February 2026 - Reviewed

February is traditionally a rather manic month, and this year was no different! I launched my latest book Nightshade and Oak, travelled to India for a friend’s wedding and then explore the beautiful and mountainous state of Sikkim before having a delay ridden journey home that left me stranded in Kuala Lumpur for 24 hours! However, all this travelling gave me some time to catch up on my reading and I managed to polish off seven new books.

Shadow Scale – Rachel Hartman

I started the month by finishing my Seraphina series re-read. Shadow Scale is the second in the duology and definitely the weaker book.  Seraphina spends most of it travelling to gather up the other half dragons in an attempt to save the kingdom of Goredd. The bulk of the text feels a little aimless, and I definitely felt the absence of Kiggs and Glisselda, who are left at home and can only communicate via dragon ansible. I always enjoy spending time with Seraphina but I would have preferred it if the author had split this into a trilogy and restructured the travel section so it was as tight and enjoyable as book one.

The Tainted Cup – Robert Jackson Bennett

My favourite book of the month! I almost missed my friend’s wedding because I couldn’t put it down. This is a fantasy detective story, set in a world constantly under attack by giant kraken-like beasts, and where botanical sciences are the preferred technology. I absolutely devoured this book, the ideas, the characters and the plot were all excellent. I can’t wait to dive into the second and third in the series.

Navola – Paolo Bacigalupo

Fantasy Medicis! Davico is the heir to the richest merchant house in the trading city of Navola, where intrigue and murder are as common as mud. This is a really dense book, painstakingly picking through Davico’s childhood, as his father grooms him to take over the family business and defends against multiple coup attempts. It is… an interesting book, it’s trying new things, and puts a lot of the effort back on the reader, but that is what I was looking for in my 2026 reading, and I found it a rewarding read. I had originally thought it was a standalone, and to be honest it sort of works that way, but I believe there is a sequel coming as well.

The Justice of Kings – Richard Swan

The second fantasy detective book I read this month! This one is set in a Germanic-style empire and follows one of the Emperor’s Justices as he travels the land, hearing cases and bringing order while the empire begins to crack around him . This really took me a while to get into. It’s written in the first person but in a remote way that makes it feel almost like third person – something I’ve never seen before. On the whole I did like it when it got going and think I will continue with the next one.

One Dark Window – Rachel Gillig

I should probably stop reading romantasy books! This came to me so highly recommended and I just didn’t click with it at all. I think I’d be doing it a disservice to review it because it’s just not a genre I enjoy. If you’re a romantasy fan it might be for you, but I doubt I’ll finish the series.

So Disdained – Nevil Shute

The latest in my Shute reading challenge and this was a weird one! It is set between the wars and is the story of a Russian spyplane crashing in the English countryside and the man who helps the pilot escape. Has all the classic Shute features of people trying their best, thinking things through and then making very odd decisions. Also at the end they join up with the Italian fascists to defeat the Russians (this was written pre WW2 and the author later heavily criticises the Axis). Probably won’t bother to re-read this one.

How to become the Dark Lord and Die trying – Django Wexler

The title really says it all! Davi is stuck in an infinite time loop where she has to save the world from the Dark Lord. After 437 attempts she gives up and decides to become the dark lord instead. Chaos Ensues. This was a pretty enjoyable read, and I will definitely pick up the second in the duology, but I did think that the forces of evil acted quite similarly to how the humans must have acted in the first 437 lives. I realise that is the point but I think it would have been interesting to see someone try to become the dark lord of a truly evil horde, where their morals become questioned much earlier in the game.