Review of X and I – S. K. Nicholas by Kristiana Reed

When S. K. Nicholas announced the X and I snippets on his blog were to become a novel, I stopped reading them. I knew at that moment I wanted to read the novel as a whole; I wanted as much as possible to be a surprise. I knew it would be beautiful. What I did not realise, …

Review of Conversations with Women – Cebo Campbell by Kristiana Reed

Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. I expected Conversations with Women to be about women through a male gaze. I expected to grimace at Campbell’s attempt to capture the female experience. Both expectations were to be proven false within the first few pages. Campbell provides an outlook which is original and unique; an outlook which challenges …

Review of Rain and Embers – Ali Nuri by Kristiana Reed

Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Rain and Embers by Ali Nuri is one of the best poetry collections I have read in a while. His talent lifts each page and the words situated on it to tell a vivid story about identity, belonging and displacement as well as exploring love and what it’s like to live …

Review of Sassafras – Trish Heald by Kristiana Reed

Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Sassafras by Trish Heald is a stunning debut. I laughed and cried as Heald expertly told a story about healing and family (whether tied by blood or friendship). When Champ’s wife, Pat, dies, both he and his family lose their peacekeeper and grief, as it so often does, slips its fingers …

Review of A Codex for Gnostics – Obsidian Eagle by Kristiana Reed

  Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. On reading the synopsis of A Codex for Gnostics, the novel Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman came to mind. Gnostics promised to be a humourous and pithy account of universal and heavenly struggles. However, despite Eagle being an incredibly talented writer who showcases their knowledge of a plethora of ancient subjects …

Review of It’s Not Just About Running: Reflections on Life and Change in Egypt, A.I. Shoukry by Kristiana Reed

Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Shoukry’s writing is candid and pleasant to read and follow. There is no attempt to complicate his thoughts and feelings or frame them in more academic language; he simply tells his story as it happened. I enjoyed how his account was interspersed with thought provoking chapters on Pain, Death and …

Review of Sophistries of Summer Days – Jenny Lofters by Kristiana Reed

  Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Sophistries of Summer Days follows the life of young Cherrimina into adulthood. Set in the West Indies from the 1930s onward, Lofters captures life on a small, sunny isle; how sheltered the islanders’ lives are and how they change. Cherrimina’s life is altered first by Dove’s arrival and then again …

Review of Signs of Life: Poems for Remembering – Meg Bloom by Kristiana Reed

Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Bloom’s debut collection is immediately reminiscent of Kaur and Lovelace as she combines pithy thoughts with extended pieces which demonstrate Bloom’s talent for creating raw and honest imagery. At times, this similarity let the collection down. My issue with the work of Kaur and Lovelace is how often the words …

Review of A Book of Changes – Krystyna Horko by Kristiana Reed

  Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Framed by the death of Chairman Mao and the student protests in Tiananmen Square, Horko's novel tells the story of Melissa; a woman from the UK whose life is tied to the events in China due to her relationship with activist Jianguo and the birth of her son, Justin. …

Review of Tel – S. Karlan by Kristiana Reed

Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. "Your body caught in a wave Turning you over in the thick brine" In archaeology, a tel (Hebrew for 'hill' or 'mound') is a mound formed by generations of people living in the same place for hundreds and thousands of years. Whilst, 'Aviv' is Hebrew for 'spring'. Thus, Karlan's three …