There’s an endless repository of fascinating historical eras to explore, and what better way to do so than add some of these standout historical fiction titles to your TBR? Whether you prefer Ancient Egypt, Tudor England, or anything in between, there’s something for every taste releasing this spring.
Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi (2/24)
Many stories have been told about Cleopatra, but this one is told from the legendary woman herself. El-Arifi’s dazzling prose dives deep into this infamous historical figure to shed light on who she truly was. The truth will surprise you.
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The Secret Lives of Murderers’ Wives by Elizabeth Arnott (3/3)
Beverley, Elsie, and Margot’s lives have all been overturned by their husbands’ murder convictions, but they are committed to carving out a future beyond their husbands’ crimes. But when several people in their town turn up dead, the three women seize the opportunity to use their experience to catch the culprit. Suspenseful and nuanced, this is an exploration of the uplifting power of female friendship in the darkest of moments.
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Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz (3/3)
San Francisco, 1968 — 17-year-old Elizabeth is her family’s pride, a high school valedictorian with a place at Stanford waiting for her. But when she falls in love and gets pregnant, she is quickly sent away to a home for pregnant girls, her existence essentially erased. In this house, she finds fearful and ashamed girls, but also the fragile seeds of friendship and empowerment that mirror the sexual revolution and feminist movement sweeping through San Francisco.
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Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui (3/24)
Aicha, the daughter of a Moroccan freedom fighter, is known for her ruthless, bloodthirsty spirit that only grows as Portugal attempts to stake its claim in her country. Amid a breathless romance with Rachid, a rebellion leader, Aicha’s rage grows until it threatens to consume everything around her. The hunger for her enemies’ screams cannot be silenced, and it’s only a matter of time before her anger is unleashed.
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The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann (3/24)
Everyone knows what happened to Anne Boleyn, culminating in her unceremonious decapitation. But what if she woke up afterwards, sewed her head back on, and took it upon herself to seek revenge? What if she roamed the streets of London as a commoner and befriended a prostitute who aids in Anne’s scheme to stop Henry VIII from marrying Jane Seymour? In Lehmann’s rendering of Anne’s story, all of these things—and more—are true.
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The Moonlight Runner by Karen Robards (3/24)
In 1918 Ireland, amidist the aftermath of the Great War and the threat of the Spanish flu, Rynn Carmichael works as a nurse for wounded soldiers. Meanwhile, Donal O’Reilly, the boy she loves, begins gunrunning in support of the rebellion. But when she uncovers a secret plot to sabotage the gunrunners, Rynn is swept into a terrifying series of events that will force her to fight to protect the people and the country she loves.
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The Geomagician by Jennifer Mandula (3/31)
All Mary Anning wants is to be a geomagician, a paleontologist who uses fossils to perform magic, but women are forbidden from entering the Geomagical Society of London. Then an ancient egg hatches into a baby pterodactyl, and Mary contacts the Geomagical Society, thinking her career is made. But the Society wants to take the pterodactyl for themselves, and the person they send to collect it is none other than Henry Stanton, a renowned scholar…and her ex-fiancé. Now, Mary must uncover the rotten truth about Henry, the Society, and the desires of her own heart.
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Son of Nobody by Yann Martel (3/31)
Harlow is the sole translator of The Psoad, an Ancient Greek epic that follows a goatherd’s son who leaves his family to fight with the Greeks at Troy. When he writes a dedication to his daughter at the beginning of the translated manuscript, it also appears at the beginning of the ancient text. The stories of these two men, separated by thirty centuries, are remarkably different yet nearly identical. From Troy to modern-day Oxford, each story comes to life.
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The Last Woman of Warsaw by Judy Batalion (4/7)
Warsaw, 1938 — Fanny Zelshinsky is a sophisticated young woman who wants nothing more than to be recognized as an artist by the Jewish elite and society as a whole. Meanwhile, Zosia Dror has left her small shtetl to take part in a movement advocating for social equality and a Jewish homeland. These two are worlds apart, but they have one thing in common: their love for Wanda Petrovsky, Fanny’s beloved professor who also takes part in Zosia’s movement. So when Wanda goes missing, the two must put their differences aside and figure out what happened to her, even as danger appears around every corner.
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Lidie by Jane Smiley (4/21)
In 1857 America, Lidie is reeling from the murder of her abolitionist husband and returns to her hometown in Illinois to mourn. Nothing can console her, except for watching her niece, Annie, become an actress at the local theater and charm everyone with her mischievous demeanor. When she is offered the chance to perform in England, Annie jumps on the opportunity, and Lidie agrees to accompany her. As both women try to find their place in England, they must also determine what they truly want out of life.
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