With spooky season in full swing, we're reaching for all the creepy books we can find! Thriller and horror books for young adults are having a huge moment right now, and today we're recommending some of our favourites.

We've also got an offer sweeter than Halloween candy. Treat yourself with any 2 of these spooky YA books this October, and save 15%! Offer valid until 31 October 2022. T’s & C’s Apply. Offer exclusive to the online store.

Kill Joy - Holly Jackson - R205

Pippa Fitz-Amobi is not in the mood for her friend's murder mystery party. Especially one that involves 1920's fancy dress and pretending that their town, Little Kilton, is an island called Joy. But when the game begins, Pip finds herself drawn into the make-believe world of intrigue, deception and murder.

But as Pip plays detective, teasing out the identity of the killer clue-by-clue, the murder of the fictional Reginald Remy isn't the only case on her mind...

Kill Joy is a prequel novella to the bestselling A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Good Girl, Bad Blood and As Good As Dead. As it is set before the first book, it acts as the perfect introduction for new fans, and will expand the world for existing fans. 

Lord of the Flyfest - Goldy Moldavsky - R230

It's Lord of the Flies with influencers in this compelling YA thriller.

Rafi Francisco needs something really special to put her true crime podcast on the map. She sets her sights on River Stone, the heartthrob musician who rose to stardom after the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend. So when Rafi lands herself a ticket to the exclusive Fly Fest - where River will be the headliner - it feels like a stroke of luck.

But when Rafi arrives on the Caribbean island location of Fly Fest with hundreds of other influencers and (very minor) celebrities, they quickly discover that the dream trip is more of a nightmare. And it's not just confronting beauty gurus-gone-wild and spotty WiFi. Soon, Rafi goes from fighting for an interview to fighting for her life. And, as she gets closer to River, she discovers that he might be hiding even darker secrets than she suspected...

I LOVED Goldy Moldavsky's previous book, The Last Girl, so I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one!

This title is a pre-order, to be released by 31 October.

White Smoke - Tiffany D. Jackson - R250

Modern horror meets a classic haunted house story in this chilling YA psychological thriller. 

Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper.

The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its... secrets. That's only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there's a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone.

But "running from ghosts" is just a metaphor, right?

As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn't limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.

Within These Wicked Walls - Lauren Blackwood - R215

What the heart desires, the house destroys...

Andromeda is a debtera - an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. She would be hired, that is, if her mentor hadn't thrown her out before she could earn her license. Now her only hope is to find a Patron - a rich, well-connected individual who will vouch for her abilities.

When a handsome heir named Magnus reaches out to hire her, she takes the job without question. Never mind that he's rude and eccentric, that the contract comes with outlandish rules, and that the many previous debteras had quit before her. If Andromeda wants to earn a living, she has no choice.

But this is a job like no other, and Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the likely outcome if she stays, the reason every debtera before her quit. But leaving Magnus to live out his curse isn't an option because, heaven help her, she's fallen for him.

This title is a pre-order, to be released by 31 October.

The Midnight Club - Christopher Pike - R190

In a hospice for teens with terminal illnesses, five friends form the Midnight Club. They meet every night to share spine-chilling stories. Some are invented, some true. The strangest are a mixture of the two.

The club members make a pact - whichever of them dies first will try to contact the others from beyond the grave.

The most incredible of their stories is about to begin...

This gripping YA horror story is now on Netflix!

The River Has Teeth - Erica Waters - R215

Lush and chilling, with razor-sharp edges and an iron core of hope, this bewitching, powerhouse novel of two girls fighting back against the violence the world visits on them will stun and enchant readers.

Girls have been going missing in the woods...

When Natasha's sister disappears, Natasha desperately turns to Della, a local girl rumored to be a witch, in the hopes that magic will bring her sister home.

But Della has her own secrets to hide. She thinks the beast who's responsible for the disappearances is her own mother - who was turned into a terrible monster by magic gone wrong.

Natasha is angry. Della has little to lose. Both are each other's only hope.

This lush, chilling tale of two girls fighting back against the violence the world visits on them will stun and enchant readers. Fans of Wilder Girls will love this new book from the author of Ghost Wood Song.

This title is a pre-order, to be released by 31 October.

The lovely folks from Jonathan Ball Publishers recently provided us with review copies of some of the titles on this list, so keep your eyes peeled for reviews coming soon!

What's your favourite young adult thriller or horror book? Let us know in the comments!