Best horror books to read

Reading lists

The best horror books to read this spooky season

An illustration of Penguin books on a playmat with toys

Main-Difficult-Second-Novel.jpg

Features

What it’s like writing that tricky second novel

An Academy for Liars

This darkly gorgeous story is a lavish feast for fans of gothic horror. One of my top reads of the year!

The perfect blend of gothic horror and dark academia. It grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until long after its final pages. Lennon’s is a vicious and gloriously unsettling tale of power, betrayal, and the bloody price of ambition.

FRANCESCA MAY, author of Wild and Wicked Things

Alexis Henderson turns her incredible eye for the upsetting to academia, and delivers a campus novel saturated with violence, desire, and power. It's a book with blood on its lips, and I loved it completely.

ALIX E. HARROW, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January  

A modern-day Anne Rice, Henderson has a gift for creating a world engorged with desire and death.

An Academy for Liars is propulsive, thought provoking, and sexy - Alexis Henderson is in a class of her own.

HANNAH WHITTEN, author of The Foxglove King

Dark academia stunner infused with Henderson's signature style – it's lush, atmospheric, imaginative and impossible to put down.

Perfect for the darker nights, this atmospheric novel is one for lovers of dark academia.

Alexis Henderson is a speculative fiction writer with a penchant for dark fantasy, witchcraft and cosmic horror. Growing up in one of America’s most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, instilled in her a life-long love of ghost stories. When she doesn’t have her nose buried in a book, you can find her painting or watching horror movies with her feline familiar. Her acclaimed adult books include The Year of the Witching, House of Hunger and An Academy for Liars. Her debut YA novel, When I Was Death, publishes in March 2026.

‘Saturated with violence, desire, and power. It's a book with blood on its lips, and I loved it completely.’ ALIX E. HARROW 
 
'Alexis Henderson is one of the best Gothic writers out there.' HANNAH WHITTEN 
 
‘Dark academia stunner infused with Henderson's signature style – it's lush, atmospheric, imaginative and impossible to put down.’ RACHEL HARRISON 
 
'A modern-day Anne Rice, Henderson has a gift for creating a world engorged with desire and death.' THE NEW YORK TIMES 
 
Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart. 
 
Until she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to sit the entrance exam for somewhere few have heard of – Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. 
 
Lennon doesn’t know it yet, but she is special. She possesses the innate gift of persuasion: the ability to wield her will like a weapon, controlling others, and even matter itself. But this is a devastating power than Lennon must learn how to master. 
 
While persuasion takes a heavy toll on her body and her mind, she is captivated by all that surrounds her – her studies, Drayton’s lush campus and, most of all, Dante – the charismatic adviser who both intimidates and enamours her. 
 
But the longer that Lennon spends at Drayton, learning to wield her uncanny abilities, the more she uncovers about Drayton’s unsettling history, and Dante’s tragic and violent past. 
 
For it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption and darkness . . . and it’s a test she’s terrified she is going to fail.

the shiver-inducing, skin-prickling, mouth-watering feast of a Gothic novel

House of Hunger

NOMINATED FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL in the GOODREADS READERS CHOICE AWARDS... 
 
'A lurid, luscious debauch of a book.' Guardian 
 
'An unforgettable feast of decadence and depravity, House of Hunger cements Henderson's place as one of the great gothic writers of our generation.' S T GIBSON, author of A Dowry of Blood 
 
A young woman is drawn into the upper echelons of a society where blood is power in this dark and enthralling Gothic novel from the author of The Year of the Witching. 
 
WANTED: A bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life's finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply. 
 
Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation are all she knows. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a strange advertisement in the newspaper, seeking a 'bloodmaid'. 
 
Though she knows little about the far north - where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service - Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery - and there, at the centre of it all is her. 
 
Her name is Countess Lisavet. Loved and feared in equal measure, she presides over this hedonistic court. And she takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, charismatic, seductive - and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing in the night, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She'll need to learn the rules of her new home - and fast - or its halls will soon become her grave.

An unforgettable feast of decadence and depravity, House of Hunger cements Henderson's place as one of the great gothic writers of our generation. Readers will be absolutely spellbound by this sinister, scintillating tale.

The kind of book that deserves to be devoured. Deliciously brutal, hypnotic, and brimming with ravenous malice, Alexis Henderson has crafted a bloody, sapphic fever dream of a novel and I can't wait to read it again.

Has something of the grotesque novelty of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast, tinged red by a Clive Barker-esque blending of blood and sex . . . a lurid, luscious debauch of a book.

A gory gem of a story that sinks in its teeth and won't let up, House of Hunger proves that Alexis Henderson is one of the best Gothic writers out there.

A dark, blood-filled fantasy that's dripping in gothic vibes . . . dread and desire simmer from the pages of this unsettling and lushly written horror. It'll have you simulatenously wanting to look away and keep reading.

Delicious . . . House of Hunger's Dickensian plot and gorgeous Victorian steampunk setting make it a pleasure to read . . . like a modern-day Anne Rice, Henderson has a gift for creating a world engorged with desire and death.

A beguiling Gothic feast. Every lush, gorgeous page oozes atmosphere and delicious dread. Alexis Henderson is an exhilarating talent, creating rich new worlds that terrify and enchant. House of Hunger is an exceptional work of dark fantasy. Magnificent.

RACHEL HARRISON, author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle

Gritty, Sapphic, Gothic . . . rich with suspense and intrigue, the novel is equal measures addicitve and haunting.

House of Hunger is gorgeous and lushly dark, a nightmare vision that will pull you into its terrifying grip. Alexis Henderson is a master at creating enthralling fear.

SIMONE ST JAMES, author of The Book of Cold Cases

With decadent prose as bewitching and as dangerously sharp as a rare gemstone that could slice you open at any moment, Alexis Henderson's House of Hunger is a Gothic masterpiece that demands to linger like the coppery scent of blood in the air long after the final page is turned.

ERIK LaROCCA, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

Readers will devour every page of House of Hunger. Alexis Henderson delivers a chilling, atmospheric tale shrouded in mystery, indulgence, deceit, and dangerous consequences.

N.E.DAVENPORT, author of The Blood Trials

With sumptuous prose and decadent, Gothic atmosphere, Alexis Henderson spins a lush tale of depravity, sensuality, and horror that kept me on my toes until the bitter end.

Bloody and atmospheric with a seething undercurrent of dread, House of Hunger will lull you into a false sense of security just before baring its teeth. Fans of gothic horror will not want to miss this novel.

GENEVIEVE GORNICHEC, author of The Witch's Heart

Breathlessly paced and dripping with gothic decadence, Henderson's second novel . . . cements her status as one of horror's best new voices . . . a fascinating new spin on vampires that combines gory but gorgeous imagery and searing social commentary.

Sexy and queer and monstrous and very bloody . . . House of Hunger is a killer sophomore novel from Alexis Henderson. She has more than earned her place on my list of auto-read authors. Fans of gothic horror, sexy blood drinkers, and sapphic fantasy should move this to the top of their TBR.

Henderson knows exactly what makes the gothic novel work, combining lush and lurid prose with beautiful scenery . . . House of Hunger is a novel as rich and dark as any blood shed by its heroines.

NOMINATED FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL in the GOOD READS READERS CHOICE AWARDS... 
 
'A lurid, luscious debauch of a book.' Guardian 
 
'An unforgettable feast of decadence and depravity, House of Hunger cements Henderson's place as one of the great gothic writers of our generation.' S T GIBSON, author of A Dowry of Blood 
 
A young woman is drawn into the upper echelons of a society where blood is power in this dark and enthralling Gothic novel from the author of The Year of the Witching. 
 
WANTED: A bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life's finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply. 
 
Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation are all she knows. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a strange advertisement in the newspaper, seeking a 'bloodmaid'. 
 
Though she knows little about the far north - where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service - Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery - and there, at the centre of it all is her. 
 
Her name is Countess Lisavet. Loved and feared in equal measure, she presides over this hedonistic court. And she takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, charismatic, seductive - and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing in the night, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She'll need to learn the rules of her new home - and fast - or its halls will soon become her grave.

The Year of the Witching

In a rigid, repressive society, a young woman discovers dark powers within herself with terrifying, far-reaching consequences . . .The Handmaid's Tale meets The Village in this stunningly original feminist debut.

The Handmaid's Tale meets The Village in this stunning feminist debut . . . 
 
Shortlisted for the GoodReads Choice Awards 2020 for Best Debut Novel and Best Horror Novel . . . 
 
'A magnificent, raw slice of folk horror, dark with threat and clenched with suspense . . . a brilliant debut to chill the brightest summer day' DAILY MAIL 
 
'Thrillingly brisk and bracing . . . it takes the best tropes of horror and witchcraft and gives them a refreshingly feminist twist.' 
 
S.A. CHAKRABORTY, author of The City of Brass 
 
Born on the fringes of Bethel, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. For it was in Bethel that the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, and so cleansed the land. 
 
And then a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel. 
 
It is a forbidden place, haunted by the spirits of the witches who bestow an extraordinary gift on Immanuelle. The diary of her dead mother . . . 
 
Fascinated by and fearful of the secrets the diary reveals, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once consorted with witches. And as the truth about the Prophets, the Church and their history is revealed, so Immanuelle understands what must be done. For the real threat to Bethel is its own darkness. 
 
Bethel must change. And that change will begin with her . . . 
 
And readers have been bewitched: 
'I absolutely could not put it down' ***** 
'Hecking scary and tense, it gave me goosebumps more than once' ***** 
'Absolutely stunning read' ***** 
'A truly OUTSTANDING read! I am so glad I picked up this book' *****

'A magnificent, raw slice of folk horror, dark with threat and clenched with suspense . . . a brilliant debut to chill the brightest summer day.

A thrillingly brisk and bracing tale of magic and power, I loved this book. It takes the best tropes of horror and witchcraft and gives them a refreshingly feminist twist.

S.A. CHAKRABORTY, author of The City of Brass

A dark, dramatic tale of oppression and rebellion, ideology and morality, with a complicated, appealing protagonist caught in a Handmaid's Tale nightmare . . . a fine addition to the body of feminist fantasy works, a great read.

LOUISA MORGAN, author of The Age of Witches

Bewitching . . . Henderson offers a powerful portrait of patriarchal, racial, and religious abuses . . . conjuring a sense of creeping dread and maintaining the pacing throughout. This riveting work announces Henderson as an exciting new voice in dark fantasy.

Slow burn horror crossed with a powerfully feminist coming-of-age novel . . . this book will haunt your dreams.

Beautifully sinister and beguiling, The Year of the Witching is blood-drenched, horrific and enchanting from start to finish.

Bone-chilling and breathtakingly beautiful . . . The Year of the Witching is storytelling at its finest.

The Year of the Witching blew me away. It's a masterpiece.

A masterfully eerie, feminist story that binds itself to the reader's mind and won't let go. Alexis Henderson is an author to watch.

Gothic, dark and utterly enthralling, this is a world I wanted to sink into and never leave. I adored this book.

The Year of the Witching tells a universal, timeless story about women's power.

The perfect dark, witchy escape to make you feel a little better about the world we live in now.

Alexis Henderson is giving us dark magic, Black witches, creepy woods and small religious towns, historical realness, and I'm here for it.

This is an intensely dark read and one of the most original books I've read in a long time.

Henderson blends the supernatural with the real, expertly and ingeniously using dark witchcraft, sigils, and magical plagues to weave in real world themes and issues like racism, the oppression and silencing of women, and religious abuse.

This is one of the best, righteously angriest books I've read this year, and I cannot recommend it enough.

The Handmaid's Tale meets The Village in this stunning feminist debut . . . 
 
Shortlisted for the GoodReads Choice Awards 2020 for Best Debut Novel and Best Horror Novel . . . 
 
'A magnificent, raw slice of folk horror, dark with threat and clenched with suspense . . . a brilliant debut to chill the brightest summer day' DAILY MAIL 
 
'Thrillingly brisk and bracing . . . it takes the best tropes of horror and witchcraft and gives them a refreshingly feminist twist.' 
 
S.A. CHAKRABORTY, author of The City of Brass 
 
Born on the fringes of Bethel, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. For it was in Bethel that the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, and so cleansed the land. 
 
And then a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel. 
 
It is a forbidden place, haunted by the spirits of the witches who bestow an extraordinary gift on Immanuelle. The diary of her dead mother . . . 
 
Fascinated by and fearful of the secrets the diary reveals, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once consorted with witches. And as the truth about the Prophets, the Church and their history is revealed, so Immanuelle understands what must be done. For the real threat to Bethel is its own darkness. 
 
Bethel must change. And that change will begin with her . . . 
 
And readers have been bewitched: 
'I absolutely could not put it down' ***** 
'Hecking scary and tense, it gave me goosebumps more than once' ***** 
'Absolutely stunning read' ***** 
'A truly OUTSTANDING read! I am so glad I picked up this book' *****

The Godfrey Home for Demonic Children

A young exorcist faces demons both real and figurative in this searing horror novel from the author of The Year of the Witching and An Academy for Liars. 
 
At eight years old, Juliet Godfrey was violently possessed by a demon who had already claimed the lives of her parents. When it proved unexpellable, she was sent to the gothic halls of the Godfrey Home for Demonically Afflicted Children, where she grew up under the mentorship and care of exorcist Luther Godfrey—and formed an uneasy truce with the demon inside of her. 
 
Twenty years after her possession, a steely-eyed Juliet travels the country as an exorcist herself, removing powerful (and often violent) demons from their human hosts, and occasionally referring the rare children like her, who are infected with particularly dangerous demons, to the Godfrey Home. 
 
When Luther Godfrey dies following the unexplained disappearance of Seth, one of his troubled young charges, Juliet returns home for the first time in many years to attend his funeral. But upon her arrival, Juliet discovers that Luther left Godfrey House, and the care of all its students, to her. As the house’s new matron, it’s Juliet’s responsibility to protect Luther’s legacy and find his missing charge, Seth, before the dark forces that stalk him claim his life…and his soul.

A young exorcist faces demons both real and figurative in this searing horror novel from the author of The Year of the Witching and An Academy for Liars. 
 
At eight years old, Juliet Godfrey was violently possessed by a demon who had already claimed the lives of her parents. When it proved unexpellable, she was sent to the gothic halls of the Godfrey Home for Demonically Afflicted Children, where she grew up under the mentorship and care of exorcist Luther Godfrey—and formed an uneasy truce with the demon inside of her. 
 
Twenty years after her possession, a steely-eyed Juliet travels the country as an exorcist herself, removing powerful (and often violent) demons from their human hosts, and occasionally referring the rare children like her, who are infected with particularly dangerous demons, to the Godfrey Home. 
 
When Luther Godfrey dies following the unexplained disappearance of Seth, one of his troubled young charges, Juliet returns home for the first time in many years to attend his funeral. But upon her arrival, Juliet discovers that Luther left Godfrey House, and the care of all its students, to her. As the house’s new matron, it’s Juliet’s responsibility to protect Luther’s legacy and find his missing charge, Seth, before the dark forces that stalk him claim his life…and his soul.

Alexis Henderson

Final Destination meets House of Hollow in this haunting and lyrical speculative horror about a group of girls doing Death’s bidding in exchange for preserving their own lives. 
 
When a life is saved . . . Death must be paid. 
 
Roslyn Volk isn’t herself any more. It’s been a year since her older sister, Adeline, died under suspicious circumstances, and she’s still shackled by grief. When six mysterious girls appear in town one morning, Roslyn finds herself inexplicably drawn to them, soon learning that Adeline spent her last summer with the group. 
 
Desperate to find out what really happened to her sister, Roslyn agrees to accompany the girls on their road trip. But this strange sisterhood share an inconceivable secret. All of them have been spared from Death’s clutches and now must pay for the privilege. Gifted with Death’s touch, the girls travel the country reaping souls in return for preserving their own lives. 
 
As Roslyn becomes more entangled with the girls, in particular the group's leader Shiloh who she gravitates towards, she must decide if finding closure is worth the price of striking her own deal with Death.

Alexis Henderson

Books by Alexis Henderson

Articles featuring Alexis Henderson

The best horror books to read this spooky season

What it’s like writing that tricky second novel

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter