Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books With a Historical Fantasy Setting

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

So I really wasn't sure what to do with this prompt. I wanted to do a high fantasy setting but then I thought maybe I would do historical fiction. And I couldn't decide so naturally, I decided to cheat a little bit and do both. Plus historical fantasy is one of my favorite things because it combines two of my favorite genres. So here are my favorite books with historical fantasy settings.

1.) Jackaby by William Ritter - Add to Goodreads / My Review

Okay, so I had to start with this one. I reviewed the most recent book in this series last week and it's kind of what prompted me to make this list. Now as the series develops it focuses more on the mystery but it's still a good historical setting and great fantasy elements.

2.) The Diviners by Libba Bray - Add to Goodreads / My Review

This is a series that I think balances history and fantasy really well. It's set in the 1920's which is fantastic and fun but then on top of that most of the characters have these great supernatural powers and there are really sinister threats because of the fantasy aspect.

3.) Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray - Add to Goodreads / My Review

And more Libba Bray. I'm a big fan of her books. This series was actually my first for her so it holds a special place for me. But it's also got interesting fantasy elements and is set during one of my favorite historical time periods, Edwardian England.

4.) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - Add to Goodreads / My Review

I loved this book so much when I read it a year ago. It's set during one of my favorite time periods, the turn of the 20th century, and it deals with a fascinating subject matter that I haven't read much about which is the identity of the new immigrants. Plus there's magic.

5.) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - Add to Goodreads / My Review

Do you consider this historical fantasy, because it is. The time travel stuff gives it that fantasy aspect but what I love most about this book is that it's set during multiple historical period. The "present day" stuff is also historical and then you also have 18th century Scotland.

6.) Passenger by Alexandra Bracken - Add to Goodreads / My Review

This is a book that is really hard to categorize. There are fantasy, science fiction, and historical elements. I think of it as historical fantasy though because there is a lot of focus on the historical settings when they travel back in time.

7.) Dark Days Club by Allison Goodman - Add to Goodreads / My Review

I really enjoyed this book about a demon hunter in Victorian England. It's a great example of what I like in historical fantasies where the character has to choose between being a lady acceptable of her time period or someone who is involved in the supernatural aspect of their world that most people don't know about. Much like...

8.) The Falconer by Elizabeth May - Add to Goodreads / My Review

This is a book that got me back into historical fantasies. I had stopped reading a lot of them because they were starting to feel kind of predictable for me. But this one was really interesting and anouther book set in a favorite time period.

9.) Finishing School series by Gail Carriger - Add to Goodreads / My Review

I need to read more of Gail Carriger's books. I loved this series a lot. These are steampunk yes, but they are also about magical creatures and that has a lot to do with the plot of this book. Plus with it being steampunk it's got a fun Victorian England setting.

10.) Sekret by Lindsay Smith - Add to Goodreads / My Review

This is probably the most unique books on the list and the one that I wasn't sure I wanted to include. I'm not sure about that I think of the powers as fantasy or science fiction and I left a few steampunk books off because they're sci-fi. But I love the historical setting for this.

11.) The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye - Add to Goodreads / My Review

This is a book that is more fantasy than it is historical. But it is set in Imperial Russia which I am so fascinated by. And while I didn't love the magical system here it was a really fantastic read so I am including it on this list.

12.) The Song for Achilles by Madeline Miller - Add to Goodreads / My Review

This in contrast is a book that is more heavy on the historical elements. But I mean that's cool, I love Ancient Greece and this was great. But there is the fact that like Greek Mythology, the gods are intimately involved in the lives of the characters. I mean Achilles is a demi-god.

 13.) The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - Add to Goodreads

What top ten Tuesday of mine is complete without this book. It's the book that original made me fall in love with this genre. Yes, it has more mystery elements than fantasy but there is enough supernatural parts of the world for it to make this list.

And those are my favorite books with historical fantasy settings. What historical fantasies do you love? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!