In the past few years, young adult horror has gone through what many book reviewers and book-adjacent writers have called a renaissance, as new authors make their mark on a longstanding genre. While horror books set in the present abound, there are also plenty of horror novels for young adults that transport readers into the past, combining the genres of horror and historical fiction.
The books here span from 16th-century Hungary to 1980s Niagara Falls and include zombies, ghosts, haunted houses, serial killers, and secret traps. You’ll meet the bloodthirsty Countess Elizabeth Báthory and go grave digging with an orphan in 1850s Philadelphia, listen to the confession of a teen girl accused of murder, and watch a young woman get ensnared inside an evil house of horrors. Each of these books features plenty of chilling moments, mixed into historical settings (and sometimes drawing on real-life, horrific tales).
Blood Countess by Lana Popović
This is the first book in the Lady Slayers series, which fictionalizes the horrifying stories of female killers. In 1500s Hungary, Anna is the new scullery maid for Countess Elizabeth Báthory, and when the Countess notices Anna’s healing abilities, it catapults her higher in the household pecking order. As Anna grows increasingly close to the Countess, she finds herself isolated from her family and friends, and increasingly willing to do whatever the Countess wants.
The Corpse Queen by Heather M. Herrman
In 1850s Philadelphia, seventeen-year-old orphan Molly Green is told she is being sent to live with an unknown, suddenly appearing aunt. Upon arriving at Aunt Ava’s, Molly discovers she really is her aunt, though estranged, and that she’s built a career around robbing graves and selling the corpses to medical schools. When a murderer begins terrorizing the city, Molly is drawn into an increasingly sinister world of missing bodies and medical secrets.
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
This alternate history set during the second half of the 1800s is perfect for horror readers who like their books action-packed with plenty of zombies. Jane McKeene was a newborn in Kentucky when the dead rose up from Gettysburg and Chancellorsville and the nation changed. Now, she is enrolled at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, in preparation for her mandatory combat service against the undead. Jane is eager to return home and doesn’t pay much attention to the politics swirling around her, until families in Baltimore start to go missing and Jane finds herself at the center of a horrifying conspiracy.
The Perfect Place to Die by Bryce Moore
In the 1890s, Zuretta is planning to live the rest of her life in Utah. But when her sister, Ruby, travels to Chicago for the World’s Fair and then disappears, Zuretta sets out across the country to find her. Taking a job at the mysterious hotel known as The Castle, Zuretta is frightened by the cries that seem to come from the walls and the women who seem to disappear from their rooms without notice. Soon, she’ll find herself ensnared in the trap of one of the most horrifying mass murderers the city has known.
All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
It’s the summer of 1958, and dead bodies, drained of their blood, are showing up across the Midwest. When the Carlson family is found murdered on their Minnesota farm, 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is the only one alive when the police show up. Marie says she’ll confess, but only to Michael Jensen, sheriff’s son and aspiring journalist. As Michael listens to Marie’s story of what happened that night, he finds himself drawn into a web of suspicion and supernatural activity.
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
And now for something a little different! Young adult horror can be hard to select, especially for readers at the younger end of the teen years who may be interested in scary stories, but are not ready for the intense chills and gore of books for older teens. For those readers, Davidson’s The Saturday Night Ghost Club is the perfect mix of a quirky cast of teens, haunted houses, and the secrets of 1980s Niagara Falls. Twelve year old Jake and his Uncle Calvin, who has an interest in conspiracy theories and the occult, invite Jake’s friends to join them in their ghost hunting club. What starts as a silly way to pass time soon becomes scarier as the club uncovers mysteries both supernatural and emotional.
Looking for more scary stories for young adult readers? Check out these YA horror new releases and these Halloween-themed horror reads.