Crossing Over: Historical Fantasies Full of Humor and Adventure

Hey all. It's been awhile since my last Crossing Over post. If you're not familiar with Crossing Over it's a feature that stemmed from my desire to recommend an adult book with crossover appeal based on a YA or sometimes Middle Grade book that are similar. I hate that we pigeonhole books into a specific age range and so I try to combat that. Plus it's basically an if you liked, then try but for crossover books. It runs once a month (usually) here and I pick the books based on the theme of what I'm reading. So this month my theme is historical mystery and honestly that was a pretty hard one for me. I feel like I don't read a ton of adult historical fiction and the ones that I do are very different from the YA I read. So I had to repeat a book. But it's been almost a year since I used it and the comparison is just so perfect I had to.

Jackaby by William Ritter
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This book is set during the mid-19th Century and is about a women who gets a job working for a paranormal detective. It does a great job combining all those elements together to make something you would not think would work but totally does. There's a great setting full of historical vibes, supernatural creatures, and a great mystery. The series definitely gets better and more complex as it goes on which makes it even more enjoyable.

But I think my favorite part of this book may have been the characters. This is a book that is full of fantastic and complex characters. Seriously, most of the characters in this book were incredibly fun and super likable. I instantly fell in love with Jackaby with his wit and Abigail for her sarcasm and pluck. Plus the secondary characters are all so delightful. And the romances. I'm not one for shipping but I ship these ships for sure.

Plus this is a book that is so much fun. It's full of action and adventure but it is also full of humor. I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book and it is the perfect palatte cleanser because it is just so fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously but if you're a historical fantasy, how can you.

In general, it's a good read and an interesting mystery. It's a done of fun and one of my all-time favorite series. If I have not done my job and convinced you to read it yet then you haven't been paying enough attention over the years.

Soulless by Gail Carriger
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This book is set during the mid-19th Century and is about a women who gets a job working as what is essentially a paranormal detective. It does a great job combining all those elements together to make something you would not think would work but totally does. There's a great setting full of historical vibes, supernatural creatures, and a great mystery. The series definitely gets better and more complex as it goes on which makes it even more enjoyable.

But I think my favorite part of this book may have been the characters. This is a book that is full of fantastic and complex characters. Seriously, most of the characters in this book were incredibly fun and super likable. I instantly fell in love with Alexia Tarabotti with his sass and Conall Maccon who is gruff and so kind. Plus the secondary characters are all so delightful. And the romances. I'm not one for shipping but I ship these ships for sure.

Plus this is a book that is so much fun. It's full of action and adventure but it is also full of humor. I found myself laughing out loud while reading this book and it is the perfect palatte cleanser because it is just so fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously but if you're a historical fantasy, how can you.

In general, it's a good read and an interesting mystery. It's a done of fun and one of my all-time favorite series. If I have not done my job and convinced you to read it yet then you need to read any of my Gail Carriger reviews because I've loved all of them

Besides the fact that both of these are historical  mysteries that involve paranormal elements, I would say that the main similarities are that they are light-hearted and fun. I really love books that don't take everything to seriously and can make me both laugh and be on the edge of my seat and these totally do that. Plus they combine so many things that shouldn't work and totally do. I love both series and totally recommend them.

Have you read Jackaby and/or Soulless? What did you think? What historical fantasies with crossover appeal do you like? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!