book review: As We Fall Through Time by Claire North

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Orbit Books for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

This highly imaginative and fresh take on time travel easily skyrocketed this book into my top five reads of 2026. Cal, Fadimatu, Bede, and their fellow travelers "fall through time" by tethering themselves to objects that exist across eras—an ancient wall, a still-standing building, or a heavy boulder. However, emergence requires precision and mindfulness; a traveler must carefully calculate the risk of emerging into an exploding bomb, a collapsing structure, or a crowded street of passersby! Because the narrative spans from ancient history to the frozen end of the world, there is an immense amount of ground to cover. Yet, while the scale can be dizzying, North masterfully pieces it all together.

This back-and-forth traversal of eons is perfected by North’s distinct narrative voice and style, which brings unique sensory details to every century and layer to every character. While the time travel alone would have provided a stable foundation for the plot, there are also consequential discussions on love, humanity, greed, the preservation of history, the simultaneous insignificance and vital importance of living, and whether fate is pre-written.

As a reader, I always love walking away from a book with new recipes to try—something I certainly didn't expect to find in a sci-fi epic like this. Yet, I am now incredibly intrigued to try injera and shiro wot (inspired by Cal’s visit to a flooded 2130s NYC, taking a sampan to Bede’s high-rise apartment), currywurst in a fluffy bun with cheese chips from Berlin, and the pilav and vizier’s fingers that Fadimatu serves to her guests.

I highly recommend this book for so many reasons. It is fantastic. At the absolute bare minimum, it will beautifully expand your vocabulary; I have rarely encountered an author who wields language in such a brilliant and mesmerizing way.

book review: The Death and Birth of Iliana Marek by David Liss

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Tachyon Publications for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own. 

This fresh sci-fi thriller had me riveted - I devoured it on a lazy Sunday! 

For the past seven years, Dan has just been trying to survive each day after being blamed for a classmate's tragic death. Shunned by both his family and his hometown, he is left feeling isolated and demeaned, with his best friend, Benito, serving as his only source of support. Everything changes one night when a mysterious figure saves him from harm — an event Dan initially writes off as a hallucination due to his dependence on prescription meds. But as Dan draws closer to this stranger and they attempt to untangle their connections to this corrupt, secretive town, both discover more about themselves and their pasts. 

The portrayal of the main character and unique writing style will resonate with fans of Josh Silver, one of my favorite authors. More broadly, though, anyone who loves a complexly crafted mystery that leaves you guessing until the last page, this is a must-read!

book review: Sunderworld V-02 - The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Dutton Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to get an early reader copy of the second volume of the Sunderworld duology. After finishing the first book, I was dying to know what would happen next. If you are just as curious as I was, Volume 2 is out today!

Ransom Riggs does a great job of weaving the history from the first book into the opening chapters of the second. This helped refresh my memory, but also made it easy for someone new to the story to read this as a standalone and follow along.

In this second installment, Leopold, Emmett, and Isabel are still on the hunt for the truth behind Leopold's mom's history of magic. However, the scope of the investigation broadens when they uncover an unexpected secret involving another member of Leopold's family. During all of this, Leopold is fending off government agents and mystical creatures trying to get their hands on the ring, all while battling internal doubts about what he owes to Sunder and whether he has the confidence to save it. As the story progresses, we get more peeks into the neighboring spaces of the slack world and the magical one.

This was a phenomenal follow-up to volume one. I was elated to find out that Riggs has publicly stated that he is "excited to return to Sunderworld in the future." I can't wait to see what's next for this trio, and whatever new characters join the mix!