Cover Characteristics: Book Covers featuring Haunted Houses

 
 

In honor of Halloween, I thought it would be fun to do a cover post about haunted houses!

I’ve never been to a legitimate haunted house before (unless you count my parent’s house since there’s a ghost in the shower). I’ve also never been to Halloween Horror Nights or any similar event. But I have been to a few of those random, rinky-dink, fog-machine, people-in-costumes, fake-blood kinds. I’m not exactly a big fan of being scared though, I don’t even watch horror films, and I startle super easily (seriously, all you have to do is, like, walk into the room I’m in and speak quietly and I’ll jump five feet in the air), so I really don’t foresee myself voluntarily going anywhere that’s actually scary at any point in the future.

BUT that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy how they look on book covers! So enjoy these covers, and make sure you don’t trick-or-treat at any houses that look like these 😉


Cover Characteristics is a weekly meme hosted at Sugar & Snark. I went rogue this week, so my topic is:

Book Covers featuring Haunted Houses

 
Paracosm by Anya Allyn | reading, books
The Haunting of Timber Manor by F.E. Feeley Jr | reading, books
The Ghost Chronicles by Marlo Berliner | reading, books
Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff | reading, books
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake | reading, books
The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash | reading, books
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich | reading, books
The Feast of All Souls by Simon Bestwick | reading, books
Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon | reading, books
Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates | reading, books
 

Pin the Collage!


 

Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates

 
Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

Creepy house in the middle of the woods? No, thank you!

 

The Shadow Demons Saga by Sarra Cannon

 
Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
Emerald Darkness by Sarra Cannon | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
Demons Forever by Sarra Cannon | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

I’m pretty sure these aren’t actually haunted houses, but they still look creepy, and I still wouldn’t want to go in them, so close enough. Plus the covers were too pretty to pass up!

 

The Feast of All Souls by Simon Bestwick

 
The Feast of All Souls by Simon Bestwick | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

Definitely creepy, especially with the silhouettes in the doorway, and the font makes it seem even more interesting!

 

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

 
The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

This is an interesting design, and it gives off a much more somber creepy vibe.

 

The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash

 
The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

I love the design of this one and how it’s plays with the title so well. Plus the colors work nicely together.

 

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

 
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

This is just a really pretty cover. I haven’t read this, so I don’t know if she’s actually haunting that house, but I’m just going to assume for the sake of the post.

 

Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff

 
Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

The roots and the plants and the slight tilt to the house and the colors make this one really eye-catching.

 

The Ghost Chronicles by Marlo Berliner

 
The Ghost Chronicles by Marlo Berliner | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

I just like how this one looks (yes, I’ve used it before). Also, fun fact, that bed and breakfast on the cover is a real place that is actually said to be haunted (the author talks about it on her blog).

 

The Haunting of Timber Manor by F.E. Feeley Jr

 
The Haunting of Timber Manor by F.E. Feeley Jr | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

I just really like the art style on this one, plus it’s got a haunted house, scary woods, people, and a wolf.

 

My Favorite:
Paracosm by Anya Allyn

 
Paracosm by Anya Allyn | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 

This one is so unique and attention-grabbing! I mean, it’s a floating house. And it’s creepy. And just really pretty overall.

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Which book cover with a haunted house is YOUR favorite?
Have you ever been to any legitimate haunted houses or scary ones with people in costumes (like HHN)?

Book Covers featuring Haunted Houses | reading, books, book covers, cover love, haunted houses
 
 
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Your Thoughts

 

24 thoughts on “Cover Characteristics: Book Covers featuring Haunted Houses

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  1. Greg

    Ooh I actually hate these as I got the crap scared out of me as a kid and I won’t go near ’em now lol. But on books they’re good. 🙂 Paracosm is definitely my favorite because floating house, with the lightning hitting the peak and the roots dangling down. Plus the ground below and the clouds- it all works. The dead House doesn’t really amaze me cover-wise but I keep seeing it and I considered giving it a read. Anna Dressed in Blood is good, and The Feast of Souls is trippy. I like the little roses in the bottom. Or are those berries? Not really sure.

    Yeah places where you gotta find your way out- no thanks. I’ll do a corn maze though lol.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Hahaha how terrible was that haunted house you went to as a kid that it scarred you for life?! But yes, haunted houses are much better and less scary on book cover lol. Paracosm is just awesome overall. I agree that The Dead House doesn’t amaze me either, but honestly I just needed ten and didn’t feel like spending 5 hours of my life searching for a different cover and figured someone might like it lol. I have seen it around too though, I know some people really like it. The Feast of Souls is kind of whimsical almost with that font, but also trippy and creepy. I think those are berries?

      Ooh, yes, mazes are fun! But, like, in the daytime and without any people are ghosts or creatures chasing or scaring me lol.

  2. Keionda @Keionda Hearts Books

    I think I am sort of kind of in love with all of those book covers! And may I just add that I thin this post is totally epical, with it being Halloween and all? I feel like reading all of these boos because I’m i the mood to be scared. And you don’t do haunted houses or scary movies? GIRL. I. LOVES. DEM. I love being scared even though I’m totally like you and ump ten feet in the air when someone all of a sudden announces their presence in the same room as I am. I thought I was the only one that did that. o_o

    1. Kristen Burns

      Haha, I love your enthusiasm about my post! I was feeling the Halloween blogging spirit 😉 But gah no, I don’t like being scared! It’s crazy how easily I startle though. Maybe we just get so lost in our own heads that we forgot other people exist in the world? Lol

  3. Lampshade Reader

    The covers of The Shadow Demons Saga are nice! I’m usually drawn to a book if it has a nice cover and most of these have awesome ones. Thanks for sharing them! Happy Halloween! ~Aleen

    1. Kristen Burns

      Seriously, I couldn’t resist using the Shadow Demons covers even though they might not technically be haunted houses lol. I think we’re all drawn to books with pretty covers 😉 so I don’t blame you! (Actually, I have a discussion going up on Wednesday about that exact topic!) Happy Halloween to you too 😀

  4. Barb (boxermommyreads)

    I own several of these and recently was approved for an ARC of The Feast of All Souls. I think Paracosm is one of my favorites, but Fiendish is great as well. I always love seeing your cover collections but they always seem to add to my TBR!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I saw Feast of All Souls on NetGalley and considered it, but I think it’s a standlone? And I’m trying to stay away from standalones right now unless I really can’t resist. But yes, I think Paracosm and Fiendish might be my two favorites! And if it makes you feel any better, my cover posts often add to my TBR too 😉

  5. Rowena

    Another awesome covers post! My favorite cover is probably Anna Dressed in Blood. I wonder if she is haunting that house.

    I have been to Haunted Houses, a Haunted Ship and a Haunted Pumpkin Patch and I’m a giant scaredy cat at all of those things. I don’t know why I keep letting my friends drag me to those things as I hate them. Still, they’re fun. 🙂

    Happy Halloween!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! I’ve always liked the Anna Dressed in Blood cover.

      Oh wow, you’ve been to a lot of haunted places! But that sounds about right, friends always manage to drag us to things we don’t actually want to do lol, but they often end up being fun anyway!

  6. ShootingStarsMag

    I’ve been to an amusement park in the fall where they have haunted “trails” and the like, and that can be fun. I don’t do anything too terribly frightening, though I’ve gotten better as I’ve gotten older. I do shock easily though, as you mentioned someone entering a room and speaking. That can make me jump too if I didn’t see them enter. So yeah, I jump easy. haha

    Nice covers I do love The Dead House. That’s the only one on the list I’ve read so far. I just recently won a copy of Anna Dressed in Blood so I need to read that.

    -Lauren

    1. Kristen Burns

      I don’t know, amusement parks with haunted trails sounds scary enough 😛 And I’ve not gotten better as I’ve gotten older, haha. I mean, I can handle walking with friends through those homemade kinds I described as long there’s not really anything grabbing at me, but that’s my limit!

      That’s awesome that you won a copy of Anna Dressed in Blood! I think that’s one of those books I wouldn’t pay for but would read if I got it for free since it does sound interesting. Hope you enjoy it!

  7. AngelErin

    Great cover picks! That Fiendish cover is really awesome. I also like the covers for Anna Dressed in Blood and The Dead House. I loved both of those books! 😀 Also, I’m glad I’m not the only that will jump when people enter the room and talk haha. I don’t scare easily, but I’m jumpy. If the house is quiet and someone comes into the room and speaks then I will scream every time without fail. My sons love to hide and pop out at me all the time because they know I will scream. Bwhahaha 😛

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks! Told you I’d be using Dead House 😛 I do love the Fiendish cover nearly as much as my top pick. And of course Anna Dressed in Blood is great, I feel like that’s a universally loved one lol. See, I think I scare easily and startle easily, but that does sound like something kids would do, haha. Poor you!

    1. Kristen Burns

      The Paracosm cover is awesome! I haven’t read any of these except The Ghost Chronicles, and I have always been kind of interested in Anna Dressed in Blood.

  8. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    Okay, I feel you need to elaborate on the haunted shower because really? That needs to be explained. How do you know a shower is haunted? I can’t say I’ve ever been to a haunted house either, I feel like it’s not as big a thing over here in the UK. Or I’m unaware of where they are and so don’t visit them. I think it would be really fun to do though. I am a fan of horror films and that, though. It’s the thrill of being scared I think.

    But, haunted houses are totally cool looking, especially on book covers. I love it when it actually is part of the story as well. I think my favourite of these covers is yours too. I really like the floating part, it just makes it look cooler.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Hahaha, you can find the haunted shower story in this post: https://metaphorsandmoonlight.com/book-covers-featuring-ghosts/

      I never thought about whether haunted houses are predominantly an American thing. That’s interesting. Maybe we should trade places so that you can go to haunted houses and I can stay away from them lol. I don’t like being scared!

      Reading about them, on the other hand, is all good 😛 It is fun when the haunting is part of the story. But yes, the floating part definitely makes that cover so much cooler!

      1. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

        Okay, that shower ghost story was weird and I would have totally freaked out. I would probably be in denial about it though trying g to explain it away. It’s why I’d probably be one of the early people to die in a horror film, I wouldn’t smarten up soon enough to stay alive.

        And that would be cool. I would love to go to one. I know you can go to the Tower of London and they have a ghost/Halloween thing on so there are places that do it but nowhere by me that I know of!

        1. Kristen Burns

          Lol I definitely was freaked out, but there was literally no other explanation. Like, I wouldn’t automatically jump to ghosts if there was a possible explanation, but there wasn’t. Sorry about your untimely horror movie death though 😉 I’ll do my best to talk sense into you if we’re in the movie together.

  9. Lola

    I’ve been to a haunted house attraction in a theme park once or twice, does that count? I vaguely remember a theme park we used to go to when I was younger and I kinda liked that haunted house, but it probably wasn’t really scary. I scare quite easily too and don’t enjoy it, so I probably won’t go voluntarily into a real haunted house anymore. But I do like seeing them on covers, there’s just something so creepy and mysterious about a well done haunted house and you sure picked some good ones here.

    The Ghost Chronicles is such a nice one with the green spooky color and that creepy house. Those Shadow Demons covers look great. I like how they all feature the blond haired girl and have a haunted house in the background. The Anna Dressed in book cover is one I’ve seen quite often, although I never really paid much attention to that house until now, lol. I can see why the floating house one was your favorite, it sure is unique and it makes me wonder why the house is floating, definitely a nice cover concept!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Totally counts! But yeah, I don’t really enjoy being scared either. And I scare too easily. Haunted houses are fun on covers though! And you’re right, there is something mysterious and creepy about them.

      I like all those covers you mentioned (I mean, usually I like all the covers in my post lol, but I kind of didn’t have enough and got tired of looking and included some this time that I didn’t love). I actually have the first three Shadow Demons books because they were recommended by one of my favorite authors, and I figured if the books she recommends are anything like the books she writes… lol. The floating house one is so cool though!