Mother Horror’s Guide to Dark & Disturbing Fiction in 2025 

Release date: January 2025, 495 pages 

A story about a home in Florida in the 1970s that accepts teen girls in a crisis pregnancy to facilitate their prenatal care, room, and board, assist in childbirth, and help find an adoptive family for the baby. 

The girls are abandoned by their families, left to fend for themselves during a time in their lives when they need to be supported the most. Grady Hendrix draws the reader in with high stakes and emotional investment right away. 

Through humorous and clever dialogue, Hendrix brings the characters to life on the page. 

Readers should know that the horror of this story isn’t in the form of supernatural monsters under the bed or ancient evil spirits—it's in the harrowing day-to-day struggle of young girls weighed down by overwhelming burdens and responsibilities they should never have to face alone. 

But girls and women survive by their instincts and resiliency, so the satisfaction of reading this book is in the journey of not just surviving, but thriving.  

Release date: January 2025, 352 pages 

A taut, psychological thriller centered around new mothers and/or pregnancy, with paranormal/supernatural elements and an intimate exposure behind the closed door of a marriage. 

Oh! And an unreliable, unlikable narrator; all of this with, Clever Little Thing.  

The most entertaining and compelling aspect of this book was that even though I had a sense of where the story was headed, I never once expected exactly how it would get there. 

Things go off the rails. The main character is exhausting in the way she leaps to wild conclusions for no reason, but it was fun. 

I had a good time putting this one together, and the author was great at keeping all the important cards close to her chest while allowing a few clues to reveal just enough to keep me hooked. 

If you enjoy creepy kids, paranoid first-time parents, juicy drama, and unexpected twists and turns, this is for you. 

Release date: January 2025, 178 pages 

I speak directly to horror fans who have previously read Eric LaRocca's work and are familiar with recurring themes of human depravity, disordered thinking, obsession/possession, love and pain, grief and loss, and toxic relationships...this is the definitive book marking a serious evolution—I can see the stretch marks of growth and skill. 

Honestly, I feel like everything that has come before this book, served as neon signs that point to At Dark, I Become Loathsome. I'm excited for future books! 

Release date: January 2025, 208 pages 

This is the story of a female psychopath who is completely void of empathy—casually cruel with a blood lust. 

Like all quality horror stories, the author brings the characters to life on the page so that the stakes feel high. This isn't just a serial killer slashing through a body count. 

There is substance and weight behind every action, coupled with a sharp wit and dark humor. I was completely entertained as a fly on the wall in this estate, watching Winifred slither through every situation like a poisonous snake in the grass. 

The pages fly by, and it's over way too quickly. I enjoyed every moment.

I will warn you: this story is pretty extreme. 

The reader knows what is going to ultimately happen, there are clues dropped here and there. The narrator breaks the 4th wall and talks directly to you a few times. 

So just know what you're getting into before diving in too deep. 

Release Date: February 2025, 400 pages 

Violet Zennor, a highly-skilled assassin, is thrust onto the fabled Crimson Road—a place steeped in myth and magic—against her will. 

She is a weapon forged by her father since childhood, not just in skill, but in purpose to do her father’s bidding as a deadly assassin. For readers drawn to dark fantasy with a heavy dose of horror, The Crimson Road is essential. 

Slatter’s signature storytelling never disappoints—it delivers everything I crave when I open a book hoping to fall in love. 

A female protagonist who is flawed yet relatable, who takes no shit but does no harm. Terrifying, gruesome antagonists.

Plus, a touch of romance and storytelling that keeps the pages turning. 

I am the exact target audience for Slatter's Sourdough Universe; standalone novels and stories connected by the same world and recurring characters. 

Her female leads are clever, capable, and captivating—impossible not to invest in. The Crimson Road checks all the boxes for fans of gothic, dark fantasy, and horror. 

Slatter’s prose is both lush and inviting, wrapping readers in a masterfully crafted world of witches, vampires, and iconic folkloric creatures. 

Release date: February 2025, 128 pages 

This was a strange read.

At times, I considered not finishing, but something kept pulling me back. I couldn’t let go. 

The spider element proved to be too much for this arachnophobe. Tarantulas being eaten or handled? No, thank you. 

But the monster, Anatema (a spider-like humanoid) was both alarming and fascinating. 

The author’s vivid descriptions of her features and movements were unsettling in the best way. There’s a whimsical, dark fantasy vibe that reminded me of Coraline or James and the Giant Peach. 

I could easily picture this story as a stop-motion film, rich with eerie, vibrant details. For readers who enjoy the strange and peculiar, this book delivers.  

If you can embrace the bizarre, you’ll find something uniquely captivating here. 

I may not have been the perfect audience, but I know this book will find its people. 

Release date: January 2025, 336 pages 

Alright horror readers, Mask of the Deer Hunter is a genre-blending debut where “gritty crime thriller” meets “eco-horror” meets” indigenous folklore,” with unflinching social commentary and a protagonist you’re not always sure you should root for. 

Carrie is complicated, messy, and grieving the loss of her daughter. As the new tribal marshal, Starr is navigating the familiar tensions of trying to belong to her father's Native community, law enforcement, and battling townspeople with oil interests. 

The novel’s examination of systemic failures is razor-sharp, though at times, Carrie’s haunted past and addiction struggles slow the momentum. 

Carrie's visions—are they the work of a vengeful spirit or just trauma bleeding through reality? 

The novel keeps you guessing, sometimes to its detriment, but I can’t help but hope for a sequel to flesh out those secondary characters. 

If you love rural, small-town dynamics, social commentary on issues Indigenous people face, flawed, morally gray, capable, female protagonists, and a deeply layered mystery involving eco-related horrors and folklore/legends—this is your book! 

Release date: February 2025, 336 pages

Recommended for readers who enjoy getting their brains dirty for the sake of a well-told horror story. 

It's gruesome and graphic, heart-wrenching and haunting. A masterpiece of psychological horror and raw emotion, The Lamb is a daring look at the darkest manifestations of love and longing. 

The vibes linger long after the final page. Rose’s storytelling is hypnotic, wrapping the reader in a sticky, sensory world that pulses with dread. 

The prose is lush and succulent, I was hanging on every word. It’s also disturbing as hell, but more importantly, utterly devastating and soul-crushing.

I felt breathless while I read the final chapters. 

Truly terrifying. Real horror.

A solid contender for best 2025 

Release date: February 2025, 337 pages 

Once again, Barnett masterfully plays with the outsider dynamic: newcomers to this insular community stumble into what appears to be an idyllic coastal town, only to realize that something is very, very wrong beneath the surface. 

Like Withered Hill, Scuttler’s Cove is steeped in tension and dread, weaving traditional folk horror tropes into a unique, modern story. 

Eerie, rural small village vibes with hidden secrets are exposed slowly as the story progresses. 

While the creeping tension is deliciously unsettling, the pacing does drag in certain sections. Some moments feel overly drawn out, making the build-up more frustrating than suspenseful. 

Still, when Scuttler’s Cove picks up speed, it delivers in all the ways folk horror fans crave—atmosphere, strange traditions, and a lingering sense of unease. 

 If Withered Hill was your jam, Scuttler’s Cove would scratch that same itch.  

Release date: February 2025, 352 pages 

What makes Listen to Your Sister such a compelling debut is its refusal to be boxed in. It’s terrifying and hilarious, familiar yet strange. 

Viel’s writing style feels like a slippery thing through my fingers—I couldn't quite get my hands around it. I felt disoriented and a little lost, but at the same time, I had an understanding that this was deliberate.  

I was not supposed to "get it" or “figure it all out.” This is horror that understands its power.  

Highly recommend to horror fans who are craving unique storytelling voices that are not afraid to flip horror tropes and story constructs on their head. 

This is for readers who love horror and comedy and people who enjoy flawed, realistic characters that make mistakes but try to do the right thing. 

Prepare to give your hearts away to this family. 

Release date: January 2025, 368 pages 

Recently orphaned sisters are picked up by their wealthy aunt who has terrible secrets. The girls each have distinct paranormal gifts which threaten their aunt's ability to hide her secrets and maintain her lifestyle. 

The setup starts well enough: the author establishes multiple POVs between all three main characters, and we get to know them very well. 

The development of the story is a little slow (not yummy Gothic slow, just slow, slow). 

Aunt Clara is over-the-top selfish and villainous. She reminded me of Cruella DeVille, which is fine, but it did affect the level of investment. 

The two girls are quite entertaining as young, inexperienced mediums/witches learning to use their powers. After moving into their aunt’s house, they quickly realize it’s haunted by menacing spirits (who are a bit scary at times). 

The ghosts reveal secrets that lead to some startling revelations. Perfect for readers who prefer spooky over scary. Great lighthearted, campy, psychological suspense, and ghostly vibes for Spooky Season. 

Characters you love to hate, family drama, and just desserts. 

Release date: February 2025, 368 pages 

In the same vein as Beloved by Toni Morrison, Junie is a haunting ghost story rooted in historical horror. 

Erin Crosby Eckstine pulls readers into a past confronting the brutality of pre-Civil War America, where history itself is the most terrifying threat of all. 

At its heart, Junie is a coming-of-age ghost story. The main protagonist, sixteen-year-old Junie, is a housemaid for a teen girl of the same age named Violet. 

Junie's whole family lives on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama. Just recently, Junie lost her older sister, Minnie, to some kind of health complication after she rescued Junie from drowning. 

Minnie's ghost calls to Junie from the woods, insisting that three tasks be completed before it’s too late.

What makes Junie especially difficult is its unflinching portrayal of the period. There is no way to soften the realities of racism and violence against enslaved people, or the cruelty that thrives in a society built on oppression and subjugation.  

Domestic abuse against women and enslaved people is woven into the fabric of daily life...and yet, through all the trauma, there are moments of care, love, and quiet resilience.

Release date: February 25, 2025 | 304 pages 

I read this book after I met my deadline for last month’s article so I’m including it in the March round-up because it cannot be missed! I was completely hooked on this audiobook.

I bought it through Libro FM which is an amazing audiobook service that shares revenue with the local bookstore of your choice! Highly recommend.

I went in with no expectations, having only read the initial hook and skipping the synopsis entirely. The folk horror elements were exceptionally well done—immersive and unsettling in all the right ways.

The main character, Mina, is given the opportunity to counsel a young girl suffering from what she claims is a witch haunting her. A small-town mystery develops while weaving in a paranormal thread of witchcraft, the occult, and village folklore.

Mina’s backstory, her complicated marriage, and her bond with fellow grief survivors were just as compelling as the supernatural elements and made her super relatable.

The buildup to the central conflict was paced perfectly, making it easy to stay invested in both the emotional and eerie aspects of the story. 

Release date: March 1, 2025 | 270 pages 

Shy Girl shows Mia Ballard’s growth as an author from her debut, Sugar, to this darker, more refined work. The story follows Gia, a lonely, broke, and depressed woman with OCD, who turns to a sugar-daddy dating website out of desperation.

She meets Nathan, a wealthy man who offers to erase her debts—if she agrees to live as his pet. What starts as a bizarre arrangement between consenting adults quickly spirals into something far more sinister.

Ballard masterfully builds tension, letting Gia’s descent unfold at a slow, unsettling pace. The red flags are clearly visible to the reader, but the true horror sneaks up gradually, making it impossible to look away.

As Nathan’s control deepens, Gia’s autonomy erodes piece by piece, leaving her trapped in a nightmare that feels chillingly real. This is human horror at its most disturbing—far more terrifying than anything supernatural.

Shy Girl is a deeply unsettling, boundary-pushing read that will appeal to horror fans seeking feminist narratives unafraid to explore explicit violence and trauma.

But be warned: this one does not hold back. 

Release date: March 4, 2025 | 192 pages 

The Unworthy is an unsettling fever dream of horror that completely wrecked me. Bazterrica’s non-linear, disorienting style throws you right into the shattered mind of an unnamed nun documenting the nightmare of her convent.

Isolated in a world ruined by climate disaster, the sect follows a sadistic leader who thrives on pain, ritual, and control. 

The nuns—more prisoners than believers—mutilate themselves and each other in pursuit of a twisted “enlightenment.” Their faith isn’t in any god but in suffering, a purity doctrine that feels disturbingly familiar.

It’s brutal, exhausting, and impossible to look away from. What makes this one hit harder than Tender Is the Flesh is the intimacy. 

Tender was cold, clinical. The Unworthy is raw, vulnerable, and even more haunting for it. 

Release date: March 4, 2025 | 400 Pages 

Confession time: this was a cover buy. The cozy, Gothic aesthetic and wintry look immediately drew me in. It wasn’t until I started reading that I realized it was also a Christmastime book! 

At first, the opening chapters gave me YA vibes, which is fine, but I did show up thinking this was an adult Gothic thriller.

However, once the two main characters, Gilly and Violet, arrive at Thornleigh Hall, everything changes.

The atmosphere grows darker, more dreadful—and I was hooked. There were moments when I genuinely couldn’t believe what I was reading. I had no idea the story would take such a thrilling turn, and I was pleasantly surprised.

If you liked the movie Saltburn, you’ll definitely pick up on similar vibes—not an exact match, but some shared tropes. I also sensed Little Women influences, particularly in the dynamic between the three sisters and the “new friend” who wants to be part of their world.  

I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories about toxic female friendships and complicated family relationships. It delivers a strong sense of dread, a cozy Gothic setting, and unexpected twists that go far beyond what the cover suggests. 

Think of it as a sinister Anne of Green Gables. I loved every moment of it. 

Release date: March 11, 2025 | 36 pages 

Alix E. Harrow returns with another dark fantasy Amazon Original, once again weaving a story around a Knight. If you haven’t read The Six Deaths of the Saint, please treat yourself—it’s one of the best short stories I have ever read. 

The Knight and the Butcherbird takes place in a dystopian Appalachian village called Iron Hollow, where the townspeople have summoned a legendary Knight to hunt a demon lurking in their woods.

But they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the hunt. A local woman known as the Secretary follows the Knight into the forest, driven by her own motives. 

I loved this showdown between an old man and a young woman—it had shades of Arya and The Hound from A Song of Ice and Fire. Harrow has a rare gift for saying so much, so succinctly and The Knight and the Butcherbird is a perfect example of that.

I didn’t expect that in just thirty pages, I’d get artisan-crafted characters, a fully realized dystopian world I could see and feel, and a story that pulled me in completely

Release date: March 18 | 384 pages 

The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn is a dark, compelling story about Piers, a woman fleeing her violent marriage who discovers she comes from a line of Bane Witches—women who ingest deadly plants to rid the world of evil men.

When a serial killer threatens her aunt’s small mountain town, Piers must decide whether to keep running or use her newfound powers to help stop the killer.

The witch lore is fresh and fascinating, but the pacing drags at times, making it hard to stay fully engaged. Piers is also tough to connect with—her decisions often feel unmotivated, and she comes across as unlikable, especially early on.

The romance subplot felt unnecessary, distracting from the “good for her” energy at the story’s core. Despite these issues, the high-stakes kept me hooked.

This is a unique genre blend that might appeal to readers who enjoy dark, supernatural thrillers with themes of female empowerment, inheritance, and justice—but be warned, this isn’t the cozy, cottage-core witch story the cover suggests. 

Release Date: March 18, 2025 | 448 pages 

Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones left me emotionally drained in the best way. There’s no distance between the reader and the protagonist’s suffering—it pulls you in, immersing you in the dark truth of the American West.

As always with SGJ, it took a minute for the story to grab me, and I was worried for a second (this happens a lot when I start one of his books).

But then I remembered who I’m dealing with—this is a story that demands full presence and attention. Almost 500 pages later, I was wrecked. 

This book hurts. The title gives a hint about the brutal hunting of buffalo, but worse are the human monsters hunting not just the buffalo but the people who live alongside them.

Yet, the title repeats itself for a reason—there’s someone hunting the hunters.

That’s where SGJ works his magic, reclaiming the historical narrative with horror and heart. His manipulation of vampire lore is brilliant and unexpected, adding layers of transformation and identity that hit hard without spoiling the raw horror readers should experience for themselves.

Fans of Dr. Jones will not be disappointed.

This delivers all the expected horror and heart, set against a historical backdrop that flips the script, much like Earthdivers, giving voice to Indigenous people fighting colonization, oppression, and persecution at the hands of white patriarchal systems built to ravage, destroy, and kill. 

Release date: March 25, 2025 | 368 pages 
 
Blood on Her Tongue is an unsettling and deeply atmospheric gothic horror novel set in the Netherlands in the year 1887. The bond between twin sisters Lucy and Sarah is tested by illness, grief, and something mysterious and sinister.

The novel leans into psychological distress with the threat of Lucy possibly be sent away to an asylum and body horror. Sarah’s transformation is both disturbing and impossible to look away from.

The writing is immersive and relentless with claustrophobic tension and almost no setting changes. The narrative structure serves the story’s repetitive beats, creating a cyclical sense of dread.

While some may find this approach too confining, it certainly amplifies the novel’s suffocating allure (but it was frustrating at times).

The horror is both physical and thematic: the grotesque changes in Sarah’s body, the chilling power dynamics at play, and the age-old question of how far one will go for family. The inclusion of queer history is seamlessly woven in, adding depth without distraction. 

Uncompromising, bloody, and suffocatingly gothic, Blood on Her Tongue is an immersive novel.

Not for the faint of heart, but highly recommended for those who crave horror that celebrates the style of slow-burning Gothic while infusing it with modern body horror. 

Release date: March 25 | 388 pages 

I love when fiction throws a married couple into the “let’s fix our problems by moving to a small town” scenario—especially when that town is full of secrets.

Set after COVID, the story follows a woman who closes her successful restaurant and jumps at an opportunity in the South where towns offer homes for a dollar to attract new residents.

She convinces her husband to move with their young daughter, snagging a farmhouse and a loan to open a new restaurant. Things get entertaining fast as the townsfolk start acting strange, and the town’s dark history slowly unravels.

Yes, things get a little far-fetched, but I was fully along for the ride. Fans of creepy cults and buried secrets will enjoy untangling this tale chapter by chapter.

Perfect for fans of slow-burn Southern Gothic, small-town drama, and cautionary tales about how “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”