Hosted by the Top 5 Wednesday Goodreads Group
Hey, gang! It’s Top 5 Wednesday! The topic is your top five creepy settings. They don’t have to be from horror stories, but they do have to give you the willies. Once again, as a lover of Halloween and all things creepy, this topic was right up my alley. And so, without further ado, let’s get on with the list!
Cabeswater from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater: This magical forest twisted by time and ley lines is often a beautiful place. But sometimes it’s creepy as hell. The gang hears voices, sees monsters, and finds underground skeleton armies. It’s dark and mysterious, and you always get the feeling it wants to hinder them as much as help. There’s always an ominous air when Blue and the boys go trekking through it. The fact that it is now Gansey’s lifeblood is unnerving as hell.
The Wood from Uprooted by Naomi Novik: Speaking of creepy forests, this one is one of the scariest I’ve ever read about. This forest isn’t just acres of trees and foliage: it’s a sentient being. Over the decades, it has eaten up entire villages. It has the ability to possess people or entomb them in trees. A variety of monsters makes the forest an even more dangerous place. You feel a sense of trepidation just reading about Agnieszka and the others going into the woods. Definitely not the sort of place you want to take the family camping.
Azkaban from Harry Potter by JK Rowling: Despite never really spending time there, Azkaban is a looming presence in the books. Like any high-security prison, it’s filled with the worst of the worst and murderers galore. However, psychotic as many of them are, it’s not the criminals that get my hackles raised: it’s the dementors. I’ve mentioned this in the past, but I actually quit Harry Potter for a few years because the dementors scared me so bad. At nine-years-old, I just wasn’t ready for them. Now, at twenty-five, they still give me the heebie jeebies. Knowing they exacerbate the condition of the often-already psychopathic killers just makes them worse. Honestly, any place they appear en mass automatically becomes eerie as all get out. And yeah, it makes me want to get out.
Black London from Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab: While White London is scary in the manner of the bad part of town, Black London is scary on a whole other level. Part of it is its mysterious nature, but mostly it’s that it’s completely deserted. Well, deserted except for Osaron, the literal embodiment of dark magic. He then brings that terror to Red London. In a way, Osaron himself is Black London. And he passes Black London on and on and on.
Moreau’s Lab from The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd: This island laboratory crosses the line from creepy to horrific. Dr. Moreau uses a complicated science in an effort to splice together human and animal DNA. Not such a horrifying concept, until you realize it’s really the bodies themselves he’s splicing together. His goal is to create a being with the best of both species: human and animal. But the way he goes about it is torturous. Put it this way: if you ever meet a scientist on a deserted island, just jump into the ocean. You’re better off that way.
What are some settings that really creepy you out? Tell me about them in the comments!
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