Rohan Reads

Loneliness makes people vulnerable, and Dr. John Pierre Craig understands that truth completely in The Hollow Vow. Jevonte Greene's search for connection feels achingly real, and it sets the stage for one of the more disturbing psychological thrillers I have read this year.

A few things that stood out to me ~

📚 Talaitha's introduction feels intoxicating before it turns menacing.
📚 The middle section builds momentum without losing emotional weight.
📚 The story never rushes its darkest moments, letting them breathe.

By the final act, Jevonte's transformation from hopeful to terrified is handled with real skill. This is not a book chasing shock value. It is a book interested in how devotion can be twisted into captivity, and it succeeds at making that horror feel personal. Highly recommended for anyone drawn to dark, character focused suspense.

I honestly didn't expect the investigation to go as far back as it did.

The connection to Raghav's past gives the story a completely different dimension.

There is a hidden child, an old tragedy and blackmail involved, and each revelation adds another question.

I enjoyed how the mystery gradually expands instead of staying limited to the night of the murder.

The past doesn't feel like unnecessary background because it becomes part of understanding the present case. This made the second half especially interesting for me.

I went into Inspector Rocky expecting a straightforward murder mystery, but the snakebite angle made it much more interesting. The locked-room element kept me guessing, and Rocky is exactly the kind of detective I enjoy. He's observant, persistent, and unwilling to accept the obvious explanation. A quick, intriguing mystery with a very satisfying investigation.

A death at Lothal opens the door to a secret that has apparently survived for thousands of years. Jay Menon becomes involved when a battered diary containing strange symbols provides clues to what was uncovered. The past becomes part of the danger.
Jay is particularly effective because she has to solve the mystery through her archaeological expertise.

The symbols and ancient communication methods are not decorative details; they are part of the investigation. Her Kalaripayattu training and urumi skills give her another way to confront the danger.

Their use of the Dark Web creates a sharp contrast with the ancient material. The possibility that the secret involves an ancient weapon capable of causing global devastation gives the investigation genuine weight.

-Wrong decisions -

📚 BOOK TOUR STOP 📚

Why do intelligent, hardworking people still make strategically wrong decisions?

Sometimes the problem isn't intelligence.
And it isn't effort.

It is that we begin acting before we have clearly understood what is actually happening.

Bharateeya Strategic Intelligence: From Confusion to Clarity by Kuruva Venkata Ramana Murthy explores a different approach to strategy: see reality first, identify the friction that actually matters, and only then decide where effort should go.

Because working harder on the wrong problem doesn't create progress. It only makes the mistake more expensive.

The book introduces the BSI 7-stage system, moving from Drishti, seeing reality without distortion, to Sadhana, disciplined ex*****on.

Thank you Kuruva Venkata Ramana Murthy and Ishika Hirani | Book Influencer for including me in this book tour.

📖 Book: Bharateeya Strategic Intelligence
📝 Author: Kuruva Venkata Ramana Murthy
📙 Genre: Non-Fiction | Strategy | Leadership | Decision-Making
📆 Published: 2 August 2026

QOTD: Have you ever worked very hard on something only to realise later that you were solving the wrong problem?

Breaking down this three part collection from F. J. Diop.

• Last Train to Paris establishes the initial spark through small, quiet moments rather than grand gestures, a Sunday bakery routine that slowly becomes something neither character can dismiss.
• Between Two Breaths shifts tone completely, using grief and vulnerability to bring the characters together in a way that feels messy and human rather than romanticized.
• The Third Season finally lets both characters sit with years of accumulated history in a single city, and the tension is almost unbearable in the best way.
• Diop's prose throughout stays clean and controlled, letting emotion build through action rather than exposition.
• Supporting characters like Karen, Camille, and Mrs. Elliott add texture without ever distracting from the central story.
• The pacing across all three parts rewards patience, this is not a book to rush through.

A genuinely satisfying book for readers who appreciate emotional complexity and character growth over instant gratification.

✨ BOOK REVIEW | Witch Goddesses: Dyna & Zaray 🧙‍♀️🌙

Some fantasy books are entertaining. Others make you feel like you’ve actually stepped through a portal into another world. Witch Goddesses: Dyna & Zaray by Marco Wagner was definitely the latter for me.

From the beginning, I was drawn into a world of witches, ancient magic, mystery, danger, romance, and powerful secrets. What especially stood out to me was the combination of a medieval-inspired fantasy setting with a much larger universe that feels like there is still so much left to discover.

Zaray Karaython immediately caught my attention. His banishment for magical misconduct leads him to a remote mountain district, but what initially feels like punishment soon becomes the beginning of something much bigger. His encounters with Dyna Xenodyr add another fascinating dimension to the story, particularly as their relationship develops while darker forces begin to emerge.

💫 What I enjoyed most was the way the book connects magic with character relationships. The story isn’t simply about spectacular powers or magical battles; it also explores tension, emotional connections, consequences, and the choices that come with possessing extraordinary power.

As the danger grows, Dyna and Zaray discover that they are facing something far more significant than an ordinary magical conflict.

Overall, this was an immersive and imaginative fantasy read with intriguing world-building, powerful witches, romance, adventure, and plenty of mystery. I also loved the feeling that this is only the beginning of a much larger story.

📚 If you enjoy epic fantasy, witchcraft, magical worlds, forbidden forces, romance, and supernatural adventures, add this one to your TBR.

🔥 A promising beginning to the Witch Goddesses series, and now I’m genuinely curious to see where Dyna and Zaray’s journey goes next!

👇 Are you a fan of witchy fantasy and magical world-building? Tell me your favourite fantasy read!

💾 Save this review for your next fantasy TBR pick.

✨🌟 Full of imagination and warmth

Bright by Vincent G. Palumbo is a sweet and imaginative picture book that celebrates curiosity and courage. 💫

Bright is such an endearing character, and watching the story unfold through his eyes gives everything a magical feeling. The friendship with Ella adds another lovely layer to the story. 🥰

The illustrations are soft and enchanting, creating a world that feels almost dreamlike. 🎨🌌

Most importantly, the book leaves readers with a positive message about trusting yourself and embracing who you are.

A delightful read for children and adults to enjoy together. 💛

Three things this book made me rethink:

How quickly reasonable decisions turn into permanent habits. Nambiar shows how a single cautious choice can quietly become an entire process nobody questions again.

How often leadership is mistaken for control. The book argues that real leadership often looks like stepping back and removing yourself from decisions that do not need you.

How complexity spreads through good intentions. Almost every example in the book begins with someone trying to help, and ends with an unnecessary layer nobody wants to remove.

Beyond these three ideas, what stayed with me was the tone of the writing itself. It is calm, unhurried, and never tries to oversell its own insights. Nambiar seems far more interested in prompting reflection than in delivering applause worthy quotes, which is rare for this kind of book.

The chapters on customer experience were a pleasant surprise, connecting internal simplicity to something customers actually feel, even if they cannot always name it.

This is not a book that hands you a checklist. It hands you a lens, and once you start using it, ordinary meetings and decisions look noticeably different. A quietly transformative read for anyone willing to sit with its ideas.

Rating: 5 ⭐
Title: The Pune Serial Killers
Authors: Sujata Sapre & Anandajit Goswami
Literary Agency: The Book Bakers
Publisher: Srishti Publishers

I went into this book knowing very little about the case, and that made the reading experience even more chilling. What disturbed me most was the fact that the people behind these crimes were young college students who, from the outside, could have appeared completely ordinary.

The authors take readers through the case carefully, building the story piece by piece rather than simply presenting a series of horrific incidents.
I especially appreciated the attention given to the investigation and the behaviour of the perpetrators.
It made me think about how difficult it can be to recognise danger when it exists behind a familiar face.

Despite dealing with extremely dark events, the writing never felt unnecessarily dramatic.

The seriousness of the case is enough to hold your attention. I found myself reading chapter after chapter because I wanted to understand how the police eventually connected everything.

A disturbing but fascinating account of a terrifying chapter in Pune’s history. Definitely recommended for readers interested in Indian true crime and criminal psychology.