TITLE: We Burned So Bright

AUTHOR: TJ Klune 

PAGE EXTENT: 176

PUBLISHER: Tor Books 

GENRE: Fantasy

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️💫

SOURCE: Purchased a copy!

The road stretched out before them. No other cars, just the headlights on the blacktop. Above, the cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky….

Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life. Together they’ve experienced the highest highs of love and family, and lows so low that they felt like the end of the world.

Now, the world is ending for real. A rogue black hole is coming for Earth and in a month everything and everyone they’ve ever known will be gone.

Suddenly, after 40 years together, Don and Rodney are out of time. They’re in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it’s all over.

On the road they meet those who refuse to believe death is coming and those who rush to meet it. But there are also people living their final days as best they know how—impromptu weddings, bright burning bonfires, shared meals, and new friends.

And as the black hole draws near, among ball lightning and under a cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky, Don and Rodney will look back on their lives and ask if their best was good enough.

Is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes?

Have you ever finished a book and just stared at the wall for a whole 10 minutes contemplating what the meaning of life is and how fragile it all seems? Well, this book is all of 163 pages and I wouldn’t be lying when I say it definitely altered my brain chemistry to a certain degree.

Don and Rodney are husbands who have been together for four decades. They have lived a fulfilling life and now the end is near. Literally the end of the world: a black hole is on its way towards earth and it will all be over soon. They embark on a cross-country road trip in their RV from Maine to Washington to tie some loose ends. They encounter a myriad of people along the journey, each processing the inevitable end in their own way, which will undoubtedly give you, the reader, some solid food for thought! 😌

Bear with me, this is about to get a tad bit philosophical, haha. We tend to take a ton of things for granted but we value them a whole lot more when we know we are about to lose them forever. Even the most mundane of things become something to cherish and treasure. Throughout this book, TJ Klune takes you on a roller coaster of denial, anger, hopelessness and if you look at it closely, all the stages of grief.

It was genuinely refreshing to see an elderly queer couple front and center, and learn about their realistic experiences and struggles over the course of their lives. If that doesn’t fill me with hope, I don’t know what will!

If you are in the mood for a quick yet profound read that will have you thinking about it for a long, long time and question everything you have ever known (only books have the power to destroy me like that), you know what book to pick up hehe! 😛

Has any book altered your brain chemistry the way this book did to me? Let me know in the comments!

Super excited to kick off the blog tour with my review of this stellar infotainment of a book! Read on to see why you should pick this up soon!

TITLE: The Doomsday Detectives: How Walter and Luis Alvarez Solved the Mystery of Dinosaur Extinction  

AUTHOR: Cindy Jenson-Elliott 

PAGE EXTENT: 224

PUBLISHER: Tu Books 

GENRE: Middle Grade Non-Fiction

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher and Hear Our Voices Tours as part of the blog tour.

Father-son scientists Luis and Walter Alvarez piece together one of the greatest mysteries of all time: What really happened to the dinosaurs? Dive into this fun and informative middle grade nonfiction book, which outlines the many important scientific discoveries that aided the Alvarezes in their search for answers.

Cretaceous earth was known as the age of dinosaurs. But really, it was the age of LIFE–scaled and feathered, furry and leathered, budding, blooming, roaring, zooming, buzzing, glorious LIFE–until…

DOOMSDAY.

For 66 million years, the mystery of what happened to the dinosaurs lay hidden under layers of sand and silt, until scientists began to piece together the puzzle of what happened on the last day of the ancient world.

Follow the real-life adventures of father-son scientists Luis and Walter Alvarez–along with an army of science detectives–as they unlock the world’s most intriguing mystery. Learn how the smallest particles in the universe helped explain what happened to the largest animals that ever walked the planet. Track the timelines of discoveries that had to happen in physics, paleontology, astronomy, and geology, before humans could understand how and why 75 percent of species suddenly went extinct.

This is the story of how scientists add to the sum total of human knowledge, one question at a time, and help us understand our beautiful, tragic, and magnificent world.

Jurassic Park was the first movie I ever watched. Since then, my fascination for dinosaurs has been a constant presence in my life. It should come as no surprise that when I got an opportunity to read a book that delves into the mystery of how the dinosaurs got wiped out, I simple had to grab it with both hands!

Little did I know I would read the book from cover to cover in one sitting! Peppered with illustrations and photographs throughout, you can’t help but flip through the pages to solve the mystery!

Non-fiction books seldom transport you to another world but this one is bound to take your imagination on a journey through the past as father-son scientist-duo Luis and Walter Alvarez crack the mystery open! Was it a volcano? Was it a meteor? Was it a single catastrophic event or a series of events? This book has all the answers you need!

As you make your way through the book, you will end up making your own hypotheses and wondering if it will turn out to be true or false! As someone who has been involved in research, the little tidbits about research scattered throughout the book were fun Easter eggs for me!

If you’re a fan of graphic novels, there are bits and pieces of illustrated fiction by Theo Nicole Lorenz that only enhance the experience!

Whether you’re a fan of all things science and dinosaurs or if you’re someone who is curious and wants to explore, this book is infotainment at its best! Be prepared to meet a ton of scientists, visit quite a few rock formations around the world, investigate and discover, and above all, never say never! Science has no end!

Huge thanks to Hear Our Voices Tours for having me on this blog tour! ♥️✨

TITLE: The Lantern of Lost Memories

AUTHOR: Sanaka Hiiragi 

PAGE EXTENT: 224

PUBLISHER: Pan MacMillan India

GENRE: Translated Fiction

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine waking up in a cosy photo studio in the mountains, between this world and the next. A kind man hands you a hot drink and a stack of photographs, one from every day of your life. There are hundreds, even thousands of them. They capture your best days and your worst, memories you treasure and those you try to forget. And then there are the rest, those in-between days that we didn’t know were leading to the great highs and lows. Then you are asked to pick one photograph from each year to be placed in a beautiful Japanese lantern, to be set spinning so that your life will flash before your eyes before you move on. This is the task set for each guest who arrives in Hirasaka’s photo studio. Like our most thumbed over photos, our favourite memories can be tarnished in time too, so he guides them back in time to relive one special day over again, to take a fresh photo and find peace. The Lantern of Lost Memories is a healing, uplifting Japanese novel about family, love, loss and humanity, and what life is really about.

There is something about feel-good Japanese fiction that wraps you up in a warm bear hug and will leave you feeling content and cozy like a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day. The Lantern of Lost Memories was exactly that and so much more.

In a photo studio in the mountains, Mr Hirasaka receives visitors who are on the precipice of life and death, helps them comb through tons of photos chronicling every single day of their lives, gives them a chance to revisit one single memory, runs all of their most cherished memories through a Japanese lantern, and ensures they pass on happily to the afterlife. Not only is the plot unique, it has an air of whimsy that makes it all the more magical.

Get ready to embark on a journey to the past with a young nursery teacher in Tokyo after the World War decimated parts of the city, a Yakuza warrior who looks back at a time when he showed kindness, and a young girl facing domestic abuse as they navigate a day in their lives more one time and emerge happier and ready to pass on to whatever comes next.

Don’t you believe that life is full of choices and one choice, no matter now inconspicuous it might seem at the moment, has the power to change the trajectory of your entire life? We are nothing but the choices we make and this book couldn’t have highlighted that any better.

If you’re in the mood for a quick feel-good read that is bound to leave you with a smile on your face while also not shying away from discussing the harshness of life, or just a cozy book to snuggle up with on a rainy evening, this is the perfect pick for you!

What are some of your favourite feel-good books? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

TITLE: Best Hex Ever

AUTHOR: Nadia El-Fassi  

PAGE EXTENT: 304

PUBLISHER: Del Rey Books (Penguin Random House India)

GENRE: Adult Fantasy/Romance

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️💫

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Dina is a skilled kitchen witch and café owner, serving magic-infused pastries to her loyal customers. But it’s hard not to feel something is missing when you’re cursed to hurt anyone who falls for you.

Scott is a museum curator, recently back in London after a brutal breakup 2 years ago, and looking to make up for all the time he missed. He’s determined to be perfect best man at his best friend’s upcoming wedding, but his plans take an expected turn when he meets the bewitching maid of honour.

After a weekend in the countryside full of peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. But there’s just one problem: the hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger.

Can Dina break the spell before it breaks both their hearts?

Add a ton of feel-good magic, a very cozy coffee shop, your new book boyfriend (on your never-ending list of books boyfriends), a very cuddle cat, a house with a mind of its own, an old mansion in the woods and a TON of steam and the product is Best Hex Ever! If you’re in the mood for a witchy romance that will leave you all tingly, you know what your next pick should be!

Dina Whitlock is a kitchen witch who owns Serendipity Cafe in London. Scott Mason is a curator at the British Museum. Sparks fly between them over the course of a weekend at Dina’s best friend Immy’s wedding, but (there’s always a but) there’s a catch. Dina has been hexed and every person she loves is bound to get hurt. As Dina starts falling in love with Scott, she can’t help but fear that the hex will get to him too. Can Dina break the hex and manage to keep Scott in her life? I am not spilling the beans!

Believe me when I say this: I was NOT prepared for the sheer amount of good-quality steam in this book! It’s been quite a while since I read a book as steamy as this one and it’s an understatement to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, hehe.

Magical realism as a genre is one of my favourites because it always tickles the possibility that magic could actually exist in our world: from spells to charms to hexes to familiars. Dina comes from a long line of witches and it makes you wonder if there are humans touched by magic amongst us. And a house that is so adorable you want to give it a hug? Like come on, it’s a HOUSE and you can’t help but giggle at its antics.

I am someone who treasures woman friendships in life and the friendship between Dina, Immy and Rosemary is definitely one for the books! Not only is their camaraderie top-notch, they are the kind of besties that stand by you through thick and thin and their friendship shone through the pages!

This review would indeed be incomplete without mentioning how gloriously queer this book is! Dina is a proud bisexual who treasures her Moroccan heritage, and Scott was adopted and has two mums. There is on-page coming out to a parent and if that’s sensitive for you, please proceed with caution.

Another thing that caught my attention over the course of this book is the realistic portrayal of human bodies and how the author doesn’t shy away from discussing these on page! All bodies are pretty and all bodies are sexy. Period.

Is a romance novel perfect without adding another book boyfriend to your extremely long list of them? Scott Mason couldn’t get any more perfect. Not only is he a bespectacled museum curator channeling a hot professor vibe, he is a genuine, open-book kind of a guy who is bound to raise your standards for men (don’t all book boyfriends do?)

So what are you waiting for? Pick up this book and get transported to a cottage in the woods of rural England with Dina and Scott!

Are you a fan of witchy romance novels? Which ones are your favourites?

TITLE: Tales from Beyond the Rainbow

AUTHOR: Pete Jordi Wood  

PAGE EXTENT: 304

PUBLISHER: Puffin Books

GENRE: Middle Grade Anthology

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ten captivating stories of adventure and resilience celebrating LGBTQ+ characters, published as an illustrated collection of queer classics for the first time.

These are the fairy tales that history forgot – or concealed. Tales in which gender is fluid and where queer stories can have a happy ending.
Meet the humble sailor who finds his very own handsome prince and the Black trans market girl who becomes queen. Journey to the ends of the earth with an Indian prince, and discover the gay ghosts whose love lasted beyond death.

From Europe to Asia via the African savannah, LGBTQ+ folklore researcher Pete Jordi Wood has combed through generations of history and adapted ten unforgettable stories, each illustrated by an artist who shares heritage with the culture from which the stories were born.

Folk tales are what got me into reading. I remember picking out the most whimsical folk tales at the school library way back in school. If only a book such as this one existed back then! A book where I felt represented, a book that didn’t deem me abnormal and a book that showed me I’m not alone and people like me exist all over the world.

Tales From Beyond the Rainbow is an anthology of folk tales about queer people, for queer people (and everyone in general) and written by a queer author! From the savannahs of Africa to the glittering palaces of India, Pete Jordi Wood has dug deep into folklore from every corner of the world and compiled them all into one adorable little book where every tale brims with glorious queer joy!

Queer people have existed in the past, they currently exist and will continue to exist forever. This book is testament to that very fact. Not only do these tales highlight queerness, they all teach readers, both young and old, invaluable lessons, like folk tales are meant to. And the cherry on top? They all feature illustrations by queer artists from the respective cultural backgrounds!

If there’s one thing I want, it’s that this book should be essential reading material in schools. I want every queer kid that picks this book up to know that they’re not alone and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being queer, but in fact, something to be celebrated and be proud of!

Whether you’re a queer person or not, this book definitely deserves to be on your shelf! Looking back, I can’t stop but wish I picked this book up as a kid figuring out his sexuality with nobody to turn to, and know that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

Have you read any queer Middle Grade books? Let me know in the comments!

TITLE: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess

AUTHOR: Rick Riordan  

PAGE EXTENT: 336

PUBLISHER: Puffin Books

GENRE: Fantasy

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THE ORIGINAL HERO. A BRAND-NEW ADVENTURE.

Percy Jackson has saved the world multiple times – battling monsters, Titans, even death himself – so graduating high school should be a breeze, right? 

Wrong. Percy needs three recommendation letters from the gods before his final year in high school comes to an end. And one thing Percy knows, the gods on Mount Olympus don’t do anything for free.

To secure his second letter, Percy and his friends Annabeth and Grover agree to a new quest – pet-sitting for the goddess Hecate while she’s away over Halloween. They just need to follow her simple rules:

1. Look after the pets like their lives depend on it (because they do)
2. Don’t touch anything – especially Hecate’s magic potions!
3. See points 1 and 2

But when Grover’s curiosity gets the better of him, the trio find themselves with a giant goat, a destroyed house, and Hecate’s (terrifying and potentially deadly) pets on the loose in New York City.

Now the trio have twenty-four hours to find the pets and restore the mansion to order – or face the full fury of Hecate and her horrifying three-heads.

Uncle Rick is back! In the second instalment of the low-stakes spin-off Percy Jackson series, our favourite demigod is given another task to complete in order to get a recommendation letter for his admission to New Rome University. Last time it was Ganymede, the cupbearer of the gods, and this time, it’s none other than the goddess Hecate herself!

And what is the task you ask? Pet-sitting! Yes, you heard it right! Hecate entrusts Percy and his friends, Grover and Annabeth to sitting her two pets in her humongous mansion while she’s away travelling the world during Halloween week. What could possibly go wrong? Well, EVERYTHING!

After a minor hiccup involving strawberries and Grover, not only is Hecate’s mansion destroyed, her (extremely dangerous) pets have run away as well! The task is clear: find her pets and bring them back from whatever corner of Manhattan they are in, AND restore her mansion to its original condition before Hecate is back, unless they want to face her wrath and botch the chances of getting an LOR! How hard could it possibly be? Well, you have read enough Percy Jackson books to know the answer!

As you dive back into the world of Camp Half-blood and Percy Jackson, be prepared to get hit by a wave of nostalgia! Characters we grew up with are now back as high school seniors and while they navigate life and more serious stuff like college applications, expect the same sarcasm, witty banter and hilarious chaos that we have come to love in these books!

While the stakes aren’t as high as they were in the main series, the fun is definitely a guarantee! This book is fast-paced, action-packed to the brim and will have you clutching your belly with laughter! Be prepared to encounter some nasty nymphs, a ton of ghosts, a very adorable hellhound pup called Nope and some shadow travel! There is a hint of New York City’s history too!

So, what are you waiting for? Pick this book up and revisit the Percy Jackson universe!

Are you a fan of the Percy Jackson books? Let’s discuss in the comments!

TITLE: Ink Blood Sister Scribe

AUTHOR: Emma Törzs 

PAGE EXTENT: 416

PUBLISHER: Century Books (Penguin Random House India)

GENRE: Fantasy

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that will allow someone to walk through walls or turn water into wine. Books of magic.

Her estranged older sister Esther moves between countries and jobs, constantly changing, never staying anywhere longer than a year, desperate to avoid the deadly magic that killed her mother. Currently working on a research base in Antarctica, she has found love and perhaps a sort of happiness.

But when she finds spots of blood on the mirrors in the research base, she knows someone is coming for her, and that Joanna and her collection are in danger.

If they are to survive, she and Joanna must unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden from them – secrets that span centuries and continents, and could cost them their lives …

OH. MY. WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN? I know it’s the beginning of the year but I can safely say this is definitely one of my Top 10 reads of 2025! Not only do you get to experience a well-crafted plot full of jaw-dropping plot twists and action-packed scenes, you can’t help but admire the unique magic system that is centred around books!

Yes, you read that right! I am a huge fan of books about books, and this one definitely takes the cake!

Joanna lives in Vermont, protecting her late father’s collection of magical books(trust me, some of these are deadly) and Esther works as an electrician on a base in Antarctica. When Esther spots blood marks on the mirrors at the base, she knows someone there is doing magic and has a book with them. And why does magic not seem to affect Esther at all? Why is she weirdly immune to it? I am itching to tell more but this is one of those books where the plot slowly unravels itself in layers like peeling an onion and you should experience it for yourself!

If you’re a fan of plot twists that make you gasp and close the book to process what just happened, this book has them aplenty! The author clearly knows how to throw some massive curveballs at you, haha!

Well, let’s talk about the magic system that makes this book so unique! Books are magic (duh, but hear me out) and they contain spells that can only be activated when they are touched with a drop of blood and read. And what’s the ink they are written with? You guessed it right: blood! And there are libraries full of these books! Who writes them? Who collects these dangerous weapons? I can’t spill more beans!

What’s some chef’s-kiss urban fantasy without a dash of romance? Esther and Pearl are undoubtedly my favorite ship in this story and yay for queer rep too! There are definitely some bittersweet moments in this book but don’t worry, everything wraps up perfectly in the end!

Another important highlight of this book is complicated sibling relationships. Esther left home one night when she turned eighteen never to return back, but what may have triggered this? Esther and Joanna had been as thick as thieves but what led her sister to abandon Joanna when she needed her the most? You can’t help but commend the author for portraying realistic sibling dynamics and addressing these topics with the finesse they deserve.

Not only does this book take place in multiple countries, the plot is layered over decades in time as well. Have you watched those cartoons where a light bulb zings over a character’s head? That will most definitely be you as different subplots and clues are revealed over the course of the story and finally, everything clicks into place like a perfectly-solved jigsaw puzzle!

If you’re a fan of urban fantasy filled to the brim with action, fast-paced scenes, unique books-centred magic system, massive plot twists, and a hint of some sweet romance, you’re in the right place!

What was the last fantasy novel you read? Let me know in the comments!

TITLE: Threads That Bind

AUTHOR: Kika Hatzopoulou

PAGE EXTENT: 432

PUBLISHER: Penguin Books

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy

MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐️⭐️

SOURCE: Received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In the city of Alante, the descendants of the Greek gods live alongside mortals.

Io is the youngest of three sisters, descended from the Fates. She can see threads: shimmering silver lines connecting every person. When a new relationship is formed, a new thread appears. When a person’s life-thread is cut, it’s their time to die. Io uses her gifts as a private investigator, trying to make ends meet in a world which treats other-born people like her with suspicion and prejudice.

Then Io is witness to a murder – but this is no ordinary murder. Io can see that the killer’s life-thread is severed. They should be long dead.

More complicated still, there is another witness: Edei, a member of the violent Rossi mob who rule Alante. And what Io can see immediately, although Edei cannot, is that there is a bright silver fate-thread connecting them. This boy is her destiny.

Io and Edei are thrown together to solve the case, and as Io grapples with the dark secrets lurking beneath Alante’s surface, she must decide whether to embrace her fate and give in to the feelings growing between herself and Edei – or whether to cut the thread, and set him free…

Filled with mystery, violent betrayal and powerful, simmering romance, and inspired by Greek mythology, Kika Hatzopoulou’s electrifying, genre-defying debut is perfect for fans of Alexandra Bracken’s Lore, Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows and Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights.

Add a unique Greek mythology-inspired magic system, sprinkle a hint of heart-warming romance, throw in a dollop of action-packed scenes and major plot twists, and garnish everything with an air of post-apocalyptic dystopia; and there you have it: Threads That Bind!

Io is one of the moira-born, descendants of the Moirae or Goddesses of Fates. On one of her stake-out jobs, she finds an attacker with a broken life thread, which should technically not be possible. What follows is an action-packed quest full to the brim with plot twists, romance, political intrigue, deadly gangs, betrayal and so much more!

This book has probably one of the most unique magic systems I have come across in YA! The descendants of the Gods are born according to their number, three moira-born: one to weave, one to draw and one to cut, two Dioscuri-born, nine Muse-born, to name a few! There are descendants from other mythologies as well! Not only are they endowed with special powers, they are also looked down upon as “otherborn” by the society. Now that I have given you a glimpse into this magic system, read the book to discover the rest!

Have you read books that keep you guessing who the culprit is right to the last chapter, and somehow it wasn’t who you expected it to be but the clues were right in front of you throughout? This is EXACTLY one of those books! The plot will keep you engaged right upto the last page and will make you want to pick up Hearts That Cut immediately! Because, what WAS that revelation at the end?!

As you progress through the story, you can’t help but wonder where good ends and evil begins, or is there even a divide? Nothing is black or white, but multiple shades of grey. Who is the good person? Who is the villain? Go figure.

Another highlight for me was how deftly complex family dynamics were dealt with in this book. We can’t help but accept sometimes that family is not what we’re born into, but who we choose to surround ourselves with. Family members can sometimes be the negative catalyst in our lives and this book does the perfect job of portraying the same. I don’t want to spill the beans here, pick this book up soon!

Political intrigue in a fantasy world always makes me curious. While there is a whole dystopian air to the story, there are also major political subplots reminiscent of our own lives.

Is a YA dystopian fantasy complete without some swoony romance? The slow blossoming of love between Io and Edei was definitely the cherry on top for me! This is also a very queernormative fantasy world so expect a ton of queer side characters! Yay!

Now that I have convinced you enough, go pick this one up! I shall read Hearts That Cut in the meantime!

Have you read Greek mythology-inspired fantasy? Let me know in the comments below!