When your beloved usually enjoys an out-of-this-world read from the sci-fi and fantasy genre, a cheesy personalised Valentine’s Day book or a work of ChickLit will probably earn you just a pat on the back and half a smile. In other words, they’re saying “While I appreciate the effort you went into getting me a gift, this book doesn’t scream ‘unputdownable’ to me”.
For Valentine’s Day, can we agree that the best way to show your undying love and affection is by proving how well you know their partner’s interests? Good.
So if they’re an avid science fiction and fantasy fan, here are 10 books you can gift this Valentine’s Day that will soar to the top of their TBR pile.
Ten Low by Stark Holborn
It’s Mad Max meets Firefly with a touch of Dune in this thrilling work of science fiction by Stark Holborn. Ten Low is a former army medic who lives on the outer edges of the universe, trying to live a quiet life while atoning for the sins she committed.
When Ten discovers a space ship wreck, she meets teenaged Gabrielle Ortiz — a genetically engineered army general from the opposing side of the war Ten once fought. When Ten learns that Gabrielle is the survivor of an assassination attempt, the two put aside their differences in a frantic race to smuggle the young general to safety.
Along the way on this thrilling space western, the pair will encounter an all-female road gang, bandits and a military hit squad. Plus, a truth that will expose Ten’s worst nightmare: her true identity.
Shop the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day here for $15.92 (down from $19.99).
Only A Monster by Vanessa Len
Girl meets hot boy. Girl finds out she’s part monster. Then girl discovers that the boy she likes is a monster hunter…
Only A Monster by Vanessa Len follows the story of Joan Chang-Hunt, who is half-Malaysian and half-English but also half-human and half-time travelling “monster”.
When her summer crush, Nick, is revealed to be the legendary hero who will eradicate every monster in existence, Joan teams up with Aaron, whose family are sworn enemies of her own. Together, the two will rush to find a way to undo all of the deaths Nick caused in a heart-stopping race through time.
This read isn’t like your regular YA fantasy romance books. While it’s a slow burn, the explosive ending will have you staring at the ceiling for days.
Gift it to your book lover from here for $14.99 (down from $22.99).
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Recently adapted as major motion picture starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, The Knife of Never Letting Go is the story of Todd Hewitt, the only boy in a town of men. Todd inhabits a newly colonised alien planet where a virus, thought to have originated from the world’s native inhabitants, killed off many of the men and all of the women. Following the aftermath of the virus, every person in Todd’s settlement, Prentisstown, can hear “the noise” — all of each other’s constant, overwhelming thoughts.
Days away from his 13th birthday, Todd stumbles upon a strange patch of silence in the local swamp. When he details his discovery to his adoptive parents, he’s forced to run from the hostile men in town. Until he stumbles across the first girl he has ever seen — and a girl who lacks “the noise”. But why did she survive? And what has the town been hiding from Todd his whole life?
Shop it here for $14.35 (down from $17.99).
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
This standalone novel is one of the biggest fantasy books to take over TikTok and it’s not hard to see why based off its intriguing premise. It’s perfect for fans of The Age of Adaline.
In 18th-century France, Addie LaRue trades her soul to the Devil in exchange for immortality. But, of course, there’s a catch. She’s cursed to be forgotten by everyone she ever knew.
Upon striking this deal, Addie flees her home and begins to travel the world. Her only friend is the dark devil himself, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal, to ask for her soul. At least until Addie walks into a bookstore and stumbles across the one person who can remember who she is.
Your Valentine would love this book as a gift for the big day.
Get it here for $24.75 (down from $32.99).
Velocity Weapon by Megan O’Keefe
An epic space opera from bestselling author Megan O’Keefe with a twist that will take your breath away.
Sanda is a marine with the skills to save the universe and her brother, Biran, is a politician whose strategy can turn the tide of intergalactic war. When Sanda’s ship gets blown out of the sky, she awakens 230 years in the future — but how?
When she gains her bearings, she learns that they lost the war she was waging in the past and everyone from the Star system is dead. Now, Sanda must find a way through space and time to get back to her brother, and make things right in the universe.
Gift it for your lover before Valentine’s Day by shopping it here for $17.70 (down from $22.99).
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Featuring a female-led ensemble, The Priory of the Orange Tree is an epic, high fantasy retelling of Saint George and The Dragon.
Queen Sabran is unwed and heirless; Ead Duryan has risen from outcast to lady-in-waiting overnight; and Tané, who has trained her whole life to become a dragonrider, takes a great risk to shield a trespasser who might just unravel everything she’s worked for.
Lurking in the background, is The Nameless One, an evil fire-breathing wyrm defeated long ago by Queen Sabran’s ancestor — who is about to rise once again, putting the whole land in jeopardy.
Shop it here for $16.19 (down from $19.99).
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Darrow is a Helldiver: a slave who must extract enough precious metals from Mars’ surface so that humans may one day inhabit the planet. Except, it turns out Mars has been inhabitable for years. A member of the lowest born caste, Darrow and the Reds have been exploited by the ruling class, the Golds for years.
After losing everything, Darrow resolves to infiltrate the Gold’s command school, so he can break the abusive cycle his people are trapped in while taking down his oppressors from the inside at the same time.
Shop it here as a Valentine’s Day gift for $15.99 (down from $19.99).