5 Must-Read Books Releasing in February 2025 By Asian Authors
February is the month of love, and you're bound to fall in love with all the new book releases! Whether you're a fan of middle grade or wanting to discover a new thriller, here are five must-read books to add to your shelf!
Illusions of Fire by Nisha Sharma
Unlike most of her classmates, Laila Bansal doesn’t roll out of bed and head to school. Instead, she wakes up early and trains in hand-to-hand combat with her adopted aunts who, when not tending to their thriving vineyard, are immortal Rakshasi demons sworn to protect Laila. Laila was born into a mythological bloodline—one infused with magic and entrusted with Lord Krishna’s secrets of the universe. By all appearances, though, Laila leads a peaceful, protected life.
Then Ahvi, the new boy in town, arrives and immediately seeks out Laila. He happens to be a descendant of a demi-god. Both his and Laila’s origin stories (found in the Mahabharata, an ancient Hindu epic poem about the great war between demi-gods, witches, and demons) come crashing to the forefront. Magical powers are activated, dark forces converge, and it looks like Laila’s quiet town in upstate New York might be the setting of the next epic battle.
Author Nisha Sharma deftly weaves together romance, magic, and mythology in this contemporary young adult urban fantasy novel.
Publication date: February 4, 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction
Pages: 368
Why should you read it? Nisha Sharma’s latest contemporary YA urban fantasy seamlessly blends Indian mythology, action, and romance, following Laila Bansal, a girl trained by immortal Rakshasi demons, as she uncovers her mythological legacy. When Ahvi, a demi-god descendant, arrives in town, their shared past from the Mahabharata resurfaces, igniting magical awakenings and an impending battle. Illusions of Fire is a story filled with rich cultural lore, thrilling action, and heart-pounding romance—perfect for readers who love myth-infused fantasy with a modern twist.
Bibliophobia: A Memoir by Sarah Chihaya
Books can seduce you. They can, Sarah Chihaya believes, annihilate, reveal, and provoke you. And anyone incurably obsessed with books understands this kind of unsettling literary encounter. Sarah calls books that have this effect “Life Ruiners”.
Her Life Ruiner, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, became a talisman for her in high school when its electrifying treatment of race exposed Sarah’s deepest feelings about being Japanese American in a predominantly white suburb of Cleveland. But Sarah had always lived through her books, seeking escape, self-definition, and rules for living. She built her life around reading, wrote criticism, and taught literature at an Ivy League University. Then she was hospitalized for a nervous breakdown, and the world became an unreadable blank page. In the aftermath, she was faced with a question. Could we ever truly rewrite the stories that govern our lives?
Bibliophobia is an alternately searing and darkly humorous story of breakdown and survival told through books. Delving into texts such as Anne of Green Gables, Possession, A Tale for the Time Being, The Last Samurai, Chihaya interrogates her cultural identity, her relationship with depression, and the intoxicating, sometimes painful, ways books push back on those who love them.
Publication date: February 4, 2025
Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction
Pages: 240
Why should you read it? Bibliophobia is a raw, thought-provoking exploration of how books shape, seduce, and sometimes unravel us. Sarah Chihaya examines her lifelong obsession with literature—how Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye became her personal “Life Ruiner,” how stories provided both refuge and reckoning, and how, after a mental health crisis, she grappled with whether we can ever truly rewrite our own narratives. Blending literary criticism, memoir, and cultural identity, this book is a darkly humorous yet deeply introspective meditation on the power of reading and the ways it intertwines with our sense of self.
The Black Orb by Ewhan Kim
In this propulsive, award-winning novel, a man struggles to survive in a world overtaken by mysterious black orbs that consume everyone they touch. For fans of popular Korean dramas like PARASITE and SQUID GAME and reminiscent of LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND and THE LAST OF US.
One evening in downtown Seoul, Jeong-su is smoking a cigarette outside when he sees something impossible: a huge black orb appears out of nowhere and sucks his neighbor inside. The orb soon begins consuming other people and no one knows how to stop it. Impervious to bullets and tanks, the orb splits and multiplies, chasing the hapless residents of Seoul out into the country and sparking a global crisis with widespread violence and looting. Jeong-su must rely upon his wits as he makes the arduous journey in search of his elderly parents. But the strangest phases of this ever-expanding disaster are yet to come and Jeong-su will be forced to question everything he’s taken for granted.
Publication date: February 4, 2025
Genres: Science Fiction, Horror, Fiction
Pages: 304
Why should you read it? The Black Orb is a gripping, award-winning novel set in Seoul, where mysterious black orbs devour everything in their path, plunging the world into chaos. As Jeong-su embarks on a perilous journey to find his parents, he navigates a landscape of destruction, violence, and survival, forcing him to confront the unknown. Perfect for fans of Parasite, Squid Game, Leave the World Behind, and The Last of Us, this thriller blends suspense, social commentary, and existential dread in an unforgettable read.
Shattered by Hanif Kureishi
On Boxing Day 2022, in Rome, Hanif Kureishi had a fall. When he came to, in a pool of blood, he was horrified to realise he had lost the use of his limbs. He could no longer walk, write or wash himself. He could do nothing without the help of others, and required constant care in a hospital. So began an odyssey of a year through the medical systems of Rome and Italy, with the hope of somehow being able to return home, to his house in London.
While confined to a series of hospital wards, he felt compelled to write, but being unable to type or to hold a pen, he began to dictate to family members the words which formed in his head. The result was an extraordinary series of dispatches from his hospital bed – a diary of a life in pieces, recorded with rare honesty, clarity and courage.
As Hanif wrote, early on: ‘A few days ago, a bomb went off in my life, but this bomb has also shattered the lives of those around me. My partner, my children, my friends.’
This book takes these hospital dispatches – edited, expanded and meticulously interwoven with new writing – and charts both a shattering and a a new life born of pain and loss, but animated by new feelings – of gratitude, humility and love.
Publication date: February 4, 2025
Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction
Pages: 336
Why should you read it? Shattered: A Memoir is a raw and deeply moving account of Hanif Kureishi’s sudden paralysis after a devastating fall in Rome, leaving him reliant on others for even the simplest tasks. Dictating his thoughts from a hospital bed, Kureishi transforms his suffering into a powerful reflection on loss, resilience, and the fragility of life. With unflinching honesty and poetic clarity, he captures both the personal devastation and the profound gratitude that emerge in the face of adversity.
How to Draw a Secret by Cindy Chang
For fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Sisters and Jen Wang’s Stargazing comes the empowering autobiographical story of a young Taiwanese American artist struggling to find her voice to save what matters most.
Twelve-year-old Cindy relishes drawing flawless images, but she is stumped by an art contest prompt: “What family means to me.” No one at school can know that Cindy’s dad moved back to Taiwan four years ago, so Cindy sketches out the perfect plan to draw the perfect picture while keeping her parents’ separation secret.
Then an unexpected trip to Taipei reveals devastating new secrets. Suddenly everything from Cindy's art to her family is falling apart. With her dream of perfection in tatters, Cindy must figure out how to draw from her heart and share her secrets. But can she really reveal the truth, messy lines and all?
Publication date: February 4, 2025
Genres: Memoir, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade
Pages: 272
Why should you read it? How to Draw a Secret is a heartfelt and empowering graphic memoir about a young Taiwanese American girl navigating family, identity, and the pressure of perfection. When twelve-year-old Cindy faces an art contest with the prompt “What family means to me,” she struggles to hide the truth about her father’s absence—until a trip to Taipei unravels even deeper secrets. Perfect for fans of Sisters and Stargazing, this beautifully illustrated story explores the power of honesty, self-expression, and embracing life’s messy lines.
