Jennifer McMahon’s Stay Buried embraces the eerie traditions of New England folk horror, blending supernatural folklore, family secrets, and atmospheric mystery into a story that feels tailor-made for readers who enjoy cozy horror with a gothic edge.
Jennifer McMahon has built a reputation for weaving together dual timelines, family mysteries, and unsettling folklore, and Stay Buried continues that tradition. Set in the isolated Vermont community of Boone’s Ferry, the novel alternates between 1919, when a mysterious illness threatens the town, and 2016, when two siblings inherit property tied to generations of family secrets. As past and present begin to converge, long-buried truths—and the superstitions surrounding them—refuse to stay buried.
Some horror novels know exactly how to get under your skin—until they decide to explain themselves. Unfortunately, Home Sick by Rhiannon Grist is one of them. Releasing July 14, 2026, Home Sick begins as one of the freshest psychological horror novels I’ve read in quite some time. Combining eerie Scottish folklore, an unsettling haunted house, and an unreliable narrator whose own emotional instability makes every strange occurrence suspect, the novel creates an atmosphere thick with dread. For roughly three-quarters of the book, I was completely invested.
After a violent incident at work, Tamsin escapes to a secluded cottage in the Scottish countryside, hoping distance will allow her to reinvent herself. Instead, she discovers that her isolated retreat shares a wall with a mysterious neighbor whose shifting personality and unnerving smile make her impossible to ignore. As increasingly bizarre disturbances plague the house, local legends begin to blur with Tamsin’s growing paranoia, leaving both her—and the reader—questioning what is real.
Sometimes the most unsettling horror novels aren’t about monsters lurking in the dark—they’re about the things we desperately want, even when we know they’ll destroy us. In Vervain Hollow by Catriona Silvey, a burned-out cult, a charismatic leader who may never have been human, and a young woman unable to let go of the power she once possessed combine to create one of the most compelling and emotionally complex horror novels I’ve read this year.
Two years ago, Laura escaped Vervain Hollow after the sprawling house burned to the ground with its enigmatic leader trapped inside. Since then, she’s returned to a normal life, but “normal” isn’t the same thing as healing. She still longs for Vervain and the extraordinary power he shared with his followers. When her former friend Aliyah contacts her with shocking news—that another former acolyte has returned to the hollow after receiving a message from Vervain himself—Laura sees only one possibility. Somehow, he’s still alive.
From gothic horror and tragic romance to epic fantasy and southern folklore, Laura Holt writes with a deep love for stories that blur the line between myth and reality. Holt is also featured in Beautiful and Terrifying: Tales and Visions from the Edge of the Uncanny with her short story “After Alice,” a fitting addition to a collection shaped by eerie beauty and unsettling imagination. In this interview, Holt reflects on the authors who shaped her creativity, the unexpected lessons she’s learned about storytelling and publishing, and the themes she returns to again and again in her work. She also discusses writing authentic stories in a trend-driven world, finding inspiration in mythology and folklore, and why coffee, cookies, and carefully curated playlists remain essential parts of her creative process.
Author Laura Holt discusses mythology, horror, storytelling, and her short story “After Alice,” featured in Beautiful and Terrifying.
Q: What/who were your early literary influences, and how do you think their writing has shaped you as a storyteller today? A: Some of my earliest literary influences were authors like Roald Dahl, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, R. L. Stine, and J.R.R. Tolkien. For me, Dahl’s book The Witches was my gateway read to the fantasy genre, likeable villains, and morally gray characters, so he will always hold a special place in my heart. Poe and Shakespeare introduced me to poetry and short stories, as well as tragic love and darker subject matter, both of which play a big part in my writing today. And there is one author who has cracked the code on how to write the perfect story every time, it is Stine, so along with reading his books for a good scare, I study his writing style a lot.
War turns people into monsters long before anything supernatural enters the picture, and Bone of My Bone understands that better than most horror novels. Set during the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War, Johanna van Veen’s latest is brutal, atmospheric, and deeply philosophical, blending folk horror with theological questions about morality, sainthood, and the terrifying power of blind faith.
Get your copy of Bone of My Bone from my independent online bookstore today!
The novel follows Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the destruction of her convent, and Elsebeth, a sharp-witted peasant woman trying to survive a countryside ravaged by soldiers, starvation, and death. After escaping a violent attack, the two women come into possession of a skull believed to belong to a saint. Legend says reuniting the skull with the saint’s body will grant a wish, and the pair set off across the Bavarian wilderness hoping salvation might still exist somewhere in the ruins of the world.
