I know many of us associate winter with the holidays – you know, cheer, joy, all that. Me? No, couldn’t be me. I’m not like other girls, you see. I associate winter with the gothic.
Obviously I’m kidding – I am just like other girls, which is why I know at least some of you are seeking out a dark, gothic reads! So here it is: a list of books perfect for those of you ready to dive into your Nosferatu mid-winter horror era. You’re welcome!
Of course Immortal Dark was going to be on this list! Vampires, dark academia vibes, enemies-to-lovers, what else could you possibly want? If you’re in need of a gothic romance filled with morally gray/edging on villainous characters, this is the read for you!
Are you more of a gothic romance girlie? Are looking for something with the vibes of Phantom of the Opera or Labyrinth? I got you! Dream by the Shadows is a romantic fantasy full of dreamy worldbuilding that will immerse you in a gothic setting you feel like you can live in!
If you need a little more murder in your gothic reads, let me introduce you to A Beautiful and Terrible Murder! This thriller is a murder mystery as told form the perspective of Irene Adler – the mysterious love interest of Sherlock Holmes! Set in the hallowed halls of Oxford, Irene is forced to pretend to be a boy in order to prove she has what it takes to get to the top of the All Souls class. But when All Souls students start dying, she’ll have to team up with the enigmatic Sherlock before the killer puts her in his sights!
The Belladonna series has it all – romance, mystery, magic, and gothic vibes in spades! If you’re looking for something like Crimson Peak but with less scares and way more romance, this is the series for you! Perfect to hunker down with in a wintery storm with a hot cup of tea! *wink*
If you want your Gothic reading with a capital “G,” Season of Fear is for you! Set in a Bavarian village where women must feed their terror to an ancient Saint of Fear, this novel follows a girl who cannot feel fear. To save her sister and her whole village, she will have to enter the Hexenwald, a horrifying forest full of monsters… and the forest might just be a monster itself.
This fantasy standalone is part Anastasia story, part political thriller, all gothic! Set in a wintery world where magic is a commodity traded from a mesmerizing underwater world beneath a frozen lake, The Winter Duke follows Ekata, a princess who just wants to escape the dukedom to live out her dream of being a scholar. But when her whole family falls into a magical sleep, Ekata inherits the title of duke and must learn to survive the throne. It’s dark, it’s fantastical, and it’s perfectly wintery!
And one more gothic horror to round out this list! Perfect for people who love a good old-fashioned haunted house story, Horrid is set in a perfectly creepy New England house. After her father dies, Jane is forced to move from sunny California to the dilapidated house in Maine her mother grew up in. But as her mother starts to spiral, Jane learns more about her family’s history, and it might just be… horrid.
