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I love the gothic genre. Although I will be posting about gothic classics at a later date, this time around I wanted to do something different by highlighting recent gothic talents. I present to you 10 Modern Gothic Novels that you will want to read next. On this list, we have an array of gothic elements: cults, deadly academic rivals, haunted homes, bloody retellings, and more.
But first, a quick note on the MODERN GOTHIC.
When I use the term “modern gothic,” it mostly has to do with the fact that these books were published in the last decade and most of these novels – not all – have a somewhat contemporary setting with a gothic flair and feel. Time and time again, these novels will present feelings of existential dread, crushing alienation, and psychological instability.
Did you know there is a video version of this post? You can watch it here.
1. Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
“Diavola” follows Anna, the black sheep of the family, who joins her family for a summer vacation to a haunted Italian villa in Monteperso. This one is darkly funny, dreadful, and dysfunctional. Anna’s parents and two siblings readily criticize and mock her during the trip, meanwhile the villa emits strange noises at nighttime and has a forbidden locked tower. The local villagers issue their warnings, but the Pace family, despite Anna’s own pleas, pay no heed to the signs.
This is a book that will have you questioning the meaning of the word haunting. In some ways, it’s quite reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House.”
2. Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio
“Graveyard Shift” follows five insomniacs who work night shifts and meet nocturnally in the college’s ancient cemetery.
In this cast of characters, we encounter “a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper.” It feels like there’s a punchline waiting somewhere in that sentence.
One night during their break, they find an open grave that launches the group to pursue the gravedigger and embark on a larger investigation into the town’s strange happenings.
“Graveyard Shift” is a short novella, and it is perfect for a sleepless October night!
3. Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
“Lady Macbeth” is a gothic lyrical retelling of Lady Macbeth’s character from Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth.” This novel will defy all of your expectations.
The story follows Roscille, a French noblewoman who is sent to wed a brutish Scottish Lord. Roscille is always veiled because it is believed that her unveiled gaze drives men mad. Unlike Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, Roscille must learn how to survive and regain bodily autonomy in this desolate fortress.
I don’t want to say any more than that. I will say that the three witches from Macbeth’s play are also present in this retelling.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.(Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1)
4. The Cloisters by Katy Hays
Although it’s set in the modern world, “The Cloisters” is the perfect read for tarot and Renaissance art lovers as well as dark academia readers.
The story follows Ann Stilwell, who is assigned as a curatorial associate to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden in a remote corner of NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
There, she joins an enigmatic group led by Patrick Roland, the museum’s curator and his gorgeous associate Rachel Mondray, as well Leo Bitburg, the gardener who nurtures the museum’s medicinal and poisonous plants.
Ann, however, has secrets of her own as she’s glad to be fleeing her hometown in Washington. This is a chance to prove herself and obtain a permanent position. Curiously enough, Patrick, her advisor, believes that ancient divination can truly foretell the future and he’s determined to prove it. Alongside him, Ann and the beautiful Rachel forge a toxic friendship fuelled by academic ambition and survival.
5. Rouge by Mona Awad
“Rouge” is a bit of a different kind of gothic horror, think of the movie Eyes Wide Shut blended with undertones of the fairy tale Snow White mixed in with the dangers of the beauty industry and a complicated mother-daughter relationship.
In “Rouge,” the story follows the unraveling of our main character, Mirabelle. After her mother’s passing, Belle stays in California to clean up her mother’s affairs and apartment. From there, she’s recruited by Rouge, a Spa that promises her she can be her Most Magnificent Self, and this spa is the very same Maison de Méduse that her mother attended before she went the Way of the Roses.
One thing about Mona Awad is that she will take you to insane places with her writing style. And “Rouge” is no different. I’m not even kidding Tom Cruise, who is the lead actor in “Eyes Wide Shut” is in this book. Just do yourself a favour, and pick this one up!
I’ve also vlogged my reading of “Rouge” on my channel. I had attended a release party event in Toronto in which Mona Awad personally signed my copy and I took a picture with her. You can watch that vlog here. And read my full book review here.
6. Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout
“Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein” is a dual-timeline sapphic reimagining of Mary Shelley’s life. In the first timeline, we follow Mary and her entourage at Lake Geneva in 1816, during the year without summer, in which weather anomalies ravaged the world, leading crops to die and people to starve. (For those of you who don’t know the full lore, this is precisely when Mary Shelley composed the beginning of “Frankenstein” as she competed with Byron, Shelley, and Polidori in writing the scariest ghost story.)
In the second timeline, we follow a younger Mary, aged fourteen in 1812, during her visit to the Baxter family in Dundee, Scotland. The passages set in Scotland are full of dark gothic imagery and Scottish folklore. It’s also a story about stories and how they shape us and how we use them to shape and understand our own world and traumas. There’s so much to this book because there’s so much pain to Mary Shelley’s life – monsters, death, grief, love, and rebirth.
If you’ve watched my channel before, you will know that I’m biased towards anything Mary Shelley related but I swear this book is fantastic.
You can also read my full in-depth review of the book here.
7. A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson
Do yourself another favour and read “A Dowry of Blood.” It’s one of the best vampire and modern gothic novels out there. This book single-handedly reignited my vampire obsession 3 years ago when I read it in my car during a particularly lightning-filled summer.
The story follows Dracula’s first bride, Constanta, a medieval peasant whom he saved. When he starts to collect other consorts, Constanta realizes that her saviour is a controlling, dark, and deceitful being. Similar to “Diavola,” I believe the best gothic horror novels reflect the dread and oppression the main character feels in a toxic, abusive relationship.
8. Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
“Catherine House” is a gothic academia story that follows Ines, a troubled, down on her luck, girl who seeks refuge into the prestigious Catherine House. This institution is said to produce the most astounding, powerful graduates that land prestigious jobs as “prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, [and] presidents.”
The catch is? For three entire years its students are confined to its perimeter. No phones allowed. No visits home. Not even for summer vacation. No contact with the outside world. Zilch! Just pure devotion to the House.
What’s surprising is that I had the exact same sort of premise for this type of dark academia book back in 2019 but it’s okay I’m not deterred from writing my own even though at first glance they might sound similar. I digress.
After a while, having made a group of friends and being saved from the outside world, Ines sees Catherine House as the closest thing to a home. However, a highly secretive, exclusive, and experimental curriculum at the school threatens Ines’s passivity of parties and pills, especially when tragedy strikes her shy roommate, Baby, who had been working tirelessly on getting into said program.
9. A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
“A Dark and Drowning Tide” is a folklore gothic with sapphic academic rivals. I quite enjoyed this book because it was different from what I expected.
The story follows Lorelei, a commoner and folklorist, who’s on an expedition with six nobles of different abilities. They’re tasked with finding a magical spring for the king who wants to secure his reign. This expedition is a lifetime opportunity for Lorelei who wants to establish herself as a naturalist, which would grant her freedom to roam and research.
However, things take a dark turn, for right when they set out, her beloved mentor is murdered on the ship, and all six nobles on board have a solid motive. Now she has to lead them to find the spring before the murderer strikes again and not to mention, Lorelei knows that her insufferable and beautiful academic rival Sylvia is innocent because she was with her during the time of the murder. When they get to land, that’s when the real folkloric horror happens as they encounter many beasts on their journey to the fabled spring.
10. Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
I had to add “Victorian Psycho,” mostly because the movie will be releasing later this fall and it’s starring the iconic horror actor Maika Monroe. I just recently started reading this for the spooky season and I’m loving it.
The story follows Winifred, she is determined to be the perfect Victorian governess set to tutor Drusilla and Andrew of the Pounds family. Curiously, the longer she stays at the estate, strange events occur triggering her past and dark imaginations… I can’t wait to read the rest of the story and watch the film.
This novel reminds of an inverse of Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw.”
I hope you enjoyed this list of 10 Modern Gothic Novels you should read next. Truth be told, there are so many good modern gothics I could add to this list and there are so many more on my shelf to read.
Let me know your thoughts on these books! Also let me know which modern or classical gothic books I should pick up next! 👻
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