Hester Fox Books in Order (Updated April 28, 2026)

Hester Fox writes gothic historical fiction, historical fantasy, witch fiction, and atmospheric romantic suspense. Her novels usually combine haunted houses, family secrets, women with hidden power, and historical settings shaped by grief, inheritance, folklore, or social pressure.

Her books are not a connected series. That means there is no required character continuity and no shared saga order to protect.

The best reading order is publication order if you want to follow her development as a novelist. Chronological order is useful only if you want to move through the historical periods inside the stories.

Quick Answer

• Start with The Witch of Willow Hall if you want Hester Fox from the beginning.
• Start with The Last Heir to Blackwood Library if you want one of her most accessible gothic-library mysteries.
• Start with A Magic Deep and Drowning if you want her newer historical fantasy and fairy-tale direction.

Best first-read order:

1. The Witch of Willow Hall
2. The Widow of Pale Harbor
3. The Orphan of Cemetery Hill
4. A Lullaby for Witches
5. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library
6. The Book of Thorns
7. A Magic Deep and Drowning
8. A Kingdom of Mist and Mourning

Hester Fox Books in Publication Order

1. The Witch of Willow Hall (2018): The debut novel follows the Montrose family after scandal drives them from Boston to Willow Hall, where Lydia must face both family secrets and a dangerous supernatural inheritance.
2. The Widow of Pale Harbor (2019): A widowed woman accused by rumor and a minister haunted by his own past become caught in a Maine village shaped by fear, suspicion, and gothic menace.
3. The Orphan of Cemetery Hill (2020): Tabby, a young woman who can communicate with the dead, becomes entangled in graveyard secrets, body-snatching danger, and a mystery tied to her unusual gift.
4. A Lullaby for Witches (2022): Two women in different eras are linked by witchcraft, a historic house, and a buried legacy of female power that refuses to stay silent.
5. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library (2023): Ivy Radcliffe inherits Blackwood Abbey after World War I and discovers that its mysterious library may be altering memory, identity, and truth itself.
6. The Book of Thorns (2024): Separated sisters during the Napoleonic Wars are bound by flower magic, war, and the mystery of the mother whose secrets shaped both their lives.
7. A Magic Deep and Drowning (2025): Set in the Dutch Republic in 1650, this historical fantasy reimagines The Little Mermaid through Clara, a young woman drawn into sea magic, family secrets, and an ancient bargain.
8. A Kingdom of Mist and Mourning (2027): This upcoming Regency romantasy follows Phoebe Browning, a mortal woman pulled back toward the Underworld and the dangerous god of death who still claims her.

Companion, Anthology, and Non-Core Entries

• Haunted House Stories (2023): This is a classic ghost-story anthology with an introduction by Hester Fox, not a Hester Fox novel and not part of her fictional continuity.

Readers interested only in her novels can skip this entry. Collectors may place it after A Lullaby for Witches and before The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by publication timing.

Recommended Reading Order

Because Hester Fox writes standalones, the recommended order depends on what kind of gothic story you want first.

Best order for most readers

1. The Witch of Willow Hall (2018): Start here for the original Hester Fox blend of historical scandal, witchcraft, family secrets, and gothic atmosphere.
2. The Widow of Pale Harbor (2019): Read next for a darker village mystery with witchcraft accusations and a more suspense-driven structure.
3. The Orphan of Cemetery Hill (2020): Continue here for a ghostly, cemetery-centered story with a heroine whose gift makes her vulnerable.
4. A Lullaby for Witches (2022): Move next to a dual-timeline witch story where the past and present speak to each other.
5. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library (2023): Read here for a postwar inheritance mystery centered on a strange library and a heroine trying to hold on to her own story.
6. The Book of Thorns (2024): Continue with the Napoleonic-era flower-magic novel, which leans more openly into historical fantasy.
7. A Magic Deep and Drowning (2025): Read next for Fox’s fairy-tale retelling mode and a stronger shift toward lush historical fantasy.
8. A Kingdom of Mist and Mourning (2027): Save this for after the earlier books if you want to watch Fox’s movement from gothic historical fiction into romantasy.

Historical Chronological Order

This order follows the time periods inside the stories, not publication date.

1. A Magic Deep and Drowning (2025): Set in 1650 in the Dutch Republic, making it the earliest historical setting among Fox’s novels.
2. A Kingdom of Mist and Mourning (2027): Set in England in 1815, with Regency society and an Underworld-romantasy conflict.
3. The Book of Thorns (2024): Set during the Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Waterloo era, placing it close to 1815.
4. The Witch of Willow Hall (2018): Set in 1821 after the Montrose family leaves Boston for Willow Hall.
5. The Orphan of Cemetery Hill (2020): Set in Boston in 1844, with graveyards, spirits, and body-snatching danger.
6. The Widow of Pale Harbor (2019): Set in Maine in 1846, where rumors of witchcraft shape the central mystery.
7. A Lullaby for Witches (2022): Uses a dual-timeline structure, so it is better read by publication order unless you are specifically tracking historical periods.
8. The Last Heir to Blackwood Library (2023): Set after World War I, making it one of the latest historical periods in her fiction.

Chronological order is optional. Publication order remains the better choice for first-time readers because it shows how Fox’s gothic style develops from haunted New England fiction into broader historical fantasy.

Are Hester Fox’s Books Connected?

No. Hester Fox’s novels are standalones.

You do not need to read The Witch of Willow Hall before The Widow of Pale Harbor, and you do not need to read A Lullaby for Witches before The Last Heir to Blackwood Library.

There may be shared tonal interests: haunted houses, women with unusual power, historical pressure, inheritance, family secrets, and gothic romance. Those are author signatures, not a single shared continuity.

Best Starting Points by Reader Type

If you want witches

• Start with The Witch of Willow Hall (2018): It gives the cleanest introduction to Fox’s witchcraft, family-secrets, and historical-gothic style.
• Then read A Lullaby for Witches (2022): It expands the witchcraft theme into a dual-timeline story about legacy and hidden female power.

If you want gothic mystery

• Start with The Last Heir to Blackwood Library (2023): It has an inheritance premise, a mysterious abbey, and a library that threatens the heroine’s grip on memory and identity.
• Then read The Widow of Pale Harbor (2019): It offers a village under suspicion, a woman accused by rumor, and a gothic mystery shaped by fear.

If you want ghosts and cemeteries

Start with The Orphan of Cemetery Hill (2020): It is the clearest ghost-story entry, centered on a heroine who can speak with the dead.

If you want historical fantasy

• Start with The Book of Thorns (2024): It blends war, sisterhood, flower language, and magical healing.
• Then read A Magic Deep and Drowning (2025): It moves further into fairy-tale retelling and sea-magic territory.

If you want romantasy

Wait for A Kingdom of Mist and Mourning (2027): It is positioned as Regency romantasy with gods, the Underworld, and a mortal heroine drawn back into an old supernatural claim.

Latest Hester Fox Book

The latest released Hester Fox novel is:

A Magic Deep and Drowning (2025): A historical fantasy and gender-swapped Little Mermaid reimagining set in the Dutch Republic in 1650.

The next listed Hester Fox novel is:

A Kingdom of Mist and Mourning (2027): A Regency romantasy scheduled for January 26, 2027, according to the author and publisher listings checked for this guide.

Some retailer metadata may show inconsistent dates for upcoming books. This article uses the author and publisher date as the most stable placement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Hester Fox book should I read first?

Read The Witch of Willow Hall (2018) first if you want publication order and the best introduction to her gothic historical style.

Read The Last Heir to Blackwood Library (2023) first if you want a single, accessible gothic mystery centered on inheritance, memory, and a strange library.

Are Hester Fox’s books a series?

No. Hester Fox’s novels are standalones.

They share gothic atmosphere and historical-fantasy themes, but they do not form one continuous series.

Do I need to read Hester Fox in publication order?

No, but publication order is the best default. It lets you follow her movement from New England gothic fiction into broader historical fantasy and romantasy.

What is Hester Fox’s witch book order?

For witch-focused reading, use this order:

1. The Witch of Willow Hall (2018): A family scandal and hidden power unfold in a haunted historical setting.
2. A Lullaby for Witches (2022): A dual-timeline story connects witchcraft, female legacy, and a historic house.

What is Hester Fox’s newest book?

The newest released novel is A Magic Deep and Drowning (2025).

The next scheduled novel is A Kingdom of Mist and Mourning (2027).

Is Haunted House Stories a Hester Fox novel?

No. Haunted House Stories (2023) is an anthology of classic ghost stories with an introduction by Hester Fox.

It is not required reading for her novels.

What Hester Fox book comes after The Last Heir to Blackwood Library?

In publication order, the next novel is The Book of Thorns (2024).

The Book of Thorns (2024): Separated sisters during the Napoleonic Wars must survive war, uncover family secrets, and understand the flower magic passed down through their mother.

Conclusion

Hester Fox’s books are simple to approach because they are standalones. There is no series continuity to protect and no required character order.

For most readers, begin with The Witch of Willow Hall and continue in publication order. For a single-book entry point, choose The Last Heir to Blackwood Library. For newer historical fantasy, begin with The Book of Thorns or A Magic Deep and Drowning.

The safest full reading order remains publication order, with Haunted House Stories treated as a non-core anthology appearance.