15 Best Vampire Books To Read In 2023

Vampire Books

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker

The very first book that came into our minds was Dracula! This one is more of a classic vampire book that was published way back in 1897. Even though the book is more than a century old, it still remains among the top vampire book of all time.

The book introduces us to the character of Dracula and he is all up to spread the curse across England and show off the power of his blood. Although his intentions are not going to come true that easily. The story features another lead character, Professor Abraham Van Helsing, who is the protagonist of the story and is all up to leading a group of people to fight Dracula.

The book might not be relatable to the modern vampire stories but surely is the starting of vampire fiction in history. The story mostly revolves around Transylvania and England, you might see other places too. The characters and the story is on point and it always keeps you on an edge. It’s a thrilling vampire story that you would love to read.

Since it’s a classic, you might wanna start with it because it’s worth it. The book became a bestseller as soon as it was released.

2. Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Our next choice for the best vampire books list is Salem’s Lot! The book was released in 1975 and it was the second book by the author. The book was also very popular among the people who love reading about vampires and stuff. The book was nominated as well as won many awards. It was also adapted in a mini TV series as well.

The book introduces us to a writer named Ben Mears. He returned to his childhood place, Salem’s Lot where he lives from the age of five till nine. It doesn’t take long for him to discover that something unnatural is going in with this place. After a while, he comes to know that the people of this town are becoming vampires.

He goes a long way to make sure the people of the town remains safe. The battle between him and the bloodthirsty creatures is going to be long and well, bloody. It would be pretty cool to read this novel. Since it’s a Stephen King’s novel, you can raise your expectation, after all, he is called the king of horror fiction!

3. Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin

We all what George R.R. Martin is capable of writing, given the fact his book, The Song of the Fire and Ice became one of the best-selling books as well as one of the most popular tv series, Game of Thrones! You should know that is a renowned fantasy/science/horror writer, and you can expect the best from him.

Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin become our next choice for the best vampire books. The book is as fascinating and glorifying as his other novels and you would be completely invested in the story till the end.

The story of the book revolves around a boat captain, Abner Marsh. He was struggling but found himself pretty lucky to receive a partnership offer from a wealthy aristocrat, Joshua. Although he does find something unusual about Joshua, given the fact that he is pale and his eyes too seem scary sometimes. But the money always triumphs over the suspicion. As soon as he enters the pact with Joshua, he finds there is so much more about him than he could ever imagine.

Soon the story starts to unfold and we come across the vampire hunters, vampires, and the race of the dead and supernatural against humanity.

4. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

The Historian is another best vampire book that was published in the year 2005. This one is a recently released book given our other picks on the list and it is also the debut novel of the author.

Although the book comes in under a lot of different genres such as Gothic Novel, Adventure Novel, Detective, Thriller, etc, but our focus was the vampire genre of the book which we found amazingly written. A part of the book is inspired the Bram Stocker’s Dracula as the narrator of the book unfolds the secrets of history. The author has tried to describe Dracula as more of a metaphor and how good and evil intervened.

Although it is a little different from the other vampire books if you are passionate about the genre then it’s a must-read for you.

5. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Interview with the Vampire is another popular vampire book by Anne Rice that you should read sometime. The book was the author’s debuted novel and it was published in 1970.

The story of the book is based on a vampire named Loise de Pointe du Lac. He is telling the story of his life to a reporter. He tells the reporter how he become a vampire and how he survived all these years. The story is quite interesting and for the first time, the story would be told in a manner that doesn’t necessarily see the vampires as the villains. The empathic story of vampires has won the hearts of the readers and that’s where you need to read it.

6. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Carmilla is also among some of the first books to explore the genre of vampires and it was released in 1972. Not only the book introduces the genre of Vampirism but it also features lesbian romance.

The story revolves around a young woman who is desired by a female vampire named Carmilla. The story about obsession and love keeps you glued and you would be always eager to turn the next page and see what happens. Will they be together and live happily after or it’s just the beginning of the end for them?

7. The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy Mckee Charnas

The Vampire Tapestry is another one of the leading vampire novels that would interest you. The book was published in 1980.

The book is about a vampire-like creature, named Edward Weyland. This book features his condition more of biological errors than the supernatural causes. Like we said he is a vampire-like creature but there are only a few similarities. He does have to survive on human blood and feed on them but he refuses to murder and try to steal from the lab.

This tale of vampires would make you feel empathetic as well as angry towards the character as he fights a battle with himself to discover who he is or what he wants in life.

8. The Vampyre by John William Polidori

The Vampyre was published in 1819. Even being two centuries old, the book remains on the list of best vampire books. There is something about the books that are written at that time in history and if you are paying enough to read it, you are going to have a good time as well.

People liked the way this book introduces the elements of vampirism in this book. The story is quite intriguing and you would certainly enjoy it. It’s a pretty short book that can be easily finished in a short time, so if you are taking a flight or something, this is the book that you carry.

9. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy is one of the most popular vampire series that you can come across. The series was written by American author Richelle Mead and the first book of the series came out in 2007.

The book revolves around the character of Rose Hathaway, she is half-moroi and half-human, and she co-exist with both vampires and the humans. She only takes blood from the donors and wants to become a guardian at St. Vladimir’s Academy. The story features both good and evil and it’s the people’s choices that make them good or evil instead of their natural way of living.

The series is divided into six parts. You should pick this one if you are up to a long series about vampires.

10. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno Garcia

Certain Dark Things is another one of our favorite vampire book that you need to read sometime. The book was published in 2016 so it’s pretty recent and the younger readers would relate to this more.

The story takes place in Mexico and vampires are not very uncommon in this land. The story features a street kid named Domingo. His life changes when he meets a hot, brave, dangerous, and beautiful vampire Atl. The course of his life changes as soon as she enters his life. But with her, a lot of mystery, danger, and action follows his life too.

11. Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith

The book hardly needs an introduction all thanks to its tv series adaptation that goes under the same name. The book revolves around the characters, Elena, Damon, and Stephan.

The two vampire brothers and a young girl, their chemistry leaders to a love triangle. As soon as the story unfolds, Elena learns about the past life of Stephan and Damon and somehow she becomes a part of their dark lives too. The story is divided into several books, so if you do wanna submerge yourself in the vampire love story then this one should be your pick.

If you have watched the series already then don’t worry, the book is pretty different than the book so do consider this one.

12. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark is the first book in The Southern Vampire Mysteries. The book was written by Charlaine Harris and it was published in 2001.

The book is narrated by Stookie Stackhouse who is a telepathic writer in the small time of Louisiana. The book is set in a world where the vampires among other creatures are very real. The writer, being a human, falls in love with a vampire, named Bill Compton. The story is about a love story and the vampire community altogether.

13. Let the Right One In by Ajvide Lindqvist

Next on our list of best vampire books is Let the Right One In! The story of the book takes place in Stockholm around the 1980s and it revolves around the relationship of a 12-year-old boy, Oscar, and a centuries-old vampire child Eli. Even though the books are about vampires, the book highlights the main issues of humanity such as anxiety, social isolation, divorce, fearlessness, school bullying, and so on. Unlike other books, this one highlights the darker side of humans.

14. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches, too, is one of the best vampire books that you can read. The book revolves around the character of Diana Bishop, who is a witch. She has been involved in a forbidden romance with a vampire, Matthew Clairmont.

The book is the first installment of the series, All Soul. It’s a three-book series which is pretty intriguing.

15. Twilight by Stephanie Mayer

Last but not the least, we have to include Twilight in our list of best vampire books. This the book that popular the vampire genre and the movie was also successful worldwide. It’s a love story filled with vampires and other supernatural creatures.

If you haven’t already read it or seen the movies then it would be worth it, after all, it is one of the most popular vampire books.

Conclusion

So these are some of the best vampire books that you can find. You might have heard about them before and you might even have seen their adaptations, but the book would be worth reading. The books that we have mentioned above are some of the highest-selling vampire books and readers as well as the critics have appreciated these books.

Overall, just pick any of the aforementioned vampire books and you would have a good time reading about those deadly, mysterious, and attractive vampires!

Our job here is done and we hope you liked our article and you got what you have been looking for.