Best Gothic Books | Summaries & Audio

Gothic Book Summaries

Imaginary Friend

by Stephen Chbosky • 2019

Lost in the woods six days, a boy returns with a voice only he can hear.

3.55

62k+

✝️ Religious Horror 🏘️ Small-Town Horror 💕 Mother-Son Bond 🐍 Misunderstood Monster 👦 Child In Peril

Imaginary Friend

Lost in the woods six days, a boy returns with a voice only he can hear.

by Stephen Chbosky 2019 705 pages

3.55

62k+ ratings

✝️ Religious Horror 🏘️ Small-Town Horror 💕 Mother-Son Bond 🐍 Misunderstood Monster 👦 Child In Peril

The Murder House

by James Patterson • 2015

A detective returns to a cursed mansion crime scene; the house remembers the childhood she buried.

4.06

50k+

🔪 Serial Killer Thriller 🏚️ Gothic Atmosphere 🩸 Generational Curse 🧠 Repressed Memories ⚖️ Wrongful Conviction

The Murder House

A detective returns to a cursed mansion crime scene; the house remembers the childhood she buried.

by James Patterson 2015 451 pages

4.06

50k+ ratings

🔪 Serial Killer Thriller 🏚️ Gothic Atmosphere 🩸 Generational Curse 🧠 Repressed Memories ⚖️ Wrongful Conviction

The Witching Hour

by Anne Rice • 1990

A surgeon is the last witch her family's dark spirit needs to be reborn.

4.10

100k+

🧹 Generational Witches 📜 Secret Society 🔮 Psychic Abilities 👹 Demonic Rebirth 🏚️ Haunted Mansion

The Witching Hour

A surgeon is the last witch her family's dark spirit needs to be reborn.

by Anne Rice 1990 1216 pages

4.10

100k+ ratings

🧹 Generational Witches 📜 Secret Society 🔮 Psychic Abilities 👹 Demonic Rebirth 🏚️ Haunted Mansion

Hell House

by Richard Matheson • 1971

A physicist, a medium, and a psychic enter Hell House. The house knows their fears.

3.69

64k+

👻 Haunted House 🧠 Psychological Horror ⚛️ Science Vs Spiritualism 🏚️ Gothic Mansion 😈 Possession

Hell House

A physicist, a medium, and a psychic enter Hell House. The house knows their fears.

by Richard Matheson 1971 301 pages

3.69

64k+ ratings

👻 Haunted House 🧠 Psychological Horror ⚛️ Science Vs Spiritualism 🏚️ Gothic Mansion 😈 Possession

Library of Souls

by Ransom Riggs • 2015

A monster-taming boy enters a Victorian slum to save his friends from a man hunting souls.

4.14

100k+

🫂 Found Family 🚪 Hidden Magical World 🎪 Dark Whimsy 🏚️ Victorian London 🆘 Rescue Mission

Library of Souls

A monster-taming boy enters a Victorian slum to save his friends from a man hunting souls.

by Ransom Riggs 2015 465 pages

4.14

100k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 🚪 Hidden Magical World 🎪 Dark Whimsy 🏚️ Victorian London 🆘 Rescue Mission

Remember Me

by Christopher Pike • 2010

After a fatal fall, a teenage ghost knows she was murdered. Her killer is a friend.

4.14

9k+

🕵️ Teen Ghost Detective 👶 Switched At Birth 🕊️ Forgiveness After Death 🖤 Gothic Mystery 💕 Ghostly Love Story

Remember Me

After a fatal fall, a teenage ghost knows she was murdered. Her killer is a friend.

by Christopher Pike 2010 789 pages

4.14

9k+ ratings

🕵️ Teen Ghost Detective 👶 Switched At Birth 🕊️ Forgiveness After Death 🖤 Gothic Mystery 💕 Ghostly Love Story

The Invisible Man

by H.G. Wells • 1897

Mad and invisible, a scientist terrorizes a village that must hunt what it cannot see.

3.63

200k+

🧪 Mad Scientist 👻 Gothic Dread 👁️ Unseen Predator 🔮 Invisibility ⚗️ Experiment Gone Wrong

The Invisible Man

Mad and invisible, a scientist terrorizes a village that must hunt what it cannot see.

by H.G. Wells 1897 192 pages

3.63

200k+ ratings

🧪 Mad Scientist 👻 Gothic Dread 👁️ Unseen Predator 🔮 Invisibility ⚗️ Experiment Gone Wrong

The New Couple in 5B

by Lisa Unger • 2024

Inheriting a haunted apartment traps a writer between a death and a husband she can't trust.

3.61

66k+

🕯️ Gothic Suspense 👻 Haunted Apartment ✍️ True-Crime Writer Mc 🏚️ Toxic Inheritance 👥 Neighbors With Secrets

The New Couple in 5B

Inheriting a haunted apartment traps a writer between a death and a husband she can't trust.

by Lisa Unger 2024 382 pages

3.61

66k+ ratings

🕯️ Gothic Suspense 👻 Haunted Apartment ✍️ True-Crime Writer Mc 🏚️ Toxic Inheritance 👥 Neighbors With Secrets

We Live Here Now

by Sarah Pinborough • 2025

A couple escapes to a remote gothic house to fix their marriage. The house prefers it broken.

3.71

34k+

🌫️ Gothic Dread 🏚️ Sentient House 🪞 Fractured Identity 💀 Dark Resurrection 🌾 Isolated Moor House

We Live Here Now

A couple escapes to a remote gothic house to fix their marriage. The house prefers it broken.

by Sarah Pinborough 2025 291 pages

3.71

34k+ ratings

🌫️ Gothic Dread 🏚️ Sentient House 🪞 Fractured Identity 💀 Dark Resurrection 🌾 Isolated Moor House

Mother Knows Best

by Serena Valentino • 2018

To claim her necromancer mother's magic, a young witch sacrifices her sisters and her humanity.

3.97

17k+

🦹 Villain Origin Story 🧙‍♀️ Witch Sisterhood 🥀 Gothic Fairy Tale 💀 Necromancy 🩸 Generational Curse

Mother Knows Best

To claim her necromancer mother's magic, a young witch sacrifices her sisters and her humanity.

by Serena Valentino 2018 400 pages

3.97

17k+ ratings

🦹 Villain Origin Story 🧙‍♀️ Witch Sisterhood 🥀 Gothic Fairy Tale 💀 Necromancy 🩸 Generational Curse

The Miserable Mill

by Lemony Snicket • 2000

Their new guardian pays in coupons and the optometrist has hypnotized Klaus. The saw is running.

3.86

100k+

👥 Orphan Protagonists 🤝 Sibling Teamwork 🌀 Mind Control 🎭 Disguised Villain 🚫 Ineffectual Guardians

The Miserable Mill

Their new guardian pays in coupons and the optometrist has hypnotized Klaus. The saw is running.

by Lemony Snicket 2000 194 pages

3.86

100k+ ratings

👥 Orphan Protagonists 🤝 Sibling Teamwork 🌀 Mind Control 🎭 Disguised Villain 🚫 Ineffectual Guardians

Blood Orange

by Karina Halle • 2022

Sent to kill the vampire who inspired Dracula, a witch discovers their love is centuries old.

3.78

32k+

💫 Reincarnated Lovers ⚔️ Enemies To Lovers 🩸 Vampire Romance 🧙 Witch And Vampire 🎭 Hidden Identity

Blood Orange

Sent to kill the vampire who inspired Dracula, a witch discovers their love is centuries old.

by Karina Halle 2022 332 pages

3.78

32k+ ratings

💫 Reincarnated Lovers ⚔️ Enemies To Lovers 🩸 Vampire Romance 🧙 Witch And Vampire 🎭 Hidden Identity

Lucy Undying

by Kiersten White • 2024

A vampire who survived Dracula and a trapped heiress connect through a century-old journal.

3.69

7k+

🧛 Vampire Retelling 🩸 Sapphic Vampires 🖤 Gothic Romance ⏳ Dual Timelines 🏙️ Victorian London

Lucy Undying

A vampire who survived Dracula and a trapped heiress connect through a century-old journal.

by Kiersten White 2024 464 pages

3.69

7k+ ratings

🧛 Vampire Retelling 🩸 Sapphic Vampires 🖤 Gothic Romance ⏳ Dual Timelines 🏙️ Victorian London

A Theory of Dreaming

by Ava Reid • 2025

A college's first woman proves its national epic was ghostwritten. The backlash is merciless.

3.53

15k+

🕯️ Dark Academia 🏰 Gothic Fantasy 📜 Literary Mystery ✍️ Hidden Authorship 🖤 Gothic Romance

A Theory of Dreaming

A college's first woman proves its national epic was ghostwritten. The backlash is merciless.

by Ava Reid 2025 416 pages

3.53

15k+ ratings

🕯️ Dark Academia 🏰 Gothic Fantasy 📜 Literary Mystery ✍️ Hidden Authorship 🖤 Gothic Romance

A Lesson in Vengeance

by Victoria Lee • 2021

At Dalloway, a grieving Felicity is pulled into a charismatic new student's occult reenactments.

3.51

24k+

🖤 Dark Academia 🏫 Boarding School 💕 Sapphic Relationship ☠️ Toxic Relationship 🎭 Female Manipulator

A Lesson in Vengeance

At Dalloway, a grieving Felicity is pulled into a charismatic new student's occult reenactments.

by Victoria Lee 2021 369 pages

3.51

24k+ ratings

🖤 Dark Academia 🏫 Boarding School 💕 Sapphic Relationship ☠️ Toxic Relationship 🎭 Female Manipulator

Mercure

by Amélie Nothomb • 1998

On a mirrorless island, a nurse questions why her patient has never seen her own face.

3.70

8k+

🖤 Gothic Suspense 🔍 Gaslighting Control 🔒 Psychological Captivity 🏝️ Isolated Island 😰 Claustrophobic

Mercure

On a mirrorless island, a nurse questions why her patient has never seen her own face.

by Amélie Nothomb 1998 188 pages

3.70

8k+ ratings

🖤 Gothic Suspense 🔍 Gaslighting Control 🔒 Psychological Captivity 🏝️ Isolated Island 😰 Claustrophobic

Blood Magic

by Tessa Gratton • 2011

Her dead father's spell book teaches Silla to cast with blood. An immortal witch hunts her.

3.65

11k+

🩸 Sacrificial Magic 👻 Body Possession 🏚️ Gothic Atmosphere 🪦 Graveyard Magic 📜 Inherited Magic

Blood Magic

Her dead father's spell book teaches Silla to cast with blood. An immortal witch hunts her.

by Tessa Gratton 2011 405 pages

3.65

11k+ ratings

🩸 Sacrificial Magic 👻 Body Possession 🏚️ Gothic Atmosphere 🪦 Graveyard Magic 📜 Inherited Magic

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

by Susanna Clarke • 2006

Two rival magicians revive English magic while a fae lord's bargain entraps those they love.

3.88

200k+

🎩 Magical Regency ⚔️ Rival Magicians 🧚 Faerie Bargain 🚫 Forbidden Magic 🌫️ Atmospheric And Eerie

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Two rival magicians revive English magic while a fae lord's bargain entraps those they love.

by Susanna Clarke 2006 1006 pages

3.88

200k+ ratings

🎩 Magical Regency ⚔️ Rival Magicians 🧚 Faerie Bargain 🚫 Forbidden Magic 🌫️ Atmospheric And Eerie

The Hollow

by Jessica Verday • 2009

After her best friend drowns in Sleepy Hollow, her only comfort is a ghost who cannot love.

3.74

21k+

👻 Ghost Boyfriend 🌫️ Small Town Gothic 🖤 Grieving A Friend 📖 Best Friend's Secret 🍂 Autumnal Atmosphere

The Hollow

After her best friend drowns in Sleepy Hollow, her only comfort is a ghost who cannot love.

by Jessica Verday 2009 544 pages

3.74

21k+ ratings

👻 Ghost Boyfriend 🌫️ Small Town Gothic 🖤 Grieving A Friend 📖 Best Friend's Secret 🍂 Autumnal Atmosphere

Benito Cereno

by Herman Melville • 2006

An American captain boards a Spanish slave ship in chaos, sensing danger but misreading every sign.

3.53

10k+

🛳️ Maritime Gothic ⛓️ Slave Revolt 👁️ Unreliable Narrator 🔗 Captor Captive Bond 🌫️ Creeping Dread

Benito Cereno

An American captain boards a Spanish slave ship in chaos, sensing danger but misreading every sign.

by Herman Melville 2006 160 pages

3.53

10k+ ratings

🛳️ Maritime Gothic ⛓️ Slave Revolt 👁️ Unreliable Narrator 🔗 Captor Captive Bond 🌫️ Creeping Dread

The Empress of Salt and Fortune

by Nghi Vo • 2020

A servant kept an empress's secrets for decades. A traveling cleric finally gets her to speak.

3.90

46k+

🏯 Quiet Fantasy 📖 Story Within A Story 🏮 Asian-Inspired Fantasy 📜 Hidden Histories 👑 Behind The Throne

The Empress of Salt and Fortune

A servant kept an empress's secrets for decades. A traveling cleric finally gets her to speak.

by Nghi Vo 2020 119 pages

3.90

46k+ ratings

🏯 Quiet Fantasy 📖 Story Within A Story 🏮 Asian-Inspired Fantasy 📜 Hidden Histories 👑 Behind The Throne

Relic

by Douglas Preston • 1995

Beneath a New York museum, a creature surgically removes brains. The gala opens tonight.

4.05

100k+

🦎 Creature Feature 🧬 Science Horror 📋 Institutional Cover-Up 🌿 Lost Expedition 🏛️ Museum Labyrinth

Relic

Beneath a New York museum, a creature surgically removes brains. The gala opens tonight.

by Douglas Preston 1995 480 pages

4.05

100k+ ratings

🦎 Creature Feature 🧬 Science Horror 📋 Institutional Cover-Up 🌿 Lost Expedition 🏛️ Museum Labyrinth

Mirror Girls

by Kelly McWilliams • 2022

Biracial twins raised apart reunite in Georgia to break a curse that stole one sister's reflection.

3.95

3k+

🏚️ Southern Gothic 🌾 Jim Crow South 👯 Separated Twins 🎭 Passing As White 👻 Ancestral Ghosts

Mirror Girls

Biracial twins raised apart reunite in Georgia to break a curse that stole one sister's reflection.

by Kelly McWilliams 2022 320 pages

3.95

3k+ ratings

🏚️ Southern Gothic 🌾 Jim Crow South 👯 Separated Twins 🎭 Passing As White 👻 Ancestral Ghosts

Stalking Jack the Ripper

by Kerri Maniscalco • 2016

In Victorian London, a forensic student hunts the Ripper, and the evidence points to her family.

3.92

100k+

🔎 Forensic Investigation 🕰️ Victorian Gothic Mystery 🤝 Unlikely Duo 🔐 Family Secrets 🧪 Macabre Experiments

Stalking Jack the Ripper

In Victorian London, a forensic student hunts the Ripper, and the evidence points to her family.

by Kerri Maniscalco 2016 337 pages

3.92

100k+ ratings

🔎 Forensic Investigation 🕰️ Victorian Gothic Mystery 🤝 Unlikely Duo 🔐 Family Secrets 🧪 Macabre Experiments

Villette

by Charlotte Brontë • 1853

A lonely English teacher in Belgium finds love and a ghost haunting her boarding school.

3.78

81k+

🖤 Psychological Gothic 🏫 Boarding School Setting 🗣️ Unreliable Narrator 😶 Repressed Protagonist 🔥 Slow Burn Romance

Villette

A lonely English teacher in Belgium finds love and a ghost haunting her boarding school.

by Charlotte Brontë 1853 573 pages

3.78

81k+ ratings

🖤 Psychological Gothic 🏫 Boarding School Setting 🗣️ Unreliable Narrator 😶 Repressed Protagonist 🔥 Slow Burn Romance

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

by Shirley Jackson • 1962

After arsenic killed their family, two sisters guard their decaying mansion with spells and silence.

3.91

300k+

🏚️ American Gothic 🧠 Psychological Horror 🗣️ Unreliable Narrator 👭 Devoted Sisters 🏠 Isolated Mansion

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

After arsenic killed their family, two sisters guard their decaying mansion with spells and silence.

by Shirley Jackson 1962 152 pages

3.91

300k+ ratings

🏚️ American Gothic 🧠 Psychological Horror 🗣️ Unreliable Narrator 👭 Devoted Sisters 🏠 Isolated Mansion

The Dead Husband Cookbook

by Danielle Valentine • 2025

A disgraced editor at a remote farmhouse uncovers the dark recipe behind a famous widow's memoir.

3.82

17k+

🍖 Culinary Horror 🏚️ Modern Gothic 📖 Unreliable Memoirist 🏡 Rural Isolation 🕸️ Family Conspiracy

The Dead Husband Cookbook

A disgraced editor at a remote farmhouse uncovers the dark recipe behind a famous widow's memoir.

by Danielle Valentine 2025 352 pages

3.82

17k+ ratings

🍖 Culinary Horror 🏚️ Modern Gothic 📖 Unreliable Memoirist 🏡 Rural Isolation 🕸️ Family Conspiracy

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

by Holly Black • 2013

One girl alive, her ex infected, a vampire chained. Only one road: the quarantined vampire city.

3.83

78k+

🧛 Vampire Quarantine 🖤 Reluctant Monster Ally 💀 Immortal Love Interest 🩸 De-Glamorized Vampires 🌫️ Atmospheric Dread

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

One girl alive, her ex infected, a vampire chained. Only one road: the quarantined vampire city.

by Holly Black 2013 419 pages

3.83

78k+ ratings

🧛 Vampire Quarantine 🖤 Reluctant Monster Ally 💀 Immortal Love Interest 🩸 De-Glamorized Vampires 🌫️ Atmospheric Dread

Vathek

by William Beckford • 1786

An impious caliph sells his soul for a demon's promise of a subterranean palace of fire.

3.23

7k+

🏰 Early Gothic 🕌 Arabian Nights Fantasy 🤝 Faustian Bargain 📜 Forbidden Knowledge 🕯️ Decadent Gothic

Vathek

An impious caliph sells his soul for a demon's promise of a subterranean palace of fire.

by William Beckford 1786 180 pages

3.23

7k+ ratings

🏰 Early Gothic 🕌 Arabian Nights Fantasy 🤝 Faustian Bargain 📜 Forbidden Knowledge 🕯️ Decadent Gothic

Where Sleeping Girls Lie

by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé • 2024

Her first night at a gothic boarding school, her roommate vanishes. A secret society knows why.

3.96

23k+

🏫 Boarding School Mystery 🕯️ Secret Society 💕 Sapphic Undertones 🖤 Toxic Friendship 🌫️ Gothic Atmosphere

Where Sleeping Girls Lie

Her first night at a gothic boarding school, her roommate vanishes. A secret society knows why.

by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 2024 416 pages

3.96

23k+ ratings

🏫 Boarding School Mystery 🕯️ Secret Society 💕 Sapphic Undertones 🖤 Toxic Friendship 🌫️ Gothic Atmosphere

The Exorcism of Faeries

by J.L. Vampa • 2025

A mortician discovers a flower in a corpse and joins masked anatomists fighting a faerie plague.

3.94

3k+

🕯️ Dark Academia 💘 Enemies To Lovers 🖤 Gothic Romance 🧚‍♀️ Faerie Mythology 🗝️ Secret Societies

The Exorcism of Faeries

A mortician discovers a flower in a corpse and joins masked anatomists fighting a faerie plague.

by J.L. Vampa 2025 418 pages

3.94

3k+ ratings

🕯️ Dark Academia 💘 Enemies To Lovers 🖤 Gothic Romance 🧚‍♀️ Faerie Mythology 🗝️ Secret Societies

Nevernight

by Jay Kristoff • 2016

A shadow-wielding girl enters an assassin school to kill the men who executed her father.

4.22

100k+

🗡️ Assassin Academy 🩸 Revenge Quest 🌑 Shadow Magic ⚔️ Morally Gray Heroine 🎭 Sardonic Narrator

Nevernight

A shadow-wielding girl enters an assassin school to kill the men who executed her father.

by Jay Kristoff 2016 427 pages

4.22

100k+ ratings

🗡️ Assassin Academy 🩸 Revenge Quest 🌑 Shadow Magic ⚔️ Morally Gray Heroine 🎭 Sardonic Narrator

Big Swiss

by Jen Beagin • 2023

A transcriptionist falls for a client's voice, meets her at the dog park, and gives a fake name.

3.68

100k+

🛋️ Therapy Fiction 🤫 Secret Queer Affair 🎭 Identity Concealment 🤪 Unhinged Narrator 🏚️ Modern Gothic

Big Swiss

A transcriptionist falls for a client's voice, meets her at the dog park, and gives a fake name.

by Jen Beagin 2023 336 pages

3.68

100k+ ratings

🛋️ Therapy Fiction 🤫 Secret Queer Affair 🎭 Identity Concealment 🤪 Unhinged Narrator 🏚️ Modern Gothic

The Book of Cold Cases

by Simone St. James • 2022

A true crime blogger interviews an heiress acquitted of murder. Her mansion has never been empty.

3.78

100k+

🎙️ True Crime Blogger 🏚️ Haunted Mansion ❄️ Cold Case Mystery 😶 Ambiguous Guilt 🗝️ Deadly Family Secrets

The Book of Cold Cases

A true crime blogger interviews an heiress acquitted of murder. Her mansion has never been empty.

by Simone St. James 2022 344 pages

3.78

100k+ ratings

🎙️ True Crime Blogger 🏚️ Haunted Mansion ❄️ Cold Case Mystery 😶 Ambiguous Guilt 🗝️ Deadly Family Secrets

Bone Island

by Nicole Fiorina • 2023

Pledged to another, a seamstress falls for the outcast whose face kills, waking deadly shadows.

4.28

4k+

🖤 Gothic Romance 💔 Forbidden Love 🔮 Fated Mates 🩸 Cursed Hero 💍 Arranged Marriage

Bone Island

Pledged to another, a seamstress falls for the outcast whose face kills, waking deadly shadows.

by Nicole Fiorina 2023 680 pages

4.28

4k+ ratings

🖤 Gothic Romance 💔 Forbidden Love 🔮 Fated Mates 🩸 Cursed Hero 💍 Arranged Marriage

The Underneath

by Kathi Appelt • 2008

A calico cat, a chained hound, and their hidden kittens, as an ancient snake spirit stirs.

3.99

11k+

🐾 Animal Point Of View 🌿 Southern Gothic 🐕 Animal Found Family 💔 Maternal Sacrifice 🐊 Ancient Curse

The Underneath

A calico cat, a chained hound, and their hidden kittens, as an ancient snake spirit stirs.

by Kathi Appelt 2008 313 pages

3.99

11k+ ratings

🐾 Animal Point Of View 🌿 Southern Gothic 🐕 Animal Found Family 💔 Maternal Sacrifice 🐊 Ancient Curse

Vampire Kisses

by Ellen Schreiber • 2003

A goth outsider and a vampire-rumored boy find dark love in a small town.

3.75

54k+

🧛 Vampire Romance 🏘️ Gothic Small Town 🎒 High School Outcast 🏚️ Mansion Mystery 🌫️ Gothic Atmosphere

Vampire Kisses

A goth outsider and a vampire-rumored boy find dark love in a small town.

by Ellen Schreiber 2003 253 pages

3.75

54k+ ratings

🧛 Vampire Romance 🏘️ Gothic Small Town 🎒 High School Outcast 🏚️ Mansion Mystery 🌫️ Gothic Atmosphere

The Austere Academy

by Lemony Snicket • 2000

Three orphans at a grim school find their nemesis disguised as a coach, running them ragged.

4.01

100k+

🏫 Boarding School Mystery 🎭 Villain In Disguise 👥 Orphan Protagonists 🧑‍🦯 Incompetent Adults 🖤 Darkly Comic

The Austere Academy

Three orphans at a grim school find their nemesis disguised as a coach, running them ragged.

by Lemony Snicket 2000 221 pages

4.01

100k+ ratings

🏫 Boarding School Mystery 🎭 Villain In Disguise 👥 Orphan Protagonists 🧑‍🦯 Incompetent Adults 🖤 Darkly Comic

Things We Lost in the Fire

by Mariana Enriquez • 2016

Argentine gothic tales: women set themselves ablaze, children vanish, and the dead surface.

4.03

64k+

📖 Literary Horror 🏚️ Latin American Gothic 🦴 Body Horror 🔥 Women's Rage 👧 Girlhood And Danger

Things We Lost in the Fire

Argentine gothic tales: women set themselves ablaze, children vanish, and the dead surface.

by Mariana Enriquez 2016 192 pages

4.03

64k+ ratings

📖 Literary Horror 🏚️ Latin American Gothic 🦴 Body Horror 🔥 Women's Rage 👧 Girlhood And Danger

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror

by Robert Louis Stevenson • 1886

A respectable doctor's strange will leaves everything to a violent man his lawyer has never met.

3.91

100k+

🧠 Split Personality 🧪 Mad Scientist 🏙️ Victorian London ✉️ Epistolary Horror 😰 Creeping Dread

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror

A respectable doctor's strange will leaves everything to a violent man his lawyer has never met.

by Robert Louis Stevenson 1886 224 pages

3.91

100k+ ratings

🧠 Split Personality 🧪 Mad Scientist 🏙️ Victorian London ✉️ Epistolary Horror 😰 Creeping Dread

Faust, First Part

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe • 1808

A scholar bets his soul he will never find a moment worth keeping; the devil gives him Gretchen.

3.83

86k+

📜 Faustian Bargain 📚 Forbidden Knowledge 🥀 Seduction And Ruin 👰 Tragic Heroine ✝️ Religious Redemption

Faust, First Part

A scholar bets his soul he will never find a moment worth keeping; the devil gives him Gretchen.

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1808 327 pages

3.83

86k+ ratings

📜 Faustian Bargain 📚 Forbidden Knowledge 🥀 Seduction And Ruin 👰 Tragic Heroine ✝️ Religious Redemption

The Bone Houses

by Emily Lloyd-Jones • 2019

When the dead rise, a gravedigger and a mapmaker journey into cursed mountains to break a spell.

3.99

26k+

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Welsh Folklore Fantasy ⚰️ Gravedigger Heroine 💀 Curse Of Resurrection 🌫️ Atmospheric Folk Horror 🕊️ Letting Go Of The Dead

The Bone Houses

When the dead rise, a gravedigger and a mapmaker journey into cursed mountains to break a spell.

by Emily Lloyd-Jones 2019 335 pages

3.99

26k+ ratings

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Welsh Folklore Fantasy ⚰️ Gravedigger Heroine 💀 Curse Of Resurrection 🌫️ Atmospheric Folk Horror 🕊️ Letting Go Of The Dead

The Sun Down Motel

by Simone St. James • 2020

A haunted motel swallowed her aunt. She takes the night shift, and the ghosts know why.

3.99

100k+

🕯️ Supernatural Mystery 🚺 Feminist Horror 🕰️ Dual Timeline 🔍 Amateur Sleuth 📋 Unsolved Disappearance

The Sun Down Motel

A haunted motel swallowed her aunt. She takes the night shift, and the ghosts know why.

by Simone St. James 2020 327 pages

3.99

100k+ ratings

🕯️ Supernatural Mystery 🚺 Feminist Horror 🕰️ Dual Timeline 🔍 Amateur Sleuth 📋 Unsolved Disappearance

The Phantom of the Opera

by Gaston Leroux • 1910

At the Paris Opera, a phantom’s love turns deadly when his protégée falls for a vicomte.

3.96

200k+

🖤 Gothic Romance 🌹 Beauty And The Beast 💘 Obsessive Love 🎵 Secret Mentor 🗼 Belle éPoque Paris

The Phantom of the Opera

At the Paris Opera, a phantom’s love turns deadly when his protégée falls for a vicomte.

by Gaston Leroux 1910 360 pages

3.96

200k+ ratings

🖤 Gothic Romance 🌹 Beauty And The Beast 💘 Obsessive Love 🎵 Secret Mentor 🗼 Belle éPoque Paris

Burn Down, Rise Up

by Vincent Tirado • 2022

Mother in a coma, friend missing: a Bronx teen enters a subway game where history kills.

3.72

2k+

👻 Deadly Urban Legend 🚇 Supernatural Subway 🖤 Creeping Dread 💕 Friends To Lovers 📜 Historical Trauma

Burn Down, Rise Up

Mother in a coma, friend missing: a Bronx teen enters a subway game where history kills.

by Vincent Tirado 2022 352 pages

3.72

2k+ ratings

👻 Deadly Urban Legend 🚇 Supernatural Subway 🖤 Creeping Dread 💕 Friends To Lovers 📜 Historical Trauma

The Black Phone

by Joe Hill • 2005

Ghosts, killers, and an inflatable boy: fifteen literary horror stories about what will not let go.

3.89

49k+

🖤 Literary Horror 📚 Short Story Collection 👻 Haunted By The Past 🌧️ Melancholy Horror 🧸 Childhood Innocence Lost

The Black Phone

Ghosts, killers, and an inflatable boy: fifteen literary horror stories about what will not let go.

by Joe Hill 2005 316 pages

3.89

49k+ ratings

🖤 Literary Horror 📚 Short Story Collection 👻 Haunted By The Past 🌧️ Melancholy Horror 🧸 Childhood Innocence Lost

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman • 1892

A husband orders rest. The nursery's yellow wallpaper hides a crawling woman.

4.07

300k+

🧠 Unreliable Narrator 🏚️ Domestic Gothic 🖤 Psychological Horror 🔒 Forced Isolation 🕯️ Gaslighting

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories

A husband orders rest. The nursery's yellow wallpaper hides a crawling woman.

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1892 129 pages

4.07

300k+ ratings

🧠 Unreliable Narrator 🏚️ Domestic Gothic 🖤 Psychological Horror 🔒 Forced Isolation 🕯️ Gaslighting

Clockwork Prince

by Cassandra Clare • 2011

Between a cursed Shadowhunter and a dying one, a Victorian shape-shifter's heart has no safe harbor.

4.42

500k+

🕯️ Gaslamp Fantasy 🏙️ Victorian London 💔 Love Triangle 🖤 Cursed Hero ⚔️ Bonded Warriors

Clockwork Prince

Between a cursed Shadowhunter and a dying one, a Victorian shape-shifter's heart has no safe harbor.

by Cassandra Clare 2011 498 pages

4.42

500k+ ratings

🕯️ Gaslamp Fantasy 🏙️ Victorian London 💔 Love Triangle 🖤 Cursed Hero ⚔️ Bonded Warriors

Our Share of Night

by Mariana Enriquez • 2019

A death cult pursues a father and his psychic son across Argentina for the boy's body.

4.25

64k+

🕯️ Occult Secret Society 🕸️ Gothic Family Curse 👻 Mediums And Spirits 🇦🇷 Argentine Dictatorship 🩸 Generational Trauma

Our Share of Night

A death cult pursues a father and his psychic son across Argentina for the boy's body.

by Mariana Enriquez 2019 588 pages

4.25

64k+ ratings

🕯️ Occult Secret Society 🕸️ Gothic Family Curse 👻 Mediums And Spirits 🇦🇷 Argentine Dictatorship 🩸 Generational Trauma

Mrs. March

by Virginia Feito • 2021

Told she inspired her husband's cruel new character, a Manhattan wife sinks into paranoid dread.

3.25

28k+

🏠 Domestic Noir 🧠 Psychological Suspense 👁️ Unreliable Narrator 💊 Woman On The Edge 💔 Deteriorating Marriage

Mrs. March

Told she inspired her husband's cruel new character, a Manhattan wife sinks into paranoid dread.

by Virginia Feito 2021 304 pages

3.25

28k+ ratings

🏠 Domestic Noir 🧠 Psychological Suspense 👁️ Unreliable Narrator 💊 Woman On The Edge 💔 Deteriorating Marriage

Previous 4 5 6 7 8 Next

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M