February Book Haul

Hi everyone! It’s been a really long time since I’ve done a book haul, and I figured that I should start 2021 off fresh with doing book hauls again! Before we get into the books that I got in February, I want to point out that I get most of my books used or on sale, so I hardly ever pay full price for a book. I do also get a few ARCs, although I’m already behind schedule with reading and reviewing them (is anyone else not surprised?) so this list is mostly used books or kindle deals, with a new book and a few ARCs!

Title: Hunted by the Sky
Author: Tanaz Bhathena
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: Used

I decided to pick this one up because it was on my radar before it’s release date, and I finally found a copy that was a decent price and so I decided to add it to my physical TBR! The synopsis sounds so interesting, and I’m excited to be adding an Indian inspired fantasy to my shelves. I’m curious about why having a star shaped birthmark in this world is so dangerous, and I’m hoping that I can get to it soon!

Title: For the Killing of Kings
Author: Howard Andrew Jones
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: Used

This one was actually a cover buy, but because of the second book in this series! I saw it pop up on my amazon and was pulled in by the dragon on the cover, but of course it was the second book in a series. So I did a quick skim of the synopsis before I picked up a used copy of the first book! I’m very intrigued by the idea of a pair of unlikely allies framed for stealing a magical artifact, which is something that I’ve read before only once but loved in Theft of Swords.

Title: From Unseen Fire
Author: Cass Morris
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: Used

It’s been a while since I’ve tried to read a historical fantasy romance, and this one kept showing up on my Goodreads as well as my amazon recommended list. It appears that it will have a lot of political intrigue, romance, and forbidden magic. It also seems that it’s inspired by ancient Rome, but with magic which also intrigues me. Plus the cover is stunning and I’m really hoping that I enjoy this book!

Title: Fireborne
Author: Rosaria Munda
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: Used

This is a debut novel that’s been getting a lot of recognition since it’s release and I’ve been wanting to read it, so when I found a used copy I was pretty excited. As you may be able to tell from the cover, this book is about dragons – specifically, dragonriders. After a revolution gives everyone the chance to test to be a dragonrider, our two characters are given the chance to rise through the ranks. But of course there’s struggles and hurdles along the way, and I’m very excited to see where this book goes!

Title: Song of the Risen God
Author: R.A. Salvatore
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: Used

So this is actually the third book in a series called The Coven by R.A Salvatore. I own the first two books which I also found used, so when this one popped up I figured I should just finish out the trilogy. I got this entire series on the recommendation from Holly over at Holly Hearts Books because she compared the setting and feeling to Skyrim, which is one of my favorite video games! This series is dark and brutal, and I’m just really excited to finally have the full series so I can binge it when I get a chance to read it!

Title: The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water
Author: Zen Cho
Genre: Fantasy Novella
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: Used

I’ve never read anything by Zen Cho before but I’ve seen quite a few of them and have a few on my TBR, but this is the first physical copy that I’ve gotten. You’ll actually see another of their books lower down on this list! What first pulled me into this particular book though was the gorgeous cover! Since it’s a novella, the synopsis doesn’t give much away other than it’s about a found family wuxia fantasy where a member of the Order of the Pure Moon joins up with a group of thieves to protect a sacred object.

Title: Burn the Dark and I Come With Knives
Author: S.A. Hunt
Genre: Adult Fantasy Horror
Format: Paperback
New/Used: Used

I found the first two books in the Malus Domestica series on sale and I’ve had my eye on them for a while, so I decided to give them a shot! I liked the idea of Supernatural meets Stranger Things, with a YouTube celebrity who goes viral with her series on witch hunting. The only thing is that the series she created isn’t fiction and these witches are the real deal. It’s labeled as fantasy horror, so I’m expecting it to be pretty dark and gruesome. It also sounds like it might have some dark humor to it based on the way the synopsis is written, so I’m really looking forward to trying these out!

Title: Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth
Author: Tamsyn Muir
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: Used

Like most of the other books I got this month, I found used copies of both Gideon and Harrow. I’ve had my eye on this series for a while and I finally decided to take a leap of faith and pick them up. I’ve seen so many reviewers that I trust and get recommendations from rave about this series, so I want to finally see where I stand with it. I’ve seen this pitched a lot as lesbian necromancers in space, which didn’t always appeal to me until I started seeing glowing reviews.

Title: A Court of Silver Flames
Author: Sarah J Maas
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance
Format: Hardcover
New/Used: New

It should be no surprise that I, like a lot of other people, bought a copy of ACOSF the day it was published. This is probably my MOST anticipated release of 2021, and at the time of me writing this I just finished this book and it was incredibly emotional. I’m sure after some time passes I’ll recognize things that I didn’t like, but for now, I loved it so much! If you aren’t aware at this point, this is the 4th book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and follows Nesta and Cassian after the war with Hybern.

Title: A Promise of Fire
Author: Amanda Bouchet
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance
Format: Kindle
New/Used: On Sale

It’s been clear to me that so far this year the only things I’ve been able to actually finish reading has been fantasy romance, and this one popped up on quite a few lists of fantasy romances. I’m curious about this one since I had never heard of it before, but it’s got good ratings! It sounds like it may be an enemies to lovers situation, since the love interest takes the main character away and wants to use her magic to secure his kingdom.

Title: Nophek Gloss
Author: Essa Hansen
Genre: Adult Science Fiction
Format: Kindle
New/Used: On Sale

It’s a known rule (to me) that when you see a book you’ve been interested come up on the kindle daily deals, you MUST buy it. That’s what happened with this one, which is a science fiction about a man who goes on a revenge quest to get back at the ones who destroyed his planet. I haven’t read much science fiction lately (although I really want to) and I’m hoping that maybe this one can get me back into a sci-fi mood.

Title: A River of Royal Blood
Author: Amanda Joy
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Kindle
New/Used: On Sale

Again, this is a book that’s been on my radar and I jumped at the chance to buy it when it showed up as a kindle daily deal. I’m dead serious when I say that you should check the daily deals every day if you have a kindle, you never know what you’ll find! But this one is a North African inspired fantasy about two sisters who find themselves in a battle to the death for the throne. I haven’t heard too much about this one after the buzz died down when it was released, but I’m definitely excited to have a copy to read!

Title: Thorn of the Night Blossoms
Author: J.C. Kang
Genre: Fantasy Novella
Format: Kindle
New/Used: Full Price

This one actually appeared on my bookstagram feed and I was curious because of how beautiful the cover is, and when I found that it’s a novella I figured there was no harm in getting a copy! It follows the emperor’s assassin who has to choose between love and duty to face an insurrection. Not much to go on, but I’m really curious about this one! And if I like it enough, it appears that there are more books set in this world.

Title: For the Wolf
Author: Hannah Whitten
Genre: YA Fantasy, Retelling
Format: Kindle
New/Used: ARC

I was just approved for an ARC of For the Wolf, which is a Little Red Riding Hood retelling. This follows a girl whose only purpose is to be scarified to the Wolf in the Wood so that he will return the captured gods of the world. But Red learns that the Wolf is a man, and the magic she possesses can be used to keep the gods from swallowing her world. It sounds really dark and I love a good retelling, so I’m excited I have an ARC of this one!

Title: Near the Bone
Author: Christina Henry
Genre: Adult Horror/Thriller
Format: Kindle
New/Used: ARC

I’ve been eying Christina Henry’s other books, since she has done horror retellings of some famous stories like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, but this is the first one that really jumped out at me, so I’m happy that I was approved for an ARC! This one sounds so eerie, with a woman who is trapped on a mountain with something in the words that wasn’t there before, and is incredibly dangerous. Any synopsis I give won’t be nearly as creepy as the one on Goodreads, so I suggest go reading that one!

Title: Black Water Sister
Author: Zen Cho
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Format: Kindle
New/Used: ARC

While I was writing this blog post, I got an email that I was approved for an ARC of Black Water Sister! I mentioned earlier another book by this author, but this one is a full length novel. This one is a contemporary fantasy set in Malaysia, where a medium sees the ghost of her grandmother who was the avatar of the Black Water Sister, a mysterious god. She now wants revenge against a gang boss who offended the god, and uses her granddaughter to do it. it sounds like it’s going to be a dark and intense story, and I’m excited to have an ARC!

---

What books did you get in February? I love looking at book hauls because it introduces you to books that you maybe haven’t heard of before!