Tag: #Identity

HomeAdrift by Soheil Mirchi

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

How far can you go before the silence breaks you?

Commander Solene Ellis has left Earth behind forever. Now she drifts through the void aboard the colony ship Nia Kvara, watching over 100,000 colonists in hibernation. Only Ava, the ship’s AI, keeps her company.

The voyage spans 3,000 years, but for Solene, time comes in fragments—fleeting moments of wakefulness between long, frozen sleeps. Hours blur into decades. Memories unravel. In the stillness, she begins to lose track not only of time, but of herself.

And solitude in deep space doesn’t stay quiet for long. Whispers echo where no one should be. Shadows shift just beyond her vision. A mysterious vessel appears in the void. Even Ava starts to act… strangely.

As reality fractures, Solene must face a terrifying is something out there hunting them—or has her own mind become the true threat?

Review

I am not sure where to start this review. So many thoughts going through my mind.

I absolutely loved the book, a character led, sci fi space horror told with deep philosophical resonance. Tension and emotion poured off the pages. So much to think about, small details become rabbit holes in my mind. Bigger ideas like isolation, survival, home, privilege, AI, time… they feel insurmountable.

I am not often a fan of an unreliable narrator, but the author merged Solene’s reality and hibernation dreams flawlessly, and had me questioning everything. In a good way.

Even after she reprogrammed Ava, the ships AI who went rogue from a previous hack, I was still unsure if what Ava said was true or not. Did the original destination planet really have a virus that made it uninhabitable for humans?

One thought that kept recurring for me was that Solene was awake for the equivalent of about a month, but thanks to years in hibernation for the space jumps, the time that actually passed in Earth years was millennia. That feels like such an unthinkable premise, incomprehensible. Solene had no time to process her feelings,her grief, her wonder.

Her awake time was spent reading reports and data collected when she was hibernating, as well as checking the ship’s functions and status. Things that happened 300 years ago when she was last awake felt like yesterday to her.

One quote stood out for me… “Extended life, for all its promises, has left me with a lingering sense of emptiness. The prospect of living for centuries – does it make me any more human, or does it strip away what it means to truly live?”

Such a huge question. I will be sitting with this and the rest of Solene’s story for a long time.

Thanks to @The_WriteReads and the author for a copy of the book to read and review.

Book Info

Genre: Science Fiction

Age Category: Adult

Number of Pages: 326 Pages

Publication Date: November 12, 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238567071-homeadrift 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6869bb8c-a35a-431d-b5f2-cfcf02be5650 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/9RCpUhx (Canada) https://a.co/d/iHzeWY8 (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/abYuHWP (UK)

The First Sin by Cheyenne Brammah

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

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 honour 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 honour, 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.

Review

Being told the prophecy (of how things will end) at the start of the story does not spoil this book at all. Like all prophecies, you just never know how the characters are going to fulfil it. This is a fine example of “sort of” knowing the ending but becoming engrossed in the story and the characters because it is so well told.

The world building in this first book is top notch, from the clans and “the Whole” to the planetary system, the ship and Berwen, the planet they end up on,

The author has created a story full of well developed characters, all with their own secrets from the past and flaws that may or may not lead them down the paths they take. Decisions made “for the good of the clan” are not always good decisions.

The comparison between the way the clans work and the way the “hive mind” of the skarastaja works is an interesting juxtaposition.

There are some big themes in this book; love, loss, vengeance, addiction, belief systems and sacrifice, which the author weaves into a compelling narrative. In the second half, we also find out the consequences of introducing another element into a planet’s natural order.

This book is not for the faint hearted. The blurb says dark and spicy, and it certainly delivers on that. There is so much to think about that I need time to reflect before even contemplating my next read.

The character list at the start and the glossary at the end are both useful reference points throughout, to help you keep track of things, if needed.

About the book

Genre: Science Fantasy

Age Category: Adult

Number of Pages: 668 Pages

Publication Date: 23 October 2025

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/241900715-the-first-sin 

Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/9d90c00f-9780-46d2-b9b5-bb67ffdb4eda 

Amazon: https://a.co/d/ivPviJG (Canada) https://a.co/d/9IXOJmx (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/bW2KOHe (UK)

Thank you to @The_WriteReads and the author for an eARC to read and review for this blog tour.

Madame Eldridge’s Wayward Home for Unruly Boys by Benjamin Ryan

On By @f33lthesunIn Young Adult1 Comment

Blurb

Deep in the heart of Virginia’s dense backwoods, the Wayward Home for Unruly Boys hides more than just troubled youth. Under Madame Eldridge’s watchful eye, three strict rules govern their behavior

1. What happens here stays here.

2. You must complete all eight steps—no exceptions allowed.

3. Forget your name; you’ll be known only by your problem.

But, there’s one unspoken rule that sends shivers down the boys’ never enter the forbidden third-floor bedroom of the boy who vanished, leaving nothing behind but whispers.

When Vandalize and Stealer defy this warning, they uncover a treasure trove of bewitched artifacts, each with a strange and powerful ability. Using these relics, the boys tackle Madame Eldridge’s whimsical—and often bizarre—challenges, only to learn magic always demands its price.

Amidst the chaos, Fibbsy stumbles upon a peculiar object that sends him hurtling back in time, revealing an unfathomable truth about Madame Eldridge, the eerie town, and the missing boy’s fate. But who will trust the words of a liar?

Bound by the house’s darkest mysteries, Fibbsy, Defiance, Slob, and Secret form an unlikely friendship as they race to unveil the shrouded secrets surrounding the Wayward Home. Together, they confront their deepest fears, uncovering that the real magic lies in facing their own personal demons—and each other.

Review

I really enjoyed this book. It had hidden depths that do not appear until later on. I loved the concept of the positive behaviour promoting programme and how names and consequences were linked to each boy’s problem…Bully, Cheater, Defiance, Fibbsy etc. Fibbsy realising that no one believes him when he tells them he was in danger is very much Boy Who Cried Wolf.

I was already invested when the deeper secrets of the home are revealed. The descriptive passages about the dark presence are spine chilling. The discovery of magical objects and secret meetings just added to the overall deep unease of the place.

As the boys grapple with their own issues, having to work on group tasks means also dealing with the issues of each other and pushing back against their natural, self preservation instincts.

Overall, the characterisation and world building is well crafted. There is a deep sense of foreboding throughout, mixed with just the right amount of dark humour.

A thoroughly deserved 5th place in the BBNYA 2024 awards.

Thank you to BBNYA and The Write Reads for allowing me to be on the judging panel and also the author for providing me with a copy of the book to review.

Please look out for all the other blogs on this tour.

Book Details

Length: 290 Pages

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Age Category: Young Adult

Date Published: August 1, 2023

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/2xhAZT8 (Canada) https://a.co/d/gy4ZbEk (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/6gb1kDI (UK) 

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221648688-madame-eldridge-s-wayward-home-for-unruly-boys 

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/dae36be6-672b-4648-9308-594850a53715

About BBNYA

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 https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads. 

Curse of Souls by Niranjan

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

The fates of two nations hang on the balance on a man’s choice between love and an arcane bond.

Philip has been spearheading a rebellion in his country, with Casey, his lover and partner, at his side. The rebellion has snowballed into a civil war and casualties on both sides are mounting. In a desperate attempt for peace, Philip decides to approach Raylan, the second in command of the other side. He has learned that Raylan is not as stubborn as his mentor and that he may be open to negotiations.

The last thing Philip expects is for a soul mate bond to spring to life between him and Raylan, activating an ancient curse that will kill them both if the bond isn’t consummated. Philip has never loved anyone but Casey, and Raylan is a total stranger who he has no feelings for. Yet, the delicate negotiations between the two nations will fail without him and Raylan. Philip’s life is not his own, after all; it belongs to the people he has pledged his service to.

With more than his life at stake, will Philip be able to let go of the love of his life to bring peace to his people?

Review

This is a fantasy romance novella about a couple, Philip and Casey, together for 15 years, who are emotionally wounded when an ancient magic soulmate bond awakens in Philip, giving him a short time in which to find his soulmate and consummate the relationship or they will both die.

Time is no issue however, as they discover almost immediately that Philip’s bond soulmate is the person who they have been negotiating with to end the war and bring peace to the country, making this an issue they had not expected.

The author deals with the emotions of the three main characters well, their separate reactions to the bond curse and working through the issues (both in their own minds and together) being a very strong theme of the story.

The story being told from the different viewpoints of the three main characters is useful to us, the readers, as it means there are no unreliable narrators leading us on about how others are thinking because of the perceptions of the other characters.

Where I wanted more was the back stories…to the characters (not just Philip, Casey and Raylan), to the world they inhabit and the magic. I wanted to be more emotionally connected to the story of Raylan and his four friends since childhood, to then be really invested when we find out one of them may be a traitor.

About the Book

Length: 158 Pages

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Age Category: Adult

Date Published: January 19, 2024

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/fML4oX2 (Canada) https://a.co/d/iMVvXJM (USA) https://amzn.eu/d/8MzvDYy (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/193384554-curse-of-souls

The Story Graph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6c7e346e-d40f-4fb2-863d-9cc2e837d9cd

Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison – A Spotlight Post

On By @f33lthesunIn Young AdultLeave a comment
Cover by Jet Purdie

I am shining a spotlight on the wonderful Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison, to celebrate its publication in the US on October 1st 2024.

I really enjoyed reading this when it came out earlier this year in the UK and reviewed it here.

Book Info

Genre: Contemporary YA

Length: 272 pages

Published: April 2024 in UK and Oct 1st 2024 in US

Goodreads 

StoryGraph

Amazon UK 

Amazon US

Or buy it from your local independent bookshop, which is my preferred option.

Blurb

Looking for Lucie is a contemporary YA novel that explores identity, self-discovery, and newfound friendship as an 18-year-old girl sets out to uncover her ethnic heritage and family history.

It’s a question every brown girl in a white-washed town is familiar with, and one that Lucie has never been able to answer.

All she knows is that her mother is white, she’s never met her father, and she looks nothing like the rest of her family. She can’t even talk about it because everyone says it shouldn’t matter!

Well, it matters to Lucie and—with her new friend Nav, who knows exactly who he is—she’s determined to find some answers.

What do you do when you question your entire existence? You do a DNA test.

About the Author

Amanda Addison is an award-winning author of books for adults and children. Her writing has been translated into German, Greek, Italian and Ukrainian. Her picture book, Boundless Sky, was nominated for The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal, and her YA novel, Looking for Lucie, was listed for the Searchlight Writing Novel Opening Award. A graduate of Chelsea school of Art, her writing and artwork are inspired by travel, textiles, and the natural world. Amanda holds an MA in Writing the Visual and lectures in Art & Design and has also led workshops in Creative Writing at the National Centre for Writing. Amanda lives in Norfolk, UK, with her family.

Her writing includes flash fiction, short stories, picture books and novels. She explores themes of home and belonging, and enjoys using the juxtaposition of rural and city life. Her characters are often artists or scientists, as their curiosity about the world around them are two sides to the same coin, and the exploration of art and science can give us meaning and purpose in life with its infinite avenues of discovery. Amanda’s debut YA novel, Looking for Lucie, Neem Tree Press 2024, explores the above. It is a contemporary story of identity, self-discovery, and newfound friendship. Lucie, an 18-year-old art student sets out to uncover her ethnic heritage and family history with her new scientist friend Nav. Together they unravel family secrets.

Amanda believes in the power of stories as a window on the world, and a mirror to better see ourselves and is passionate about stories which are empowering and inclusive. When not writing she can be found swimming in the North Sea or running in the countryside, and that is when she gets some of her best ideas!

Please look out for other spotlights and reviews on this tour to celebrate the US release of Looking for Lucie.

The Reanimator’s Heart by Kara Jorgensen

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

A reluctant necromancer, a man killed before his time, and the crime that brings them together.

Felipe Galvan’s life as an investigator for the Paranormal Society has been spent running into danger. Returning home from his latest case, Felipe struggles with the sudden quiet of his life until a mysterious death puts him in the path of the enigmatic Oliver Barlow.

Oliver has two secrets. One, he has been in love with the charming Felipe Galvan for years. Two, he is a necromancer, but to keep the sensible life he’s built as a medical examiner, he must hide his powers. That is until Oliver finds Felipe murdered and accidentally brings him back from the dead.

But Felipe refuses to die again until he and Oliver catch his killer. Together, Felipe and Oliver embark on an investigation to uncover a plot centuries in the making. As they close in on his killer, one thing is certain: if they don’t stop them, Felipe won’t be the last to die.

Review

I really enjoyed this historical, steampunk fantasy story told from two points of view: Oliver, an autistic necromancer working as a pathologist, trying to hide his magic so as not to be harshly judged by others and Felipe, a healer and paranormal investigator, who Oliver accidentally brings back from the dead when he is murdered.

What unfolds is a murder mystery involving organised religion, paranormal investigation, magical relics and the beginnings of a tentative love story between Oliver and Felipe, if only they would talk properly with each other.

The murder is important because of the consequences, the mystery behind it is not the main thing. It does set the backdrop for the relationship between Oliver and Felipe to develop beyond both of them admiring each other from afar but neither being confident enough to let the other one know.

Kara Jorgensen has created believable, well developed characters. The supporting characters are quirky and interesting and each brings their own foibles and personalities to the unfolding story.

This story achieved a very well deserved 3rd place in the BBNYA 2023 awards. Thanks to @The_WriteReads for the eARC to review for this tour.

Welcome to Dorley Hall by Alyson Greaves

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

What if the only way to fix toxic masculinity were to erase it entirely?

Mark Vogel is like the older brother Stefan never had, but one day he disappears without a trace. A year later, after encountering a woman who looks near-identical to Mark, Stefan becomes obsessed. He finds that dozens of young men have disappeared over the years, many of them students at the Royal College of Saint Almsworth, and most of them troubled or unruly. Why are students going missing? Who are these women who bear striking resemblances to them? And what is their connection to the selective student accommodation on the edge of campus, Dorley Hall?

Stefan starts studying at Saint Almsworth for one reason and one reason only: to find out exactly what happened to the women who live at Dorley Hall, and to get it to happen to him, too.

Review

I was a bit unsure what to expect from this book. I chose to review it for this tour as I am trying to read at least one book a month outside of my usual genres.

What I found was a well written character driven narrative set in dark academia. The content however was not for me. There is definitely an audience out there for Dorley Hall, but it does not include me.

The biggest issue I had was the juxtaposition of the forced feminisation programme being run in Dorley Hall, against the much softer, often humorous, wholesomely frivolous post programme lives of those who have passed through the programme.

The biggest question I was left with was does the end justify the means?

I am not sure it does in this case.

Thank you as always to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for an ARC to review for this blog tour.

The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon by Safinah Danish Elahi

On By @f33lthesunIn AdultLeave a comment

Blurb

Zohaib, Misha and Nadia believed they would be in each other’s lives forever. As children they played, argued, teased and loved one another. Yet nothing could have prepared them for the tragic turn of events one fateful afternoon in Karachi, Pakistan, when the divisions and differences between them are revealed.

Years later and they are still trying to piece their lives back together, still trying to make sense of what happened. Zohaib is living in London, haunted by the ghosts of the past. Nadia has escaped the household where she first met Misha and Zohaib but finds fate delivering her back to their door…

The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon is a beautifully rendered portrait of love, healing, and long-buried pain, digging deep into the nature of trauma and class division.

Review

I was intrigued by the title of this book, and it engaged me enough to want to read and review it, despite it not being my usual type of read. I am very glad I made that decision. Without spoilers, the title is part of something the father of Misha and Zohaib says to them when they are children, and relates perfectly to the character arcs of both Nadia and Zohaib.

It took me a few chapters to get my head round the format and story, by then I didn’t want to put it down.

Dealing with family, friendship, love, loss, grief and class, this story of the long lasting effects of a childhood trauma, told from multiple perspectives, will stay with me.

The story unfolds mainly via the three main characters, Nadia, Misha and Zohaib, and is set both in the present and 17 years earlier, when Nadia and Misha are about 8. These are interspersed with chapters from the point of view of several other family members which add effectively to the narrative.

We do not find out exactly what happened until the end of the book, but hints are drip fed throughout, whilst we hear about how the event affected those involved as they dealt with it…or not, in some cases.

Despite the themes of poverty vs privilege, domestic violence, mysogyny, grief and mental health issues, there is hope in this story.

The ending (not the reveal of the childhood trauma event, but where the characters are in their lives and relationships) leaves the reader with a lot to contemplate. It is not what I expected but is reflective of reality, in my opinion.

Thank you to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for a copy of the book for me to review as part of this blog tour.

Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison

On By @f33lthesunIn #YA1 Comment

Blurb

Looking for Lucie is a contemporary YA novel that explores identity, self-discovery, and newfound friendship as an 18-year-old girl sets out to uncover her ethnic heritage and family history.

“Where are you really from?”

It’s a question every brown girl in a white-washed town is familiar with, and one that Lucie has never been able to answer. All she knows is that her mother is white, she’s never met her father, and she looks nothing like the rest of her family. She can’t even talk about it because everyone says it shouldn’t matter!

Well, it matters to Lucie and-with her new friend Nav, who knows exactly who he is-she’s determined to find some answers.

What do you do when your entire existence is a question with no answer?

You do a DNA test.

Review

I really enjoyed this story. With themes of identity, family secrets, racism, blended family and cultural heritage, there is a lot to think about.

The impact of Lucie’s mum not telling her anything throughout her life about her biological father just leads to lots of questions for her and builds a long term barrier, leading to Lucie not feeling that she could talk to her mum and ask those questions. The longer she left it, mum also made it more difficult to start the conversation too. It also meant Lucie had no idea about her cultural heritage either, which is important to her. Believing she was conceived by artificial insemination, she is more concerned about discovering her heritage than who her father actually was.

One thing that struck me after reading was the number of people impacted by the initial relationship and what happened after. They all lived with their own truth, how they perceived what happened, which is different for each of them…Lucie, her mum, her father and his family. And all of them had questions that the others could answer had they known about each other back then. Lots of parts are needed to complete the jigsaw, and some of the parts each of them have are from the wrong box.

Lucie’s search for answers meant other people also having to look back and finally reveal family secrets to their loved ones.

I also loved that Lucie used her art work to explore who she is and to show the world.

Thanks to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for an advance copy for the purposes of this review for the blog tour.

Birth of the Storm by Valerie Storm

On By @f33lthesunIn Fantasy, Young AdultLeave a comment
Cover by Ginka Jack (@Ginkahederling)

Blurb

A bolt of lightning. And a dream of vengeance.

For wolf-demon Kari, these define her every waking moment. Her parents are dead, slaughtered by human hands, forcing their only daughter to masquerade among their killers to save her own skin. Now she dwells among them, hiding her lightning-based abilities and plotting a terrible revenge, believing her schemes are all she’s good for now. But when she discovers unexpected solace among a group of humans who look past her monstrous nature, Kari finds herself questioning everything. Her mission. Her dreams. Even the hatred festering in her heart.

Is it possible for a creature like Kari to find happiness in a world that despises her?

Or will the spectres of her past force her down the path of vengeance in the end?

Review

As I started reading this I did not expect it to affect me as much as it did. It is to the author’s credit that I was pulled into Kari’s world and didn’t want to leave.

Valerie Storm has created an imaginative, dangerous world in which Kari has so much thrown at her from such a young age. This book does not shy away from violence and death, those Kari builds relationships with put in danger because of the power Kari was born with, despite her trying to keep it hidden, and those who are hunting her.

I had to keep reminding myself that Kari was a teenager to explain some of her reactions but she copes extremely well given her limited knowledge of her gift, the way most people treat her and the trauma of loss and separation she suffers. Her feelings of isolation, indecision and need for revenge drive her.

This is not a cosy fantasy story, it is hard hitting and powerful, better for it. It also ends on a twist and cliffhanger like no other.

I thought I was going to have to wait for the next book in the series so was very happy to realise that this was published in 2022 so others in the series are already out. Off to buy them.

Thank you to @The_WriteReads and Shadow Spark Publishing for the review copy.

I am resharing this blog to celebrate the release of the latest and final book in the series.

The Demon Storm series follows Kari Kasente, the wolf demon destined to destroy the world. While battling an innately crueler self, a Shadow Witch intent on controlling her, and a series of other enemies, Kari must learn to trust herself and those around her. Only then can she find her light and save the world.

The final book in the series, Fate of the Storm was released on May 13, 2025.

About the Author

Valerie Storm was raised in Tucson, Arizona. Growing up, she fell in love with everything fantasy. When she wasn’t playing video games, she was writing. By age ten, she began to write her own stories as a way to escape reality. When these stories became a full-length series, she considered the path to sharing with other children & children-at/heart looking for a place to call home.

She can be found on Twitter @Valerie_Storm