If you have been following our site, you know that the Inkish Kingdoms are obsessed with the horrors in life! We have even written another list of horror books and indie authors that you should totally check out.

We wanted to dive deeper into the ocean of horror! We wanted to be traumatized to the point of not wanting to remember the book! Have you read The Girl Next Door? No? Neither have we… 👀… So let’s move on haha if you like lists, remember to check our Category for more lists!

What are the best horror authors?

We have a list of books that you will find terrifying, and Ben (Reading Vicariously)(Twitter)(Instagram), an expert in horror stories, helped us with these recommendations. He gave us so many options that we decided to split the list in two, so get ready to have nightmares for a week!

The Plot by Michael Moreci and Tim Daniel

When Chase Blaine’s estranged brother and sister-in-law are murdered, he becomes guardian to McKenzie and Zach, the niece and nephew he hardly knows. Seeking stability for the children, Chase moves his newly formed family to his ancestral home in Cape Augusta―which overlooks a deep, black bogland teeming with family secrets. Mixing the chilling atmosphere of The Haunting of Hill House with the gripping terror of The Conjuring, THE PLOT is your next horror addiction.

Ben said about this graphic novel: “I LOVED this! It has all the stuff I wanted: a shocking and brutal opening, a cast of developed and sympathetic characters, an ancestral home overlooking a dangerous bog land, an ancient family trauma/curse that plagues future generations, and a whole mess of ghosts and creeps.” (Read his full review here)

Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke

Phil Pendleton and his son Adam are just ordinary father and son. Some might say the father is a little too accommodating given the lack of discipline when the child loses his temper in public. Some might say he spoils his son by allowing him to set his own bedtimes and eat candy whenever he wants. Some might say that such leniency is starting to take its toll on the father, given how his health has declined. What no one knows is that Phil is a prisoner, and that up until a few weeks ago and a chance encounter at a grocery store, he had never seen the child before in his life.

Ben shared with use these convincing words “I was truly enraptured as I read. I couldn’t look away. I had to know what was going to happen next to Phil as his life is turned upside down in a most upsetting way. The young boy is seriously creepy, and I was legitimately worried about what was going to happen.” (Read his full review here) Note: It was only $2.99 so guess who got it? 😀

The Magpie Coffin by Wile E. Young

The year is 1875 and outlaw Salem Covington has spent the last twenty years collecting stories, possessions, and lives. Nicknamed “The Black Magpie” for his exploits during the war, Salem has carved a bloody trail across the western territories. Salem vows vengeance on the perpetrators. Enlisting the help of an army scout and preserving the body of his mentor in a specially made coffin, he sets out in pursuit. But the choices of Salem’s past that earned him the moniker “Black Magpie” are riding hard behind him and the only weapon that can kill him might not be as far away as he thinks. The Magpie Coffin is an unrelenting tale of revenge, with precise brutality and extreme violence.

Ben says that “this book, while intense in numerous ways, is very, very good. It’s the first in a series… The Magpie Coffin has vibes of King’s Dark Tower series, but with the surprising, ferocious violence of Bone Tomahawk.” (Read his full review here)

Go Down Hard by Ali Seay

What if a victimized woman decided to be a silent guardian angel for other women and turn the tables on predatory men? What if she stumbled into the hunting grounds of a cocky serial killer while looking for her own private murder den? What if a confident killer met his match in the form of a jean-clad, whiskey-swigging stranger in an hourglass-shaped package—and she made him want things—things he’s far too superior to want?

Check out Ben’s comments: “It’s one of those stories that has some genre tropes but manages to elevate beyond with grim humor and shocking surprises. Based purely on feeling, and not actual plot details, it makes me think of a cross between Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Green Room, or The Nice Guys and Don’t Breath. ” (Read his full review here)

Killer River by Cameron Roubique

In the summer of 1983, thirteen-year-old Cyndi and her three new-found friends, Stacy, Zack, and Brad decide to sneak away from their summer camp in the middle of the night by rafting down the nearby rivers. After spending a tense night lost in the woods, the four teenagers stumble into a mysterious water park that appears to be completely empty.

Reading Ben’s comments it seems that the plot builds slowly but “all the build-up is paid off, and then some. I won’t spoil any of the fun, but just know things get brutal. I was legitimately terrified for Cyndi and her friends.” (Read his full review here)

Which book are going to try form the list? Are your ready to lose your sleep?

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