Genre: Historical Fiction

Blending together Japanese samurai culture, time-travel speculative fiction, tense horror ambiance with mystery thriller intrigue, Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker is as ambitious of a novel as it is graphic and violent. One of the most anticipated horror releases of the year, like her inspirations and goals, this book crossovers between genres, storylines, and realities, telling a compelling and gripping story in just over three hundred pages. Steeped in Japanese folklore and culture but presented in a way that’s accessible, Japanese Gothic is an excellent mystery thriller/horror novel that’s powerfully written and creatively conceptualized. There’s a lot that could be said about Japanese Gothic’s story, but this is one book that’s best experienced on its own with minimal overview given the tension, mysterious intrigue, and unexpected narrative elements benefit from the reader being left in the dark. The book features a split POV and timeline perspective that’s similar to Lee’s presentation, a meeting of the East and West. In 2026, Lee Turner escapes to his father’s house in Japan following the murder of his college roommate that he can’t remember how or why he killed. Racked with anxiety and paranoia, his chapters follow his descent into borderline psychosis as…

What do a legendary cryptid, gods, angels and demons, the Hundred Year’s War, an immortal arcanist and his succubus housekeeper have in common? Ordinarily nothing at all unless it’s Cameron Sullivan’s novel The Red Winter. An ambitious book mixing together fantasy and historical fiction elements across the board heightened with touches of paranormal horror, the Red Winter is as entertaining as it is imaginative with a unique and quirky tongue in cheek tone. Unexpectedly humorous and endearing while describing French countrymen being viscously torn apart, Sullivan’s storytelling is an incredible vibe made all the more impressive as a debut novel. While its far-reaching story, slow pacing, and complex split timeline approach can make it a challenging read for some, this is otherwise a really fun and off-beat historical fantasy book. At its core, the story behind the Red Winter is one of French turmoil that cleverly provides plausible fantasy origins to mysterious historical events. Presented as a written recollection or memoir of the events by the immortal arcanist Sebastian Graves, the book follows Sebastian and his demon possession “guest” Sarmodel returning to impoverished province of Gévaudan after the deadly events around the famed beast nearly twenty years ago. In addition…

An abstract exploration around perception and traditional gender roles of young women, Xenobe Purvis’s debut novel the Hounding is an atmospheric story that feels like a grounded and historical fairy tale expanded into a full length book. Featuring a free-flowing 3rd person multiple POV presentation and effective use of unreliable narration, the Hounding is an interesting read conducive to bookclub/literary discussions due to its clever plotting and open-ended nature. While I felt the book’s overall trajectory could’ve been developed further and its abruptly occurring just when it felt like it was hitting its stride, this book is nonetheless an interesting read that matches the unsettling feel and tone of its cover well. “Girls—normal human girls—people could contend with; they were weak and small. And dogs too could be trained. But girls who became dogs, or who let the world believe they were dogs, were either powerful or mad: both monstrous possibilities.” Set in the fictional rural village of Little Nettlebed in an unspecified but clearly historic age, the Hounding follows various residents, their impressions, and thoughts about five sisters referred to as the Mansfield girls. Having lost both parents and living with their ailing grandfather who is going blind, the…

An immersive and ambitious historical fiction story set during the early days of World War II, Maggie Stiefvater’s the Listeners explores the effects the war has on individuals providing hospitality support at the esteemed and legendary hotel Avallon. A complex and nuanced character piece, this book is centered around the temporary housing of Axis-affiliated diplomats in the US. Well-researched, beautifully written, thoughtfully constructed, Stiefvater’s adult novel debut is an impressive and rewarding read, albeit one that is not for everyone given its relatively sparse plot and measured pacing. Unlike others, I somehow missed out on reading Stiefvater’s previous YA series during my extended hiatus from reading, so the Listeners was my blind introduction to her work. From what I have gathered based on what I’ve heard, I think it’s helpful to note that for those a fan of her past books, this one likely reads very differently. Serving as her adult novel debut, this book is a true novel written for adults using more advanced phrasing, subtle character writing, and has themes that require the reader to read between the lines. This is not the type of adult novel popularized by booktok or bookstagram where it’s essentially YA fantasy book simply flavored by added…

A heist set for a mysterious magical book, a power struggle between state and church, a tense reunion between ex-partners, and legendary beings trapped and abandoned by the God of Thieves, Ruth Frances Long’s The Book of Gold has a lot of interesting concepts to say the least. The start of the Feral Gods trilogy, this book has a lot of narrative content fitted into a sub three-hundred-and-fifty-page book that is part fantasy, part 16th century historical fiction adventure. Though the story has a variety of plotlines that lay the groundwork for the series to expand on, at its core it’s a tense and strained second-chance romance between individuals standing on different sides of the law and state, all in pursuit of otherworldly power. Action and relationship oriented, the Book of Gold is a competently crafted book that despite a sense of mismanaged focus, is still a fun and light entertaining fantasy read. At first glance, the Book of Gold appears to be a simplistic rogue x knight trope applied to a fantasy heist storyline. The book has all the elements one would expect such as an unorthodox assembled ragtag heist team, economic disparity between the nobility and the common…