7 YA Books to Read After Your The Haunting of Hill House Binge
Hello and welcome back to the light, friends. Across just ten episodes, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House—part adaptation of and part homage to the Shirley Jackson novel—proves itself to be creepy, compelling horror that is endlessly watchable, even if you’re watching through your fingers. If you want to keep the chills going, we’ve got a bunch of reads to preserve that sense of dread.
House of Furies
Paperback $9.99
House of Furies
By
Madeleine Roux
Illustrator
Iris Compiet
In Stock Online
Paperback $9.99
House of Furies, by Madeleine Roux
There’s not much better than a good, old-fashioned haunted house story—especially if you are not inside said haunted house. Here, Louisa Ditton has just become the new maid at Coldthistle House, a turn of events that seems like a boon until she gets familiar with Mr. Morningside, the spooky proprietor of the boarding house. As it turns out, the “guests” at Coldthistle check in…but they don’t check out, at least not on this mortal plane.
House of Furies, by Madeleine Roux
There’s not much better than a good, old-fashioned haunted house story—especially if you are not inside said haunted house. Here, Louisa Ditton has just become the new maid at Coldthistle House, a turn of events that seems like a boon until she gets familiar with Mr. Morningside, the spooky proprietor of the boarding house. As it turns out, the “guests” at Coldthistle check in…but they don’t check out, at least not on this mortal plane.
17 & Gone
Paperback $9.99
17 & Gone
Paperback $9.99
17 & Gone, by Nova Ren Suma
The true terror of Hill House isn’t (just) its literal ghosts; it’s the psychological haunting of the members of the Crain family, collectively and individually. Suma captures that same terror of the mind with Lauren, plagued by visions of missing girls. Like Lauren, all the girls in her waking nightmares are seventeen. What does it mean? Why is she seeing them? What happened to them? These are all questions she must answer before her whole life unravels.
17 & Gone, by Nova Ren Suma
The true terror of Hill House isn’t (just) its literal ghosts; it’s the psychological haunting of the members of the Crain family, collectively and individually. Suma captures that same terror of the mind with Lauren, plagued by visions of missing girls. Like Lauren, all the girls in her waking nightmares are seventeen. What does it mean? Why is she seeing them? What happened to them? These are all questions she must answer before her whole life unravels.
Diary of a Haunting
Paperback $10.99
Diary of a Haunting
By M. Verano
Paperback $10.99
Diary of a Haunting, by M. Verano
This entry in the blooming subgenre of rural occult horror starts with Paige believing the worst that could happen to her already has: after her parents’ divorce, her mother has moved her kids from Los Angeles to small-town Idaho. But then strange things start happening at the derelict mansion they’ve moved into, and Paige starts to investigate the house’s rather sinister history. Told through found materials, like photographs and journal entries, the story oozes eeriness.
Diary of a Haunting, by M. Verano
This entry in the blooming subgenre of rural occult horror starts with Paige believing the worst that could happen to her already has: after her parents’ divorce, her mother has moved her kids from Los Angeles to small-town Idaho. But then strange things start happening at the derelict mansion they’ve moved into, and Paige starts to investigate the house’s rather sinister history. Told through found materials, like photographs and journal entries, the story oozes eeriness.
Bleeding Violet
Paperback
$16.15
$20.99
Bleeding Violet
By Dia Reeves
Paperback
$16.15
$20.99
Bleeding Violet, by Dia Reeves
A story of demons inside and out, Bleeding Violet takes us to Portero, Texas, a strange town of monsters and, most importantly for stories of hauntings, secrets. New-to-town Hanna, however, is hard to spook. A biracial girl with bipolar disorder, Hanna is accustomed both to being the outsider and to hallucinations. The monsters literally running amok in Portero are only one part of her troubles, with the other being the walls that have been erected between her and her estranged mother. These twin traumas mirror the struggles of the grown Crain children in Hill House, haunted not only by spirits but by memories and by each other.
Bleeding Violet, by Dia Reeves
A story of demons inside and out, Bleeding Violet takes us to Portero, Texas, a strange town of monsters and, most importantly for stories of hauntings, secrets. New-to-town Hanna, however, is hard to spook. A biracial girl with bipolar disorder, Hanna is accustomed both to being the outsider and to hallucinations. The monsters literally running amok in Portero are only one part of her troubles, with the other being the walls that have been erected between her and her estranged mother. These twin traumas mirror the struggles of the grown Crain children in Hill House, haunted not only by spirits but by memories and by each other.
Long Way Down
Hardcover $17.99
Long Way Down
In Stock Online
Hardcover $17.99
Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds
This might be an unconventional pick: there are no haunted houses, and the story is told in verse. But there certainly are ghosts, and Reynolds’s story about an elevator ride uses its supernatural elements in the same way Hill House does: to discuss emotions and ideas much deeper. Fifteen-year-old Will saw his older brother, Shawn, gunned down. Now, gun in his waistband, he’s on the way to avenge his brother’s death. But as the elevator descends, a different ghost steps in on every floor, forcing Will not only to confront his brother’s death and the past, but also the reverberating effects of what he intends to do.
Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds
This might be an unconventional pick: there are no haunted houses, and the story is told in verse. But there certainly are ghosts, and Reynolds’s story about an elevator ride uses its supernatural elements in the same way Hill House does: to discuss emotions and ideas much deeper. Fifteen-year-old Will saw his older brother, Shawn, gunned down. Now, gun in his waistband, he’s on the way to avenge his brother’s death. But as the elevator descends, a different ghost steps in on every floor, forcing Will not only to confront his brother’s death and the past, but also the reverberating effects of what he intends to do.
Hunting Ground
Paperback $20.25
Hunting Ground
By Cliff McNish
Paperback $20.25
The Hunting Ground, by Cliff McNish
In the more traditional haunted-house genre we have The Hunting Ground, in which brothers Elliott and Ben move with their parents into Glebe House, which may or may not already be occupied by tenants in the next world. Much like Steven Crain, the boys’ father specializes in fixer-uppers, but the paranormal activities in the family’s latest home may be more than he bargained for. The key to escaping the gloom of Glebe House may be in the diary Elliott finds. But can he uncover the house’s secrets in time?
The Hunting Ground, by Cliff McNish
In the more traditional haunted-house genre we have The Hunting Ground, in which brothers Elliott and Ben move with their parents into Glebe House, which may or may not already be occupied by tenants in the next world. Much like Steven Crain, the boys’ father specializes in fixer-uppers, but the paranormal activities in the family’s latest home may be more than he bargained for. The key to escaping the gloom of Glebe House may be in the diary Elliott finds. But can he uncover the house’s secrets in time?
Possess
Paperback $9.99
Possess
Paperback $9.99
Possess, by Gretchen McNeil
Haunted dolls may be the most startling trope ever to have been created, and McNeil uses them to great effect in Possess. The dolls aren’t the only problem for Bridget Liu, who starts hearing voices in her head after her father is killed. The voices, as it turns out, belong to demons, whom Bridget must send back to the great (or terrible, maybe) beyond. Not all the spirits Bridget encounters, though, are evil, and their existence makes her mission murky—as does the interview with her father’s killer, which reveals a far broader supernatural plot.
Possess, by Gretchen McNeil
Haunted dolls may be the most startling trope ever to have been created, and McNeil uses them to great effect in Possess. The dolls aren’t the only problem for Bridget Liu, who starts hearing voices in her head after her father is killed. The voices, as it turns out, belong to demons, whom Bridget must send back to the great (or terrible, maybe) beyond. Not all the spirits Bridget encounters, though, are evil, and their existence makes her mission murky—as does the interview with her father’s killer, which reveals a far broader supernatural plot.