror books hitting indie and small presses this January!
Star Shapes
When an Alabama woman is kidnapped, her assailants assure her no harm will come to her. Forced to spend her days reading and feeding animals, she's more annoyed than anything. As her desire to escape wars with her growing curiosity about her captors' motives, she learns that something far stranger is at work than she could have ever imagined. The stars hold stories from the past, and these hidden tales can be dangerous…
This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on January 9th by Spooky House Press!
The Last Immortal
Lady Ramillia Winmoore may have been a highborn Victorian woman, but her life was far from simple. From the very beginning, Ramillia suffered from missing slices of her memory. She was largely grateful for the darkness—until she awoke in the West Freeman Asylum for Lunatics, held for the murder of her parents. Years of torture here wear away at her, but the salvation she finally finds with Sir Julian Lawrence may be anything but.
Ramillia and Lawrence marry and she is granted her precious freedom. But his home hides far worse terrors than any asylum. Forced to become a bloodthirsty immortal, she must assimilate into their cruel lifestyle—though she has powers she's not yet aware of.
This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on January 23rd by BHC Press!
Scissor Sisters
Reclaiming the predatory lesbian trope, this anthology edited by Rae Knowles and April Yates is one I've been anticipating for months. Dive into 21 eerie short stories centered on sapphic villains. This incredible collection features work from some of my favorite authors, including Hailey Piper, Evelyn Freeling, Caitlin Marceau, and more!
This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on January 23rd by Brigids Gate Press!
What Hides in the Cupboards
A traumatic event pushes ceramic artist Hesper Dunn to pack up her life and leave Chicago for the New Mexico desert. As charming as her new home might be on the surface, not everything is as it seems. The pueblo is haunted, both by spirits and by an old mystery. Freeing the trapped souls will free Hesper from the burden of her own guilt and grief, but to discover the truth behind the shadows around her, she must face the unthinkable.
This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on January 30th by Unnerving!
Featured image: takis politis/Unsplash
