I always love samplers! I download them and eagerly add a dozen books or more to my TBR. If I'm lucky, I actually read one of those books. From this particular sampler, I was lucky to read three: We All Fall Down, Cold, and A Magic Steeped in Poison.

I like these sampler books because you can try out books and see which ones you'd like to continue and you get introduced to new authors. This one had samples of 8 books.
A few really didn't interest me. After reading this, I would like to read Ophelila After All by Raquel Marie and We All Fall Down by Rose Szabo.
I received a free copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

5/5 stars!! Another great sampler! Before reading, I was not sure what to expect from some of these titles as they are not my typical book; however, the excerpts were breathtaking! Bestsellers, for sure! I will be purchasing all after they release and pre-ordering!

I have a love hate relationship with samplers.

I love that you get a glimpse of other authors but hate that you don't get full stories.

I did enjoy this one but will not reading any other samplers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for a copy of this sampler in exchange for an honest review.

I bought a copy of almost all of these books after reading the samples and I am excited to be able to review them all when they are released!

There were so many that I’m so excited for. I love these that give a taste of what to expect when I read the book, and they make me so excited to read them.

A great sampler of books coming out in 2022! I am especially excited to read "Ophelia After All" and "A Magic Steeped In Poison."

I always appreciate the opportunity to read an extended preview of anticipated titles before they release, and this sample features several books I was dying to read. In particular, I loved reading A Magic Steeped in Poison, The Lost Dreamer, and Travelers Along the Way. I will definitely be picking up finished copies!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC of the sampler in exchange for an honest review!

Excellent and diverse selection of young adult novels for the fall. Includes some must haves for teens interested in all genres.

One of the best things about netgalley is the sampler books. I have found some of my favorite realizes this way.

This was a great sampling of first chapters for a wide variety of arcs. When I was approved, most of the books had already been release on netgalley for review, It got me excited about a few of these arcs, even if I didn’t receive all of the ones I applied for.

Very excited for some of these, like Serendipity by Marissa Meyer! I am not big on underwater stories and there are two of them in this collection. Lots of diverse gender and sexuality here, so I appreciated that.

Really loved the variety of books listed, especially the first 3. It perfectly spaced out the books, so you can get a general idea of each book. Overall, really great to find on NetGalley.

The lineup of books in this sample were excellent. Below are my thoughts on each and how likely I am to continue based on the sample:

A Magic Steeped in Poison
There’s a decent chance I’ll continue this book. While I’m not particularly interested in tea, the magic system seems interesting and I’m always into stories about siblings. I also love plotlines about competing in royal competitions. Finally, I really appreciated the imagery and writing style of this book. Overall this intro did a nice job of setting up some intrigue and getting me invested in the characters.

Cold
This just shot up the top of my TBR. I visibly winced when the sample ended because I wanted to keep reading so badly. I’m so curious about both characters, and I thought they both had strong, distinct narrative voices. Todd’s POV is especially interesting; he’s a ghost looking down on the world, and the mystery revolves around who killed him. I’m dying to know what’s going to happen!

Ophelia After All
I think I might continue this book. I wasn’t sure how into it I’d be because it’s so romance/relationship focused, but by the end of the sample I was curious what would happen and how Ophelia would handle her feelings. I’m also interested in the potential for drama in her friend group. For that reason I’d say this sample was very successful in raising my interest in the book.

The Lost Dreamer
I’m not sure if the mistake was in the labeling of the chapters or in how the excerpt was picked, but this sample supposedly started on chapter 2, which set the tone for me to be confused while reading it. I loved the imagery, especially of the dream world, and I’m very invested in Saya and her relationship with her mom. This is definitely a mommy issues book. Sometimes the writing itself felt a little awkward to me, maybe a little stilted, but I’m still quite interested in this book from the sample. The verdict’s still out on if I’ll continue.

The Red Palace
I love stories set in a palace and I tend to like mysteries, so I could see myself continuing this one eventually. So far I like the writing style and the characters. However, while the book has all the makings to be one I’d enjoy, I worry that the plot started moving too fast, so I’m not overly invested in the mystery yet. I think I’d definitely like it once I read more, I just probably won’t get to it right away.

The Silent Unseen
While I don’t read WWII-based historical fiction very often, I could easily see myself continuing this book. Something about the writing felt so seamless, to the point that it gave me that sensation of forgetting I’m reading. Both narrators interested me, and I want to know what will become of them. I have a feeling this will be an emotionally devastating book, and I’m here for it.

Travelers Along the Way
I like the format, I like the prologue, and I like the title chapters, so it’s off to a good start. For a moment I was put off by how modern Rahma’s narration seemed, but once I got to the Please Good Sir I’ve Lost My Camel bit, then I was all in. I love chaotic sister duos. I’m not overly familiar with Crusades history, but I’ve found it interesting when I do learn about it, so I’m excited for its role in this story. I definitely plan to continue this book.

We All Fall Down
This sample felt like a confusing fever dream. There were a lot of characters as well as multiple timelines introduced in just this sample and it just left me too overwhelmed to be invested. From reading reviews of the whole novel, I suspect this book isn’t for me. I will not be continuing it.

I really loved the samples here, lots of different voices, and definitely makes me curious for their books!

I'm so hyped for these books to come out and it was so amazing being able to read some parts of them! Now I can't wait even more! This year will be truly filled with gorgeous new releases!

Loved this sampler! These books really caught my eye and I can't wait to purchase and read a few of these titles now.

I was browsing the Read Now shelf to look for any interesting books and I saw this one! This year, one of my reading goals is to read more new releases, so this was a perfect way to see some of them.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I.Lin-

Ning is a physician's apprentice. But she wasn’t always one. Her mother was a shennong-shi, a master of the magical art of tea-making. Ning has the gift and unknowingly used it, accidentally killing her mother and harming her sister in the process. The capital is having a contest to accept the next shennong-shi in their court. If Ning wins, she can save her sister and win a coveted position at court.

This sampler included the first 3 chapters of the book and I was instantly hooked! I was very disappointed realizing that was the last chapter. The book releases on March 29th, 2022, and I will definitely be reading the rest of it!

Cold by Mariko Tamaki-

Todd Mayer is dead. His body lies at a park, his ghost hovering above it. he and Georgia both attended Albright academy, but she didn’t know him. She is inexplicably drawn to him and can’t stop thinking about him.

I was pretty confused reading it. I didn’t realize the POV’s changed, so maybe that’s it? They both felt distant. I don’t think this one is for me.

Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie-

Ophelia is a hopeless romantic, crush after crush, after crush. She’s just let go of her perfect prom fantasy with her ex-boyfriend. Ophelia starts to think more and more about the girl in her class, Talia Sanchez, and is confused about who she is. Is she the Ophelia everyone has always thought she is, even herself? Or is there someone else underneath that Ophelia?

I’ve seen a lot about Ophelia After All, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to read it. However, the few chapters I read have convinced me. It’s sweet and cute and I’m already rooting for Ophelia and Talia. I’ve already got it at my local library and as soon as I finish my current reads, I’ll go straight to it!

The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta-

Indir and Saya are Dreamers. They both carry the gift of the Dreaming Truth. Indir is struggling to hold on to the secrets that will keep the Dreamers safe and Saya’s gift is being used by her mother, village after village. Both of them must make difficult choices and fight for what they believe in.

I’ve never read anything inspired by ancient Mesoamerica, so I really loved diving into this new world. I liked the characters, and I turned page after page. This fantasy is exactly my style and I’m really excited to see where the story goes.

The Red Palace by June Hur-

Hyeon has just become a palace nurse after years of hard work and studying. All she wants is a peaceable life and perhaps to win her father's approval, being his illegitimate daughter. But one night, four women are murdered at her old nursing school. And the number one suspect? It’s her old mentor. She’s like Hyeon’s older sister. Hyeon launches her own investigation to find the truth. She must work together with Eojin, a police inspector, who’s searching for the killer too. Will they be able to discover the mystery?

The Red Palace is a bookstagram favorite and I can see why. June Hur’s writing is engaging and draws you into the story. The start was a little slow, but I’m invested and will be finishing it!

The Silent Unseen by Amanda McCrina-

Maria is a 16-year old girl trying to find her way back to her parents in the summer of 1944 after being taken by the Nazis to work as a forced laborer. To her horror, her parents are dead and her village is gone. The brother she thought was dead is alive. He is a Silent Unseen, a special operations agent in the Polish Resistance. Her brother disappears and Maria must turn to a Ukrainian prisoner for help.

I found the premise of the book really interesting and that’s how I started it. Unfortunately, I got more and more lost and confused as the book went on. I think I’d need to research and learn a little more about historical context if I ever come back to this story.

Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix by Aminah Mae Safi-

Rahma has followed her sister Zeena, as a soldier in the war over the Holy Land of Jerusalem in 1192. Rahma wants to go home, but she mustn’t let her sister know. Zeena is a warrior at heart and won’t abandon the fight. Together, they journey across Jerusalem, meeting many others along the way. Queen Isabella plans to seize the land, and it is up to them to stop her and bring peace once again.

I would have never picked up this book on my own and I’ve very glad I got the chance to sample it. It reminded me of Sisters of Snake and Dance of Thieves, which makes sense, all of these books follow a thief. I might just continue on and finish this book, but we’ll have to see!

We All Fall Down by Rose Szabo-

River City has two parts, Old and New. The Old River City was full of magic and run by witches alongside their king. The magic is decaying and the city is slowly fading away while the New River City stands strong. The New River City is all about technology and is controlled by their hospital and university. They are ruthless and show no mercy. The story follows four queer young adults trying to live their life until they are brought into something much bigger, destroying their peace, but bringing them together.

I loved how it started, but it went downhill from there. It felt like the author was trying to fit all their world-building in at the beginning and I got hit with more and more information. I pushed through it and finished the sample. It’s highly unlikely that I’d try reading it again.

I'm so excited for all of these, but I'm most looking forward to The Lost Dreamer and Travelers Along the Way. Fierce Reads has a great selection coming up!

A sample of several upcoming books in a variety of genres. I enjoyed this sample of opening chapters. The contemporaries, Cold and Ophelia After All, stood out to me as books that would engage reluctant readers, and I am interested in reading more. A Magic Steeped In Poison also grabbed my attention, and the cover art is fantastic. One of the stories began at chapter two, which I found disorienting, but the concept was engaging enough to draw me in. I'll keep on the lookout for these titles.