February 2018 New Releases I Can’t Wait to Read
Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce (Feb. 6) I’ve been waiting for this book for literally years! Set in the world of Tortall and the Carthaki Empire, it’s the first book in the Numair Chronicles, which will tell the backstory of how Arum Draper, mage student and friend of Prince Ozorne, became Numair, Tortall’s greatest mage and Prince Ozorne’s enemy. (Read the Wildmage quartet, AKA the Immortals War quartet, for the story of the wildmage Daine and her mentor and eventual partner Numair.) I’ve preordered this, and plan to dive in as soon as my copy arrives.
The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch (Feb. 20) A prequel to Finch’s historical mystery series featuring Victorian gentleman-detective Charles Lenox, The Woman in the Water tells the story of Lenox’s first case. I love this series; Finch is an excellent writer. So I’m really looking forward to seeing Lenox in his early days as a detective.
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman (Feb. 27) Hartman returns to the world of Seraphina and Shadow Scale with a tangentially-related tale of a girl who runs away disguised as a boy, and meets up with a relative of dragons on the road. The book’s description hints that there’s more to Tess than meets the eye: “Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she’s tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one.” Seraphina was amazing, and I’m eager to read Hartman’s newest tale.
Also Anticipating
- The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd (Feb. 6)
- Death & the Viking’s Daughter by Loretta Ross (Feb. 8)
- The Cat of the Baskervilles by Vicki Delaney (Feb. 13)
- The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller (Feb. 13)
- The First Kiss of Spring by Emily March (Feb. 27)
- Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas (Feb. 27)
- The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Feb. 27)
Nicole
I love the title “The Cat of the Baskervilles”! It just tickles me. Sounds like some great books are coming out next month! I think I need to catch up on my Tamora Pierce before I read her newest, though.
Nicole recently posted…WIP – I mean FO – Wednesday for 31 January 2018
Lark_Bookwyrm
I’m a little behind on Tamora Pierce books, too, but fortunately, the ones I haven’t read yet are all in her Circle of Magic world, not Tortall. I think I’m completely caught up with the Tortall books. 🙂
Lark
I’m excited for The Woman in the Water, too. And Death & the Viking’s Daughter? The title alone makes me want to put it at the top of my list! 🙂
Lark recently posted…Urban Fantasy Fun…
Lark_Bookwyrm
It’s a great title, isn’t it? I like the series; it’s cozy mystery but with a bit more depth and realism than most.
Literary Feline
I can’t wait to read several of these too. Rachel Hartman’s book sounds good. I enjoyed her other books set in that world. The Woman in the Water is on my TBR pile also. I hope you get to read all of these!
Literary Feline recently posted…Wishing for Wednesday: The Storm King and Sunburn
Lark_Bookwyrm
I hope I do, too! And I hope you enjoy The Woman in the Water and the new Hartman novel.
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
Death and the Viking’s Daughter and The First Kiss of Spring are both on my TBR and I’m really excited about both of them. I’m halfway through the first Charles Lenox book right now and am loving it!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library recently posted…‘Til Death Do Us Part – Romantic Suspense Review
Lark_Bookwyrm
You’re reading A Beautiful Blue Death? I liked that one a lot. He’s really good, isn’t he?!
Aleen @ Lampshade Reader
I’m looking forward to Emily March’s new book as well. I love that series.
Aleen @ Lampshade Reader recently posted…Earl of Weston by Anna St. Claire & Lauren Harrison
Lark_Bookwyrm
It’s one of the first contemporary small-town romance series I started following, along with Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series.
Aleen @ Lampshade Reader
I also like Debbie Mason’s “Christmas, Colorado” series as well. 🙂
Lark_Bookwyrm
I’m not familiar with those. Thanks for the recommendation!
Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
I’ve still got to read Seraphina! Hoping I can get to it this month as I want to pass it on to my niece 🙂 I’m also looking forward to The Traitor’s Game. It sounds like it will be a good first in a new series.
Kimberly @ Turning the Pages recently posted…*[Review] The Ruins by Scott B. Smith
Lark_Bookwyrm
Seraphina was amazing! I hope you like it. And The Traitor’s Game does sound fun. I loved her False Prince trilogy.
Kari @ Kari Reads and Writes
So many good books and authors for me to check out! Your 3 featured books, shown above with large covers, I assume I have to read a backlist before jumping in. I think that having to do this has prevented me from picking up some fun titles in the past.
I really want to read Tamora Pierce… but at the library I hemmed and hawed about what to pick, from the slim pickings there. Where do I need to start? If they don’t have what I need there, I’m willing to look in used bookstore for one. Any recs for this? I am starting to get into fantasy/YA fantasy more lately as the tv news gets more “unreal”.
Kari @ Kari Reads and Writes recently posted…Great Start to My Year of Reading
Lark_Bookwyrm
I don’t know if you need to read any of the Tortall books before reading Tempests and Slaughter. It’s book one in a series which is the backstory of a character we know from other series (primarily the Immortals quartet, also known as the Wildmage quartet.) Personally, I recommend beginning either with the Immortals quartet or the Protector of the Small quartet, because I think they are better written than the Song of the Lioness quartet (which was Pierce’s first series.) So… start either with Wild Magic, followed by Wolf-Speaker, Emperor Mage, and The Realm of the Gods, OR start with First Test, followed by Page, Squire, and Lady Knight. (If you want to know more about the Protector of the Small quartet, I reviewed it here. It’s among my favorite fantasy series ever.) Then go back and read the Song of the Lioness quartet (the Alanna books) if you want, and maybe the Trickster duo after that.
That’s just the Tortall books. She has a whole other world, starting with the Circle of Magic quartet. Those are also good, though I wasn’t as drawn to them after the first four books.
As for the other two books I highlighted, you could totally start with The Woman in the Water, because it’s a prequel about the detective’s first case. With Tess of the Road, though, I do recommend reading Seraphina and Shadow Scale first.
I hope that helps!
Kari @ Kari Reads and Writes
Thank you so much! I think I’ll start with either Wild Magic or First Test and see how it goes. Great help here!
Lark_Bookwyrm
Glad to be of help!
Jan @ Notes from a Readerholic
Good books on your list, Lark. I missed the Tamora Pierce book. I haven’t read anything from her for a long time. I need to pick up some of her books again, I think. As you know, I have Tess on my list. I hope I get to read it before too long. I’ll check out some of your other books, too.
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thanks, Jan! I’m eagerly awaiting the Pierce book—my preorder should arrive today.