When I first started book blogging 10+ years ago, I was really into historical fiction and read a lot of it. I’ve since moved away from that genre mostly. However, if there’s one thing that can lure me back in, it’s a historical fiction novel with a blend of supernatural, paranormal, or horror elements. Here are a few of my faves that fit that bill…
The Haunting of Maddie Clare, Simone St. James
1920s England. Sarah Piper’s lonely, threadbare existence changes when her temporary agency sends her to assist an obsessed ghost hunter. Alistair Gellis–rich, handsome, and scarred by World War I–has been summoned to investigate the spirit of the nineteen-year-old maid Maddy Clare, who is said to haunt the barn where she committed suicide.
Maddy hated men in life, and she will not speak to them in death. But Sarah is unprepared to confront an angry ghost–real or imagined–on her own. She’s even less prepared for the arrival of Alistair’s associate, rough, unsettling Matthew Ryder, also a veteran of the trenches, whose scars go deeper than Sarah can reach.
I listened to this one on audio after having read and loved all of St. James recent novels. This one is from 2014, I believe, and I was curious to see how she had evolved as an author. I really didn’t expect this one to go as hard as it did! I know I’ve written about this one recently, but it’s worth bringing it up again. Definitely creepy and just the right amount of horror elements mixed in.
The Bone Houses, Emily Lloyd-Jones
Seventeen-year-old Aderyn (“Ryn”) only cares about two things: her family, and her family’s graveyard. And right now, both are in dire straits. Since the death of their parents, Ryn and her siblings have been scraping together a meager existence as gravediggers in the remote village of Colbren, which sits at the foot of a harsh and deadly mountain range that was once home to the fae. The problem with being a gravedigger in Colbren, though, is that the dead don’t always stay dead.
The Bone Houses is an incredibly enchanting and unique story with horror-ific elements mixed in. Zombies aka ‘Bone Houses’ begin rising from the dead. A light ‘horror’ if you will, I highly recommend this one for everyone looking for something just a tad different this season.
The Burning Girls, C.J. Tudor
Welcome to Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake here. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself.
Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping to make a fresh start and find some peace. Instead, Jack finds a town mired in secrecy and a strange welcome package: an old exorcism kit and a note quoting scripture.
If you haven’t read anything from C.J. Tudor, I can’t recommend their books enough. The town and these characters will seep into you and leave you feeling strangely unsettled. This is not just another witch hunt book! I could not put this down and the twist made it even more satisfying in the end.
Small Favors, Erin A. Craig
Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range. Stories of their ancestors fighting off devils in the woods are never forgotten. When a supply train goes missing, the town begins to fear the mosnters are back. As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, however grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister, and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames.
This was the first book I ever read by Craig and it blew me away. It’s folksy horror with small town creepiness and a mystery to solve. People are going missing and there are monsters in the woods. Isolated from everything, the townspeople descend into madness.
If you like historical fiction and maybe want to try a little of the light, horror genre, these would be good picks for you! Would you read any of them?
