It’s time for another Summer Reading post! This week, I focus on Historical Fiction. I love a good historical fiction, especially if it has fantastical elements!
Here are my recommendations:
Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr
Thoughts: This book takes place during the Victorian-era and follows clergyman’s daughter, Edith. There are dragons, secrets, and mysterious neighbors throughout this book. Wormwood Abbey is a wonderfully cozy book with the best characters, and a delightful mystery. I had so much fun reading this book, and I loved how the author wove historical elements into the story and how it complements the fantastical elements.
Review: 4 stars
Summary:
As a Victorian clergyman’s daughter, Edith Worms has seen everything — until a mythical salamander tumbles out of the fireplace into her lap. When a letter arrives from estranged relatives, Edith is swept away to a crumbling gothic Abbey in the wilds of Yorkshire. Wormwood Abbey isn’t just full of curious beasts and ancient family secrets: there’s also a tall, dark, and entirely too handsome neighbour who is strangely reluctant for her to leave. An unexpected bond with her prickly cousin Gwendolyn gives Edith a reason to stay in this strange world — especially when it turns out that Edith herself may have a role in guarding her family’s legacy. But not all of the mysteries of Ormdale are small enough to fit in her lap…and some of them have teeth.
Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
Thoughts: Foul Lady Fortune is an absolutely amazing story, with spies, fake marriage, and romance! Definitely one of my favorite books, this book weaves fantastical elements into a story that takes place in the early 1930s in Shanghai. The author does an absolutely wonderful job of incorporating historical elements into this story, and it was fascinating seeing history in this way. The characters and storyline were absolutely amazing, as well! “You accused me of being a philanderer, and suddenly I wanted to prove you wrong. You wanted daffodils at your wedding, and suddenly I wanted to be the one beside you at the alter watching you hold them. I wanted it to be real. I wanted it all to be real.”
Review: 4.5 stars
Summary:
It’s 1931 in Shanghai, and the stage is set for a new decade of intrigue. Four years ago, Rosalind Lang was brought back from the brink of death, but the strange experiment that saved her also stopped her from sleeping and aging—and allows her to heal from any wound. In short, Rosalind cannot die. Now, desperate for redemption for her traitorous past, she uses her abilities as an assassin for her country. Code name: Fortune. But when the Japanese Imperial Army begins its invasion march, Rosalind’s mission pivots. A series of murders is causing unrest in Shanghai, and the Japanese are under suspicion. Rosalind’s new orders are to infiltrate foreign society and identify the culprits behind the terror plot before more of her people are killed. To reduce suspicion, however, she must pose as the wife of another Nationalist spy, Orion Hong, and though Rosalind finds Orion’s cavalier attitude and playboy demeanor infuriating, she is willing to work with him for the greater good. But Orion has an agenda of his own, and Rosalind has secrets that she wants to keep buried. As they both attempt to unravel the conspiracy, the two spies soon find that there are deeper and more horrifying layers to this mystery than they ever imagined.
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
Thoughts: This book takes place in the 1920s in Montreal, Canada. There are some unique magical elements, and the setting is beautiful. There are a little less historical elements in this book than in others on this list, but the world-building was incredible, and I loved the more traditional tools and appliances used throughout the story.
Review: 4 stars
Summary:
A woman who runs a cat rescue in 1920s Montreal turns to a grouchy but charming wizard to help save the shelter in this heartwarming cozy fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series. Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life—and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a much-needed cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for lost cats. But after she is forced to move the cat shelter, Agnes learns that her new landlord is using her charity as a front—for an internationally renowned and thoroughly disreputable magic shop. Owned by the disorganized—not to mention self-absorbed, irritating, but also decidedly handsome—Havelock Renard, magician and failed Dark Lord, the shop draws magical clientele from around the world, partly due to the quality of Havelock’s illicit goods as well as their curiosity about his shadowy past and rumors of his incredible powers. Agnes’s charity offers the perfect cover for illegal magics. Agnes couldn’t care less about the shop—magical intrigue or not, there are cats to be rescued. But when an enemy from Havelock’s past surfaces, the magic shop—and more importantly, the cat shelter—are suddenly in jeopardy. To save the shelter, will Agnes have to set aside her social conscience and protect the man who once tried to bring about the apocalypse—and is now trying to steal her heart?
The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
Thoughts: The Healer’s Apprentice is one of my favorite books ever! This book takes place in Germany during the 1400s. This book is also a Sleeping Beauty retelling, and the way the author twists the tale into a historical retelling is amazing. The historical aspect of the book is incredible, and it really shows what life was like during this time. This book is Christian fantasy as well, so the church and religion are big parts of the story.
Review: 4 stars
Summary:
Two Hearts. One Hope. Rose has been appointed as a healer’s apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter’s daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her—a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill. When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she’s never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose’s life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.
Goodbye, My Princess by Fei Wo Si Cun
Thoughts: Goodbye, My Princess is a heartbreaking tragedy that shows what life is like in the royal palace. Eye-opening and devasting, this book is absolutely amazing. With a fierce and determined main character, as well as a cruel prince, Goodbye, My Princess keeps you on the edge of your seat. “I can forget everything about you, I can forget the person themself, but the one thing I can’t forget is the feeling of loving you.”
Review: 5 stars
Summary:
The only thing more dangerous than a king is his heir in this first English translation of the “beautifully heartbreaking” (Kirkus Reviews) historical novel inspired the popular TV series from one of China’s best-known authors of romantic tragedy. There is no room for love in an empire. Qu Xiaofeng has been living in Shangjing for three years now. A naïve, happy-go-lucky treaty bride from the desert kingdom of Xiliang, she has everything she could ever want as the crown princess of the Li Empire—everything except the crown prince’s heart. Because Li Chengyin is a heartless boy. Cruel, jealous, and ruthless, he has given his adolescence to the cutthroat contention for the throne and, now that he is the heir presumptive, largely ignores his bride in favor of the girl he seems to really love. Xiaofeng doesn’t mind…much. It leaves her more time to sneak out of the manor to go drinking and riding in the streets, living just the way she wants to. But one day another boy shows up, claiming to be a sweetheart from a life she can’t remember having lived. As Xiaofeng puzzles out the tangled threads of her past and her complicated feelings about the enigmatic, distant husband she loves and hates in equal measure, what she doesn’t realize is that she’s setting a course straight to tragedy. Because the only place more dangerous than the palace is the crown prince’s court, the only thing harder to be than a king is his heir, and the path to the throne is paved with blood. Power will always have its price—the only question is if Xiaofeng will survive long enough to pay.
A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife by Kendall Kulper
Thoughts: This book is a murder-mystery that takes place in Hollywood during the 1920s! It is an interesting look at the movie industry during that time, with supernatural elements woven into the book. I loved seeing this time period in a different light and getting a deeper understanding of the beginning of Hollywood. A Starlet’s Secret to a Sensational Afterlife is full of ghosts, romance, and mystery!
Review: 3.5 stars
Summary:
A budding starlet and her handsome-but-moody co-star go from bitter enemies to reluctant partners when they get tangled up in the disappearance of a beautiful young actress in 1930s Hollywood. Eighteen-year-old Henrietta arrives in Los Angeles in 1934 with dreams of trading her boring life for stardom. She’s determined to make it as an actress, despite her family’s doubts and rumors of would-be starlets gone missing. And by the skin of her teeth, she pulls it off! A serendipitous job offer arrives and Henrietta finds herself on a whirlwind publicity tour for a major film role—with a vexingly unpleasant actor tapped by the studio to be her fake boyfriend. But fierce Henrietta has more in common with brooding Declan than she realizes. They both have gifts that they are hiding, for fear of being labeled strange: he is immune to injury and she can speak to ghosts. Together, they might be the only people in Hollywood who can do something about these poor missing girls. And in doing so . . . they might just fall in love for real.A budding starlet and her handsome-but-moody co-star go from bitter enemies to reluctant partners when they get tangled up in the disappearance of a beautiful young actress in 1930s Hollywood. Eighteen-year-old Henrietta arrives in Los Angeles in 1934 with dreams of trading her boring life for stardom. She’s determined to make it as an actress, despite her family’s doubts and rumors of would-be starlets gone missing. And by the skin of her teeth, she pulls it off! A serendipitous job offer arrives and Henrietta finds herself on a whirlwind publicity tour for a major film role—with a vexingly unpleasant actor tapped by the studio to be her fake boyfriend. But fierce Henrietta has more in common with brooding Declan than she realizes. They both have gifts that they are hiding, for fear of being labeled strange: he is immune to injury and she can speak to ghosts. Together, they might be the only people in Hollywood who can do something about these poor missing girls. And in doing so . . . they might just fall in love for real.
Reviews:
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