Historical Fiction

Book reviews on historical fiction.

The First Vampire by John Davies
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The First Vampire by John Davies Book Review

The First Vampire is incredibly well-researched historical fiction with a story line from the past that catches up with a story line in present times. Based on the life of Vlad the Impaler and his family lineage, John Davies inserts the paranormal and the supernatural to give birth to a new type of monster –…

Salt to the Sea Book Review
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Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys Book Review

Newly released in February of this year, Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea has been blowing up book blogs everywhere. The setting is intriguing by itself – the biggest maritime disaster in history, yet most are unfamiliar with the tragedy. It is the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German ship packed with children who were being evacuated…

The Nightingale Book Review
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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Book Review

If you haven’t heard of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah yet, you’ve been living under a rock. Winner of the GoodReads Choice Awards for Historical Fiction in 2015, it’s still topping the charts since its release in February of 2015. Set in occupied France during World War II, The Nightingale shines a light on the…

Cinnamon and Gunpowder Book Review
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Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown Book Review

Cinnamon and Gunpowder – the perfect pairing to accompany any feast aboard a pirate ship. This is the story of a red-headed she-pirate in the early nineteenth century who takes a gentle cook hostage after killing his employer. Her demand is simple: cook a divine meal for her once per week, and he may keep…

Evangeline: The Seer of Wall St. by Clint Adams
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Evangeline: The Seer of Wall Street St. by Clint Adams Book Review

Truth and fiction are tightly bound in this seamless historical fiction based on a very real historical figure: Evangeline Adams. A descendant of Presidents John and John Quincy Adams, Evangeline eschewed the proper life of traditional marriage and life as a gentle wife and she left for New York City to establish her own business,…

The Magician's Lie Book Review
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The Magician’s Lie by Greer Macallister Book Review

The Magician’s Lie is a stunning debut novel by Greer Macallister. Released in January of this year, it’s been slowly gaining momentum as more and more readers discover this wonderful historical fiction through natural word-of-mouth praise (highly indicative of a good book) as opposed to a big marketing budget. Taking place in the late nineteenth century and…

Shadow of Night
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Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness Book Review

The second book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness was a bestselling hit just as A Discovery of Witches, the first in the series. Shadow of Night went on to win the GoodReads Choice Award for Best Paranormal Fantasy in 2012. While the first book was urban fantasy, this second book takes a…

Wolf Hall Book Review
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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Book Review

I’ve indulged in a number of books on Tudor historical fiction including the Philippa Gregory novels – and who didn’t watch The Tudors on Showtime? Wolf Hall, Tudor-inspired historical fiction revolving around the life of Thomas Cromwell and the first in the Thomas Cromwell trilogy, was published fairly recently and quickly won a bevy of awards including…

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