Book picks similar to
Welcome to the Darkness by L.M. Justus


urban-fantasy
vampires
young-adult
paranormal

The Demon


Sarra Cannon - 2014
    Two handwritten words near the top haunt her. "Little Bird." Her mother's nickname for her. Only, Franki's mother disappeared without a trace exactly three years ago to the day. Who sent this dark gift? Franki's need to answer this question will lead her to the doorway of a strange, dangerous, and sexy new world. A world her mother went to great lengths to keep hidden. A world someone desperately wants Franki to discover. See the world of Peachville High Demons series from the eyes of a brand new, kickass heroine. You do NOT need to have read the original Peachville series to understand this one!Sacrifice Me is a serial new adult paranormal romance with twists and turns that will pull you in and keep you guessing until the last installment. There are six episodes total.Unlike the Peachville series, this is NOT a young adult story. Due to some language and sexual situations, it is appropriate for readers 16+

Vampire Origins - Project Ichorous


Riley Banks - 2013
    Exploring the origins of five very different vampire tribes - Strigoi, Cambion, Strix, Nosferatu and Bretonnian - the series opens with Book 1 of the Strigoi series; Project Ichorous. He slaughtered 30,000 in one night in Jerusalem and impaled 100,000 more in Romania in the 1400s. Now Vlad has discovered a way to enslave humans and rule the world - and this time, the death toll will be catastrophic. Only one thing can put an end to his plans - a Strigoi human. And Vlad will stop at nothing to eradicate every last one. Scarlett Fraser has no idea she's the very thing Vlad is hunting, or that the castle her dad is renovating is ground zero for Vlad's Ichorous Project and his plans for world domination. She can stop Vlad and save the world but she must stay human long enough to do so. As Scarlett is about to discover, staying human is a lot easier said than done.

Amaranth


Rachael Wade - 2011
    She doesn’t expect to fall in love with the handsome Gavin Devereaux and plummet into the world of Amaranth, a place of exile for reformed vampires.Wrestling to escape a deadly ex-boyfriend while giving Gavin a chance, Camille is confronted with decisions that threaten not only her life, but the lives of her inhuman friends she has come to love. Entangled in her friends’ quest for freedom, she dives into their realm and faces the threats of Amaranth’s ruler—the mother of all vampires—and her own inner demons.Now Camille must decide whether she will derail her life and make the ultimate sacrifice for the monsters that interrupted her bumpy path back to sanity—what she still wants so desperately—or escape with Gavin before it’s too late for both of them.

Secret Lives


Gabriella Poole - 2009
    The Darke Academy is a school like no other. An élite establishment that moves to an exotic new city every term, its students are impossibly beautiful, sophisticated and rich. And the more new scholarship girl Cassie Bell learns about the Academy, the more curious she becomes. What sinister secrets are guarded by the Few — the select group of students who keep outsiders away? Who is the dark stranger prowling the corridors at night? And what really happened a year earlier, when the last scholarship girl died in mysterious circumstances? One thing Cassie will discover is that a little knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but knowing too much can be deadly...

The Vampire Stalker


Allison van Diepen - 2011
    Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.

Twin Souls


K.A. Poe - 2012
    What generally means a step into adulthood instead opens its way to a terrifying truth about not only her family, but herself. She comes from a long line of vampire hunters, and her real dad wants her to carry on the family quest. At the same time, she is falling for a new boy at school who has his own secret. He is a vampire. Alexis is forced to make a decision from which there is no turning back. - Will she deny this newly discovered heritage, or embrace it.

Fate Fixed


Bonnie Erina Wheeler - 2011
    They disappear into the woods at night and keep a strange secret locked in their shed. Her once calm mother is now having violent outbursts and Lexie’s little sister is hearing sinister sounds coming from the forest behind their new home. Lexie’s biggest surprise comes when she discovers the boy she has been dreaming about since her accident is living in Maine. Despite Torin’s questionable reputation, Lexie cannot resist the physical and emotional attraction pulsating between them. Animals and people in town are turning up dead and Lexie learns the strange new world she lives in has real life monsters. Just when she decides she wants to be with Torin forever, she must fight to protect her mother and sister from being harmed by a formidable evil.

Something Witchy


A.J. Myers - 2012
    Welcome to the World of Weird—better known as my life. It wasn’t always like this. I was once a normal high school senior, just filling out college apps and trying to stay sane long enough to get out of Moonlight, Missouri. Preferably before I ended up in a straight-jacket out of sheer boredom. At first, my only problems were my increasingly unwanted ability to see the dead and my desperation to remove the stalker known as my ex-boyfriend from my life. Somewhere along the line I must have pissed off the Bad Karma Fairy. Maybe I stepped on the wrong toadstool or peed in Loki’s personal swimming pool—I really don’t know. All I do know is I’m about to have the worst week of my life. Maybe the worst week of any teenager’s life. Ever. All because of a dead guy. From the second pale, too-hot-to-be-real Nathan Ashley stepped out of the wreckage of his mangled sports car, my life spiraled into complete and utter chaos. One minute, I'm quasi-normal, the next I’m being kidnapped by a vampire, I’m having weird, creepy powers sprout up out of nowhere, and I’m running from a demon who wants to get more familiar with my anatomy…or kill me. Again. Yeah, did I mention he's done it before? Anybody know if those straight-jackets come in pink?

Vaempires: Revolution


Thomas Winship - 2011
    Everyone's attention is focused on the heir to the vampire throne. World leaders, the rich and famous, and VIPs from every corner of the globe have gathered in the nation's capital to celebrate the momentous event. Cassandra's boyfriend, Daniel, is late for the party. He's still outside the city when all hell breaks loose. What he believes is an act of terrorism proves to be a full-fledged revolution. Vaempires-former vampires who mutated into warm-blooded creatures with an insatiable hunger for cold blood-have launched coordinated attacks across the globe, with three goals: the eradication of humanity, the enslavement of vampires, and the ascension of vaempires as the dominant species on the planet. The vampire and human leaders are killed. Cassandra is missing. Daniel is the acting king. Desperate to find the princess, Daniel and his friends fight their way across the besieged city. With the hopes of the free world resting on the shoulders of four vampire teenagers, vaempires unleash their secret weapon: a new breed of vaempire that is far deadlier than any ever seen before. What can four teens do against an enemy that can shape-shift, fly, and walk through walls?"

Zombies Don't Cry


Rusty Fischer - 2011
    When he finally does, her whole life changes.Sneaking out to meet Stamp at a party one rainy night, Maddy is struck by lightning. After awakening, she feels lucky to be alive. Over time, however, Maddy realizes that she’s become the thing she and everyone else fear most: the living dead.With no heartbeat and no breath in her lungs, Maddy must learn how to survive as a zombie. Turns out there’s a lot more to it than shuffling around 24/7 growling, “Brains.” Needing an afterlife makeover is only the beginning of her problems. As Barracuda Bay High faces zombie Armageddon, Maddy must summon all of her strength to protect what matters most—just as soon as she figures out exactly what that is.

Diary of a Vampeen


Christin Lovell - 2011
    Imagine being provided less than a week to learn and accept your family’s true heritage before it overtook you. Alexa Jackson, Lexi, is abruptly thrown onto this roller coaster and quickly learns that she can’t change fate, regardless of how many lifetimes she is given. She will be transformed into a vampeen on her sixteenth birthday, she will be called upon to fulfill a greater destiny within the dangerous world of vampires, and she will have to risk heartbreak and rejection if she ever wants a chance at love with Kellan, whether she likes it or not.

The Afterlife of the Party


Marlene Perez - 2021
    As it turned out, my feelings were more than justified. That party ruined my life.Tansy didn’t even want to go to the party. It’s hard enough living in one of your best friend’s shadows and secretly in love with your other best friend.And now she’s leaving it a vampire.Now her best friend Skyler is stuck on the road trip from hell, on tour as a groupie with a literal band of vamps. Tansy sets out with Vaughn, her other BFF turned maybe more, to save Skylar’s life and take down the band. But when they find themselves in the middle of a vampire war, will Tansy be able to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her friends?Marlene Perez is the author of paranormal and urban fantasy books, including the best-selling DEAD IS series for teens. The first book in the series, DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK, was named an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers as well as an ALA Popular Paperback. The first three books in the series have been optioned by Disney for television. She lives in Orange County, California with her husband and children. www.marleneperez.com.

iZombie, Vol. 1: Dead to the World


Chris Roberson - 2010
    Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person – until she eats her next brain. She sets out to fulfill the dead person’s last request, solve a crime or right a wrong.Our zombie girl detective is joined by a radical supporting cast: her best friend Eleanor, who happens to be a swinging ’60s ghost, a posse of paintball blasting vampires, a smitten were-dog and a hot but demented mummy.Collects issues #1-5

Darkness Becomes Her


Kelly Keaton - 2011
    With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can't be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is. Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it's impossible to protect herself when she doesn't know what she's running from or why she is being pursued. She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her. Ari won't stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Lailah


Nikki Kelly - 2014
    She doesn’t age. She has no family. She has visions of a past life, but no clear clues as to what she is, or where she comes from. But there is a face in her dreams – a light that breaks through the darkness. She knows his name is Gabriel.On her way home from work, the girl encounters an injured stranger whose name is Jonah. Soon, she will understand that Jonah belongs to a generation of Vampires that serve even darker forces. Jonah and the few like him, are fighting with help from an unlikely ally – a rogue Angel, named Gabriel.In the crossfire between good and evil, love and hate, and life and death, the girl learns her name: Lailah. But when the lines between black and white begin to blur, where in the spectrum will she find her place? And with whom?Gabriel and Jonah both want to protect her. But Lailah will have to fight her own battle to find out who she truly is.