7 Mythic Novels Best Read by the Campfire

Magical and mystical, THE WHITE HARE follows three generations of women as they move into a strange, remote home in the White Valley during the 1950s. Magda hopes to turn this abandoned house into a party venue for the rich and famous while her daughter, Mila, just wants to rebuild her life in peace after enduring a scandal in London. Mila hopes to make a home for her own daughter, Janey, a child with a magical stuffed rabbit and a wild imagination. But legend says there is another magical creature, a white hare, roaming the woods. As the three settle into their new lives, they must confront the secrets of the White Valley and their painful pasts. Perhaps I was especially partial to this story having grown up with my own magical stuffed rabbit, but Johnson creates a beautiful and haunting historical fiction piece with unique mythical elements for anyone to enjoy.

RIVER WOMAN, RIVER DEMON is a unique and riveting paranormal thriller that you will not be able to put down once you start reading it. Givhan combines folk magic, culture, and mystery with her impressive prose to create a story about finding your voice and your power. Despite her growing career as a Mexican artist, Eva Santos Moon has reached an extremely low point in her life. She is suffering from blackouts and creative blocks and feels disconnected from her magical brujería roots. And then her husband, her rock, is taken into custody for the murder of a mutual friend found dead on their property. As the investigation unfolds and another death from her childhood comes to light, Eva herself becomes a suspect. Since she has blackouts, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Did she kill two people? Only the dead can tell the truth, and now they’re coming after her. Eva will have to dig deep into her magick to protect her family and confront the truth.

A beautiful refashioning of the Baba Yaga myth from Slavic folklore into a modern masterpiece. Bellatine and Isaac are estranged siblings filled with resentment for each other. They are suddenly reunited over a mysterious inheritance. But the inheritance is not money—instead, they receive a sentient house with chicken legs named Thistlefoot from their ancestral home in Russia. Isaac and Bellatine are thrown into a magical world of violence and secrets that has been part of their family for generations because Thistlefoot did not arrive alone. A sinister being known as Longshadow Man has followed the house to America, thus leading the siblings on a trek across the country leaving destruction in his wake until everything collides. Nethercott’s prose is powerful as she weaves Jewish mythology and history into a fulfilling yet heartbreaking and cathartic novel.

This is a haunting and historical fantasy novel set in post–Roman Britain during the Dark Ages. Two sisters, Isla and Blue, must find their magic if they are ever to win against the patriarchal society that seeks to destroy them. In the ruins of the Ghost City, Londinium, the girls live with their father in exile after he was accused of using dark magic to craft his swords. So the warlord Osric keeps a careful eye on the smith and forces him to make weapons only for him. When their father suddenly dies, the sisters flee the camp to escape enslavement. They take refuge in a secret community of rebel women, but as the ruins begin to crumble the girls quickly realize that they will have to stop running if they are to survive. Powerful, lyrical, and well-researched, DARK EARTH is a wonderful character-driven piece about the bonds of sisterhood and women who make a place for themselves.

A historical fiction read detailing the legend of the Kohinoor diamond as it changed hands through love and conquest and adventures of mythical proportions. Set mostly in India, Persia, and Afghanistan, THE MOUNTAIN OF LIGHT will take you on a fabulous journey through incredible landscapes while detailing the tumultuous drama that has surrounded this legendary 164-karat diamond up until Queen Victoria makes a play to claim the diamond for her imperial crown. Sundaresan covers so much ground and so many characters, touching on love and loss and a changing world as the diamond itself creates a central tether across the page.

There is an old Halloween tradition called a dumb supper, in which girls prepare dinner completely backward and completely wrong in the hope of summoning the spirits of their future husbands. But legend also has it that any interruption or mistake in this preparation can curse the girl at fault; so when a young woman is murdered by her husband, everyone blames the ill-fated “dumb supper” from years prior. But now, in 1936, Ellie’s own husband has died, leaving her and her two boys destitute. To survive she pleads to be allowed to finish out her husband’s term as sheriff, a job that usually involves mostly paperwork. However, Ellie is also now responsible for executing convicted criminals, specifically her friend’s murderous husband. Ellie fights for her place against societal expectations and must find reason in a town rife with superstition. The superstitions behind a dumb supper were relatively new to me but definitely fascinating, and Sharyn McCrumb creates intriguing characters in this intensely atmospheric historical fiction piece.

I adore the way that Signe Pike combines mythology and history, and I also love Merlin legends. However, THE LOST QUEEN takes a new approach, focusing on the forgotten sister and sixth-century queen, Languoreth. Her rule was fraught with bloodshed and tension between Christianity and pagan beliefs. With war comes Maelgwn, a soldier who Languoreth immediately falls for. But she is already betrothed to Rhydderch, the High King’s son, who supports the new religion. As queen, she must fight for the Old Ways and her kingdom. This is a truly magical historical fiction book about a powerful early Scottish queen.