February 1st
The Echo of Empires by Shameen Abubakar (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Three
former street rats are unwillingly bound to mythical beasts and must
plan an epic heist at the Royal Wedding to break free from their
dangerous bond – accidentally unraveling an empire while they're at it.
Six of Crows meets City of Brass in this epic adventure fantasy.
Soha Khosrani knows how to make a deal.
Born
and bred in Joot — a crowded port city teeming with gang lords,
bureaucrats, and heiresses — Soha is an upstart tailor with an unhealthy
appetite for risk who falls somewhere in between all of the above. On
the cusp of the biggest deal in this back alley orphan’s career, a fiery
beast of legend named Rostam destroys Soha’s precious tailor shop.
Awoken from a thousand year banishment, Rostam has returned, furious at
his siblings for trapping him, and now bound to Soha through a ring from
her childhood.
Soha’s past then storms onto her doorstep when
her assassin half-sister and childhood-nemesis-turned-pirate return to
Joot, bound to Rostam’s brother and sister. In order to break the
dangerous link, the three former street rats and their monstrous
counterparts must crash the Royal Wedding and steal the only object that
could free them from one another. On their way, they confront the past
that ties them all together, whilst also uncovering a history that could
unravel an empire built on carefully gilded secrets.
All Soha
knows is that being tied to a monster is not good for business, so
Joot’s Merchant of Death will do whatever it takes to return to her life
of sin and sequins. Even if that means making a deal with the devil.
February 2nd
Poison Heart by Tegan Cassell (Mayhem Books) - moved from September 2026.
Say Less by Lamar Giles (Scholastic) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder meets Demon Copperhead in this new fast-paced and wickedly smart read from three-time Edgar Award nominee Lamar Giles!
Welcome to Keysbridge.
Population 5,818 and dropping.
Where I live, everyone knows something--true or false--about the Goodwin family. Some say the Goodwins are just a myth born from small-town gossip and lack of opportunities. Others have one of those red-string conspiracy boards that explains how the Goodwins basically built the town and run everything. We’re not supposed to ask questions here. Not if you know what’s good for you.
And yet, questions abound.
What if there really was one family that ran our town?
What if they messed up, and everything that had been working for years started to unravel?
What if that part started at my after-school job?
What if there were nine dead bodies by the end of everything?
What if it was your friends dying?
Guess I don’t know what’s good for me because I’m going to answer them all...
Indoor Girl by Krystle Brantzeg (Scholastic) - moved from 2026.
In this modern day Rapunzel story, fifteen year old Keysa’s captivity is much more complicated than it is in fairytales.
For starters, it's caused by her mother’s paralyzing agoraphobia. But when a termite infestation eats its way into their home, an unlikely prince arrives in the form of the nephew of an exterminator who is in need of his own kind of saving.Weaving together a thread of Jenny Han-esque romance with the mental health themes of Picture Us in the Light, Indoor Girl is a dark, screwball romance that simultaneously explores the messy tendrils of mother-daughter relationships amid mental illness, grief, and the push-and-pull of growing up.
Ever since her father’s death four years ago, fifteen-year-old Keysa Perrault’s life has shrunk to the confines of her books, Pinterest boards of now-out-of-reach college campuses, and bittersweet memories of when she was allowed to venture past her mailbox—back when her mom’s extreme agoraphobia and controlling nature didn’t keep them both from leaving the house. Debilitated by anxiety, fear, and what Keysa’s dad used to call parentnoia, her mom Rose has resorted to self-medicating with cough medicine, making Filipino recipes only Keysa eats, and replacing her life outside the house with prayers to the rosary and her late husband’s finite insurance money to get by.
But when termites chew their way into Keysa's bedroom, they bring DJ Kim, a high school volleyball star who’s grieving a recent death of his own and serving time with his exterminator uncle. And despite DJ's closed-off attitude and plummeting GPA, Keysa can’t help but see in him a rare window of opportunity for freedom.Desperate for a night out of her bubble, Keysa and DJ strike a tutoring and good grades for him, late-night joyrides for her—after her mom has taken her cold medicine, that is.Keysa and DJ start off visiting places that remind her of her dad and past life—In-N-Out, the beach, the Cinco de Mayo costume carnival.
But as their covert lifts turn into starlight trysts, Keysa begins to suffocate under the weight of her dual life. Soon, she’s faced with two she can either stay indoors, keep DJ a secret forever, and bury her dreams of going off to college—or she can fly in the face of her mother’s ever-tightening rules and expose the truth, risking Rose's mental health and Keysa's own freedom along the way.
February 9th
King of Masks by Petra Lord (Henry Holt) - moved from February 7th.
Anabelle Gage emerged from the ashes of Paragon Academy having done the impossible—slaying the infamous Black Wraith, and stealing her body. As Caimor and Shenten race toward all-out war, Ana will risk everything to save her loved ones caught in the crossfire. Her friend Korin has been imprisoned by a vicious Shenti warlord, and only has days to live. To save him from execution, Ana and her allies must cross rising seas and withstand enemies on all sides.
Across the ocean, Nell Ebbridge is reunited with her father, Caimor's ruthless king, and find herself torn between her duty and her feelings for Ana. As she draws closer to dark truths, Nell must decide who she is willing to become—and who she is willing to sacrifice.
Krakens prowl the seas and ancient horrors stir beneath the waves. As armies clash and loyalties fracture, Ana and Nell are set on a devastating collision course.
February 9th
Should I Stay or Should You Go? by Kyle Lukoff (Dial Books) - moved from October 2026.
From
award-winning author Kyle Lukoff comes an emotionally charged and
unexpectedly funny not-quite-love story, set against the backdrop of
college orientation
For Thomas, matriculating at Erikson, the
storied Ivy League University on New York’s Upper West Side, is about
more than trading in small-town Vermont for life in the big city. It’s
about returning to the place he was born, walking the same streets his
late uncle did in his early 20s, and finally, finallygetting a chance to
ditch the “nice trans boy” persona he’s been carrying since coming out
in middle school. Not that Thomas isn’t nice or trans, but he longs to
be just one of the guys, another face in the crowd.
Blending in
has never been Annabelle’s aim, but ever since her most recent (and most
disastrous) breakup, she’s been counting down the days until she can
escape Seattle’s claustrophobic queer scene for the relative anonymity
of NYC. No one at Gilman College, or its sibling school Erikson, knows
anything about Annabelle or her exes. It’s the perfect fresh start, and
this time, everything will be different.
When Thomas and
Annabelle meet, their connection is electric. Neither one can believe
they’ve found someone so perfect before classes even start. But as the
heady thrill of new love (and lust) begins to fade, both teens will
discover that what you think you want isn’t always what you need.
Seeing Starlight by Myisha Haynes (First Second) - YA graphic novel, previously titled Humanities 1010 and moved from 2024. Description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Hakeem
is skeptical about the existence of anything supernatural, so what
happens when he falls for a boy who might not be human? This solo debut
combines the sweet romance of Crumbs with the supernatural fun of The
Witch Boy, perfect for teens looking for a paranormal, romantic, high
school story.
"There's no such thing as Aliens."
At least,
that's what Hakeem thinks. Which sucks for him, because he’s about to
attend Black Birch High, a school specializing in everything paranormal.
To make matters worse, his childhood friend seems to hate him, and he's
failing UFOlogy.
Then he meets Yuhit, his handsome classmate
who's excited about everything, and is willing to help Hakeem study.
Things start off great but despite the crush that Hakeem definitely is
developing, there's something off about Yuhit that holds him back. But
is that because of Hakeem's cynicism and trust issues, or because
there's something Yuhit is hiding from him?
As otherworldly
events begin to transpire, and rumors fly of strange creatures prowling
the town, will Hakeem even believe what his eyes are seeing?
February 16th
Every Room a Hunger by Nino Cipri (Henry Holt)
Nobody comes to Home House by choice.
Leo
was pressured into accepting a juvenile diversion sentence after a
security guard overreacted and labeled him a threat. Rowan’s doctor told
them it was the only in-patient psych facility with an available bed.
Caroline, horrified at having been labeled a lesbian by her evangelical
parents, expects conversion therapy. Frankie, who is transmasc, hides
his longing for acceptance under a firebrand personality, but as a
veteran of troubled teen programs thanks to his hateful birth mother,
he’s the only one who knows to expect the worst.
When these teens
arrive at Home House, they're promised a fresh start. But they're
quickly ambushed by their own traumas in attack therapy and bullied in
the name of growth. Plus, the House’s strange atmosphere twists
everything, making it hard to tell what’s real and what’s not.
Though
the program is designed to isolate them and poison them against each
other, when the horror becomes all too real, Rowan, Frankie, Leo, and
Caroline can agree on one they must escape. But it’s not the adults
running the house or their fellow inmates that are trying to keep them
inside the houses' four walls - it’s Home House itself that doesn’t want
them to leave.
When a Tiger Flies by Susie Yi (Roaring Brook Press) - YA graphic novel, moved from 2025, August 2026 and January 2027. Description not yet updated on Goodreads.
A searing graphic novel about a teen’s first love in college, the toxic relationship she becomes trapped in, and the intergenerational strength that gives her the courage to break free, from acclaimed author Susie Yi, creator of Cat & Cat and A Sky of Paper Stars.
Sixteen-year-old Ara is a prodigy. Under the sheltered care of her parents, Ara has achieved her life goal—she's going to Harvard College.
But while Ara had prepared herself for getting into Harvard, she isn't ready for what college brings. She's no longer the only genius at school, her parents aren’t around, and being two years younger than her fellow freshmen means Ara is in the dark about a lot of things, especially romantic relationships.
Things spiral out of control as Ara struggles to maintain top grades and falls for an older classmate, who offers to help her. But when he becomes controlling and abusive, she gradually realizes, through time and healing, that she must find her inner tiger and roar.
Inspired by author-illustrator Susie Yi’s own experience, When a Tiger Flies is an achingly honest and deeply moving graphic novel about first college experiences, toxic relationships, and inherited resilience, upending the stereotype about her “tiger parents”.
What Makes a Monster by Emily Cooper (Wednesday Books) - description not yet updated on Goodreads.
Heavenly Bodies meets Divine Rivals in this star-lit romantasy about a girl who tried to end the world—and now has to save it.
In Velandor, where magic is ruled by the constellations, Celestine Savareau rots in prison after a failed attempt to end the world. All she wants is destruction and domination.
When she is offered a freedom deal, Celestine has little choice but to accept, even if it means going after her ex-lover and accomplice Aire. So Celestine joins the Nightguard, the protectors of Velandor, even as she plots to reunite with Aire and finish what they started.
Nightguard Kivessin would rather die than work with Celestine. His mother was killed during her arrest, and he’s not about to forgive and forget. But when he learns that helping Celestine means taking her down if she goes rogue, he manages to set his razor-sharp morals aside.
As they commence training, Celestine must exploit her relationship with Aire to stay one step ahead. If she fails, the world will end—and she’d hate to die without exploring the undeniable tension which lingers between her and Kivessin.
In doing so, Celestine and Kivessin discover something neither of them wants to acknowledge: she might not be the monster they thought…
February 23rd
Infernally Yours by Kylie Lee Baker (Feiwel and Friends)
A normal girl would’ve wept over her grandmother's coffin at her funeral, and hugged her family tightly as they mourned. But Sakura Smith is not a normal girl. And this is not a normal family. On the day of her estranged grandmother’s death, all of Sakura’s family turned into Yokai, creatures from Japanese folklore. Now Sakura not only has to deal with her rich, entitled cousins, but she also has to manage her newly sentient hair and the eternally hungry mouth that has suddenly appeared on the back of her head.
But Grandma Kojima didn’t leave them without options. In order to regain their human forms, all they need to do is make sure someone in their family marries Benjiro, the teenage Prince of Hell. And to sweeten the deal, Grandma Kojima added an extra clause: whichever cousin marries Benjiro will receive ALL of her inheritance. Spurred by their greedy parents, Sakura’s cousins immediately jump at the chance to get their hands on Grandma Kojima’s massive estate.
Sakura knows she needs that money more than any of her wealthy family members, and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it to the altar. But will she be able to keep it together when she starts getting real feelings for the sweet, kind Benjiro?
Strike Down the Sun by Sara Holland (Wednesday Books) - moved from 2026.
In this captivating conclusion to the Break Wide the Sea duology, Annie and Silas must team up against all odds to save everything they hold dear.
Annie Fairfax is in hiding in the north. She’s determined not to interfere in the war between humans and finfolk—convinced she’ll only do more damage—but when she gets wind that the key to lifting the curse on her bloodline may lie back home in Kirkrell, she returns in secret, determined to do whatever it takes to free her family from heartbreak forever.
Meanwhile, Silas Price fights alongside the finfolk against the humans. But when a mistake during battle costs him the trust of the finfolk queen, she orders him to take up the search his mother began long ago for a weapon of legend--an artifact from an ancient myth that could lift the curse on the Fairfaxes and win the war for the finfolk, but could also unleash supernatural forces that tear the world apart.
When Annie and Silas realize that they’re searching for the same thing, they reluctantly join forces, but are threatened by August’s machinations and the ghost of their own thwarted romance. The two of them might be all that’s stopping the whalers and finfolk from wiping each other out, but it remains to be seen which is stronger: the volatile attraction between them, or the seething bad blood.
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