New month, new excuses to add to the TBR. February’s releases bring everything from sweeping historical sagas and dark fantasy to clever thrillers and illuminating non-fiction. Whether you’re looking to escape into far-off worlds or dive deep into real-life stories, this month’s selection promises to keep readers turning pages long after Valentine’s chocolate is gone.
Fantasy
Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson
When his people face conquest from the stars, a trapper from the lethal island of Patji sets out beyond a mythical portal in search of salvation, forging unlikely alliances in Brandon Sanderson’s sweeping standalone Cosmere adventure.
Pretenders to the Throne of God by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The fourth thrilling instalment in Tchaikovsky’s Tyrant Philosophers series sees the Pals army laying siege to the defiant city of Eres Ffenegh as a brutal winter tests both attackers and defenders. Inside the walls, unlikely heroes must navigate loss, magic, and dangerous bargains to survive a city on the brink.
Of Blood & Fire by Ryan Cahill
In the opening book of Cahill’s bestselling Bound and the Broken series, Calen Bryer faces the ultimate test of courage and skill in the remote village of Milltown. But when three mysterious strangers arrive with a dangerous secret, he is thrown into a war that has been raging for centuries, and his life – and the fate of Epheria – will never be the same.
The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan
A seasoned monster-hunter is drawn back into the shadowed French countryside, where legend and bloodshed collide. Richly atmospheric and darkly sensual, this folktale-inspired fantasy weaves love, loss, and the relentless pull of a past that refuses to stay buried.
A Stage Set for Villains by Shannon J. Spann
Perfect for fans of The Night Circus, this dark fantasy is steeped in illusion, ambition and danger. When Riven Hesper enters a sinister travelling theatre to escape a deadly curse, she finds herself caught in a ruthless world ruled by godlike Players, where survival depends on deception, performance, and how far she is willing to cross the line between hero and villain.
Fiction
Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi
Defiant and richly imagined, Cleopatra gives voice to the queen behind the legend, weaving politics, power and identity into a vivid portrait that refuses to let history have the final word, from the bestselling author of the Ending Fire trilogy.
Crux by Gabriel Tallent
From the acclaimed author of My Absolute Darling, Crux is a gripping and heartfelt story of friendship, ambition, and risk. In the shadow of Joshua Tree, two teenagers push their bodies and limits as they chase legendary climbs, confronting both the dangers of the rock and the pressures of the lives they’re trying to escape.
Stowaway by André Aciman
From the bestselling author of Call Me By Your Name, Stowaways is a delicate and tender meditation on love, loss, and the lives we almost lived. When a hidden story emerges from a flash drive, it sparks a quiet, bittersweet connection that asks what might have been.
Our Better Natures by Sophie Ward
From the author of Love and Other Thought Experiments, Our Better Natures follows three very different women in 1970s America as they navigate upheaval, activism, and personal discovery. Elegant, philosophical, and compassionate, it’s a novel about connection, freedom, and the choices that shape our lives.
History
Oliver Cromwell: The brave, bad man of British history by John Morrill
In this major new biography, John Morrill re-examines Oliver Cromwell as a figure driven above all by religious conviction, challenging long-held interpretations and offering a stark, unsparing portrait of power, faith and violence in seventeenth-century Britain.
Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain’s First King by Gareth Russell
Bold, controversial and intimate, Queen James illuminates the hidden passions and dramatic exploits of James I, blending historical scholarship with storytelling to reveal the king behind the politics, scandals and legendary romances.
The Blood in Winter: A Nation Descends, 1642 by Dr Jonathan Healey
On a freezing January day in 1642, King Charles I’s attempt to arrest five Members of Parliament sparks a chain of events that will plunge England into civil war. Healey’s book vividly recreates the streets, smoke, and political tension of a nation on the brink, exploring the choices and conflicts that shattered a people.
Science & Nature
Alive: An Alternative Anatomy by Gabriel Weston
Drawing on her experiences as a surgeon, mother and patient, Gabriel Weston explores the space between clinical anatomy and the reality of living in a body, offering a moving and deeply human perspective on our organs and ourselves.
The Oak and The Larch by Sophie Pinkham
Drawing on literature, history and reportage, Fiona Pinkham traces the story of Russia’s vast forests from the medieval world to the present, examining how woodland has offered refuge, meaning and survival – and what is at risk as it disappears.
Crime & Thrillers
Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
Virginia Feito crafts a deliciously unhinged blend of dark comedy and creeping horror. Winifred Notty may look the perfect governess, but beneath her polished exterior lurks a mind straining against repression and hypocrisy. As life at Ensor House closes in, her restraint fractures, building towards a chilling Christmas morning where civility finally gives way.
The Final Problem by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
On a sun-soaked Greek island in the 1960s, an ageing actor famed for playing Sherlock Holmes finds himself pulled into a real-life murder investigation when a fellow guest is killed, proving that sleuthing beyond the stage is anything but elementary.
Comment below which book you’re looking forward to reading this month, and if you’ll be adding any of these to your reading list!
The Ink Thief 