5 YA Books for Halloween

Halloween is tomorrow, guys! I have to work, but that’s okay. We’ll still have candy, plus we carved some pumpkins. Anyway, there’s still time to read some spooky reads, even if they spill into November. After all, Christmas always creeps up on Halloween, so why can’t it be the opposite way? 😂 November is still fall, so the atmospheric element still counts.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of spooky things, though I’m better about reading them than watching them. Spooky movies most definitely aren’t my thing. I guess I’m just too jumpy for them? Plus, so many of them are so gory, and I’m not really a fan of that either. I’m all for a good, atmospheric book, though! Here are some of my favorites to fit the Halloween season.

Halloween YA Reads

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

A retelling of the fairy tale, “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” Highmoor is cursed. A manor by the sea, each of the twelve sisters keep dying mysteriously, each death getting more tragic than the one before it. Annaleigh is desperate to find out what’s happening to her sisters before the curse comes for her too. A dark mystery set by the sea, House of Salt and Sorrows is sure to give you goosebumps.

There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

After generations of protecting humanity, the Seven Prophets suddenly disappeared, leaving behind one prophecy that foretold the end of the world. Enter five teens set on a course to fulfill the prophecy, without even knowing that they’re destined to either save the world or destroy it. More of a dark fantasy, I absolutely devoured this when I read it this summer. Seriously, can’t wait for the sequel!

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Witches are constantly hunted by the Church, which is why Louise is on the run, oppressing her magic powers. But her mischievous nature accidentally gets her married to an officer in the Chasseurs, a witch hunting group. On the opposite sides of the war, Louise finds herself bound to Reid through marriage. Do the two really have anything in common? And why is Lou hiding out? This was the B&N book club pick, and witches and magic are the perfect thing for a Halloween read!

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Okay, this one maybe isn’t *technically* YA, but I’m including it anyway. Mia Corvere has a gift for speaking to the shadows, which has kept her alive thus far in her life. In order to get revenge on those that killed her family, she joins the Red Church to become a trained assassin. Will she be able to survive long enough to get through training? Full of darkness, murder, and mystery, you can now read the whole series without a cliffhanger because they’re all out!

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

Maybe I should have called this list “5 Fantasy books for Halloween” because that’s basically what it is. 😂 Fie is a part of the Crow Caste, meaning they make money through mercy-killing. When her and her group are called to collect a royal dead, she thinks they’ve finally made it. Instead, they find themselves in the middle of a family feud that might tear them apart. There’s an interesting magic system in this book based on teeth that I’ve never seen before, and you’ll be pulled in right from the first scene.