Blog Tour | THE FIRST SIN by Cheyenne Brammah

About the Book:

THE FIRST SIN

All Our Sins, Book 1
BY CHEYENNE BRAMMAH | PUBLICATION: OCTOBER 23, 2025
GENRE: SCIENCE FANTASY

"It's gritty, spicy, and unflinchingly raw..." -Mike

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In the sweeping expanse of the Årdrakin Empire, the people fight and die for honor as elite warriors of the galaxy. But long ago, a prophecy was spoken that presaged the apocalypse. Everyone knows and fears the truth: one day, the empire will fall.

Tårik is a guard for small, independent Clan Tsinna. Instead of pondering the end of his civilization, Tårik’s greatest concern is maintaining his honor while escorting a group of impertinent dignitaries across the treacherous Barren Gale. When the Mother Goddess speaks a passage from the prophecy to him, he has the good sense to be frightened, but he doesn’t heed the significance of Her visit.

Then disaster strikes, and Tårik is branded as an exile, leaving him with no home, no honor, and no future. Forced into a desperate struggle for survival, all Tårik can focus on is living just one more day until luck—or maybe fate—gives him the opportunity to join a new clan. But even this is fraught with danger and uncertainty, and it takes him to an inhospitable world far from the empire where survival seems all but impossible.

Faced with new challenges, including trying to navigate first contact with the low-tech locals, Tårik believes the prophecy can’t reach him. Yet it continues to loom, signaling that his fate and the fate of the empire are irrevocably entwined.

This is a dark, spicy, adult science fantasy set in a world that includes war, violence, and other mature themes that some readers may find disturbing. Reading guidance can be found at the beginning of the book or on the author's website.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | THE STORY GRAPH

"The blurb says dark and spicy, and it certainly delivers on that."
-Beth's Bookcase
"This was nothing short of a rollercoater ride..."
-Sarah reads.


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About the Author:

Cheyenne Brammah, also known as Iron Dragon, is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy author who “torments her characters in ways reminiscent of George R R Martin”. She’s had a pen in hand for most of her life and loves character-driven stories that are epic in scope and complexity. The All Our Sins Saga features her debut novel, The First Sin, and will be the first stories told in the Akrodaxis universe.

When she’s not writing or reading, Cheyenne dyes yarn, crochets, knits, plays video games with her wonderful husband Mathew, and dabbles in nature photography. She lives in beautiful Cochrane, Alberta, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Cheyenne can be found online at https://akairondragon.ca/

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BBNYA Spotlight | PHYSICAL MAGIC by William C. Tracy

About the Book:

PHYSICAL MAGIC

The Shifting Lands Series , Book 1
BY WILLIAM C. TRACY | PUBLICATION: NOVEMBER 5, 2024
SPACE WIZARD SCIENCE FANTASY | GENRE: ADULT FANTASY

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Welcome to the Shifting Lands.

Silluka was born with only one arm and could never practice the exacting motions to summon the favor of the gods. Caught stealing, she is forced to test her powers or be branded an outcast. She fails, and loses citizenship to her village.

In a fit of desperation, Silluka tries to steal a badge of citizenship from a mysterious elder, but instead, Elder Quilqi shows Silluka a different path to gain the powers of the gods, aided by an octopus-like technological wizard who worships their own eldritch divinities. Time is short for training however, because a new island is speeding toward the coastal town, throwing deadly hurricanes and tidal waves before it and threatening all who live there.

Only the gods and godlike storm warriors protect the village from destruction, but all of them fail when a mysterious creature bursts through the wall. It's only one forerunner for a species of terrifying turtlemen: fast, deadly, and ready to invade the larger island. The village must flee inland before the invasion, while Silluka is weighed down by her outcast status and her brother’s failing abilities. To save herself, her family, and her village, Silluka must overcome stigma and self-doubt. She must learn the scope of the world outside her village. She must learn Physical Magic.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | THE STORY GRAPH

The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) is celebrating the books that made it to the semi-finals with a mini spotlight blitz tour for each title.

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 (17 in 2025) finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.

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About the Author:

William C. Tracy writes and publishes queer science fiction and fantasy through his indie press Space Wizard Science Fantasy. He also does developmental editing on all titles released from it.

His largest work is the Dissolutionverse: a space opera with music-based magic, including ten books and a TTRPG. He’s also published Fruits of the Gods, an epic fantasy with seasonal fruit magic, How To Operate Your Body, a nonfiction book about body mechanics and correct posture, and The Biomass Conflux, a sci-fi trilogy with colony ships and a planet covered by a sentient fungus. He’s currently working on a progression fantasy series about martial arts and moving islands.

William is an NC native and a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. He has a master’s in mechanical engineering, and has both designed and operated heavy construction machinery. He has also trained in Wado-Ryu karate since 2003 and runs his own dojo in Raleigh NC. He is an avid video and board gamer, a beekeeper, a reader, and of course, a writer.

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Book Review | MY MOTHER, THE MERMAID CHASER by Jamie Jo Hoang

MY MOTHER, THE MERMAID CHASER

BY JAMIE JO HOANG | PUBLICATION: SEPTEMBER 23, 2025
CROWN BOOKS | GENRE: YA FICTION
RATING: ★★★★

"It holds space for forgiveness, for healing, for the limits of what people can endure."

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Told in dual POV, this gripping companion piece to My Father, the Panda Killer, follows a teenage son who defies his sister's wishes by searching for more information about their absent mother. Meanwhile, his mother's poignant backstory reveals her struggle with grief and longing, culminating in her heart-wrenching decision to leave her children.

San Jose, 2008: Paul yearns to know more about the mother who abandoned his family, but she is the only topic no one discusses. Now’s he’s in Vietnam, feeling displaced and considered an outsider. Plus, a ghost is haunting him even though he doesn’t believe in ghosts. His cousin and the grandmother he’s never met before now keep telling him that he’ll get answers only if he’s willing to open his ears.

Vũng Tâu, 1975: Ngọc Lan is eleven when her family breaks her brother is drafted into the army; her father leaves on the last helicopter to the US. She and her sister are sent from Vietnam on a harrowing journey by boat. Only Ngọc Lan will survive. But what is the American dream when you are haunted by the death of your sister, missing your homeland; seeing ghostly mermaid sightings; lost in an abusive marriage; struggling as a parent?

Told in the alternating perspectives of Paul and Ngọc Lan, My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser is a haunting story about the intergenerational effects of war, estranged family bonds, and how a teenager discovers a new connection to a lost part of himself.

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I came to this book without having read its companion, My Father, the Panda Killer. And maybe that’s fitting—because this story, too, begins with absence. With the ache of not knowing. With a boy named Paul, who chooses to seek the truth about his mother, even when that truth might hurt.

This is a poignant novel. It blends adventure and humor with the quiet devastation of wanting to understand your parents. Beneath the surrealism and whimsy lies something raw: the longing to make sense of abandonment, of trauma, of choices that ripple across generations.

Paul is the heart of this story. He’s like an open vessel—willing to receive, willing to give, willing to believe. His openness stands in sharp contrast to his sister Jane, whose guardedness feels like a shield forged from years of disappointment. Watching Paul navigate this emotional terrain is deeply moving. He steps into adult shoes, yes—but he never stops being a boy.

Hoàng has a gift for writing complex family dynamics. She doesn’t shy away from pain, but she also doesn’t drown in it. Her prose carries trauma and tenderness in equal measure, often laced with humor and surreal imagery that make the emotional weight bearable.

As a mother myself, I found myself asking: How could a mother abandon her children to an abusive father? It’s a question that lingers. And yet, Hoàng invites empathy—not just for the children, but for the flawed adults who made impossible choices. The story doesn’t excuse, but it understands. It holds space for forgiveness, for healing, for the limits of what people can endure.

There are slow parts, yes. But I stayed. Because some stories deserve patience. And this one, with its quiet bravery and emotional honesty, is worth every page.

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About the Author:
Jamie Jo Hoang is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. She grew up in Orange County, CA—not the rich part—and worked as a docuseries producer before shifting to writing full-time. Her debut young adult novel, My Father, The Panda Killer, was named one of NPR’s Books We Love and received an Honorable Mention from the Freeman Book Awards. Hoang is also the author of the award-winning adult novel Blue Sun, Yellow Sky, which was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews and won a silver medal at the Independent Publishers Awards. Her work has been published in TIME, SALON, and Tiny Buddha. When she’s not writing, Hoang loves to take long walks, travel, and scuba dive. She lives in house covered in Post-It Notes with her husband and son.

*Penguin Random House provided the ARC
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Book Review | SCARLET MORNING by N.D. Stevenson

SCARLET MORNING

Scarlet Morning series , Vol. 1
BY N.D. STEVENSON | PUBLICATION: SEP 23, 2025
QUILL TREE BOOKS | GENRE: JUVENILE FICTION
RATING: ★★★★★

"A salt-swept masterpiece of pirates, puzzles, and found family."

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From the powerhouse creator of Nimona comes a breathtaking illustrated novel following two orphans who leave the only home they’ve ever known to sail with an eccentric crew of pirates.

Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for fifteen boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs . . . until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door. They cut a deal with the Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them.

Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend—and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea from obliteration—before the truth tears them apart.

Wickedly funny, deeply emotional, and sharply incisive, Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths we’d go to save a world broken beyond repair.

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"A Salt-Swept Masterpiece"

From the creator of Nimona comes a story that feels like a storm cracking open the sky—SCARLET MORNING is everything I want in a YA fantasy and more. It’s a tale of orphans, pirates, and death-defying adventure, yes—but also of mystery, memory, and the kind of love that anchors you when the world is broken.

Viola and Wilmur have waited fifteen years in the colorless town of Caveat, clinging to stories and salt. When Captain Cadence Chase bursts through their door, they trade their most prized possession—a mysterious book—for a chance to chase legend and find their missing parents. What follows is a voyage across Dickerson’s Sea, where truth is slippery, betrayal cuts deep, and the world itself may be on the brink of unraveling.

📚 Why I loved it:
• It’s brilliant. And everything between that and a masterpiece.
• The recipe is perfect: orphans, pirates, fantastical phenomena, and a mystery worth solving.
• ND Stevenson’s illustrations are signature and stunning—each page feels alive.
• The world-building is vivid and vast. I could see it, feel it, get lost in it.
• The narrative is warm, witty, and emotionally grounded. No profanity, but plenty of reality checks.
• The characters are unforgettable—each one unique, fully developed, and deeply human.
• The names and places may boggle you, but they stick. They matter.
• The “found family” theme is handled with grace and heart. It reminded me why I love people.
• The mystery is a full puzzle, and I’m already desperate for the next book. How many? When?

This is a book that makes you wait for reading time like it’s treasure. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even when life got in the way. It’s perfect for young readers, but it doesn’t talk down—it lifts up. It’s a story that believes in good people, in broken worlds worth saving, and in the power of stories to carry us home. I highly recommend SCARLET MORNING.

Video courtesy of Shelf Stuff, http://www.shelfstuff.com. No infringement intended.

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About the Author:

ND Stevenson is the award-winning, bestselling author and illustrator of Nimona and The Fire Never Goes Out and the cocreator of Lumberjanes and was the showrunner for the award-winning Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
Photo by Derrick Boutté

*HarperCollins CA provided the ARC
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Blog Tour | GENERATIONS by Noam Josephides

About the Book:

GENERATIONS

BY NOAM JOSEPHIDES | PUBLICATION: AUGUST 28, 2025
PYGMALION MEDIA | GENRE: ADULT FANTASY / MYSTERY,

"What truly impressed me was how seamlessly Josephides weaves politics, philosophy, and psychology into this interstellar mystery."
-Ashley, Adventures in Literature

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A secret buried for generations. A conspiracy that threatens humanity’s future. And one woman who must risk everything to uncover the truth.

The THETIS is humanity’s last hope: a generation ship carrying the last remnants of Earth to resettle on a new planet.

For two hundred years, its society has flourished under the banner of unity and cooperation. But beneath this carefully maintained facade lurks a truth so devastating it could spell doom for their entire future on their new home.

The key to uncovering the truth lies in the hands of SANDRINE LIET, an introverted Archivist who has everything to lose by pitting herself against the most powerful people on the ship.

The deeper she digs, the more evident it becomes that there is only one way to save both herself and her fellow Thetans from the ominous scheme plotted by the Thetis elite – and it’s the most horrifying choice imaginable…

AMAZON | GOODREADS | THE STORY GRAPH

"It’s evident that a good deal of thought and planning went into this novel."
-Melissa, Never enough books…
"I really enjoyed this SciFi political noir, with a breathtaking end sequence."
-Beth's Bookcase


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About the Author:

Noam Josephides is an award-winning and bestselling author, screenwriter and director.

He is also a serial technology entrepreneur with numerous successful companies founded, and a past as an Airforce Captain.

Noam's love for speculative writing and Science Fiction began with the genre classics he read in his childhood - from Asimov and Heinlin to Clarke and Douglas Adams.

His scientific enthusiasm for space led him to pursue studies in Astrophysics and aviation, and his prose combines deep technological and scientific knowledge with a unique focus on human drama, values and personal journeys.

Noam spends his time between leading Artificial Intelligence product development at the world's top technology firms, and writing novels, screenplays and fake Tooth-Fairy letters for his 3 young kids.

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Book Review | TORCHFIRE by Moira Buffini

TORCHFIRE

The Torch Trilogy Series , Vol. 2
BY MOIRA BUFFINI | PUBLICATION: AUGUST 28, 2025
FABER AND FABER | GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FANTASY / DYSTOPIA
RATING: ★★★★

"Readers will be challenged, justified, and confronted,
often in the same chapter."

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Welcome to a world where songlight is either your greatest power—or your greatest curse.

Elsa is on the run and is urgently seeking a safe haven.
Nightingale is being held captive and forced to use her songlight against her own people.
Piper has been promoted up the ranks of the Airmen, where nothing but bloodshed is demanded of him.
Rye has stumbled across an incredible airship, the likes of which has never been seen before . . .
All four are united by their desire for peace. But peace between the Aylish and Brightland feels more fragile than ever.

And there is a new threat, not just to Brightland, but to Ayland and the world beyond. The airship that Rye has discovered is owned by a race of elite Torches, recently returned to Earth.

The future of civilisation is on a knife edge, with those from Brightland wanting to stamp out songlight, those from Ayland wanting harmony and those from Sealand wanting songlight to rein, whatever the costs . . .

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Moira Buffini’s TORCHFIRE plunges us straight into the fray where Songlight (2024) left off, wasting no time in rekindling the tension, heartbreak, and hope that defined the first installment. The stakes are higher, the world broader, and the emotional toll deeper.

Elsa, Nightingale, Piper, and Rye return with new scars and sharper edges, joined by fresh perspectives that expand the narrative’s reach. Buffini juggles multiple POVs with remarkable precision—never losing momentum, never wasting a page. The pacing is relentless yet deliberate, building a slow, desperate crescendo that left me breathless and hungry for more.

The plot development is rich and immersive, but it’s the thematic expansion that truly sets Torchfire ablaze. Buffini doesn’t shy away from the raw parts—grief, betrayal, complicity, survival. These themes aren’t just explored; they’re felt. Readers will be challenged, justified, and confronted, often in the same chapter.

The characters are fully realized, flaws and all. Buffini doesn’t deal in shades of gray so much as she paints with bruised color—characters who are not whitewashed, not villainized, but deeply human. Their pain is palpable, and their choices—however flawed—are rooted in survival and belief. Even the villains are affecting; you hold your breath when they enter the page, not out of fear alone, but out of recognition.

What lingers most after finishing Torchfire is the way Buffini interrogates the concept of humanity itself. In this world, those who carry songlight are branded as “unhuman”—a label meant to isolate, devalue, and erase. Yet the very act of songlight, of shared thought and feeling, is what binds people together. The joining of songlight is called “harmony”—and isn’t that exactly what our world needs right now?

Buffini doesn’t just pose the question; she lets it burn through the narrative. Why would a right-thinking society try to rip out harmony? What are we so afraid of when people connect deeply, vulnerably, and without violence?

The new characters introduced in TORCHFIRE stand in stark contrast to this archaic belief system. They challenge the status quo with their presence. They are bringing a new world with them.

Songlight started the tune, it blends the harmony. And it is TORCHFIRE that started the blaze and starts the march onwards.

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About the Author:

Moira Buffini is an Olivier Award–winning UK playwright and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter, writing many plays for the National Theatre and the West End. Films include Tamara Drewe, Jane Eyre, Byzantium, and The Dig. She cocreated and was showrunner of Hulu's Harlots. Songlight is her debut novel. She lives in London.

*Faber and Faber provided the eARC
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Book Review | THE NIGHTBLOOD PRINCE by Molly X. Chang

THE NIGHTBLOOD PRINCE

The Nightblood Prince Series, Vol. 1
BY MOLLY X. CHANG | PUBLICATION: JULY 1, 2025
RANDOM HOUSE | GENRE: YOUNG ADULT FANTASY
RATING: ★★★★

"Fei’s defiance of the gods, her refusal to be a pawn, and the enigmatic premise kept me hooked."

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Two princes. One prophecy. A fate she cannot outrun.

The night Fei was born, a prophecy was made: she would one day become the Empress of All Empresses.

Torn from her family as a child and raised in the palace to one day marry the Crown Prince of the most powerful empire in the land, Fei has only ever known loneliness. When the opportunity arises to seize her own destiny for the first time in her life, Fei sets out to hunt a legendary tiger, knowing it might cost her everything. What she doesn’t expect is to fall under the mercy of Yexue, the beautiful runaway prince from a rival kingdom. Blessed by the night, harboring a dangerous magic, and capable of commanding an army of deadly vampires, Yexue could be the key to Fei gaining more than just her freedom.

But to outrun destiny, Fei must spark a wave of events that will change the world as she knows it. Torn between two princes and plagued by nightmares of bloodshed, she finds that the stars might be more inescapable—and more irresistible—than she ever considered before. . . .-PRH

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A prophecy. A tiger hunt. A prince cloaked in night. THE NIGHTBLOOD PRINCE delivers a sweeping tale of destiny, defiance, and blood-soaked magic that reads like a fever dream stitched from the histories of Vlad the Impaler and Genghis Khan.

Fei, the prophesied Empress of All Empresses, is a heroine who refuses to be confined by fate. Torn from her family and raised in a palace that treats her more as a symbol than a person, Fei’s journey is one of reclaiming agency—of choosing herself over the empire’s expectations. Her inner battle is compelling, though at times confusing. She longs to be chosen for who she is, not for what she represents. And while her arc is powerful, her inability to fully “let go” until it’s too late left me aching.

The story is fast-paced, with no dull chapters to slog through—a rare treat. The love triangle trope, which I usually avoid, didn’t bother me here. Perhaps because it’s woven into a larger tapestry of royal court intrigue, enemies-to-lovers tension, and slow-burning emotional stakes. Yexue, the rival prince with dangerous magic and a vampire army, is enigmatic and beautifully written. The romance simmers rather than scorches, and I appreciated that restraint.

Fei’s defiance of the gods, her refusal to be a pawn, and the enigmatic premise kept me hooked. There were moments that made me cringe—scenes that felt a bit too dramatic or forced—but they didn’t derail the experience. The familial connections and communal responsibilities added depth, grounding the fantasy in something tender and real. And the inclusion of Chinese proverbs throughout the story adds a quiet reverence for heritage, grounding the tale in cultural memory while honoring the wisdom passed down through generations.

Who Should Read This
Beyond its fantasy trappings, The Nightblood Prince feels eerily relevant and speaks to timely themes: autonomy, identity, and the cost of being a symbol. Fei’s struggle to define herself outside of prophecy mirrors the pressure many face today to live up to inherited expectations—whether cultural, familial, or societal. Her refusal to be used as a justification for conquest mirrors a deeper truth: power rooted in brutality is not strength—it’s cowardice dressed in armor.

In a world where war is still wielded as a tool of pride and dominance, I hope the younger generation reads The Nightblood Prince. Not just for the magic and monsters, but for the mirror it holds to history. This book invites readers to reflect—to see how power has been wielded, how symbols have been used, and how empires have risen on the backs of the unwilling.

We are living in a time that feels precarious. The world teeters between progress and regression, between civility and the savagery our ancestors tried to haul us from. I do not believe in “casualties of war.” Fiction like this reminds us that destiny is not fixed. I believe in stories that challenge the arrogance of empire and remind us that choosing wisely—choosing peace, truth, and autonomy—is the bravest act of all.

“Fate is not as strong as the human heart.”
(命不如心强 — Mìng bùrú xīn qiáng)

Final Reflection
As Fei learns, and as we must remember: Fate is not as strong as the human heart. Stories like THE NIGHTBLOOD PRINCE remind us that even in the shadow of prophecy, we can choose who we become.

I peeked at the hardbound cover art by Gollancz and loved how it captured the story’s haunting tone. I’ll be waiting for Book Two, curious to see how the stars shift next.

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About the Author:

Molly X. Chang is the bestselling author of To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods and the upcoming young adult fantasy The Nightblood Prince. She’s a first-generation immigrant born in Harbin, China. Photo by Katrina Wong

*Penguin Random House provided the eARC
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Book Review | THE LAST TIGER by Julia Riew; Brad Riew

THE LAST TIGER

BY JULIA RIEW, BRAD RIEW | PUBLICATION: JULY 29, 2025
KOKILA | GENRE: YA FANTASY
RATING: ★★★

"...the blush of first love and bridging impossible divides."

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Inspired by true stories from the authors’ grandparents’ lives during one of the darkest periods in Korean history, The Last Tiger is a debut young adult fantasy novel about the power of love to give voice to a silenced people.

In a colonized land where tigers are being hunted to extinction and ancient magic stirs, two star-crossed teens—Lee Seung, a servant yearning for freedom, and Choi Eunji, a noble girl defying tradition—join forces to try and reshape their respective fates.

But their relationship evolves from begrudging accomplices to bitter adversaries as they soon find themselves on opposite sides of a battle over the last tiger, a symbol of their people’s lost freedom and key to the liberation of their country. As the ties between Seung and Eunji are complicated by their conflicting loyalties, tensions rise—especially when a charming princeling of the empire begins to rival for Eunji's affection.

In this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers story of forbidden romance, antagonists turned allies, oppression and liberation, neither Seung nor Eunji can abandon their mission—or each other. And as they embark on separate quests to find the elusive creature, each must also find the power within themselves to make their own destiny. -PRH

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I finished this book, but not without a fight.

The Last Tiger has all the ingredients of a compelling historical fantasy: a colonized Korea under Imperial Japan, magical realism rooted in dragon spirits and ki, and a symbolic quest to protect the last tiger—a living emblem of resistance and cultural identity. The premise is rich, and the authors’ inspiration from their grandparents’ real-life love story adds emotional weight.

But despite its potential, this story didn’t resonate with me.

The central romance—between a noble girl and a servant—leans heavily into the princess/poor trope, which I’ve never found appealing. The narrative still hinges on familiar beats: forbidden love, class defiance, and a princeling rival. It felt more like a YA fantasy checklist than a fresh take.

That said, the protagonist deserves credit. Choi Eunji didn’t wait to be saved. She climbed, she fought, and she earned her place through grit and determination. Her arc was the only thing that kept me coming back, even when the rest of the narrative felt like a chore. I huffed, I puffed, I put the book down more times than I can count—but I finished it.

I admire the historical context, especially the brutal depiction of tiger executions, which echoes the violence of cultural erasure. As someone whose own grandparents lived through the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, I felt a personal connection to the themes of oppression and survival. But even that couldn’t carry me through the story’s pacing and emotional tone.

This book might speak more deeply to younger readers—those drawn to the blush of first love and bridging impossible divides.

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About the Authors:

Julia Riew is a Korean-American composer-lyricist, librettist, and novelist from St. Louis and NYC. She is best known for her viral hit Dive, a reimagining of the Korean folktale Shimcheong, which has captivated millions online and is currently being developed for the stage at the American Repertory Theater with Tony-Award winning director Diane Paulus and GLAAD-Award winning playwright Diana Son.

Brad Riew is an MFA candidate in Fiction at New York University's creative writing program. He graduated from Harvard College in 2018 with a degree in Psychology, where he won the Ecker Short Story Prize. The Last Tiger, co-written with his younger sister Julia Riew, is his first novel. Brad lives in Brooklyn, New York.

*Penguin Random House provided the eARC
in exchange for this unbiased review.
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THE HISTORY OF LOVE Revisited

THE HISTORY OF LOVE

BY NICOLE KRAUSS | PUBLICATION: JANUARY 1, 2005
NORTON | GENRE: LITERARY FICTION
RATING: ★★★★★

"This book was hard to forget."

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Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer is trying to find a cure for her mother's loneliness. Believing she might discover it in an old book her mother is lovingly translating, she sets out in search of its author.

Across New York an old man called Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer. He spends his days dreaming of the lost love who, sixty years ago in Poland, inspired him to write a book. And although he doesn't know it yet, that book also survived: crossing oceans and generations, and changing lives...

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A Reflection Across Time and Isolation

In 2013, I wrote a review of Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love that tried—however inadequately—to capture the emotional gravity of the novel. I described it as a book that moved me to tears and laughter, often within the same page. It was a story that felt too vast for words, yet too intimate to ignore.

Now, more than a decade later, I return to it not just as a reader, but as someone who has lived through a global shift. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we see ourselves, especially the way we see the elderly. And in that shift, Leo Gursky’s quiet desperation to be remembered feels more urgent, more universal.

Leo Gursky: Then and Now
Leo Gursky’s fear of being forgotten—his desperate need to be seen—is one of the most enduring emotional threads in The History of Love. He was afraid of dying alone, of being invisible. In 2005, when the book was published, that fear felt poetic. Today, it feels prophetic. In the years since the book’s release, the world has changed dramatically, especially in how older adults navigate visibility and connection.

During the pandemic, countless seniors were isolated—cut off from family, community, and routine. Many died without the comfort of presence, without the rituals of remembrance. Leo’s fear became reality for too many. His outrageous acts to be seen—dropping things in public, making noise—mirror the silent pleas of those who simply wanted someone to remember they were still here.

Technology helped some. Video calls, social media, and digital archives offered new ways to connect. But Leo’s story reminds us that visibility isn’t just about being online—it’s about being remembered, being valued, and being loved. And while technology offers new avenues, it’s the human connections behind the screens that truly matter.

If Krauss Wrote The History of Love Today…
Nicole Krauss’s writing already dances with metaphysical questions and emotional truths. Post-pandemic, I imagine her lens would be even more introspective, more attuned to the quiet devastations and unexpected connections that defined those years. I imagine a different kind of Leo. One who struggles with Zoom, who writes tweets no one reads, who leaves voice messages that go unheard. His invisibility would be digital, not just physical. The book within the book might be a forgotten PDF, a digitized manuscript buried in cloud storage. The idea of legacy would shift from paper to pixels, raising questions about permanence in a world of endless scroll. Krauss’s themes—memory, displacement, love—would deepen. The novel might explore how time collapsed during lockdowns, how grief became disoriented without touch, and how connection became both more possible and more elusive.

“At the end, all that's left of you are your possessions.
Perhaps that's why I've never been able to throw anything away.
Perhaps that's why I hoarded the world: with the hope that when I died,
the sum total of my things would suggest
a life larger than the one I lived.”

Why This Book Still Matters?
The History of Love is a mirror. It reflects our longing to be remembered, our fear of vanishing, and our hope that love—once written, once felt—can ripple through time. Revisiting it now is a literary nostalgia. It’s a reckoning. It’s a way to honor those who felt invisible, to remember those we lost, and to remind ourselves that being seen is a human need that transcends age, technology, and even pandemics.

Closing Reflection
This book was hard to forget.
In a post-pandemic world, where silence and absence have left their mark, the profoundness of being merely remembered feels sacred. And I marvel.

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About the Author:

Nicole Krauss has been called “one of American’s most important novelists and an international literary sensation” by the New York Times, “a contemporary master,” by Esquire, and “one of American’s greatest writers” by the Financial Times. She is the author of the international bestsellers, Forest Dark, Great House (a finalist for the National Book Award and the Orange Prize) and The History of Love, which won the Saroyan Prize for International Literature and France’s Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, and was short-listed for the Orange, Médicis, and Femina prizes. Her first novel, Man Walks Into a Room, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book of the Year. Her short stories have been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s, Esquire, and Best American Short Stories, and were collected in To Be a Man, which received the Wingate Award. She was the inaugural Writer-in-Residence at the Zuckerman Mind, Brain and Behavior Institute at Columbia University, and has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy in Berlin, and the Cullman Center at the New York Public Library. Her books have been translated into 38 languages. Photo by Goni Riskin.

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Blog Tour | THE TORTURED KINGDOM by Bryan Asher

About the Book:

THE TORTURED KINGDOM
BY BRYAN ASHER | PUBLICATION: JANUARY 31, 2025
SIMON & SCHUSTER/SAGA PRESS | GENRE: ADULT FANTASY

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After a comet strikes the continent of Yohme, it's left in shambles. Nations lay in rubble, magic has been corrupted, and a plague has turned most of the inhabitants into flesh-eating, undead, ghouls.

Traveling this apocalyptic landscape is Evan, a bounty hunter taking missions to survive. However, his latest quest to capture a thief leads to more than he bargained for. After uncovering an ancient map, he forms a party to hunt the sacred treasure inside the most formidable dungeon.

Once inside, they'll have to overcome the trials of a god to reach it, and they're not the only ones searching.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | THE STORY GRAPH

"I really enjoy books that include trial-like elements and I was not disappointed here."
-KINDIG
"The world is very well built and makes me wonder if Asher would do another story set in the same realm."
-Sly Fox Reviews


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About the Author:

Bryan Asher is a native Washingtonian and lifelong fan of fiction in all its forms. He started out like many kids from the '90s, being enthralled by all the superhero comics and cartoons crossing his vision. His love of literary fiction came when he was handed a copy of John Bellairs, “The Chessmen of Doom” by his local librarian. Bryan still credits John Bellairs as his greatest literary influence, with his books featuring multiple illustrations and stand-alone adventures, just like Bellairs.

After years of dedication and planning, he debuted his first novel in 2020, “The Assassin of Malcoze.” The following year he released his second novel, “The Treasure of Lor-Rev,” which went on to win multiple awards.

Bryan still lives in Renton Washington with his loving wife and two awesome children. He also still has the first comic book he ever purchased (which cost a quarter in 1990).

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BBNYA Blog Tour | CLUES TO YOU by Claire Huston

About the Book:

CLUES TO YOU
WINNER of BBNYA 2024
BY CLAIRE HUSTON
PUBLICATION: SEPTEMBER 19, 2023
GENRE: ROMANCE, ADULT MYSTERY

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One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths.
They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?

Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either.

But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis.

When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad.

With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?

A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Katie Fforde.

This rivals-to-lovers romance is a standalone romcom and part of the Love in the Comptons collection.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | THE STORY GRAPH

" It’s a story about friendship, personal growth, self-esteem, and trust — all wrapped up like a gift in a light romance. "
-Gina Rae Mitchell
"This was a fast paced read throughout, and there wasn’t a single dull moment."
-Worlds Unlike Our Own
"All the stars for this incredible read which mixes a perfect blend of cosy mystery and romance."
-Karla_Bookishlife

[BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (16 in 2024) and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.]

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About the Author:

Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK, with her husband and children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but need a little help to realise it.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul, her first novel, at clairehuston.co.uk along with over 150 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

You can also find Claire on various social media platforms.
Find your favourite here: https://linktr.ee/clairehuston_author

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Book Review | THE BOOK OF LOST HOURS by Hayley Gelfuso

THE BOOK OF LOST HOURS

BY HAYLEY GELFUSO | PUBLICATION: AUGUST 26, 2025
ATRIA | GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION
RATING: ★★★★✬

"An incredible premise with a deeply moving message."

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For fans of The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library, a sweeping, unforgettable novel moving from pre-WWII Germany to Cold War-era America to the mysterious time space, a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history.

Nuremberg, 1938: On the night of Kristallnacht, eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy is hidden by her father from approaching forces in a mysterious place called the time space, a library where all the memories of the past are stored inside of books. When her father doesn’t return for her, she becomes trapped, spending her adolescence walking through the memories of those who lived before. When she discovers that living timekeepers are entering the time space to destroy memories and maintain their preferred version of history, Lisavet sets about trying to salvage the past, creating her own book of lost memories. Until one day in 1949, when she meets an American timekeeper named Ernest Duquesne, who is intent on keeping her from her task. What ensues sets her on a course to change history and the time space itself forever.

Boston, 1965: Amelia Duquesne is mourning the death of her uncle and guardian, Ernest, when she’s approached by Moira, the enigmatic head of the CIA’s highly secretive Temporal Reconnaissance Program. Moira tells her about the existence of the time space—accessed only by specially designed watches whose intricate mechanisms have been lost to time—and enlists her help in recovering a strange book her uncle had once sought. But Amelia quickly realizes that the past—and the truth—are not as straightforward as Moira would like her to believe.

A sweeping, cinematic love story, this feat of imagination explores memory, time, and the lengths we will go to in order to protect the existence of those we love.

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"We Choose Love"

From the moment I saw the cover, I felt summoned. Some books whisper. This one beckons.

Hayley Gelfuso crafts a haunting, poetic timespace where memory is both sanctuary and battleground. Unlike typical multiverse narratives, this story unfolds in a library of lost hours—a purgatory of recollection, where time doesn’t bend but bruises. Azrael’s description of this realm lingers: it’s not a portal, it’s a reckoning.

The premise alone is a marvel. But it’s Gelfuso’s lyrical voice that elevates the experience. Despite the dual timelines and shifting perspectives, her prose remains fluid and evocative, never losing its emotional cadence.

Lisavet and Amelia are compelling, but it was Ernest Duquesne who pierced me most deeply. A man who loves through ruin, who chooses tenderness even when time itself conspires against him. His love story with Lisavet doesn’t just endure—it defies chronology.

Gelfuso also knows how to sculpt a villain. The antagonist is despicable in the most effective way, a force that makes the stakes feel real and raw.

"Time is the beast that makes mortals of all, one way or another.
It takes everything heedless of wealth or status."
I read this slowly. I didn’t want it to end. I left marginalias in the edges—my own memory etched into the pages. And while I won’t spoil the final chapters, I will say this: even in death, Time can still take everything. But love, when chosen again and again, leaves a trace.

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About the Author:

Hayley Gelfuso is an author and poet who works in the environmental nonprofit sector. As a writer, she is drawn to stories of the wild and wonderful that are rooted in real world history and science. Her poetry about her experiences working in the conservation field has been published in the Plumwood Mountain Journal. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband.
Photograph by Angelo Gelfuso, Gelfocus Photography

*Simon & Schuster CA provided the ARC
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Book Review | IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES by Katherine Rundell

IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES

Impossible Creatures Series, Vol. 1
BY KATHERINE RUNDELL
ART BY ASHLEY MACKENZIE | PUBLICATION: SEPTEMBER 10, 2024
KNOPF | GENRE: YA FANTASY
RATING: ★★★★★

"It’s a rallying cry for every soul who still believes in wonder, in courage, and in the quiet power of kindness."

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The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It's the day he learned about the Archipelago, a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years—until now. And it's the day he met Mal, a girl on the run who desperately needs his help.

Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what's happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.

Katherine Rundell’s story crackles and roars with energy and delight. It is brought vividly to life with more than 60 illustrations, including a map and a bestiary of magical creatures. -PRH

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Remember Kindness

There are books that entertain. There are books that comfort. And then there are books like IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES—books that summon. Katherine Rundell’s tale of Christopher and Mal isn’t just a fantasy adventure—it’s a rallying cry for every soul who still believes in wonder, in courage, and in the quiet power of kindness.

Set between the Scottish Highlands and the Archipelago—a hidden world where mythical creatures still breathe—the story begins with a baby griffin, a boy who dares to save it, and a girl named Mal who can fly and is running from something far darker than monsters. Together, they race across islands, consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the real battle? It’s against despair. Against the fading of magic. Against the kind of apathy that lets beauty die without protest.

The Archipelago feels like the kind of place that’s been waiting in the collective imagination—just out of reach, until someone like Katherine Rundell gave it form. The part that makes the Archipelago feel truly alive—not just the creatures, but the people who live alongside them. Rundell hints at entire civilizations tucked into the folds of the islands, each with their own stories, rituals, languages, and ways of understanding the impossible. Rundell doesn’t over-explain. She trusts us to feel the weight of what’s not said. That there are people we haven’t met yet, and when we do, they’ll change everything.

The Archipelago feels like a sanctuary—not just from danger, but from the noise and cruelty that seem to echo louder in our world lately. It’s a place where wonder is protected, where kindness is woven into the fabric of life, and where the impossible thrives because people believe in it together. It’s comforting to imagine that somewhere out there, tucked behind the veil of reality, there’s a place untouched by division. Where cultures coexist not in spite of their differences, but because of them. Where every creature, every person, has a place and a purpose. A world stitched together from myth and memory, where griffins soar and nereid slip through the waves, and where the impossible isn’t just possible—it’s home.

Rundell didn’t just build a world—she remembered it for us. Like she cracked open a secret door in the back of the wardrobe and said, “Here. You knew this place existed. You just forgot.”

Mal and Christopher are the archetypes of what we need more of: kids who ask hard questions, who risk safety for truth, who understand that saving the world means doing the work. And Rundell doesn’t flinch from the cost. There’s danger. There’s loss. But there’s also hope—and it’s earned, not gifted.

Christopher is the quiet heartbeat of Impossible Creatures. His magic isn’t mythical—it’s moral. And he’s the one who chooses to show up, again and again, even when the path is terrifying, even when he doesn’t fully understand what he’s stepping into. That kind of courage—the kind that’s rooted in loyalty, empathy, and instinct—is rare. And it’s beautiful.

And the way he never says no? That’s not just bravery—it’s deeply rooted love. For Gelifen, for Mal, for the Archipelago. He steps into the unknown not because he’s fearless, but because he cares. It captures something deep and ancient—like the Archipelago itself was waiting for Christopher, whispering his name through feathers and fur and wind. He didn’t stumble into destiny; he was claimed by it. Before he understood, before he agreed, before he even believed—the creatures knew. They saw the quiet strength, the kindness, the willingness to leap without asking why. That’s the kind of hero who stays with you long after the last page.

It’s rare in stories to see characters chosen not for power or prophecy, but for heart. And that’s why Mal and Christopher stays with us. They gave up their childhood innocence for something worth fighting for, accepted the quest, and they refused to be helpless. They are the kind of people the world needs more of—the kind who says yes, even when the cost is high, even when the path is unclear.

Rundell’s stories shimmer with strangeness—griffins, flying girls, impossible islands—but it’s the kindness that anchors them. Not just fleeting gestures, but the kind that demands courage, persistence, and sacrifice. She has this rare gift—she writes for young readers without ever condescending to them. Her language is lyrical, her ideas are layered, and her emotional truths are unflinching. She trusts her readers, no matter their age, to grapple with beauty and grief, with wonder and loss.

For the kind people: If you’ve ever felt the world growing colder, more cynical, more cruel—read this. Let it remind you that kindness must be taught, modeled, and fought for. That protecting innocence doesn’t mean shielding children from truth, but arming them with empathy and courage.

This book is a seed. Let’s plant it in every heart that still believes in impossible things.

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About the Author:

KATHERINE RUNDELL is the internationally bestselling author of Impossible Creatures. Her other books for children include Rooftoppers, Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, The Wolf Wilder, The Explorer, and The Good Thieves. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is currently a Fellow of St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. For adult readers, Rundell has written Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures and Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne, which won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. She was the recipient of the British Book Award for Book of the Year and Author of the Year.

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