Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this arc!

5/5 stars

This was a fantastic little sampler of some really promising books! I honestly enjoyed each of them, and particularly plan on reading The Bone Spindle this fall/winter, but I do want to read them all fully! These were so good!

This was a wonderful selection of science fiction and fantasy. I can’t wait to get my hands on the full length novels. Those that are series, I plan to devour them in their entirety! Chaos & Flame was by far my favorite and I can’t wait to continue with that series. The intrigue was phenomenal and left me craving more!

Excited for all the upcoming SFF coming out! Most excited for all the retellings that were included here, but most especially The Bone Spindle and The Other Merlin!

There are five excerpts of different books representing science fiction and/or fantasy. When I started reading “The Bone Spindle” I found myself surprised that Briar Rose is a prince under a sleeping curse. It is a fantasy full of adventure and romance. “Reading Another Dimension of us” is two stories connected by the astral path and demon and travel to separate timelines. This science fiction story is unique. In “The other Merlin,” I found that it is the a different view of the Arthur legend where Merlin has a set of twins — one girl and one boy. Their father when home teaches the boy magic but ignores the girl. Finally the girl is trained in magic by her father. She picks it up easily while her brother has difficulty. When their father disappears, her brother is called to come to the castle. The brother is indisposed so the sister goes to the castle disguising herself to look like her brother in this fantasy. This next excerpt is “Chaos and Flame” is about magic, war and a romance between the two people in their world who hate each other. It is a fantasy about betrayal and loss. The science fiction excerpt of “Made of Stars” is about a pair of thieves turning vigilante when a force threatens their home planet. It is a story of thievery and revenge.

I liked all the excerpts but I must admit I wanted each book instead of the excerpt. I wanted to know how each author finished the story. They all wrote their stories well. I will add these books to my ever growing books to be read.

I thought this would be a collection of books but unbeknownst to me, this is a sampler for "The Bone Spindle" by Leslie Vedder. I'm not even saying I don't like the book. In fact, I'm putting it to my to-read list. But it'd be so great if I'm told that in advance that there will only be one book in here.

The Bone Spindle itself is good.

I love a short story collection and Penguin did not let me down. I enjoyed these stories--they were a nice way to wind down my day, and I look forward to more.

This is a well-curated sampling of five novels, containing the first several chapters of each. As with every anthology, different authors create different levels of interest in the reader, and this is no exception - but of the five selections, three look good enough that I would like to read the complete books, one is for a book I've already read, and the fifth isn't bad; it's simply not something I'm particularly interested in - not bad, just not as aligned with my interests as the other selections. A well-rounded introduction to five newly-published or upcoming novels.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Penguin Teen Read Proud Sampler: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Edition contains extracts from The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder, Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo, The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider, Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland and Made of Stars by Jenna Voris. This sampler was a great way to discover new authors and books within the sci-fi and fantasy which is something I don't read enough of and I loved the emphasis on amplifying queer voices.

The Bone Spindle is a young adult, fairytale retelling of Sleeping Beauty where the genders are swapped. From the extract I loved the fairytale world created and I thought the characters seemed really interesting and I would be curious to see how their stories develop.

Another Dimension of Us is a young adult, science fiction novel in which teenagers from the past and the future can time travel in order to save people they love. The premise of this sounds really intriguing however I found that I was confused having read the extract and had no desire to read on.

The Other Merlin is a young adult, retelling of the story of King Arthur and Merlin. Despite not usually being a fantasy reader, I enjoyed this extract and I loved the atmosphere created throughout it. I would absolutely want to continue reading this and could definitely see myself binging it.

Chaos & Flame is a young adult, high fantasy romance about two warring factions. After reading the extract, I felt lost and I think this book might be too high fantasy for someone who isn't a seasoned fantasy reader therefore I wouldn't be tempted to read on.

Made of Stars is a young adult, science fiction novel inspired by the crimes and love story of Bonnie and Clyde. The premise of this book sounds right up my street so I was really excited to read this extract. I loved the beginning jumps straight into the action and I would love to read on.

This is such a wonderful option for folks looking to expand reading genres or themes or for an introduction to a variety of authors. Just enough storyline to hook the reader, and get a sampling of various writing styles. I absolutely recommend! So fun!

Fantastic collection of shorts and stories! I love samplers and anthologies like this, as they give me a chance to find new authors to follow and adore.

What a beautiful compilation of queer fantasy/sci-fi stories! I loved every sample and I immediately added them all to my tbr. There’s really nothing bad to say about the book, other than maybe that it’s just samples and I would have loved to devour the different books right that second.
It is, however, a great way to dip your toes into different worlds, writing styles and adventures.

Disclaimer: The ARC was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The ARC category in no way impacts the rating of the book.

The Penguin Teen Read Proud Sampler: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Edition is especially helpful because I do not tend to read Sc-Fi/Fantasy titles, but my students do! Samplers like this help me recommend books my students may want to read. It also helps me stay updated with what books are coming soon or have been newly released. Thanks for making these Samplers available!

Didn't realize this was a sampler when I got it, but that's on my for not paying enough attention. Great start when it comes to queer sci-fi and I'm excited to dig into these books in full.

I don't really know if I really have something to say, or even give a rating. I mean, I really liked reading all those excerpts from all those different books, and I want to read most of them, because, damn, they were good to be honest. So this "book" just made my wishlist bigger than it was a few pages before. And this is the same for all the samplers.
Because we love seeing queer stories thrive. So thank you Penguin Teen and NetGalley!

A fun sampler selection of queer fantasy and scifi stories from Penguin Young Readers Group. I enjoyed these quite a bit, though as an adult I did think they skewed younger than I'd typically go for.

This sampler includes excerpts from:
-The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder
-Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo
-The Other Merlin by Robyn Scheneider
-Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland
-Made of Stars by Jenna Voris

Thanks you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing this sampler.

What a great sampler! Sci-Fi and Fantasy reads with a focus on inclusion, and for teen readers. I love the options provided for young readers these days, and this sampler provides a great selection I’m eager to check out, and definitely will be adding some of these to my tbr.

This sampler includes excerpts from:
-The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder
-Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo
-The Other Merlin by Robyn Scheneider
-Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland
-Made of Stars by Jenna Voris

Thank you Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for access to this sampler for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder

I already own this book so there's no more need to get me hyped for it.

Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo

I don't usually read science fiction, but if you like queer sci-fi, this would be good for you. It's well written and seems very cute.

The Other Merlin by Robyn Scheneider

I want this one. The cover, the King Arthur storyline, everything. It's so sweet. It's now in my Wishlist for later.

Chaos & Flames by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland

High magic and dragons. I think I would have to read more to know if it's for me, but it does sound interesting.

Made of Stars by Jenna Voris

It's a Bonnie and Clyde retelling. Say no more, right? It sounds cute and I would love to read more of it. It's written on my Wishlist for later, too.

The only better than book samplers are book samplers for queer books. Thank you to Penguin for the chance to check out this YA reads. I added several to my to-be-read list. Another Dimension of Us by Mike Albo was a particular stand out.

It was a good way to discover new authors and interesting novels.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I love chapter samplers!! They're great for getting a feel for the book's writing style and readability. I only wish they were longer!