Round of applause to the entire Reading Circle community! You have successfully been forced to respect your New Year's resolutions by ticking off all the genres the club planned. That is, if you actively read our 2026 Books of the Month. All in all, we stuck to the plan, and here we are reading an Afro-fantasy. Wait or you want to scream “the book is way better” when the movie drops? How long have you casuals waited to use that line for an adaptation?
This month we picked Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (not because we know there's a movie coming and want to be trendy... or do we?). The book is the first in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, all by the same author. This is Tomi Adeyemi's debut novel, and it is a critically acclaimed masterpiece and a reader favourite, winning several awards like the Goodreads Choice Award for Readers' Favourite Debut Author (2018), being a nominee for Readers' favourite Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2018), the Locus Award for First Novel (2019), the Geffen Award for Best Translated YA Book (2021), the William C. Morris YA Debut Award (2019), and the list goes on and on and on... Now that is winning in life, not you shamelessly DNFing your 6th book this year, but who's counting (Please don’t try pick and up that generic 5AM Club copy it’s the reason for your struggle, you love K-Drama just buy a romance book please listen to me Dorothy)
The book is an epic fantasy that follows Zélie as she embarks on a journey to restore magic to her people, the "diviners," after the monarchy, led by King Saran, wiped it from the land and killed her mother, who was a Reaper (read the book to know what that is. This is a spoiler-free blurb, not your shortcut to a summary before the review. Yeah, I see you). The story has everything you want from an Afro-fantasy: adventure, personality, humour, a villain with presence, amazing lore, and more. Told from multiple POVs at a high-octane pace, Children of Blood and Bone will keep you hooked, forgetting your milk is spilling as you cook (or maybe your attention span is just crap. Let's blame the book anyway).
Whether you have read it before, are reading it for the first time with the club, or just want to feel trendy with pop culture so you can say, "The book is better," when the movie drops next year, The Reading Circle invites you to the virtual discussion this Saturday at... Wait, let me put this in a cool subheading because you love lists and links you may not click, only to ask, "When is the review?" anyway...
* 📅 Date: August 1st, 2026
* 🕖 Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EAT
* 💻 Location: Virtual (Google Meet)
See more details in the event page
I rarely use my maji abilities but here we are... let me show you what we may be reading and its time for thrillers to shine!
🪓 Rock Paper Scissors — Alice Feeney: A husband and wife escape to a remote chapel in the Scottish Highlands hoping to fix their broken marriage. But someone has been planning this weekend for a long time, and every secret comes with a deadly price. Twisty, chilling, and impossible to predict.
🏡 The Couple at Number 9 — Claire Douglas: A young couple's dream home becomes the center of a murder investigation after two bodies are unearthed in their garden. As the past claws its way back, buried family secrets threaten to destroy everything they thought they knew. Tense, atmospheric, and relentlessly suspenseful.
💍 The Perfect Marriage — Jeneva Rose: A high-powered defense attorney is forced to represent her own husband after he's accused of murdering his mistress. Love, lies, and ambition blur together as every revelation raises a new question. Addictive, shocking, and brilliantly deceptive.
🧹 The Housemaid — Freida McFadden: Taking a job with the wealthy Winchester family seems like the fresh start Millie desperately needs—until she realizes the biggest danger isn't outside the house but inside it. Every locked door hides another terrifying truth. Fast-paced, addictive, and jaw-droppingly twisted.
Four homes. Four secrets. Expect shocking twists, unreliable people, suspicious spouses, and enough trust issues to make you side-eye your own neighbors
Lastly, enjoy an early look at Children Of Blood And Bone Movie
Join the court, choose your side, and debate Quicksilver's twists, magic, and romance.
