Haunted Hearts

by Lucas Mangum

For Moon Boy, adulthood is coming no matter what. Even if he spends most nights drinking forties in the cemetery with his band, even if he drops out of community college to pursue multiple women for different reasons, and even if he can still see the ghost house rise from the quarry at midnight, he can't stop the inevitable. When his sister goes missing on opening night at Kip Creeker's Trail of Terror, Moon Boy's already overcomplicated life takes a frightening turn, and his grasp on reality starts to slip.

Haunted Hearts is a coming-of-age horror tale about those who fight growing up and the ghosts that haunt them.

Genres: Horror

110 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2024

About the author

Lucas Mangum is an author currently living in Austin, TX.

Reviews

[Veronica ☠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eldritch Youth is Moon Boy's group with Greta Graves and Pumpkin Ghost. They're great friends but Greta and Moon Boy are keeping a secret from Pumpkin Ghost for the sake of the group. Pushing his feelings aside, Moon Boy and the gang decide to go to the quarry. A place where years ago they witnessed...something. That night, most of them see something that makes the girls scream.

Trial of Terror is Kips attraction. It opens a month before Halloween and everyone works there. On opening night, Moon Boy's sister Jamie ends up missing without a trace and panic sets them all. Someone from Moon Boy's past comes back and his discovers things that terrify him. Will Jamie ever come back, or will what they all saw at the quarry be the reason she's gone?

This read pulled out so many emotions that I wasn't expecting. A coming of age story with all the spooky vibes. I really wasn't a fan of Greta, pick one girl and move on! I really wanted more for Moon Boy. I really felt for him throughout and wanted to smack him at times. If you love coming of age stories, spooky vibes, emo vibes, and Halloween, then you'll definitely love this! Mangums writing is stellar and a must read author

[Brian Bowyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling!

I'm a huge Mangum fan, and HAUNTED HEARTS, in my opinion, is probably his best work yet. But you can't go wrong with anything he releases. Highly recommended for all fans of horror and great fiction!

[Judith Sonnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this one. I think it'll be on my yearly rotation for October. Halloween vibes? Check. A realistic portrayal of anxiety and crippling nostalgia? Check. Complicated romances? also check. Lucas Mangum told me he wanted this to be his take on "cozy" horror, and I think he nailed it. It is a cozy book, but that doesn't mean the stakes are low and the scares aren't scary! If you are as obsessed with Halloween as I am, and you also have something broken in your soul, then you'll love Haunted Hearts.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucas Mangum's "Haunted Hearts" is a totally weird, dreamlike, Halloween read, combining several horror tropes (from urban legends and hauntings to witches and monsters) with a unique, small-town coming-of-age story. Its greatest strength, I believe (beyond the skilled storytelling), lies in atmosphere: a permeating sadness, a diffuse sense of grief and unfulfillment ooze from the pages, many times driving the story forward, often towards unexpected paths. It made me reminisce of my younger self, having just left the teen years behind, and drowning in dissatisfaction rather than carrying any magical innocence into adulthood. I especially liked the metaphor of ghosts themselves being haunted; I found this image claustrophobic and worrisome, but quite representative of the overaching narrative and its deeper point.

The opening of the story is creepy and disturbing, leaving the reader unprepared for what's coming after. The ending either crushes all hope or redefines the story as a whole - I'm still undecided about this, which implies that the book deserves a second read. In any case, I enthusiastically recommend this one - a sweet horror trip of a book!

[Sarah DeRosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect atmospherically spooky read for not only the season, but the year! If you hold horror close to your heart, you’ll enjoy this masterpiece. Mangum’s prose in this coming-of-age tale is both haunting and romantic, giving way to gorgeous imagery with his signature immersive sensory writing. The characters and universe in which they are planted are not only unique, but expand on the complexities of life and the rawness of human emotion. I encourage everyone to give this one a go!

[Mike (Hail Horror Hail) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunted Hearts is a coming of age tale that is part, quiet horror or shadowpunk as Charles L. Grant described it and a fever dream.

The band Eldritch Youth and its members are the one constant throughout the story. Their darkwave occult musings of the band parallel the characters' journey that dip into melancholy, loneliness, grief, and heartache throughout.

Lucas Mangum reaches far and wide pulling in spooky Halloween tropes with his prose and is quite successful merging them into a moment in time in small town America where ghosts still haunt, apparitions appear, and death may not be the end.

The end comes on abruptly like a Fulci nightmare, where I imagine the characters in Haunted Hearts walk off into a nightmare dreamscape like at the end of Lucio Fulci's masterpiece, The Beyond.

There's a fog of doubt that blankets the reality herein, which reminds me of how I remember the past, the nostalgic longing for VHS, shag carpet, and dog-eared paperbacks beside overflowing ashtrays. Take me away, Lucas Mangum, take me away.

[Jamie Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moon Boy along with Greta Graves and Pumpkin Ghost are just trying to have fun with their band Eldritch Youth. Hanging in the graveyard and making music, and best of all it’s time for fall and October 1st so they can work at Kip’s Trail of Terror.

After a trip to the quarry where there has always been some haunting happenings, things start to change for the worst. Weird visions. Moon Boy’s sister Jamie disappears. Jamie’s girlfriend is in the hospital after she disappeared and isn’t speaking. Moon Boy feels like he has to try and figure things out and he uncovers a truth he isn’t sure he can face…

This was a cozy horror, had me nostalgic for those coming of age times right after high school. The complicated love life, the not sure what is happening next or where you’re life is going to end up.. also leaves you in your feels. Gut… punched!

Perfect book for the beginning of the spooky season. 🧡🖤

Thank you to the author and publisher for this free ARC from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author for sending me an e-ARC of Haunted Hearts!

Nothing makes me happier than a book that takes me back to my angsty teenage years; music, drinking 40s, sneaking around, love & heartbreak — it's all here in Haunted Hearts.

Haunted Hearts is a coming of age horror novella about “those who fight growing up & the ghosts that haunt them.” When Moon Boy’s sister goes missing on opening night of the local haunted trail, his already complicated life takes a frightening turn.

Lucas Mangum’s writing is addicting; once I was in, I was IN. I flipped my digital pages like it was nobody’s business with a constant wanting of MORE. I had 0 idea of what was to come & Haunted Hearts kept me guessing the whole way through.

As previously mentioned, Haunted Hearts took me back to my teenage years & that helped form such a personal and emotional attachment to Moon Boy. So incredibly relatable, I couldn’t help but feel for him. If you’re looking for a horror novella that’s HEAVY on the coming of age aspect, I strongly recommend Haunted Hearts.

There are also some solid horror film references scattered throughout and that’s always a win for me.

I absolutely adored Haunted Hearts & would really love to see more people read it when it releases to the world!

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, well damn. I knew going into this book that it was a coming of age story, but given that it’s horror and hits on a few different tropes, I didn’t think it’d be as nostalgic and relatable in so many ways. Like most of the books I’ve read this month, it really put me in my feels and hit on a lot of emotions. While I wasn’t expecting that, it was perfect and exactly what I needed.

This was the first book by Magnum that I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be my last. I truly enjoyed this story from start to finish. The characters and their development were done really well, and sets up for the chaos that ends up ensuing. The writing style and language was great. It flows so well and was easy to binge read.

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank Lucas Mangum, Ghoulish Books, and BookSirens for an advanced copy of Haunted Hearts. This review is not required but I gladly and voluntarily leave this review.

I enjoyed this spooky, creepy, coming of age novella. You can read it in one sitting but it will stay with you for a long time.

Moon Boy is in a band with two of his friends. He is 19 and not really going anywhere. He tries to find love and connection but it’s very complicated.

He and his friends go to the quarry late one night and see how shadow house rise up to the sky. What soon follows is people missing, strange creatures going bump in the night and a scary outcome that I didn’t see coming.

This is a nice spooky season book that can be read anytime when you are in the mood for a haunting good time.

[Shaina Renae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have absolutely loved everything I've read by Lucas so far, and my love for his writing continues to grow. Haunted Hearts was a cozy-type ghost story sort of tale for me. I was drawn in from the very beginning and felt like I knew Moon Boy my whole life. This was a spooky, chilling read. I love every moment of it.

[Nicolle Persoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, great suspense and more a kind of gothic horror. Loved the lovestory, ties to earlier supernatural believes and the modern music.

Great mashup of different genres, well written and oh so grateful it was written from one perspective.

I received an ARC and voluntarily leave this review.

[Eve Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a coming of age story, I had butterflies in my stomach but also a knife in my gut with this book. A book for weirdos cozy, yet cold, and perfect for Halloween season.

[Horror Bookworm Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Horror Bookworm Recommendation
Haunted Hearts by Lucas Mangum
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

A group of teenage friends visit the local quarry, as it has been fenced in and overgrown, their sole purpose is to witness some sort of paranormal activity. Three minutes to the witching hour on this day, October 1st, nothing appears to happen. However, after the evening unfolds, two of the friends disappear. What happens next is much more than what the group bargained for.

Haunted Hearts by Lucas Mangum is a coming-of-age story that leads to not only adulthood but horrific realities. The chosen locations such as haunted cemeteries, creepy wooded areas, menacing cornfields and a Halloween haunted attraction, all set the stage in the rural backwoods of Eastern Pennsylvania. Add in multi-dimensional relationships and you have a delicious Halloween recipe for a horrific secret coven.

Haunted Hearts is painted with October colors of contemporary social issues and supernatural tensions. I’ve read enough Lucas Mangum to know he is a truly talented and versatile author (I could totally see him writing a successful spooky children’s book). From the most violent of actions to the most emotional of dialogs, Lucas Mangum is a staple of Texas Terror.

Unearthed by Ghoulish Books and penned under a bloodcurdling moon, Haunted Hearts navigates the reader into a ritualistic rift between reality and fantasy. Lucas Mangum is the Shudder of the horror community, he offers a wide variety of horror, thriller and supernatural fictional content…there’s always something good on. Right now, Lucas Mangum is featuring Haunted Hearts, it’s worth tuning in for. A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm Recommendation.

[Lisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bibliophilia Templum review
https://bibliophiliatemplum.wordpress.com/2024/10/29/haunted-hearts/

Lucas Mangum’s Haunted Hearts transcends the coming of age label with a darkness and poignancy and consuming aspect of horror that I found chillingly impactful. Woven into this compelling tale of college-age teens, suspense, and intense terrors are threads of horrific real-life complexities that quietly ruin lives every day.

This story is an exquisite read comprised of evocative prose, gut-clenching actions, and chilling terrors both supernatural and real-life. The use of classic settings (cemetery, abandoned quarry, ominous woods, a Halloween trail attraction) creates a comfortably familiar atmosphere that draws you in and starkly contrasts the contemporary storyline. And, of course, Lucas’s characters are engaging and knowable, relatable and provocative, sometimes downright infuriating.

But baseline, it’s a great book, a fantastic story. I love it because of and in spite of how deeply it made me feel, how many times I gasped out loud and laughed out loud, how I felt the pervasive dread and persistent tension in my guts and muscles. It’s a story of ghosts and monsters, within and without, human and not, and a young man’s fight against it all.

Haunted Hearts is a chilling, phenomenal, and highly recommended read. The cover is fantastic and intriguing, but the story is horrifying on many levels.

[Christina Pfeiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Boy, Greta, and her boyfriend, Pumpkin Ghost, all play in a band and are best friends. Moon Boy and Pumpkin Ghost (PG) have a special bond from witnessing a supernatural sight at the local haunted quarry. Because of this, Moon Boy brings his sister, Jamie and her girlfriend as well as PG and Greta. But what starts as a possible reoccurring drug-induced hallucination, quickly turns into a missing persons case and Moon Boy’s need for the truth in life and death.

In this coming-of-age, supernatural, cryptid, lost love, found love novella, Moon Boy must face the seemingly Sisyphean task of finding his way to the truth. With zero help from his parents and his secret that could end his friendships, he has a lot happening all at once.

As we read, this heavy weight of sadness follows us, word by word, sentence by sentence. The reader must helplessly read as Moon Boy must go on the heroes journey but with many, many obstacles in the way.

But the best part of this novella is the questions readers are left with. Is Moon Boy reliable? Is the reader? Are either?

Mangum knows how to go against the typical conventions and our expectations as readers. Recency bias be damned, HAUNTED HEARTS is my favorite by Mangum. Literal perfection.

A DOUBLE HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 10/5.

[Willard Lawson Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted Hearts by Lucas Mangum
5/5 🪦

Haunted Hearts is an enchanting fall read that will leave you spellbound. With its stunning cover by Betty Rocksteady and Lucas Magnum's masterful storytelling, this coming-of-age novella is a perfect choice for Halloween.

From the first page, I was enveloped in the nostalgic atmosphere and dreamy world that Magnum has created. The story is a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with love, loss, and a touch of the supernatural.

At times in this book, Magnum's flows like poetry, with lines that linger long after you've finished reading.

"Her flesh is familiar. Feels like coming home. No matter how haunted."

If you're looking for a book that will keep you guessing until the very end, Haunted Hearts is a must-read.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfectly Haunting and Emotional Read for Fall.

This book is everything I didn’t know I needed this fall. It captures the spooky, atmospheric energy of the season with an amazing blend of coming-of-age themes and that timeless emo edge. I felt like I was inside of this story.

From the very first page, the story pulls you in with its eerie, autumnal setting that feels alive. Lucas masterfully balances a chilling, supernatural undertone with deeply human emotions, making the characters’ struggles feel incredibly relatable. I was completely hooked by the moody, introspective vibes, and it reminded me of those perfect fall nights where the air feels a little more mysterious, and you can’t help but reflect on life.

Honored I had the chance to ARC read it.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read in October, maybe in forever! I cannot get enough of the ghosts, the werewolves, and the haunted house, please! I want more!

[Emily Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted Hearts is the epitome of cozy horror. Moon Boy took me through all the depths of his emotions and finding his path as well as dealing with leaving being a kid behind. This coming of age with a supernatural spin was very well written. The character development in a little over 100 pages was fantastic.

[sedge · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher via BookSirens)

Slacker ne'er-do-wells drink 40s in the local cemetery. They make beats and rap, work at the seasonal fright attraction, go by noms de tune like "Pumpkin Ghost" and "Moon Boy" (unless they're lucky enough to have a cool wallet-name, like "Greta Graves"). You get the sense that they've been doing this for a long time and are not, at all, inclined to change things up.

I loved the atmosphere of this novel as it gets underway. Aided by the splendid faux-naive cover art, the story feels somehow familiar already. Not that it's happened to you, necessarily, but that many of us know people like this. It's not an eternal summer so much as an improbably long autumn: change will be coming, but the characters will do their best to duck and deny as long as they can.

There are already signs of problems, or, at least at first, of weirdness. These guys don't just drink out by the quarry; they also witness an eerie apparition of a whole house emerge from the depths. Moon Boy doesn't just wonder what he's doing with his life and the heart that got broken by his first love, who vanished a year back; he sleeps with Greta, his best friend's girlfriend and their bandmate.

Low-key spookiness and a good first-person narrative voice carried me pretty far in reading this. But as the pages passed, coherency decayed and pacing went flooey. The first several chapters stick pretty close to time as it passes, evening to night to the next day, but then events accelerate and suddenly three weeks have passed -- weeks in which emotionally powerful events occur but are never given the narrative attention needed for them to register. By the end of the book, there aren't just missing younger sisters and abusive exes and also werewolves and Puritan witches devoted to an eternal battle against evil, but multidimensional hellscapes and zombies and things called "pumpkin fiends" (I'm not sure that's supposed to be funny, but I laughed).

The story lost me as it drew in more and more scary and weird elements, piling them up faster and faster, heedlessly. I wish I'd been able to understand the ride.

[Justin Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky, autumnal, nostalgic, coming-of-age tale that hit different than I was expecting it to.

Here's the hellevator pitch: Moon Boy and his friends are in a band, hang out in a cemetery, and work for a haunted attraction. He's at that age where he's trying to figure out what's next. Who does he want to be and who does he want to be with? His sister goes missing one night after they check out a haunted quarry (something they just do) and...not saying more. It's short! Go read it, lol!

Despite these characters being wayyy cooler than I was at that age, I related to Moon Boy more than I thought I would. I remember being at the cusp of being an adult and trying to figure out what I wanted, who I wanted. Trying to figure out who wanted me because they liked me for who I was even though I was still trying to figure that out myself. I too had that ex that my friends didn't want me to go back to because they knew it was bad the first time. I just reacted as life happened to me, and in that way, I found these character very realistic. I wanted to hang out with them and I wanted to hear their music; I was totally invested the entire time. This was another first-time-but-not-last-time author for me- and I hope this isn't the last we've heard of the Eldritch Youth.

[Stephanie E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunted Hearts is a coming-of-age novella that centers around mental health, love, and growing up. But with this book, Lucas Mangum uses a bunch of cool horror tropes to symbolize all these themes.

The book follows the band Eldrith Youth, a bunch of teens playing cool goth music. The setting is in central PA; my family is from York so I was picturing the steep hills and fall foliage while reading this book. Central PA is such a sleepy area, the perfect setting for paranormal craziness.

I really like this book, but there’s a reason I gave this four stars and it’s a biased one. I’m honestly not the biggest fan of coming-of-age stories, and this book reminds me why: most of the characters were obnoxious and I honestly didn’t feel bad for what happened to them at the end. A lot also happens in the beginning at once. It does make sense at the end, but this book can be a bit overwhelming at first. I don’t blame Mangum’s writing though; he’s an excellent writer and storyteller.

I recommend this book for those new to horror or want a fun read. Unlike Mangum’s other books, this one isn’t crazy violent at all. Mangum focuses more on the spooky side, which made it an enjoyable and cozy read.

[Becki 🤎 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunted Hearts 💔🪦

This was on my Halloween TBR but unfortunately I didn’t get to it. But because Lucas is so amazing he sent me an Audible code the other day & I couldn’t wait to get into it so of course I started it right away!! Thank you very much 😌🤎

Moon boy is your typical, not quite an adult but not a teenager anymore guy, he doesn’t want to grow up. He wants to have FUN, play in his band with his mates, pumpkin ghost & Greta and hang around haunted quarries & graveyards making videos whilst drinking the night away

But those eerie places can mess with your mind! When his sister goes missing he turns to the girls in his life (all 3 of them 🤭) and alcohol, he keeps having weird visions, she’s not just missing something has happened to her & it more than likely has something to do with what they saw at the quarry.

Moonboy needs to figure out what’s happening, find his sister (& sort his love life out along the way) 🙄😅

Ah I loved this! It was a perfect cosy horror but with enough twisty hauntings to give you those spooky vibes! I can see why this is a Halloween fav!

Moonboy’s love life did make me laugh though, he was rather greedy & defo should have had other things on his mind!

Thank you so much Lucas for sending me the code, I really did enjoy every bit of this 🫶🏻🤎

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jessie Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A group of friends decide to go to a quarry where they last had an incident of sorts. On opening night of an attraction one of the friends sister goes missing and they all go into a panic frenzy! What happens if they find her or if she comes back?

This is a coming of age story with Halloween vibes! This is a perfect read for anytime of the year as brings out SO many emotions. I got very into the characters and loved how much I felt for them. Lucas is an incredible writer! If you haven’t read his gods of the dark web yet read that too!

[Meredith Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Mangum, and I will read more of his work. I enjoyed the story from start to finish. The characters were well-developed, and the writing was clear, making it easy to read quickly. The book includes horror elements like urban legends, hauntings, witches, and monsters, while also focusing on coming-of-age themes. Reading this book reminded me of my teenage years, which often felt more disappointing than joyful. This nostalgia made the story feel more personal and relatable.

[Jeremy Crews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a hard time putting this one down, despite doing my best to saver it because I didn’t want it to end. Quite different (in my opinion) of other Mangum stories that I’ve read, and I think he absolutely nails it with this coming-of-age-horror novella.
I can’t say for certain if it was as personal to him as it felt while reading it, but from the way he is able to translate emotions and captures how complicated they can be (especially as a young person), it’s hard for me to think otherwise. This is the kind of story that will linger with you after it’s over. Well done.

[Ky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh the pains of growing up…

Haunted Hearts is a spooky coming of age story following Moon Boy; a small town musician with small town friends having big time problems. Moon boy’s sister is missing, his ex is back in town, his friends are shady and shit seems to be hitting the fan in buckets.

This novella was a roller coaster, it started off with a good amount of character building and backstory, then unleashed its madness all at the end. I really enjoyed this read, I’m glad I picked it up on Booksirens! A great October vibe for you if you are looking for some more spooky recs!

[Casey Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved alot of elements about this story, the band that hangs out in a cemetery, the member that has a missing sister, I loved the names of the characters also, very clever.

I wish there had been a little bit more back story on the house, some of the subplot brought in didn't really go with it and I can't remember if a reason was ever stated, the ending did put a smirk on my face.

[Natalie Rizvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an arc read and am leaving this review voluntarily this book is perfect for spooky season is premiates sadness this coming of ages story has lots of different horror tropes and is worth the read if u like that sort of stuff