Books like 'Babel, or the Necessity of Violence'
Readers who enjoyed Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy urban fantasy paranormal magic mystery victorian war suspense dystopian
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Three Charms for Murder by Honor Raconteur
It takes more than three charms to commit murder.When an old childhood friend comes to Henri asking for help in solving his parents’ murders, Henri agrees immediately. He knows this case is not going to be easy. Mr. and Mrs. Atwood’s bodies had been found magically posed to mimic a statue, and the investigator in charge ruled it a murder-suicide... -
![Death Over the Garden Wall by Honor Raconteur]()
Death Over the Garden Wall by Honor Raconteur
Three modus operandi to die. Four employees, six house guests, and not a single witness.Confusing clues and no helpful leads cloud the death of Countess Giada Barese, who washed up on shore two weeks after her mysterious disappearance. Henri and Jamie have no idea if her death is a homicide, suicide, or accidental death, for nothing adds up... -
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![Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Honor Raconteur]()
Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Honor Raconteur
How do you catch an elusive thief?There is nothing more delightful than a bookfaire with his lady love. At least, until Henri learns that a grimoire belonging to the dangerous Reaper’s Set has been stolen without its protective box. When Henri and Jamie go looking for answers, they are horrified to discover more than one volume has been stolen without its protective box... -
![Magic Outside the Box by Honor Raconteur]()
Magic Outside the Box by Honor Raconteur
Henri is quite accustomed to dangerous and unusual cases landing in his lap. Being partnered to the Shinigami Detective likely has something to do with it. What he is NOT accustomed to is the queen herself marching into his lab and handing them such a case. Former Royal Mage Joseph Burtchell was found dead in his home, all signs pointing to murder... -
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![Breaking and Entering 101 by Honor Raconteur]()
Breaking and Entering 101 by Honor Raconteur
Since Jamie and Henri agreed to be Kingsmen consultants, they’d not had much call to actually consult. Which is a fortuitous thing, as Henri is up to his neck in labwork and interviews for a new Magical Examiner due to Sanderson’s departing. He is hardly in any position to add more tasks onto his shoulders.Which, naturally, means two disasters strike at once... -
![Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong]()
Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsDisturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1890s and the other in the present day. The A Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson... -
![Black Soul, White Heart by Hailey Edwards]()
Black Soul, White Heart by Hailey Edwards
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsVonda Winterbourne is, sadly, a lady. Much to her regret. And her parents expect her to act like one. That includes marrying a nice white witch who can provide her safety, companionship, and all the comforts one could desire in their gilded cage.Hiram Nádasdy is no gentleman. He’s a black witch with a reputation that strikes terror in the hearts of his enemies. But not in the girl... -
![The Untitled Books by C.J. Archer]()
The Untitled Books by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsA curated collection of magic…and murder.When a set of bound manuscripts written on magician-made paper is brought to the Glass Library, Sylvia and the professor send the owner away. After all, the library collects books about magic, not containing it.But the murder of the bookbinder who bound them sees the books returned to the library, along with Gabe in his role as consultant for Scotland Yard... -
![Marking Time by April White]()
Marking Time by April White
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsSeventeen-year-old tagger Saira Elian can handle anything... a mother who mysteriously disappears, a stranger who stalks her around London, and even the noble English Grandmother who kicked Saira and her mother out of the family... -
![A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur]()
A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHow many ways can a marriage proposal go wrong?One: the ring gets stolenTwo: a storm destroys the beachThree: a dead body, seriously?Four: A THEFT RING?!Come hell or highwater, he WILL propose before leaving this benighted island... -
![A Haunting Touch by Ward Parker]()
A Haunting Touch by Ward Parker
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNightmare on memory lane.I’m Darla. I’m a psychometrist. I can read thoughts and emotions left upon objects. Some people call my ability a “gift.” Some people are idiots.You see, my ability isn’t providing easy answers when I try to learn who killed one of my inn’s guests, a developer about to cover a scenic meadow with condos.The dead developer created another problem... -
![Vanished by Nicole McKeon]()
Vanished by Nicole McKeon
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe Dresden Files meets The Parasol Protectorate in the first book of this clever, fast-paced Gaslamp Fantasy series about a woman ahead of her time who knows too much about magic, and not enough about self-control.Eccentric social outcast Lady Gwenevere St. James knows many secret things: magic, alchemy, artifice, and even the truth about the long-forgotten faeries... -
![A Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott, Amy Griswold]()
A Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott, Amy Griswold
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsIn the sequel to Lambda Literary Award-winning Death by Silver, metaphysician Ned Mathey and private detective Julian Lynes again challenge magical and murderous threats in a Victorian London not quite the city in our history books. Mathey is recruited by Scotland Yard to assist the new Metaphysical Crimes Squad in the case of a literally heartless corpse... -
![Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang]()
Murder at Spindle Manor by Morgan Stang
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsMysteries abound in Spindle Manor.For Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the countryside inn is the last stop in a deadly hunt. Armed with gaslamp and guns, she tracks an insidious beast that wears the skin of its victims, mimicking them perfectly. Ten guests reside within Spindle Manor tonight, and the creature could be any one of them... -
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![Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard]()
Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances by Aliette de Bodard
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the author of the critically acclaimed Dominion of the Fallen trilogy comes a sparkling new romantic adventure full of kissing, sarcasm and stabbing.It was supposed to be a holiday, with nothing more challenging than babysitting, navigating familial politics and arguing about the proper way to brew tea... -
![Ferromancer by Becca Andre]()
Ferromancer by Becca Andre
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSolutions aren’t always black and white—sometimes they come in shades of iron gray.Captain Bridget “Briar” Rose wants for nothing. Each day is a new adventure, living the life she loves, running cargo on the Ohio & Erie Canal. That is, until her cousin decides to sell the family boat to finance a new business venture... -
![Quicksilver by Amanda Quick]()
Quicksilver by Amanda Quick
In the New York Times-bestselling author's latest Arcane Society novel, a paranormal killer pushes an unlikely duo's powers and passions to the limit. Virginia Dean wakes at midnight beside a dead body, with a bloody knife in her hand and no memory of the evening's events. Dark energy, emanating from the mirrors lining the room, overpowers her senses... -
![The Snow Song by Sally Gardner]()
The Snow Song by Sally Gardner
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWomen imprisoned by superstition, chained by guilt. Perched on a mountain in a land of ancient forests is a village, rife with secrets. Cut off from the outside world it is run by the elders, men to whom tradition is all.Edith lives alone with her alcoholic father who is forcing her to marry the village butcher. But she is in love with a shepherd who promised to return to her... -
![The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley]()
The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAn Indie Next PickNow in paperback, Natasha Pulley's "witty, entrancing novel . . . burnishes her reputation as a gifted storyteller" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).In 1859, ex–East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall with an injury that almost cost him his leg... -
![Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City by Meljean Brook]()
Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City by Meljean Brook
Eight months after The Iron Duke, can their marriage survive a new danger? After Mina is called in to investigate the murder of an aristocratic bounder, her husband Rhys—known to the world as the Iron Duke—must overcome his fear for his new bride before his need to protect her tears them apart... -
![Tall & Dark by Suzannah Rowntree]()
Tall & Dark by Suzannah Rowntree
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGhosts, grifters…and a missing heir in 1890s Europe.It’s easier to conduct a séance when the dead aren’t trying to contact you. As Molly Dark knows all too well, the problem with being able to see ghosts is that they never tell you what you wish to know. For instance, how a proper young lady like Miss Dark is supposed to support an impoverished family after her father has died a ruined man... -
![The Bandalore by D.K. Girl]()
The Bandalore by D.K. Girl
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratings1885 London, England Silas Mercer died once. He'd rather not do it again.On his return to the world of the living, Silas finds himself in the hands of the mysterious Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Order has London society clamouring for their services, with tarot readings, seances and exorcisms among their arcane specialities. Now they seem intent on making Silas their newest recruit... -
![Possession by C.J. Archer]()
Possession by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsWhen the ghost of a notorious killer possesses the body of an upper class youth, London's pre-eminent medium, Emily Chambers, must exorcise it before the spirit goes on a rampage. As if this isn't distraction enough, she must fight her feelings for brooding ghost, Jacob Beaufort, who doesn't like the new man in her life - the handsome and very much alive, Theodore Hyde... -
![A Golden Grave: A Rose Gallagher Mystery by Erin Lindsey]()
A Golden Grave: A Rose Gallagher Mystery by Erin Lindsey
Rated: 4.01 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe follow-up to Murder on Millionaires' Row , Erin Lindsey's second historical mystery follows Rose Gallagher as she tracks a killer with shocking abilities through Gilded Age Manhattan.Rose Gallagher always dreamed of finding adventure, so her new life as a freshly-minted Pinkerton agent ought to be everything she ever wanted... -
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![The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney]()
The Shores of Spain by J. Kathleen Cheney
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA brilliant new chapter in the Novels of the Golden City. Even as the branches of peace are being offered, there are some who still believe those who are not human should be used as chattel. And they are willing to go to great lengths to retain their power... -
![The Train by Cari Z.]()
The Train by Cari Z.
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAnton Seiber, journeyman thaumaturge, has finally escaped his dead-end job identifying bodies in the morgues of London. He’s off to seek a brighter future…or he would be, if he hadn’t just been robbed, mugged, and turned away from the only train that will help him reach that future on time... -
![The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark]()
The Angel of Khan el-Khalili by P. Djèlí Clark
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA girl visits a bazaar in Cairo, seeking a favor from a mysterious angelic being.This story first appeared in the anthology Clockwork Cairo: Steampunk Tales of Egypt... -
![Pawn of the Phoenix by Jamie McLachlan]()
Pawn of the Phoenix by Jamie McLachlan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsBraxton, 1903.The serial killer known only as the Phoenix continues to roam the streets and a new victim falls prey. For Moira and Detective Keenan Edwards, still on the hunt for the Phoenix, the rules have changed. The killer remains beyond their grasp. Moira is willing to give into her fierce attraction to Keenan...Categorized as:
mystery new adult suspense fantasy historical urban fantasy paranormal length-medium -
![The Clockwork Menace by Bec McMaster]()
The Clockwork Menace by Bec McMaster
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsFriends, partners, and professionals. So just why is this case coming between them? In a Victorian London ruled by the blood-drinking elite, Perry Lowell is a logical and accomplished Nighthawk: a rogue blue blood who tracks murderers and thieves for the Guild... -
![Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook]()
Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsThe Iron Duke introduced the gritty, alluring adventure of the Iron Seas, where nanotech fuses with Victorian sensibilities—and steam.As the mercenary captain of Lady Corsair, Yasmeen has learned to keep her heart as cold as steel, her only loyalty bound to her ship and her crew... -
![A Pendant for Trouble by Rosalie Oaks]()
A Pendant for Trouble by Rosalie Oaks
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsA mysterious pendant, a distracting earl, an unfolding scandal...Miss Elinor Avely can’t resist the call of a large jewel mysteriously concealed at a ducal garden party. After all, if the Earl of Beresford isn’t attending, what else is Elinor to do with herself? Her talent for divining jewels can be an intriguing distraction for once, instead of a carefully guarded family secret... -
![The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick]()
The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick
Beatrice Lockwood, one of the intrepid ladies of Lantern Street, is in the middle of a case when her past comes back to haunt her. Joshua North, a former spy for the Crown, has come out of a self-imposed retirement after a disastrous case that left him scarred and forced to use a cane. He is hunting the villain who is blackmailing his sister... -
![The Courtship of Julian St. Albans by Amy Crook]()
The Courtship of Julian St. Albans by Amy Crook
Alexander Benedict is a misanthropic thirtysomething magical consultant, working with the Agency's top homicide detective, and perfectly content with his life, thank you very much.Julian St. Albans is the youthful heir to his family's fortune and affiancéd to his beloved Cecil Mandeville, a family friend as well as Julian's lover... -
![The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber]()
The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Goddess: In the beginning, there were lovers: a winged deity of power and light, and a queen of grace and beauty. Phoenix was murdered, his beloved stolen away to the Whisper-world. But their passion inspired the Muses. Through great sacrifice, it could live again. The Guard: There are always six, mortal hosts for the divine... -
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![Heart's Blood by Gail Dayton]()
Heart's Blood by Gail Dayton
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMaster conjurer Grey Carteret regains consciousness in a London gutter next to a concerned street urchin and not far from the body of a man murdered by magic. Some fool is hoping to use murder to raise a demon. Arrested for the crime, Grey must rely on the street urchin for help. But the lad turns out to be a comely lass, and she wants something in exchange... -
![Carnivorous Cupid by Stephanie Rose]()
Carnivorous Cupid by Stephanie Rose
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEros. Also known as Cupid. Greek god of love and sexual desire.Sometimes depicted as an adorable, chubby little boy with wings, carrying a bow and arrows, flying around merrily, making everyone fall in love.That's not Eros. Not anymore.Eros is mad. He's all grown up now. And he's on a mission to provoke chaos, starting with humans.Instead of producing love, his arrows now produce hunger... -
![A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato]()
A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsA world on the brink of war and a mother and daughter on the run, in a thrilling novel of swashbuckling adventure, culinary magic, and just desserts.Adamantine “Ada” Garland has an empathic connection to food and wine, a magical perception of aromas, flavors, and ingredients... -
![A Sanctuary of Spirits by Leanna Renee Hieber]()
A Sanctuary of Spirits by Leanna Renee Hieber
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsNew York, 1899, and the police department’s best ally is the secret Ghost Precinct, where spirits and psychics help solve the city’s most perplexing crimes . . . There’s more than one way to catch a killer—though the methods employed by the NYPD’s Ghost Precinct, an all-female team of psychics and spiritualists led by gifted young medium Eve Whitby, are unconventional to say the least... -
![Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick]()
Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsEvangeline Ames has rented a country cottage far from the London streets where she was recently attacked. Fascinated by the paranormal energy of nearby CrystalGardens, she finds pleasure in sneaking past the wall to explore the grounds. And when her life is threatened again, she instinctively goes to the gardens for safety... -
![Winter of the Gods by Jordanna Max Brodsky]()
Winter of the Gods by Jordanna Max Brodsky
Rated: 3.86 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsMyth and reality collide in this sequel to The Immortals that sets Greek Gods against a modern Manhattan backdrop.Manhattan has many secrets. Some are older than the city itself.Winter in New York: snow falls, lights twinkle, and a very disgruntled Selene DiSilva prowls the streets looking for prey... -
![The Moonstone and Miss Jones by Jillian Stone]()
The Moonstone and Miss Jones by Jillian Stone
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWhen he is hired by Professor Lovecraft, who has been tinkering with the secrets of life and death, to find the fabled Moonstone, Phaeton Black brings his lady friend Miss America Jones, the daughter of a Cajun witch, along on an adventure that leads them Title: The Moonstone and Miss Jones Author: Stone, Jillian Publisher: Kensington Pub Corp Publication Date: 2012/09/25 Number of... -
![The Dastardly Miss Lizzie by Viola Carr]()
The Dastardly Miss Lizzie by Viola Carr
Rated: 3.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDr. Eliza Jekyll must turn to her dark side, Miss Lizzie Hyde, to stop a madman targeting London’s most important scientists and sorcerers terrorizing the city with dark magic in this third Electric Empire novel—a dazzlingly original steampunk fantasy set in the gritty world of alternate Victorian London, with echoes of H G. Wells classic, The Time MachineBeing two people in one body isn’t easy... -
![The Darkling Thrush by Josh Lanyon]()
The Darkling Thrush by Josh Lanyon
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsFed up with his desk duty in the Imperial Arcane Library, book hunter Colin Bliss accepts a private commission to find The Sword’s Shadow, a legendary and dangerous witches’ grimoire. But to find the book, Colin must travel to the remote Western Isles and solve a centuries’ old murder... -
![The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook]()
The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
Rated: 3.84 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsAfter the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession... -
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![Gilded by Karina Cooper]()
Gilded by Karina Cooper
The second book in Karina Cooper's stunning steampunk series featuring fearless heroine Cherry St. Croix, in which she is faced with two men after her heart—and one killer out for her blood. In the gleaming heights of Victorian London, a world of deception awaits an unconventional Society lady whose taste for adventure makes her a most formidable adversary . . -
![The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft]()
The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft
The first book in a wildly inventive and mesmerizing new fantasy series from acclaimed author Josiah Bancroft where magical mysteries abound and only one team can solve The Hexologists. The Hexologists, Iz and Warren Wilby, are quite accustomed to helping desperate clients with the bugbears of city life... -
![Forever (Montgomery/Taggert (Publication order) #24) by Jude Deveraux]()
Forever (Montgomery/Taggert (Publication order) #24) by Jude Deveraux
Rated: 3.79 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsFrom A Knight in Shining Armor to The Mulberry Tree, Jude Deveraux's bestsellers sparkle with stunning originality, heartfelt wit, and adventurous passion. Now, this superb storyteller mixes the flavor of a classic fairy tale with a very modern love story -- set in a town locked in the shadows of an abiding evil -- in this imaginative new novel. Forever.. -
![The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose]()
The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose
Rated: 3.74 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsBook three of The Reincarnationist series.Haunted by his inability to stop the murder of a beautiful young painter twenty years ago, Lucian Glass keeps his demons at bay through his fascinating work with the FBI's Art Crime Team... -
![The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber]()
The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
Rated: 3.68 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLearning the truth of her mythic past and that of the reincarnated souls called The Guard is only the beginning, for young Percy Parker’s destiny is to defend both the world and true love from the gathering undead minions of Darkness... -
![Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal]()
Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal stunned readers with her charming first novel Shades of Milk and Honey , a loving tribute to the works of Jane Austen in a world where magic is an everyday occurrence. This magic comes in the form of glamour, which allows talented users to form practically any illusion they can imagine. Shades debuted to great acclaim and left readers eagerly awaiting its sequel...
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