Horror for teenagers has always had one foot in the weirdest parts of the library. Slashers and ghosts get the headlines, sure. But dig a little deeper, past the jump scares and haunted houses, and you’ll find a different kind of nightmare waiting: nightmares with spaceships, killer algorithms, and plants that grow faster than you can run. Young adult horror novels that borrow the bones of science fiction are doing some of the most interesting work in the genre right now. They’re not just scary. They’re strange.
Tony Jones knows this better than almost anyone. For thirty years he’s worked as a school librarian, handing horror books to teenagers who didn’t know they wanted them. He’s the author of The YA Horror 400, an almanac that collects four hundred reviews of the best YA horror novels published between 2008 and 2024. He’s also the curator of the Young Blood Library, the Ginger Nuts of Horror subsection dedicated entirely to teen horror. When Jones talks about YA science fiction horror, he’s not guessing. He’s spent three decades watching what actually works.
The crossover between sci-fi and horror makes sense when you think about it. Both genres ask the same question: what happens when the rules change? Alien invasions rewrite the rules of safety. Body horror rewrites the rules of the self. Killer A.I. rewrites the rules of trust. For a teenage reader already navigating a world where the rules feel arbitrary and hostile, these stories land differently. They’re not escapism. They’re rehearsal.
Jones has gathered fourteen titles that blend young adult horror novels with science fiction in ways that range from the quietly unsettling to the gloriously bonkers.
YA Science Fiction Horror Books: Top Picks for Teens
For Ginger Nuts of Horror I often review books beyond horror, science fiction is the genre I frequently pick up many other YA and Middle Grade titles from. There is always a fair bit of crossover between the two genres, all the books discussed below contain horror of some kind or another, everything from alien invasions, the destruction of Earth, time travel, mind control, killer plants, scary AI technology to doing time in futuristic prisons where you might wake up in the morning with a robotic arm. If that does not sound like horror, I don’t know what is!
The books are listed alphabetically by author and are amongst my favourite combinations of science fiction and horror. Almost all are YA and are generally aimed at kids aged 13+ depending on reading ability.
Kristy Acevedo – The Warning (2023)
Publisher : Sourcebooks Fire
Just when you think all the great hooks to suck teens into a cool book have been used up, Kristy Acevedo delivers an absolute beauty in the outstanding The Warning, which kicks off a duology. The hook is a killer: weird portals start appearing all over the world with a humanoid hologram, claiming that a giant comet is going to hit and destroy the Earth in 4393 hours.
However, the portal provides a way to escape to another dimension (several hundred years in the future) where humankind can survive and prosper. Do we trust the hologram’s advice? That is part of the fun of the book, all of what lies behind the hologram/portal is kept completely shrouded for part two. And when NASA later confirm that the comet is real, it looks like the world really will end in six months and people (by the million) begin to voluntary walk through the portals.
This absolutely outstanding thriller beautifully blends end-of-the-world apocalyptic fiction, teen dystopia and science fiction into a riveting page-turner. I was absolutely certain I could predict how the book was going to end, but Kristy Acevedo sends a massive curveball in the concluding chapter which puts a new complexion on the continuation. The story is seen from the point of view of high school senior Alexandra Lucas, who suffers from severe anxiety attacks, and the arrival of the portals is convincingly seen through her eyes.
This is balanced with family issues, boyfriend trouble and the slow escalation of world problems caused by the portals and comet. Along the way, the start of the chapters has very clever Q&A sessions with the hologram representative, and realistic discussions on a whole manner of issues, such as whether convicts should have the opportunity to go through the portals and start new lives. There was so much going on in this very clever book I found it totally riveting and amongst the finest of the year.
Courtney Alameda – Shutter (2015)
Publisher : Feiwel & Friends
Shutter is blessed with beautifully intricate supernatural worldbuilding with numerous ghosts built into a smart plot. Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat, a girl who sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum, as in this world supernatural occurrences, ghosts, and much nastier beings are common as mud.
As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens of the camera. Hence why the book is called Shutter; the analogue SLR camera is her best weapon, and with the help of her team Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film.
Early in the novel a job goes wrong and one of Micheline’s friends is infected with a curse which will lead to death in seven days unless the team figure out how to break it. As a YA horror novel Shutter really delivered in spades, it was fast paced, with powerfully drawn characters, loaded with creatively described monsters, and Micheline’s team of sidekicks had more than enough whack to ensure both the Ghostbusters and Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchises remain in retirement with their pipes and slippers.
Courtney Alameda – Pitch Dark (2018)
Publisher : Feiwel & Friends
Pitch Dark is an outstanding science fiction horror novel aimed at slightly older teens which pulls no punches. It also featured some truly brilliant creatures, which were once human but have evolved after 400 years of sleep stasis and kill by sound. Everybody loves a good space zombie! The main characters are two teenagers from different worlds; Tuck has slept for centuries on the spaceship USS John Muir, which as cargo holds one of the last surviving pieces of land from planet Earth. Laura is a ship-raider/scavenger, from a family of archaeologists, searching for lost pieces of history which are scattered across the galaxy.
Before long Laura ends up on Tuck’s ship and, as this is a teen novel, expect the kids to hate each other, and then not… The worldbuilding in this adventure is terrific and the chemistry between Laura, who comes from a post-apocalyptic Earth, and Tuck was cute and believable. Throw in terrorist organisations, computer hackers, more mutants (Mourners, Weepers, and Griefers) a story told from multiple points of view and time periods and you have a gripping science fiction novel which also has both feet in the horror bucket.
Erin Bowman – Contagion (2018)
Publisher : HarperCollins
Contagion is a neat fusion of hard science fiction, horror and nail-biting tension. It’s aimed at older readers, as it takes its time getting going, carefully setting the scene in a vividly described galaxy where mankind has colonised areas of the solar system with mining and other scientific outposts. The action opens at the Northwood Point Research Facility on the planet Sater, in the Trios System.
Something nasty is going on and there is an evacuation after a series of unexplained deaths. The story then flips to a spaceship which receives the distress call from the drill team on the planet. Search and rescue operations are not their area of expertise, but they are the closest, though they only have a skeleton crew and no backup to perform what they think will be a standard search and rescue mission. Things are complicated further as one of the rescue team have family on the planet, so emotions run high.
Although Contagionis a slow burner (arrival at the planet takes a while) the novel is never dull, but I would caution that this is for serious fans of science fiction blended with horror. Once they arrive they find the plant trashed, lots of dead bodies, but not enough for all the crew. Where are the rest? The name of the book should be a big enough clue in the direction the book takes. It has seriously creepy moments, some well-developed characters and some great set pieces. There was some icy paranoia, “don’t trust the kid” we’re repeatedly told by one of the survivors. Did I say not to trust the kid? I mean it, I really do.
Elsie Chapman – Dualed (2013)
Publisher : Rh Childrens Books
If you’re after an entertaining science fiction, dystopian mashup then look no further than Dualed, which has an exceptionally cool concept pumping at its core. When kids turn eighteen, they must prove their worth by defeating a duplicate version of themselves in a timed battle after being separated at birth as babies. The twist; neither of the combatants know whether they or their opponent is the ‘Alternate’ and who is the original (maybe neither, due to cloning). Get ready to meet West Grayer who has been training for years to battle her Alternate, but soon things go horribly wrong.
This very clever novel provides much to ponder, on one level it is a terrific action tale with an incredibly well-developed dystopian setting where only the fittest are meant to survive. There are many facets to this society, all leading to the moment the survivors become killers, and this main story hook should be a great selling point for young teens.
Chad A. Clark – The Curse Of Worthwood Castle (2023)
Publisher : Darker Worlds Publishing
Chad Clark’s fiction often blends horror with both science fiction and thriller, and in regard to non-fiction has written an exceptional primer on the world’s most famous horror writer, Tracing The Trails: A Constant Reader’s Reflections on the Work of Stephen King (2018). The Curse of Worthwood Castle is Clark’s first foray into the world of Young Adult fiction and on the whole his debut is a fast paced, engrossing mash-up of genres with a nostalgic nod to the famous eighties film Back to the Future, even if Chad’s story is set a few years later (1993).
If genuine teen readers don’t appreciate the jokey references to ancient 14.4 speed modems and taking 24 hours to download a film (or even a picture!) I had a good chuckle.
The story revolves around three teens; Arthur Roberts (the tecky), and siblings Jenny and Hitch Crenshaw, who all live in Ohio City and are in their final days of high school. After trying to film a theft at the school lockers, they are chased to Worthwood Castle, a huge, abandoned building with a strange history. Whilst avoiding the bullies, something in the castle transports them to 2018. The jump takes place after fifty pages of this fast-moving novel. Stranded in a future Ohio City, they have to survive and find a way back to 1993. However, they realise something is off about 2018 and it connects to Tower Investments and a former classmate, now the town mayor.
This tall tale was a lot of fun, with nicely drawn sympathetic characters who find themselves being stalked by other beings who do not want them meddling in this version of the future, all of which connects back to Worthwood Castle and the magic gateway. The Curse of Worthwood Castle had a lot of great moments and I loved the messages from across time “to the three adventurers”, it’s blessed with a terrific ending which promises a sequel, which I would jump all over.
Kate Dylan – Mindwalker (2022)
Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton
Kate Dylan’s debut, Mindwalker, was a mind-bending science fiction thriller (with a slice of dystopia) aimed at older teens who enjoy stories with advanced technology and cyberpunk overtones. ‘Mindwalkers’ are employees of Syntex who commandeer or highjack/piggyback into the minds of secret operatives and help them out of sticky war or espionage situations.
The novel is seen from the point of view of Sil Sarrah, who has a 100% success rate in guiding operatives to safety. She was recruited when she was eight and, ten years later, has been rebuilt with all the latest technology, until an operation goes wrong and the all-powerful corporation Syntex turns against her. Is she a scapegoat or is there a deeper conspiracy going on?
Early in the tale we find out Mindwalkers have an expiration date; few are operational beyond the age of nineteen and Sarrah’s technology malfunctions. Once Sil goes on the run we see the story from the other side, the Analog Army (the equivalent of the Anonymous hacker group) and she is caught in the middle, whilst trying to clear her name and survive. There is a lot to enjoy here from vividly drawn and scary technology, espionage action sequences, funny banter and convincing worldbuilding which was a not-too distant dystopian version of where we are today.
Naomi Gibson – Every Line of You (2021)
Publisher : Chicken House
Every Line Of You silkily blends a tech-thriller with a disillusioned and lonely teenage girl struggling to cope with life at school. Although the story is built around A.I. technology the author cleverly glosses over the intricate details of how the computer ‘Henry’ is developed. The story is all the better for it, instead presenting a complex and believable teen character and an odd co-dependent relationship with the computer programme created by Lydia.
This starts on her home PC, before later accompanying her to school via her mobile phone and infiltrating aspects of her life. Lydia was a great lead character, dealing with the tragedy of the death of her brother and the loss of her best friend who now bullies her, she struggles to cope with everyday school life, but is super-intelligent and skipped a year.
Lydia develops an A.I. which becomes incredibly sophisticated, able to hack into her school, alter grades, and even break into banks, triggering international security alerts. Lydia is obviously going to get into hot water. The strength of Every Line of You is the fact that by the time you’ve sped-read into the second half of the story, it takes a significantly darker turn and ends up a million miles away from being the story of a teenage girl with personal problems.
This novel also smoothly provides a fresh twist on the intensity of first love and the feeling of loss when Henry is offline. It was highly inventive how Naomi Gibson brings Henry to life and the dangers of A.I. are engagingly explored via this high concept read. Every Line of You is not strictly a science fiction novel, but it is definitely a story which can be enjoyed by teens who do not read this type of genre fiction.
Gregg Hurwitz – The Rains (2016)
Publisher : Penguin
Between 2016-17 bestselling adult thriller writer Gregg Hurwitz made a brief, but highly impressive foray into YA horror/science fiction, with the outstanding Rainsduology. I’m unsure whether these books were successful enough to entice Gregg back into the YA world, but they were a killer blend of end of the world and alien invasion horror which deserve to be much better known than they probably are. The Rains stops for the occasional breather, but on the whole is unrelenting from beginning to end. I found myself reading it very fast through the multiple mini climaxes, which keep the book moving at a furious lick, helped by the fact the plot plays out in just one highly explosive week.
The Rains has serious kick and brutally mashes adventure, horror and science fiction, fuelled by adrenaline pumping small-town adventure and a fight for survival. The fast-paced zombie style action is brilliant for bored teenagers and once sucked into the fight to saving their small town from destruction all bets are off. The fear level escalates when all adults turn into doglike monsters, parasites infecting everybody over the age of eighteen. The tension reaches near breaking point when we realise the elder of the brothers is just about to turn eighteen and the clock is ticking down.
Daniel Kraus – Bent Heavens (2020)
Publisher : Henry Holt and Co
Eighteen-year-old Liv Fleming leads this genre-bending thriller which dances around horror and science fiction in a very convincing, smalltown Ohio setting. Readers will easily tap into the troubled psyche and angst of a girl whose world was turned upside down when her father disappeared two years earlier, but it is the circumstances surrounding her father which makes this story fascinating.
Lee Fleming was a very popular English teacher at the school Liv attended and before he disappeared indefinitely, vanished for a much shorter period before reappearing, naked, on the school campus. He was not the same man, deeply psychologically traumatised and claiming to have been abducted by aliens, with vague memories of being experimented upon. Officially, it was presumed he suffered a mental breakdown and the family struggled to cope with the very public emotional fallout.
Once Lee Fleming returns after his initial disappearance, he becomes obsessed with aliens and constructs a series of six very dangerous traps in the woodland surrounding his house, and names them; Amputator, Hangman’s Noose, Crusher, Neckbreaker, Abyss and Hard Passage. If you have ever read the Iain Banks cult classic The Wasp Factory (1984) the traps might ring some bells. Eventually, his creations catch something significantly larger than a squirrel.
Bent Heavens is a great read and has enough strings in its bow to attract differing types of teen readers with its convincing blend of horror, drama, and thriller. Even though Liv might not have been the most sympathetic of characters, her pain and grief is convincingly portrayed in a tale about the lengths we will go to uncover the truth. Even if the answers uncover more pain, at least there is closure.
Leslie Lutz – Fractured Tide (2018)
Publisher : Blink
Fractured Tide opens with Sia on a scuba diving trip; her mother owns a boat and together they entertain tourist on day excursions. Whilst on a dive around a popular shipwreck site with a large group of teenagers they think they are being stalked by a shark, but quickly realise there is something much nastier lurking in the water which quickly claims its first victim. From that moment expect the unexpected. Monsters, time travel, Bermuda Triangle style shenanigans, weird sinkholes, time repeating itself and all sorts of outlandish ideas are thrown into a convoluted mix.
Fractured Tide has an odd narrative style told in the first person, present tense, by seventeen-year-old Sia in the form of journal entries written to her absent father. As Sia has substantial swimming and diving experience, she holds things together admirably due to the lack of adult leadership. Some of the reveals were handled very nicely and this high concept novel keeps the reader guessing until the over-the-top ending, which is no surprise as the story is wild.
Amy Lukavics – Nightingale (2018)
Publisher : Harlequin Books Teen
June is a young woman living in small town America of the 1950s, where she is about to be married to someone who is controlling and unloving. She has a passion for writing, particularly science fiction and horror, and dreams of going to college, but her family forbid it. The story is told in two strands, past and present, revealing how June ends up in a mental asylum after an ‘episode’ which is revealed in flashback.
The asylum sequences are captivating and are much more sinister than they first appear, as it seems she and the other inmates are trapped in a real-life nightmare as things get stranger, possibly supernatural. Or is it all in June’s head? That is part of the charm of this sneaky and highly unsettling book where reading between the lines is essential.
This is undoubtedly the most bizarre of Amy’s four novels and the least traditional. It also creeped me out because of the detailed descriptions, particularly of the asylum and the possibility of madness. The manner in which the book was divided into two sequences was very clever, with the reader observing June’s life before being committed and the lack of control she had over her own life. Women in the fifties were expected to behave in a certain way and she would love to buck the trend and be free from the constraints of the society she lives in.
Throughout Nightingale, June is trying to find herself again because of an incident which happened when she was writing her first story. The present sequence of the book was probably my favourite due to the wide arrange of characters in the asylum and the sense of dread felt for June. Towards the end, it gets even better, with quite a bit of gore, and the shocking ending left me stunned where the author really pushes the boat out. It would have been easy to write a much safer ending, Lukavics does the opposite. The finale is totally bonkers. I loved it.
Tim Major – Machineries of Mercy (2020)
Publisher : Luna Press Publishing
Machineries of Mercy is told through a double narrative; Lex and Ethan, break into a powerful company, Mercy HQ, and after one of them is caught and imprisoned, things go from bad to worse. The story takes its time revealing its secrets and is set slightly in an Orwellian style world, chillingly mapped out in a creep village under 24/7 surveillance. Lex and Ethan are railing against the system created by the all-powerful Mercy HQ, but the machine is incredibly powerful.
Once caught, Ethan is not sent to a prison, but instead ends up in a virtual reality village called Touchstone. There are multiple glitches in the system, the prisoners go to school and many are avatars mixed in amongst the real prisoners. Like 1984, the objective is brainwashing and breaking the spirits of the inmates. In one great scene, Ethan participates in a long-distance race and is doing well, but eventually finishes last, as his avatar is rigged for him to fail. Whilst he fights to survive in the virtual reality world, Lex tries to solve the mystery of his disappearance. For teens who like computer games and YA dystopian novels this was highly entertaining stuff.
Ben Oliver – The Loop (2020)
Publisher : Chicken House
If you’ve seeking a cool, twisty, futuristic thriller then welcome to The Loop. Luka Kane has been imprisoned within the weirdly looped shaped prison for over two years, awaiting a death sentence. However, there is a catch; if inmates submit to medical experiments, then their execution is delayed. This frequently happens, but the experiments are unpredictable and could lead to possible amputation and replacement with an artificial limb. This was the perfect setting dystopian thriller which was dominated by technology and powerful artificial intelligence. Luka is a cool and collected character, passing time reading what to us are contemporary novels, but to him are from the past.
Information about what is going on in the real world beyond the prison is carefully dripped into the narrative, revealing the circumstances behind the third World War. The bottom line is simple: the machines are in charge. Early in proceedings, excitement builds towards a potential breakout, but this is problematic because inmates have devices attached to their hearts which will explode if they leave the prison grounds. There is much for young teenagers to enjoy in The Loop, which is a top-notch fusion of science fiction, thriller, and action.
Kenneth Oppel – Bloom (2020)
Publisher : Firewing Productions
Bloom begins the Overthrow Trilogy and is a smart spin on the classic Day of the Triffids (1951) story, killer plants trying to take over the world. It is impossible not to read this book at pace as it is grips from the outset, is full of frightening surprises, exciting escapes and a terrific blend of horror and science fiction. The main characters are relatable teens dealing with broken relationships and everyday situations, such as acne, crushes, and the school magazine, until a mysterious rain arrives.
The rain is followed by black grass which grows incredibly fast. The grass isn’t the worst of it and there are several outstanding plot twists, involving genetics and the origins of the growths. As the terror ramps up, so do the mysteries surrounding the three main teenagers and the unnatural body changes they experience. It’s a combination that makes the book a truly riveting read and highly successful trilogy.
Scott Sigler – Alive (2015)
Publisher : Del Rey
Whenever I am asked who my favourite author is, Scott Sigler is always in my all-time top three. I have read every word this wonderful author has written and if anybody blends bloody horror, science fiction and wild crazy technology together better, I have yet to discover them. I even met Scott when he visited London a few years back and he kindly signed a stack of books. Between 2015-17, Scott turned to YA with the impressive Generations Trilogy, a blend of dystopian science fiction and horror.
Alive has a totally wicked opening, and I enjoyed the manner in which its large number of juicy secrets are slowly revealed. A group of kids wake up in coffins, not knowing who they are or where their memories have gone. Initially it is hard to tell whether they are underground, on another planet or being controlled by something otherworldly. As they begin to explore their dangerous environment, revelations are quickly dropped in this highly entertaining thriller which has plenty of unforeseen twists. The two sequels kept the series moving along nicely and they jump much deeper into the realms of science fiction, with some huge diversions and the battle for survival on a dangerous alien planet.
Amy Tintera – Reboot (2013)
Publisher : HarperCollins
Reboot features a super-smart concept; set in the future where technology has advanced significantly, but life is incredibly cheap, those who contract a virus can be brought back to life and used as ‘rebooted’ policemen, retaining a certain percentage of their human emotions and personality. However, the longer they have been clinically dead, the less human feelings they have once they been rebooted. The story revolves around Wren Connolly, revived five years earlier and has since morphed into a deadly policewoman as her revival time was particularly long, at 178 minutes and she can self-heal. She is regarded as the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas.
Wren serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation) and is deadly, in many ways barely human and others still a teenager. She is given the responsibility of training a new Reboot, Callum Reyes, who was revived after barely 22 minutes so retains most of his human characteristics. Because of this the pair clash, but also hit it off in other ways in an unlikely romance. I don’t know how many teenagers have seen classic eighties action classic Robocop, but this book certainly has its vibe and is clever, violent and highly entertaining stuff in a well-drawn dystopian alternative reality.
Tony Jones
Praise for the YA Horror 400 almanac, published in 2024:
“The YA Horror 400 is such a good and constructive push for YA horror.” JEREMY DE QUIDT (YA author of The Wrong Train & The Toymaker)
“An amazing teen horror guide, with fabulous features like fear factor ratings and ‘If You Like This Try” recs. Perfect for librarians, teachers, and anyone who wants to live their best YA horror life” ANN FRAISTAT (YA author of What We Harvest & A Place for Vanishing)
“A must have for anyone looking to help connect younger readers to the best genre in the world. Expertly compiled by Tony Jones” PHIL HICKES (Middle Grade author of the Aveline Jones and Shadowhall Academy series)
“So excited that my books have been featured here. Teachers and librarians – this is the PERFECT resource for you!” LORIEN LAWRENCE (Middle Grade author of The Stitchers series)
“If you’ve ever wished there were an easily accessible almanac of YA horror, I’ve got great news, Tony Jones, who has been reviewing and supporting my work since I first started and is one of my biggest professional cheerleaders has released his YA Horror 400 almanac! I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to contribute to it, too. What a cool project! Go Tony!” AMY LUKAVICS (YA author of Daughters Unto Devils & The Ravenous)
“I want to alert English teachers and librarians to the most definitive resource I’ve ever seen highlighting the best YA horror novels since 2008. 400 of the best dark fiction for readers 9-15+ . Where do you go for advice yourself to know what to purchase? It’s all here. What do you give a middle-grade reader or teen with a taste for the darker side? This … and let them pick and choose their own! CLIFF McNISH (YA author of Breathe & The Hunting Ground)
“Librarians! Bloggers! Readers! Educators! I am wildly pleased to see The Call on, and between, the covers of THE YA HORROR 400 by Tony Jones. Reviews of brilliant books, author interviews. Scares aplenty.” PEADAR Ó GUILÍN (YA horror/fantasy author of The Call duology)”
“Great news for teen horror fans! The YA Horror 400 is out! A massive horror almanac w/ fab features including fear factor ratings, articles, notes from authors and much more. Absolutely perfect for librarians, teachers and anyone who reads YA horror.” BRYONY PEARCE (YA author of Savage Island & Raising Hell)
“The YA Horror 400 is a fabulous resource for librarians, parents, and fans of horror kidlit.” Lora Senf (Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Blight Harbor series)
“I highly recommend the YA Horror 400: an almanac of 400 teen horror novel reviews published between 2008-2024 by Tony Jones, featuring reviews of the best YA and middle grade horror (including my own novel Channel Fear”. LISA RICHARDSON (YA author of Channel Fear)
“Teachers, librarians, readers… This brand new almanac from horror guru Tony Jones is all you need to navigate your way through YA spookiness, gore and thrills. SJ Wills (YA author of the Bite Risk series)
