The Booksessed

Dearly Departed by Chip Pons My rating: 4 of 5 stars 🖤 🌻 👻 There's something rather fitting about a former Greek god of the Underworld ending up running a funeral home. And pairing him with a sunshine-y florist? Honestly, I was sold on the premise alone. Dearly Departed is a quirky, funny and surprisingly heartfelt MM romance that puts a modern spin on Greek mythology. Hayden, formerly known as Hades, has been forced into retirement among mortals, where he runs a funeral home and spends his days rather successfully avoiding actually living. Enter Levi, the cheerful local florist whose personality couldn't be more different from his own. Their initial encounter is adorable, and I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop. One of my favourite aspects was the humour. It's charming, witty and wonderfully queer-coded, with jokes and dialogue that genuinely made me laugh. The contrast between Hayden's cynicism and Levi'...

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah My rating: 5 of 5 stars 🕊️ 🥀 🕯️ 5.0 ★ Some stories are heartbreaking not just because of what happens, but because they remind us of the people history so often forgets. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a devastating, beautiful, and profoundly important story about women during World War II, the sacrifices they made, and the extraordinary courage it took to survive, resist, and protect the people they loved. Hannah writes about war from a perspective that deserves to be remembered just as much as the stories of those who fought on the front lines. What I particularly loved was how nuanced the characters are. They aren't always likable, and they don't always make the right decisions, but you understand where they come from. Their circumstances, fears, and experiences shape the choices they make, and the story never reduces everything to a simple question of good versus evil. It explores the devastat...

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin My rating: 4 of 5 stars 🎮 🕹️ 💔 4.25 ★ There's something fascinating about two people who can create entire worlds together but sometimes struggle to figure out how to exist in the same one. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is, at its heart, a story about friendship. Sam and Sadie's relationship is complicated, occasionally frustrating, and difficult to define, but it's also a beautiful one to follow. Their shared history and passion for creating games bring them together, while their individual struggles, misunderstandings, and unspoken feelings repeatedly pull them apart. One of my favorite aspects was the evolution of the gaming industry across several decades. Gabrielle Zevin clearly knows her subject, and I appreciated how she explored game development and gaming culture without letting the technical details overwhelm the story. The games Sam and Sadie create feel perso...

A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas My rating: 5 of 5 stars 🗡️ 🦇 🫀 Some books entertain you. Some books make you feel things. And then there are books that somehow manage to get their characters under your skin until you're laughing, screaming, getting emotional, and wondering how on earth you're supposed to wait for the next installment. A Court of Splintered Harmony did exactly that to me. Picking up in the aftermath of House of Flame and Shadow and the events of A Court of Silver Flames , this first movement throws us straight into a Night Court dealing with fractured relationships, political tensions, and the growing threat surrounding Koschei. There's a lot going on, but Sarah J. Maas handles the setup beautifully. The political landscape expands, old conflicts gain new weight, and every chapter feels like it's contributing something to the larger story. This never felt like filler to me. It feels intentional, and...

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke My rating: 5 of 5 stars 🏛️ 🌊 🕊️ I read Piranesi in just two sittings, completely absorbed by the mystery and Susanna Clarke's beautiful prose. There's something incredibly compelling about a story that gives you so many questions without making you feel like you need immediate answers. I kept wanting to understand the House, its strange rooms, its statues, and the rules governing this seemingly endless world. But what stayed with me most wasn't the mystery itself. It was everything the book made me think about afterward. The House feels almost like a museum to me. Every room holds something fascinating, but so much is left unexplained, allowing you to form your own interpretations. I loved the atmosphere of it all: the monumental architecture, the tides, the birds, and the sense that this world is far bigger than anyone could ever fully comprehend. Clarke's writing makes the House feel tangible whil...

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson My rating: 5 of 5 stars 🌩️ 🗡️ 🪶 Words of Radiance takes the epic to a whole new level, building on the foundation laid in The Way of Kings . This absolute unit of a book clocks in at 1,232 pages, and I finished it in THREE DAYS. Brandon Sanderson must have put something in these pages because I genuinely could not put this book down. The characters, the plot twists, the foreshadowing. It's ridiculous at this point how well Sanderson balances everything. Even with a story this massive, I was completely hooked. Kaladin, my sweet Kaladin. I love this man just as much as I did in the first book. Following him as he settles into his new role with Dalinar and finds his place among the wonderful Bridge Four crew is such a joy. His struggle with morality, responsibility, and what it really means to protect people continues to be one of my favourite parts of the series. I love seeing the different sides ...

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo My rating: 5 of 5 stars 🐇 🩸 😈 I honestly love this series. Hell Bent had me flying through the pages just like Ninth House , and while I think the first book has a slight edge, this was still such an enjoyable read. It takes a little while for things to really start unraveling, but once the mysteries begin piling up, I was completely invested. One of my favorite things about this sequel is how much more we get to know the characters around Alex. Dawes, Mercy, Turner and Tripp all get more room to develop, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Turner grow on me as we learn more about his past and what made him who he is. The characters feel increasingly layered, with their own baggage, insecurities and reasons for being caught up in this strange world. And then there's Alex and Darlington. I love Alex as a protagonist. She's such an interesting mix of a deeply broken soul and someone stubborn enough to keep t...

The Holi-Delay: A Havenwood Series by Elle Kayden My rating: 4 of 5 stars 🎄 🐈‍⬛ 🌶️ 4.5 ★ ARC ⎸ Pub: November 10, 2026 I went into this cute little Christmas novella not entirely sure what to expect, but The Holi-Delay had me smiling and laughing before I knew it. Elle Kayden managed to pull me into Havenwood, its chaotic little community, and the relationship between Matt and Daniel surprisingly quickly. And the spice? Let's just say I was not prepared for that. 👀 Matt is such an easy character to love. He's funny, sweet, caring, and the person everyone turns to when something needs fixing. The problem is that he seems to forget that he deserves a little care himself. Despite the short length, there's genuine character growth here, and I enjoyed getting to know him beyond his role as the town's resident fixer. Daniel was equally lovely. He's a little lost in life, initially just passing through town, and I found his journey ...

The Splintered Sun by Tad Williams My rating: 3 of 5 stars 🪶 🗡️ 🌙 3.25 ★ There is a lot to appreciate in *The Splintered Sun*, but I finished it feeling more disappointed by what it could have been than satisfied with what it actually gave me. The premise was what initially drew me in, and the LGBT tag made me even more curious. I'd heard so many good things about Tad Williams beforehand, and I can absolutely understand why he's so highly regarded. His writing feels experienced and intentional, and he has a way of building scenes that draws me in and lets me visualise the world he's created. Unfortunately, beautiful writing and an immersive world don't necessarily make for an equally immersive reading experience. From the very beginning, I was thrown into Hernystir without much of a reference point. I'm used to fantasy books that require some patience while you find your footing, but here I found myself more confused than usual...

Fugletribunalet by Agnes Ravatn My rating: 4 of 5 stars 🪶 🐦‍⬛ 🌊 3.75 ★ Fugletribunalet var en litt blandet leseopplevelse for meg. Agnes Ravatn er utrolig god til å skape en følelse av uro, og fra ganske tidlig av sitter man med følelsen av at noe ikke stemmer. Jeg ble nysgjerrig på Allis og Bagge, fortiden deres og den merkelige dynamikken mellom dem. Den konstante spenningen var nok det jeg likte aller best med boka. Språket er vakkert på en helt egen måte. Det er poetisk, presist og fullt av fine, billedlige skildringer, selv om selve fortellerstilen ofte er ganske enkel. Jeg likte også hvordan Ravatn utforsker skyld, skam, selvbedrag og behovet for å flykte fra fortiden. Allis er en sammensatt og sårbar karakter, og svakhetene hennes gir mening med tanke på det hun forsøker å komme seg unna. Fascinasjonen hennes for Bagge er interessant, selv når den blir ubehagelig å følge. Samspillet mellom dem har en kleinhet som får en til å rope litt til ...

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson My rating: 5 of 5 stars 🌩️ 🗡️ 🧭 4.75 ★ I was honestly terrified of picking up this book. At around 1,140 pages, The Way of Kings had been sitting on my shelf for quite a while, and after hearing so many good things about it, I was almost intimidated by the expectations. Then I finally started reading it, and I FLEW through it. Apparently, all I needed was to actually get started. Brandon Sanderson's worldbuilding is genuinely astonishing. Roshar feels like an entire universe with its own history, politics, cultures, currencies, magical systems, libraries, and social hierarchies. There's SO MUCH to take in, but what impressed me most was how Sanderson weaves the history and lore into the characters' stories without making it feel like an endless history lesson. I found myself tabbing pages, taking notes, and constantly updating the map as I discovered new connections. I wanted to understand EVER...

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo My rating: 5 of 5 stars 🗝️ 🩸 🕯️ 5.0 ★ I've clearly been missing out on Leigh Bardugo, because Ninth House absolutely delivered. This book chose me after appearing in my feed one too many times, and I don't regret a single second of reading it. Bardugo throws you straight into a dark, intricate version of Yale, where secret societies practise forbidden magic behind the closed doors of the university's elite. There's a lot to learn, but the worldbuilding is so smartly handled that I never felt lost. Instead, I got to peel back the layers, pick up the clues and watch the pieces fall into place. The pacing isn't relentlessly fast, but I flew through the pages because I always wanted to know more. Alex Stern is the heart of this story. She's a brilliantly written, multifaceted protagonist whose resilience and vulnerability coexist in a way I really respect. Her shame, her flaws and her com...

The Bluff by Wade Rouse My rating: 4 of 5 stars ✨ 🥂 🥀 4.5 ★ ARC ⎸ Pub: October 13, 2026 The Bluff is exactly the kind of Christmas story I want: messy, complicated, funny, occasionally tragic, and very far from happy-go-lucky. My immediate reaction when I finished was essentially, “Holy shit, that’s a fucked-up family,” but somehow Wade Rouse makes all that dysfunction incredibly entertaining while still giving it genuine emotional weight. Set during a Christmas gathering on Mackinac Island, the story brings together a family carrying years of resentment, expectations, secrets, and generational baggage. The premise is deliciously chaotic, but underneath the humor are some surprisingly thoughtful explorations of family trauma, sexism, homophobia, class, money, aging, and the ways people can pass their own fears and failures down to the next generation. Rouse's biggest strength is his characters. Even with such a large cast, I never felt ...

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune My rating: 0 of 5 stars 🧚‍♂️ 🌊 💙 4.75 ★ This was such a cute, warm, and genuinely lovely story. I was immediately intrigued by the concept of Linus being essentially a social worker for magical children, especially when he is sent to an island where the children are considered potentially dangerous. What I loved most was the broader theme of acceptance. These children are different, and because of that, society has decided they are something to be feared. I really liked how the book explores that idea without losing its sense of humor or warmth. There is something particularly effective about seeing these supposedly dangerous children simply being themselves and getting to know who they actually are. And honestly, the children completely won me over. There are so many funny, adorable, and genuinely sweet moments throughout the book that had me feeling all warm and fuzzy. Even the child who is basically c...