Peaches and Honey: These Immortal Truths

“Truths are for those who can afford to live it, not for those struggling to find any bright spot of light in a world that casts them into darkness.”

I have sat here for 10 minutes struggling to put into words how I feel about this book. And even now I don't think these words will ever truly describe the impression this book has left on me.

Peaches & Honey follows Anna, a character who's heart is so big I am surprised it even fits in her body. She is gifted an immortal peach by a shapeshifting god and if that doesn't immediately make you want to read it, I don't know what will. It is a historical romance mostly, filled with magic and the more harrowing slow burn I have every experienced. The burn really does burn. The author gives us fragments of this growing relationship throughout each chapter that made me yearn for more each time. It spans across 8 centuries and Raeta does an amazing job of highlighting the horrors of humanity throughout time - “Time touches everything”

There is so much thought and precision into each word that it forces you to reflect and oh boy does it hurt. I don't think a book has ever made me cry as early as chapter 7. Anna as a character is the most selfless and human characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading, I cannot wait to experience more of her. As for Khiran, he is such a complex character that it is impossible not to fall in love with him. Despite the fact that the book mostly focuses on Anna, like for her, he is a constant throughout the book.

I am just in awe of the way this book is written. The thought that is put into this is truly commendable, as it's filled with so much culture and understanding. It reminds me of Doctor Who, forever both blessed and cursed with immortality and spending that time saving everyone else but never saving themselves.

This book is a love letter to those who give their entire beings to help others:

“For the givers, may the next person you save, be yourself.”

This was fine. The last 25% wasn't super interesting and I skimmed, but overall it was a fun read since it starts in the 1100s and ends in the 1900s.