New This Week in Sci-Fi & Fantasy: February 23 – March 1, 2026

Paradise Season 2 (Hulu)

Dan Fogelman’s post-apocalyptic thriller returns with its first three episodes dropping at once, and if you thought Season 1’s bunker drama was intense, buckle up. Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier finally ventures beyond Paradise, while new addition Shailene Woodley brings a devastating outsider perspective to the story of our not-so-utopian population. Reviews are calling this the best TV show of 2026 so far, with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai Season 1 (Netflix)

Netflix’s legendary martial arts anime franchise roars back with one of its most jaw-dropping premises yet: Japan’s greatest swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, has been resurrected through a shadowy experiment 364 meters beneath the Tokyo Skytree. All 13 episodes drop at once, pitting Baki and the world’s strongest fighters against a samurai out of time — and this arc is considered one of the manga’s absolute best.

Ghosts Season 5 (Paramount+)

The beloved supernatural comedy returns from its mid-season break with some seriously spooky stakes. Jay is tangled up in a deal with a literal devil, Pete and Alberta are navigating the fallout from that kiss, and Patience is about to introduce the mansion ghosts to “the others” — ghosts who’ve been living in the dirt outside. Already renewed for Season 6, this show just keeps getting better.

Scream 7 (Only in theaters)

This is the big one, horror fans. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are all reunited for the first time in the franchise’s modern era, and Kevin Williamson — the man who created it all — is directing for the very first time. The story puts the spotlight squarely back on Sidney Prescott as a new Ghostface targets her teenage daughter, and yes, Matthew Lillard is back as Stu Macher, a character we’ve all assumed was dead since 1996. Williamson promises this is the most brutal Ghostface has ever been, and in a bold twist, the franchise’s signature meta-commentary has been stripped away entirely.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 (Apple TV+)

The MonsterVerse returns to Apple TV+ with Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, and new addition Amber Midthunder (Prey) heading to Skull Island, where buried secrets have unleashed a mysterious new creature called Titan X. Season 1 was a genuine surprise hit that balanced intimate human drama with spectacular kaiju spectacle, and early word says Season 2 blows it out of the water — literally. Kong, Godzilla, and brand new Titans await across 10 weekly episodes.

Miraculous World: Tokyo Stellar Force (Disney+)

Calling all Miraculous fans! Marinette and Kagami team up in Tokyo to battle Moddler, a villain turning civilians into monstrous kaiju, and the solution involves assembling a brand-new team of Japanese superheroes with stellar suits, energy weapons, and ships that combine into a giant mecha warrior. It’s Miraculous meets Super Sentai, and it’s also the official launchpad for the first Miraculous spin-off series coming in 2027.

Pretty Girls Kill (Limited theatrical)

In this supernatural thriller, a college student witnesses three women known as “The Takers” drain the life from her friends to preserve their youth and beauty. Twenty years later, she’s a detective and must face them again — now in demonic form. An indie genre offering for fans of supernatural horror with a revenge twist.

War of Fire and Fury by Marion Blackwood
Black Dagger Publishing
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In the fifth installment in the Flame and Thorns series, Blackwood isn’t pulling punches. At 530 pages of spicy romantasy warfare, this one delivers long-simmering confrontations, heart-wrenching twists and turns, and absolutely all the feels.

Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward
Tor Nightfire
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Three-time August Derleth Award winner Catriona Ward (The Last House on Needless Street) returns with a story described as Peter Pan meets Lord of the Flies set in the Colorado Rockies. A pair of siblings flee to Nowhere, an abandoned ranch turned haven for runaways — but the scorched grounds and their mysterious clan guard something darker that demands a terrible price for sanctuary.

After the Fall by Edward Ashton
St. Martin’s Press
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The author of Mickey7 (adapted into a film by Bong Joon-ho) asks the provocative question: would humans really make great pets? Set 120 years after aliens called the Grays scooped up humanity’s remnants, this darkly hilarious standalone follows a human “bondsman” whose alien owner puts his bond up as collateral for a wilderness retreat business venture. Part alien-invasion story, part buddy comedy, part workplace satire — and already drawing rave reviews.

Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi
Del Rey
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R.F. Kuang called this “El-Arifi’s masterpiece.” The author of The Final Strife and Faebound brings her fantasy storytelling chops and a master’s degree in African studies to a sweeping historical epic narrated by Cleopatra herself from the afterlife — reclaiming her story from centuries of propaganda and misrepresentation, with fantasy elements woven seamlessly into the history.

The Faithful Dark by Cate Baumer
Orion
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In a walled, Vatican-inspired city where holiness is sacred and sin is seen through touch, a soulless woman raised by the Church is sent to kill a heretic — who offers her the one thing she’s never had: a soul of her own. Dark, gothic, and dripping with moral complexity, this is the first half of The Brilliant Soul Duology.

The Iron Garden Sutra by A.D. Sui
DAW
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Nebula Award winner A.D. Sui delivers a locked-room murder mystery aboard a 1,000-year-old starship teeming with predatory plants and something far worse. Part space opera, part horror, part philosophical meditation on faith and evolution — this is one of the most genre-bending debuts of the year and the start of The Cosmic Wheel series.

The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by Katrina Kwan
Simon & Schuster
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A nine-tailed fox spirit and the demon hunter who captured her are both dragged into Hell, and now they have to work together to escape. Steeped in East Asian mythology with an irresistible enemies-to-allies dynamic, this is sweeping fantasy adventure at its most fun and ferocious.

Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity
Del Rey
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Acquired in a jaw-dropping 10-way auction, this gothic fantasy debut follows Leena, a woman cursed with the ability to see the dead, who strikes a dangerous deal with the Saint of Silence to save her dying brother. Her search takes her to the Weavingshaw estate, where the moors themselves are alive — and hungry. Think Brontë sisters meets dark fantasy, from a stunning new voice.

The Wicked and the Damned by Rebecca Robinson
Saga Press
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The second book in the Dark Inheritance Trilogy tears apart the fiery couple from The Serpent and the Wolf and scatters them across a continent at war. Vaasa is dragged home in chains and trapped under a witch’s control, while Reid must cross enemy lines to reach her. If you devoured book one’s enemies-to-lovers romance, this sequel cranks everything up to eleven.

Broken by Daylight by Elizabeth Helen
Bloom Books
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The BookTok phenomenon continues with the fourth installment of Beasts of the Briar — the steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling where you don’t have to choose between four fae princes. War has come to the Enchanted Vale, our heroine is imprisoned in an underwater cell, and her mates are scattered searching for her. The deluxe print edition features gorgeous designed edges and exclusive full-color art.

Dollface by Lindy Ryan
Minotaur Books
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“Barbie meets Scream with a 90s nostalgia twist.” A horror author moves to suburban New Jersey hoping to fit in with the PTA moms — and then a plastic-face-masked serial killer starts slashing through them one by one. Perfectly timed to release alongside Scream 7, this satirical slasher skewers suburban mommy culture while delivering genuine scares.

Sentient by Michael Nayak
Angry Robot
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The sequel to Symbiote cranks up the Antarctic bio-horror as sunrise brings 1,500 tourists to McMurdo Station — along with CIA operatives determined to weaponize the deadly microbes. The author is a DARPA engineer and USAF test pilot, and his real-world expertise gives this The Thing-meets-Crichton thriller terrifying authenticity.

The Gods Must Burn by T.R. Moore
Solaris
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Described as Princess Mononoke meets The Wolf and the Woodsman, this healing dark fantasy follows a disgraced soldier who dies saving wolf pups and is deified by the Wolf God to protect the forest. Featuring environmental themes, divine conflict, and Korean main characters with fat-positive and queer representation, this debut is something special.

The Cure by Pedro Urvi
Blackstone Publishing
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Every year, a capricious god selects three champions to quest for the Cure that could save a cursed tribe from transforming into monsters — and every year, those champions fail. But this year, instead of three warriors, the god chooses a warrior, a scholar, and a healer. Pedro Urvi has sold over two million books worldwide, and this standalone quest fantasy shows why.

Amari and the Metalwork Menace by B.B. Alston
Storytide
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The fourth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Supernatural Investigations series brings a genuinely creepy new threat: a curse that’s slowly turning people into machines beneath their skin. Amari must decide whether to return to the Bureau or lose her memories of the supernatural world forever — and when the curse hits someone close to her, the choice becomes urgent.

Daughter of the Cursed Kingdom by Jasmine Skye
Feiwel & Friends
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The thrilling conclusion to the Witch Hall Duology pits bone witch Shaw and her powerful familiar Rosy against an oncoming war, unresolved feelings, and terrible secrets about the Witch King. Dark necromantic fantasy with prominent queer representation and a distinctive bone-magic system.

Aiko’s Choice by Chase Gamwell
Angry Robot
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The conclusion to the Aiko’s Dive duology sends the last human in the galaxy on a journey through unexplainable visions and a mistake from her past. If you’ve been following Aiko’s story, this is where all the answers — and all the heartbreak — arrive.

Love Binds by Cynthia St. Aubin
Tor
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The fourth Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery novel finds Hanna Harvey mated to a werewolf but struggling with self-doubt, nightmares of a mysterious entity, and an inability to shift. When her vampire ex resurfaces seeking vengeance and a potential shifter war threatens, she must travel to Ireland to prove her worthiness as alpha. Paranormal romance fans, this one’s for you.

The Spiral Key by Kelsey Day
Viking Books for Young Readers
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A virtual-reality paradise becomes a nightmare in this YA speculative thriller. When Bree finally receives an invitation to the exclusive VR party of the year, she discovers her ex-best-friend has no intention of ever letting her leave. Described as Warcross meets Scream, this debut combines high school social warfare with VR horror.

The Twelve by Joey Graceffa
HarperCollins
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Children of Eden trilogy comes a new witchy YA fantasy built around zodiac-powered magic. Twin sisters born on the cusp of Pisces and Aries are recruited into a powerful coven — but the line between light and dark magic is nothing like they were told.

Low-Fantasy Occultist by Persimmon
Aethon Books
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This Royal Road sensation (five million views and counting) gets the definitive published edition. A modern occultist’s soul is ripped from his dying world and dropped into a new one with a game-like Class system — except his old-world occult knowledge lets him subvert the rules in deliciously clever ways. A fresh twist on the isekai LitRPG formula.

The Misheard World by Aliya Whiteley
Solaris
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Clarke Award-shortlisted author Aliya Whiteley returns with cerebral speculative fiction about a soldier, a spy, and the stories we tell ourselves. When a mysterious performer called “the Misheard Word” arrives at a fortress prison, a woman’s entire understanding of her world begins to unravel. Deeply concerned with language, truth, and perception.

The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Berkley
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If you loved Before the Coffee Gets Cold, this magical Japanese novel is calling your name. At the Chibineko Kitchen, a traditional meal can summon anyone from your past — but only for as long as the food continues to steam. Four interconnected stories of love, loss, and healing unfold over exquisite Japanese cuisine, complete with real recipes.

The Trident and the Pearl by Sarah K.L. Wilson
Orbit
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A queen whose kingdom lies in hurricane-ravaged ruins must marry a mysterious fisherman per a divine bargain — but he harbors secrets tied to the very gods who demanded the marriage. Rich with themes of grief, healing, and political intrigue, this is a romantasy debut from Orbit that’s as sweeping as the sea itself.

The Violin Maker’s Secret by Evie Woods
HarperCollins
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From the international bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop (over a million copies sold) comes an enchanting dual-timeline novel narrated in part by a magical violin itself. Three strangers at Heathrow’s Lost and Found discover an instrument whose beauty and power connect them to a centuries-old mystery. Magical realism at its most heartwarming.

The Secret World of Maggie Grey by Granger
Podium Publishing
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A hidden magical HBCU beneath the streets of Atlanta, where necromancy is a major and students have claws and fangs? Sign us up. Maggie Grey discovers she’s descended from the most feared vampire bloodline in the Underground, and with allies including a priestess, a siren, a water-bending nymph, and a snarky talking cat, she’ll need every ounce of power to survive. Fans of Legendborn should absolutely take note.

Forge of Destiny 3 by Yrsillar
Aethon Books
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The third volume of this beloved xianxia cultivation series follows Ling Qi as her talent finally draws the notice of the Celestial Empire. With a title of nobility within reach and the end-of-year tournament standing between her and the Inner Sect, this installment delivers intense battles and the character growth fans have come to love. Inspired by ancient folklore and modern martial arts with a deeply human heart.

Regressor Sect Master 2 by Spaizzzer
Aethon Books
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Tundra Fox’s second-chance cultivation saga continues as he uncovers the corruption lurking in his world and realizes he can’t face the hidden foes alone. This time, it’s about building alliances across sects while trying to prevent the family tragedies he remembers from his first life — a refreshing regressor story that finds enlightenment in family rather than just power.

The Reluctant Dungeon 3 by L. Eclaire
Aethon Books
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The third installment of this unique LitRPG comedy continues the misadventures of a dungeon core who really, really didn’t ask for this job. If you’ve been enjoying this series’ blend of humor and dungeon-building progression, volume three keeps the momentum going.

Tunnel Rat 4 by Walrus King
Aethon Books
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With over four million views on Royal Road, Milo’s adventures across two worlds return in volume four. Our super-genius protagonist continues causing delightful chaos both in the underground tunnels of his steel habitat and in the virtual world of Genesis, bringing humor, ninja abilities, science skills, magic tinkering, and more originality than you can shake a rat tail at.

Saltswept by Katalina Watt
Orbit
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This debut fantasy draws on Southeast Asian folklore to tell the story of a widowed farmer, a rogue pirate, and a temple acolyte on a quest of hijinks on the high seas. The magic system centers on balancing natural energies, and the world of Paranish — inspired by Britain and the Philippines — explores colonialism and ecology through a lush, adventure-driven lens. The first half of the Earthsalt Duology.