Yes! I’m posting this on a reasonable day of the month this time! So yeah, here’s my reading wrap-up for February 2026! I’m relatively happy with it, this time.
I read a couple of books, though as always, I wish I would’ve read more. Oh well, maybe in March I can do better. I think my problem this time around was that it took me a bit to get reading. My blog activity throughout February was pretty good, though, and I’m really satisfied with that.
Anyway, let’s just start talking about my StoryGraph statistics from last month!
February Reading 2026
I’m gonna continue with what I started last month, and my general statistics here first before getting into the more specific stuff. Not everything was as high as in January – such as my page count and ratings – but I’m okay with it.
I read 📚 2 books and 📑 784 pages in February, and my average star rating was ⭐ 3.0 stars. Also, the average length of the books I read was 📈 392 pages and my average time to finish a novel was 🗓️ 2 days.
😐 MOODS: For this past month, my Moods were Adventurous, Mysterious, and Reflective, and all three slices of the pie chart were equal.
👢 PACE: The pacing of of the books that I read in February was 100% medium.
🔢 PAGE NUMBER: Concerning my average Page Number per book, all 100% of the novels were between 300 and 499 pages. So they were both the same in this aspect.
📖 FICTION/NONFICTION: Regarding the ratio here, the books I read were both fiction. As is my usual.
🎭 GENRES: The Genres I read in February were Fantasy and Young Adult. Both books were Fantasy and one of them was Young Adult.
📄 FORMAT: The Format was 50% print and 50% digital. So, one of the novels was a physical copy, and the other was an ebook.
📊 STAR RATINGS: I’ve already mentioned this above, but this is what it looks like on the graph. One novel I read I gave 2.75 stars (Stolen Midnights) and the other I gave 3.5 stars (Strange Animals), resulting in my average.
📉 PAGES READ DAILY: I didn’t read anything over the first half of the month, unfortunately, but I did during the second half. A decent amount, too. I read Strange Animals between the 22nd and the 24th, and then later I read Stolen Midnights at the very end of February on the 27th and the 28th. The last two days of the month were also my highest peak in reading.
So yeah, I would’ve liked February to have been a little bit better, but I’m overall not that disappointed. I’m really happy with my blog activity from last month, too. I just want to read more books per month.
In regards to my reading so far in March, I read Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews last week, and I’m planning to start Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan today (it just came out!). After that, I’m not as sure, but I definitely have a few ideas.
Anyway, as always, thank you for joining me in checking out my StoryGraph stats for my February reading in 2026. Thank you also for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a good week! It’s time for another Weekly Wrap-Up!
Last week was fine. I missed a blog post or two that I’d wanted to do, but that’s okay. I’ve certainly had worse. I also read a book again this past week, which I’m really happy about.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the Weekly Wrap-Up!
Tuesday 3/3: The Most Interesting Looking New Books of March 2026
Last Tuesday, I posted a list of the books that I’m looking forward to this month. Or, at least the ones that I think look the most interesting. It was the The Most Interesting Looking New Books of March 2026. As always, it’s basically only fantasy and science fiction, as those are the two genres I primarily read. This time there were once again six books on my list.
On Wednesday, I participated in Can’t-Wait Wednesday again. Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.
I also participated in WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. It focuses on the Three Ws of Reading: What are you currently reading?What did you recently finish reading? and What do you think you’ll read next?
On Friday, I finally posted my review for Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn. It’s a never fantasy novel, that just came out last month. I had mixed feelings about it.
There was a lot to like about it, but there were just as many – if not more – things to dislike about it. I thought the world building and magic and mystery was interesting, but I was less impressed with the characters and romance. I gave it ★★✫☆☆.
So yeah, I think that last week was pretty okay. I’m hoping to do at least as good this week, if not a little better. I want to keep up with at least a book a week again – I miss doing that. Fingers crossed. 🍀🤞
Regarding my blog activity for the week, I want to definitely post my monthly reading wrap-up for February 2026. I wanted to do it last week, but sometimes things happen. I also want to participate in at least a couple of my favorite weekly memes, as well as get out another book review. For my reading, the next book I’m planning on diving into is Brighter Than Nine by June CL Tan, which comes out tomorrow.
Concerning stuff outside the blog, last week I switched over my decorations from Valentine’s Day to St. Patrick’s Day. So now the decor is now shades of green instead of red and pink. Aside from that, my spouse and I are still up to our usual.
Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
The first in a new magical young adult romantasy duology from the New York Times bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow. A palace darling and a thief join forces after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change their world forever.
In the city of Andalay, the ruling Fates bestow gifts among society’s most favored. When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal one of those gifts – meant for the “princess” of Ward One, Wren Hayes – he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.
The gift? A locket containing his own photograph.
Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, shedding light on the ruthless ways of the upper class. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power – including murder.
Brought together by destiny, and fighting a dangerous temptation that’s becoming harder to resist, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself.
My Review
When the clock chimed midnight on an Aurilian’s eighteenth birthday, a remarkable and utterly beguiling event would occur.
It’s a little later than I intended, but it turned out I had a lot of feelings about this book. And unfortunately, for me at least, Stolen Midnights didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some things to like – and even love – about this book. But I found myself annoyed more often than not by just as many other things, if not more. I have a lot to say about this novel, as I mentioned, so strap in!
The Characters and Story
There was no question in my mind that Wren Hayes and I had been destined to meet. And without a doubt, our lives were now tied together in a way that would be impossible to unravel.
Wren Hayes is our female lead. At the start of the novel she’s a rich girl expecting the accustomed gift of a magical object that the elite receive on their eighteenth birthdays. But she is left wanting, as it has been stolen by Damien, the male protagonist to this story. He’s basically your typical thief character, sassy and suave (or at least he thought so) with a vulnerable side. And unfortunately, I didn’t care much for either of them. Especially early on – Wren is pretty bratty and naive, and I don’t like the way Damien flirts with Wren for the first half of the novel. But, I do think both of them grew some by the climax of the novel, and I was rooting for them at that point a little. I just wish they’d both stop making stupid decisions.
I found the side characters more interesting this time around, like Ruby and Grayson and Everett, and I was honestly more interested in their backgrounds and stories than I was the MCs. The antagonist kind of came a little out of nowhere for me, though it made sense it was them, but I was screaming at the characters constantly about how the villain’s accomplice was right there stop being stupid it’s so obvious. But I digress – that’s how it goes sometimes with these kinds of novels.
The plot for Stolen Midnights was pretty decent, though it got bogged down a little bit by the main characters and their antics and stupidity. It’s also a relatively simple story with a bit of a mystery going on throughout, and the latter is honestly the only thing that kept me going for a while. Until the missing persons part of the plot was introduced, then I had to know what was up. The author was pretty good at seeding along a mystery, and I wish that that had more focus on it. But instead it was the romance.
The Romance and Writing
A finger pressed into my chest, startling me. “You’ve been watching me,” Wren accused-correctly-doing her very best to sound intimidating. Such an adorable yet incompetent attempt.
“Obviously.” I shrugged, pressing deeper into that little finger of hers. “You were practically begging to be robbed.” Again.
“You would be the expert,” she snipped.
I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t like the romance here. I didn’t think Wren and Damien had any chemistry with each other, at any point in the novel. I also hated how they were constantly sniping at one another. And yes, I get that this was (an attempt at) an enemies to lovers plot, but then I’d rather there wasn’t literal immediate insta-lust happening. Like seriously immediate – basically as soon as they have their first proper conversation. And then it just didn’t stop. This should’ve been more of a slow-burn. But it wasn’t, and I think that the romance suffered for it.
The writing was… okay. It certainly could’ve been better, but it was YA, which doesn’t always have the best quality. It’s not an excuse, because I think YA deserves better, but it is what it is. The prose seemed almost middle grade though, which felt at odds with the numerous cringe worthy lust filled scenes throughout. What I mean to say is: the writing felt like it should’ve been more mature, to match Stolen Midnights tones and themes.
The Cover and World Building
One day our world would change, and all it took to start a revolution was one person.
I know it might be hard to believe at this point, but there were things I quite enjoyed about this book. The cover art and sprayed edges for one thing, are absolutely phenomenal. I almost passed on this novel, or at least put it on my tentative TBR for later, but I couldn’t just walk by that book cover art and ignore it. And combined with the title, there’s a downright lethal combination there. This book was very, very pretty. But I’ve already gushed about the cover art enough in another post.
The world building and the magic system are also interesting. I really liked how the characters frequently talk about places outside of the city of Andalay, and that there’s a map at the beginning of the book. I love maps in books.
The magic system is also intriguing. I found myself invested in the way the knowledge of it evolved as the characters discovered more about how it worked.
The lore and history sprinkled all over Stolen Midnights was also fascinating. I loved the little excerpts at the beginning of some of the chapters, predominantly Wren’s. Not just because it distributed relevant lore for each chapter or two, but also because it tells the reader that Wren is also interested in the history of her world, and that’s one of the few things I liked about her.
The only thing I felt was odd about it was how the lore and the divine leaders of Andalay – the Fates – affected the way the city was run. It’s a patriarchy and women seem to have hardly any rights, but the Fates are women as well. It just seems weird to me that the society is structured that way, especially since the Fates themselves also live in the city with everyone – it doesn’t seem like it should be a patriarchy at all. I understand that they manipulate certain things about how Andalay is run, but nowhere in the book is it mentioned that they’re manipulating it into a patriarchy. I guess we as the reader are just meant to infer that? I don’t know, it seemed a little sloppy is all.
Final Thoughts
But I often got ahead of myself. First I needed to find where Wren Hayes had run off to.
Something told me I should’ve had one more glass of whiskey.
Though I didn’t enjoy a lot of what Stolen Midnights had to offer, there were a few things that I really liked about it. There’s a lot of stuff set up for the sequel here, too, and it seems like it might be more lore and magic focused (though there’s definitely still going to be a lot of romance as well), so I might enjoy it more, if I decide to read it. This book really feels like one half of a whole, or a very long prologue.
Also, I couldn’t find a place to mention this earlier, but several aspects of this novel reminded me of Once Upon a Broken Heart and its sequels. Down to one of the big twists in the book, as well as the big event that happens at the ending. I think it shares the most similarities with the second book, and I suspect the sequel to this book might share some with the last book in the trilogy. They also had a lot of the same vibes and some of the same tropes. I think that a lot of that stuff, however, was executed a little better in Once Upon a Broken Heart. If you like Stephanie Garber’s works, though, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this book.
Anyway, as always, thank you to everyone so much for reading, and I hope you have an awesome day/night!
It’s been quite a long time since I last participated in this post. There were a couple of reasons, but I think the biggest one was that I’d mention most if not all of the Three Ws in my Weekly Wrap-Ups every week, so I thought it was a little redundant.
But I’ve missed it, so I’m back! I can’t believe it’s been over a year. The other big reason I stopped is that I was in-between books half the time whenever the middle of the week came around, so hopefully that stops happening. 🍀🤞
Also: I made a new cover image!!
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme that used to be hosted at A Daily Rhythm, but has been taken over by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the 3 Ws!
★★ I’m conflicted about this book, and my star rating keeps changing. It’s why it’s taken me this long to review it, (which I’m angling to do tomorrow) even though I finished it last weekend. ★★
Happy Friday everyone! It’s been almost two months since I’ve done this post, which disappoints me, but January was just so busy. But I’m here with another Bewitching Book Covers now!
For anyone who doesn’t know, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly Tasteful Tuesdays, and before that, Majestic Mondays), is a series where I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.
This week, the book cover that I’m highlighting is Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn!
The first in a new magical young adult romantasy duology from the New York Times bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow. A palace darling and a thief join forces after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change their world forever.
In the city of Andalay, the ruling Fates bestow gifts among society’s most favored. When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal one of those gifts – meant for the “princess” of Ward One, Wren Hayes – he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.
The gift? A locket containing his own photograph.
Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, shedding light on the ruthless ways of the upper class. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power – including murder.
Brought together by destiny, and fighting a dangerous temptation that’s becoming harder to resist, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself.
Book Cover Rating: 🌹🌹🌹🌹 • 4 lovely roses
I’ve decided that since Queen of Faces got theCan’t-Wait Wednesday post, I’m going to do a Bewitching Book Covers post for Stolen Midnights. (It also has a great cover, by the way.) And though the book cover for the novel that I’m focusing on today is more simple compared to others I’ve done posts about before, it’s still absolutely beautiful and I really love it.
First off, I really like the background. It’s deep blue with patches of tiny stars dotted around it in a lovely imitation of the night sky. And seeing as the book is called “Stolen Midnights” this is extremely fitting.
The next notable thing about the cover art – and the aspect that first caught my eye about it – is the roses. I love how big they are, and how they come in two shades of pink. It adds a little more color to the cover. Another thing I really like about them is how the colors of the roses naturally complement, but also stand out from the background. It’s also a nice touch that the entirety of the flowers themselves are on the cover, and not just the colorful part with petals. The stems also feature on here, with their thorns and leaves, and the green of them adds yet more color to the book’s cover.
The last thing I want to highlight is the typography. Most books I gush about here have pretty good composition styles on their covers, and this one is no exception. I like the typography itself, and how its paleness makes it stand out from everything else going on on the book cover. The words are also made up of two colors – white and a light gray or silver – and it makes it even prettier. I also love how the gray or silver parts of the words make those parts of the letters seem in shadow. It just makes the cover of Stolen Midnights pop even further. Such a gorgeous cover!
So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read Stolen Midnights? If you have, what did you think of it?
Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!
Hey everyone and Happy February! Another month, another bunch of new books that are coming out! Yep, it’s time for The Most Intriguing New Books of February 2026.
Here’s the sitch if you’re unfamiliar: this is a monthly post about new releases. Specifically, it’s about new releases that I find interesting, which means they’re most likely all going to be fantasy or science fiction, since those are my favorite genres. There’s occasionally an outlier, though.
These are just books that look interesting to me, by the way. There’s no guarantee which ones I’ll read, or if I’ll even read half of them. We’ll see. Anyway, let’s get going! This month, six books have caught my eye!
RELEASING: February 3rd
This magical new YA romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow will steal your heart. Set in Andalay, a world where the ruling Fates bestow gifts among the favored, a thief must join forces with the palace darling after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change everything.
When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal a gift from the powerful Fates meant for Andalay’s sweetheart, Wren Hayes, he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.
The gift? A locket containing his own phototroph.
Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, ones that shed light on the ruthless ways of the upper-class society. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power—including murder.
Brought together by destiny, and fighting a temptation that neither understand, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself.
RELEASING: February 3rd
A desperate girl at a cutthroat magical academy faces a choice between life and death: become an assassin for the enchanted elite or watch her decaying body draw its last breath. For fans of Leigh Bardugo, Brandon Sanderson, Lev Grossman, and R.F. Kuang.
Anabelle Gage is trapped in a male body, and it’s rotting from the inside out. In Caimor, where the magical elite buy and swap designer bodies like clothes, Ana can’t afford to escape her tattered form. When she fails the entrance exam to the prestigious Paragon Academy, her last hope of earning a new body implodes. As the clock ticks down to her last breath, she’s forced to use her illusion magic to steal a healthy chassis – before her own kills her.
But Ana is caught by none other than the headmaster of Paragon Academy, who poses a brutal ultimatum: face execution for her crime or become a mercenary at his command. Revolt brews in Caimor’s smog-choked underworld, and the wealthy and powerful will stop at nothing to take down the rebels and the infamous dark witch at their helm, the Black Wraith.
With no choice but to accept, Ana will steal, fight, and kill her way to salvation. But her survival depends on a dangerous band of renegades: an impulsive assassin, a brooding bombmaker, and an alluring exile who might just spell her ruin. As Ana is drawn into a tangled web of secrets, the line between villain and hero shatters – and Ana must decide which side is worth dying for.
RELEASING: February 10th
An ordinary man discovers a hidden world of wondrous supernatural creatures—and an unexpected home—in this enchanting contemporary fantasy debut.
Cryptonaturalist: one who studies cryptids; an expert in or student of supernatural history.
After a series of inexplicable encounters upends his life, Green finds himself alone and terrified in the Appalachian mountains, full of questions about the transformation he’s undergoing and the impossible creatures he’s starting to see.
When he meets a hermit named Valentina, he realizes that something more than chance has brought him to her door. For she has devoted centuries to researching the hidden world of cryptids that Green is only now beginning to perceive.
As Green begins his studies beneath her watchful eye, he comes face to face with time-stopping giant moths, cyclops squirrels, and doorways to elsewhere. Along the way come clues about his own nature and the powerful beings who led him here – and, most wondrous of all, a sense of fulfillment like nothing he’s felt before.
But Green’s new happiness promises to be short-lived, because alongside these marvels lurks a deadly threat to this place he’s already come to love.
Featuring incredible creatures and an unforgettable cast of characters, Strange Animals is a charming, addictive fantasy about the magic all around us.
RELEASING: February 17th
From Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Heather Fawcett comes a healing and heart-warming fantasy with magic shops, rescue cats and a second chance at love.
All strays are welcome here.
Agnes Aubert is very fond of making lists. These lists kept her afloat when she lost her husband two years ago. And now, as the founder of a cat rescue charity, her meticulous organization skills feel like the only thing standing between her beloved cats – His Majesty, Banshee and sweet elderly Thoreau, to name a few – and utter disaster.
But when Agnes is forced to move the charity, she soon discovers that her new shop is being used as a front; right under her feet is the lair of the decidedly disorganised – not to mention self-absorbed and infuriatingly handsome – Havelock Renard.
Havelock is everything Agnes doesn’t want in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue, perhaps even romance. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats…
RELEASING: February 17th
Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.
Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.
She just also happens to be a demon hunter.
Ever since her father’s murder, she’s been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider… Until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she’ll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.
But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about. Not when the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv’s father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, and fast. All while trying to ace her classes, not fall for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?
RELEASING: February 24th
From the author of The Last Dragon of the East comes a sweeping fantasy adventure with a dash of romance between a nine-tailed fox and the demon-hunter who captures her, banished to the underworld together and forced to form a reluctant alliance in order to escape the circles of Hell.
Yue may be the last of her kind. At night, she stalks the streets of the capital city of Longhao, luring in unsuspecting victims with the mask of a beautiful woman, then consuming them in her true form of the nine-tailed fox.
When she is captured by a powerful demon hunter named Sonam and banished to Hell, she manages one final act of revenge: dragging him – and two of his subordinates – down with her.
Now trapped in an abyss with unimaginable terrors, they’ll need each other’s help to navigate Hell and bypass the gods who preside over each circle, each of whom presents the group with a unique and deadly challenge. Forced to depend on one another as they claw their way out of the underworld, both demon and demon hunter discover that there might be more to the other than meets the eye.
So yeah, these are all of the books releasing in February 2026 that I’m at least a little interested in. What books are coming out soon that you’re looking forward to? Do we share some of the same ones?
As always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!
