"I have spent my entire life fighting to be seen, and I am not sure if I can continue much longer without anything to show for it."

GENRE: Historical Romantic Fantasy
RATING: 4.5/5
FORMAT: eBook & physical ARC
Tropes: Women in STEM, Bickering co-workers, falling in lover over letters, inspired by the 1900s Chicago

Overall Impression: Overall, I think this debut did an amazing job of blending all the different elements of the book, while keeping it light-hearted and a fun read. We somehow get to enjoy a journey of getting to know Josie & Reid, while understanding their standing in the world and how who they are as BIPOC individuals shaped them.

Review:
Letters from the Last Apothecary is for the people who enjoy epistolary novels, like Divine Rivals combined with the element of Academics that we see in Emily Wilde's books! I knew when I first heard of these two comp title, I'd need to read Letters from the Last Apothecary because I'm a HUGE fan of letters, footnotes and academics in Fiction books 🤭

And I wasn't wrong to be excited for it! I FLEW through this book. It's a Historical Romantic Fantasy with a little bit of Mystery and discussion of the different difficulties both of our MCs face as two BIPOC individuals. We also get to see how Josie faces being a women in the STEM field throughout the book and the barriers she faces overall. I think that is one of my favourite aspect to Letters from the Last Apothecary: the way we dive into a lot of social construct that are inspired by the 1900s Chicago setting and at the same time, we get to know both Reid and Josie through their POVs.

Bita manages to deliver all the different elements without overwhelming us as readers and we get to know both Reid and Josie, understand each of their own dreams and wants while also learning about the barriers they faced in society individually and painting a picture of the world they are in.

And, in terms of their Romance, I enjoyed their dynamic and thought it was a well done Slow-burn with them knowing each other through letters AND meeting in the apothecary, which then becomes a place that brings them together and keeps them there.

While I really enjoyed this book, the main reason it didn't get a full 5 star was because I did want to see a bit of development from the dynamic that Josie and Reid shared as co-workers to realising who they each were. I felt we got to spend more time with Josie on this than Reid and that impacted the flow of the Romance aspect for me.

I am so excited to read more by Bita and just adding here that I have seen Letters from the Last Apothecary described as cozy and I wouldn't call it cozy to me personally but more Charming (as Bita describes it) or Light Academia. This book is definitely slower paced but not cozy as it's got a lot of adventures and focuses on a lot of things that you wouldn't expect in a Cozy Fantasy book (it is definitely light-hearted with a few heavy topics).

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

"You can space a revolutionary, but you can never space the revolution."

GENRE: Arabfuturism (Sci-Fi)
RATING: 4.25/5
FORMAT: eBook & physical ARC

Review:

The Republic of Memory is an Arab-futurism Sci-fi inspired by Arab Spring and is Mahmud El Sayed's debut novel and what a novel. This book took me some time to read as I had to digest the information and it's definitely a heavy read (in the best of ways), making you think about all the impact of colonisation and the way language plays a role in it all.

As an Arab and someone who lived through Arab Spring in another country, I could recognise the influence of Egypt's Arab Spring on Mahmud's work and how we see the way it impacted the crew in the Safina. The Author takes the time to build the world, giving this book a very epic Sci-Fi vibe. We are introduced to different areas in the Safina, it's people and languages plus the way they work and function.

We are also introduced to the different factions that are demanding changes in the Safina. We see people with different beliefs, morals and values, reading their POV and understanding how each of them have been shaped by the Safina and the way the world has been built.

Oh and a whole new language that is a mixture of different languages? Reading and trying to understand/decode Nupol was so fun throughout the book. I ended up with a bit of a glossary that was ever-changing as words seem to carry multiple meanings. Eventually, my glossary was ditched as I came to understand most of what was said between the crew.

I would love to attend a talk with Mahmud one day and hear what inspired every part of this book, understand how he pieced it all together. This is something you have to experience and get ready to read. It's both slow and fast paced in the way that books with a lot of world building and political aspects to them are and what an adventure it takes you on.

I can't wait for book two and I am planning on rereading book one as The Republic of Memory needs a second read to be fully appreciated. OH and I can't not mention all the amazing Egyptian food we got in the book! I really want some Macarona Bechamel now

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

"You're doing it again," Doug says ...
"Doing what?" (Jett)
"(Looking at her) Like she's at the end of every road you drive down. Your center point."

GENRE: Romance
RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: eBook ARC
Tropes: Boss x Employee, Set in Australia, only one tent, forced proximity, PR relationship, ADHD and Dyslexia rep

Overall Impression: If Nicole Cubba writes it, I will read it and read it in less than 24 hours as well! I fell in LOVE with the story in Deep in Love and this second book in the series, Wild in Love was no exception to this 🥺

Review:

So Wild in Love follows the journey of both Jett and Sofía and OH MY GOD? I love them so much! Jett is very much an easy going person that we saw in book one and we get to learn so much more about him. His love for what he does carries through his POVs and that starts to translate for how he views Sofía as well. And oh my heart, watching them (well reading) fall in love together?

Jett is definitely what I would call kind of a golden retriever MMC? He is so gentle with everyone but he is ESPECIALLY gentle with Sofía, realising that she needs time to recover from what happened in her past and he helps her through it all emotionally. I loved how we got to see his journey with ADHD and dyslexia. As someone with ADHD, it was relatable read, especially watching Jett question his worth after being told he isn't worth it because he followed a different path in life.

And Sofía is our typical eldest sibling who took on the whole world and carries it all on her shoulders while not taking care of herself. Her POV is vulnerable, getting down to the root of it all while showing us that she is trying to maintain control of her life and manage it all for everyone too.

You can literally see their journey and how they come together. Sofía helps Jett see his worth and that he is perfect just the way he is, no matter what he did because he paved his own way in life. At the same time, Jett offers Sofía a space to be vulnerable and herself.

I genuinely love when we get to see relationships like this, ones that allow space for healing and falling in love at the same time and I cannot wait to read more from Nicole Cubba (and hopefully in this series🥹)

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

"There's this life waiting for me, out there. I know it. I've got a book deal. I go home to a partner who love some and doesn't mind taking care of me when I'm sick. My social calendar is brimming, replete. My body feels like mine again; like it did before. That life is just sitting there, at the top of a hill, waiting to be claimed. And I just haven't found a path to the summit yet."

GENRE: Romance; OwnVoice story about Cancer
RATING: 5/5
FORMAT:eBook & physical ARC
Tropes: Slowburn, Breast Cancer Survivor in her 20s, Friends to lovers, Maid of Honour x Best Man, One Tent, Manic pixie dream boy

Review:

What a beautiful book. This is a book that talks about how it feels to get sick, written by an OwnVoice author who went through the same journey as the FMC (Ruby) and you can tell that it's something written based on experience.

Ruby has to grapple with the fact that her life changed overnight while she was sick and deals with the fact that her life, body and everything in between feels like it's no longer hers. I related to so many things in this book because getting an illness, whether it's chronic illness, cancer...etc. comes with a lot of similarities and differences.

It's the way people treat you differently and the way you feel your previous life no longer fits you anymore. Ruby goes through this journey of realising that her friends were never truly there for her and that she isn't the same person anymore.

Oh and Eitan? What a lovely relationship and the way it comes to be? He makes Ruby realise she is worth so much more than she thinks and they help each other in smaller ways. I'd have loved to read his POV but this was a story focused on Ruby's journey, her healing and her life after cancer.

We truly do need more OwnVoice stories in terms of Cancer, disabilities, mental health and everything under this umbrella because for those of us who have ever gone through anything similar, we can tell when its written based on experience and Rebecca truly wrote her heart and emotions in AtDBT. You can see it in the dark humour, in the trying not to give up but what's the point of it all, in the "I have hope but I can't have hope the way you expect me to", in the hospital visits and follow-ups you always have to do, in the way you want to be loved & accepted but always feeling like you're a burden and in so many more ways. It's in the fact that everyone deserves their happy stories, no matter the battles they've gone through in this life.

And finally, here's another quote from this book that I loved:

"It's life, isn't it? We're born and we die, and the time in between is what it is."

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

"Life at the inn was so ... peaceful. There was no pressure for me to be anyone, to do anything. If anything, it made me ... I dont know. If I was before a roaring flame, burning for success, am now more akin to candelight."

GENRE: Cozy Fantasy
RATING: 4.75/5
FORMAT: eBook ARC

Overall Impression: What a wholesome cozy fantasy book that focuses on found family, building a community and slowing down to enjoy life🥹

Review:
I am always here for Cozy Fantasy that combine academics, found family and slowing down and that's exactly what The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance delivered. We go on an adventure with Ainsworth, who is a scholar that goes to an Inn in order to conduct his research and goes through a huge personal growth journey.

Through Ainsworth journey, we learn that it's okay to slow down and that sometimes, some of us our goals demand that we sacrifice who we are and that it isn't worth it for there can only be one of us in the world. Ainsworth starts to remember who he is throughout his journey and wonders how he has changed so much. He grew up with in a quieter, more rural place in the universe and came to the city. When he did, he gave up a lot of his morals and the things he believes in to impress other people.

He then starts to realise that anything that demands he changes who he is just isn't the right fit for him and the whole journey building up to this was so wholesome and emotional. AND along the way, he finds a new community and amazing friends, including Honey! This Cozy Fantasy definitely had a few twists and unexpected moments filled with humour🥹

OH and the mention of food? I always love that! There are a few Scottish foods mentioned in the book that took me through a research to find recipes for them

I can't wait to read more by Chiara Bullen and explore her books. I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

Hi guys!

I'm so sorry it's been a while since I've sent an update, its been a busy time from my side as I've had my cochlear implant surgery, will be moving soon and starting a new job so it's been busy and it doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon. It's all new, exciting things but I did procrastinate this update so here we are😅 (If you're a paid tier member, you'll be receiving a separate email as well so keep an eye out for that🤎)

OH and scroll to the bottom to see what I've been reading/gaming recently and share yours too🥰

Book Clubs & Storygraph Challenges:

In January, we started a new system where we switched to a non-traditional book club and are reading from books of our choices from our storygraph challenges. The purpose was to pop into discord and discuss them as we go along! As this is the first time we do this, we're definitely still learning as we go.

I had intended to have seasonal spotlights of 3 books from our Storygraph challenges that could help those of you guys who'd prefer to have selected readings choose something to read once a month instead of having to make a choice on your own. However, this fell through in April and we haven't had a second season spotlight. Thanks to my mods team, we are still discussing books generally on discord and for now, I'm looking to see what's the best option for us going forward so that I can sustain a consistent Book Club for both Ifrits & Ink and Cottagecore & Co.

The best thing to do is (for now) join us in Storygraph and pop onto discord to discuss and yap about books generally! You can also find the books that are releasing this year from SWANA authors and read them for our Ifrits & Ink challenges listed below🥰 (dont forget to tag me on stories if you'd like me to see it on instagram for our templates):

• Cottagecore & Co Storygraph Challenge

• Ifrits & Ink Storygraph Challenge

• SWANA Books Listopia: GoodReads for 2026 releases

• SWANA Books Listopia: Pagebound List for 2026 releases

• Story template & Instagram templates (Monthly & genre) for Ifrits & Ink

Gaming Club updates:

As for our gaming club, we also switched to a seasonal game choice and that unfortunately has fallen through due to how busy this year has been! My aim is to get us back on track but I'm not sure when. As for now, thanks to the mods, we are continuing our check ins when we can in our Gaming Channels and have a space in discord for us to discuss our latest cozy & cottagecore games 🤎

So... where does that leave us?

Essentially, at the moment, I'm functioning at a slower pace and I'm super thankful to all my mods who have been helping out in the discord! Going forward, I'm seeing what's the best way we can all have a space for us to read and game together while keeping it consistent and manageable!

If there's anything you'd like to see us do, please do let me know in the comments below or DM me as well. Chanterelle Solace is still around and we are still in the discord! As for newsletters, whether we will restart our spotlights or primarily use our storygraph challenges, stick around and I'll keep you guys updated!🥰

Personal Updates: What I've been reading & playing:

With my surgery being done a week ago, I've been reading & gaming a lot more this week as I rest & recover. I'm currently making my way through The Taming of Dukes series by Amalie Howard and I've just finished the second book in this inter-connected series. This was such a fun & cute historical Romance story and I'm obsessed with the friend group Amalie has written.

I'm also reading The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El-Sayed, which is a Arabfuturism Sci-fi book! I'm about 30% in and I can already tell this book is going to be filled with adventure that is going to break my heart

And finally, I've started playing Coral Island! This game has been on my radar for a while now and it's perfect for steam deck as well.

Thank you for reading this today friends! Can't wait to catch up with you in the community or in discord and thank you for being around here as always

"Twenty-nine is nothing. Thirty is nothing. If I wanted to start again at fifty, I would. Time is just that - time. It dictates too much of our lives already for us to start letting it dictate what we can and can't accomplish."

GENRE: Comtep. Romance
RATING:4.75/5
FORMAT:eBook
Tropes:Enemies to lovers, Office Romance, Anxiety, Self-discovery

Review:
This one hit so close to home for me because of how Maddison is a type A personality with so many notebooks (honestly, highly relate to that) and it was such a sweet story, with character developments that I enjoyed

Quarter-Love Crisis is exactly what it is, a crisis right before Maddison hit the 30s, especially since she hasn't achieved any of her big things on her list yet and the moment it clicks in the book? It's all so worth it seeing it coming together. I think Jasmine Burke did such an amazing job of showing how sometimes, its the things we ask of ourselves that put so much pressure on us and drive us mad. This book truly captures that feeling of being in your 20s and feeling like you're truly running out of time due to anxiety, pressure and so many other things.

Watching Maddison let these notions go (especially as that's a journey I've done myself recently and still undergoing) and embrace living in the moment with the help of Aiden Edwards made the book a fun ride and I finished it in less than 24 hours (with a pause to sleep because I am too old to stay up at night now lol)

I think this was an amazing debut and I will say that, usually with single POVs, you get to focus on one character and don't really learn much about their love interest. I think Burke did a good balance in here by bringing Aiden's story without letting it out-shine Maddison's. And I loved getting to know her friends group too

I cant wait to read more by Jasmine Burke, I love Romance books set in the UK and this one was set in London plus the dynamic & writing won me over! It's a perfect book for those of us entering our 30s and realising that actually, we've just start our lives while enjoying Maddison & Aiden's relationship blossom and her friendship + family thrive!