THE YOUNG BLOOD LIBRARY: ​13 YA HALLOWEEN HAUNTINGS

The thirteen offerings in this Halloween Hauntings feature have several things in common, the most important of these is that they are all outstanding reads and rank amongst the best YA dark fiction novels I have read in the cast couple of years. There is an outstanding mix of newcomers to the genre such as Amelinda Bérubé and Theresa Braun, mixing with genre big-hitters Amy Lukavics whom I have frequently reviewed and recommended on Ginger Nuts of Horror.

As it is Halloween time the inter-connecting theme of this article is hauntings, either in the context of haunted house fiction, or more personal individual hauntings. So, there are no zombies or vampires, just good old-fashioned scares. Which is, after all, the lifeblood of the genre and Halloween. 

All thirteen books have been previously reviewed on Ginger Nuts over the previous four years, so you might say I am cherry-picking some of my ‘haunting themed’ favourites in this article. All have been published in the last two or three years and the majority of the reviews are brief rewrites of longer original reviews.

They are not ranked, although the ‘Queen of YA Horror’ Amy Lukavics is undoubtedly first and she is the only author to feature twice. Sadly, Amy did not publish a novel in 2019, let us hope Her Majesty returns in 2020.  ​

1. Amy Lukavics – The Women In The Walls
​

The Women In The Walls is a complex, character driven, and highly enjoyable supernatural tale which reveals its secrets gleefully slowly through an excellently paced story. Seventeen-year-old Lucy lives in a huge house in the countryside with her cousin Margaret, they rarely see anyone except for her distant and distracted father and Margaret’s mother, her aunt, who acts like a surrogate mother.  Much of the early action focusses on the two teenagers, who are very close, and how they deal with the suicide of a servant in the opening few pages. Although they are cousins they are as close as sisters and are inseparable.  I loved the vagueness of the setting, time period and location, and although the odd hint thrown in here and there it was hard to pin-point. Considering they are two seventeen-year-old girls, there are no mobile phones, internet, boys, sex, very little mention of TV, school or other pop culture references. Neither do they go to school as we are told Margaret got into too much trouble. They seem to live in their own bubble in this big empty house.
 
Lucy is very close to her aunt, in many ways closer than Margaret which leads to some friction, especially after aunt Penelope disappears. No police come to look for the missing aunt and both Lucy and Margaret become suspicious. As do we the readers.  As the plot picks up the pace Margaret becomes withdrawn and believes she hears the voice of her missing mother in the walls, particularly the attic. Lucy, of course, doesn’t believe her. The novel has several very clever twists, a couple of which I didn’t see coming. You really can’t beat the cracker with the replacement cook! If you ever read it you’ll know what I mean.  The biggest compliment I can give a YA novel is when I read it with the same intensity as an adult novel, which I did with this and everything by this outstanding author.

---

2. Courtney Alameda - Shutter

After reading the brilliant science fiction horror Pitch Black I found Courtney Alameda’s Shutter highly impressed and it was top heavy with the supernatural. As with her other novel, the level of intricate supernatural world-building is first rate and there are a lot of ghosts. Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat, a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. So, in this world supernatural occurrences, ghosts, and much nastier beings are common as mud. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. Hence why the book is called Shutter, the analogue SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exercises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film.
​
Early in the novel a job goes wrong and one of Michelle’s friends is infected with a curse which will lead to death in seven days. As a YA horror novel Shutter really delivered in spades, it was fast paced, powerfully drawn characters, loaded with creatively drawn monsters, and Micheline’s team of sidekicks had more than enough whack to kick both the Ghostbusters and Buffy the Vampire Slayer into retirement.

---

3.  RIN CHUPECO - The Girl from the Well 

At first glance The Girl from the Well looks like a rip-off of Ringu, but in actual fact there is much Japanese folklore written into the context of the book. This novel is largely narrated by a ghost named Okiku, who being dead for several hundred years, was originally killed when she was thrown down a well. The main thrust of this story revolves around the ghost who rather brutally kills child murderers and rapists. She can see the dead children almost hanging around the neck of killers and the way she seeks revenge is pretty nasty and gruesome. Killing the murderers frees the spirits of the children which is what she wants to do.
 
The ghost Okiku is attracted to a teenage boy whom she can sense the aura of death around, but he is no killer, but is most certainly troubled. Also, the boy can see her, as can the boy’s cousin, a likable trainee teacher. So, these are the three main characters as we enter the realms of demon possession, exorcisms and some bloody killing. The book is initially set in America, before moving to Japan, where there is lots of stuff about Japanese culture involving the supernatural. It’s a well-paced read and you really feel for seventeen-year-old Tark who really has to face his inner demons. Literally. I really liked this book a lot, I thought it was very well balanced and the quirky three way friendship with the ghost (who let’s not forget was a multiple murderer) worked really well, as did the family dynamics of the boy who doesn’t realise he comes from a family who have powerful connections with the dead. The cover bills this book as ‘14+’ but I would be happy enough giving it to most kids who like horror, have a passing interest in folklore and legends or just want an entertaining page turner.

---

4. Richard Farren Barber - Closer Still
​

Richard Farren Barber’s Closer Still is a ghost story with a seriously good haunting, much of which never stretches beyond the bedroom of a deeply troubled teenager. This book was probably was not written with the YA market in mind, but the believable and engaging characters make it a book lots of young teenagers will identify with. Pulling in under 130-pages, with absolutely no flab or a word wasted, it could be the perfect gift for a kid who does not read much or is put off by big books and is interested in a very contemporary ghost story.Fifteen-year-old Rachel is bullied by a group of girls who used to be her best friends, with the tormenting often taking place at school. Much of the rest of the novella takes place in Rachel’s bedroom where she sees the ghost of her dead ex-best friend Katie. The ghost is not exactly unpleasant, more unnerving, but has an agenda of her own. Before the death all the girls were fast-friends and much of the novella is about what happened to the friendship and the circumstances which led to her death. The author expertly shrouds this shocking revelation until late into the story which picks up pace nicely as the ghost grows more powerful. This was a terrific novella which combines many clever story lines utilising social media, bully, teenage angst, friendship, guilt and the supernatural.

---

5. Alex Bell - Frozen Charlotte

 Alex Bell’s dark and unsettling tale of tiny porcelain dolls, the size of two pence pieces, is an edgy read loaded with tension and dark atmosphere. Right from the opening pages, with teenagers unwisely fooling with online Ouija boards it builds into an outstanding page-turner with these evil little creatures whispering from behind a locked glass cabinet and in their words they have the power to kill.  Equally demonic, the Charlotte’s have the ability to control and influence others to do their bidding, sneaking around a vast haunted house sowing horrible plans and turning characters against each other.
 
Loaded with gothic atmosphere, with a superb setting, a huge house converted from Dunvagen School for Girls which was closed in 1910, poor Sophie is sucked into a mystery which takes her all the way back to 1910.  But first she must solve the mystery of what really happened to her dead cousin Rebecca. Bearing in mind this novel is aimed at kids it has some hair-raising scenes, these nasty little dolls, once they escape from their cabinet even blind one of the characters with their “stick a needle in their eye game”. However, some of the most unsettling scenes are character driven, rather than perpetrated by the dolls. The pace moves fast, the characterisation is strong and the combination of mystery and the supernatural is finely balanced. It’s perfectly pitched at children who like a good mix of horror, thriller and mystery.

---

6. Laura Bates - The Burning
​

 
If you’re on the hunt for a YA novel which effortlessly blends the horrors of teenage social media with the tale of a 400-year-old witch trial then look no further. This was a superb read which carries a powerful message about the dangers of social media and peer pressure, delivering it in a naturalistic style, which never becomes heavy handed or preachy. In no time at all you will be rooting for the teenage protagonist Anna who is dragged through a horrific emotional wringer. The Burning is horror with a light touch, in reality the pain and long-term repercussions of one naive decision becomes scarier than any supernatural bogeyman. The fallout was severe and The Burning opens with Anna and her mother leaving their old life in Birmingham behind to live in a small coastal village near Saint Andrews on the east side of Scotland. Anna also changes her name and dreams of a fresh start.
 
Starting any new school is difficult and Laura Bates completely nails the awkwardness of this transition, but before long she becomes friends with local girls, but bullying is never far away and soon her past catches up with her. The Burning has a second main story which nudges it into the horror genre, beyond the horrors of everyday teenage life (which were more than enough). As part of a school history project everyone has to research a topic of local interest and after Anna discovers an obscure reference to someone who was suspected of being a witch 400 year earlier. As she uncovers the story, the plight of Maggie, she realises the ‘witch’ has many startling similarities to her own story and starts to feel a strong connection to the long-dead young woman, part of which whose story is told in flashback mode. This very clever novel, both in the 400-year-old story and Anna’s predicament raise startling similarities in how the woman is very often seen as the blame or cause, rather than the victim in these types of cases. In my experience in YA fiction kids generally avoid books which obviously have a heavy-handed message, The Burning works because it combines the message of the dangers of social media with a top-notch story, believable story and a convincing dose of history.

---

7. Amelinda Bérubé – Here There Are Monsters 

I was really captivated by this slow-burning YA horror/fantasy novel which genuinely nailed the troubled psyche of a sixteen-year-old girl who is trying to deal with the sudden disappearance of her little sister, aged thirteen. The younger girl Deirdre has issues, which are revealed slowly as the plot moves backwards and forwards through narratives before and after the disappearance. Although Skye was not to blame, she feels guilty and it puts a strain on her relationship with her struggling parents who try not to accuse her. But when they’re so stressed tensions run very high. 

The supernatural aspect is slowly filtered into the book and the haunting aspect of the story is cleverly connected to Skye, her new friends and what lives within the local forest. Or is it something which has followed the sisters throughout their childhood? The compelling friendship dynamics Skye has with her new school friends works very well as she struggles to cope even more as the length of the disappearance stretches. The mystery quickly deepens and I found this to be an excellent and atmospheric read for teenagers looking for a subtle supernatural slow burner.

---

8. Jimmy Cajoleas - The Good Demon

The Good Demon was a very refreshing, rather different, and quite funny spin on the possession story which begins after a demon is forcibly removed from teenage Clare by two charismatic Christians. This was not exactly an exorcism, as exorcisms are Catholic ceremonies, this was a ‘deliverance’ and what makes this slightly odd is that Clare is really sad to be without her demon, which had lived within her for a number of years. She always looked upon the demon as a friend and a comforting experience which she referred to as ‘Her Only’. She is struggling to get on with her life when she meets the teenage boy who helped with the deliverance and they become friends, with him feeling a certain about of guilt for his part in the ‘deliverance’.

Bizarrely, although the demon is gone Clare believes she is receiving messages from ‘Her Only’ she begins to search for her demon, with the teenager whom she begins to fall for. You’ll have great fun following the clues, meeting irrelevant characters and will be rooting for Clare in no time, who was a lovely character with an authentic voice. There was a lot going on and the book has much to say about fundamentalism, family, first love in a very entertaining and non-judgemental manner.

---

9. Ann Dávila Cardinal - Five Midnights 

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced supernatural thriller set over a few hot and sweaty days in Puerto Rico. An American teenager (who has a Puerto Rican father) who speaks rubbish Spanish visits the island for the summer she gets sucked into a supernatural mystery surrounding the disappearance of her cousin and several of his friends. Luckily her uncle is the chief of police and so she has some insider knowledge on what is going on and inserts herself into a convoluted supernatural mystery.

The horror aspect revolves around the Puerto Rican version of the boogieman who is killing teenagers with birthdays whose are very close together and known to Lupe. Has someone activated a curse? Seen from multiple points of view, throw in a splash of romance, a musical heartthrob, Lupe is an energetic lead character who is not scared to clash with the tough local women who see her as a ‘gringo’ interloper who needs to be put in her place. Ultimately the rationale behind the supernatural part of the story was slightly weak and the evil entity could have had more page time to ramp up the fear levels and developed more for the non-Puerto Rican audiences who know little of this type of being connected to this Central American culture. They are small quibbles though for an entertaining supernatural thriller with a convincing and enlightening culturally different setting.

---

10. Dawn Kurtagich – Creeper Man

Creeper Man was a challenging, twisty, unpredictable and layered in such an intelligent manner, adults could enjoy it as well as any teen reader. On the simplest level the plot revolves around two sisters who escape London and their violent father to live with an aunt in a remote country house in the middle of a forest. Something happens to the aunt and she seemingly shuns the girls and locks herself in the attic. The intimidating dense and surrounding forest seems almost alive and threatens the sanity of the girls, which is questioned repeatedly throughout the novel. For much of this multi-layered corker you can never really be sure whether there is a supernatural entity at work or whether everything is psychological.

 
The Creeper Man of the title is a superb creation and is as effective as any bogeyman creation in most adult horror as he and the imposing forest move closer to the girls as the sanity of the elder girl disintegrates. You’ll find yourself asking questions, such as when is it set? Why don’t the girls go to school? Why are there no phones? Is there a war going on? And not all these questions are answered as this claustrophobic read has a truly remarkable unreliable narrator in Silla.  The merging of her delusions with reality play a crucial part of this exceptionally clever psychological horror novel which is fiendishly well plotted with a superb ending and very clever twist. I highly recommend this challenging novel which is teen horror of the very highest order.

---

11. Amy Lukavics – Devils Unto Daughters
​

 
It’s rare to see a ghost or horror story set on the plains of the pioneer era American outback so Daughters Unto Devils was a rather unique experience.  ​This wickedly well-crafted chiller had more creeps in it than many adult horror novels and has an edginess you rarely find in horror aimed at teens. Written in the first person, with a very authentic 16-year-old female narrator, who lives with her parents and four younger siblings in a remote cabin near the bottom of a mountain. She is secretly having an affair with a post delivery boy and early in the novel realises she is pregnant. There is a second narrative which flicks back to the previous year when there was a severe snowstorm, stranding the family in their home, while their mother became ill while heavily pregnant. In the midst of all this stress, Amanda flips out, claiming to see the Devil after which she struggles to grasp onto reality. Whether her visions are merely cabin fever or something else isn’t revealed, but this ‘episode’ is something which the family don’t talk about and is the elephant in the room.
​
Amanda feels guilty over everything, particularly praying for the death of her unborn child and her youngest sibling who screams and screams all the time, while the reader isn’t sure how sick the child is. Imagine ‘The Little House on the Prairie’ with demons and you are heading in the direction this novel moves into. As the plot develops the family uproot themselves, based on superstition again, and relocate to a prairie close to a forest. Moving into an abandoned cabin the supernatural element of the novel kicks in and you feel the helplessness of the young children who are easy prey without their parents. Thrown into the mix are demons, madness, guilt, nutty neighbours, young love and teenagers struggling to hold their family in the face of real nastiness, real and very probably supernatural. There is also a meat pie you really wouldn’t want to eat, and don’t even mention the ant scene! At 200 pages it’s the perfect length for teenagers who enjoy intelligent horror. It has a strong, spunky, female lead, who although she is pretty tough on herself, is both engaging and a great girl to root for.

---

12. Theresa Braun - Fountain Dead
​

Mark and his family relocate due to work reasons and he finds himself friendless and lonely in a big old house which right from the start gives him the creeps and feelings of unease. Crucial to the story, he is also becoming aware that he is gay. The sexual awakening part of the story is handled very well and is convincingly woven into the supernatural plot which spirals back to the early inhabitants of the house in the 1860s. Mark also has a dominating mother, and a little sister, both of which play an important part of creating a convincing family dynamic.

Although Fountain Dead is not a long book and I hope potential teen readers find the 1860s storyline set in the Civil War period concerning American Indians as engaging as the present-day sequence which takes place in 1988. The way in which the paranormal activity escalated and morphed into a creature story was entertaining but the tension could have been ramped up even higher. Often in haunted house novels it is the location which dominates proceedings, but on this occasion I thought the central character Mark was the real strength of the story and that’s a key ingredient to a successful YA novel. This thoughtful and entertaining ghost story has much to catch the eye of teens you enjoy character driven supernatural thrillers.  

---

13. Pam Smy - Thornhill

Thornhill by Pam Smy is a huge book weighing in at around 500 pages which an adult could easily read in a couple of hours, mainly because it is a time-slip story with the present-day element told only in pictures, which are just so easy to read! So, the haunting story of Thornhill has a lot of illustrations, in a style made popular in recent times by Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret and his other novels.

Thornhill itself is a care home for kids in 1982 which is shortly going to close for good, the story focusses on Mary who is a lonely orphan who suffers from selective mutism and is bullied mercilessly by other girls and one particularly nasty girl who is the ringleader. Flick forward to 2017, Ella moves into a new house which overlooks the burned-out shell of Thornhill and she is sure she can see a ghostly figure watching her in the derelict building and in her loneliness feels an attachment to her. Adult readers will be able to tell where the story is going, but it is so beautifully told you will still have a tear in the eye come the end. The drawings are so simplistically great they really do tell the 2017 story of Ella without the needs of any words at all.

---