Dark bleatings everyone, and welcome to 2024! It’s a new year, which means time for a new beginning, time to leave the past year behind. Time to forget all that’s gone before, and open our arms to what comes next. So, with that said, I thought I’d make this first post of my fresh new life about things I liked last year. I thought I’d just go ahead and focus on the past.
Shut up, I know I make no sense.
The following conversation revolves around books that I read for the first time last year, not necessarily books that were published last year. Anyway, in no particular order, here are my 10 favourite horror novels of 2023 (actually, I cheated and there are a few more, but 10 is such a nice round number for a title).
The story of Tilly, an ex-military pilot, on a quest that gets truly weird. Great for readers who enjoy genre blends, because this falls into horror, sci-fi, and fantasy (with a smattering of Final Fantasy-esque elements, which I ate up). I had no idea what I was getting into when I started the book, but thoroughly enjoyed the wild ride it took me on.
SALES LINK – GONE WHERE THE GOBLINS GO
I mean, clearly, there were bound to be a couple of Tim Lebbon books on this list. I’ve been yelling at you all about how excellent his work is for at least a year. The Silence is an apocalyptic work of art, featuring truly terrifying creatures that hunt by sound, fly, and enjoy ripping things – and people – to shreds.
30 Days of Night is the novelisation of the movie (which is based on the graphic novels). It’s my favourite version of the story, and the story is one of my favourites of all time.
This is not your house!
A truly creepy read, for several reasons (some of them that work outside of the supernatural aspects). Relatable characters and predicaments, and plenty of spooks!
SALES LINK – THE DAY BEFORE YOU CAME
Yes, there was a lot of talk of the C-word here, and yes, King’s politics are quite apparent. But… my own opinions mostly align with King’s, and all that C-word talk is quite truthful to the year it’s set in, so I found that he was just doing what he always does by reflecting society, as he sees it. I love Holly Gibney, and this is my favourite book that she stars in because I LOVED those horrible villains!
See, this is exactly why I was always afraid of groups of girls when I was younger. Well.. not exactly, actually. Quite far from similar scenarios, now that I think about it. I was just being dramatic. Speaking of dramatic, this book will not disappoint you if you’re looking for early-adulthood horrors, possibly with a supernatural twist.
SALES LINK – GREYFRIAR’S REFORMATORY
A young, struggling woman is forced to take a room in the world’s most heinous house share. She immediately realises she needs to get out, but all roads are blocked.
I talked about this quite extensively (and accidentally!) in one of my VIDEOS on YouTube, so I won’t waffle here. But I will say this – I think this might be the most impressive book Adam Nevill has written so far, and that’s saying a lot because his standard is ridiculously high. I didn’t list it as my favourite of his works at the time but I think I’ve changed my mind since then because I still can’t stop thinking about it.
SALES LINK – NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE
A woman desperately struggling with post-natal depression applies to be a candidate for a new experimental treatment, but the people in the control room soon realise that they might not be the ones in control.
A truly unique and breath-taking (or breath stopping) piece of work that had me on the edge of my seat throughout, and the book I crowned the winner of Best Book of 2023.
A Nightmare on Elm Street meets IT, meets…. probably a bunch of other awesome stories. It’s a huge, sprawling tale that spans decades and generations, and reminded me of all of my favourite things, but without being derivative. A great book to get stuck into if you’re looking for something a bit longer to get invested in.
Alexis Henderson is one of my new author obsessions and I am infatuated with House of Hunger. A young woman is recruited as a blood maid – a type of servant whose job it is to bleed, so that the rich person she’s indebted to can drink her blood. Viewed as a form of prostitution by some, but also a highly coveted position because of the opulent lifestyle it offers, it’s an offer too good to pass up. But… things in this particular house aren’t quite right…
My favourite ghosty novel of all time. Currently. It could be de-throned, I suppose, but it’s going to be VERY hard to beat. We’re playing with timelines and different eras that connect something poop-your-pants scary. I’m obsessed!
SALES LINK – THE SILENT COMPANIONS
A town that REALLY loves Christmas goes a bit… awry, during the holidays.
Typically, I avoid Christmas themed horror. This might sound strange if you know me personally, because Christmas and horror are quite literally my two favourite things in the entire world. I just find it kind of samey most of the time – it’s always an evil twist on Santa, or the elves, and I tend to snore through. However, Hail Santa is different in all its demented, folk-horror glory. The scenes of horror are frequent, and so savage that I found myself exclaiming, ‘JOHN!!!!’ several times throughout. Not randomly… John is the name of the author, and I was surprised by what he wrote on account of the fact that he’s such a polite and pleasant person in real life.
You better believe your sweet, horror-loving butts that I put all 4 of Dave Jeffery’s A Quiet Apocalypse series on this list. It’s the greatest apocalyptic series I’ve ever read, and my favourite book series in general. Bloody wonderful, it is.
It deals with – you guessed it – a quite apocalypse (no, it’s nothing like A Quiet Place). If you enjoy authentic tales of the shifting morality of humans, Jeffery is a writer you’ll love.
So, there you have it – my favourite novels of 2023. I hope there’s something new on this list that appeals to you! What were you favourite novels of last year?
Happy Goat Horror 
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