This post contains affiliate links, where we may receive a percentage of any sale made from the links on this page. Prices and availability accurate as of the time of publication.
We've been talking a lot about books here at Winter Is Coming lately, and we're not going to let up today. There were plenty of exciting sci-fi and fantasy books that came out in January, but looking at the packed slate for February, it feels like that was just the warm-up for a wonderful year of reading ahead. This month is stacked!
Fantasy mysteries, epic tales of war and tragedy, gritty space operas and even some re-releases of hard-to-find books; there's a lot to take in. As we do every month, we've rounded up a bunch of books that are coming out in the next 30 days to make it easier for all you avid fantasy and sci-fi readers to find your next favorite read.
We're looking at a pretty full list, so let's not waste time on formalities. Pull up your Goodreads page, get a pen and paper, or whatever else you use to keep track of the stories which tempt you toward their pages. We've got books to discuss!
THE TRIALS OF EMPIRE by Richard Swan (Empire of the Wolf #3) — February 6
February start with a bang with The Trials of Empire, the third and final book in Richard Swan's Empire of the Wolf trilogy. Combining elements of dark fantasy and mystery, Empire of the Wolf follows Justice Sir Konrad Vonvault and his protégé Helena, the latter of whom also serves as the series' narrator, as they attempt to get to the bottom of a multilayered conspiracy which has the Sovan Empire teetering on the brink of decline. In this world, Justices serve as investigator, lawyer and executioner (and, in Vonvault's case, dabble in a bit of necromancy on the side). But when arrayed against demonic forces and corruption from within, they may not be enough to keep the empire from crumbling.
The first two books in Swan's series, The Justice of Kings and The Tyranny of Faith, were both excellent. Vonvault and Helena recall other great mystery duos like Holmes and Watson, but with an even more complicated relationship. (Are they romantically attracted to one another? Is that even appropriate, when Vonvault is Helena's teacher?) Drop them in a brooding fantasy setting reminiscent of A Song of Ice and Fire, and it's hard to resist. I know I'm personally very curious to see how Swan wraps up this story with The Trials of Empire.
THE TIME OF JUDGEMENT IS AT HAND
The Empire of the Wolf is on its knees, but there's life in the great beast yet.
To save it, Sir Konrad Vonvalt and Helena must look beyond its borders for allies - to the wolfmen of the southern plains, and the pagan clans in the north. But old grievances run deep, and both factions would benefit from the fall of Sova.
Even these allies might not be enough. Their enemy, the zealot Bartholomew Claver, wields infernal powers bestowed on him by a mysterious demonic patron. If Vonvalt and Helena are to stand against him, they will need friends on both sides of the mortal plane—but such allegiances carry a heavy price.
As the battlelines are drawn in both Sova and the afterlife, the final reckoning draws close. Here, at the beating heart of the Empire, the two-headed wolf will be reborn in a blaze of justice . . . or crushed beneath the shadow of tyranny.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett (Shadow of the Leviathan #1) — February 6
Speaking of mystery duos, next up is The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. Bennett is perhaps best known for his Founders Trilogy of epic fantasy books, but in February he'll be kicking off a brand new series called Shadow of the Leviathan, which follows the detective Ana Dolabra and her new assistant Dinios Kol as they seek to unravel a murder which plunges them into ever-deeper mysteries. It sounds like magic will play a huge role in the investigation, which could be a fascinating spin on this type of detective story.
The first book in Shadow of the Leviathan is The Tainted Cup, which lands in bookstores right at the top of the month. Combined with Richard Swan's The Trial of Empire, fantasy mysteries clearly dominate the first week of February.
In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.
Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR),The Tainted Cupmixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
YOUR SHADOW HALF REMAINS by Sunny Moraine — February 6
Moving into the more surreal realm of psychological horror, our next book is Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine. It's being pitched as The Last of Us meets Bird Box, which sounds like a recipe for a compelling read. Y
Your Shadow Half Remains is set in a world where looking other humans in the face can have dire consequences. What are those consequences? How did the world get this way? And how will our hero, Riley, survive the temptation to form human connection? The basic setup holds a lot of potential for exploring deep, heart-wrenching questions about how we communicate and connect to one another.
ONE LOOK CAN KILL.
Riley has not seen a single human face in longer than she can reckon. No faces, no eyes. Not if you want to survive.
But when a new neighbor moves in down the road, Riley’s overwhelming need for human contact makes her throw caution to the wind. Somehow, in this world where other people can mean a gruesome, bloody death, Ellis makes her feel safe. As they grow closer, Riley’s grip on reality begins to slip and she can no longer fight her deepest desires.
All Riley wants to do is look.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND YEETED A LOVE POTION AT A WEREWOLF by Kimberly Lemming (Mead Mishaps #2) — February 6
Mead Mishaps is a series of fun romantasy books by Kimberly Lemming that was originally self-published and is now getting another release run via Orbit Books. Fortunately for us readers, that means we don't need to wait long between installments! Last month saw the release of That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon, which is a descriptive title that gives a very solid idea of what sort of hijinks to expect.
This time around it's That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf. Again, this is a very descriptive title. Brie yeeted that potion, but what happens once the yeeting has occurred?
Brie’s never been particularly coordinated…or lucky. Who else would accidentally throw a drink at someone’s head only to miss entirely and hit a stranger behind them? And who else would have that stranger fall madly in love with them because it turns out that the drink she threw was a love potion? Yeah, probably just Brie.…
Running her cheese business and dealing with a pirate ship full of demons that just moved into town was hard enough. Now on top of it, she has to convince a werewolf that she’s not really his fated mate. Though even she’s got to admit…having a gorgeous man show up and do all her chores while telling her she’s beautiful isn’t the worst thing to happen to a girl.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
A FLAME IN THE NORTH by Lilith Saintcrow (Black Land's Bane #1) — February 13
Moving on to the second week of February, you can get your Norse-inspired fantasy on with A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow. Saintcrow is an extremely prolific New York Times-bestselling author who has penned a number of books across genres and age groups. This month she'll be starting a new adult fantasy series called Black Land's Bane.
The first book, A Flame in the North, is about a young woman named Sol who is sent to serve as a hostage of sorts in a mythic and unknowable land. While there, she'll discover that her hosts have nefarious plans for her and her fire magic, as well as for the wide world beyond their borders.
The Black Land is a myth: Centuries have passed since that Great Enemy was slain. Yet old fears linger, and on the longest night of the year, people in the South still light ritual bonfires to banish the dark.
In her village, this duty falls to Solveig, a girl favored by the gods with powerful fire magic. But when her brother kills a Northern lord’s son during the ritual, it is Sol who faces punishment, by being weregild—part hostage, part guest—in the North for a year and a day.
As she journeys to her captivity, Sol starts to realize that the Black Land is no myth. The forests teem with foul beasts. Her travel companions are not what they seem, and their plans for her magic are shrouded in secrecy.
With only her loyal shieldmaiden and her own wits to rely upon, Sol must learn to master her powers and wrest control of her fate. For the Black Land’s army stirs, ready to cover the world in darkness—unless Sol can find the courage to stop it.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT by T. Kingfisher (Sworn Soldier #2) — February 13
Another author whose work defies simplistic description, T. Kingfisher is putting out another book in her Sworn Soldier series. What Feasts at Night is another scary adventure for retired soldier Alex Easton, who was introduced in Kingfisher's Fall of the House of Usher-inspired novella What Moves the Dead. If you're looking for a bit more horror in your reading this month, What Feasts at Night may be just the ticket. And at just under 150 pages, it's a quick read.
After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.
In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
THE IMPOSITION OF UNNECESSARY OBSTACLES by Malka Older (The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti #2) — February 13
Back to mysteries, next up is The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older. This is the sequel to last year's The Mimicking of Known Successes, and it's a sci-fi mystery set on Jupiter and its moons. These novellas are more like cozy, comforting sorts of mystery rather than the dark and brooding kind, with sapphic romance elements and gaslamp aesthetic vibes.
In The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, the crack detective Mossa and her ex-girlfriend/science-minded partner Pleiti will have to team up once more to solve a string of disappearances at a prestigious university with dark secrets.
Mossa has returned to Valdegeld on a missing person’s case, for which she’ll once again need Pleiti’s insight. Seventeen students and staff members have disappeared from Valdegeld University—yet no one has noticed. The answers to this case may lie on the moon of Io—Mossa’s home—and the history of Jupiter’s original settlements during humanity's exodus from Earth.
But Pleiti’s faith in her life’s work as a scholar of the past has grown precarious, and this new case threatens to further destabilize her dreams for humanity’s future, as well as her own.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
GOGMAGOG: THE FIRST CHRONICLE OF LUDWICH by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard — February 13
One of the more unique-sounding books on the way in February is Gogmagog by Jeff Noon and Steve Beard. This is a fantasy story, but with a creative twist: washed up steamboat captain Cady Meade is contracted to bring passengers up a river called the Nysis...a river which is haunted by the ghost of a long-dead dragon. The description leaves the dragon's ties to the river somewhat ambiguous, but no matter how you slice it, that's an intriguing setup. What sort of mishaps could a group of clashing personalities get into on a dragon-haunted river? All sorts of entertaining ones, I'll bet.
Gogmagog tells the story of an epic journey through the sixty-mile long ghost of a dragon. We travel by boat, a rickety steam launch captained by Cady Meade, a veteran taxi pilot on the river Nysis. In her heyday she carried people and goods from the thriving seaports of the estuary into Ludwich, the capital city. But that was years ago. Now she’s drunk, holed up in a rundown seaside resort, telling her bawdy tales for shots of rum. All that’s about to change, when two strangers seek her out, asking for transport, one of whom – a young girl – is very ill, and in great danger. The other, an artificial being of singular character, has secrets hidden inside his crystal skull. And so begins the voyage of the Juniper.
The Nysis is unlike any other river. Mysteries unfold with each port of call. Not many can navigate these channels, not many know of its whirlpools and sandbanks, and of the ravenous creatures that lurk beneath the surface. Cady used to have the necessary knowledge, and the powers of spectral navigation. But her glory days are well behind her now.
This might well be her final journey.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
JUBILEE by Stephen K. Stanford — February 13
Genre mysteries continue to hold down the fort this month. Jubilee is the debut novel from Stephen K. Stanford, a sci-fi romp which sees detective partners Col and Danee head out to Jubilee, a lawless place which exists outside the control of intergalactic governments, in order to retrieve a body. But then they get there and find the body has been switched, and that there's more to Jubilee than they'd imagined.
Stanford has described the setting as similar to "Las Vegas in space," with a shining exterior that conceals a totally rotten core. That sounds like a very fun place to let two detectives loose to me.
In a lawless, artificial world existing within its own parallel universe there's a seething cesspool of vice ruled by an eccentric AI...
It was meant to be an in and out mission…
Jubilee is a lawless, artificial world existing within its own parallel universe; a seething cesspool of vice ruled by an eccentric AI.
So they say.
Detectives Col and Danee are sent to Jubilee on a hastily organised mission to recover the body of a leading conservative politician (someone it seems, has been a naughty boy). But the corpse has been switched and the imperilled partners are drawn together. They might be falling in love, or they might be saving the galaxy – either way the authorities will not be pleased.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
AN EDUCATION IN MALICE by S.T. Gibson — February 13
From the depths of space, we head next to the halls of Saint Perpetua's College for a slice of dark magical academia. An Education in Malice is a new novel from A Dowry of Blood author S.T. Gibson. It follows a young woman named Laura Sheridan as she navigates the occult curriculum and dangerous social dynamics of the school. She ends up forming a rivalry with another student named Carmilla, and yes, I did immediately think of the YouTube vampire story of the same name and wonder what this might mean for An Education in Malice, because authors don't just choose a name like Carmilla on accident, right?
Based on the description, it sounds like Laura and Carmila's relationship will be a lot more complicated than just rivals:
Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua’s College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.
On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.
But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
MEDEA by Eilish Quin — February 13
If you enjoy books like Circe by Madeline Miller, this next one will probably be up your alley. Medea is the debut novel from Eilish Quin, a reimagining of the tale of "one of the most reviled and maligned women of Greek antiquity." That would be Medea, the enchantress who helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece from her father, King Aeëtes of Colchis, and later married him. In Greek myth, Jason leaves Medea for another woman, Princess Corinth. Medea then takes a horrific revenge, murdering Jason's children and his new wife so that he will have no more legacy in the mortal world.
What about a version of the tale told from Medea's perspective? After all, Jason did abandon her after she betrayed her own father to help him. I want to hear Medea's side of the story!
Among the women of Greek mythology, the witch Medea may be the most despised. Known for the brutal act of killing her own children to exact vengeance on her deceitful husband, the Argonauts leader Jason, Medea has carved out a singularly infamous niche in our histories.
But what if that isn’t the full story?
The daughter of a sea nymph and the granddaughter of a Titan, Medea is a paradox. She is at once rendered compelling by virtue of the divinity that flows through her bloodline and made powerless by the fact of her being a woman. As a child, she intuitively submerges herself in witchcraft and sorcery, but soon finds it may not be a match for the prophecies that hang over her entire family like a shroud.
As Medea comes into her own as a woman and a witch, she also faces the arrival of the hero Jason, preordained by the gods to be not only her husband, but also her lifeline to escape her isolated existence. Medea travels the treacherous seas with the Argonauts, battles demons she had never conceived of, and falls in love with the man who may ultimately be her downfall.
In this propulsive, beautifully written debut, readers will finally hear Medea’s side of the story through a fresh and feminist lens.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
SUN OF BLOOD AND RUIN by Mariely Lares — February 20
Sun of Blood and Ruin is the debut fantasy novel from Mariely Lares. It's a gender-bent reimagining of Zorro which draws on Mesoamerican mythology and Mexican history to give it a fresh spin. I'm going to be straight with you, I am an enormous sucker for stories which take inspiration from Mesoamerican myth. The idea of a female swashbuckler (Pantera!) who uses magic and blades to fight against the Spanish colonial government sounds like a total blast.
A new legend begins…
In sixteenth-century New Spain, witchcraft is punishable by death, indigenous temples have been destroyed, and tales of mythical creatures that once roamed the land have become whispers in the night. Hidden behind a mask, Pantera uses her magic and legendary swordplay skills to fight the tyranny of Spanish rule.
To all who know her, Leonora de las Casas Tlazohtzin never leaves the palace and is promised to the heir of the Spanish throne. The respectable, law-abiding Lady Leonora faints at the sight of blood and would rather be caught dead than meddle in court affairs.
No one suspects that Leonora and Pantera are the same person. Leonora’s charade is tragically good, and with magic running through her veins, she is nearly invincible. Nearly. Despite her mastery, she is destined to die young in battle, as predicted by a seer.
When an ancient prophecy of destruction threatens to come true, Leonora—and therefore Pantera—is forced to decide: surrender the mask or fight to the end. Knowing she is doomed to a short life, she is tempted to take the former option. But the legendary Pantera is destined for more than an early grave, and once she discovers the truth of her origins, not even death will stop her.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
TO CAGE A GOD by Elizabeth May (These Monstrous Gods #1) — February 20
Elizabeth May is a veteran bestselling fantasy and science fiction author known for series like Seven Devils, Seven Mercies, and the Falconer Trilogy, as well as historical romances which she writes under the pen name Katrina Kendrick. When May releases a new book, it's usually a pretty good bet that it's going to be a solid read.
To Cage A God is the start of a brand new duology which draws inspiration from Imperial Russia. If you're still heartbroken about the cancelation of Netflix's Shadow and Bone, this book might be the perfect balm.
To cage a god is divine.
To be divine is to rule.
To rule is to destroy.
Using ancient secrets, Galina and Sera’s mother grafted gods into their bones. Bound to brutal deities and granted forbidden power no commoner has held in a millennia, the sisters have grown up to become living weapons. Raised to overthrow an empire―no matter the cost.
With their mother gone and their country on the brink of war, it falls to the sisters to take the helm of the rebellion and end the cruel reign of a royal family possessed by destructive gods. Because when the ruling alurea invade, they conquer with fire and blood. And when they clash, common folk burn.
While Sera reunites with her estranged lover turned violent rebel leader, Galina infiltrates the palace. In this world of deception and danger, her only refuge is an isolated princess, whose whip-smart tongue and sharp gaze threaten to uncover Galina’s secret. Torn between desire and duty, Galina must make a choice: work together to expose the lies of the empire―or bring it all down.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
THE BOOK OF ILE-RIEN by Martha Wells — February 27
Between The Murderbot Diaries, standalone books like Witch King, and re-releases of her older works, it feels like Martha Wells is everywhere right now. And hey, I'm not complaining — Wells is a master at her craft, so any month with a new release from her is a good month in my book.
In February, Wells is releasing The Book of Ile-Rien. This is an omnibus which collects Wells' books The Element of Fire and The Death of the Necromancer together for the first time. These books were originally published back in the 1990s and have become a little hard to find physical copies of...until now!
The Element of Fire
The kingdom of Ile-Rien lies in peril, menaced by sorcerous threats and devious intrigue, when Kade, bastard sister of King Roland, appears unexpectedly at court. The illegitimate daughter of the old king and the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, Kade's true desires are cloaked in mystery.
It falls to Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen's Guard, to keep the kingdom from harm. But is one man's steel enough to counter all the magic of fayre?
The Death of the Necromancer
Nicholas Valiarde is a passionate, embittered nobleman and the greatest thief in all of Ile-Rien. On the gaslit streets of the city, Nicholas assumes the guise of a master criminal, stealing jewels from wealthy nobles to finance his quest for a long-pursued vengeance.
But Nicholas's murderous mission is being interrupted by a series of eerie, unexplainable, and fatal events. A dark magic opposes him, and traces of a necromantic power that hasn't been used for centuries abound. Nicholas and his compatriots find themselves battling an ancient evil.
And if they lose? Death would be preferable to the fate that awaits them....
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
A FATE INKED IN BLOOD by Danielle L. Jensen (Saga of the Unfated #1)
Back to Norse-inspired epics, because late winter is the perfect time to feed your inner viking: The Bridge Kingdoms author Daniel L. Jensen is launching a new series this month with the release of A Fate Inked in Blood. A woman named Freya has come into possession of powerful magic that repels attacks, but that puts a target on her back when her husband enters her into a dangerous duel against her will. Now her hopes of become a shield maiden are put to the ultimate test as she prepares for combat and tries to fend off the temptation of forbidden attraction to the man she's supposed to kill.
Bound in an unwanted marriage, Freya spends her days gutting fish, but dreams of becoming a warrior. And of putting an axe in her boorish husband’s back.
Freya’s dreams abruptly become reality when her husband betrays her to the region’s jarl, landing her in a fight to the death against his son, Bjorn. To survive, Freya is forced to reveal her deepest secret: She possesses a drop of a goddess’s blood, which makes her a shield maiden with magic capable of repelling any attack. It was foretold such a magic would unite the fractured nation of Skaland beneath the one who controls the shield maiden’s fate.
Believing he’s destined to rule Skaland as king, the fanatical jarl binds Freya with a blood oath and orders Bjorn to protect her from their enemies. Desperate to prove her strength, Freya must train to fight and learn to control her magic, all while facing perilous tests set by the gods. The greatest test of all, however, may be resisting her forbidden attraction to Bjorn. If Freya succumbs to her lust for the charming and fierce warrior, she risks not only her own destiny but the fate of all the people she swore to protect.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
THE BUTCHER OF THE FOREST by Premee Mohamed — February 27
Premee Mohamed is a Hugo and Nebula-award winning author who puts out stories like crazy. Forget "the Year of Sanderson"; last year Mohamed had a jaw-dropping 14 works which were eligible for awards. I'm not saying 2023 was the Year of Mohamed, but with numbers like that it might as well have been.
In 2024 she's kicking things off with The Butcher of the Forest, a dark fairytale which sees a world-weary woman brave a treacherous magical wood. You don't need me to tell you how creepy and intense the story could get,;just look at the terrifying skeletal animals on the cover to know you are getting into a story which may send chills run down your spine.
At the northern edge of a land ruled by a merciless foreign tyrant lies a wild, forbidden forest ruled by powerful magic.
Veris Thorn—the only one to ever enter the forest and survive—is forced to go back inside to retrieve the tyrant's missing children. Inside await traps and trickery, ancient monsters, and hauntings of the past.
One day is all Veris is afforded. One misstep will cost everything.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
REDSIGHT by Meredith Mooring — February 27
Next up we have another debut with Meredith Mooring's Redsight. This book is a space opera which follows Korinna, a blind priestess whose universe is turned upside when her ship is attacked by a notorious pirate...who then gives her a chance to use her powerful magic to forge her own destiny rather than remain a pawn to the Imperium which has raised her as a living weapon. Throw in queer romance, a dogged chase from an imperial warrior, and a space witch coming into her power, and it sounds like an epic read.
Korinna has simple priorities: stay on the Navitas, stay out of trouble, and stay alive. She may be a Redseer, a blind priestess with the power to manipulate space-time, but she is the weakest in her Order. Useless and outcast. Or so she has been raised to believe.
As she takes her place as a navigator on an Imperium ship, Korinna’s full destiny is revealed to her: blood brimming with magic, she is meant to become a weapon of the Imperium, and pawn for the Order that raised her. But when the ship is attacked by the notorious pirate Aster Haran, Korinna’s world is ripped apart.
Aster has a vendetta against the Imperium, and an all-consuming, dark power that drives her to destroy everything in her path. She understands the world in a way Korinna has never imagined, and Korinna is drawn to her against her better judgment.
With the Imperium and the justice-seeking warrior Sahar hot on her heels, Korinna must choose her side, seize her power and fulfil her destiny—or risk imperiling the future of the galaxy, and destroying the fabric of space-time itself.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
TOMORROW'S CHILDREN by Daniel Polansky — February 27
We near the end of our journey through the books of February with a stop in post-apocalyptic Manhattan for Tomorrow's Children by Daniel Polansky, author of The Builders. In a near-distant future where the city is divided into separate "fiefdoms" which war with one another for turf and supplies, choking mist causes strange mutations in anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in them.
I doubt I'm alone in being eager to get a look at Amazon's new Fallout show, but if you can't wait months for the post-apocalypse to begin, Tomorrow's Children may be a great way to start getting in the mood.
Tomorrow, the funk descends on Manhattan, a noxious cloud which separates the island from the rest of the world and mutates the population. Some generations on, the surviving population exists amid the rubble of modernity, wearing our cast-off clothing, worshipping celebrities as dim gods and using emojis in place of written language. The Island exists in a state of uneasy peace, with each neighborhood an independent fiefdom, protecting itself with scrap metal spears and Molotov cocktails.
But something new has come to the Island, the first tourist in centuries, and this uneasy equilibrium is about to shatter…
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
LORE OF THE WILDS by Analeigh Sbrana — February 27
Lore of the Wilds is Analeigh Sbrana's debut romantasy novel. When Lore's village is threatened by the Fae who hold it in their thrall, she makes a bargain to enter a very ancient, very dangerous library on their behalf. But she has ulterior motives, and the two Fae who she ends up having to team up with each prove to be a bit too attractive to ignore. Love triangle, check. Love triangle with a BIPOC main cast and Fae magic? Even better.
A library with a deadly enchantment.
A Fae lord who wants in.
A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power.
In a land ruled by ruthless Fae, twenty-one-year-old Lore Alemeyu’s village is trapped in a forested prison. Lore knows that any escape attempt is futile—her scars are a testament to her past failures. But when her village is threatened, Lore makes a desperate deal with a Fae lord. She will leave her home to catalog/organize an enchanted library that hasn’t been touched in a thousand years. No Fae may enter the library, but there is a chance a human might be able to breach the cursed doors.
She convinces him that she will risk her life for wealth, but really she’s after the one thing the Fae covet above all: magic of her own.
As Lore navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two Fae males to survive. Two very different, very dangerous, very attractive Fae males. When undeniable chemistry ignites, she’s not just in danger of losing her life, but her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
FATHOMFOLK by Eliza Chan (Drowned World #1) — February 27
We end the month with Fathomfolk, Eliza Chan's debut fantasy novel. Fathomfolk takes place in the partially submerged city of Tiankawi, a crossroads where humans the fathomfolk who live in the waters below can come together. Inspired by East Asian mythology and ocean folk tales, Fathomfolk is a story of revolution and social unrest, for Tiankawi is far from the beacon of society it's cracked up to be. There are class divides between humans and the sirens and kelpies who live deeper in the city, and half-sire Mira is caught right in the middle of the brewing conflict.
Welcome to Tiankawi - shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that's how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk - sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas - who live in the polluted waters below.
For half-siren Mira, promotion to captain of the border guard means an opportunity to help her downtrodden people. But if earning the trust and respect of her human colleagues wasn't hard enough, everything Mira has worked towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, a know-it-all water dragon and fathomfolk princess - is exiled to the city, under Mira’s watch. When extremists sabotage a city festival, violence erupts, as does the clampdown on fathomfolk rights. Both Nami and Mira must decide if the cost of change is worth paying, or if Tiankawi should be left to drown.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
And so ends another monthly round-up of science fiction and fantasy books! What will you be reading this month?
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels