Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Book of Luke by Lovell Holder & Daring to be Free by Sudhir Hazareesingh

    

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

The Book of Luke by Lovell Holder
Publication: December 2nd, 2025
Grand Central Publishing
Hardcover. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:
"For fans of Survivor and Less, this fast-paced debut novel shines an unflinching light on the drama of reality TV when a gay man returns to the cut-throat show he won in his youth after his adult life begins to unravel.

Following the car accident that ended his football career and left his body scarred, twenty-two-year-old Luke Griffin joins the cast of Endeavor, a new competition-based reality show that pits the tabloids’ darlings against one another in tasks of endurance and problem solving. At first, he thrives, effortlessly forming friendships and even a romantic relationship that he thinks will last a lifetime. But Luke has aspirations far bigger than the show's million-dollar prize, and soon a series of betrayals leads to irreversible tragedy, changing the course of his and his fellow contestants' lives forever.

Ten years later, Luke’s world looks very different: He is now a father of two and the stay-at-home husband to America’s only openly gay senator. When his husband's serial cheating is exposed, Luke impulsively joins the cast of Endeavor's latest season in a desperate bid to earn some fast cash. Back on set, he is confronted with everything he tried to leave in the past: bitter rivalries, shattered friendships, and crushing guilt, all of which threaten to tear down the walls he’s spent a decade building. As Season 20 of Endeavor kicks off, Luke must give everything to the game, even as he finally learns what it means––and what it costs––to face the truth.

Combining the fabulous rivalries of The Traitors with the epic physical stunts of The Challenge, THE BOOK OF LUKE offers a grounded portrait of what it means to reinvent yourself when no one will let you forget your past - especially if it's immortalized on streaming services."

This sounds like it's going to be a wild ride and I'm totally here for it. I have no idea what to expect from this book, but I'm down to find out.

Daring to Be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World by Sudhir Hazareesingh
Publication: December 2nd, 2025
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Hardcover. 464 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:
"'A revelatory history of enslaved people's resistance and self-emancipation, across the Atlantic world and beyond.

In the 1720s, the West African chief Tomba was abducted for organizing the local resistance against slave raiders and imprisoned on a British ship, where he promptly led a revolt using a smuggled hammer. In the early nineteenth century, a pregnant woman named Solitude rallied laborers and soldiers to resist Napoleon’s efforts to reimpose slavery on Guadeloupe. A few decades later, Frederick Douglass fashioned his own template for self-emancipation. In Daring to Be Free, the acclaimed historian Sudhir Hazareesingh recasts the story of slavery’s end by showing that the enslaved themselves were at the center of the action―their voices, their resistance, and their extraordinary fight for freedom.

Throughout, Daring to Be Free portrays the struggle for liberation from the perspective of the enslaved and, wherever possible, in their own words. It highlights the power of collective action, stressing the role of maroon communities, conspiracies, insurrections, and spiritual movements, from Haiti and Brazil to Cuba, Mauritius, and the American South. These acts of resistance involved entire communities, with women often at the heart of the story as warriors, organizers, and agents of radical change.

Employing written archives and oral history, Daring to Be Free shows how the struggle for freedom was shaped less by Western Enlightenment or Christian ideals than by the enslaved’s own spiritual, martial, and cultural resources. Emancipation wasn’t handed down by benevolent reformers―it was seized, again and again, by those who demanded freedom. This vital, eye-opening history reclaims abolition for those who fought to liberate themselves."

This sounds like it'll be an incredibly informative and enlightening read.

Review: Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa

Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa

Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Hardcover. 192 pages.

About Pick a Color:

"From O. Henry Award winner and two-time Giller Prize winner Souvankham Thammavongsa comes a revelatory novel about loneliness, love, labor, and class, an intimate and sharply written book following a nail salon owner as she toils away for the privileged clients who don't even know her true name.

'I live in a world of Susans. I got name tags for everyone who works at this nail salon, and on every one is printed the name "Susan."'

Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan. On this summer's day, much like any other, the Susans buff and clip and polish and tweeze. They listen and smile and nod. But beneath this superficial veneer, Ning is a woman of rigorous intellect and profound complexity. A woman enthralled by the intricacy and rhythms of her work, but also haunted by memories of paths not taken and opportunities lost. A woman navigating the complex power dynamics among her fellow Susans, whose greatest fears and desires lie just behind the gossip they exchange.

As the day's work grinds on, the friction between Ning's two identities—as anonymous manicurist and brilliant observer of her own circumstances—will gather electric and crackling force, and at last demand a reckoning with the way the world of privilege looks at a woman like Ning.

Told over a single day with razor-sharp precision and wit, Pick a Color confirms Souvankham Thammavongsa's place as literature's premier chronicler of the immigrant experience, in its myriad, complex, and slyly subversive forms."

Pick a Color is a quiet, introspective novella that doesn't rely on plot so much as it does individual perspective and character exploration. It follows the daily life of the owner of a nail salon as she moves through her regular routine and observes many of the actions and small details of the people and actions around her. There's not a lot that really happens necessarily in this story, but it kept my attention because of how strong the narrator's voice was and how she observed those around her. This review will be a bit brief since this is such a short novella, but I'll do my best to touch on all my thoughts. 

I really appreciated how reflective and thoughtful this book felt. Thammavongsa's writing is incredibly subtle and quiet, but also surprisingly sharp and cutting when it needs to be. She knows how to say a lot with very little. I felt that the brevity of the writing worked really well, as it really does feel like a brief window into our narrator's life, rather than something trying to really do or say more than it is capable of. I also liked the exploration of themes like loneliness, immigration, identity, and cultural dislocation, and felt that the author tackled these in ways that, to me, seemed authentic and relatable for many. The narrator's loneliness in some ways hit hard, as she is surrounded by people every day, but still doesn't really have a singular permanent presence in her own life. I did find myself really enjoying her commentary on the clients who come into her shop, her employees, and many other aspects of her life, as I found she had a very dry yet compelling humor and wit to her thoughts, and also some unique introspection.

Despite the fact that in some ways Ning seems generally content with her current place in life, it seems like there is something underlying that she is not as satisfied with, and this felt like something I could really understand. There is a very deep emotional undercurrent in this book, one that is soft, unsettling, and very human and raw, and it made this book resonate with me.

Even though this book held my attention and was really well written, I didn't find myself overly enamored with it for some reason. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I sometimes wished that there was just a little bit more to take it to that next level. It's more of a quiet "slice of life" (though please don’t equate that with being a ‘cozy’ read, as sometimes people conflate the two) experience, which really is perfect for what this book is doing, but I felt there was something missing from our narrator. Still, I think for what this novella is and what it is trying to do, it does it excellently.

Pick a Color is a book that feels thoughtful, understated, and is one that really makes you sit with discomfort and uncomfortable topics.

*I received a copy of Pick a Color courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Review: The Blackfire Blade (The Last Legacy #2) by James Logan

  

The Blackfire Blade (The Last Legacy #2) by James Logan

Tor Books
Publication Date: November 4th, 2025
Paperback. 496 pages.

About The Blackfire Blade:

"The hotly anticipated sequel to The Silverblood Promise continues the incredible new epic fantasy series perfect for fans of Scott Lynch.

Winter has come early to Korslakov, City of Spires, and Lukan Gardova has arrived with it. Most visitors to this famous city of artifice seek technological marvels, or alchemical ingenuity. Lukan only desires the unknown legacy his father has left for him, in the vaults of the Blackfire Bank.

But when Lukan's key to the vault is stolen by a mysterious thief known as the Rook, he and his friends race to win it back―and find themselves trapped in a web of murder and deceit. In desperation, Lukan requests the help of Lady Marni Volkova, scion of Korslakov's most powerful family.

Yet Lady Marni has secrets of her own. Worse, she has plans for Lukan and his friends. Plans that involve a journey into Korslakov's dark past, in search of a long-lost alchemical formula that could lead to the city's greatest discovery . . . or its destruction.

"A fast-paced carnival of setbacks and skullduggery that reminds me of... me! Charming from the first twist to the last."―Scott Lynch on The Silverblood Promise"

**If you haven't read The Silverblood Promise, book one in The Last Legacy series, you can read my review for it here.**

The Blackfire Blade has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, and I was so excited to finally get the chance to dive back into this world and its characters that felt both familiar and brought something new. This sequel picks up with Lukan and the crew heading towards Korslakov with a singular goal in mind--but, naturally, this does not go as planned. Our trio is instead thrown into a slew of new impediments that end up growing into seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but Lukan, Flea, and Ashra are never ones to give up.  I’ll be keeping this review spoiler-free so I’ll be avoiding too many direct details in order to make sure everything remains a surprise.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was getting to explore a brand new setting in this world: Korslakov. I always enjoy being dropped into a new location in any epic fantasy, and the atmosphere was excellently crafted. Logan's description of this region was incredibly vivid from the moment we first set eyes on it at the same time Lukan and everyone else did from their ship. It’s described as being cold, dark, and is laden with a heavy, foreboding tone that had me instantly intrigued (I mean, of course that intrigues me, right?). I loved how it almost acted as a foil to Saphrona and I appreciated just how stark the contrast was between the two, especially with how both Lukan and Ashra reacted to this change of scenery. However, I will say that certain aspects of the location didn’t actually end up feeling quite as ominous as some of our character’s earlier complaints and observation suggested, but the mood was absolutely still there and provided a delightfully grim backdrop for everything our characters go through while in Korslakov--which is, admittedly, pretty hellish.

I really enjoyed diving back into Lukan’s dynamic with Ashra and Flea. Flea is still Flea and getting into trouble at every turn, and even though it’s occasionally mildly infuriating, I don’t think I’d want to see her lose her spark. Ashra remains relatively guarded and not quick to trust, and her and Lukan continue to clash, but it’s the type of clash that shows just how much they grown to have a sort of grudging respect for each other, even if Ashra still can’t stand Lukan half the time. The banter among the three of them was perfect and added just the right amount of humor and levity to situations to balance out so much of the tension and frustration that was occurring in the plot.

One thing that I really appreciate about this series so far is how the characters are allowed to make mistakes. And I know plenty of characters make mistakes in plenty of books, but these characters make some truly not great mistakes, and as a result we get to see some really realistic growth. There aren’t any huge personality overhauls or large amounts of growth that feel unrealistic and unlike their character, but rather gradual development in ways that feel true to the characters themselves.

There’s also a lot of emotional heaviness in this book as well, from Lukan still grappling with his life state and father’s assassination to Flea and Ashra’s own journeys, as well as some things we discover in this installment. We have some genuinely low lows, and seeing the characters struggle through them really only strengthened their relationships and solidified them as authentic, relatable, and compelling characters you can’t help but root for. Even Lukan who is still learning the value of responsibility--albeit a bit painfully slow at times--feels slightly more grounded to where he still absolutely messes up and makes bad jokes, but seems to realize more of the impact of his actions. He also starts to gain more and more motivation relating to the loss of his father and his own role in finding out what happened and it was really nice to see that maturity as well.

One of the new characters we meet in this book is Razin, and he was easily one of the standout additions for me. I tend to love these types of characters who are bold, opinionated, always ready to tell a tale from their history, and appear a bit egotistical, but at the end of the day are actually pretty solid people who are brave, loyal, and overall stand for what’s right. I enjoyed almost every scene that Razin was in and appreciated that he’s the type that talks a bit big, but always shows up when it counts, and I loved the energy he brought to the group. And, of course, I especially loved his dog, Ivan!

The magic system continues to be one of the more interesting aspects of this world, as well. It’s not the type of system where every person has some sort of latent magical power within them that they can wield, but it feels more generally object- and ability-based, to where it’s tied into things like artifacts and the world’s mythology rather than basic spells and the like. It’s not always fully consistent in every situation, and I like that aspect because it keeps me guessing and really allows for more creative solutions and exploration from Logan as we get into more of this world and the magic within it. The more I learned as a reader, the more I realized just how much we as readers don’t know about this world, the Phaeron, its gods, and the deeper workings of the power in this world. There is still so much to come in the next book and I cannot wait to find out where Logan is taking us next on this adventure.

The Blackfire Blade will absolutely keep you on your toes. Everything and everyone in this world has some sort of political motivation and there are secrets, manipulations, ulterior motives, lies, etc. around every corner. It really leaves you as a reader side-eyeing every character because you can’t be sure exactly who you can trust. It’s a fairly intense reading experience because there are just so many twists and reveals and shifting loyalties that leave you feeling like you really are just along for the ride wherever Logan decides to take you.

I’ve mentioned a number of times on this blog that action scenes and I don’t really get along, and I sometimes struggle to follow them because I don’t process actions super well and, well, they tend to bore me sometimes (I’m sorry!). I’m very pleased to report that that was not the case in The Blackfire Blade! I was genuinely hooked through most of the more action-y scenes and was pretty invested in what was happening. I was especially hooked with the final big action/high intensity scene, and I genuinely felt like I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page.

The pacing of this book is interesting to me because it’s technically quite fast, with plenty of action, countless reveals, cliffhangers, and a lot of movement, but the actual plot progression is actually slow. We start the book with one specific mission and goal in mind, but we really don’t get to that until near the end. In some ways, that frustrated me quite a lot and I wanted to sigh a few times at things that kept popping up to delay reaching that goal, but I will say that Logan handles this really well and somehow any time I felt annoyed, I would quickly forget that feeling and become intrigued by what was happening in the story. It reminded me a bit of a video game where you have your main quest, but you keep ending up embarking on side quests that sidetrack you (just to make it clear: this book is not litRPG, I’m just comparing here!).

I think what worked well about everything that happened in this book and all the derailments is that none of it felt like pointless filler. Even the moments that felt like side quests had a distinct purpose and actually ended up contributing to the plot in some meaningful and fascinating ways, and that’s what made this structure work for me. A few things felt like a bit of a stretch at times, but overall everything felt tied into the larger story in ways that really mattered.

I definitely can’t wait to see more of this world and really hope that the next book has even more exploration of the world-building and magic system and that we are better able to understand some of the puzzle pieces still left to solve.

Overall, The Blackfire Blade is an exceedingly excellent epic fantasy sequel and exactly the way I wanted it to be: twisty, fast-paced, great character growth and development, and kept me on the edge of my seat. Even parts that frustrated me a bit ended up feeling more intentional than bad writing or planning. I especially appreciated that the ending wrapped up enough to where I felt satisfied with everything we’d learned and accomplished in this book, but also left us with enough of a cliffhanger that I am already chomping at the bit for the next book. James Logan has definitely proved that he is an excellent writer and knows how to handle an epic fantasy like this, and I can’t wait to see what’s next (as long as no one [else] dies!)!

*I received a copy of The Blackfire Blade courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Persepohone's Curse by Katrina Leno & The Sea Captain's Wife by Tilar J. Mazzeo

    

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

Persephone's Curse by Katrina Leno
Publication: December 2nd, 2025
Wednesday Books
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:
"'The Hazel Wood meets Laini Taylor in this gorgeous urban fantasy of sisterhood, ghosts, and old family curses.

Are the four Farthing sisters really descended from Persephone? This is what their aunt has always told them: that the women in their family can trace their lineage right back to the Goddess of the Dead. And maybe she's right, because the Farthing girls do have a ghost in the attic of their New York City brownstone ―a kind and gentle ghost named Henry, who only they can see.

When one of the sisters falls in love with the ghost, and another banishes him to the Underworld, the sisters are faced with even bigger questions about who they are. If they really are related to Persephone, and they really are a bit magic, then perhaps it’s up to them to save Henry, to save the world, and to save each other."

I'm really not sure if this is one that will work for me or not, but nonetheless I'm really intrigued!

The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Publication: December 9th, 2025
St. Martin's Press
Hardcover. 288 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon

From Goodreads:
"The true story of the first female captain of a merchant ship and her treacherous navigation of Antarctica's deadly waters, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow Clicquot

Summer, 1856

Nineteen-year-old Mary Ann Patten and her husband, Joshua, were young and ambitious. Both from New England seafaring families, they had already completed their first clipper-ship voyage around the world with Joshua as captain. If they could win the race to San Francisco that year, their dream of building a farm and a family might be within reach. It would mean freedom. And the price of that freedom was one last dangerous transit―into the most treacherous waters in the world.

As their ship, Neptune’s Car, left New York Harbor and sailed down the jagged coast of South America, Joshua fell deathly ill and was confined to his bunk, delirious. The treacherous first mate, confined to the brig for insubordination, was agitating for mutiny. With no obvious option for a new captain and heartbroken about her husband, Mary Ann stepped into the breach and convinced the crew to support her, just as they slammed into a gale that would last 18 days. Determined to save the ship, the crew, and their future, she faces down the deadly waters of Drake’s Passage.

Set against the backdrop of the California Gold Rush and taking us to the brink of Antarctica, The Sea Captain's Wife finally gives Mary Ann Patten―the first woman to command a merchant vessel as captain ― her due. Mazzeo draws on new archival research from nineteenth-century women’s maritime journals and on her own expedition to the Southern Ocean and Antarctica in search of Mary Ann’s route. Thrilling, harrowing, and heroic, The Sea Captain's Wife is the story of one woman who, for love, would do what was necessary to survive."

This sounds fascinating--and I'm always up for another trip down to Antarctica and the Drake Passage!

Mini-Review: Mindworks by Neal Shusterman

   

MindWorks: An Uncanny Compendium of Short Fiction by Neal Shusterman

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 18th, 2025
Paperback. 592 pages.

About Mindworks:

"From the incomparable mind of award winner Neal Shusterman, New York Times bestselling author of the Arc of a Scythe, comes a collection of uncanny and unforgettable short stories.

This collection of unforgettable and uncanny stories could only come from the mind of award winner Neal Shusterman. Compiled for the first time in one epic volume, these stories both classic and brand-new will stretch your imagination from terror to the sublime and back again. Explore a world where bats block out the sun, where soup is a trap for your soul, or where the life-force of a glacier can bring back the dead. Journey to a place where the wind can be captured, time can be crafted into infinite attic space, or a hot tub can house an ancient monster. And revisit the Arc of the Scythe universe for two all-new tales of gleaning.

In this collection, the only thing that is truly certain is nothing is certain."

MindWorks is a diverse collection of short fiction that explores the many different strange spaces of the mind, including ideas around memory, identity, perception, sanity, and so much more. Shusterman balances a YA-style psychological horror with twists, big ideas, and plenty to explore. There are a lot of stories packed in here, so I think there's a little something for everyone.

What I liked: Neal Shusterman absolutely never lacks in imagination and creativity, and those are all on view in this collection. I appreciated that the stories were categorized by theme throughout, as I think it made the entire collection feel more cohesive and allowed readers to play with certain ideas all in one go rather than moving around to different topics constantly. Shusterman excels at creating strong atmosphere in all his stories, regardless of the plot or concept, and I love how eerie and off-kilter so many of the stories feel. It all feels very trademark Shusterman, so if you already like his work then you'll probably enjoy this one as well. I also found these stories very easy to get through in the sense that the pacing was pretty consistently faster paced in most of them, so despite it being a larger book, it's not a difficult one to get through. 

What I didn't like: A lot of these stories lacked that extra little something special to make any of them really stand out to me. I found myself thinking many of these just felt a little familiar or not really hitting in the way I would expect them to. Some felt a bit abrupt or heavy-handed, and seemed to rely more on the concept than the actually narrative storytelling. They also had slightly inconsistent emotional depth, where some hit really hard, and others really didn't make me feel much at all. That being said, that's really common in short story collections for me, so I wouldn't say that's especially unique here. I really just got a sense of repetition throughout these stories that left me feeling more average about this collection than overly excited, as I'd hoped to be. 

Overall, this is a very solid collection of SFF short stories and are a great collection from the incredible Neal Shusterman. While it's not a collection that will necessarily become a new favorite for me, it's still one with plenty of great stories and will appeal to many readers, including both new and old Shusterman fans. 

*I received a copy of MindWorks courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Review: The Atlas of Unknowable Things by McCormick Templeman

  

Atlas of Unknowable Things by McCormick Templeman

St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: October 7th, 2025
Hardcover. 320 pages.

About Atlas of Unknowable Things:

"High in the Rocky Mountains on a secluded campus, sits Hildegard College, a celebrated institution known for its scientific innovation and its sprawling, botanical gardens. Historian Robin Quain has been awarded a residency to examine Hildegard’s impressive collection of ancient manuscripts, but she has a secret. She’s actually on the hunt for an artifact—one she must find before her former best friend turned professional rival gets his hands on it first.

But Hildegard has secrets of its own. Strange sounds echo across the alpine lake, lights flicker through the pines, and the faculty seem more like Jazz-age glitterati than academics. And then there’s the professor who holds the key to Robin’s research. She vanished suddenly last spring. What exactly did she do at the college, and why does no one want to talk about her?

As Robin searches for answers, an unknown source sends her a series of cryptic messages that makes her question whether she’s the one doing the hunting, or whether someone is hunting her. Drawing on historical, botanical, and occult research, and steeped in the gothic tradition, Atlas of Unknowable Things considers what it means to search for meaning in the scientific, only to come face to face with the sublime."

The Atlas of Unknowable Things starts with a really strong setup featuring a delightfully mysterious secluded university campus, strange disappearances, academic rivalries, and, of course, a historian constantly digging through old documents. The atmosphere was probably my favorite part and I think the author did a great job of really leaning into that secluded, slightly eerie, mysterious vibe.

We follow historian Robin Quain as she delves into Hildegard's College collection of ancient manuscripts, and is instead met with some mysterious happenings that may just relate to what she's really looking for: a specific artifact that she is desperate to find before her academic rival does. Robin is curious about a professor who has mysteriously disappeared, and weird things seem afoot on this college campus--things that Robin can't quite overlook during her stay. 

Robin is a character who is very passionate about her goals and has a bit of a one track mind; once she is on the scent of something, she doesn't seem the type to let up on it. Her motivations are also understandable, especially some of her more spiteful motivations to beat her academic rival who wronged her (I'd be pissed, too!), but I sometimes found her just a little bit unwise in some of her choices. However, it always makes for a better story to see our characters sift their way through their own struggles and doubts, and I did like seeing how she navigated this pretty weird new environment when I might've high-tailed it out of there. 

The plot moved a bit slowly and it felt like it took a while for the meat of things to really show up. However, by the time we actually get into bigger plot events, things somehow started to feel a bit abrupt or overly convenient and didn't feel like they fully fit. I just never really felt like everything came together in a meaningful or satisfying way. I am sure that this is going to be described as dark academia vibes, but I personally wouldn't say it's a great example of that genre. It does have a mix of some gothic aspects (though nothing crazy here) and mystery, though I'd say the mystery element is probably the strongest. Still, I feel like it lingers a bit somewhere in the middle of genres. I also found the setting and general setup of Robin being at the college and everyone there just slightly odd, but I set aside my disbelief to really try to get into this story. 

While the atmosphere was strong, the story slowly lost me as it progressed. The pacing really drags in the middle and was weighed down by info-dumping throughout, including a rather large one at the beginning of the book that made it harder for me to push through to get into the story. So many of the characters just felt off and strange, not exactly in a way that felt intriguing, but rather in a way that felt like they just weren't exactly depicted well. They were somewhat your typical depiction of a reclusive academic group, but didn't quite hit that mark. Additionally, much of the dialogue and conversations just felt stilted and weird, and all of the characters seem to have some odd quirks that just make for weird interactions that didn't feel quite realistic.

Overall, I think this was an intriguing read that I'd encourage to those interested in academic mysteries and thrillers, though it's not one that I find particularly stands out, unfortunately.

*I received a copy of Atlas of Unknowable Things courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon

Review: One of Us by Dan Chaon

 

One of Us by Dan Chaon

Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: September 23rd, 2025
Hardcover. 288 pages.

About One of Us:

"A playfully macabre and utterly thrilling tale about orphaned twins on the run from their murderous uncle who find refuge in a bizarre traveling carnival, from master of literary horror Dan Chaon.

It’s 1915 and the world is transforming, but for thirteen-year-old Bolt and Eleanor—twins so close they can literally read each other’s minds—life is falling apart. When their mother dies, they are forced to leave home under the care of a vicious con man who claims to be their long-lost uncle Charlie, the only kin they have left. During a late-night poker game, when one of his rages ends in murder, they decide to flee.

Salvation arrives in the form of Mr. Jengling, founder of the Emporium of Wonders and father to its many members. He adopts Bolt and Eleanor, who travel by train across the vast, sometimes brutal American frontier with their new family, watching as the exhibitions spark amazement wherever they go. There’s Minnie, the three-legged lady, and Dr. Chui, who stands over seven feet tall; Thistle Britches, the clown with no nose, and Rosalie, who can foretell the death of anyone she meets.

After a lifetime of having only each other, Eleanor and Bolt are finally part of something bigger. But as Bolt falls in deeper with their new clan, he finds Eleanor pulling further away from him. And when Uncle Charlie picks up their trail, the twins find themselves facing a peril as strange as it is terrifying, one which will forever alter the trajectory of their lives. An ode to the misfits and the marginalized, One of Us is a riotous and singularly creepy celebration of the strange and the spectacular and of family in its many forms."

I had such a wonderful with this new book from Dan Chaon. I was immediately captivated by this story: Chaon's writing, the characters, the world, just about everything grabbed me from page one. I enjoyed Chaon's Sleepwalk quite a bit, but One of Us was something quite a bit different. It was very dark in different ways, definitely unsettling, and always lent itself to an atmosphere that prevented me from every feeling fully comfortable--there's an air of unease and sadness that I think worked well with this book and I really enjoyed. 

As you may or may not know, I'm a huge sucker for circus and carnival settings, so this book was on my TBR pretty much the moment I saw it, and I was thrilled when I received an ARC. Chaon's depiction of an early-1900s traveling show is vivid, grimy, and haunting in all the right ways. He really leans into the liminality of the circus world and all of its inhabitants and performers. There's a precise blend of community, exploitation, performance, secrecy, and taboo that I think he absolutely nailed. It felt gorgeously eerie. There's a strangeness that seeped from this world and this book's pages, and I really liked seeing how the twins adapted into this community.

Eleanor and Bolt are fascinating protagonists and the story largely shifts between their POVs. They are telepathic twins whose sibling bond has undergone many hardships and turns. Their dynamic with one another was tense and occasionally difficult to parse. I particularly liked seeing how they each navigated the world in different ways, and I really liked getting to know the twins and thought Chaon did an excellent job of diving into their world and experiences. 

Bolt has an eagerness to belong and be a part of a community that might accept him, whereas Eleanor is much more of a loner and seems to feel much more discomfort and introspection within her own troubles. I found it much harder to connect with Eleanor in some ways, but I think that is by design, as she is a bit prickly and sad, but I think that quiet heaviness she carries is incredibly affecting and really emphasizes the many struggles she's carried with her and how much responsibility she has had throughout her life, so naturally she has a harder exterior. I found it fascinating to see how Eleanor's shell thickened, whereas Bolt is someone who was still more open to new things--Eleanor was more shutdown and distrustful. Although they have a psychic connection, I felt that it didn't play as much of a plot point in this, but rather acted as a more tangible representation of their own emotional closeness and sibling relationship, as it dimmed as they grew apart at times. I was actually a bit surprised by how much the twin narrative didn't play a huge role--namely, that because each seemed to consistently choose a different path, it made them feel much more separate, and I appreciated this pathway that Chaon took with the story.

One of Us also includes occasional chapters from other members of the circus' POV, as well as Eleanor and Bolt's villainous uncle who is attempting to track them down. I found the chapters about the circus members surprisingly intriguing and really deepened the depiction of the circus and its inhabitants, the struggle they'd endured, and just how real this world and environment felt.

The pacing was a little uneven at times, but not so much so that I struggled to get through the book. As I mentioned, the beginning hooked me immediately, but then there were a few moments in the middle that would dip and drag a bit, but then pick back up and, repeat. This really fit the somewhat heavier mood of the book, however. The ending, however, was quite a ride and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. It was immensely haunting and left me feeling somewhat miserable in some ways, but I think it's meant to, and I'm not sure Chaon could've picked a more sadly fitting ending. Without spoiling anything, it's very dark, a bit unexpected in some ways (and yet not?) and it carries a deep emotional sadness that left me feeling a bit hollow in an intentional way. It's one of those endings that doesn't try to comfort you or tell you things work out--it sits with you instead, and it's a bit disturbing. Chaon truly committed to this end and it feels true to the story, even if it's not what some readers will want.

I will say that there were some passages where Chaon lays out some historical context/groundwork for world events happening at the time the different parts of the story were set, and while they were interesting on their own and I generally like historical context, I found them overall feeling a bit forced. It felt almost more like a way to remind you that this book was based in real time and the author did his research, rather than really contributing meaningfully to the narrative. They felt a bit like digressions from a history buff (which, as a history fan, I don't necessarily mind... but they didn't quite work for the story.).

One of Us is a strange, atmospheric and deeply memorable novel. It's not perfect and there were moments that didn't quite work, but overall the combination of eerie circus setting, the character work, and creeping sense of dread made this a haunting and emotionally heavy read. If you enjoy books with a historical setting, character-driven storytelling, and circus settings, then this is absolutely worth picking up. It's the type of story that stays with you, even if it is in a quiet, sad, lingering sense of unease type of way.

*I received a copy of One of Us courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has no effect on my rating.*

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