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Moonlight Murder and I already spoke about Magical Realism and now today we are going to cover the supernatural genre. 

Moonlight Murder

Books with supernatural elements are fairly common and easy to find - supernatural simply means something beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. Folklore and mythology is full of supernatural beings and events. Werewolves, ghosts, and demons are examples of supernatural creatures. Anything with this sort of element will fill that square.

I want to talk about a specific subset of supernatural fiction - the supernatural thriller or mystery, which is sort of the intersection of fantasy and horror. I have a few books that I want to offer in this subcategory:

1. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey: This is actually YA horror, but guys, it is so good. It blows the doors off of Yancey's follow-up series, The Fifth Wave, in my opinion. Set in an alternate New England, called New Jerusalem, this is Yancey's effort at a Dickensian cryptozoological horror story and it works. Snap to, Will Henry.

2. London Falling by Paul Cornell. Here was my review of this book from 2014: "This book was a total mindscrew for 75%. Really, really good though." Basically, London Falling is police procedural + urban fantasy + supernatural.

3. Fated by Benedict Jacka: This is the first in the Alex Verus series, which is sort of a Harry Dresden set in London. Alex is a mage with foresight who is pretty much constantly in danger. There's also a sentient spider who designs clothing.

I haven't entirely decided what I am going to read, although I am leaning strongly in the direction of Mayhem, by Sarah Pinborough. I've never read anything by her, but I've had my eye on this one for a long time.

Obsidian Black Plague

Supernatural books I think sometimes can also dance around the magical realism genre. But in this case, most truly supernatural books do not just have some minor elements that are magical, the majority of the book includes supernatural creatures, humans with supernatural abilities, or world building that is based upon something supernatural.

For this square I am thinking of reading the following books:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. I have not read this book for several years at this point, so it would be nice to read again.

2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern because I have this book somewhere on my shelves and I believe it has been sitting there for a while.

3. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #1)
by Seth Grahame-Smith because even though I saw the movie and disliked it, I am still interested in the book. Also this is sitting somewhere on a shelf too.

I would add that supernatural can include so many series out there that I think that everyone should be able to get this one pretty easily even if supernatural fiction is not your thing. You have authors like Jim Butcher, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Ransom Riggs, Deborah Harkness (though I think the last two books in her series were not all that great), Charlaine Harris, and Stephanie Meyers.

I even really enjoy my supernatural with a touch of romance/mystery and some of the authors listed above are included in these genres as well.

1. OBP & MR talk Magical Realism