rachel caine – as told by zaheerah

Books

Reading Recap 2025!

January 3, 2026January 2, 2026by Zaheerah1 Comment

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful end to 2025 and a lovely new year! I’ve read a lot in 2025, reaching 101 books! Which, according to Goodreads, is actually one of my highest reading years ever! The last time I actually read this many books in a year was back in 2018 – which I was my first year of university!

I don’t usually set goals for myself in the new year (aside from reading ones) but after dabbling in different hobbies in 2025, it made me realise I want to set myself some creative goals for 2026.

Continue working with watercolour paints!
- I picked up watercolour paints as an activity to do during the Summer Hours at work. (which is working extra hours in the week to have Friday afternoon off). I began painting the covers of the books I read and I ended the year having only painted 8 covers. I used a rather small sketchbook which made the painting process less daunting. I too was sucked in by those TikTok ads to buy acrylic marker pens and they’ve surprisingly come in handy for this! It was such a fun and relaxing way to unwind from all the screens I’m looking at constantly during the day for work and also for streaming.

Return to blogging (FOR REAL THIS TIME I SWEAR)
- On the blog, I’ve only been posting my month rewinds for the last year or so. And it’s made me feel pretty guilty. 2025 was a bit lacking in the creative department. And this blog is where a lot of my creative endeavours first began. I do talk about the books I read on stream (twitch.tv/zaheerah) but I haven’t written a full review in sooo long. I swear my Netgalley TBR will be dealt with this year!

I’m not a goal setter as I find that I don’t end up following them so these two goals seem open enough that I will commit to them rather than abandoning them in the future.

My reading pattern for this year has been pretty consistent! I’ve found that I am much more picky with the books I read since I have less time to do so which means I didn’t dislike many of the books I read this year! (Don’t get me wrong, there was a few books I really, really hated but I don’t want to highlight them ahah) I’ve read a ton of fun books this year, especially webtoons!

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Monthly Rewind

Monthly Rewind: December 2025

January 2, 2026by ZaheerahLeave a Comment

B O O K S

In December, I read 11 books!

For transparency, every book marked with * are titles I received for free as I currently work at PRH UK.

Good Spirits

Harriet York finds herself visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a grumpy Nolan Callahan, who has no idea why he’s haunting the seemingly kind Harriet.

My 2026 reading goal should be to block HarperCollins on TikTok so I can stop lurking on their livestreams and be tempted by their discounts because this is now the 5th book I’ve bought on there and found myself sorely disappointed. I never read seasonally but I thought I would give a Christmas book a chance this time around. The only scene I liked was the mistletoe scene but everything else was such a bore. It started off strong and I liked the head butting between Harriet and Nolan but it went downhill so fast once they immediately became attracted to each other without any sort of development. Their relationship moves too fast to feel remotely satisfying as a reader.

Spoilers!

Soulmates being the answer to everything immediately ruined it for me. All that development and mystery with Nolan and it was as simple as the two of them being soulmates felt SO lacklustre.

Heated Rivalry

I too have joined the Heated Rivalry hype. I thought the book was fun! Nothing too standout but an enjoyable quick read. I do appreciate how well the TV show adapted the book! I know it’s easier with a modern contemporary novel but I’ve been burnt out too many times by adaptations.

A Lonely Broadcast: Book One

Firewatch meets The Magnus Archives! I liked this a lot! The creepy and gory details really made this book. I would’ve loved a bit more characterisation from the main leads. I rarely read horror because I prefer visual horror (like movies, tv and games) but this one had been stuck to my kindle for HOURS.

Game Changer

I loved Shane and Kip’s story so much! I understand why Shane and Ilya are the standout couple of the series but I really appreciated the slower development of Shane and Kip’s story.

Upward Bound*

A tale of community that follows the residents and workers of a day care centre for Los Angeles’s disabled residents. I really enjoyed the different perspectives in this book. I thought it would just stick to just the workers and residents but seeing even chapters from people who are passing by really made this unique! Hearing the different perspectives made this such a immersive story!

Last Breath, Black Dawn, Bitter Blood, Fall of Night, Daylighters (Morganville #11 – 15)

Did I panic and realise that it was already December and I hadn’t finished my Morganville re-read so I read the last 5 books in a month? Why, yes. Yes, I did. Reading the last book 5 in quick succession made me realise how unhinged the last few books in the series was. Especially because it goes from the Draug and Daylighter Foundation as villains in the space of like two books. I loved re-reading the series and I can’t wait to do my re-read of the Great Library series in the new year!

A Lonely Broadcast: Book Two

Such an improvement in Book Two! I felt like the story really grew into its own here! I’m so excited to see what Book Three will have in store! Although I do wish the series was separated by having their own names.

Also, if anything happens to Daniel, I am single-handedly that fuck ass monster in the woods myself.

That’s it for this month! Tell me what went on in YOUR life this month! What sort of things was important for you this month? New obsessions? New TV shows? Or book? Any new song recs (I’m always open to new music!)? Best books you read this month?

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Monthly Rewind

Monthly Rewind: June 2025

June 30, 2025June 29, 2025by Zaheerah1 Comment

A R T

Actually shame on me that I have no art to share with you this month. So I thought I would highlight some commissioned art instead! Here are two pieces from CarmenFFLV. The first one was actually a gift from my friend, Seth, who commissioned art of my OC (who I used as my png model when I’m streaming on Twitch.) I was so in love with the art that I commissioned the artist myself for a picture of myself! It’s SOO adorable and I just want to use it everywhere!

B O O K S

In June, I read 8 books!

For transparency, books marked with an asterisk (*) signify books I received through work at PRH.

Welcome to Glorious Tuga*

While to the residents of Tuga – the world’s most remote island – Charlotte Walker looks like a temporary resident, a researcher ready to study the island’s turtle population. For Charlotte, Tuga holds the secret to a past she never knew and can she find it amongst the people of glorious Tuga?

I feel like this book is a quintessential beach read – the kind of book that is low stakes, low energy and some thing that you can finish in a couple summer days. I thought it was cute, something quick to read. Personally, for me, it just felt SO empty. Nothing really happens except in the last few chapters and I actually almost forgot Charlotte was at Tuga to research turtles. I don’t think she actually did anything the entire time she was there? There is a sequel out now which judging by the synopsis sounds to be much better, but I don’t think I cared enough about Charlotte to think about picking it up.

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Monthly Rewind

Monthly Rewind: May 2025

June 4, 2025June 5, 2025by Zaheerah1 Comment

L I F E

In May, I attended Penguin Presents, a full-day event for staff at Penguin Random House celebrating their work. This one was particularly special, as it highlighted the 90th Anniversary. It was a great show with a fantastic selection of authors and an opportunity to hear about upcoming releases from the company. To be honest, you can’t really have Dame Judi Dench as your first guest and not expect it to be a fantastic event. I was lucky enough to snag a meet & greet with Jacqueline Wilson, and she signed my copy of Double Act from my childhood! I was a bit cheeky and realised that as I finished my signing with Jacqueline, Malorie Blackman’s line had just finished, so I also jumped over to her table and had the chance to say hello! These two authors were such a stable in our household. Malorie, especially with her works such as ANTIDOTE, Hacker and Thief – three of my favourite childhood reads! I always say that there are three authors whose works were pivotal to my interest in reading and, later, working in publishing (the third author being Rachel Caine). To meet two of them in one day was honestly amazing!

B O O K S

In May, I read 13 books!

8 of those books were a part of my Morganville Vampires series re-read! I’ve been slowly going back into writing which made me feel really nostalgic for Rachel’s works as I began working on my own writing.

For transparency, books marked with an asterisk (*) signify books I received through work at PRH.

Glass Houses, The Dead Girl’s Dance, Midnight Alley, Feast of Fools, Lord of Misrule, Carpe Corpus, Fade Out & Kiss of Death

Nothing has made me question my memory more as I re-read this series. I thought I had a pretty good memory of the entire series. Still, re-reading it, I’m actually laughing at how much I’ve forgotten. Not even plot points – I somehow managed to forget the characters. (Not you, Sam Glass, my beloved. I like to think he was the beginning of my obsession with red-haired characters.)

Suppose you haven’t read or heard of this series. In that case, Morganville Vampires is a massive 15-book series about a girl named Claire who discovers that the town she attends college in is run by vampires. Each book presents a new challenge for her as she becomes more involved with the town’s increasingly undead residents.

I began reading this series when I was 9, maybe 12 for the later books, and now, at 27, I think, ‘Wow, these characters were all babies.’ I used to think Claire was so calm and mature, and now I’m reading this and thinking, ‘Claire, please relax.’ You are a child and don’t need to be doing all this. A side note, but I LOVE how dated this series feels now. Something about Shane having a PSP and them playing video games that were clearly inspired by old generations felt incredibly nostalgic – I used to be so jealous of Shane having a PSP because back then, only my brother had one. Is this series peak fiction? Probably only to 9-year-old me. But I’m having so much fun re-reading this because it still feels as entertaining as it was eighteen years ago

Cry When the Baby Cries*

An insightful graphic memoir about the early years of parenthood! I heard about this book in a meeting and I was waiting for it to be released! So funny and candid!

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Books

Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

December 1, 2020by ZaheerahLeave a Comment

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature once hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but has now moved to That Artsy Reader Girl! Each week, a new topic is put into place and bloggers share their top ten (or your own amount) accordingly. This week’s topic is Book You Want to Read Again, so I decided to adapt it slightly to books you wish you could read again for the first time. Because there of them, way more than ten, and if you’ve been following me long enough, half of this list should not be a surprise.

The Poppy War by R.F Kuang
This is one of many books that really go without saying many words. To quote me back in 2018, “Believe the hype. It is truly worth it.” Two years later and this story STILL lives in my mind rent-free. I would happily erase my mind to see Rin, Kitay and Nezha meet again for the first time.
Jade City by Fonda Lee
I first read Jade City last year, and I have already re-read it three times. I’m currently in the middle of a read-along to re-read Jade City and Jade War again. I think it’s safe to say that I don’t wish I could reread this for the first time, I just want to re-read this series all the time.
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
Listen, the way I would do anything to experience the same form of happiness I felt when I discovered Khalila Seif for the first time is unreal. Rachel Caine was always more known for her Morganville series and her adult fictions, but I will never shut up about this series. I feel like this series is way underappreciated in YA. A definite re-read is in order.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johhnson
My sister bought me a copy of this because my favourite youtuber at the time, charlieissocoollike, had talked about it. And I never would have expected to have liked it so much. I remember spending one summer just re-reading it because I loved it so much. The later books in the series were decent, but I would have been satisfied if this was just a standalone as well. I really loved the concept, and the way Maureen Johnson used Jack the Ripper was so interesting.
Thief by Malorie Blackman
I had read this book way before I discovered any sort of book community online. I think I mentioned it before that I picked it up by accident. I think this might have been my first ever dystopian book and Malorie Blackman book. I vaguely remember being really scared of this book, like a lot.
Angelfall by Susan Ee
I associate Angelfall with a particular moment in my life, the first year of college to be exact. Which is when I started my site and one of the few years of education where I wasn’t stressed out, and I was actually quite happy with my life. A friend of mine from my gaming class had recommended it to me, and we were so obsessed with talking about it all the time. I think one of my first reviews was Angelfall. The sequels didn’t live up to my expectations but getting to experience Angelfall at the time I did was so memorable.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
I think this one doesn’t need any explaining. I know, you know, we know. Let’s move on.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I’ve mentioned this before, but I was the girl obsessed with THG in secondary school. Like seriously obsessed. Somewhere in the attic are all my old Hunger Games memorabilia collecting dust. This is another book/series where I associated it to a specific timeframe in my life: secondary school before the fear of GCSEs really settled in and life was probably the least stressed I had ever been. Consider this another apology if you knew me during my Hunger Games phase, even I die a little bit inside thinking about it.
The Foxhole Court series by Nora Sakavic
Some questionable stuff happens in this series, but nothing remains as iconic as Kevin saying “Did you know I’ve never been skiing? I’d like to try it one day, though.” to a bunch of reporters.
The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan

This is one of those books that was so dream-like to read. It’s very low conflict and very character-driven. I’m not someone who get emotional that easily but the ending to this book had me sobbing like a brand new person.

What’s on your TTT this week? Leave me a link or let me know in the comments!

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