22 Most Exciting Book Releases in February 2025
A new month means a whole new list of my most exciting and anticipated releases! Like always, I picked this list based off of the hook of the synopsis, the cover design, the author, and the general vibes I’m getting from all of these things combined. What’s another 22 books (plus some honorable mentions at the very end) added to our eternal TBR?
Since I tend to read Fantasy, Young Adult, and Romance, that’s what a majority of this list will contain. But other genres tend to sneak in, especially Mystery/Thriller, Literary Fiction, Horror, and Nonfiction
Let’s get into these amazing books and see what February has in store!
*All dates below are expected publication, but they are all also subject to change
BEARTOOTH
by Callan Wink
Why this pick?:
This is completely outside of the scope of what typically interests me, and I think that’s actually part of why this caught my attention. The logic of the illogical, I suppose! Despite spending so much time inside, I am a huge nature buff, and there was a draw to this concept being set in Yellowstone with a pitch about survival, family, and the struggles of capitalism. I’m intrigued enough that I’ll probably pick this up!
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Fiction | Thriller | Adult
BLURB:
Two brothers in dire straits, living on the edge of Yellowstone, agree to a desperate act of survival in this taut, propulsive novel reminiscent of the works of Cormac McCarthy and Donald Ray Pollock.
In an aging, timber house hand-built into the Absaroka-Beartooth mountains, two brothers are struggling to keep up with their debts. They live off the grid, on the fringe of Yellowstone, surviving off the wild after the death of their father. Thad, the elder, is more capable of engaging with things like the truck registration, or the medical bills they can’t afford from their father’s fatal illness, or the tax lien on the cabin their grandfather built, while Hazen is . . . different, more instinctual, deeply in tune with the natural world. Desperate for money, they are approached by a shadowy out-of-towner with a dangerous proposition that will change both of their lives forever. Beartooth is a fast-paced tale with moments of surprising poignancy set in the grandeur of the American West. Evoking the timeless voices of American pastoral storytelling, this is a bracing, masterful novel about survival, revenge, and the bond between brothers.
BLACK WOODS, BLUE SKY
by Eowyn Ivey; Ruth Hulbert (Illustrator)
Why this pick?:
I’m always up for a reimaging, and this sounds unlike any other retelling of Beauty and the Beast that I’ve come across before. I’m usually drawn in by the whimsy, so this steps out of that typical appeal. And yet, just like with Beartooth, something about the focus on the beauty and danger of nature has me interested in this release. I can’t say it’s the first novel I’ll grab, but it’s certainly on my radar!
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Retelling | Fiction | Adult
BLURB:
New York Times bestselling author Eowyn Ivey returns to the mythical Alaska landscape of her Pulitzer Prize finalist The Snow Child with an unforgettable reimagining of Beauty and the Beast that asks the question: can love save us from ourselves?
Birdie’s keeping it together, of course she is. So she's a little hungover sometimes on her shifts, and has to bring her daughter Emaleen to work while she waits tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but it's a tough town to be a single mother and Emaleen never goes hungry. Still, she remembers happier times—trout fishing with her grandfather and hiking in the tundra—being free in the world of nature.
Arthur Neilsen is a soft-spoken recluse, with scars across his face, who brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods one day. He speaks with a strange cadence, appears in town only at the change of seasons, and most people avoid him. But for Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for. He lives in a cabin in the mountains on the far side of the Wolverine River and tells Birdie about the caribou, marmots and wild sheep that share his untamed world. She falls in love with him and the land he knows so well.
Against the warnings of those who care about her, Birdie moves to his isolated cabin.
She and her daughter are alone with Arthur in a vast wilderness, hundreds of miles from roads, telephones, electricity or outside contact, but Birdie believes she has come prepared. She can start a fire and cook on a woodstove. She has her rifle and fishing rod. In the beginning, it is an idyllic life—the three of them catch salmon, pick berries and swim in sunlit waters. But soon Birdie realizes that she is not at all prepared for what lies ahead: Arthur harbors a dark secret unlike anything she’d ever imagined; and she learns that the Alaska wilderness is as mysterious and dangerous as it is beautiful.
Black Woods, Blue Sky is a suspenseful novel with life-and-death stakes about the love between a mother and daughter, and about the lure of a wild life—about what we gain and what it might cost us.
THE BONES BENEATH MY SKIN
by TJ Klune
Why this pick?:
How did I not know Klune was releasing this month UNTIL I put together this post? I’m both appalled and ecstatic! After reading his Kindness trilogy, plus his recent Somewhere Beyond the Sea, I am an unabashed fan. Even if I hadn’t been interested in this blurb, I would have grabbed the novel because I trust his voice and his style. Luckily, this sounds endearing already!
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Sci-Fi | Romance | Adult
BLURB:
In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington, DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction.
The cabin should be empty.
It's not.
Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader.
Artemis, who isn't exactly as she appears.
Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible.
Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.
BUT NOT TOO BOLD
by Hache Pueyo
Why this pick?:
It’s queer, so I’m here. HA! Okay, but really, a sapphic monster romance that’s been comped to Moreno’s Mexican Gothic? There’s no world in which I don’t pick this up! Add to that the fact that this is a novella, which will make it a quick addition to my TBR, and I’m sold. I’m genuinely bouncing in my seat in anticipation for this story. Let’s hope it lives up to my outlandish expectations!
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Novella | Horror | Adult
BLURB:
The Shape of Water meets Mexican Gothic in this sapphic monster romance novella wrapped in gothic fantasy trappings.
The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House—Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.
Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor's death, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.
But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.
DATING AND DRAGONS
by Kristy Boyce
Why this pick?:
Seriously, my dear nerds. How cute does this sound? This was already on my radar because Boyce’s Dungeons and Drama was a Top 10 winner for the 2024 TAYSHAS awards, and since I’m a librarian in Texas, we do a display for these novels every year. I have the previous standalone on hold, so when I saw a second standalone coming out, I was thrilled! I’ve heard great things about these and I’m hoping it will give me the same YA swoons as Hazelwood’s Check & Mate did.
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Romance | Young Adult
BLURB:
From the author of the nationally bestselling Dungeons and Drama comes another gaming romance that’s sure to win you over!
Quinn Norton is starting over at a new high school and hopes that joining a D&D game will be the trick to making friends. The plan sounds even better when she’s invited into a group that includes Logan Weber, the cute and charming guy she met on her first day of class. But this isn’t your average D&D campaign— this group livestreams their games and enforces strict rules: no phones allowed, and no dating other group members.
Quinn is willing to accept the rules, even if it makes Logan off-limits. And she quickly learns that doing so won’t be a problem, since Logan goes from charismatic to insufferable as soon as she agrees to join. As their bickering—and bantering—intensifies inside and outside the game, Quinn can’t help wondering: Is Logan’s infuriating behavior a smokescreen for hidden feelings? Quinn is risking it all, and the twenty-sided dice are rolling!
DEEP END
by Ali Hazelwood
Why this pick?:
Speaking of Hazelwood, she’s an automatic addition to my list! I’ve been a fan of every book by her that I’ve read so far (which is 90% of them, including the novellas) and believe I will be a fan for life. Not only do I adore the chaos of her voice, but the author herself seems like such a wonderfully genuine person! Though we’re still in an academia setting, we’re stepping outside of STEM once more and entering a realm of sports. I’m making grabby hands already!
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Romance | Contemporary | Adult
BLURB:
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water...
EMILY WILDE’S COMPENDIUM OF LOST TALES
by Heather Fawcett
Why this pick?:
It’s finally here! The conclusion to the Emily Wilde’s trilogy is in my top anticipated reads for 2025, period. I adored the first two books and will probably go into a book slump after the third, but I’m beyond giddy that we’re about to see how this whimsical adventure wraps up.
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Fantasy | Romance | Adult
BLURB:
The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves
Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.
Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.
Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
by Gillian McAllister
Why this pick?:
Although I’ve heard great things about McAllister’s work, I’ve never been intrigued enough by the blurbs to pick up one of her books. That changes with this one. I have to know what the note said. I have to know how things got to this point. And that, I suppose, is the beauty of a hook. She caught me on this one!
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: Mystery/Thriller | Adult
BLURB:
From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother’s world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does she truly know the man she loves? And what danger does she face if her entire life has been built on a lie?
It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla’s life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note.
Then it starts. Breaking news: there's a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn't a hostage. Her husband - doting father, eternal optimist - is the gunman.
What she does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind that morning says...
Famous Last Words is the story of a crime, a marriage, and more secrets than Camilla ever could have imagined. This novel cements Gillian McAllister’s reputation as “the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.” (Emily Henry)
FIRST-TIME CALLER
by BK Borison
Why this pick?:
I can’t quite put my finger on why this already has my heart in a chokehold. Maybe it’s because the young daughter made the first push for her mother to find love? Maybe it’s because I expect a lot of real-life introspection? Either way, this feels like an Emily Henry-esque romance. One that leans quite a bit into contemporary fiction with a love story woven through the middle, and I’m a huge fan of those storylines. (This novel is part of the February Afterlight subscription.)
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Contemporary | Romance | Adult
BLURB:
A hopeless romantic meets a demoralized radio host in this cozy, Sleepless in Seattle–inspired love story from beloved author B.K. Borison.
Aiden Valentine has a secret: he’s fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore’s romance hotline, that’s a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.
Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she’s as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending…even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.
GREENTEETH
by Molly O’Neill
Why this pick?:
What I love about monsters presented in works like T. Kingfisher’s Thornhedge and Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build a Nest In is that, because they live on the outskirts of human societies, they see social constructions for exactly what they are—constructions. And oftentimes, these monsters act with more humanity than the humans. With the comp to Kingfisher, combined with the quote from Kingfisher, combined with the hint of a cruel religious righteousness being overturned, I believe this story will capture my heart.
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: Fantasy | Cozy | Adult
BLURB:
Narrated by a lake-dwelling monster, Greenteeth is an utterly charming tale of fae, folklore and found family, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher.
Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce . . .
Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake by an angry mob, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor. All she wants is to return to her husband and children, still trapped under his baleful influence.
Though they have nothing in common, these two unlikely companions must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Temperance’s family, Jenny’s lake, and possibly the very soul of Britain.
HUNGERSTONE
by Kat Dunn
Why this pick?:
Sapphic vampire stories will never not be my thing. Plus, look at this cover? I’m OBSESSED. Combine that with the blurb? It’s giving gothic. It’s giving forbidden. It’s giving dark and deadly and seductive. It’s screaming feminist. Although I haven’t read the inspiration story, Carmilla, I’m all in for this retelling.
Publication Date: February 18, 2025
Genre: Retelling | Gothic/Horror | Adult
BLURB:
Ten years into their marriage, Lenore’s relationship with her husband, Henry, has soured, and no child has arrived to fill the distance between them. Lenore’s frustration grows when Henry’s ambitions, both work and societal, take them out of London and into the countryside, to the imposing Nethershaw manor, where he is planning to host a hunt. Lenore keeps a terrible secret from the last time her husband hunted, and though they never speak of it, it haunts their marriage to this day.
A carriage accident near their home soon brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore’s life. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night; Carmilla who will not eat meals with the family; Carmilla who stirs up a hunger deep within Lenore.
Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the desire Carmilla’s presence awakens in her, Lenore begins to unravel her past. Her search leads her to uncover a darkness in her household that’s set on destroying her.
Hungerstone is a mesmerizing reclamation of the lesbian vampire trope, set against the backdrop of the voracious appetite of the Industrial Revolution.
NEEDY LITTLE THINGS
by Channelle Desamours
Why this pick?:
I’m both excited and nervous for this plot. Desamours sets out to do a lot here, from a missing-persons mystery to a money-spree crime to a complicated family dynamic to a commentary on social injustice to fantastical ability that might require a bit of a world-build—phew! This will either be exceptional, or not. I’m crossing my fingers for exceptional, because if so, I actually think this might be a five-star read for me!
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Fantasy | Mystery/Thriller | Young Adult
BLURB:
In this debut speculative YA mystery, a Black teen with premonition-like powers must solve her friend's disappearance before she finds herself in the same danger.
Sariyah Lee Bryant can hear what people need—tangible things, like a pencil, a hair tie, a phone charger—an ability only her family and her best friend, Malcolm, know the truth about. But when she fulfills a need for her friend Deja who vanishes shortly after, Sariyah is left wondering if her ability is more curse than gift. This isn’t the first time one of her friends has landed on the missing persons list, and she’s determined not to let her become yet another forgotten Black girl.
Not trusting the police and media to do enough on their own, Sariyah and her friends work together to figure out what led to Deja’s disappearance. But when Sariyah’s mother loses her job and her little brother faces complications with his sickle cell disease, managing her time, money, and emotions seems impossible. Desperate, Sariyah decides to hustle her need-sensing ability for cash—a choice that may not only lead her to Deja, but put her in the same danger Deja found herself in.
THE OTHERWHERE POST
by Emily J. Taylor
Why this pick?:
To be completely transparent, nothing about this stands out to me. And yet, every time I read the synopsis, an overwhelming bout of nostalgia wracks me. I think I’m in need of a YA fantasy that carries through the elements that made me love the genre to begin with: a secret to uncover, an adventure to set out on, a magic centered on writing, and a side plot of romance. I don’t know. I kind of just want to curl up on a cold night with this one.
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: Fantasy | Mystery | Young Adult
BLURB:
The New York Times bestselling author of Hotel Magnifique returns with another glittering dark fantasy about a deadly mystery that spans worlds and a teenage girl who must risk everything to uncover the truth.
Seven years ago, Maeve Abenthy lost everything: her world, her father, even her name. Desperate to escape the stain of her father’s crimes, she lives under a fake name, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots.
Then she receives a mysterious letter with four impossible words: Your father was innocent.
To uncover the truth, she poses as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, where she’ll be trained in the art of scriptomancy—the dangerous magic that allows couriers to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. But looking into her father’s past draws more attention than she’d planned.
Her secretive, infuriatingly handsome mentor knows she’s lying about her identity, and time is running out to convince him to trust her. Worse, she begins to receive threatening letters, warning her to drop her investigation—or else. For Maeve to unravel the mystery of what happened seven years ago, she may have to forfeit her life.
THE ROSE BARGAIN
by Sasha Peyton Smith
Why this pick?:
I’m almost always a fan of a fantasy with a high-stakes game or contest at the center of its plot. I enjoy working through the puzzles and obstacles with the characters. This novel takes the concept a step further with its twisted bargains and our main character’s quest to undo the wish that hurt her sister and destroyed their family. I’ve seen so many people talking about this book, and they’ve definitely swept me up into the hype with them! (This novel is part of the February FairyLoot YA subscription.)
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Fantasy | Romance | Young Adult
BLURB:
The Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.
Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.
High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.
But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.
Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.
Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.
THE SPIRIT COLLECTION OF THORNE HALL
by J. Ann Thomas
Why this pick?:
If this novel truly lives up to its comps, then there is no other option aside for me to fall head-over-heals in love with it. I’m intrigued by what sets itself up to have a large, eccentric cast, along with the revelations regarding the spirits themselves, and how their dead state of being will manifest into contemplations regarding Elegy’s state of living.
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Supernatural | Horror/Gothic | Adult
BLURB:
A young woman forced to live with ghosts in a mansion frozen in time must decide between forbidden love and the price of freedom in this gothic fantasy where Jane Eyre meets The Haunting of Bly Manor, perfect for fans of Starling House.
At Thorne Hall, a grand estate nestled in the Berkshires, fifteen restless spirits roam, bound within the mansion’s walls since the Gilded Age. Elegy Thorne bears the weight of her family’s curse to preserve the mansion as it was in the 1890s, using ancient folk songs to keep the spirits secret and silent in order to avoid deadly consequences.
When a mischievous child spirit wreaks havoc on the manor, the Thorne family calls upon their trusted preservationist to restore the mansion. He brings along his son, Atticus – a vibrant man full of life and ideas of modernization – and Elegy is captivated by him, igniting a longing for freedom she’s never dared to embrace.
Torn between her desire to follow her heart and her duty to her family and its legacy, Elegy begins searching for a way to release the spirit collection back to the afterlife and set both herself and the ghosts free. With century-old secrets, peculiar magic, and spirits both whimsical and deadly, Thorne Hall will haunt and enrapture readers—and you might just not want to leave.
THESE VENGEFUL WISHES
by Vanessa Montalban
Why this pick?:
Anything inspired by folklore or legend will peak my interest, and I was hooked by a story centered around the legend of La Cegua, in part because I had a mini fascination with La Llorona a few years back, and in part because I’m a sucker for learning about other cultures via their folktales. This has dark lore mixed with family secrets mixed with self-revelation, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Horror | Mythology/Folklore | Young Adult
BLURB:
A teen girl moves to a small town and discovers a mysterious wishing well possessed by La Cegua, a vengeful female spirit with the face of a horse skull, in Vanessa Montalban's new YA fantasy standalone.
When her stepfather is arrested, aspiring artist Ceci moves back to her mother's hometown of Santa Aguas, an eccentric small town steeped in the legend of La Cegua, the specter of a wronged witch who appears on lonely roads at night, luring untrustworthy men to their deaths.
Ceci and her mother take up residence in the abandoned manor of the Sevilla family, rumored to have been cursed by La Cegua, where she begins to uncover a past that seems to be connected to her mother. The more she learns of the Sevillas, the more Ceci finds herself forming a strange affinity with the feared Cegua, who she suspects is the one inspiring her paintings of a mysterious door in the forest.
When the very door Ceci has been painting appears in the woods, she decides to venture through it with her new friend, Jamie. Together, they discover a well, guarded by the statue of a veiled woman. A well for granting wishes. The well of La Cegua.
What starts off as harmless fun quickly escalates into something sinister when Ceci realizes that the wishes are putting the people she loves in danger and testing her own penchant for vengeance. After learning others are also searching for the well, Ceci must confront the truth of her mother's past and prevent La Cegua's wishes from being used for the wrong reasons. Ceci knows too well how much people will sacrifice for power. Every wish has its price, and La Cegua never forgets the ones who have wronged her.
UNDER THE SAME STARS
by Libba Bray
Why this pick?:
Historical fiction on its own isn’t something I generally drift towards, but this caught my eye because it seems to have some fantastical elements, and it’s a generational story with three timelines and at least three POVs. Not to mention it’s a Libba Bray, so high expectations via the author name-drop alone. Something about the synopsis gives me the feeling that I’ll be hiccup-crying before I get to the end of this story, but that it will conclude on a hopeful note.
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Genre: Mystery | Historical Fiction | Young Adult
BLURB:
From New York Times-bestselling author Libba Bray comes an evocative and groundbreaking young adult historical mystery that examines truth, rebellion, reconciliation, and what must be sacrificed for a better world.
It was said that if you write to the Bridegroom’s Oak, the love of your life will answer back. Now, the tree is giving up its secrets at last.
In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom's Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too—but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.
In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.
In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are in the first weeks of COVID lockdown and hating Zoom school, when an unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago.
UPON A STARLIT TIDE
by Kell Woods
Why this pick?:
Okay, color me intrigued. Once again, there is a lot going on, and I’m concerned these elements won’t fit together naturally throughout the storyline. We have a historical setting with specific societal implications, an inspiration drawn from both “The Little Mermaid” and “Cinderella”, a forbidden romance, a war between real countries intermixed with a fantastical plotline of fae and magic—it’s aspirational, to say the least! Hesitations aside, if Woods can pull off this concept, this might be one of my favorite novels of the year!
Publication Date: February 18, 2025
Genre: Fantasy | Retelling | Historical Fiction | Adult
BLURB:
Upon a Starlit Tide is a dark and enchanting fairy tale-inspired historical fantasy combining elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" into a wholly original tale of love, power, and betrayal.
Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758. For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo's wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship’s crew. Only Samuel—Luce’s best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.
One stormy morning, Luce’s plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.
But it is not only Luce’s hopes that are at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface, as dangerous as any reef. Even so, she finds that the truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.
Or the scales of a sea-maid's tail.
WHEN THE EARTH WAS GREEN
by Riley Black
Why this pick?:
As a “The Blue Planet” girlie, I felt thrust right back into my childhood of natural-world documentaries when I saw this on the nonfiction list for February releases. Will I ever get around to listening to it? Maybe. I don’t know. It depends on my mood. Is the cover lovely? 100%. And the blurb really did grab my natural curiosity and implore me to engage!
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: Nonfiction | Natural Sciences
BLURB:
A gorgeously composed narrative nonfiction book about the longstanding relationship between prehistoric plants and life on Earth.
Immaculately framed by ancient stone, the leaves look as if they were pressed between the gray pages of a great geological diary. If we were to see the plant alive, we would simply pass it by, but the fossil is a whisper from a time more than 55 million years ago, when alligators dwelled within the Arctic Circle and gigantic dragonflies buzzed through the air. This little plant is an entry-point into this lost world. Past, present, and future, this ancient specimen has roots in all of them.
We often retell the history of life on Earth as a series of great moments in which fascinating animal life springs forth, all the while forgetting the plants that made these moments possible. But we can’t understand our own history without them. Or, our future. Dinosaurs, saber-toothed cats, and all mammals would be nothing without the efforts of their leafy counterparts. Even humans would likely not exist had plants not taken root to sow the land for our amphibious ancestors.
Using the same scientifically-informed narrative technique that readers loved in the award-winning The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, in When the Earth Was Green, Riley Black brings readers back in time to prehistoric seas, swamps, forests, and savannas where critical moments in plant evolution unfolded. Each chapter stars plants and animals alike, underscoring how the interactions between species have helped shape the world we call home. As the chapters move upwards in time, Black guides readers along the burgeoning trunk of the Tree of Life, stopping to appreciate branches of an evolutionary story that links the world we know with one we can only just perceive now through the silent stone, from ancient roots to the present.
THE WOLF TREE
by Laura McCluskey
Why this pick?:
A lighthouse mystery has me foaming at the mouth. Again, it’s digging back into my childhood books (AKA Nancy Drew, Goosebumps, etc.) where so much of my reading came from ambience and mood, and there was nothing more enticing than a gothic setting with a lighthouse and a mysterious past. Add to this that the story takes place in Scotland, and I’m there.
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Mystery/Thriller | Adult
BLURB:
An island lost in time. A cryptic, pagan past. Secrets that should stay buried.
Eilean Eadar is a barren, windswept rock inhabited by a few hundred humans and sheep. Until now, the island was best known for the unsolved mystery of the three lighthouse keepers who vanished back in 1919. But when a young man is found dead at the base of that same lighthouse, two detective inspectors are sent from Glasgow to investigate.
Georgina “George” Lennox is finally back from leave after a devastating accident and happy to be on the case. That is, until she meets the hostile islanders, who seem determined to thwart the investigation, and their enigmatic priest, who seems to be part of every interview. Then there’s George’s partner, Richie, who just wants to close the case and head home to his family. He doesn’t see that there is something off about this tiny community. He hasn’t heard the wolves howling or seen the dark figures at their window at night. He’s too busy watching George as if waiting for her to break.
With the dark secrets of the island swirling around them, George and Richie must decide who to trust and what to believe as they spin closer to the terrible truth. Laced with Scottish legend yet sharp and modern in voice, The Wolf Tree announces a spellbinding new voice in crime and mystery fiction
YOU ARE FATALLY INVITED
by Ande Pliego
Why this pick?:
WAIT! I love this. Locked room mystery is always a check for me. Writers as the guests (especially mystery writers) is also a check. Riddles and games to unravel alongside the character. Yet another check. But what sets this apart is that we know up front our POV character planned a murder. An actual murder. And someone else beats her to the kill. I'm so ready to snag this and settle in for an all-nighter following, what I assume will be, an unreliable narrator.
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Genre: Mystery/Thriller | Horror | Adult
BLURB:
An exclusive thriller writer's retreat hosted on a private island turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered in this twisty locked room mystery.
When renowned anonymous author J. R. Alastor hires former aspiring writer Mila del Angél to host a writing retreat at his private manor off the coast of Maine, she jumps at the chance—particularly since she has an ax to grind with one of the invitees. The guest list? Six thriller authors, all masters of deceit, misdirection, and mayhem.
Confess the crimes, survive the tropes.
Alastor and Mila have masterminded a week of games, trope-fueled riddles, and maybe a jump scare or two—the perfect cover for Mila to plot a murder of her own. But when a guest turns up dead—and it’s not the murder she planned—Mila finds herself trapped in a different narrative altogether.
With a storm cutting off the island, and the body count rising, Mila must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book.
YOU BETWEEN THE LINES
by Katie Naymon
Why this pick?:
Okay, I love a romance between writers. I especially love a rivals-to-lovers tension. It’s part of why Emily Henry’s Beach Read is a fan favorite of my. And for those reasons, I’ll give this a try. But I am concerned by the not-like-other-writing-girls, pick-me vibes the blurb is giving off. This could easily sway into a commentary on what writing “aesthetic” should be and why our FMC is so amazing for breaking the rules of the rule breakers. And if so, there’s a good chance I’ll hate this… But, interest peaked!
Publication Date: February 18, 2025
Genre: Romance | Adult
BLURB:
A former sorority girl starts a prestigious poetry MFA program only to discover that one of her fellow grad students is her high school crush-turned-nemesis--who can't stop writing about her.
No one's more surprised than Leigh when a prestigious MFA program in North Carolina accepts her. A former sorority girl, Leigh's the first to admit she knows more about the lyrics of Taylor Swift than T.S. Eliot, and she's never been able to shake the "all-style-no-substance" feedback her high school crush made in their poetry workshop. Bad enough that her tattooed, New Yorker tote bag-carrying classmates have read all the right authors and been published in the country's leading literary journals, Leigh's insecurities become all too real when Will, that same high school crush-turned-nemesis, shows up at orientation as a first-year in the program, too. And now, he's William, exactly the kind of writer Leigh hates, complete with his pretentious sweater vests and tattered Moleskine.
Leigh's determined to prove herself--and William--wrong by landing the program's highly-coveted fellowship. But Will's dead-set on it, too, and in a small cohort, they can't keep apart for long. When Will submits an intimate poem (that's maybe, probably, definitely about Leigh) to workshop, they're both forced to realize there's more to the other than what's on the page. And what's between the lines may be even more interesting.
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February 25, 2025
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