Which begs the question: What makes a YA horror novel “scary,” exactly? And for that matter, what makes any book scary? I tried to overcome this challenge by using the “methodology” outlined above, and by seeking a general consensus on the scariest books for young adults. That makes it hard to create a list of THE scariest YA horror novels. Certain books might spook me but have no effect on you, and vice-versa. When it comes to fiction, fear is subjective. Related: The 34 Scariest Novels for Adults What Makes a YA Novel Scary? Still, this is a good roundup of creepy YA books for anyone who wants to beef up their reading list. Stephen King’s Carrie would’ve been #1 on my ranking, even though it wasn’t marketed as “young adult” fiction when first published. My Best Friend’s Exorcism, by Grady Hendrix - 2 listsĪgain, this isn’t my personal list.Five Midnights, by Ann Davila Cardinal - 2 lists.Clown in a Cornfield, by Adam Cesare - 2 lists.Blood and Salt, by Kim Liggett - 2 lists.Sawkill Girls, by Claire Legrand - 3 lists.

Rot and Ruin, by Jonathan Maberry - 3 lists.

The Merciless, by Danielle Vega - 3 lists.

House of Furies, by Madeleine Roux - 3 lists.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan - 3 lists.

There’s Someone Inside Your House, by Stephanie Perkins - 4 lists.

The Girl from the Well, by Rin Chupeco - 5 lists.

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake - 5 lists.

Here are the 17 scariest horror books for young adults: Asylum, by Madeleine Roux, appeared in four rankings … and so on. For instance, the two books shown at the top ( Anna and The Girl) both appeared in five lists, rankings or articles about the scariest YA novels. The following list is based on the number of individual lists each book appeared in. And without further ado, here they are… Scariest Books for Young Adults / Teens

So you might consider this a “master ranking” of the scariest novels for young adults. Thus, the books with the most checkmarks appeared on the most lists. Next, I placed a checkmark beside each title any time it appeared on a list. These included lists by Barnes & Noble, Book Bub, Brightly, Epic Reads, Goodreads, Penguin Books, and several library and bookseller websites. For starters, I reviewed more than a dozen articles and lists featuring the scariest YA horror novels.

Methodology: I used a “general consensus” approach for this project. As it turns out, a lot of people feel that Anna Dressed in Blood, The Girl from the Well, and Asylum are among the scariest horror novels for young adults. What are the scariest books for young adults and teens? That’s what I set out to determine last week.

Blood and salt by kim liggett