I'm always looking forward to the new buzz books and once again, the selection doesn't disappoint! I've already requested some ARCs and I've also reviewed some of them already. Great mix of fantasy and contemporary YA literature, also some great sequels (Caraval 🤩).
I'm particularly curious about Alexa Donne's Brightly Burning, which is basically Jane Eyre in space *gasping for air*; Meredith Goldstein's Chemistry Lessons (I don't like the title but the idea sounds fun); Farah Penn's Twelve Steps to Normal about alcohol abuse; and Adrienne Young's Sky in the Deep because of The Vikings vibe.

So many books and not nearly enough time for them all. Defiantly looking forward to Legendary.

I love Buzz Books! They are so helpful in giving readers a heads-up on books the publishers feel will be hits, and being able to read excerpts of them help me decide which ones I want to add to my "to read" shelf.

Truth be told, I never considered Y/A as a genre for me until I read some excellent excerpts in previous years collections.

I'm always on the look out for the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter issues, both the Y/A and Adult editions. I am so thankful Publishers Lunch puts these out!! The only reason this issue got 4 stars instead of 5 is that it included more science fiction excerpts than any other genre, and I'm not a big fan of science fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publishers Lunch for providing me an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

nice to read a few chapters, so many books interests me!

I always look forward to the BuzzBooks to see what new exciting books are coming up. This edition, I was most excited about Furyborn and Sky in the Deep. Both of these books, I've been hearing about on Tumblr or Instagram and I finally got to read excerpts and I'm not even more excited about these releases!

Furyborn sounds so unique and right up my alley. Strong female characters, fantasy, magic, and prophecies!

Sky in the Deep is another unique release. This one involves Vikings and, presumably, a strong female Viking warrior and a bit of romance on the side (obviously). I have never read a YA Viking novel. In fact, the only Viking novel I've read was the first book in the Magnus Chase series and that's children's fiction. I'm really excited about the fantasy novels coming out this year that feature different, non-Anglo centric settings and this is one to add to that list.

An excellent guide with previews of books that are to be published. A great way to sample books in small doses. There are so many books I am excited to read!

I'm always looking forward for the newest collection of Buzz Books. As always, this collection did not disappoint and my TBR got bigger.

Really useful catalogue of the next releases, you cab clearly see whats coming and read a little of each one, sometimes is all you need. Added a few books to my TBR list. Legendary is the one I am waiting so badly..

Fawkes – Nadine Brandes
From this first glimpse of Fawkes, I’m not sold. The main character is not very relatable and everything feels very rushed. The world is highly undefined (what is this plague?/Why the masks?/How does this color bonding work?) and leaves too much to be questioned while they storyline is only vaguely interesting. I would have liked more of a world building first chapter, and maybe more on Guy Fawkes (especially since most teens of today would never immediately understand the character). This title does have some potential, but only appeals to those who know of Guy Fawkes or are ready to be patient for most answers.

Boy From Tomorrow – Camille DeAngelis
I cannot wait to get this full title in. I find the premise behind this story to be very intriguing and look forward to seeing how it plays out. I felt that the author did a great job introducing the plot line, yet was a little lax with the characters. The boy’s timeline was quite clear, with Alec moving into the house and inviting friends over. I was a little confused with Josie’s side as she mentions a sister and a nanny type figure, yet it wasn’t until we got back to that point of view that I could start to see them, and even then it was muddled. I’m sure this gets cleared up throughout the book, yet I found it took a little away when I didn’t understand who the characters were. Looking forward to this one none the less.


Brightly Burning – Alexa Donne
Form the cover of this book, I expected a romance. After reading the first three chapters, I could care less what’s on the cover, I just want more. This was a wonderful beginning to a sci-fi adventure that I can’t wait to read. Stella’s character is bold, yet still a little shy. She has knowledge, looks, and tenacity. Donne’s writing is fast paced and easy to follow. There are some words above a level normally used in YA literature, yet I did not find these obtrusive.

Unbreakable – Sara Ella
As this is the finale in a series, and I have not read the other books, this novel was not all that interesting to me. The terminology (fifth reflection/second’s castle) often made no sense to me and the voice was slightly longwinded for my taste. It was clear that this had to do with time travel and sounded like an interesting plotline, but I was too in the dark to understand. Might pick up the first book to see what it is about, but this didn’t make me want to check it out immediately.


Legendary – Stephanie Garber
This is the second book in the Caraval series and I’m even now more excited to get my hands on it. Love the imagination and writing style of Garber. Looking forward to a wonderful adventure.

Chemistry Lesson – Meredith Goldstein
I was both intrigued and a little put off by this introduction. This is described at the beginning as somewhat of a romantic comedy, and I didn’t get to see much comedy in it. The beginning chapters are quite depressing, dealing with a first break up and the death of a mother. I can see some humor to come from Bryan the neighbor, but just found myself overloaded with the negative aspects of Maya‘s life. Could be a great novel for girls going through their own first breakups, but it’s not enough to decide.

Orphan Monster Spy – Matt Killeen
This was a very short excerpt, but had a lot to offer. The tale was thrilling and emotional at the same time. Killeen definitely got right into the story and had the reader hanging on every word for what was about to happen. I was not a big fan of the inner voice. I felt it took away rather than added to the character. Other than that, I’m interested in reading more.

Furyborn – Claire Legrand
From these first two chapters, this looks to be an interesting fantasy. The writing is smooth and creates a fascinating world around its characters. I liked the first chapter better as there seemed to be more urgency and a more definite goal. The chapter after was a little less, but hard to judge how the rest of the book will flow.

Twelve Steps to Normal – Farrah Penn
This was a short excerpt with a strong impact. If the rest of the novel follows in this fashion, it will be a great and powerful read dealing with father/daughter relationships, alcoholism, and growing into yourself. Look forward to it!

Frat Girl – Kiley Roache
Not impressed by this title. Felt it was all overdone and slightly unrealistic for a group almost done with high school. Appreciate what the author might be trying to get at, but don’t have any want to continue past these couple of chapters.

Reclaiming Shiloh Snow – Mary Weber
The writing for this excerpt was great. It was past-paced, at an appropriate reading level, and evoked emotion in the reader. There were descriptions of each scene that gave a good sense of the surroundings. Characters were introduced nicely. Looks like a good sci-fi adventure.

Sky in the Deep – Adrienne Young
This was a short, but intense, excerpt. It led up well to the hook of the book and introduced the characters well enough. Since it was a battle scene, it was a bit chaotic and confusing, trying to get everyone straight right away. I appreciate a new mythology, yet need to be able to somewhat sound out the words or they seem useless to the novel. Good start.

As always, Buzz Books is a wonderful for source in deciding whether or not I’m going to want to cover the most buzzed about upcoming titles!

Far fewer excerpts of interest or quality this time.

I love being able to read excerpts of books I'm interesting in reading/requesting. A useful, helpful tool.

Great previews! many upcoming books that I am excited to read soon!

I always love reading Buzz Books because not only does it excite me for upcoming releases, but it can also lead me to something that I might have never thought of looking at before, and this compilation is no different. Not only are there some huge upcoming releases included, but also far smaller and lesser known authors and publishers.

I think in this edition there's more fantasy than ever included which I think is a reflection of what is publishing and being hyped in the YA field these days but obviously there's a diverse array of genres.

If you're looking for upcoming books that you don't want to miss out on, or even if you just want to add to your TBR, Buzz Books is the read that you need!

I'm always waiting for the new buzz book. I really like the concept and I am more than happy to read a bit of new exciting book. I am more a fan of Sci-fi or fantasy but you there is always something for me.
The only thing that bother me a bit the number of sequel in this previews.

Since this book is intended for chapter samples and advanced previews, I'm not going to recommend it for purchase but I would recommend it for librarians (or booksellers) to see what books are coming down the pipeline for the Spring/Summer of 2018. I -loved- that it included Legendary.

This bind up really sold the textx to me and i want to read Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne immediately. The selection of future releases was great and there were a couple more i'd keep my eye on in future including the Boy from Tomorrow.

Loved it! This was my first Buzz Books i've had the pleasure of reading. This was fun and I loved the sneak peeks of the hottest YA to come. Will be buying these books for sure!

Thanks #NetGalley for sending this my way to review!

I love BuzzBooks. Let's get that out of the way. Having sample chapters of so many new books coming out is pretty awesome. I was surprised that so many more of these stories were fantasy-based. They usually have a pretty good spread.

Books that I immediately put on my "to order" list:
Fawkes by Nadine Brandes - I'm SUPER HAPPY to find a YA book with a male lead! The color magic seems interesting. I am wondering how this will branch out. I KNOW I can circulate it.
Orphan Monster Spy by Mat Killeen - The excerpt was fantastic! "You Don't Know My Name" and "Perry's Killer Playlist" are super popular in my library so I know an action-packed spy novel is going to go over well.
Furyborn by Claire Legrand - I think the excerpt was a little confusing, but as part of a whole, it looks to be setting up for a very successful trilogy. I like the idea of it. My fantasy readers will pick it up because the cover is gorgeous. They'll check it out because of the synopsis.
Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young - Really. Strong female warriors. You need more info? Starts out with a massive battle scene. BOOM!

There's one I am on the fence about but it's mostly because of the cover:
Frat Girl by Kiley Roache - One girl trying to get the scholarship of her dreams pitches that she can put an end to one fraternity's over-the-top misogyny. Sounds cool. The cover is horrible. For better or worse, my patrons judge a book by its cover.

The other stories were varied. Three are not from the first book in the series so I wound up skimming them. There were a few that just weren't for me or ones I thought my patrons would be into, but BuzzBooks always helps me discover new things! I love them.

Another good sampler. Great to get an idea of what's up and coming, and read passages to see if the writing style is one that I'll be able to enjoy a full book of.