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Martyr!: A novel

Kaveh Akbar

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR 2024 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

A newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants, guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret that leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Electrifying, funny, and wholly original, Martyr! heralds the arrival of an essential new voice in contemporary fiction.

“Kaveh Akbar is one of my favorite writers. Ever.” —Tommy Orange, Pulitzer Prize–nominated author of There There.

“The best novel you'll ever read about the joy of language, addiction, displacement, martyrdom, belonging, homesickness.” —Lauren Groff, best-selling author of Matrix and Fates and Furies.

Cyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk, an addict, and a poet, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying, and toward his mother, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.

Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! is a paean to how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, art, ourselves, others.

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Posts about this title from Boundless Press

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Apr 15 2025

POV: the books are less than $10 so you have to buy them all 😭 a book haul

I should not be allowed near a bookstore.

15 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Jun 29

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Hey y'all,\ \ For July, we'll be reading Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. It was one of my top five reads last year and I just can't stop thinking about it and I want you all to understand that feeling.\ \ Moving forward, I'll send out a poll on Discord to see what people would like to see from this book club. Feel free to also comment suggestions here or in Discord. I've been picking the books the past few months, but I do want to bring the voting back soon. \ \ XoXo,\ \ Rae

July Book Club Pick

1 book

Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Jun 25

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Instead of using Amazon, support indie bookstores this weekend!

This weekend, we’re supporting independent bookstores from the comfort of our homes. All purchases made through Bookshop.org from June 23rd to June 26th will receive free standard shipping. Don’t let this offer pass you by!

#ad #independentbookstore #books #readers

4 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • May 8

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💭 do you have a favorite book dedication?

recommending books i enjoyed using their dedications (part two)!

📚 books mentioned: - I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea - Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar - These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa - The Black Girl Survives in This One, edit by Desiree S. Evans - Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle - Transmogrify!: 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic: An LGBTQ+ Young Adult Fantasy Anthology of Unforgettable Adventures, edited by g. haron davis - A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper - Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson - We Have Reached the End of Our Show by Ali Gordon - Nimona by N.D. Stevenson - The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

👗💄: - dress is from Mac Duggal, rented from Nuuly - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Get Underlined, HarperCollins, Saga Press, Wildling Press, and Berkley Pub for the gifted copies!

#bookrecsfromdedications #bookdedications #bookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram @fiercereads @getunderlined @knopfyoungreaders @flatiron_books @simonteen @harpercollins @sagapressbooks @riverheadbooks @wildlingpress @acebookspub @berkleypub @macduggal

book dedications • recommending books based on their dedications • book dedication recs • horror books • fantasy books • science fiction books • literary fiction • unique books • diverse books • Fierce Reads • Make Me A World • Knopf • Flatiron • Simon Teen • Riverhead Books • ACE Books

12 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Feb 17

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January Reading Wrap Up

I’ve already had my first read of February (Kindred by Octavia Butler) and it does in fact blow all of these out of the water #booktok #readingwrapup #fantasybooks #romancebooks

14 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 11 2025

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11/11 is 👹STEPH DAY 👹!!

📚 books mentioned: - The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker - Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi - Saltcrop by Yume Kitasei - The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez - You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White - The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta - Model Home by Rivers Solomon - Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad - The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa

👗💄: - dress is from Chelsea Reece - eyeshadow is Mírame Eyeshadow Palette from Aora - duochrome eyeshadow is from Ourbella - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

thank you to Tordotcom, MIRA Books/HTP Hive, Get Underlined, Flatiron, Tor Books, Saga Press, and Disney Hyperion for the gifted copies!

#fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #bookrecs #birthdaybooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #FlatironPartner #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #TorPartner #FlatironPartner #GetUnderlinedPartner #HTPHivePartner @tordotcompub @readmirabooks @htp_hive @getunderlined @flatiron_books @torbooks @sagapressbooks @abramsbooks @aaknopf @disneybooks @mcdbooks @groveatlantic @bychelseareece @aoramakeup @ourbella_cosmetics

14 books

Fat Forward Books\ \ Samantha Puc\ \ • Oct 8 2025

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Books I Read (and Loved) July-September 2025

16 books I read and loved in summer 2025.

13 books

Alyssa’s Library\ \ alyssa\ \ • Sep 4 2025

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it’s time to talk about all the books i read in august! i read a total of 12 books and so many of them were amazing so let’s get into it:\ \ TOP THREE READS:\ \ Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (5⭐️) -> this is one of my new ALL TIME favourite books ever. i think this book is so important to read (especially now) because of the themes surrounding oppression, resistance, protests, and the state of the world as a whole. this is one of the best dystopian books i’ve read and this will stick with me for a long time (probably forever).\ \ My Friends by Fredrick Backman (5⭐️) -> WOW. this book put me through all the emotions and i haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since i finsihed. the way fredrick backman created such a layered story with discussions surrounding life, death, mental illness, and friendships was absolutely spectacular. this was funny, heartwarming, and absolutely devastating all at the same time. highly recommend this one!\ \ Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone (5⭐️)-> one of my new alllll time favourite romance books! sometimes with romance i have a hard time not getting bored throughout if nothings happening lol BUT THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE ROMANCE!! the tension, the yearning, the ACTUAL SLOW BURN friends to lovers??? absolutely ate this up. the exploration surrounding grief and loss was spectacular. definitely a new fav!\ \ EVERYTHING ELSE:\ \ An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson (3.75⭐️)-> this was my first book by this author and definitely not my last! this was the perfect dark academia, spooky, creepy read that i was looking for and i adored those aspects of the book! the only issues i had with this was the pacing (sometimes sooooo many things happened and sometimes nothing happened) and the romance. i didn’t feel connected to the characters enough to care about it but overall i enjoyed myself!\ \ Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (4.5⭐️) -> i don’t read a lot of literary fiction but this book was absolutely spectacular! i felt so deeply for cyrus and his story, and i was hooked from the first page. i can see why this book is so loved in the book community, it was so beautiful and definitely one i’ll be thinking about for a long time.\ \ Between Broomsticks & Beating Wings by Marissa Serrao (4.25⭐️) -> this is an indie sapphic fantasy book that absolutely delivered! in this book we follow a human witch and a valkyrie where they strike a deal and have to venture into the underworld together. i thought the romance was so sweet and i loved the two characters individually and together. my favourite character was definitely the ghost cat tho :)\ \ The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas (4.5⭐️) -> after reading the vampires of el norte, i knew i had to read this one and i loved it even more! this one was definitely more focused on the horror aspects than the romance but i thought both were so well done. the yearning was impeccable and i was so scared throughout most of the book lol. loooved this one sm!\ \ Blood Moon by Brittany S. Lewis (3.75⭐️) -> this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and i had a fun time with this one! this one felt so nostalgic and it very much reminded me of twilight lol. i thought the plot was so interesting (even though it was a little predictable) but i wasn’t invested in the romance that much. hopefully book 2 is even better!\ \ An Unlikely Coven by A. M. Kvita (4.5⭐️) -> this debut cozy fantasy was SO ADORABLE! this is one of my new favourite cozy fantasy books with such an adorable cast of characters! joan was such an intriguing character to read from and i loved her little found family that she found <3 i HIGHLY recommend you get this one when it comes out in October!\ \ Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R Weaver (3⭐️) -> unfortunately this was my least favourite book of the month. this is a scifi thriller that started off so strong but the farther i got into it, the less i started caring about the characters. i felt that this was very predictable and i wasn’t connected to anyone in this book. i was sad this didn’t work for me but you may enjoy it more than i did!\ \ I, Medusa by Ayana Gray (4.5⭐️) -> one of THE BEST medusa retellings i’ve ever read! the writing was absolutely phenomenal, and i felt so much for medusa as a character. it was so interesting to see how she went from maiden, to mistress, to monster, and finally to myth. this was so hard hitting and I can’t recommend this one enough! definitely buy it when it comes out in October :)\ \ Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould (3.25⭐️) -> i’m so sad i didn’t like this one more. this is a YA dystopian that follows a disabled protagonist (AMAZING!!) where she will do anything to get her sister back. i loved the representation in this, but i thought the plot was lacking. i also was not a huge fan of the romance lol because its lowkey second chance (ish?) but the mmc was not justifying cutting off the mmc. unfortunately this didn’t work for me :/

AUGUST READING WRAP UP

12 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 9 2025

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i came up with this video idea in the shower and knew i had to film it immediately if not sooner 🫣

book recommendations based on my weird pajama t-shirts!

📚 books mentioned: - Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar - I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones - Open Throat by Henry Hoke - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker - The Coven Tendency by Zoe Hana Mikuta

thank you to Saga Press, MIRA/HPT Hive, and Disney Hyperion for the gifted copies!

#bookrecommendations #bookreviews #horrorbooks #fantasybooks #scifibooks #weirdbooks #disturbingbooks #weirdgirlbooks #SagaSaysCrew #sagapressbooks #SagaSays #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram #nycbookstagram @zandoprojects @ireadvintage @sagapressbooks @mcdbooks @readmirabooks @htp_hive @disneybooks

6 books

Sunny's Book Truck\ \ CJ\ \ • Jul 29 2025

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\ \ In her newest novel, Bertino parses through themes of alienation by writing from the point of view of an alien protagonist named Adina. I found this spin on the coming-of-age genre truly effecting and Adina’s search for community while feeling other relatable and heart wrenching. Wry, deadpan, and somehow full of wisdom, this is perhaps the best book I’ve read all year. It’s not out until January but I highly recommend you preorder it. For fans of: watching Challenger disaster footage, staring at yourself in the mirror while on psychadelics, and The Seas by Samantha Hunt .\ \ \ \ In my opinion, poets make for good novelists. Akbar is no exception to this, I really enjoyed his debut novel. Martyr! is untraditional in structure, it flashes between dreams and reality, narrators living and dead, poetry and manuscript samples. Our main character, Cyrus, is figuring out his grief of being parentless while navigating being both queer and early in his sobriety journey. It skillfully interrogates the role art plays in our lives, inherited mythologies, and is deeply invested in finding lightness within the dark. For fans of: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, diner coffee, and Marina Abramović.\ \ \ \ State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg doesn’t come out until July, but I strongly suggest you pre-order it! This speculative novel is set in the underbelly of Florida, and follows a ghostwriter who is stuck in her family home during the pandemic. The plot takes on every twist imaginable and features themes of technology addiction, cults, and dying parents. It’s weird, it’s otherworldly — it’s classic van den Berg. For fans of: hurricane weather, Weather by Jenny Offill, and holding a conch shell to your ear.](https://sunnysbooktruck.binderybooks.com/item/uLuMSdv70j2gf47JN4tO/)

Rapid Reviews

Aliens! Art! Florida!

3 books

Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Jul 19 2025

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yapping about my 2025 reads | Midyear Freakout Tag

Since recording this, I've finished 3 more books (if that's any indication of how long this took to edit).

Check me out on:

Bindery: https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/ Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/raethereviewer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raethereviewer/ Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raethereviewer Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/raethereviewer Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20898931-rae-the-reviewer My Website: https://raethereviewer.com/ and services (sensitivity reading, freelance writing, copywriting, case studies) https://raethereviewer.com/services/

Tags: books, 2025 reads, physical tbr, reader, bookstagram, booktube, booktok, influencer, diverse books, young adult, adult books, middle grade, fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, poetry, black reader, book recommendations, reading recommendations, book nerd

00:00 Intro 00:16 Best read of 2025 (so far) 01:36 Favorite sequel 02:11 2025 release that you're excited to read 03:05 Most anticipated release for the second half of 2025 04:37 Biggest disappointment 05:34 Biggest surprise 06:49 New favorite author 08:31 Fave new (book) crush 09:21 Fave new character 09:51 Book that made you cry 11:54 Prettiest books you've bought this year 12:32 Book that made you happy 14:15 TBR for the rest of the year 17:38 Outro

25 books

Children of Diaspora\ \ Rae the Reviewer\ \ • Jul 16 2025

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://children-of-diaspora.binderybooks.com/item/4B1iymDxPyw7P40cWA5T/)

*Early Access* yapping about my 2025 reads | Midyear Freakout Tag

Since recording this, I've finished 3 more books (if that's any indication of how long this took to edit).

Check me out on:

21 books

The Inkborne Society\ \ Azhangia\ \ • Jun 29 2025

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My Top 3 of the Month \ \ ⭐ 5.00 - Martyr! (Kaveh Akbar)\ \ Martyr! was the star of this month and an absolute masterpiece. Following an orphaned son of Iranian immigrants who is obsessed with the idea of martyrdom, Martyr! delves into themes of grief, addiction, mortality, morality, family, and more, all brought to life through writing that is deeply evocative and piercing. I am still processing the last few chapters, but wow, what a book. \ \ ⭐ 4.25 - A Forbidden Alchemy (Stacey McEwan)\ \ I ate this romantasy up!! Set in a world in which children are whisked away to the capital city to get tested for magical potential at the age of 12, a fated pair uncover a world-changing secret and are thrust into a violent class war, navigating love, loss, and devastating betrayals. This book had solid pacing, dynamic relationships, betrayals that kept me on my toes, and overall, was an exciting and engaging read. I know some people hate the love triangle, but the tension in this one was SO good and I think it's definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the romantasy genre! \ \ ⭐ 4.00 - Assassin’s Quest (Robin Hobb)\ \ And so, my journey with the Farseer trilogy comes to an end. Robin Hobb’s character work really brought this story to life, and by the time I finished this book, I felt like I had lived several years with these characters. While I thought the pace slightly dragged at times, overall, this was a solid conclusion to the series and I was satisfied with Fitz’s story arc. \ \ Other Reads and Ratings: \ \ ⭐ 4.00 - The Phoenix Pencil Company (Allison King)\ \ The Phoenix Pencil Company features a hidden and nearly forgotten magic - of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life. I was really interested in how this book was going to explore generational storytelling, and I loved the family saga aspect of the tale. However, I thought other elements (mostly those involving the romance) were not well-executed and detracted from the impact of the story. Overall, still a solid debut!\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - The Vanished Birds (Simon Jimenez)\ \ In The Vanished Birds, a mysterious child lands in the care of a solitary woman, changing both of their lives forever. I really enjoyed the lyrical prose, but the book felt disjointed at times, with the first chapter feeling almost like a completely different story. That said, this is a space opera that takes readers across space and time, and I did appreciate Jimenez’s innovative storytelling.\ \ ⭐ 3.75 - Crier’s War (Nina Varela)\ \ Crier’s War is a sapphic YA sci-fantasy book about the impossible love between two girls - one human, one Made - that could birth a revolution. I first added this book to my TBR back in November when I was looking for books like Arcane, and I am happy to report that the main character in this book did have some Cait and Vi vibes! However, this story wasn’t particularly original or memorable, and I do not plan on continuing the series. \ \ ⭐ 3.50 - Black Salt Queen (Samantha Basil)\ \ I really wanted to like this one, but ultimately, I struggled with how flat the characters felt and the surface-level storytelling. I did appreciate the Filipino cultural inspirations and thought the story had a lot of potential though!\ \ ⭐ 3.50 - Immortal Consequences (I.V. Marie)\ \ The premise of this book caught my eyes months ago (boarding school at the edge of the afterlife sounded so intriguing), but this is another book that unfortunately didn’t work for me because of how stale and underdeveloped the characters all felt. That said, I do think there are readers out there who would enjoy this fast-paced, plot-driven YA dark academia fantasy!\ \ Note: June has been a very busy month for me on the personal side of things, so I apologize for the lack of activity on my Bindery. July will also unfortunately be a busy month for me, but hopefully I will have more time to post in future months. Thank you for sticking around, and let me know if there's anything you want to see!\ \ Join for free or login

June Reading Wrap-Up: Ratings & Reviews

Some thoughts on the eight books I read this month!

8 books

Boundless Press\ \ Jananie\ \ • Apr 15 2025

POV: the books are less than $10 so you have to buy them all 😭 a book haul

I should not be allowed near a bookstore.

15 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Feb 1 2025

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first line book recs

📖✨would you read these books based on their opening lines? continuing the series of recommending books using their first lines!

📚 books mentioned: - But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo - The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong - The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa - Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar - Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker - Conditions of a Heart by Bethany Mangle - I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

#bookrecsfromfirstlines #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #scifibooks #bookrecommendations #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #bookstagram

7 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 23 2024

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national book awards

happy National Book Awards day! will you be tuning in tonight?

these books were gifted to me by The National Book Foundation and Meta/Threads. they let me pick out any three finalists, and it was a hard choice, but I obviously loved all of my selections!

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Nov 23 2024

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readathon!

another successful weekend readathon! i joined in between work and a couple of other things and still managed to read four wonderful books.

these readathons are totally text based and are so much fun. it’s great to read in community and hold each other lightly accountable! i still have SO much reading to catch up on.

also shout out to Out of Print for the coziest reading socks!!

4 books

The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Sep 12 2024

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://inkyphoenix.binderybooks.com/item/H21iiekLONZvidyWuELb/)

MARTYR! Inky Phoenix Zoom Conversation

For any of our Inky Fam who missed our fantastic talk on MARTYR!

1 book

The Inky Phoenix\ \ Kathryn Budig\ \ • Aug 30 2024

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Save the Date: MARTYR! Zoom Convo