TOP 10 HISTORICAL FICTION READS
Today I'm going to be talking about my recommended reads for historical fiction, since we're already on the topic of World War 2 historical fiction let's just get into those.
1-Nightingale
So the first book is actually an adult book and that is the nightingale by Kristen Hannah I listened to the audiobook for this recently and I'm sure you guys have heard of it because I have kind of not stopped talking about it since I read it everyone had been telling me how amazing this book was and telling me that I need to read it and I was like yeah it's on my list like I'll get to it eventually and honestly I just thought there was no possible way that I could live to all the hype that surrounds it but it didn't just survive that hype it literally just exceeded , it exceeded all of my expectations this is one of those books where while I'm reading it I feel like it's really happening and then when I'm done I like remember that it's not real but I'm still left thinking and reeling after this story it's the amazing story of two sisters and nazi-occupied France as they are trying and fighting to survive and it is just heartbreaking and honestly made me think of my family's own experiences in the Netherlands and just how difficult it would be to live during that time period and to see your country occupied by this terrible enemy I just can't even imagine living through that in this book did such a good job really delving into that and delving into the women's side of the war which i think is a story that is super important so if you're looking for an adult historical fiction I hope that you try this one out and pick it up because it is honestly so good and so heartbreaking and you're going to need tissues let me tell you .
2-The girl in the blue coat
Next is the girl in the blue coat by Monica Hesse this is kind of a similar note to the nightingale because this really made me think of my family but that is mostly because this book is actually set in Amsterdam in World War 2 you follow the main character of Hanukkah and I'm probably saying that wrong I'm really sorry but you follow her as she has been working on the black-market trying to survive and make some money however one of her neighbors tasked her with trying to find a Jewish girl who she had been hiding who has gone missing so the story turns into this mystery full of high stakes and my favorite part about it was it was very realistic world war 2 is a time where everyone is just fighting to survive and decisions that might seem easy now in retrospect really are difficult because it's kind of a time where you have to put yourself first this brought so much nostalgia to me just remembering all of my Dutch heritage and it really made me think of my family and the stories that I've heard about them and how they helped out during the war and it was just such a well-done story very well researched and I really enjoyed it.
3-Salt to the sea
Next is salt to the sea by Virtusa Petty's in my last recommendations list I don't think I had read this book yet so I recommended between shades of grey which I do still really but this book is just magical honestly virtus of Hetty's is such an incredible historical fiction writer she makes you care for these characters and absolutely tears your heart out in the end this follows various characters all coming from different places as they come together and are trying to flee Germany at the tail end of World War two it's really not a safe place for anyone and they all have their different things that brought them there and you really get to delve into their stories and why they're running away and what brought them there in the different perspectives of this story because it's told and I think it's five or six perspectives for I was close but this is telling the story is something I didn't really know about which is one of the greatest maritime tragedies in history and it's just so well done I highly recommend that you check it out.
4-The Pearl thief
Next is the Pearl thief by Elizabeth we and Elizabeth Queen is the author that did the blurb on orphan monster spy and in my last list I talked about code name Verity by her rose under fire is the sequel to that and that is also absolutely incredible but the Pearl thief is the one I wanted to talk about today so the Pearl thief is different because it's set in 1930 in Scotland and it gives you a really interesting perspective on river pearls which is something I had never heard of before this is actually a prequel where you get to know more about one of the characters of code name Verity and I thought it was amazing to learn more about her and where she came from and it gave me a greater appreciation for her as a character and I already had a very intense appreciation for her I think this was just really cool and such an interesting thing to look into there's lots of different mysteries going on in regards to the pearls and you get to see the whole thing unfold and it's really cool.
5-The valiant the
Rest of the books are kind of jumping all around different time periods and histories so first we have the valiant by Leslie Livingston this is a historical fantasy that follows a female gladiator and it is based on the fact that there was evidence excavated that showed that there were female gladiators I don't really know a lot about ancient Rome admittedly it's something that I would like to learn more about I just haven't really delved into it because I find it incredibly confusing but I felt like this book did a really good job of helping my understanding and showing these amazing female warriors and I just fell in love with the characters and I haven't read the sequel yet but I can't wait to read it and Leslie Livingston is also a Canadian author which is always a thumbs-up in my book get it books the moving on.
6-Walk on earth a stranger
Next is walk on earth a stranger by Rae Carson this is set in the US during the gold rush this is another historical fantasy because our main character can actually sense gold but the main character's father has been murdered so she finds herself fleeing west to California which isn't exactly an easy task for a girl so she ends up disguising herself as a man and going across gold rush era America and it was just really cool lots of cowboys all that stuff and I really enjoyed it.
7-After Alice
Next is after Alice by Gregory Maguire this is an interesting one because it's really like historical fantasy but historical fantasy retelling so this is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland obviously but it goes to 1860s Oxford and shows how the people that Alice left behind are reacting to her going down the rabbit hole and wondering like where did she go this was really cool a very unique historical fiction so if you're looking for something a little bit fun kind of nerdy because it really delves into Victorian England and the standards that are particularly set upon women which is something I really enjoyed it's really like a satire surrounding that then you might like this one but it is definitely a very nerdy read.
8-The lady elizabeth
Next is the lady elizabeth by Alison Weir this is all about Queen Elizabeth the first but in her youth up until the time that she ends up being crowned Queen I enjoyed the perspective in this and the white if questions that it addressed but I particularly liked the fact that it followed her as a kid and you saw her kind of grappling with the fact that her father had her mother beheaded and now is going through all these different wives and having them beheaded and she's like what is happening but you also get to see how defiant Elizabeth is and how she doesn't care what other people want from her she is determined to rule in her own right and I found her to be a really admirable character I find her to be one of the most fascinating historical figures so I really liked reading this historical fiction about her especially because Alison Weir is actually a historian she has written a biography on Elizabeth the first so it was interesting to get the perspective of a historian on things that she thought kind of what if these things happened how would history have with that so this was really fascinating and I also read innocent trader by her and that one was also very good and it wasn't as good as this one but I want to read the rest of her books too.
9-My Plain Jane
Next is my Plain Jane by the lady Janie's aka Cynthia's hand Brody Ashton and Jody meadows this is actually the companion sequel to my lady Jane which I believe I mentioned in the last historical fictions recommendations that I did and you don't have to have read that one first in order to read this one but you really should because it's amazing both of these books are so hilarious and just such a joy to read they bring a smile to my face every time I delve into them they're so weird and quirky and my Plain Jane it tells in to Jane Eyre and once again is making fun of the Victorian era and I just love when things make fun of the Victorian era particularly this one delves into the Victorian Gothic which i think is hilarious I just like making fun of gothic things it's honestly just such a fun and different historical fiction so definitely try this out if you are looking for an upbeat and light-hearted and funny historical fiction.
10-A mad wicked folly
Next is a mad wicked folly by Sheeran big seller this book is set in Edwardian England and it follows the women's suffragette movement which I really liked seeing it was interesting to delve more into that era because it's honestly one that I don't know a ton about I enjoyed her main character as she is just like why are these things put on women like why do I have to live like this why can't I just make decisions for myself and she defies expectations but not really intentionally she is just trying to live her life like she poses nude because she wants to be an artist but then she ends up getting caught posing nude so then this whole scandal ensues and she's just like I just wanted to make art but she's definitely a fiery character and I really loved her.
Did you know all of this stuff going in leave us a comment let us know what you're thinking and if you like this list.
