BlazeBooks icon BlazeBooks

User Guide

BlazeBooks is an iOS EPUB reader with RSVP speed reading and text-to-speech.

📥 Getting Books

You can add books in two ways: import from your own files, or download free titles from the built-in Discover tab.

Import from Files

Tap the + button in the Library to open the file picker. Browse to any .epub file stored in Files, iCloud Drive, or another document provider and select it. The book will be imported and appear in your library straight away.

BlazeBooks library showing the + import button in the navigation bar
Tip: If your EPUB has many chapters, BlazeBooks imports the metadata immediately and extracts the full text in the background. A progress indicator on the book cover shows extraction status.

Download from Discover

Open the Discover tab (world icon) to browse thousands of free public domain books from Project Gutenberg. Browse by genre or search by title or author, then tap a book to see its details and tap Download.

Discover tab showing genre grid for browsing free books

📚 Your Library

The Library tab shows all your books organised into three sections:

  • Continue Reading — a horizontal strip of recently opened books, each with a reading progress bar
  • Shelves — collapsible custom shelves for organising your collection
  • All Books — a full grid of every imported book, sortable by Title, Author, Recently Read, or Date Added

Organising Books

Long-press any book cover to open a context menu with options to add or remove from a shelf, or delete the book from your library.

Creating Shelves

Tap the shelf icon in the toolbar to create a new shelf. Give it a name — e.g. Science Fiction or Reading List<

Long-press context menu on a book cover showing shelf and delete options

Books can be assigned via the long-press menu.

Long-press context menu on a book cover showing shelf and delete options

📖 Reading Modes

BlazeBooks has two reading modes, switchable at any time. Your position is preserved when you switch.

Page Mode

The default reading experience. Text is displayed as a continuous scroll, chapter by chapter, with comfortable typography — just like any standard ebook reader.

Page mode displaying a continuous scroll of text

RSVP Mode

Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) displays one word at a time in large text, aligned on its Optimal Recognition Point (ORP) — the character your eye naturally focuses on — making it easier to read faster without moving your eyes.

Use the WPM slider to set your reading speed. A good starting point is 250–300 WPM; experienced readers often reach 400–600 WPM.

RSVP mode displaying a single word with the Optimal Recognition Point marker

Switching Modes

Use the Page / RSVP segmented control in the toolbar to switch modes. Your word position is carried across so you continue from exactly where you left off.

🔊 Text-to-Speech

BlazeBooks can read aloud in both Page and RSVP modes using your device's built-in voices.

  • Tap the speaker icon in the toolbar to enable TTS
  • In Page mode, the currently spoken word is highlighted as playback progresses
  • In RSVP mode, TTS advances the word display in sync with speech

Choosing a Voice

Tap the voice name shown below the TTS controls to open the voice picker. Browse and preview all voices installed on your device, grouped by language.

Tip: Download enhanced voices for better quality. On your iPhone, open Settings and follow this path exactly:
  1. Tap Accessibility
  2. Tap Read & Speak
  3. Tap Voices
  4. Tap English (or your preferred language)
  5. Tap the download icon ⬇ next to any Enhanced or Premium voice
After downloading, return to BlazeBooks and the new voices will appear automatically in the voice picker.
Long-press context menu on a book cover showing shelf and delete options

After downloading, return to BlazeBooks and the new voices will appear automatically in the voice picker.

Voice selection preview showing voices to choose in the app

⚡ Speed Controls

WPM Slider

The words-per-minute slider controls reading speed in both RSVP mode (word advance rate) and TTS mode (speech rate). Drag the slider or tap – / + to adjust. Changes take effect immediately.

Speed Cap

Some voices have a natural maximum rate beyond which speech quality degrades. When your WPM setting exceeds a voice's comfort zone, a Speed Cap banner appears. BlazeBooks plays at the highest quality rate for that voice rather than forcing distorted audio.

🔍 Discover Free Books

The Discover tab gives access to over 70,000 free books from Project Gutenberg via the Gutendex API.

  • Browse by genre — tap a genre card to see curated titles
  • Search — use the search bar to find books by title or author

Tap any result to see the book's description, author, and language. Tap Download to import it directly into your library. Books already in your library show an In Library badge so you don't download duplicates.

Book detail sheet in Discover showing description, author, and Download button

☁️ iCloud Sync

BlazeBooks uses iCloud to sync your library, shelves, and reading positions across all your devices signed into the same Apple ID. Sync happens automatically in the background — no setup required.

💬 Support

BlazeBooks is a free, open-source app released under the MIT License. If you have a question, found a bug, or want to request a feature: