I’ve loved all things spooky and scary ever since stealing my first Stephen King from my mom’s bookshelf (I was eleven—it was the first of many.) I now primarily write mysteries, thrillers, and horror for young adults. At the same time, I consider myself to be a massive nerd. I’m super into video games, comic books, all things horror, puzzles, cosplay, and the list goes on eternally. The combination of the two means that I’m especially passionate about thrilling fiction that also feels relatable to me as someone who is terrified by things like social interactions and internet creepypasta.
It's one of the greatest “be gay, solve crimes” books around! I love how the core murder mystery is not only exciting to uncover but hilarious as well (very Scooby Doo vibes).
While high-schooler Bianca chases down a bird-masked killer and has a relatable gender identity crisis to go along with it, I found myself geeking out over the punny humor, clever puzzles, bird-watching lore, anime references, and so much more.
Murder most fowl? In this sardonic and campy YA thriller, an anxious, introverted nonbinary teen birder somehow finds themself investigating a murder with their neighbor/fellow anime lover, all while falling for a cute girl from their birding group...and trying not to get killed next.
Sixteen-year-old Bianca Torre is an avid birder undergoing a gender identity crisis and grappling with an ever-growing list of fears. Some, like Fear #6: Initiating Conversation, keep them constrained, forcing them to watch birds from the telescope in their bedroom. And, occasionally, their neighbors. When their gaze wanders to one particular window across the street, Bianca…
Gamers, wake up for this one! The moment I saw that there was a horror novel centered around a Twitch streamer, I had this book in my shopping cart. Viv’s trying to revive her channel with an exciting new game but makes the fatal mistake of downloading a mysterious file (we’ve all been there).
It seems like a normal-enough indie horror at first, but then, well… Things get not-so-fun. This book was, as expected, everything a fan of spooky games and livestreaming could ask for.
After spending the summer wracked with guilt about causing the accident that killed her little sister, ambitious gamer and chronic liar Viv returns to Twitch streaming. She never told her parents the truth about the accident, but she hopes that maybe making it big in streaming and giving the money to them is penance enough for her mistakes.
The weekend before school starts, Viv finds the perfect horror game to make her Twitch comeback, and during an offline practice run, an NPC asks Viv for a secret. She decides to tell them the truth about her sister's death since a…
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…
Jay lives in a *magical* theme park resort town where everything’s supposed to be perfect—until his friend disappears overnight, and things start to get terrifying and dystopian really quickly.
I imagine Disney and theme park lovers enjoying this one, but as for me, I nerd out an unhealthy amount over immersive experiences and weird tyrannical corporations. In summary, this is a brilliant social horror that will have you on the edge of your seat (I read most of it on a plane and nearly flew out the window.)
'Timely, thrilling, and gripping from start to finish. An absolute page-turner.' -KAREN M. MCMANUS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ONE OF US IS LYING
NO ONE HAS EVER DIED IN KARLOFF COUNTY Welcome to the funnest place around . . . Jay is living his best life inside Karloff Country, home of the world's most epic amusement park. He's got his family, his crew, and a dope after-school job at one of the parks. Outside Karloff Country, things aren't so great for the rest of the world. But when people come here to vacation, it's to get away from all that to…
K-pop horror. That should be enough said already, but it somehow gets even better. Disgraced popstar Sunny enters an idol competition in the hopes of making a career comeback, but things become complicated in the wake of a mysterious death and terrifying visions that begin to plague her.
Obviously, anyone who loves idol culture will enjoy this one, but so will those who have experienced the perils of fandom in general or who get a kick out of intense reality competitions.
Squid Game meets Wilder Girls in this debut sapphic supernatural thriller set in the glittering, cut-throat world of K-pop rivalry. A disgraced idol comes face-to-face with the demons of her past when the competition she enters turns out to be a deadly trap.
"The sweetest spot between horror and romance." Chloe Gong, #1 bestselling author of These Violent Delights
After a shocking career-ending scandal, eighteen-year-old Sunny Lee spends her days longing for her former popstar life and cyberstalking ex-groupmate Candie. They were inseparable - before leaving tragedy and heartache in their wake. Now Candie is chasing stardom in a new…
Twelve-year-old identical twins Ellie and Kat accidentally trigger their physicist mom’s unfinished time machine, launching themselves into a high-stakes adventure in 1970 Chicago. If they learn how to join forces and keep time travel out of the wrong hands, they might be able find a way home. Ellie’s gymnastics and…
This one was delightfully campy and tropey, feeding the ravenous part of me that’s obsessed with low-budget 80s-00s horror.
Devon just wants to repair her relationship with her twin sister, but unfortunately her friend group winds up with an Ouija board, summoning a demon straight out of a horror movie. Literally. This book is definitely a love letter to horror fans, with plenty of references to the genre and a villain that operates by the slasher rulebook.
A group of friends fight to choose their own fates when faced with a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in this trope-savvy, “script-flipping hair-raiser” (Publishers Weekly) from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games.
Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with…
In this dark comedy debut, when the members of an LGBTQ+ club find themselves framed for attempted murder, it's up to them to clear their names before it's too late.
Eleanora just wants to finish her senior year and get the hell out of Texas. But when her club meeting coincides with an attack on the school’s head cheerleader, she and her friends find themselves in the hot seat. In order to clear their names and ensure the survival of their club, they’ll have to track down the real culprit themselves. Unfortunately, Eleanora is far from a professional detective—but if her chaotic friend group can't sleuth their way out of an entire freaking murder mystery, they might become the next targets.
A witchy paranormal cozy mystery told through the eyes of a fiercely clever (and undeniably fabulous) feline familiar.
I’m Juno. Snow-white fur, sharp-witted, and currently stuck working magical animal control in the enchanted town of Crimson Cove. My witch, Zandra Crypt, and I only came here to find her missing…
This is the fourth book in the Joplin/Halloran forensic mystery series, which features Hollis Joplin, a death investigator, and Tom Halloran, an Atlanta attorney.
It's August of 2018, shortly after the Republican National Convention has nominated Donald Trump as its presidential candidate. Racial and political tensions are rising, and so…
