Buzz Books 2016: Young Adult Fall/Winter (Part 1)

NetGalley puts out this great compilation every season of some of the hot new Young Adult books that will be coming out. Here are my thoughts on the first 10 books featured (covers link to Goodreads).

Kids of Appetite by David Arnold (9/20)

Cover: I like it but at the same time I also don’t like it. It’s hard to explain. I get the idea that this book is going to be about a group of misfits. 5/10

Premise: I’ve heard really good things about Mosquitoland (though I have not read it myself) so that makes me optimistic about this book as it’s by the same author. I also like that it’s described as a “tragicomedy”. It just sounds kind of fun. The list included at the end of the summary intrigues me and I’d be interested in reading the book if only to see how all of those things tie together. 7/10

Excerpt: The writing itself seems solid and from what I can tell we have some pretty unique characters. I’m just not sure about the writing style. The narrative has these breaks that I feel are unnecessary and just leave me kind of confused. 5/10

TBR?: Maybe. I’ll have to see what other people are saying about it. Maybe I should read Mosquitoland first to see if I end up liking this author’s writing style or not.

Frostblood by Elly Blake (1/17/17)

Cover: This cover is just okay for me. It looks kind of cool, but it also gives absolutely no indication of what this book might be about. 4/10

Premise: I’ll admit, I’m a fan of reality show-esque competitions in books. So the fact that there are these fights to the death appeals to me. However, I feel like this book is wholly unoriginal. It just feels like I’ve heard this story a million times at this point. It reminds me a lot of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and similarly, I feel like the duels aren’t going to make up as much of the book as I wish they would. 5/10

Excerpt: Yeah, nothing from the excerpt convinced me that this book is an original idea. It’s nothing that the author did wrong. I feel like if this book was published two years ago, I’d be all over it. I just feel like I’m tired of this storyline. That’s all. 5/10

TBR?: Probably not unless I hear that it’s AMAZING.

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (9/20)

Cover: I am intrigued by this cover. It seems like it could maybe be a historical fiction book? That would be fun. If it’s not, it might fall into the same category as Frostblood for me. 7/10

Premise: Okay, wow. That is NOT what I was expecting. This books sounds like it’s going to take sibling rivalry to a whole new level. I definitely feel like this is an original idea and if the writing is good too, I’d be interested in reading this one. The only thing I’m afraid of is that I’ll become emotionally invested in more than one sister (I’m sure this will happen) and then it’ll be this lose-lose situation since someone has to die. 9/10

Excerpt: First, there are a lot of names to remember and that got confusing during the excerpt. Once I get the names down, though, I think this will be a very interesting read. The world building is interesting and I’ll be impressed if the author can establish this world without it being clunky or awkward. The writing itself dragged at times, but liked I said earlier, I think the plot sounds very intriguing. 8/10

TBR?: Yes

The Hawkweed Prophecy by Irena Brignull (6/16)

Cover: I don’t love this cover. It has a nice folksy feel to it, but at the same time it’s just kind of weird. The moon and weird bird thing are too detailed and I don’t like that it’s all one color. Definitely doesn’t leap off the shelf. 3/10

Premise: Well, it’s been a while since I’ve read a “switched at birth” storyline, but it’s still not very appealing to me. It sounds like it’s set in modern day maybe? I was hoping it was going to be more of a folk tale, but I don’t think that’s really the case. Overall, I’m not really very excited about this one. 2/10

Excerpt: Still not impressed by this one. The writing itself is okay, but the whole plot just feels kind of tired…I’m not sure how else to describe it. The prologue tries to set up the whole story, but it’s telling the reader about characters’ motivations instead of showing. 3/10

TBR?: No

The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron (9/13)

Cover: The cover is pretty enough though the colors are a little weird and it doesn’t really look like anything special. Honestly, I almost feel like I’ve seen this cover design before. 4/10

Premise: This premise really reminds me of Matched for some reason. It just seems like it’s that kind of book. The premise doesn’t sound all that interesting to me and some of the details that it includes seems super random and arbitrary. I’m getting a little tired of the “girl saves civilization from evil group in power” storyline. There is obviously also going to be a romance in it and I can already tell that I’m going to find it shallow and forced. 2/10

Excerpt: The excerpt makes the book sound a little more interesting, but I’m still not convinced that it’s going to have many original ideas. There’s obviously a corrupt government in this cut-off civilization. Perhaps there are others beyond the city limits, perhaps not. We have a main character who has this inexplicable gift that makes her special and specifically suited to take down the government. We also have a love interest. This sounds like a lot of different books. 3/10

TBR?: No

The Reader by Traci Chee (9/13)

Cover: I’m encouraged that the main character appears to be Asian. I like that. The rest of the cover also has a nice Asian feel to it. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the title. Honestly, I think the title is kind of dumb and the font isn’t my favorite. I don’t feel like it matches the rest of the cover. 6/10

Premise: Well, it starts out by saying that this is perfect for fans of Inkheart and Shadow and Bone (both of which I loved). But then the rest of the premise has several elements that I just have a hard time believing. Obviously I know we’re going to be missing some information, but how does her aunt know how to hunt and survive in the wild and stuff? And then how is a book going to help her to find her aunt? 4/10

Excerpt: Meh. Again, not impressed. The main character seems impulsive and selfish. Just from the excerpt I don’t really feel invested in her life and don’t particularly care if she finds her aunt again or not. 4/10

TBR?: No

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess (9/20)

Cover: Yes, I like this cover. I like the fire, I like the colors, I like the subtle rose at the bottom, I like the dark background, and I feel like it fits the title. This is a good one. 8/10

Premise: I don’t know…again it doesn’t sound all that original. It sounds a little bit like the Throne of Glass series to me. I’m hopeful, but also I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up being disappointed. I really like the main character’s name though: Henrietta Howel. 6/10

Excerpt: This could be good. It seems like the world is pretty interesting and I like that the main character is intelligent. I’d definitely be interested in reading more. 7/10

TBR?: Yes

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz (9/27)

Cover: The cover is nice enough though it gives me no indication of what the book is about. 6/10

Premise: Another diverse main character! I like that. It seems recently that I’ve seen a couple of books around that deal with immigration and illegal immigration to the United States. I think that’s an interesting topic and I hope to see more YA book get into that subject. As far as the rest of the premise goes, I’m not a huge fan of our main character getting into her rebellious stage…we’ll just have to see I guess. 6/10

Excerpt: I like that Tagalog words are inserted here and there. Other than that, though, I didn’t really care for the excerpt that much. The writing felt too informal to me and even from that brief sample it felt like the main character was younger than she was supposed to be. 5/10

TBR?: Probably not unless I hear some great stuff about it.

The Continent by Keira Drake (2017)

Cover: Well, there’s no cover for this one so…I can’t really rate that, now, can I?

Premise: This sounds like this could be interesting. It reminds me a little bit of A Brave New World. You know the part where they go on a tour? Anyway, this sounds different and like it could potentially be interesting. I think something that would really break this book though is if the main character is annoying. 7/10

Excerpt: The writing is definitely quality and I really like what I read. The book seems like it’s going to be exciting. The main character seemed like she’ll be fine–I didn’t get annoyed with her during the sample at least. I’m interested to know where this book goes. 8/10

TBR?: Yes

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (1/10/17)

Cover: I like this cover a lot! For some reason it kind of reminds me of The Night Circus. The title font is fantastic and I like the colors used. The hint of red is especially nice. 9/10

Premise: This book sounds deliciously intriguing. I like that it’s a high-stakes game type of thing. It definitely sounds mysterious and now it’s starting to remind me of The League of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD for those of you who ever watched that…). 10/10

Excerpt: I think the excerpt definitely delivered. I like the contrast between the two sisters and I felt like the entire text is covering this mystery. I’m very excited to get my hands on this one. 10/10

TBR?: YES!