Add Some Scare to Your Summer With These Horror Books by Trans and Nonbinary Authors

This novella. I’m telling you. Mandelo makes 150-some pages feel like twice that in this tense Appalachian Gothic full of gruesome body horror and religious fanaticism. Leslie is a trans man working for the Frontier Nursing Service in tiny backwoods towns. They are a far cry from Post-war Paris, where Leslie was free to be himself, not the “failed” woman that many of his new clients see him as. But nothing that Leslie has encountered in his work thus far could prepare him for his new assignment in Spark Creek, where religious fervor has sparked something dark and malicious, turning the residents against one of their own.

Stevie is a young trans man who has drawn the ire of the town’s vicious preacher. Whipped into a frenzy by their preacher’s sermons, the town residents will do whatever it takes to make Stevie conform, even if they have to break him in the process. Leslie does his best to intervene, but a wounded, wrathful Stevie has plans of his own. Not to mention that there are forces far darker than human violence lurking in the woods around Spar Creek, looking for a hunger to match their own. The Woods All Black is 10/10 trans horror.

This one is sitting in my TBR pile as we speak, and it’s at the top of my summer reading list because Andrew Joseph White’s books are some of the most upsetting (complimentary), unforgettable trans horror books. Capable of conjuring up a degree of tension in his books that has genuinely made me nauseous in the past, White’s books are a tour de force of body horror, trans and autistic representation, and blistering social commentary.

Compound Fracture is about Miles Abernathy, a trans teen in rural West Virginia who becomes embroiled in a class-based blood feud that has divided the town of Twist Creek for the last 100 years. He then comes into possession of evidence that might turn the tide of the feud against the town’s reigning Sheriff. When the Sheriff’s son viciously beats Miles for the evidence he carries and ends up killing one of his attackers, things begin to escalate.

Before long, Miles’ efforts to undermine the Sheriff draw the attention of others in town who are just as eager to stop the ongoing cycle of violence. Miles finds himself forced to reckon with just how much he’s willing to sacrifice to finally bring the feud to an end.

Hi, hello, this book Stressed Me Out in the very best way. If you’re unfamiliar with Vincent Tirado from their YA books, you should consider adding their adult debut, We Came to Welcome You, to your reading list. If you’ve ever driven through one of those eerily identical suburban subdivision neighborhoods – you know the ones: where all the houses look the same and it’s clear from the undecorated, perfectly manicured yards that the HOA is extremely out of control – and been thoroughly creeped out by the experience, then this is the book for you.

Sol just moved into one such community with her wife Alice, which, personally, I consider to be the definition of a questionable life choice. But the house was surprisingly affordable, and Maneless Grove seems like just the sort of beautiful gated community that everyone dreams of living in! So what if the Homeowner’s Association is a bit… aggressive? So what if the house seems a little… odd? It’s probably just all in Sol’s head. Right?

We Came to Welcome You is the definition of psychological horror. It’s super disconcerting and disorienting. I can’t drive through one of those subdivision-style neighborhoods now without thinking about this book.

I’ve been a massive fan of Piper’s books for a few years and love recommending her work to new readers. Trust me, if you haven’t read any of her books, you definitely should. All the Hearts You Eat came out in the fall of 2024, and I have been saving this salt-soaked small town gothic for the summer since it takes place in the fictional New England shore town of Cape Morning. What can I say? I love a haunted beach summer.

In All the Hearts You Eat, Ivory stumbles across a dead body on the local beach. The only clue is the poem that washes up with the body, and the more that Ivory digs into the mystery of how and why Cabrina Brite’s corpse washed up on the shore that morning, the more she becomes convinced Cabrina’s restless spirit is haunting her. Part murder mystery, part folk horror, full of ghosts and windswept coastline, I fully anticipate All the Hearts You Eat becoming one of my favorite reads of the season.

While I enjoy everything Khaw writes, this is my absolute favorite of all their books thus far. It’s such a dark, delightful fairy tale that offers gruesome body horror and a touching romance that got me through the heart. The Salt Grows Heavy is The Little Mermaid if the Prince was a completely despicable human being; Ariel was a prisoner; and as revenge, she gave birth to a couple of kids who literally ate the entire kingdom. As far as revenge options go, that one is pretty great.

Instead of sticking around to join in the buffet, our mermaid sets out on the road with a strange but charming Plague Doctor. The two stumble upon a creepy village deep in the forest, with many kids who make the Children of the Corn look like a friendly, welcoming community. Three ghastly Surgeons are governing these particularly unnerving children. When the Plague Doctor reveals that the Surgeons have a dark, violent secret–one which is also a part of the Doctor’s own past–the two travelers wind up locked in a battle to unravel the Surgeons’ powers and put an end to their terrible work.

A short but memorable novella, The Salt Grows Heavy would make a great, if unusual, beach read for your summer vacation!

This book is gross—super gross—literally the grossest. I’m pretty sure that’s what Rumfitt was going for, and honestly, it’s a compliment. Brainwyrms is one of those books where even after I finished it, I could still feel it touching my brain, leaving behind a trail of book slime.

When the aftermath of a transphobic-motivated bombing at her workplace upends Frankie’s life, she turns to her usual coping methods of sex and alcohol to try and escape the trauma that her friends wish she would just “get over.” When a night out at a local club throws her into the path of the mysterious Vanya, Frankie finds herself falling into a relationship with the younger woman, whose apparent devotion to Frankie’s every desire is a hard thing to resist. But the more time Frankie spends with Vanya, the more she becomes sure that Vanya’s hiding something. Unfortunately for Frankie, she’s right. As outbreaks of strange, violent behavior begin to pop up in the news, a sinister cult is emerging from the shadows, with Vanya–and by extension Frankie–at the heart of their dark plans.

They Bloom at Night is set in Mercy, Louisiana, where a devastating hurricane flooded the town and stirred up the waters in the Town’s cove, spawning an eerie red algae bloom that’s mutating the local wildlife into frightening sea creatures. At least one of those creatures is big and fast enough to take out a human because people have been going missing from Mercy with alarming frequency.

Ordered by the Mercy’s leader to catch the creature, Noon finds herself on the trail of a monster, but there may be more going on beneath Mercy’s red waters than she or anyone knows. Mercy also has secrets of her own that threaten to rise to the surface as another deadly storm bears down on the already drowning coastal town. Need another reason to stay out of the water this summer?

Stick They Bloom at Night in your bag next time you head to the beach and you’ll be grateful for all that nice dry sand.