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ARC provided by Publisher's Lunch via Netgally, but does not influence my review in any way.
I absolutely adore these YA excerpt collaborations. They fill my TBR with wonderful book goodness. I skimmed through all the stories, focusing mainly on the fantasy novels. I am very much looking forward to Melissa Bashardoust Girls Made of Snow and Glass, Adrianne Finlay's Your One and Only. Warcross by Marie Lu, Beasts made of Night by Taochi Oneybuchi and Everless by Sara Holland.
Jen Lancaster was featured in this collaboration and I really enjoy her memoirs. I may give her YA novel a try.
Another book that has piqued my interst was All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis. I have a feeling this is going to be a book everyone will be talking about.
I absolutely adore these YA excerpt collaborations. They fill my TBR with wonderful book goodness. I skimmed through all the stories, focusing mainly on the fantasy novels. I am very much looking forward to Melissa Bashardoust Girls Made of Snow and Glass, Adrianne Finlay's Your One and Only. Warcross by Marie Lu, Beasts made of Night by Taochi Oneybuchi and Everless by Sara Holland.
Jen Lancaster was featured in this collaboration and I really enjoy her memoirs. I may give her YA novel a try.
Another book that has piqued my interst was All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis. I have a feeling this is going to be a book everyone will be talking about.
I was very excited to read the excerpts in this collection. Who wouldn't be? Look at those names! However, for me, the overall content was not what I had built it up to be ahead of time. I don't count this against Buzz Books. Obviously, they work with what they have.
Solo by Kwame Alexander: I was so excited for this excerpt...and it didn't live up to the hype in my brain. Unfortunately, it set a bad tone for the rest of the book.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust: I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE! Retelling of popular fairytales is the best thing to happen to YA recently. I hope this is the next big craze after Dystopian is over. LOVE!
The House at 758 by Kathryn Berla: Honestly, I skimmed this offering. I can't even really tell you why. It just never quite hooked me in the excerpt.
Your One and Only by Adrianne Finlay: I was left with mixed feelings about this one. The excerpt gave me an odd feeling, but perhaps a few more chapters would have given me a better feel.
Everless by Sara Holland: A tame excerpt for what seems to be gearing up to be a compelling novel.
All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis: I need to get my hands on the finished book. Such an intriguing world built by Katsoulis! I must spend more time there and see how it turns out!
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis: Not for me, but I can see a definite audience for this book. "The Rest of Us Just Live Here" by Patrick Ness fans will enjoy this offering.
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster: I wasn't the hugest fan of this excerpt. Perhaps it was just a bad choice for an excerpt collection. It feels like you don't have enough time to bond and care what happens in the short pages allocated.
WarCross by Marie Lu: I mean, it's Marie Lu, guys. I love everything she does but was skeptical after the let down I felt Young Elites books 2 and 3 were. WarCross starts out strong and gives me hope. We shall see what the finished product looks like.
All Things New by Lauren Miller: I love that more YA books are addressing mental illness and mental disorders. This will be a valuable addition to a library collection.
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp: Totally a departure from "This is How It Ends", I can't wait to read the rest of this book. It's deeply rooted in mystery, which I tend to think will be a strong suit for a writer like Nijkamp.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi: This was very interesting, but I can't quite decide how I feel about it. It had a similar tone to the Grisha trilogy. It didn't grab me immediately. With the amazing fantasy books coming out, this didn't stand out to me.
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington: I'm not a huge romance fan, but I can tell this would circulate with my Jenny Han and Kasie West fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers Lunch for the review copy of this book!
Solo by Kwame Alexander: I was so excited for this excerpt...and it didn't live up to the hype in my brain. Unfortunately, it set a bad tone for the rest of the book.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust: I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE! Retelling of popular fairytales is the best thing to happen to YA recently. I hope this is the next big craze after Dystopian is over. LOVE!
The House at 758 by Kathryn Berla: Honestly, I skimmed this offering. I can't even really tell you why. It just never quite hooked me in the excerpt.
Your One and Only by Adrianne Finlay: I was left with mixed feelings about this one. The excerpt gave me an odd feeling, but perhaps a few more chapters would have given me a better feel.
Everless by Sara Holland: A tame excerpt for what seems to be gearing up to be a compelling novel.
All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis: I need to get my hands on the finished book. Such an intriguing world built by Katsoulis! I must spend more time there and see how it turns out!
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis: Not for me, but I can see a definite audience for this book. "The Rest of Us Just Live Here" by Patrick Ness fans will enjoy this offering.
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster: I wasn't the hugest fan of this excerpt. Perhaps it was just a bad choice for an excerpt collection. It feels like you don't have enough time to bond and care what happens in the short pages allocated.
WarCross by Marie Lu: I mean, it's Marie Lu, guys. I love everything she does but was skeptical after the let down I felt Young Elites books 2 and 3 were. WarCross starts out strong and gives me hope. We shall see what the finished product looks like.
All Things New by Lauren Miller: I love that more YA books are addressing mental illness and mental disorders. This will be a valuable addition to a library collection.
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp: Totally a departure from "This is How It Ends", I can't wait to read the rest of this book. It's deeply rooted in mystery, which I tend to think will be a strong suit for a writer like Nijkamp.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi: This was very interesting, but I can't quite decide how I feel about it. It had a similar tone to the Grisha trilogy. It didn't grab me immediately. With the amazing fantasy books coming out, this didn't stand out to me.
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington: I'm not a huge romance fan, but I can tell this would circulate with my Jenny Han and Kasie West fans.
Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers Lunch for the review copy of this book!
I was gifted this ebook via Netgalley.
Solo by Kwame Alexander [skipped]: I did try to read this, but poetic verse is not my forte, so I ended up DNFing it.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust [5 stars]: The synopsis is ten years long, but basically this is like a Snow White retelling. It's told in two perspectives, Lynet, a 15 year old, and her stepmother, Mina. It's told in two times, past and present. The excerpt was incredibly fascinating and I was hooked immediately. I am sure I would have found it eventually, but I was really excited to find a new book to add to my TBR via Buzz Books.
The House at 758 by Kathryn Berla [2.5 stars]: Wasn't fond of this one.
Your One and Only by Adrianne Finlay [5 stars]: This one is a sci-fi novel where clones are the only people that exist until one clone creates a human after hundreds of years of them being "extinct". I am so curious to read more. It reminded me of Across the Universe and another book that I couldn't remember the title/author.
Everless by Sara Holland [4 stars]: This had a slower start, but I ended up getting hooked.
All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis [4 stars]: Fascinated by a world where everything is copyrighted, trademarked, etc. The excerpt ended on such an explosive note!
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis [4 stars]: This one started out a little slow, but picked up quickly. I am invested in Ryan's story for sure.
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster [3 stars]: It wasn't bad, but it didn't really capture my attention. I don't think I will read this one when it is released, although I do think it would probably translate better in a finished copy. There were some texts from characters in between chapters and the formatting was weird in the galley.
WarCross by Marie Lu [5 stars]: Action-packed excerpt that makes me so excited to get my hands on a finished copy!
All Things New by Lauren Miller [4 stars]: Anxiety/panic disorder ridden MC...really liked the voice and interested to see where Jessa's story takes her.
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp [3.5 stars]: It's a little slow to start but I have hope that it'll pick up because I am looking forward to this one.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi [skipped]
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington [4 stars]: This sounds like a good contemporary read. I liked what I read so far. :)
Solo by Kwame Alexander [skipped]: I did try to read this, but poetic verse is not my forte, so I ended up DNFing it.
Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust [5 stars]: The synopsis is ten years long, but basically this is like a Snow White retelling. It's told in two perspectives, Lynet, a 15 year old, and her stepmother, Mina. It's told in two times, past and present. The excerpt was incredibly fascinating and I was hooked immediately. I am sure I would have found it eventually, but I was really excited to find a new book to add to my TBR via Buzz Books.
The House at 758 by Kathryn Berla [2.5 stars]: Wasn't fond of this one.
Your One and Only by Adrianne Finlay [5 stars]: This one is a sci-fi novel where clones are the only people that exist until one clone creates a human after hundreds of years of them being "extinct". I am so curious to read more. It reminded me of Across the Universe and another book that I couldn't remember the title/author.
Everless by Sara Holland [4 stars]: This had a slower start, but I ended up getting hooked.
All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis [4 stars]: Fascinated by a world where everything is copyrighted, trademarked, etc. The excerpt ended on such an explosive note!
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis [4 stars]: This one started out a little slow, but picked up quickly. I am invested in Ryan's story for sure.
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster [3 stars]: It wasn't bad, but it didn't really capture my attention. I don't think I will read this one when it is released, although I do think it would probably translate better in a finished copy. There were some texts from characters in between chapters and the formatting was weird in the galley.
WarCross by Marie Lu [5 stars]: Action-packed excerpt that makes me so excited to get my hands on a finished copy!
All Things New by Lauren Miller [4 stars]: Anxiety/panic disorder ridden MC...really liked the voice and interested to see where Jessa's story takes her.
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp [3.5 stars]: It's a little slow to start but I have hope that it'll pick up because I am looking forward to this one.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi [skipped]
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington [4 stars]: This sounds like a good contemporary read. I liked what I read so far. :)
Thank you to Netgalley, Publishers Lunch BUZZ BOOKS, Kathryn Berla, Jen Lancaster, Gregory Scott, Sara Holland, Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess, Will Kostakis, Melissa Bashardoust, Jessica Pennington, Marie Lu, Tochi Onyebuchi, and Lauren Miller for the chance to read and review this ARC;
I am such a big fan of the Buzz Book previews, that give teachers, reviewers, and librarians the ability to place their fingers on the pulse of newest, bring up and comers about to drop into the scene. I love this volume, and it is my newest favorite of them.
I'm crazy interested and already looking most to get my hands on copies of Solo (by Hess & Alexander) given it's all written gloriously in evocative poetry, in Girls Made of Snow and Glass (by Bashardhoust) as a glorious gripping feminist retelling of the story of the well-beloved Snow White, and Warcross (Lu) who has taken the VR game land and given it a gripping new tale.
I can't wait to see, and all of these books, in the coming fall/winter!
I am such a big fan of the Buzz Book previews, that give teachers, reviewers, and librarians the ability to place their fingers on the pulse of newest, bring up and comers about to drop into the scene. I love this volume, and it is my newest favorite of them.
I'm crazy interested and already looking most to get my hands on copies of Solo (by Hess & Alexander) given it's all written gloriously in evocative poetry, in Girls Made of Snow and Glass (by Bashardhoust) as a glorious gripping feminist retelling of the story of the well-beloved Snow White, and Warcross (Lu) who has taken the VR game land and given it a gripping new tale.
I can't wait to see, and all of these books, in the coming fall/winter!
While I love reading each Buzz Book edition, and find it to be a wonderful resource, I found this one lacking the same quality as the previous editions.
Of the excerpts included, the ones that stood out to me were:
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster ISBN: 9780373212613
Watercross by Marie Lu ISBN: 9780399547966
All Things New by Lauren Miller ISBN: 9780998511115
Of the excerpts included, the ones that stood out to me were:
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster ISBN: 9780373212613
Watercross by Marie Lu ISBN: 9780399547966
All Things New by Lauren Miller ISBN: 9780998511115
Buzz books is a great way to sample upcoming books and sample what you may be interested. The YA version focuses, of course, on YA. Unlike the general buzzfeeds, instead of being divided into three parts (Fiction, Debut and Non-fiction), there is no separation. The list of books is smaller but still plenty of synopsis and previews. Harlequin Teen was highly figured in this one. I’ll check some of these out, especially curious about Girls Made of Snow and Glass, a Snow White Retelling.
I have already read another Buzz Books YA this year, so I was excited to check out the new releases in fall and winter. However, this time, most samplers didn't really make me want to read more. The ones I really want to read are Everless and All Rights Reserved. I was also thinking about reading Girls Made of Snow and Glass, but after the sampler, not so much anymore. So it was still helpful in making my decisions.
I like the concept of Buzz Books very much and recommend it to anyone who wants a quick overview over upcoming releases and to find out which books to request/buy. I also like that there are many different genres and types of young adult books (I think there was also one written in free verse?) and both big and smaller publishers.
I received Buzz Books YA Fall/Winter 2017 via Netgalley.
I like the concept of Buzz Books very much and recommend it to anyone who wants a quick overview over upcoming releases and to find out which books to request/buy. I also like that there are many different genres and types of young adult books (I think there was also one written in free verse?) and both big and smaller publishers.
I received Buzz Books YA Fall/Winter 2017 via Netgalley.
Book Review
Title: Buzz Books 2017: Young Adult Fall/Winter: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Kwame Alexander, Jen Lancaster, Marie Lu, Marieke Nijkamp and More
Author: Publishers Lunch
Genre: Various
Rating: ****
Review: The buzz books collection is a collection of excerpts from upcoming authors and amazing authors with new books coming out. Some of these books I have ARC’s of but haven’t read yet. If you have read any of these books, I’d love for you to drop your thoughts in the comments section.
Solo by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess – Solo is a book that has caught my eye for a while now, so I was very excited to read the excerpt. We meet the protagonist Blade as he talks about his life, he talks a lot about Chapel his girlfriend who I believe for what he has said might be asexual as she seems to have no interest in those sorts of activities. He also talks about his father Rutherford who loves the spotlight as a musician. He talks about the lifestyle his father had with all the parties and how he used to make them laugh by drinking their booze as a small child but one night he accidently ingested some cocaine and ended up in hospital while his father was arrested. These opening pages were great, and I will definitely be reading this very soon.
Girls made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust – Girls made of Snow and Glass is a reimagining of Snow White with strong feminist themes and possibly an f/f romance, so I was hooked from the blurb alone. We meet Lynet who is a princess who hates being treated as a delicate flower and almost immediately becomes enamoured with the new female palace surgeon. We also meet Mina, whose father is an alchemist and an outcast but when he saves Lynet’s life during her birth, he takes his daughter to live at court, but Mina doesn’t want to leave her house and Gregory reveals to her why she must follow his orders. Definitely a very gripping excerpt and I will be picking up the full novel as soon as I can.
The House at 758 by Kathryn Berla – In this excerpt we meet Krista who is grieving after the death of her mother almost a year after the actual event. Krista seems to be stuck in a phase of her life she can’t get out of, her father has moved on and left her to deal with these complex emotions by herself. As her best friend goes away for the summer Krista’s feeling of anxiety only get worse, but she is obsessed with a strange run down house number 758 for reasons she doesn’t reveal yet. However, in her grief Krista finds herself sinking to shop lifting in order to feel the way she did when her mother was alive. While the premise of this novel was good, and the writing is pretty good, it just didn’t really grab my attention enough for me to buy a copy of it.
Your One & Only by Adrianne Finlay – In Your one & only we Althea-310 who part of a series of 10 Althea clones made from genetic material of humans after the homo sapiens died out and the homo factus grew in number. Despite being identical to her sisters bare a single scar Althea-310 is quite the outcast until Jack arrives at school and he is a human like the originals. For the offset Jack is bullied and outcast by the other kids especially the Carson range who think they are better than everyone else, but they soon learn their lesson that humans are far more dangerous and vicious than they had ever seen before. I really liked this novel and will definitely be picking it up very soon.
Everless by Sara Holland – In this excerpt we are introduced to the land of Sempera and our protagonist Jules and in Sempera time itself is the currency of the land. If any of you have seen the move In Time this was the sort of vibe I was getting. Jules is trying to get time together in order to pay the Gerling family for the rent they owe but her father has been selling his time and doesn’t have long left to life. News of Lord Gerling’s wedding to Ina Gold, ward of the Queen spreads quickly and one of Jules’ friends Amma is heading to Everless a place Jules remembers. A place she and her father ran away from but when her father’s time is running out and they have bills and debts to pay Jules knows what she has to do to save her only family.
All Right Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis – Now this is a book I have being seeing some rave reviews for, so I was really excited to get into this excerpt. So, in this world every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked meaning people have to pay the Rights Holders so almost every word they use. We also meet our protagonist Speth, who is about to turn 15 and lose her free speech and as the seconds tick down she realises that she doesn’t like the system that everyone seems to accept so easily especially after she bumps into Beecher. Beecher used to be her best friend until he turned 15 and when she meets him a few years later on her 15th birthday he kisses her for which he receives an electric shock as he doesn’t have enough money to pay for this kiss, then commits suicide and I feel this will set Speth upon her path of silence. I was super intrigued by this novel and I can’t wait to read the rest of it.
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis – In this excerpt we are introduced to Ryan, Harley and Miles who aren’t friends, but all were best friends with Isaac. The story opens with the boys learning about Isaac’s death in an accident, and things only gets darker from there. The boys break into Isaac’s locker to find a bag of cash while belongs to one of the other boys so there is a mystery surrounding that, but we also learn that Ryan might be gay. This novel really reminded me of Adam Silvera’s writing so I will definitely be picking it up soon.
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster – So this book has been compared to 13 reasons why by Jay Asher but centres around a small town where one teen suicide turns into several teen suicides. We are introduced to Mallory an extremely sporty young woman just living her normal life although she does seem rather obsessed especially about her diet. While not a lot happens in this excerpt the premise about a group who get together to try and prevent the large amount of teen suicides happening in their town really intrigued me.
Warcross by Marie Lu – Now, I actually one an ARC of Warcross but haven’t picked it up yet so this was a critical excerpt for me. So, according to the blurb Warcross is a game and Emika Chen is a hacker who hunts down people who bet illegally on the game only to end a part of it, colour me interested. We follow Emika as she takes down an illegal better only to learn that she won’t get the payment because someone else phoned in the call before her leaving her with minimal money and one hell of a grudge. This is one of the best excerpts I have read in a long time and as a massive fan of Lu’s legend trilogy I will definitely pick Warcross up very soon.
All Things New by Lauren Miller – This story follows Jessa Gray who suffers with panic attacks, points for mental health rep. On her way to a new year’s party she fights with her boyfriend Wren who really doesn’t understand what it like to date someone with anxiety. After calming down, she tries to find Wren only to discover him in bed with a girl called Lex instead of confronting them she runs away to go home and gets in a car accident. This novel was really gripping from the offset and this is a must read for me.
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp – Again, I own an ARC of Before I let go but have not picked it up yet story of my life, right? So, this is Corey’s story as she returns home to Lost Creek, Alaska after her best friend Kyra died in a supposed accident, but Corey smells something suspicious about Kyra’s death from the second she heard about it. After returning to Lost Corey knows things are different and strange but the strangest thing is that she is seeing and hearing Kyra all around and I have a feeling that this novel will have a story paranormal element to go along with the mystery element and I will be picking this up soon – I feel as though I am repeating myself but hey I try.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi – This is another book I have seen around a lot and never read so I was excited to learn what it was about. This novel is set in the city of Kos where mages can magically call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin-beasts—lethal creatures spawned from feelings of guilt. Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts and I was very intrigued by the blurb alone. We learn that when aki kill sin-beast, the image of the beast is forever marked on their skin. The aki are outcast from their society because of their gift but it is a gift needed. So, when Taj is called to the palace to eat the sin of a royal when another aki Jai failed he knows he is in for a challenge. The hype about this book is right and I will have to buy it very soon.
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington – So from the blurb this is a novel about Virginia Miller also known as Vee, a summer romance and second chances. It seems like your typical YA contemporary which isn’t something I read at all although I have been recommend a few books by Morgan Matson, maybe this excerpt can change my opinion on YA contemporary romance novels. The contrast between the past and present is pretty good and sets up the conflict and ultimate resolution that is going to come between the characters so it seems like something I might enjoy as it is heavily centred around music, so I might be able to get onboard with it but I’ll have to think on it.
Title: Buzz Books 2017: Young Adult Fall/Winter: Exclusive Excerpts from Forthcoming Titles by Kwame Alexander, Jen Lancaster, Marie Lu, Marieke Nijkamp and More
Author: Publishers Lunch
Genre: Various
Rating: ****
Review: The buzz books collection is a collection of excerpts from upcoming authors and amazing authors with new books coming out. Some of these books I have ARC’s of but haven’t read yet. If you have read any of these books, I’d love for you to drop your thoughts in the comments section.
Solo by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess – Solo is a book that has caught my eye for a while now, so I was very excited to read the excerpt. We meet the protagonist Blade as he talks about his life, he talks a lot about Chapel his girlfriend who I believe for what he has said might be asexual as she seems to have no interest in those sorts of activities. He also talks about his father Rutherford who loves the spotlight as a musician. He talks about the lifestyle his father had with all the parties and how he used to make them laugh by drinking their booze as a small child but one night he accidently ingested some cocaine and ended up in hospital while his father was arrested. These opening pages were great, and I will definitely be reading this very soon.
Girls made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust – Girls made of Snow and Glass is a reimagining of Snow White with strong feminist themes and possibly an f/f romance, so I was hooked from the blurb alone. We meet Lynet who is a princess who hates being treated as a delicate flower and almost immediately becomes enamoured with the new female palace surgeon. We also meet Mina, whose father is an alchemist and an outcast but when he saves Lynet’s life during her birth, he takes his daughter to live at court, but Mina doesn’t want to leave her house and Gregory reveals to her why she must follow his orders. Definitely a very gripping excerpt and I will be picking up the full novel as soon as I can.
The House at 758 by Kathryn Berla – In this excerpt we meet Krista who is grieving after the death of her mother almost a year after the actual event. Krista seems to be stuck in a phase of her life she can’t get out of, her father has moved on and left her to deal with these complex emotions by herself. As her best friend goes away for the summer Krista’s feeling of anxiety only get worse, but she is obsessed with a strange run down house number 758 for reasons she doesn’t reveal yet. However, in her grief Krista finds herself sinking to shop lifting in order to feel the way she did when her mother was alive. While the premise of this novel was good, and the writing is pretty good, it just didn’t really grab my attention enough for me to buy a copy of it.
Your One & Only by Adrianne Finlay – In Your one & only we Althea-310 who part of a series of 10 Althea clones made from genetic material of humans after the homo sapiens died out and the homo factus grew in number. Despite being identical to her sisters bare a single scar Althea-310 is quite the outcast until Jack arrives at school and he is a human like the originals. For the offset Jack is bullied and outcast by the other kids especially the Carson range who think they are better than everyone else, but they soon learn their lesson that humans are far more dangerous and vicious than they had ever seen before. I really liked this novel and will definitely be picking it up very soon.
Everless by Sara Holland – In this excerpt we are introduced to the land of Sempera and our protagonist Jules and in Sempera time itself is the currency of the land. If any of you have seen the move In Time this was the sort of vibe I was getting. Jules is trying to get time together in order to pay the Gerling family for the rent they owe but her father has been selling his time and doesn’t have long left to life. News of Lord Gerling’s wedding to Ina Gold, ward of the Queen spreads quickly and one of Jules’ friends Amma is heading to Everless a place Jules remembers. A place she and her father ran away from but when her father’s time is running out and they have bills and debts to pay Jules knows what she has to do to save her only family.
All Right Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis – Now this is a book I have being seeing some rave reviews for, so I was really excited to get into this excerpt. So, in this world every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked meaning people have to pay the Rights Holders so almost every word they use. We also meet our protagonist Speth, who is about to turn 15 and lose her free speech and as the seconds tick down she realises that she doesn’t like the system that everyone seems to accept so easily especially after she bumps into Beecher. Beecher used to be her best friend until he turned 15 and when she meets him a few years later on her 15th birthday he kisses her for which he receives an electric shock as he doesn’t have enough money to pay for this kiss, then commits suicide and I feel this will set Speth upon her path of silence. I was super intrigued by this novel and I can’t wait to read the rest of it.
The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis – In this excerpt we are introduced to Ryan, Harley and Miles who aren’t friends, but all were best friends with Isaac. The story opens with the boys learning about Isaac’s death in an accident, and things only gets darker from there. The boys break into Isaac’s locker to find a bag of cash while belongs to one of the other boys so there is a mystery surrounding that, but we also learn that Ryan might be gay. This novel really reminded me of Adam Silvera’s writing so I will definitely be picking it up soon.
The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster – So this book has been compared to 13 reasons why by Jay Asher but centres around a small town where one teen suicide turns into several teen suicides. We are introduced to Mallory an extremely sporty young woman just living her normal life although she does seem rather obsessed especially about her diet. While not a lot happens in this excerpt the premise about a group who get together to try and prevent the large amount of teen suicides happening in their town really intrigued me.
Warcross by Marie Lu – Now, I actually one an ARC of Warcross but haven’t picked it up yet so this was a critical excerpt for me. So, according to the blurb Warcross is a game and Emika Chen is a hacker who hunts down people who bet illegally on the game only to end a part of it, colour me interested. We follow Emika as she takes down an illegal better only to learn that she won’t get the payment because someone else phoned in the call before her leaving her with minimal money and one hell of a grudge. This is one of the best excerpts I have read in a long time and as a massive fan of Lu’s legend trilogy I will definitely pick Warcross up very soon.
All Things New by Lauren Miller – This story follows Jessa Gray who suffers with panic attacks, points for mental health rep. On her way to a new year’s party she fights with her boyfriend Wren who really doesn’t understand what it like to date someone with anxiety. After calming down, she tries to find Wren only to discover him in bed with a girl called Lex instead of confronting them she runs away to go home and gets in a car accident. This novel was really gripping from the offset and this is a must read for me.
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp – Again, I own an ARC of Before I let go but have not picked it up yet story of my life, right? So, this is Corey’s story as she returns home to Lost Creek, Alaska after her best friend Kyra died in a supposed accident, but Corey smells something suspicious about Kyra’s death from the second she heard about it. After returning to Lost Corey knows things are different and strange but the strangest thing is that she is seeing and hearing Kyra all around and I have a feeling that this novel will have a story paranormal element to go along with the mystery element and I will be picking this up soon – I feel as though I am repeating myself but hey I try.
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi – This is another book I have seen around a lot and never read so I was excited to learn what it was about. This novel is set in the city of Kos where mages can magically call forth sin from a sinner in the form of sin-beasts—lethal creatures spawned from feelings of guilt. Taj is the most talented of the aki, young sin-eaters indentured by the mages to slay the sin-beasts and I was very intrigued by the blurb alone. We learn that when aki kill sin-beast, the image of the beast is forever marked on their skin. The aki are outcast from their society because of their gift but it is a gift needed. So, when Taj is called to the palace to eat the sin of a royal when another aki Jai failed he knows he is in for a challenge. The hype about this book is right and I will have to buy it very soon.
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington – So from the blurb this is a novel about Virginia Miller also known as Vee, a summer romance and second chances. It seems like your typical YA contemporary which isn’t something I read at all although I have been recommend a few books by Morgan Matson, maybe this excerpt can change my opinion on YA contemporary romance novels. The contrast between the past and present is pretty good and sets up the conflict and ultimate resolution that is going to come between the characters so it seems like something I might enjoy as it is heavily centred around music, so I might be able to get onboard with it but I’ll have to think on it.
Quite a few of these titles grabbed my attention especially All Rights Reserved by Gregory Scott Katsoulis. I would definitely purchase that.