Must-Have Monday is a feature highlighting which of the coming week’s new releases I’m excited for. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all books being published that week; only those I’m interested in out of those I’m aware of! The focus is diverse SFF, but other genres sneak in occasionally too.
ELEVEN books this week!
(Books are listed in order of pub date, then Adult SFF, Adult Other, YA SFF, YA Other, MG SFF.)
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Sci Fi, Speculative Fiction
Representation: BIPOC MCs
Published on: 24th February 2025
Goodreads
Within the pages of Devotion In The Open Air you'll find eighteen stories written by women of color from all walks of life that embrace the beauty in the everyday with speculative tales to bring you out of the fast-paced chaos of real life, immersing you in something much more contented.
This collection of stories delivers relaxed takes on life's real issues such as family trauma, discovering identity, and healing from a past that would rather be forgotten. While all the stories are speculative and low-stakes they are vastly different. Some ask the reader to imagine a world only slightly different from our own while others take you to a new universe entirely. Yet each one invites you to have a seat, pull up a chair, and breathe.
Soft SFF from BIPOC authors??? I’m listening!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Representation: Minor nonbinary character
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle's estate... and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws... and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.
Swordheart gets its trad release this week! I haven’t heard that the book itself has been updated or rewritten any, but even if you’ve already read the self-published edition, a) you should support the trad release if you can (ask your library to get a copy!), and b) this marks the countdown to the sequels, the first of which is coming next year!!!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
In World Fantasy Award–winning author Patricia A. McKillip (The Forgotten Beasts of Eld)’s gorgeous prose, the human world and the realm of faeries dangerously entwine through chaotic magic. This brand new edition featuring an original introduction celebrates the 30th anniversary of this classic fantasy novel.
Discover the spellbinding legend of generational atonement and redemption between a reluctant mage, a powerful wizard, a struggling heir, fae royalty, and a mysterious scullery maid.
When the White Wolf descends upon the battlefield, the results are disastrous. His fateful decision to end a war with powerful magic changes the destiny of four kingdoms: warlike Kardeth, resilient Pelucir, idyllic Chaumenard, and the mysterious Elven realm.
Twenty years later, Prince Talis, orphaned heir to Pelucir, is meant to be the savior of the realm. However, the prince is neither interested in ruling nor a particularly skilled mage. Further, he is obsessed with a corrupted spellbook, and he is haunted by visions from the woods.
The legendary mage Atrix Wolfe has forsaken magic and the world of men. But the Queen of the Wood, whose fae lands overlap Pelucir’s bloody battlefield, is calling Wolfe back. Her consort and her daughter have been missing since the siege, and if Wolfe cannot intervene, the Queen will keep a sacrifice for her own.
I have adored a bunch of McKillip’s standalones, and since I haven’t read The Book of Atrix Wolfe yet, an anniversary edition is a great nudge to finally get to it!
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
In the first Amazing Tale of Antifascist Action, New York Times bestselling author Lilith Saintcrow serves up science fiction pulp in a North America fractured by drones, bioweapons, and ideology, giving us a heroine practically made out of violent resistance.
THE RUNNER
Just behind the front lines of a war they call “civil,” the shifter called Coyote is tough, fast, ugly—and known for taking jobs nobody else will.THE JOB
Marge’s sister is locked in a prison camp civilians shouldn’t know about, deep in enemy territory. Rescuing her will take a plan made of weapons-grade insanity.THE TRICK
To get in, all Coyote has to do is get caught.THE PAYOFF
None, unless the satisfaction of killing an old enemy counts. And maybe a few small bounties from murdering fascist clones…RUN, COYOTE. RUN.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Lilith Saintcrow is criminally under-known, and HELLS YES I’m here for antifa wish-fulfilment! Gimme!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: Queer MC
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
"Lorne’s magic is rotting him from the inside out."
As the only Curse Crafter in the city of Veil, Lorne Atwater is already out of place in witch society and as a mysterious blight rots his magic, he’s only growing more volatile. So, Lorne cuts all ties, hides within an illusion of perfection, and searches fruitlessly for a cure.
But vengeful curse victim—Sacha Finch—corners Lorne into an impossible break Finch’s curse in exchange for a cure to the blight.
For the chance to save his magic, Lorne must confront the relationships he’s severed, expose his diseased magic, and face the very monster who blighted him.
FASCINATED by the idea of being poisoned by your own magic; that is definitely one of my favourite tropes!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Queer Protagonists
Representation: M/M
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
Red, White, and Royal Blue meets The Goblin Emperor in this enchanting LGBTQIA+ Romantasy set in the mystical realm of Soeria, where a prince must choose between duty and heart.
In the heart of Soeria, where royal bloodlines carve the paths of destiny, Prince Darien Garros, the kingdom's beloved second son, faces the age-old clash between duty and desire. For years, Darien has dodged the court's expectations to find a suitable match, yearning instead for a love that values the man behind the crown. His longing seems answered in Tag Leara, whose charm and genuine affection ignite a hope Darien dared not admit.
Yet, fate is a fickle master. A sudden tragedy propels Darien into a role he never sought, challenging his deepest convictions. As the weight of legacy and the whispers of power threaten to suffocate him, Darien confronts the ultimate test. Torn between the call of his blood and the pull of his heart, he stands at a crossroads that could reshape the future of Soeria itself.
With every choice comes a price, and Darien must decide: Will he follow the stringent demands of royalty, or will he choose the perilous path of love? In a world where allegiance and affection collide, Prince Darien's story is a testament to the enduring battle between the crowns we bear and the hearts we hold dear.
"The Prince’s Heart is a poignant, queer romance set against a backdrop of political cut-and-thrust that will make you both cry and cheer. Chalfin perfectly balances the personal drama of Darien’s quest for true love with the terrifying consequences it could have on Soeria. He expertly broke my heart, healed it, and broke it again. I promise you’ll be rooting for Darien, Tag, and Soeria with all your heart, too.”
– Althea Lyons, author of the Seer of York series
My eyebrows hit the ceiling when I read those comps – someone in the marketing department is making bold claims – but what if they’re legit? It does happen sometimes! Clearly I need to investigate for myself!
Genres: Adult, Sci Fi
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
Award-winning author Susan Daitch's new novel, The Adjudicator, is a visionary cyberpunk mystery that explores the boundaries of consciousness and individual autonomy within an authoritarian state that controls the genetics of its citizens.
In a near future where the surveillance state legislates the genetic code of its citizens, babies are created in a laboratory according to a template set by parents and the corporation. It is a utopian world of perfect control, where disease has been eliminated and the human genome has reached apotheosis. Mistakes, though unlikely, still occur, and it is adjudicator Zedi Loew’s job to fix them. One day, a cold case file based on an absurd premise crosses her that gene-coding can go beyond structuring the body, it can alter consciousness. Fearing exposure, Zedi’s boss makes the case top priority, and she has only a few days to solve it. The case will prove to be an entry into a dangerous labyrinth, and Zedi follows a taut thread of information, one which, she will learn, connects to the corporation’s hidden mechanism of power as well as her own origin story.
So many reasons I don’t want the government controlling my genes! Let’s see how many more Daitch has thought of…
Genres: Adult
Representation: Trans
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
How technology creates new possibilities for transgender people, and how trans experiences, in turn, create new possibilities for technology.
Mainstream technologies often exclude or marginalize transgender users. Trans Technologies describes what happens when trans people take technology design into their own hands. Oliver Haimson, whose research into gender transition and technology has defined this area of study, draws on transgender studies and his own in-depth interviews with more than 100 creators of technology—including apps, games, health resources, extended reality systems, and supplies designed to address challenges trans people face—to explain what trans technology is and to explore its present possibilities and limitations, as well as its future prospects.
Haimson surveys the landscape of trans technologies to reveal the design processes that brought these technologies to life, and to show how trans people often must rely on community, technology, and the combination of the two to meet their basic needs and challenges. His work not only identifies the role of trans technology in caring for individuals within the trans community, but also shows how trans technology creation empowers some trans people to create their own tools for navigating the world. Articulating which trans needs and challenges are currently being addressed by technology and which still need to be addressed; describing how trans technology creators are accomplishing this work; examining how privilege, race, and access to resources impact which trans technologies are built and who may be left out; and highlighting new areas of innovation to be explored, Trans Technologies opens the way to meaningful social change.
I don’t usually feature nonfiction, but transness + tech is kind of relevant to my interests!
Genres: Fantasy, Queer Protagonists, YA
Representation: Queer MC
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
In this sapphic Snow White retelling, if Snow is to save her kingdom from being ravaged by the Blight, she’ll have to kill the Evil Queen’s daughter…if she doesn’t fall in love with her first.
When her glass coffin unexpectedly shatters, Snow White awakens to anything but a dream. The land is rotting. The animals have mutated. In the twenty years that have passed since Snow bit into the poisoned apple, the kingdom of Roanfrost has transformed from a luscious wild land to a blight-ravaged nightmare. In search of answers and a way to restore her kingdom to its former glory, Snow sets out on a dangerous journey that will test the strength she never knew she had.
Friends will become foes.
New alliances will form.
The Queen with the blood red lips will stop at nothing to seize her power as well as her heart.
If Snow has any chance to survive and restore not only her kingdom, but all of Garedenne, her only option is to become the Seasonkeeper and access the life-giving magic that will heal the plague. But the path to becoming the Seasonkeeper is more treacherous than she could ever imagine—because the wild things have awakened and Snow’s darker impulses yearn to set them free.
Snow White is FAR from my favourite fairytale, but I admit to being very curious about this retelling! Mutated settings and season-magic? And dare I hope that these ‘dark urges’ Snow experiences are actually dark??? It’s worth checking out!
Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary or Urban Fantasy, MG
Representation: Japanese-American MC
Published on: 25th February 2025
Goodreads
In the thrilling finale to the epic fantasy series filled with gods and monsters of Shinto mythology, a twelve-year-old girl with divine heritage risks everything to save her family – and the world – from the vengeful goddess of the underworld.
Momo Arashima just wants an ordinary life. But she's about to become legendary . . .
Momo Arashima is half goddess and half human – torn between two worlds. But with her friends Danny, Ryleigh, Jin and Niko by her side, she’s finally starting to find a place where she belongs. Too bad none of that matters when Izanami, the treacherous goddess of death, threatens the life of someone Momo loves and forces her into a terrible bargain.
Izanami is after the Jewel of the Heart, an artefact that will help her finally escape the land of the dead . . . and she wants Momo to get it for her. Along with her friends, Momo must face fire demons, fanged mermaids,and spiders as big as horses. But even if they succeed, what will Momo do? Sacrifice the person most precious to her, or hand over the Jewel and unleash Izanami on the world?
See what readers are saying about Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind:
'If you love books with action, adventure and a heartwarming spirit, as well as many twists and turns as a bowl of ramen, this book is absolutely perfect for you' - Amaya, aged 10, LoveReading4Kids reviewer
'I loved this funny, complex and exciting story! The action never stops as the author brilliantly blends adventure with Japanese folklore to deliver a barnstorming novel, with themes of adventure, family and identity' - School librarian, Reading Zone reviewer
'Misa Sugiura's Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind has all the hallmarks of a fantasy classic . . . edge-of-your-seat energetic, with comic moments and emotional depth' - LoveReading4Kids reviewer
I’m JUST getting into Middle-Grade fantasy, so I haven’t read the earlier books in this trilogy yet – but I want to!
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Published on: 28th February 2025
Goodreads
It's been one month since Bex's rebel crew took over the Seattle Anchor, and things have been suspiciously good. They're emancipating slaves by the busload, earning money from their thriving Free Market, and basically living the Gilgamesh-free life of their dreams. It's what Bex always wanted for her people, so why does she feel so uneasy?
It could be because she's working twenty-hour days desperately trying to free her wrath demons. Or because Gilgamesh has sealed off all the Anchors still under his control, creating a worldwide shortage of the magical quintessence their new fortress needs to stay afloat.
Everywhere Bex looks, timers are ticking down on the safe haven she's built for her demons, but the biggest threat is the one she doesn't see, because Heaven hasn't been idle. The man who killed the gods knows how to handle a rebellion. The closer the demons get to victory, the tighter the invisible noose becomes, and when the Queen of Wrath crosses the final line, there will be Hell to Pay.
Aaron has been an auto-buy author for me since her Heartstriker series, and Hell to Pay is the finale of her latest urban fantasy series! I AM GRABBY-HANDS!
Will you be reading any of these? Did I miss any releases you think I should know about? Let me know!
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