Svetlana's Reads and Views

  Name of Book: The Lotus Empire Author: Tasha Suri ISBN: 978-0-316-53860-2 Publisher: Orbit Part of a Series: The Burning Kingdoms (The Jasmine Throne and The Oleander Sword are prequels) Type of book: fantasy India, LGBtQ+ relationships, grief, friendship, romance, angst, ruling, politics, temples,  Year it was published: 2024 Summary: The Lotus Empire brings Tasha Suri’s acclaimed Burning Kingdoms trilogy to a heart–stopping close. As an ancient magic returns to Ahiranya and threatens its very foundations, Empress Malini and priestess Priya will stop at nothing to save their kingdoms—even if it means they must destroy each other. Malini has claimed her rightful throne as the empress of Parijatdvipa, just as the nameless gods prophesied. Now, in order to gain the support of the priesthood who remain loyal to the fallen emperor, she must consider a terrible Claim her throne and burn in order to seal her legacy—or find another willing to take her place on the pyre. Priya has s...

  Title of the book: The Book of Birds; A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss  Author: Robert MaFarlane, Jackie Morris Publisher: W.W. Norton Publishing Date: 2026 ISBN: 978-1-324-00684-8 Summary: From the best-selling authors of The Lost Words, a dazzling celebration of endangered birds. The Book of Birds is a field guide with a difference: It shows readers not just how to identify birds, but also how to identify with them. Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris conjure the unique spirit of nearly fifty once-common species: avocet to yellowhammer, kestrel to kingfisher, skylark to nightingale. In lyrical and incantatory essays, Macfarlane describes each bird’s habits and habitats, their patterns of flight and patterns of song, how they hunt or fish or scavenge or gather, how they nest and raise their chicks, the myths that attend them, the threats that shadow them—and how their lives intersect with our own. On every page we encounter Morris’s exhilarating artwork, painted from l...

  Name of Book: Astronaut!  Author: Oana Aristide ISBN: 978-1-324-12389-7 Publisher: W.W. Norton Type of book: Romania, 1989, Soviet Union, child, adult, fiction, mystery, government, visit by Romania's dictator, one season, secrets, unlikely friendship  Year it was published: 2026 Summary: A tense, darkly funny, and politically resonant novel of life under authoritarian rule. Romania, 1989, the twilight of Ceausescu’s dictatorship: A time when every neighbor, every friend, every family member may be an informant for the regime. When news emerges of a man-eating bear terrorizing the country, two bright lives collide. Constantin, an idealistic police detective—prone to daydreaming and scribbling fairytales in his notebook for his four-year-old son—is tasked with solving the string of mysterious deaths. Lia, a rebellious, inquisitive schoolgirl pining for more color in her life, is unwittingly drawn into an elderly neighbor’s secret plot against the regime. The decisions th...

  Title of the book: Sparta; The Rise & Fall of an Ancient Superpower  Author: Andrew Bayliss Publisher: W.W. Norton Publishing Date: 2026 ISBN: 978-1-324-11751-3 Summary: Sparta - its legendary warriors and steadfast resilience are famous throughout the world as a model for toughness, justice and masculinity. The Spartans' reputation as fighters is matched only by their mythic code of honour. Their torch has been carried by footballers and politicians, video games and philosophers alike. But who really were the Spartans? And what was the driving force behind the rise - and dramatic fall - of Sparta? Sparta traces the story of Ancient Greece's most iconic city-state, from its humble beginnings as a hamlet in the Peloponnese to its meteoric rise as the foremost military superpower of the Classical world. Andrew Bayliss uncovers the eclectic quirks that set Sparta above its its famous double monarchy, the harsh methods for raising children as soldiers and the unique rol...

  Name of Book: The Spider Author: Leo Carew ISBN: 978-0-316-52140-6 Publisher: Orbit Part of a Series: Under the Northern Sky (The Wolf is prequel, The Cuckoo is sequel) Type of book: North, Unhieru races, war, politics, strategy, secrets, legions, indifference, ways of life, chess  Year it was published: 2019 Summary: A battle has been won, but the war still wages on... Roper, the Black Lord of the northern people, may have vanquished the Suthern army at the Battle of Harstathur. But the greatest threat to his people lies in the hands of more shadowy forces. In the south, the disgraced Bellamus bides his time. Learning that the young Lord Roper is planning to invade the southern lands, Bellamus conspires with his Queen to unleash a weapon so deadly it could wipe out Roper's people altogether. And at a time when Roper needs his friends more than ever, treachery from within puts the lives of those he loves in mortal danger... Characters: There are a lot of characters, but main...

  Name of Book: The River and the Star Author: Gabiela Romero Lacruz  ISBN: 978-0-3126-33717-5 Publisher: Orbit  Part of a Series:The Warring Gods (Sequel to The Sun and the Void)  Type of book: Fantasy, lowest class, LGBtQI+, female/female relationship, turning to monster, possessions, father/daughter relationship, South American legends and stories., marriage relationships, secrets  Year it was published: 2025 Summary: Sequel to the #1 Sunday Times bestselling novel, The Sun and the Void. THE GODS ARE RETURNING As they emerge from the ruins of Rahmagut’s tomb, Reina and Eva are now hosts to ruthless, ancient entities: The gods of the sun and the Void. In the service of the Liberator, Reina wants to rebuild a new life with Maior. But Enrique’s forces loom on the horizon, seeking reparations for the attempt against Celeste’s life and to give eternal rest to the soul of his late wife Laurel. As Maior is still haunted by Laurel’s soul, her life is threatened, risk...