Cover Image: Fierce Reads Spring 2021 Sampler

Fierce Reads Spring 2021 Sampler

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Member Reviews

Thank you for this sampler!
Ace of Spades and Gearbreakers were already on my TBR, and I enjoyed May the Best Man Win too!

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I love getting samplers like these. I always end up adding at least some, if not all the books to my TBR list… And this diverse selection from MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group is no different. I was already interested in Ace of Spades, but the rest of these little tidbits look equally promising. I’m also especially looking forward to checking out May the Best Man Win, and The Ones We Left Behind. I love getting samplers like these. I always end up adding at least some, if not all the books to my TBR list… And this diverse selection from MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group is no different. I was already interested in Ace of Spades, but the rest of these little tidbits look equally promising. Now I’m also especially looking forward to checking out May the Best Man Win, and The Ones We Left Behind… but honestly, I don’t think you would go wrong with any of these books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and MacMillan’s Children’s Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this Sampler

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ACE OF SPADES: I actually just bought this book haha, I'm so excited to read it and the sampler was so good.

BLADE OF SECRETS: Eh. Tricia Levenseller just isn't for me. It's really unlikely I'll ever pick this up.

DARLING: I'm not a big retelling fan so I probably won't pick this up but what I read is good!

GEARBREAKERS: I cannot articulate just how excited I am for this book and the sampler was so good. Can't wait to read the whole thing!

MAY THE BEST MAN WIN: I didn't love the sampler and I haven't heard very good things about this so I won't be picking this up.

ME (MOTH): I don't really like books in verse so I'm not going to pick this up but I'm sure others would enjoy it. Just not for me.

THE ONES WE'RE MEANT TO FIND: While the sampler was good and I've heard a lot of good things about this, the concept just doesn't interest me at all so I most likely won't be picking this up. I'm kind of on the edge though.

THE SEA IS SALT AND SO AM I: This seems like it has the potential to make me cry so obviously I'm interested.

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Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great sample of books. I particularly enjoyed Ace of Spades, The Ones We're Meant to Find, and May the Best Man Win.

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SO excited for all these books, they all sound fantastic! Especially intrigued by Blade of Secrets, Gearbreakers, and Ace of Spades! Defiantly lots of preorders coming soon.. :)

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Thank you for this sampler! Many of these were already on my tbr, but I did add a few more. I am most intrigued by / excited for Ace of Spades, Blade of Secrets, Darling, and The Ones We're Meant to Find.

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This made me so eager to read several of these books! Definitely putting them on my tbr! Ace of spades had me hooked

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3/5 stars

Thank to Netgalley for providing this book!

The books were fine but i unfortunately wasn't too attached to the characters

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Ace of Spades: Still not 100% sure what this is about, per se, but nonetheless I am intrigued. I may have to put in a request....

Blade of Secrets: This failed to pique my interest. I won't be picking this one up.

Darling: While I'm a sucker for a good retelling, the dialogue felt a bit awkward and unrealistic. I may still read this, for the retelling, but not until it's available at my local library.

Gearbreakers: This could be a fun steampunk YA novel for those that like that kind of stuff. Not me, but other people.

May the Best Man Win: This sounds like it will be a cute LGBT+ drama. There's some real contenders for good representation here. I may be a bit past the target audience (and frankly, I don't care about high school homecoming drama) but I'd definitely recommend this to high schoolers.

Me (Moth): This book is in verse, which I did not know, but it looks promising!

The Ones We're Meant to Find: This could be interesting. I will be keeping an eye out.

The Sea is Salt and So Am I: Another one I may have to check out.

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I'm really excited to read all these books! I love that there's a diverse range in terms of genre. I already have a copy of Blade of Secrets and I can't wait for the sequel.

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An enlightening read! I was excited to see what new books are coming out by Fierce Reads in 2021 and update my TBR accordingly.

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I love reading samplers! There are some really great books coming out this year and this was a good way to see if I'd be interested in reading any of them. So far, I'm most excited about Blade of Secrets, it reads well and seems to be right up my alley.

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Ace of Spades:
This is a mystery/thriller about two students being anonymously bullied after becoming senior prefects at their school. The writing style is easy to read, relatable, and descriptive in a way that makes you want to learn more. The cliff-hanger at the end of this sneak peek makes me want to order this book immediately because I definitely need to learn more about these characters and help figure out who the bully is.

Blade of Secrets:
This is one of my most anticipated releases so I was so excited to read this sneak peek and it did not disappoint. Our main character Ziva is a blacksmith with anxiety who prefers metal over people. She also has some kind of magic that she doesn't know too much about because her parents died before she grew into them. Tricia Levenseller's writing always sucks me in. It's captivating and easily paints a picture of the new world we're entering. She always writes the best characters and Ziva is no different as a powerful female blacksmith with magical powers. I was so sad that we only got a peek into the first chapter. I need this one now!

Darling:
All I really know about this one is that it is a Peter Pan retelling set in the modern day. It was a little odd to me that this sneak peek started with the second chapter but I don't think we lost too much of the story. Wendy has a broken window in her room and someone tried to hop the fence in their yard so this seems like the perfect setup for an interesting romance or some dangerous adventures. Overall, I'm intrigued by the concept but I'm not too invested in the characters so I'm not sure if I would keep reading.

Gearbreakers:
The first quote that really got to me was "Keep the soldier and discard her flaws, and make her a God". One of our main characters, Sona, has one artificial eye and one that belongs to her and she seems to be a bot. Out other main character is Eris who is a gearbreaker on what seems to be the other side of the war from Eris. I was actually really confused while reading this sneak peek but overall this book doesn't sound like it's for me because I don't tend to enjoy science fiction.

May The Best Man Win:
This book has a transgender protagonist who transitioned during his senior year. You get insight into the struggles trans people are faced with including constantly being misgendered. We also get the perspective of the guy who dated our protagonist before he transitioned and he isn't sure where they stand. This has the potential to be a very meaningful, educational story and I'm excited to read the full thing.

Me (Moth):
I was pleasantly surprised to see a story told in verse. Our black protagonist had to move after the death of her family to a school that is 96% white. The aunt who took her in also started drinking and neglecting to care for Moth. The writing is hauntingly beautiful and I couldn't stop reading. I've seen this book around before but I didn't really think about picking it up but this sneak peek changed my mind.

The Ones We're Meant To Find:
Even after finishing the sneak peek, I am very confused about the setting and the plot but the characters intrigue me as they are sisters. We also have a supporting character U-Me who is a bot that is a mashup of a dictionary and questionnaire rating scale which is interesting. One of our characters lives part of her life as a hologram while the other woke up on an abandoned island with no memory of why.

The Sea Is Salt and So Am I:
Before I get into my review I want to make sure you are aware of the trigger warnings in this book: "Suicidal ideation and attempted suicide, as well as detailed depictions of depression". The Sea Is Salt and So Am I gave me vibes that reminded me of Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno in the way that it takes place in a small coastal town having to deal with flooding and focuses on deeper emotions than other contemporaries tend to focus on. So far within the first few chapters, we have a discussion of environmental impact and a character dealing with depression. I was sucked in by the stunningly raw and beautiful writing and loved that these characters seemed relatable and the most realistic characters I read about recently. There are so many undertones this novel focuses on that it is truly captivating and heartwrenching. I love that on top of these topics there is also the potential for romance which will hopefully add a lighter breath to the story. We get to read multiple points of view and I think that is a great way to encapsulate Cassandra Hartt's story and plotline. This sneak peek left me wanting more and I recommend this to anyone looking for a new emotional contemporary, especially on the coastline.

Thank you to Netgalley and Fierce Reads fo these sneak peeks in exchange for an honest review.

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What a great sampler! I’m so glad I had the chance to read a few chapters of books I have been looking forward to and also find some great additions to my tbr.

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A great selection of book snippets! I now have a bunch of books that I want to get as well! I like the samplers because it means that you don't have to buy a book and regret it by not being able to get past the first part. These really help set in stone books you may want.

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This is a great sampler with a lot of promising reads! Not only was I able to read samples of books I have been looking forward to, but I also found a few more that, because of reading the sample, I am now looking forward to reading!

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This is a very exciting sampler of reads that I'm very much looking forwards to! I'm especially anticipating Ace of Spades, Gearbreakers, May the Best Man Win, and The Ones We're Meant to Find. Lots of great new books coming out this spring and I can't wait to read the full books!

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I love these sampler books! I enjoyed reading the beginnings of these and added a couple to my TBR list.

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Loved the sampler and it had great book selections, but I would have hoped that it could be released in kindle as well

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Great selection of YA books, a few of which I've already added to my book wishlist. I did not like that this sampler was not made available in kindle format though.

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