Craving More “Yellowjackets”? Read These 8 Horrifying Novels

The Alone Time by Elle Marr

For fans of survival stories and buried secrets.

When Fiona and Violet Seng were children, their parents died in a brutal plane crash. But, the sisters survived. For 12 long weeks, the girls fended for themselves in the Washington wilderness, biding their time before being rescued.

After 25 years, they’re coping differently. While Fiona turns towards art as therapy, Violet drowned her trauma in addiction and bad relationships before becoming a writer. Neither of the sisters talks about their “Alone Time” in the woods, until a documentary begins to pry into their past, opening a box of secrets they meant to keep shut.

Suddenly, rumors begin to surface that the crash was intentional, and family secrets are exposed. Can the sisters face the truth of what really happened out there in the woods, and who their parents were? Or can they keep these secrets between sisters?

Gaslight by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte and Sara Shepard

For readers curious about the inner workings of cults.

Friendships and marriages are difficult relationships to manage. Especially when you’re secretly an ex-cult member. Rebecca is living a normal life with her husband and children in Nevada. But everything turns upside down when Danny, an old friend from the cult Rebecca fled, turns up without specifying exactly what she wants from Rebecca after all these years.

Danny is still part of the thriving spiritual cult, ISB, which operates deep in the woods. As Rebecca tries to weed her way through the layers of Danny’s deception and manipulation, she worries that her friend’s reemergence in her life will explode everything she’s worked hard to build. What does Danny want from her? And how can Rebecca keep her former life as a cult member a secret, when the truth is threatening to bury her?

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

For readers drawn to themes of hunger and morality.

A virus has taken over the world, and now, animal meat is poisonous to humans. But still, everyone craves meat. With the “Transition” to the new way of operating, meat is at last legally and commercially available.

And Marcos works in the slaughterhouse, numbering, packing, and processing the “special meat”. When a live specimen turns up, a rarity, he knows he is forbidden from any contact. But slowly, Marcos begins to treat her humanely, like the human being she is, even though the risk is punishable by death. Soon, his doubts about the work he does begins to grow. How much of the world has been lost to these cravings? And what can be done to prevent it from continuing?

Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley

For fans of unexplainable supernatural thrillers.

Liv Whitlock has tried for years to change her luck, but being passed from foster home to foster home has made things difficult. She just doesn’t belong, and her own self-destructive tendencies are getting the best of her. To escape, she needs to become someone perfect: her sister.

Operating under her sister’s identity, she makes her way amidst the rich and famous. On a luxury yacht, she bonds with women the old Liv would have never expected to brush shoulders with. But just as things are looking up, a deadly storm wrecks their yacht, leaving them stranded somewhere on the Pacific coast of North America.

Facing the threat of starvation and exposure to the elements, as well as a strange monster lurking in the forest, the atmosphere grows strange. Soon, they begin to recognize that same monster within themselves, as their injuries begin to cause a transformation in their bodies. Can the girls, together, endure this strange phenomenon? Will they escape the danger that looms in the darkness, or will they give in to something darker?

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling

For fans of sapphic stories of madness.

After six months trapped in Aymar Castle, which is under siege, food supply is dwindling and chances of rescue look slim. Should the survivors make a sacrifice to ensure the rest of them can last longer? Instead, the choice is made for them. Their food is replenished, their illnesses are healed, and the Constant Lady and her Saints have somehow made it through the barricaded gates to save them. All they ask for in return is adoration.

Soon, the castle’s inhabitants turn towards bacchanalian madness. All, except for three women, who see the situation for what it is — strange, and unexplainable. But even they struggle to resist the temptations of the Lady and her Saints, and violence looms on the horizon. It will take something drastic to keep their wits about them and save the castle … and themselves.

Six of Sorrow by Amanda Linsmeier

For fans of girl groups and the forces that unite them.

Sixteen years ago, six girls were born on the exact same day. Naturally, they became inseparable friends — until a rift grew between them and divided them up. But on the night of their 16th birthdays, one of the girls goes missing. When she reappears two days later, something is gravely wrong. She has no memory of those two days, and she is very sick.

Reunited in the face of the tragedy, the six girls work to uncover the truth of what happened. When a second girl goes missing, they begin to realize that something stronger than a birthday ties them together. Something has been waiting to claim them, one by one, and the time has finally come. It won’t be long before they are all affected, and it’s up to them to figure out how to stop it.

The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste

For readers of occult stories.

A veil of mystery surrounds the strange occurrences at The Velkwood Vicinity — where a town of people disappeared overnight. Only three survivors were able to leave the town and reenter through a near-invisible veil. The phenomenon couldn’t be explained, despite the research, occult theories and numerous documentaries that tried to dive in.

When Talitha is paid by a reporter to go back, something she stayed away from doing for two decades, she says yes. She wants to find out what happened to her estranged former best friend Brett, and Grace. In order to move forward, Talitha must confront the past and uncover the mystery of the ghost town that haunts her.

The Lamb by Lucy Rose

For readers of folktales about womanhood.

At the edge of the forest, Margot and Mama live peacefully. They wait for strangers — strays, Mama calls them — to knock on their cottage door, seeking help. Those who have wandered far from home will be welcomed, fed and warmed, before Mama picks apart their bodies to satisfy her appetite.

But when a compelling stray named Eden shows up outside their home, Mama’s want overtakes her hunger. Soon, the family dynamics begin to shift, and Margot must grapple with the unexpected changes and desires she begins to feel. She may finally get her chance at freedom. This gothic coming-of-age tale explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts, and sometimes break free of the confines of their familiar life.