Book Review: “25 Fires” & “In This Burning World”
Posted: April 24, 2026 Filed under: Apocalyptic, Book Review, Books, Collection, Poetry, Review | Tags: 25 Fires, Book Review, Eric S. Hoffman, In This Burning World, Mary Mackey, Poetry, Poetry Collection, Writing to be Read Leave a comment
About 25 Fires: A Call to What Comes Next
A book for anyone frustrated with the present – but unwilling to give up on the future.
25 Fires confronts a fractured world and asks: What comes next?
Told across 25 short, incendiary chapters, it traces an arc from the glittering cosmos to the choices of a single life.
Fierce and poetic.
Clear-eyed and human.
A book you can read in one sitting.
A fire you can carry for years.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/25-Fires-Call-What-Comes-ebook/dp/B0GNHJK9KT
My Review of 25 Fires
I received a digital copy of 25 Fires, from the author, Eric S. Hoffman, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
25 chapters of poetic verse make up this short book. It begins in the first section, titled “Inferno”, laying out the poet’s bleak vision of the world as we know it
“Our institutions are crumbling.
Schools are running on fumes.
Democracy sells to the highest bidder
And insulin costs more than your car.
We’re better than this.”
In the second section, titled “Smoke”, and deals with the desperation of dealing with life in today’s world. Chapter 7 depicts life in our world.
“is there anybody out there?
Is anyone actually home?
I wonder sometimes.
I scroll past all these comments and conversation.
I swipe through photos and updates about your dog.
But it all feels… empty.
And although many of these are a cry of woe, amongst the predictions of doom, there lies a message of hope, like in chapter 24, in the section titled Sparks:
“The shift has already started.
The new world is already being built.
Not by the biggest armies,
Or the deepest pockets,
Or the loudest mouths.
But the rest of us.
Getting our minds in order.
Putting our hands to work.
The single mom hunched behind a laptop.
The grandfather up at 3 a.m.inhis garage.
Little fires.
Scattered in the dark.
We may not see each other,
But together we’re illuminating what comes next.”
One must ponder which is more captivating, the verse or the message which it carries? This short volume is easily read in a single sitting, but you may want to go back and go over it again to absorb the full impact.
Poetic verse with an important message. I give 25 Fires four quills.
About In this Burning World
Poetry for a planet in crisis: Love, loss, and hope in a burning world.
In In This Burning World, Mary Mackey offers a powerful collection of poems that unflinchingly confront the realities of climate change. Through vivid imagery and emotional depth, Mackey explores themes of apocalypse, love, and resilience, inviting readers to find hope and connection in the face of environmental destruction.
These poems capture the beauty of a world on the brink, while also celebrating the enduring power of human relationships. Perfect for readers seeking:
- Poetry that addresses climate change
- Inspirational verses about love and loss
- A hopeful perspective on the future
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/This-Burning-World-Poems-Apocalypse-ebook/dp/B0DYWXW9Z9
My Review of In This Burning World
I received a copy of In This Burning World: Poems of Love and Apocalypse from the author, Mary Mackey, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Poems of love and apocalypse. It seemed to me a curious combination. I had to check out this poetry collection.
True to the title, there are poems depicting both. Poems of apocalypse bring vivid images of destruction and ruin.
When Mirrors Are Reversed
When mirrors are reversed
we will walk together through skeleton forests
along rivers that boil like molten glass
behind us ghost panthers
will stalk us through the dust of our cities
gathering up our unborn children
and unraveling our dreams
the skies will be filled with fish
and the oceans will be filled with crows
our mouths will be filled with dust
and we will not drown
we will smother
Poems of love evoke feelings of pleasure and contentment.
Walking Toward the Largo do Machado
when the smell of jasmine
flows through the streets of Catete like a warm fog
when the scent is so liquid you can
breathe it in get drunk and stagger
I think of all the years I have loved you
and all the years I will go on loving you
I think of how we protect each other from pain and betrayal
how each night we wrap ourselves around each other
and peace floats above our bed like a canopy of white petals
Somehow, they all fit together perfectly to form a tapestry of anticipation and hope.
A unique collection of poetry about climate change, life and love. I give This Burning World five quills.
About Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.
Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARC digital copies, (she also accepts print copies). Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
