I finished a larger number of books in Feb, but I failed to find any new 5-star standouts. I was definitely doing a lot of mood-reading, and ended up with a romantasy-heavy month. Let’s get into it!

Stats

Total books read: 10

Black History Month: 3

Romantasy: 4

BOTM: 1

The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race, edited by Jesmyn Ward (4 stars) – I’ve had this nonfiction anthology on my TBR for a long time, and since I read and loved James Baldwin for the first time in 2025, it seemed like the right time to pick it up. The thing about anthologies is that inevitably some pieces are stronger than others, but I thought it was overall a very good collection.

Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams (4 stars) – As someone who loves an interesting nonfiction read, I’m not quite sure why this one flew under my radar in 2025. Once I heard about it, I was instantly interested enough to read it, and I was pretty invested during the experience. It was interesting and smartly written, but failed to reach all of the conclusions I think it needed to.

The Plot to Save South Africa by Justice Malala (4 stars) – I have an upcoming trip to South Africa coming up this year, and a family member gave me this book as a gift because I’ve been wanting to learn more about the country’s history prior to my trip. This book goes into extreme detail and takes place over the course of a single pivotal week, which I think is both a strength and a weakness for readers like me, who probably could have used more of the broader context going in. I still felt like I learned a lot, though.

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon (4 stars) – Even though this was a 4-star read, I still felt a little bit disappointed by this fun romantasy just because I think it got a bit overhyped for what it is. Guanzon’s The Hurricane Wars is, in my opinion, far stronger in almost every aspect, and it just made me want to return to that series instead.

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers (4 stars) – This was a really fun satirical romantasy that was a bit of an impulse purchase for me, and I had a good time with its humor and unexpected twist.

Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz (3.5 stars) – This cozy fantasy didn’t quite live up to expectations for me; it was okay, but I wanted it to be stronger and delve deeper into its characters and themes.

A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley (3.5 stars) – I picked up this Amazon short story because it’s by the author of The Ministry of Time, one of my favorite books of last year, and I liked but didn’t love it.

Outdrawn by Deanna Grey (3.5 stars) – I’ve been seeing this contemporary Sapphic romance between two comic book author/illustrators around for awhile, and I enjoyed it; it was definitely a peek into a career that I know very little about.

Bonds and Blooms by Polly Maple (3.5 stars) – This was a cute KU read that I picked up because I’m impatient for the next books in the Cozyverse series; it was cute but not as strong.

Death to Valentine’s Day by Catherine Cowles (3 stars) – This was a fairly nonsensical Amazon story in their Valentines collection from a new-to-me author; I liked the beginning, but the plot twist just wasn’t anything that made sense.