Here are 11 books – ranging from psychological thriller to historical horror to middle-grade fantasy (and a bunch of other genres in between) that were published in 2018. Out of the 26 books published in 2018 that I read this year, these are among the ones I rated the highest.
The Good Son is a dark and twisted page-turner about a young man, Yu-jin, who wakes up to a hazy memory and his mother’s murdered body. Over the next few days, Yu-jin pieces together what happened. The Good Son‘s English translation was published this year and will keep you up all night.
This alternative history-fantasy centers on Jasminda, a bi-racial Earthsinger – using song to perform magic – who lives in Elsira as an outcast due to her mix of both Elsiran and Lagrimiri heritage. A veil, referred to as the Mantle, exists between the two worlds of Elsira and Lagrimar. Soldiers from Lagrimar and their captive prisoner arrive at her isolated cabin, not realizing they’ve crossed the Mantle. Jasminda helps heal the prisoner, Jack, and uncovers a sinister plot of the True Father, the Elsiran tyrant. Song of Blood & Stone features romance, political unrest, and a few sex scenes sprinkled throughout.
This historical-horror fiction explores a supernatural theory of what happened to the Donner Party, but you’ll have to read to find out. (In case you don’t know, the Donner Party was a group of pioneers who set out west to California from Missouri in the early/mid 19th century. They found tragedy in the Sierra Nevada, as bad weather and difficult terrain left them stranded, and ultimately lead the Party to resort to survival cannibalism.)
If you want a historical-mystery with some supernatural elements about an all-girls prep school then this should intrigue you. The Broken Girls weaves the story of four girls in 1950’s Vermont at Idlewild Hall with our protagonist, a journalist named Fiona, in current day (2014). Fiona is still dealing with the loss of her murdered sister, whose body had been found in the fields by the long-abandoned Idlewild Hall. When Fiona learns that Idlewild Hall is being restored, she decides to do some investigative journalism and uncovers “secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past– and a voice that won’t be silenced.”
A middle-grade fantasy novel that even adults can enjoy. Aru is a 12 year old girl who lives in an Indian museum that her mother curates. She seeks the validation of her peers, and in an attempt to impress them she lights a cursed lamp. This sets off a wild adventure exploring Hindu mythology. Along the way she befriends another young girl named Mini, who is Aru’s “soul-sister.” Aru Shah and the End of Time is adorable, adventurous, and well-written fun.
Devil’s Day is set in The Endlands, a rural community where a few farming families cling to their traditions and rituals. It’s days before the annual Devil’s Day ritual. Mysterious and sinister actions take place, but is it really the work of the devil (“Owd Feller”)? This is a book that requires patience. Savor the descriptions; the environment is basically a secondary character. Hurley absolutely nails atmosphere and tension. Fans of Hurley’s first novel, The Loney, will appreciate the style of Devil’s Day. And anyone who is interested in folk horror needs to add this to their list.
Our unnamed – and unreliable – narrator arrives at a school for orphaned boys. He’s immediately disliked by his peers, his headmaster is strangely manipulative, and are there ghosts, too? And then the bodies start turning up. The Job of the Wasp is existential angst meets dark humor meets murder mystery meets gothic horror.
Archaeological horror needs to be more of a thing. With The Anomaly, we get to explore a mysterious cavern in the Grand Canyon. It’s been hidden and sealed, and our cast of characters – filming a television series – find out why. This sci-fi horror is pretty bonkers.
After an exorcism, Clare’s demon, “Her”, is gone. She left Clare a cryptic message, which Clare interprets as advice on getting Her back. Clare finds a surprising sidekick in the exorcist’s son, and their friendship is one of the more interesting parts of the book. Even more interesting is the relationship between Clare and her demon. The Good Demon is a wonderful twist on the possession trope and an exploration of adolescence.
It’s 1951 and June Hardie, who rebels against the gender norms of the time, has been placed into an insane asylum. The text alternates between her time at the asylum and the days leading up to it. Before the asylum, June was writing a sci-fi novel and stuck in a relationship with a man. Locked up inside the asylum, where things are horrific and nightmare-ish, June forms a close bond with her roommate Eleanor and wants to escape. Reality becomes increasingly blurred. Nightingale is a mix of historical fiction, science fiction, and body horror.
Fans of Dracula and vampire mythology must read Dracul, a prequel to Dracula written by Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew, Dacre Stoker, and J.D. Barker. Dracul explores Dracula’s origins as well as Stoker’s, and it’s a chilling page-turner.