@vinayvasan.bsky.social
Back to reviewing, after a bit of a break due to personal reasons & Trade of Blood is the book for it Romeo & Juliet meets Hound of Baskervilles meets Chip War (but for Food) in this fabulous outing, that does get a bit pensive @robertjbennett.bsky.social Review - l1nq.com/y9gctsw
Happy book bday to @edcrockerbooks.bsky.social for Moonfall - a sequel that is so many times more intense & exhilirating than what was already a fantastic first book. Full Review to come. I meant to get & review this earlier but sadly have a loss in my family preventing me from doing so
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by @ilonaandrews.bsky.social is a whole lot of fun. There's fantastic intrigue, entertaining storytelling, layered narrative structure, tropes galore, spice , romantic love traingles.... & it put a huge f*cking grin on my face
And at long last, my Top Books of 2025 list is done. It pretty much confirms that 2025 was a fantastic year for books and I couldnt stick to a top 15, let alone top 10. Featuring books across 3 main categories- SERIES STARTERS/ STANDALONES, SEQUELS & FINALES. Also has BoTY Link - shorturl.at/3ErUG
Top Reads of 2025
A fantastic reading year yields a plentiful bounty of awesome books
vinayvasan.substack.com
Happy book bday to Jim Butcher for #TwelveMonths - The Dresden Files is my fav urban fantasy series & the 18th book gives us the same magic while being somber & reflective. My review - vinayvasan.substack.com/p/twelve-mon... Thanks to @orbitbooksuk.bsky.social
Twelve Months by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #18)
A somber reflective book giving us a book that we and Dresden need by way of Breaking Bad, Hobbit and Batman
vinayvasan.substack.com
2026 is almost here & so are some amazing books. I had a fear that 2025 had truly spoilt us in terms of books but as I started building the 2026 list, there were so many books that I am now properly primed for 2026 vinayvasan.substack.com/p/26-for-2026
26 for 2026
26 of my anticipated SFF titles for 2026 (and a few more)
vinayvasan.substack.com
Such a fantastic sequel and is in the running for book of the year - this series is so much fun @jamesloganauthor.bsky.social I had fun reading the book as well as writing this review :)
The Fantasy Hive@thefantasyhive.bsky.social · 9mo agoVinay reviews James Logan's highly anticipated sequel of The Silverblood Promise, THE BLACKFIRE BLADE: "A sequel that leans on the adventurous strength of its predecessor while not being afraid to go dark and emotional as needed" More: tinyurl.com/2j25pejc @jamesloganauthor.bsky.social
Wow, this book was quite spectacular, fun and compulsively binge-able (yes I know what I just did there) - had an absolute blast Thanks for my review copy @netgalley.bsky.social @torbooks.bsky.social @bingewriting.bsky.social @thefantasyhive.bsky.social
The Fantasy Hive@thefantasyhive.bsky.social · 11mo agoVinay reviews Nicholas Binge's time travelling police procedural EXTREMITY, out now from Tor: "searingly unputdownable and is easily in the running for best novella of the year" Read more: tinyurl.com/325v3hzp
I had a total blast reading & even greater one on sharing my thoughts on this fun roller-coaster ride - @davewragg.com knocks it out of the park, dealing with a life governed by violence & the possible impacts of it across relationships....
The Fantasy Hive@thefantasyhive.bsky.social · 11mo agoVinay returned to David Wragg's Tales of the Plains series for the last time with the final instalment THE IRON ROAD: "a book that has it all... This is a very strong book and caps what is a fantastic series" Read more: tinyurl.com/4fve8ac2 @davewragg.com
Someone's just thrown a bottle of Omega 3 tablets at me. I only received super fish oil injuries, but still.
Woohoo got the ARC approved for #IronRoad by @davewragg.com - thanks to @harpercollins.bsky.social @netgalley.bsky.social Cant wait to read about Ree & Javani's journeys pan out in this trilogy capper
Five Phantom Discount by Marcus Fell & Jason Krumbine was so much fun in an Ocean's 11 meets Ocean's 8 set in NYC's underground but with magic Thanks to @netgalley.bsky.social & Sterling & Stone for my review copy Review - vinayvasan.substack.com/p/five-phant...
Five Phantom Discount by Marcus Fell & Jason Krumbine - ARC Review
Oceans 5 in the magical underbelly of New York City
vinayvasan.substack.com
It’s official. Studio Execs are now using Chat GPT to evaluate screenplays. Here’s proof from a friend’s pass letter: Not only is it vague and unhelpful, it references one specific — an antique camera. The problem? THERE’S NO ANTIQUE CAMERA IN THE FUCKING SCRIPT.
Yaay for the #SistahSamurai sequel - cant wait for it @obeytheauthor.bsky.social
Rob J. Hayes - author of The God Eater Saga@robjhayes.bsky.social · last yr.Happy Monday, all! The June list of Self Published Fantasy Releases is live! And it even has one of my most anticipated books of the year on it. Can you guess which? www.robjhayes.co.uk/self-publish...
A @guygavrielkay.bsky.social book is an event book & #WrittenOnTheDark hews exactly to the template and yet it is so beautiful, soulful & ruminative. There is longing, beauty, loss & ultimately a sense of wonder & melancholy when you finish the book. Mini review below
You know what you are getting when you crack open a @guygavrielkay.bsky.social book - Luxurious, generous writing combined with fascinating slightly melancholic leads with complex, checkered pasts in a Franco-Italian setup - Happy book bday for #WrittenOnTheDark - 20% in & loving it already
Happy Book bday to @caitlinrozakis.bsky.social for The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teachers Association - this was so much fun in an entirely relatable way (esp as a new parent) - and a prophecy to boot as well Thanks to @titanbooks.bsky.social for my ARC of this one - my mini review below
The Devils by @joeabercrombie.com is possibly his most commercial work with trademark Abercrombie-ism studded throughout - the book is pretty much MCU style blockbuster with an added James Gunn-ish edginess. Unputdownable & immensely enjoyable, if a bit predictable and self-aware
Your reminder that someone can appear to be at the top (of the world, of their field, etc) and feel rather dramatically differently. I'm glad Jim worked through his issues, is still here with us and is still writing the books so many people love. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/b...
14 Million Books Later, Jim Butcher Thinks His Wizard Detective Needs a Hug
nytimes.com
Anji Kills a King hews closely to what John Wick might call "Consequences" following Anji's killing of the King right off the bat. What follows is a thrilling, grimy, gritty journey Review - shorturl.at/D13Dy Thanks to @netgalley.bsky.social @torbooks.bsky.social @bookreviewskill.bsky.social
Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam
"Consequences" - John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4
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Happy book bday to Evan Leikam (@bookreviewskill.bsky.social) for #AnjiKillsAKing - Halfway through this book, I am super intrigued on how the relationship between Anji & Hawk is developing & where this story is going to go
In what I hope is the first of many, here is my #NotAReview of #Sinners where I examine the Art of the Setup across themes I propose to do this not to review but to talk off the elements that I found fascinating in movies & TV shows My #NotAReview - vinayvasan.substack.com/p/not-a-revi...
Not A Review #1 - Sinners - The Art of the Setup
“You keep dancing with the devil…. One day he’s gonna follow you home”
vinayvasan.substack.com
Godfather 3 meets The Dark Knight meets the trials & tribulations of Fitz in this status quo changing 4th installment of the underrated Fetch Phillips Archive by @longlukearnold.bsky.social Thanks to @netgalley.bsky.social @littlebrown.bsky.social Review - vinayvasan.substack.com/p/whisper-in...
Whisper in the Wind (Fetch Phillips #4) by Luke Arnold
The character tribulations of Fitz ChivalryFarseer meets Godfather 3 and the Dark Knight in a 4th instalment of a series that shakes up the status quo
vinayvasan.substack.com
In what might be a rarity (for me), I actually have my May reads properly planned out & I am really excited for each and every one of them - May can’t get here soon enough #MayBookPlanning
a baby yoda holding a blue wallet with the words plan you must written above it
ALT: a baby yoda holding a blue wallet with the words plan you must written above it
media.tenor.com
You got to hand it to @longlukearnold.bsky.social - #WhisperInTheWind (Fetch Philips #4) had the whole Godfather 3 meets the Dark Knight meets some fabulous detective-ing going so wonderfully well - yet again a #FetchPhilips book ends in another change to the status quo - Terrific
Vengeance of Asgard is @baptistepinsonwu.bsky.social at his furious frenetic best, concluding the Army of One trilogy in thrilling apocalyptic fashion. Check out my review below vinayvasan.substack.com/p/vengeance-...
Vengeance of Asgard (Army of One #3) by Baptiste Pinson Wu
This was never about stopping Ragnarok… It was about causing it” - Thor:Ragnarok
vinayvasan.substack.com
#Scales by Christopher Hinz is Jurassic Park taken a step further with Dino-Humans and a side of cannibalism - it is thrilling, fast-paced, exciting and fun and packed with tons of ideas. I am thankful to @angryrobotbooks.bsky.social @netgalley.bsky.social My review - shorturl.at/YywJ4
Scales by Christopher Hinz
Dino-humans with a side of cannibalism, electrotherapy and military-corporate incompetence
vinayvasan.substack.com