Top new historical-fiction books out this week: 19 Oct - 25 Oct 2025
Last updated:
October 25, 2025
This week featuring new releases by Tasha Suri, Gish Jen, Richard Swan, E.A. Bard, Eden Royce, Wen-yi Lee, Hayley Dennings, Millie Abecassis, Jonathan Bockian and many more.
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The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering romantasy of sapphic longing, medieval folklore and a love that spans the centuries.In a Britain fuelled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes.Simran is a witch of the woods...romance · fantasy · wlw · lgbtq · fiction · high-fantasy · historical-fiction · historical · lesbian-mc · poc-author -
![Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen]()
Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen
The award-winning author of The Resisters returns with an engrossing, blisteringly funny-sad autobiographical novel tracing a tumultuous mother-daughter relationship.My mother had died, but still I heard her voice. . . Gish’s mother—Loo Shu-hsin—is born in 1925 to a wealthy Shanghai family where girls are expected to behave and be quiet...urban · new-york-state · historical-fiction · historical · fiction · literary-fiction · parenthood · poc-mc · family · female-mc -
![The Scour by Richard Swan]()
The Scour by Richard Swan
Fifteen years before the events of The Justice of Kings, Vonvalt and Bressinger investigate the imprisonment of a fellow justice for murder...fantasy · fiction · horror · mystery · grim-dark · historical-fiction · crime · male-author · dark · dark-fantasy -
![A Tempest of Ravens by E.A. Bard]()
A Tempest of Ravens by E.A. Bard
Outlander meets One Dark Window in this sweeping and visceral historical romantasy.SCOTLAND 1651. THE KINGDOM IS ABLAZE WITH WAR AND WITCHES' PYRES.Maeve MacDonnell has spent years being haunted by croaking ravens, terrifying visions, and uncanny abilities she can’t explain. She'd give anything to be free of them—or to finally control them... -
![Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce]()
Psychopomp & Circumstance by Eden Royce
Ignyte and Mythopoeic Award-winning author Eden Royce pens a Southern Gothic historical fantasy story of a contentious funeral in her adult fiction debut.Phee St. Margaret is a daughter of the Reconstruction, born to a family of free Black business owners in New Charleston...fantasy · horror · historical-fiction · gothic · historical · fiction · spooky · mystery · supernatural · gaslamp -
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![When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-yi Lee]()
When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-yi Lee
A fierce, glamorous sapphic fantasy reimagining the secret societies of postcolonial Singapore, for fans of Jade City, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and the feverish intensity of RF Kuang’s Poppy War trilogy. Singapore, 1972: Newly independent, a city of immigrants grappling for power in a fast-modernizing world...asia · southeast-asia · singapore · urban · fantasy · wlw · historical-fiction · lgbtq · historical · fiction -
![Our Vicious Descent by Hayley Dennings]()
Our Vicious Descent by Hayley Dennings
In this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Ravenous Fate duology, Elise Saint and Layla Quinn must discover the truths behind an alluring poison and the monstrous new presence ravaging New York CityIn 1927, shocking upheavals have rocked Harlem's most powerful factions and left Elise Saint estranged from the reaper she loves, Layla Quinn...romance · fantasy · vampires · historical-fiction · young-adult · wlw · lgbtq · historical · paranormal · lesbian-mc -
![A Legacy of Blood and Bone by Millie Abecassis]()
A Legacy of Blood and Bone by Millie Abecassis
“A gothic gem, rich with dread, desire, and a magic system as haunting as it is original.” —April Yates, author of AshthorneFor fans of Shannon Fay’s Innate Magic and Alix E. Harrow’s Starling House comes A LEGACY OF BLOOD AND BONE—a spellbinding debut set in an alternate Belle Époque France, brimming with intrigue, dangerous magic, and a swooning, slow-burn sapphic romance. “Blood is life...fantasy · wlw · lgbtq · gothic · historical-fiction · dark · lesbian-mc · historical · fiction · romantic-love -
![What Was Forbidden: a Venice Ghetto mystery by Jonathan Bockian]()
What Was Forbidden: a Venice Ghetto mystery by Jonathan Bockian
The Ghetto of Venice, 1672. A brother is killed. A truth buried. When faith, freedom and obedience collide, one woman risks everything to remain true to herself and to the brother she loved.When Yehudit’s beloved brother Mordechai is found murdered, her search to know what happened upends her world...europe · south-europe · italy · urban · religion · historical · fiction · historical-fiction · mystery · spirituality
