There are a lot of new books coming out every week. With New Release Radar, I’ll help you narrow down the week’s new book releases into the titles you should get excited about. This week, I have nine great books to share with you, including a few classic retellings and explorations of the darker side of the arts. Read on!
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
In a Berkeley bar on a fall night in 2000, music-obsessed Percy Marks meets songwriter Joe Morrow, who actually enjoys her endless analysis and opinions. When Joe asks for her feedback on a song, it sparks a creative partnership that spans years, fuels their passions, and tests their egos. But as their bond deepens, Percy begins to wonder; does their collaboration inspire her, or is it keeping her from finding her own voice?
Deep Cuts travels through time from Brooklyn bars to San Francisco dance floors. Holly Brickley’s debut explores talent, obsession, belonging and the deep desire to be heard.
RELATED: New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on February 18
Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein
Long before Oliver Twist, Jacob Fagin carved out a life in the shadows of 19th-century London, learning the art of thievery to survive. Raised in Stepney by his devoted mother, his fate changes when a skilled pickpocket takes him under his wing. As he builds his own network of thieves, Jacob’s world grows increasingly dangerous. When ambition leads to betrayal and a heist goes wrong, he must decide where his loyalties lie, and what a life is truly worth.
In her new book release, Allison Epstein encourages readers to come face to face with the real Fagin of Oliver Twist. Fagin the Thief puts a sympathetic twist on a familiar but undeveloped classic character.
The Wildest Things by Andrea Hannah
After twenty years trapped in a glass coffin, Snow White awakens to a kingdom in ruin—mutated creatures, a blighted land, and a ruthless queen hungry for power. Determined to restore Roanfrost, she embarks on a perilous journey. To heal her kingdom, Snow must become the Seasonkeeper and wield the magic that can save Garedenne. But as she battles both external threats and her own dark impulses, she must decide whether to tame the wild things, or set them free.
The Wildest Things is a sapphic Snow White retelling perfect for fans of Cinderella is Dead. Andrea Hannah’s version is clever and modern, completely turning the original fairy tale on its head.
RELATED: 5 Retellings of Classic Stories You Need to Read
The Grand Scheme of Things by Warona Jay
Aspiring playwright Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo, AKA Eddie, struggles to break into London’s theater scene. She knows it’s her non-white name holding her back. Enter Hugo, a disillusioned law student, who agrees to submit Eddie’s script under his name to expose the industry’s bias. But as the play gains fame and their secret threatens to unravel, they must confront whether their plan will bring justice, or destroy their careers and friendship.
Warona Jay’s debut explores the way success shapes and changes us through an extraordinary scheme set in the theater world. With elements of American Fiction and BlacKkKlansman, The Grand Scheme of Things is a funny, angry and smart new book release.
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
Halla, a humble housekeeper, unexpectedly inherits her great-uncle’s estate – and his troublesome relatives. When she unknowingly frees Sarkis, an immortal swordsman trapped in an enchanted sword, he becomes her reluctant protector. But with threats from bandits, inquisitors, and the cursed blade itself, their biggest battle may be simply surviving.
T. Kingfisher’s newest novel is a fun addition to the cozy fantasy genre. Set in the same world as the Clocktaur War series, Swordheart easily stands on its own.
RELATED: Book Review: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea
A House for Miss Pauline by Diana McCaulay
At ninety-nine, Miss Pauline knows she won’t see her 100th birthday. The stones of her house, built from the ruins of a plantation, have begun whispering secrets of the past. A self-taught woman, a ganja farmer and the keeper of buried truths in rural Jamaica, she sets out with her granddaughter and a local teen to confront old wrongs. But as the past resurfaces, even she is unprepared for the secrets waiting to be uncovered.
With a delightful protagonist and unique setting, A House for Miss Pauline is a transporting and tender story. Diana McCaulay asks deep, important questions about land ownership, secrets and identity.
Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill
Beneath the calm waters of her lake, Jenny Greenteeth, a monster with razor-sharp teeth, has never cared for humans. Everything changes when a witch, Temperance, is cast into her domain. For reasons she can’t explain, Jenny decides to save her. Temperance, shunned by her village thanks to a sinister pastor, is desperate to uncover the truth behind her exile. Despite their differences, the two form an unlikely alliance, embarking on a magical quest to confront the growing darkness threatening Jenny’s lake, Temperance’s family and the soul of Britain itself.
Greenteeth is a cozy fantasy perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and Heather Fawcett. Molly O’Neill’s debut book breathes new life into the mythology of Jenny Greenteeth.
RELATED: 12 Debut Books Releasing In 2025 You Have to Check Out
The Dark Mirror by Samantha Shannon
Paige Mahoney is outside the Republic of Scion for the first time in years – with no memory of how she got there. As she fights to rejoin the revolution, her path leads to Venice, where she uncovers a secret that could change the war between humans and immortals. To recover her lost memories and help stop Operation Ventriloquist, she may have to turn to the one person who holds the key to both her past and Italy’s future: Arcturus Mesarthim.
The long-awaited fifth book in Samantha Shannon’s Bone Season series is full of epic confrontations, betrayals, dysfunctional found families and complex world-building. The Dark Mirror is definitely a book you don’t want to miss.
The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
A mysterious pet shop in Tokyo offers seven special cats to customers seeking solace, but only for three days, and under strict conditions. Each borrower, from a couple struggling with infertility to a fugitive on the run, hopes the cat’s magic will bring them what they desire. But these enigmatic blanket cats have their own agendas, revealing that what their temporary owners seek may not be what they truly need.
The Blanket Cats is already an international bestseller, now translated into English for the first time since its 2008 publication. It’s easy to see why Kiyoshi Shigematsu is one of Japan’s bestselling authors.
You can check out these new book releases at Bookshop.org or your local bookstore. What February 25 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR.
- New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on May 20 - May 19, 2025
- THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING Has Its Wiress and Beetee - May 14, 2025
- New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on May 13 - May 13, 2025
