Hey there. If you’ve seen some of my rants on instagram, you know that I feel ‘dark’ should be subcategorized into different mini genres. I understand that some authors give content warnings and trigger warnings before some of their ‘dark’ themes such as rape, but I still believe that different ‘dark’ concepts should be clearly separated. Sometimes ‘dark’ can be about the vibe (creepy) or descriptions of the setting (underworld) or the energy of the prose (mysterious). But I really don’t want to pick up a ‘dark’ book that someone recommended and there’s nonconsensual sex. The first two of this list have some of that, hence why they’re the lowest rated of the group. What is your favorite ‘dark’ read and why?
Number 10
The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill (4/5)
Number 9
Master of Salt and Bones by Keri Lake (4/5)
Number 8
Kingdom of the Feared by Kerri Maniscalco (4.6/5)
Number 7
Where Dreams Descend by by Janela Angeles (4.6/5)
Number 6
Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer (4.7/5)
Number 5
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (4.8/5)
Number 4
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerry Maniscalco (4.9/5)
Number 3
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (4.9/5)
Number 2
Music of the Night by Angela J Ford (5/5)
Number 1
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker (5/5)
That wraps up the top ten ‘dark’ reads. Have you read any of those? Do you agree or disagree with the rating? As always, you can find each individual review on my blog. Support my writing by ordering Break the Stone, Hunt the Storm and Stop the Clock or preordering Scorched on Amazon.
Cassie Swindon 