as of may 2025, the Syneria Saga has been fully drafted.
it’s difficult to describe how i feel without dissolving into a delusional babble about how i churned my brain into mush getting this story out of my head but i’ll first start by saying how proud i am. i only set out to write a story about a black princess and a black assassin and it morphed into three books with a total 482k word count (check on editor me, she is NOT okay) and more!
against writer’s block, imposter syndrome, frustration, repeated editing of book 1 and heaps of rejection, i’ve written a trilogy which contains themes my heart cares about and characters born of my wildest imagination.
i’ve learned a lot about perseverance, making a solitary activity like writing as fun as can be, and focusing on the path ahead of me, and i will always treasure this trilogy for teaching me that and making me a better person because of it.
while i draft my new story (did someone say cyberpunk heist?) and figure out how the trilogy will exist in its finished form, i’ll leave this here.
i love these two, and i hope, one day, you will love them too.
❤️🔥
✨Spotlight on Sci-fi✨
Everyone who knows me knows how much I obsess over these three books because of how so damn good they are.
Dark Matter was the first ever Blake Crouch book I read and he had me HOOKED. It took a concept as fascinating as the multiverse and explored the scientific probability of it in a format which kept me engaged from the first page to the last.
Crouch does a similar thing with Recursion - how memories can be used for time travel, the complications of it and the butterfly effect of what happens when you change an event in the past - and Upgrade - the genetic alteration of the human genome to make people smarter, faster, stronger, but does that necessarily mean better?
As a science girl, it’s such a thrill to read these kind of stories in fiction and the philosophical edge which follows through the narrative. I suppose that’s what makes sci-fi such a fascinating genre - it makes you think, feel, learn and imagine in a way that makes you look at the world differently. I truly can’t wait to read more!
Also I absolutely did want to show off the book stamp my dear friend got me and I will become a menace about it😛
💫 Spotlight on Caleb Azumah Nelson 💫
Have you ever read an author’s work and thought they’re speaking to you directly?
That’s how I feel with Nelson. He’s the kind of author who makes you think “writing is an art”. In Small Worlds, Nelson describes the small worlds which exist for every individual, how they collide and the rhythm of life which brings people together. In Open Water, Nelson replicates the highs and lows in romance, navigating London as a black person and masculinity - the challenges encountered when adrift in life’s open water.
For every Londoner (especially those who hail from the South East of the city) who reads these book, I’m sure they’ll feel as seen as I did when Nelson takes us on a journey through familiar settings and captures the feelings of being in those moments when sometimes it’s a challenge to articulate to someone who’s never experienced it at certain points in time. Nelson’s use of the secondary person’s perspective provides intimate knowledge of the main character in Open Water and gives a montage of memories when it’s used in Small Worlds.
In summary, Nelson is the kind of writer who makes you lean in close enough that you feel and live in those moments between the pages until they become a memory. It’s inspiring, nostalgic, and, most importantly, beautiful. (Scroll for my favourite snippets so you can find out what I’m talking about!)
So thank you for writing these books @caleb_anelson which I deem staples of Black British culture❤️🔥
✨54321✨book challenge!💗
thank you @elodiesreads for tagging me in this challenge! it’s always nice to talk about (some of) my fave books and evergreen recommendations 😚
always open to finding new favourites so i’m tagging @theblackbookblogg and @bookishends 😛💗
drop your faves and recommended in the comments!
#books #bookstagram #blackbookstagram #blackreaders #fantasy #romance #scifibooks #classicliterature #54321challenge
my bff caught me like a rat on the highway being lured in by brighton bookshops…
and i would do it again!
my pov coming soon ✨
captured and edited by: @obomate_ 🫶🏾
#bookshopping #bookshops #books #blackreaders #blackbooks #fantasybookstagram #thrillerreads #bookhauls
a snippet of a read from May!
Kennedy Ryan, you will always be famous in this household🙂↕️
my other May reviews are in the usual placeeee
#books #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #romancereaders #romancebook #kennedyryan #reelsi̇nstagram
rapid ratings march edition!
a very good reading month with plenty of high ratings. may this continue for the rest of 2025✨
find part 2 in the usual place!
#blackbookstagrammer #blackbookstagram #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookish #books #fantasybooks #reviewedbynels #fictionbooks #classicliterature
⚔️A Song of Legends Lost - M.H. Ayinde⚔️
HAPPY DEBUT PUBLICATION TO @mhayinde 🥳🎉❤️🔥
I had the honour of attending the book launch for A Song of Legends Lost last night (I was too busy celebrating to get pictures😭) and I am so so happy for Modupe and what she’s achieved with this story!
I was also fortunate to get early reader’s access to ASOLL so you can check out my review below!
In a time where epic fantasy needs its much needed spotlight, Ayinde has come with a strong start to a new trilogy firmly in this category.
This multi-POV story with ancestral magic, betrayal and overlapping mystery plot spans the Nine Lands and characters which have interesting dynamics with the ancestors/beings they call upon to help them in their time of need.
The world Ayinde has created is a melting point of (pre-colonial) cultures which plays a role into the magic system, character names and appearances. It’s a slow burn sort of story (as is expected of a tale of this magnitude) with the last 20% providing revelation to the plot threads spun from the beginning.
An intriguing start to the Invoker Trilogy which fans of epic/high fantasy will find indulgent and true to the genre it falls under✨
VIBES:
🔮 multi POV
🔮 worldbuilding on an epic scale
🔮 science fantasy
🔮 chosen one(s)
🔮 ancestral bonds and scrappy, loveable underdogs
🔮 revenge, plots and betrayal galore!
I await what wonders will happen in book 2!
i wrestled against all the bacteria and viruses which attacked me at the end of the month to document what a great reading month i had in feb
special shout out to @itsbusayo_xo for sending me a copy of Til Death! had a great time reading🥰
rest of the review to be found in the usual place
let’s hope march treats me just as well
#blackbookstagrammer #blackbookstagram #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #reviewedbynels #bookish #books #bookaholic #fantasybooks #fiction #classicliterature
back at it again with another rapid ratings for january reads!
find the rest of the video in the usual place💫
#reviewedbynels #readbynels #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #bookreview #bookish #bibliophile #bookaholic #booklover #igbooks #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #blackbookstagrammer #blackbookstagram
HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉
quick round up of my writing and querying journey!👩🏾💻
full video on the clock app ✨
#blackbookstagrammer #blackbookstagram #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram #balckauthor #fantasyauthor #fantasyauthorsofinstagram #fantasyauthors #fantasybooks #writingcommunity #writing #fictionbooks #fictionwriter
