Leanne Olson

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

This is my favourite novel of 2025 so far.

Bat Eater is creepy, angry, gorgeous, and thoughtful. 

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner in 2020 New York City, cleaning up after a series of murders of Chinese women, while seeing her sister’s ghost.

Bat Eater is an uncomfortable look at anti-Asian racism during and around the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also wonderfully scary.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches.”

Three women in three different eras are cursed by witchcraft, and modern-day grad student Minerva must understand the past in order to save her own life.

This might be my favourite Moreno-Garcia’s books so far. It’s a slow, immersive read, and the witches are terrifying. I’m loving the resurgence of threatening, non-romantic witches and warlocks in books and film right now.

Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes

This was my first read of 2025. I love Barnes’ sci-fi horror novels, and it’s her best (and creepiest) book yet.

Hally takes a secretive job on a space ship holding the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s long-dead wealthy elite.

She’s been warned that previous caretakers have lost their minds.

Cold Eternity embraces anti-capitalist themes, which I always love in a sci-fi horror, and brings in some wonderfully weird mythological aspects.

Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin

This one’s on my list for being so weird and fun.

Shell takes a job at a flower shop and starts developing feelings for the owner, Neve. She doesn’t realize that Neve’s heart is already taken…by a mysterious (and very hungry) orchid.

If you’re into audiobooks, I recommend the audio of this one — the accents really make the book.

The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling

This book terrified me.

Meg accepts a spot in a medical trial for her rare autoimmune disease.

The trial will destroy her immune system before rebuilding it…leaving her trapped as she starts to doubt the truth of the treatment.

I saw this described as a “hospital gothic” and that’s exactly the vibe that hooked me. Meg’s isolation and lack of control was chilling. 

Starling has another book out this year, The Starving Saints, that I just bought a copy of — I’m excited to start it.

The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley Armstrong

I’ve been a fan of Armstrong’s since her werewolf days, and I’m loving her foray into standalone horror.

When Samantha’s grandfather dies, his will requires her to spend a month at the family’s cottage. She hasn’t been there since childhood, when she discovered that her father murdered a boy. 

Her grandfather wants her to prove that her father was innocent…but she saw him bury the body. And how does her family tie into the local legend of a headless horseman who haunts the forest?

I loved this one — it’s a wonderfully fun, spooky horror-mystery.

How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates

This book was wild –addictive and much darker than I was expecting.

We have online streaming celebrities, a cult survivor, a deadly competition on a possibly-cursed island, a cannibal witch, and so many gruesome murders.

There were some scenes that really scared and horrified me…

Coates is known for her cozy horror but this book is dark in the best way.

It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest

If you’re in the mood for something cozier, this might hit the spot.

Ronnie buys a house to renovate that belonged to a silent film star. A man shows up, claiming to be the great-nephew of someone who died in the house…

This is a fun twist on a haunted house mystery because it’s partially written from the point-of-view of ghosts haunting the house. 

Our Winter Monster by Dennis Mahoney

This book was such a surprise — full of heart and different than anything I’ve read lately.

Holly and Brian are a couple going through a difficult time…driving to a winter getaway, they crash their car in a small town hunted by a strange creature.

I want more snow monsters in horror, please!

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

Harrison is an auto-buy author for me and I especially love it when she gets genuinely scary. This is her spookiest since The Return.

Clio is Harrison’s typical very messy heroine, a stylist and influencer with a secret: she grew up in a haunted house.

When she and her sisters inherit the house after their mother’s mysterious death, she moves in.

This is just an absolute blast to read, with messy family dynamics and a book-within-a-book. Loved it.

The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

I love the way Cañas mixes horror, history, and romance. Her worlds are completely immersive.

In 1765 Mexico, Alba and her family flee the plague, thinking they’ll find safety in the mine owned by Alba’s new fiancé.

But soon Alba is losing time and waking up covered in blood…what is she doing at night? The only person who believes her is Elias, her fiancé’s cousin, a man with a secret past.

I loved Alba and Elias’s relationship and the ending was so unexpected and perfect.

Strange Houses by Uketsu

This book starts with a drawing of a floor plan, and asks the reader: what’s wrong with this house?

Uketsu is a Japanese author who combines drawings and text to involve the reader in solving a mystery.

This is a quick, one-evening read that bent my brain and left me unsettled. If you haven’t read Uketsu’s work yet, you’re in for a unique treat — also check out Strange Pictures.

This week, I’m listening to the audio version of The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee. It’s a doppelgänger story of generational trauma in a Chinese-Canadian family, set in present-day Vancouver, and in China during World War II.