Genre: Historical Fiction

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia (Harlem Renaissance Mystery #1) | Review

Posted July 26, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

I love a good historical fiction novel, so when I saw this 1920s story that was ALSO a mystery I knew I had to read it! Darker than I originally anticipated, Dead Dead Girls is a thriller set against a vibrant backdrop of 1920s Harlem. I was instantly sucked into the story by it’s action packed first chapter, which features a young Louise (our protagonist) being kidnapped and then managing to attack and escape along with several other girls the man had kidnapped. While it was a bit of a jarring intro to the book, it sets the stage for […]

Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare | Review

Posted May 24, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

Look, I love a good Shadowhunter book. But there’s just something about historical fiction Shadowhunter novels that are just *chef’s kiss.* I keep thinking there’s no way Cassie Clare can top her previous novels but I absolutely adored Chain of Iron and could honestly read about these Shadowhunter babies doing the most boring, everyday things and still be completely and utterly charmed. I honestly wish I could scrub this book from my brain so I could read it for the first time all over again (and I already know that it’s going to be a definite reread for me in […]

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton | ARC Review

Posted May 3, 2021 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I love when a historical fiction novel leaves me feeling both entertained and educated, and that is without a doubt the experience I get every time I pick up a Chanel Cleeton novel. Another sweeping tale set between Cuba and the United States, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba is another standout from the Cuban-American author. Similarly to the structure of Cleeton’s previous novel, The Last Train to Key West, her newest installment rotates between three POVs of strong women who are each facing unique challenges either in Cuba or the US during the late 1800s when Cuba is fighting […]

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Review

Posted August 10, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

Mexican Gothic is probably one of the most buzzed about books of 2020 in my online social circles, and I can’t deny that it’s easy to see why when you look at the cover, the synopsis…just everything about it screams READ ME. As excited as I was to dive into it, I’ll admit I did have some reservations because I am not a horror type of gal. I’m so glad I did push myself out of my comfort zone though as Mexican Gothic proved to be a compelling, if rather surprising, read. Set in 1950s Mexico, Mexican Gothic follows protagonist […]

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare | The Last Hours #1

Posted July 27, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

I have to admit, I’ve been on a huge Shadowhunters kick this year. It all began when I decided to reread the TID trilogy in order to go into Chain of Gold fully prepared, which then led to reading all of the short stories and novellas I could that chronologically came before Chain of Gold (huge shout out to Dedra from A Book Wanderer for this handy list of what to read!) When I finally picked up Chain of Gold, my expectations were sky high, and I’m pleased to state that *most* of them were met! I love all of […]

The Mall by Megan McCafferty | ARC Review

Posted July 22, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

90s historical fiction is something I didn’t know I needed but now can’t believe I’ve been living without! (Also, the fact that the 90s is considered historical fiction makes me feel ~old~). I absolutely flew through The Mall, which follows recent high school graduate Cassie as she navigates her last summer before college navigating retail life at The Mall. Which should have been a quick summer of serving up cookies and daydream of NYC, she finds her life turned totally upside-down with mall shenanigans, featuring everything from underground parties to Cabbage Patch scavenger hunts. In many ways The Mall is […]

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton | ARC Review

Posted May 11, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

I’m a huge fan of Cleeton’s previous Cuban themed historical fiction novels, and The Last Train to Key West is no exception. Cleeton has created a fictional world of strong female protagonists exploring the nuances of Cuban and American politics across her companion novels, and while each story explores a fascinating mix of history, drama, and romance, I found The Last Train to Key West to be my favorite yet! The Last Train to Key West has subtle nods to Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba, featuring a protagonist who is Beatriz and Elisa’s aunt, Mirta, who’s […]

The Diviners Series Review by Libba Bray (Books 1-3)

Posted February 3, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 7 Comments

I tried the start The Diviners several years ago (I think in 2013 or 2014), checking it out from the library but quickly returning it unread as I was intimidated by its size. However, I really do love historical fiction and knew a lot of readers who adored the series, so when The Diviners Readalong was announced by some of my favorite folks in the book Youtube community, I knew it would be a great opportunity to finally commit! I decided to tackle these giant tomes via audio book and am so glad I did- it’s really the best way […]

The Beautiful by Reneé Ahdieh | Review

Posted December 16, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

We were all thinking the same thing, weren’t we? As soon as the news of a vampire YA book coming out hit, we were all hoping this would revive our emo little Twilight hearts (at least, this is certainly what happened to me). After many, many years of vampires being almost taboo in mainstream YA after the slew of paranormal novels that followed the Twilight craze, burning everyone out on the topic. I, however, always bemoaned the decline in popularity of paranormal YA literature so you can bet that when I heard of The Beautiful it instantly shot to the […]

Daisy Jones & The Six | Mini Audio Book Review

Posted July 8, 2019 in Books, Reviews / 3 Comments

I will be the first person to admit that I did NOT think that this book was going to work for me. Though I adored The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I still miss the days when TJR wrote adult contemporary romance and 60s-70s rock isn’t really an era I’m too familiar with (though I do love a good Fleetwood Mac song). I had heard from several reviewers that listening to this book was the way to go (which makes sense considering it’s a book about music) but I was surprised to find that the format was literally in interviews […]