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I Heart Horror: New Horror Releases Out in February 2024

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Emily Martin

Contributing Editor

Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.

Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to read more horror in 2024? You probably already got off to a good start in January, but oh boy, February is looking great. First of all, we have two long-awaited sequels finally coming out this month. For the dark academia lovers, we have two amazing atmospheric horror novels set in creepy schools. We’ve got demons. We’ve got ghosts. We’ve got environmental horror. We’ve got body snatchers. We’ve got every kind of scare imaginable. Whether you’re looking to discover a new favorite or want to revisit an author you’ve loved before, horror books in February also include books from beloved authors as well as new voices.

Yep, February 2024 is going hard when it comes to horror fiction. What an amazing time to be a horror fan. It looks like 2024 is already a banner year for horror stories, and we’re only in the second month of the year! For many people, February is a month all about love, but for the real ones, it’s going to be a month all about loving more horror books. If you heart horror, get ready for February to be a month that will keep you scared from day 1 to day 29.

out of body book cover

Out of Body by Nia Davenport (Balzer + Bray, February 6)

If you love Tiffany D. Jackson, then give Out of Body a read. This genre-bending novel mixes sci-fi, horror, and thriller elements to explore identity and the meaning of friendship. Seventeen-year-old Megan desperately wants to find a group of friends, but she doesn’t really feel like she fits in with anyone. Until she meets LC. Everything with LC seems so easy, and the two quickly become best friends. Then, one day, Megan wakes up to discover she’s no longer in her own body and that everything she thought she knew about her friend is actually a lie.

your shadow half remains book cover

Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine (Tor Nightfire, February 6)

In Your Shadow Half Remains, the world has been infected, and if you look into anyone’s eyes, you will almost certainly face a violent death. Riley hasn’t looked at a human face for a long time, but her desire for connection has her curious, especially when a new neighbor moves in down the street. Ellis seems like the kind of woman Riley could really enjoy getting to know. But the closer Riley gets to Ellis, the more her paranoia starts to take over.

among the living book cover

Among the Living by Tim Lebbon (Titan Books, February 13)

In the Arctic, something terrifying has remained dormant beneath the frost for thousands of years. But when a group of explorers unearths minerals deep in the caves of an Arctic island, unforeseen horrors are unleashed on the world. Now Dean and Bethan, two former friends working for rival teams, will have to come together if they want to make it out alive. And if they want to save the world from complete destruction.

an education in malice book cover

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson (Orbit, February 13)

If you like your horror novels queer and gothic with a huge helping of dark academia, pick up An Education in Malice this February. From the very first day Laura Sheridan enters Saint Perpetua’s College, she finds herself in an intense and surprisingly passionate rivalry with fellow student Carmilla. But rivalry turns into obsession as the two become deeper entrenched in each other’s lives and that of their strange and darkly mysterious poetry professor, De Lafontaine.

cover of The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden; illustration of hands holding a rose

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (Del Rey, February 13)

From Katherine Arden, the bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale, comes the supernatural historical horror novel The Warm Hands of Ghosts. During the First World War, Laura Iven is a combat nurse who is discharged only to find out shortly after that her brother Freddie died in combat. Only, Laura is sure it isn’t true. Searching for the truth, Laura returns to Belgium in search of her brother. Everywhere, people whisper about ghosts in the trenches. Laura wonders if her brother really is still alive, or if something else has happened to him.

what feasts at night book cover

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (Tor Nightfire, February 13)

In 2022, everyone was talking about T. Kingfisher’s retelling of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” What Moves the Dead. Now, in 2024, everyone will be talking about its sequel, What Feasts at Night. Retired soldier Alex Easton has escaped the Usher manor and heads to their family’s hunting lodge in the country of Gallacia. But when they arrive, nothing is as it should be. The caretaker has died, and there is talk in the village of a horrible monster who has taken residence there.

island witch book cover

Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa (Berkley, February 20)

Carrie meets The Exorcist meets Sri Lankan folklore in Amanda Jayatissa’s gothic horror novel Island Witch. Amara is the daughter of the village Capuwa, or demon priest. Normally, her father is who everyone turns to when anything supernatural happens in the village. But now, something is attacking people in the jungle, and everyone thinks Amara’s father is behind the attacks. As Amara works to clear her father’s name, she also uncovers unsettling truths about her own past.

cover of Moon Of The Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice; an orange glow seen through a black forest under a starry night sky

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice (William Morrow, February 27)

Here’s another horror sequel you won’t want to miss this month! Waubgeshig Rice’s thrilling sequel to the award-winning Moon of the Crusted Snow follows a community of Anishinaabe people who work to survive off of the land after the collapse of society. But resources are starting to run low, and Evan Whitesky will have to lead a group of volunteers on a dangerous mission to reclaim their ancestral home. The land is cruel, and travel will be hard, but there’s much more to fear out in the wilderness aside from the elements.

tender beasts book cover

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury (Margaret K. Elderberry Books, February 27)

We’re getting not one but two dark academia horror novels in February, and Liselle Sambury’s Tender Beasts is quite a treat. When a classmate is murdered at Sunny Behre’s private school, everyone looks to Sunny’s youngest brother, Dom, who was previously found guilty of second-degree murder. Dom swears he is innocent, and while Sunny isn’t sure she believes him, she promised her mother she would take care of her little brother. Together, Sunny and Dom race to prove his innocence, a mission that becomes all the more urgent as more and more dead bodies are discovered.


As always, you can find a full list of new releases in the magical New Release Index, carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date.

What horror book are you looking forward to reading this month? For even more horror news, be sure to follow The Fright Stuff, and check back next month for the most exciting horror reads of March 2024! See you then!