Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
Horror readers, it might be c-c-c-c-cold outside, but you know what’s truly going to give you the chills? These horror books coming out in December. That’s right. The year is almost over, but there are still plenty of days left in 2025 for a few more good scares.
So if you want your December to be more about the thrills and chills than the holly and jolly, make sure to check out these frightening reads hitting shelves this month.
Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher (47North, December 1)
T. Kingfisher’s horror fantasy novel follows a young woman named Selena who is in the middle of an unhappy marriage, barely has any money, and only has one true friend: a dog named Copper. Desperate for a fresh start, Selena flees a remote desert town called Quartz Creek in search of her aunt. Instead, she discovers that her Aunt Amelia is dead and that Quartz Creek is inhabited by more than people. Ancient gods and malevolent spirits claim that the land belongs to them, and Selena is visited by disturbing apparitions that seem to want something from her.
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Down Came the Spiders by Ally Russell (Scholastic, December 2)
Love spiders? Afraid of spiders? Then you need to read this middle grade novel that’s Arachnophobia meets Five Nights at Freddy’s. Andi, a 12-year-old spider enthusiast, is thrilled when she comes across a new species of spiders at a Halloween party. These spiders are incredibly strong, good at disguising themselves, and capable of building webs strong enough to entrap humans. When the spiders begin trapping all the adults, only Andi and her friends know enough about what’s going on to rescue them.
Midnight Somewhere by Johnny Compton (Blackstone, December 9)
A creepy short story collection by Johnny Compton, author of The Spite House and Devils Kill Devils, is just what every horror fan needs to finish out the year. In one story, a man takes a car into the past and relives one of the most horrifying memories of his life. In another, a woman attempts a strange ritual on the corpse of her dead lover. In each story, characters encounter terrors both supernatural and very real. Compton’s short stories have been compared to the works of Tananarive Due and Junji Ito.
Twin Tides by Hien Nguyen (Delacorte Press, December 9)
This YA horror novel follows Aria Nguyen and Caliste Ha, identical twins who only find out about each other after their mother is found dead in Minnesota. There are so many mysterious things about their mother’s death that Aria and Caliste don’t understand. First of all, neither of them knew she had any connection to Minnesota. But even stranger, her body hasn’t aged at all and there’s a strange bruise on her neck. Now the twins will head to the city of Les Eaux to uncover the truths about their family and their mother’s murder.
Dark Sisters by Kristi DeMeester (St. Martin’s Press, December 9)
Dark Sisters is a historical horror novel about a generational curse. It all starts with Anne Bolton: after she’s accused of witchcraft, she makes a deal with a dark entity for protection. But that deal will have lasting effects that Anne never could have predicted. In the 1950s, wife and mother Mary Shephard enters into a forbidden love affair with a woman. In the 2000s, preacher’s daughter Camilla Burson uncovers the secrets of the Dark Sisters, a folk story used to terrify young women and children.
Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L.M. Chilton (Gallery/Scout Press, December 9)
From L.M. Chilton, the author of Don’t Swipe Right, comes a new comedic slasher novel that’s perfect for horror fans who love movies like Unfriended. Kirby Cornell and her roommates did something terrible, but they thought they got away with it. That is until their ex-roommate Esme messages them in their old group chat: “Everyone in the group chat will die.” The most disturbing thing about this message? Esmie died a year ago.
Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 17, edited by Ellen Datlow
2025 is almost over, which means it’s time for another installation of Ellen Datlow’s horror anthology Best Horror of the Year. Datlow, dubbed the queen of horror anthologies, has been putting together these must-read horror collections for decades. The 17th volume features an incredible group of horror authors, including Stephen King, Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Tananarive Due, Carmen Maria Machado, Joe Hill, Laird Barron, Mira Grant, and more!
Horror fans, as this year draws to a close, it’s also nice to look back and reflect on the best horror books of the year, so make sure to check out our picks! We’ll see you next year for even more horror book recommendations.
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