Waiting on Wednesday: Rogue by Gina Damico {3}

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly awaiting!!

Title: Rogue (Croak #3)
Author: Gina Damico
Release date: September 10, 2013

Lex is a teenage Grim Reaper with the power to Damn souls, and it’s getting out of control. She’s a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they’re joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: Fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.　

The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed…but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice.

I ADORED the first two books in this series when I read them last year, and have been dying for the third book since the moment I finished the second. This series is so much fun, even though it's getting darker. And Driggs has my heart. :)

So what are you guys waiting on this week?

{Book Blast + Giveaway} Made to Forget by Samantha LaFantasie

About the book:

There’s something that lies within my memory. Hidden in the dark. Something that can kill me and those that I love. But I was in an accident, covered in mystery and deception. And my memory…was lost. There are those who want me to remember. I don’t trust them.  And those I do trust…are fighting for me to forget.

Elsabetha Ellery wants to get her memory back, even if it kills her.

After waking up in a hospital with no memory, Elsabetha quickly learns those who claim to be her friend are anything but. And those who are her true friends keep themselves unseen.

Stuck with piecing together her broken memories alone, Elsa struggles with having faith in those she trusts and heeding the warnings of the dangers in recovering her memory. Ignoring them, she faces heavy consequences. Ones she doesn’t see until it’s too late, and a life is lost.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

A Kansas native, Samantha LaFantasie spends her free time with her husband and three kids. Writing has always been a passion of hers, forgoing all other desires to devote to this one obsession, even though she often finds herself arguing with her characters through much of the process. She’s primarily a fantasy writer but often feels pulled to genres such as sci-fi, romance, and others.

Among her writing credentials, she’s a board member of the Kansas Writer’s Association and has founded her own critique group, lovingly named, The Fighting Hamsters.

Samantha loves to take time to enjoy other activities such as photography and playing her favorite game of all time, Guild Wars 2.

Want more from Samantha? Keep up with her at any of her digital hangouts.

Goodreads | Facebook Fan Page | Author Central | Twitter  | Google+ | Pinterest

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Teaser Tuesday: Sink or Swim by Jamie Canosa {33}

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Title: Sink or Swim
Author: Jamie Canosa
Release date: July 21, 2013
Pages: 209

There are some things you just can't walk away from.

When sleeping in vacant warehouses and dark alleys becomes preferable to living at home, something is seriously wrong. But when word reaches Allie that her mother is facing a life threatening illness, she has no choice but to return to the place of nightmares. Leaving wasn't a choice, it was a necessity, and if returning hadn't been equally necessary, Allie never would have set foot back inside that hell-hole.

Dean is no stranger to hardship, but the day Allie walked out of his life, taking his heart right along with her, was hands-down the most frustrating. Six months later, she's back and Dean refuses to rest until he figures out exactly what the hell happened.

Now, Allie's drowning. Drowning in lies. Drowning in the truth. Drowning in pain, and anger, and fear. But there comes a time when every drowning person must decide whether they will . . . Sink or Swim?

My teaser, from what my reading app thing says is page 119 (out of 301) in the egalley:

The doctor had told her to say her goodbyes, but what did she really have to say to this woman? She was her mother, she was supposed to protect her and she didn't. But she was only human. Only a fragile, broken woman with no hope.

I'm reviewing for the blog tour, which started two days ago, and so far I'm really, really enjoying it! Be sure to come visit on August 6th! Hint hint. :) I've found that this summer--really this year in general, but especially this summer--I'm all about the contemporaries, which before I never especially liked.

I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! Have a lovely Tuesday!

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Release date: October 20, 2008
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: Ember
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Pages: 304
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

SUTTER KEELY. HE’S the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He’ ll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

Prior to seeing the trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation of The Spectacular Now, I'd never heard of it, but I could tell immediately that I needed both to read the book and watch the movie. If the movie is even close to as good and as fulfilling as the book, it's going to be absolutely heartbreaking and amazing. Sutter's voice quickly drew me in, with his seemingly happy-go-lucky look on life and his aversion to future plans. Even better, Tim Tharp's National Book Award finalist is not subtle in it's morality, but it doesn't need to be to pack a wallop.

Sutter's outlook on life is infectious. He lives for the moment. He doesn't make plans. He has a lot of ex-girlfriends, all of whom he has an excellent relationship with. But what makes Sutter endearing is also his greatest flaw. Because he doesn't make plans, he has no future. He doesn't pay attention in class and can't seem to muster enough interest to pass algebra. He doesn't believe anyone could possibly love him; he closes himself off emotionally--until he meets Aimee Finecky.

With Aimee, Sutter seems to find a way to care. He finds he wants to protect Aimee and he wants to help her, because everyone in Aimee's life treats her like dirt. He knows that giving Aimee confidence will vastly improve her life. But even as he's helping her, he's seeing the flaws in his own way of life and he knows the harm he can do to her. It's heartbreaking to watch, but it's also a beautiful and realistic look at their relationship and its power.

Just as Sutter realizes what is happening to him, we do as well. It takes his slow realization to break you from the spell of his endearing charm and his carefree attitude. As much as the ending will hurt, it is so worth the read.

Stacking the Shelves {26}

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review!

How was everybody's week? It's been a weird kind of week. On Tuesday, my mom had hip replacement surgery--she's not that old; it was a congenital deformity--so I've spent a large amount of time at the hospital and helping her out at home now that's she's here. She's doing so well but that does mean I read a lot less than I wanted to. Oh well!

For review:
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Megan Spooner, to be released December 10, 2013 by Disney-Hyperion (Netgalley)
Countdown by Michelle Rowen, to be released September 24, 2013 by Harlequin Teen (Netgalley)
The Shadow Prince (Into the Dark #1) by Bree Despain, to be released March 11, 2014 by EgmontUSA (Edelweiss)
White Space (Dark Passages #1) by Ilsa J. Bick, to be released February 11, 2014 by EgmontUSA (Edelweiss)

A big, big thanks to Disney-Hyperion, Harlequin Teen, Egmont, Netgalley, and Edelweiss for these! I can't wait to get to reading! :)

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - I recapped Colleen Hoover and Abbi Glines' signing, plus am giving away a signed Fallen Too Far.
Tuesday - I teased from The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp.
Wednesday - I reviewed Slammed by Colleen Hoover.
Thursday - I helped promote Radiant by Christian Daley.
Friday - I reviewed Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky.

Books I read this week:
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

I'm currently reading:
Sink or Swim by Jamie Canosa
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

So that's been my week! Like I said, an odd one. But good bookwise! I figure this week will be a bit more normal, and hopefully I'll get more reading done. :) Anyways, I'd love to see what y'all got, so leave me links! I'll be visiting about in just a little while. :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Release date: January 9, 2007
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: Ember
Format: Paperback
Source: Via author for review
Pages: 272
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend was an interesting read for me. I liked reading about Dom and deeply enjoyed her awkward times and the realness of her relationship with Wes, weird moments and all. It gave me a lot to think about, and in the time since I finished the book, I've decided I liked it more than I originally thought.

What sets this book apart is how unflinchingly honest its depiction of a first relationship is. There's no glitz and glamour to Dom and Wes' relationship. Each milestone in their time together is awkward and never works just right. You understand why Dom is so hung up on Wes; he's her first everything, but you know--as does she--that he's not the right person for her. I loved reading about a first love who is just a first love, not a forever love, because I think that's what most first love is. Most people do not marry and live happily ever after with the first boy that really looks their way, and I think YA emphasizes that idea way too much. It does happen sometimes, but it is not the norm. I liked seeing that here.

I do think some people will be shocked by the sex here, and if you're offended by graphic (not graphic in a romance novel kind of way, but kind of like an anatomy class with some slang terms for body parts thrown in) sex, then this is not the book for you. But teenagers do have sex. No matter how much education they have or what religion they are, there are going to be teenagers having sex. I don't want to offend people, but it's the truth and we can only try to prevent it and, if that fails, protect them. Anyways, the way the physical aspect of Dom and Wes' relationship is described is very clinical; I believe that's partially because Dom is interested in medicine and partially because she doesn't necessarily have the experience or the passion and impulsiveness to describe it in any other way.

While I don't believe this is a book that I will find myself returning to over and over again, I found it to be an entertaining and enlightening read. It helped me remember a few of my own ideas about relationships and how they should be, which I think, in many ways, is exactly the point. I liked Dom a lot and I think I will like the sequel, Anatomy of a Single Girl, even more than this one.

(Book Blitz: Excerpt + Giveaway) Radiant by Christina Daley

Title: Radiant
Author: Christina Daley
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Release date: February 12, 2013
Buy the book: Amazon

Mary is part Vietnamese. Carter is a complete jerk. Normally, they don't talk much.

But when Mary's in an accident on the way to school one morning, Carter nearly dies saving her life. The doctors say his chances of living are slim, and Mary's feeling the full weight of survivor's guilt.

However, Carter's back at school in a matter of days, as if nothing had happened. Although, he is a little "glitchy," and he's developed a sudden and intense interest in Mary. She thinks he's suffering from major brain trauma from the accident. Or that he's been possessed.

As it so happens, Carter really is possessed. And the thing controlling him is having the time of its life learning to be human.

Featuring a diverse cast of characters, RADIANT is a funny "paranormal-lite" story about being human, being in love, and being healed.

Excerpt

"What about the kid in the red car?" Mary asked. The doctor took off his glasses. "I'm sorry. He didn't make it." Mary stared at him. "But he looked at me." Mom and the doctor exchanged concerned glances. Mary looked down at her bandaged hands, trying hard to remember. A lot of details still weren't clear, but she did remember Carter opening his eyes. If only for a quick moment. "Can I see him?" she asked. "I don't know if that's a good idea," Mom said. "Mom," Mary said. "Please." Mom's brow wrinkled. Then, she sighed. "We can see if his parents will allow it." The doctor released her, and Mary left the room with her mother. When they got to the end of the hall, they saw a homely couple speaking with one of the ER surgeons. The woman was crying, and the man clutched her as if he was keeping her from falling apart. "I'm very sorry Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell," the doctor said. "We're not the Maxwells," the man said. "I'm Marcos Romero, and this is my wife Linda. We're their housekeepers. Carter's father and stepmother are out of the country right now." "I see," the doctor said. "Have either of you contacted his parents? Or his mother?" "I called and left a message for Mr. Maxwell," Mr. Romero said. "Carter's mother past away several years ago from cancer." Mrs. Romero wailed. From the way she was crying, she might as well have been Carter's mom. Mary wished that she could cry with her. Mom once joked that Mary was born with the tiniest tear ducts in the world, so she didn't cry often. Now, she wished she could drum up a couple tears, if anything to not seem so unsympathetic. Mary looked at her mother, who nodded. Then, she cautiously approached them. "Excuse me. But I'm Mary. I'm the…what I mean is…." She couldn't find the right thing to say. Mary had always been terrible with words. Especially the sensitive ones needed for things like this. Mrs. Romero looked at her disheveled school uniform and her bandaged hands and knees. "You were the girl who was almost hit by the bus," she said. "Are you all right?" Mr. Romero asked. Mary nodded. "I am, thank you. But I was wondering if I could see him? Carter, I mean." "I would advise against that," the surgeon said. "The body…I mean Carter…is not—" "Please," Mary begged. The stout couple looked at one another. At last, Mrs. Romero said, "Let her." The doctor looked at her. At last, he sighed and gestured for Mary to follow him. Mary was used to hospitals, ever since Mom became a nurse. But she had never seen an operating room occupied. Instruments and equipment were still in the places where the doctors and nurses had left them when they were trying to save Carter's life. At the center was the operating table with a still figure on it, covered with a bloody sheet. The doctor took part of the sheet. "Are you sure about this?" No, Mary thought. But she nodded nonetheless. He pulled the sheet down to Carter's neck. Mary stared at the broken, pale face of a boy she hardly knew. "I'll give you a few minutes." The doctor left the room to wait outside. Mary studied Carter's closed eyes. Maybe when they had opened in the car, it was because of an involuntary spasm. Or maybe she really had just imagined it. Mary bowed her head, once again wishing she could cry now. But all she could offer was a meager, "I'm sorry." Mary took one last look at Carter as she turned to leave. But she stopped. A single tear slowly fell from the corner of Carter's right eye. Mary rubbed her eyes, making sure her vision was clear. Then she looked again. Another tear escaped from the corner of Carter's eye. Mary bolted from the room. "He's crying!" Everyone looked at her like she was a lunatic. "Mary, calm down," Mom said. "But Mom, he's crying!" Mary repeated. "He has tears coming from his eyes." The doctor looked at her curiously. "Are you sure? Maybe the tears came from you?" Mary frowned. Couldn't he tell she wasn't crying? "You have to check him again," she said. The Romeros looked at the doctor, like they had seen a glimmer of hope struggling through the sorrow. He sighed and shrugged, but he turned and went back into the operating room. A tense few minutes passed. Suddenly, the doctor burst from the door, calling for his team. Several nurses rushed in and the door closed again. Mary and the others hardly breathed, let alone spoke, as they waited in the hall. Finally, after what felt like ages had passed, the doctor came out again, followed by the undeniable sound of the heart monitor beeping. Carter was alive.

About the author:

Christina Daley made her first book with neighborhood friends when she was four years old. They "wrote" out some semblance of lettering with crayons, cut up a cardboard box for the cover, and bound it all together with clear adhesive tape. It was brilliant.

Quite a few years later, Christina is trying her hand at writing "real" books. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with a pet plant named Herb.

As part of the blitz five winners will receive a paperback copy of Radiant plus a bookmark! US/CAN only.
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Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Release date: September 18, 2012
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Atria Books
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Pages: 317
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Falling in love can feel like poetry. Or it can feel like a slam to the heart.

Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken becomes the rock for both her mother and younger brother. She appears resilient and tenacious, but inside, she's losing hope. Then she meets her new neighbor Will, a handsome twenty-one-year-old whose mere presence leaves her flustered and whose passion for poetry slams thrills her.

Not long after a heart-stopping first date during which each recognizes something profound and familiar in the other, they are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery brings their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together and the forces that tear them apart. Only through the poetry they share are they able to speak the truth that is in their hearts and imagine a future where love is cause for celebration, not regret.

Every so often I am blown away by how much I enjoy and connect to a story. Slammed is one of those rare books. From the first few pages I found myself sucked into Layken's story and was heartbroken time and time again as her life took turns I didn't want it to. Since finishing the book last week, I've found myself thinking about the story and I am so excited to start Point of Retreat. I don't know what expectations I had for this story, but they were far exceeded.

Layken's had a rough time. First, her father dies unexpectedly. Then her mother up and moves the family from sunny Texas to chilly Michigan. Then she meets the boy of her dreams, only to learn they can't be together and there's nothing she can do about it. In her struggles to be at peace with her father's death, forgive her mother, and cope with the loss of hopes for a happy future, we are taken on a journey of love, loss, forgiveness, compassion, and family.

I'll happily admit this book made me cry. Several times. I'm quite the emotional reader, but not all--or many, really--books touch me enough to really cry. A lot of what Slammed deals with are deep fears of my own. (Not the part about why she can't date Will, though!) I don't think I could handle what she goes through, but reading about a character who deals with hardship in a realistic way is so refreshing. She gets mad and goes storming off. Layken can be selfish and doesn't set her priorities properly, but these are mistakes we all make--especially as teenagers. But seeing Layken overcome her these mistakes for the good of her family is so satisfying and touching.

Yes, there are flaws in Slammed, but they hardly detracted from my reading experience. This one definitely takes the cake as my favorite new adult novel--if that's what you classify it as, otherwise I just loved it. :)

Teaser Tuesday: The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp {32}

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Title: The Spectacular Now
Author: Tim Tharp
Release date: October 20, 2008 (movie edition: July 9, 2013)
Publisher: Ember
Pages: 304

SUTTER KEELY. HE’S the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He’ ll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

My teaser, from p. 90 in the paperback:

"That's not the craziest part of it," I say. "The craziest part was when we decided to jump off the bridge."

"You jumped off a bridge?"

"Of course. And not some puny little bridge either. It was one of those big iron bridges with the framework that arches."

I'll be starting this today! I'm super excited the for movie, since it looks awesome, but I wanted to read the book first. So here I go! :)

I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! Have a lovely Tuesday!

Colleen Hoover and Abbi Glines Signing Recap + Giveaway!

On Saturday I was lucky enough to attend Colleen Hoover and Abbi Glines' signing in Fairhope, Alabama. I was so excited to go! I've only very recently become a fan of both authors; I read my first book by Abbi a couple of weeks ago and my first by Colleen last week. In fact, I bought Slammed and Point of Retreat just last week on a whim, before I even knew she would be in town! Needless to say, I thought it was quite funny that things happened in such a way. :)

 Normally I bring a notebook and take notes during signings, but I was forgetful and didn't do that this time! So I have to work off of memory, which means this is going to be short. :)

The event was loosely structured as an informal question and answer session. Attendees simply raised their hands and the authors indicted who could speak. Questions ranged from very specific about each authors books to general. Having read only one book from each author, I was a little out of my league on a good number of the questions!

Abbi told us the absolutely crazy number of books she has coming out in the next six months--I want to say it was almost one every month--and joked that that's what happens when you have two different publishers. She also told us that when she sits down to write her first draft of a book, it generally takes about seven days. Colleen told us about her upcoming books, which definitely aren't as numerous, and talked about how her stories tend to get a life of their own. She says she plans a plot, but generally her characters make other decisions. She said it takes her about four months to write a book, though a lot of that time is spent just thinking about the book, rather than writing.

Another thing I they talked about that I loved was their character's names. Colleen didn't have a specific way she found names, but she did talked about when she was writing Slammed how she named Layken's little brother Kel--which is her son's name--with the expectation that no one would ever read the book. Abbi talked about how she's always listening to parents calling for their children, and if she hears a name she likes, she stores it in her phone.

They also discussed plagiarism scandals and the new adult genre! And then they signed books! :)

Now, here's what I'm sure you're here for. I picked up a signed copy of Abbi Glines' Fallen Too Far to give away to one lucky reader! The giveaway will run for one month, meaning it ends on August 22, and is US only. The winner will be notified via the email address used by Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to respond.

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Stacking the Shevles {25}

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review!

How was everybody's week? I might have gone a little overboard this week, but when you see what I got you will absolutely not blame me! :)

Purchased:

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
The Vincent Brothers by Abbi Glines
Fallen Too Far by Abbi Glines
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susana Clarke (not pictured)

Gifted:
The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon
Hideous Love by Stephanie Hemphill
The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney
Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis
Once We Were by Kat Zhang
Deception by C.J. Redwine

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - I reviewed Rebel Spirits by Lois Ruby.
Tuesday - I teased from Slammed by Colleen Hoover.
Wednesday - I talked about one of my favorite series ending.
Friday - I reviewed Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne.

Books I read this week:
The Bitter Kingdom (Girl of Fire and Thorns #3) by Rae Carson
Slammed by Colleen Hoover

I'm currently reading:
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

So that's been my week! I went to a signing with Abbi Glines and Colleen Hoover last night and had quite the lovely time, which meant I had to buy a few books! I'll be talking about it tomorrow, and there may just be a giveaway, so you should probably come back for that. :) I also went to my favorite indie bookstore, Page & Palette, which is always happy to pass on a few ARCs, and that is where that stack of awesome books comes from. I love them. So much. Anyways, I'd love to see what y'all got, so leave me links! I'll be visiting about in just a little while. :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne

Release date: May 28, 2013

Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Format: Egalley

Source: Publisher provided through Netgalley

Pages: 212

Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Trapped in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, including a monster hailstorm and terrifying chemical weapons spill, brothers Dean and Alex learned how to survive and worked together with twelve other kids to build a refuge from the chaos. But then strangers appeared, destroying their fragile peace, and bringing both fresh disaster and a glimmer of hope.

Knowing that the chemical weapons saturating the air outside will turn him into a bloodthirsty rage monster, Dean decides to stay in the safety of the store with Astrid and some of the younger kids. But their sanctuary has already been breached once. . . .

Meanwhile, Alex, determined to find their parents, heads out into the darkness and devastation with Niko and some others in a recently repaired school bus. If they can get to Denver International Airport, they might be evacuated to safety. But the outside world is even worse than they expected. . .

It was a surprise when I ended up liking Monument 14 last year, but it was definitely not a surprise when I enjoyed Sky on Fire, the sequel, just as much. With higher stakes and time running out, Dean, Alex, and the other kids have to survive split apart, without a means of communication between the groups.

With the group split between the bus and the Greenway, Sky on Fire is told by both Dean and Alex. Dean decided to stay behind, along with the other kids with type O blood, in order to protect the others from their adverse reactions to the air. But this means they have to defend themselves from desperate people trying to get in and somehow find permanent safety. Alex and the rest of the group are travelling to Denver International Airport, clinging to the hope that the military is stationed there and can help them. Despite their best planning, the journey is far from easy.

Adding the duel narration really makes Sky on Fire a much better book. In the first book I was dying to hear about what was happening outside of the Greenway, and in the sequel, we find out. Seeing what was happening only made me more curious about what's causing the problems--a question I hope will be answered in the last book! Not only that, but we get to balance Dean's decision to stay at the store against the other's to go out, and see if one was better than the other. We can see the repercussions of actively seeking out help, even if it is dangerous, and of staying put where it is mostly safe.

Whereas Monument 14 wasn't especially action-packed, Sky on Fire is absolutely brimming with action! The plot twists and turns with both good and bad luck for each group and it's such fun to read. Even though the book is pretty short already, it felt even shorter because reading was such a thrill. If you liked the first book, I would definitely recommend Sky on Fire. 

Let's Talk About... The End of a Series

So last night I finished The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson. If you don't know, it was the third book in the Girl of Fire and Thorns series, which is one of my absolute favorite YA series. I only read the first book last summer, and then I immediately read the second book. I quickly fell in love with the world, the characters, the story, and the romance (Hector makes me swoon like no one else, y'all.) I eagerly waited for The Bitter Kingdom, so when I was accepted to read it early on Edelweiss I about danced myself into oblivion.

Here comes the problem.

As badly as I wanted to read the book, I put it off. I knew from the moment I started it that that book would consume my life until I was finished, and after. Not only that, but I would be depressed when it was done. And, boy was I right.

I cried. Partially because of sad things and some were happy tears, but the majority were tears that a series as good as this was over. I would no longer read books about characters whose lives I was emotionally invested in and who I had become protective of.

People who don't read don't understand this feeling. They don't see how imaginary people can make us feel this way. But, as I see it, I invest time in reading about characters I like, just as I invest time in people I like. As I read more about a character, I learn more about them, just as I learn more about a person as I spend more time with them. While the relationship is fundamentally one-sided, it is a relationship nonetheless. So, just as I mourn the loss of a friend or miss a family member when we're apart for a long time, it is the same with characters.

Anyways, I don't quite know how to deal with the end of a series. While I can reread the books, there's nothing like reading a book you adore for the first time. Rereads may show you more about the world and the people in it, but there's never that original spark, that wonder from the first time you read the words. I remember when I finished the final Harry Potter book. I had some form of this loss, but it was different since there were several movies left. When I finished watching the final movie, though, the loss hit me. Even now, I sometimes get sad that Harry Potter is over, and I think this series will be the same.

I honestly don't know quite where I'm going with this post, but I felt the need to talk about this and no one around me likes to talk books quite like the book blogging community does. So I'm giving it over to you guys. Do you mourn the end of series? If so, HOW do you mourn? I'm one to sit and stare at things, thinking melancholy thoughts. What series were you sad to see end, or will be sad to see end? And, if you've read The Bitter Kingdom, we should chat. :)

Teaser Tuesday: Slammed by Colleen Hoover {31}

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Title: Slammed
Author: Colleen Hoover
Release date: January 5, 2012
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 317

Falling in love can feel like poetry. Or it can feel like a slam to the heart.

Colleen Hoover’s romantic, emotion-packed debut novel unforgettably captures all the magic and confusion of first love, as two young people forge an unlikely bond before discovering that fate has other plans for them.

Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken becomes the rock for both her mother and younger brother. She appears resilient and tenacious, but inside, she's losing hope. Then she meets her new neighbor Will, a handsome twenty-one-year-old whose mere presence leaves her flustered and whose passion for poetry slams thrills her.

Not long after a heart-stopping first date during which each recognizes something profound and familiar in the other, they are slammed to the core when a shocking discovery brings their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together and the forces that tear them apart. Only through the poetry they share are they able to speak the truth that is in their hearts and imagine a future where love is cause for celebration, not regret.

My teaser, from p. 77 in the paperback:

"Come on, Lake! You aren't being fair." He matches his tone to mine, and I know I've hit a nerve. "I can't do this. We can't just be friends. It's the only choice we have."

I'm super excited because I'm going to be seeing Colleen Hoover along with Abbi Glines on Saturday, so I'm getting myself quite prepared for the signing. I've heard lots of good things about her books, so I'm looking forward to reading this one once I finish The Bitter Kingdom. :)

I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! Have a lovely Tuesday!

Rebel Spirits by Lois Ruby

Release date: June 1, 2013

Author info: Website | Twitter

Publisher: Point

Format: Hardcover

Source: For review via publisher

Pages: 304

Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Lori Chase doesn't know what to think about ghosts. She may have seen a few in the past, but those were just childish imaginings...right? Only now that she is living in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, spirits seem to be on everyone's mind. The town is obsessed with its bloody Civil War history, and the old inn that Lori's parents run is supposedly haunted by the souls of dead soldiers.

Then Lori meets one such soldier--the devastatingly handsome Nathaniel Pierce. Nathaniel's soul cannot rest, and he desperately needs Lori's help. Because Nathaniel was not killed in the famous battle. He was murdered. Lori begins to investigate the age-old mystery, stumbling upon shocking clues and secrets.

At the same time, she can't help falling for Nathaniel, just as he is falling for her...

Rebel Spirits was a bit of a hit and miss for me. There were definitely certain aspects I really enjoyed: the historical connection (especially since I was reading this starting the day after the Gettysburg anniversary), the creepy, almost Gothic tone in parts, and Nathaniel's fascinating history. But there were also things that detracted for me: in general, Lori, THE SUPER INSTA-LOVE, and the writing in some parts. This was a quick, altogether enjoyable read, but not especially memorable.

I love books connected to history, so I was excited to read about the ghost of a soldier who fought at Gettysburg and about how the town is today (I'm super curious to know if it's how Ruby describes. I"m quite sure the reenactments are!) That didn't disappoint; with scenes of cemetery tours, handsome men reliving the battle, and dances in period costumes, I got quite the dose and deeply enjoyed it. I was very invested in Nathaniel's story, and really wanted to hear all about his family, their history, and his experiences fighting.

The biggest detractor for me really was the insta-love though. Generally, I'm not picky about it, but this book takes place over three or four days and by the second day Lori is saying she loves Nathaniel, whom she has probably spent an hour with. I would've really loved a love story with a ghost (and I have previously!) but I felt like the time frame of the book made the relationship feel false and way too rushed.

One thing I especially liked, though, is the eerie tone that is set early on in the book. I dislike things that are outright scary, but I love a foreboding feel. That is exactly what Lois Ruby created; it felt distinctive and made the story feel more urgent, even as Lori is looking to solve a 150-year old mystery.

While there are certain qualities to Rebel Spirits that detracted from my experience, altogether I found it to be enjoyable and quick; it's a romantic and bittersweet ghost story.

Stacking the Shelves {24}

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review!

How was everybody's week? I'm definitely enjoying having absolutely NO obligations. :)

For review:

The Boy on the Bridge by Natalie Standiford (Netgalley)

A big thanks to Scholastic for this! I'm super excited to read it. :)

Purchased: (I got fancy this week! Partially because my computer was being stupid, so I put this together on my tablet. Yay for Picasa shared albums!)

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne
Slammed by Colleen Hoover
Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
Easy by Tammara Webber
Blood Red Road (Dust Lands #1) by Moira Young

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - I interviewed Melanie Card for the Ward Against Darkness blog tour.
Tuesday - I teased from Tides by Betsy Cornwell.
Thursday - I reviewed The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett.
Friday - I reviewed The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines and Losing It by Cora Carmack.

Books I read this week:
Rebel Spirits by Lois Ruby
The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
Sky on Fire (Monument 14 #2) by Emmy Laybourne

I'm currently reading:
The Bitter Kingdom (Girl of Fire and Thorns #3) by Rae Carson (!!!!)

So that's been my week! I did a kind of bad thing and bought wayyy too many books. I brought some books to my local secondhand bookstore and just HAD to look. You see what happened! Anyways, I'd love to see what y'all got, so leave me links! I'll be visiting about in just a little while. :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Mini Reviews: Losing It & The Vincent Boys

I suppose it's time for a couple more mini reviews! Both of these books are "new adult", so I thought they would go nicely together. I'm definitely finding that I like new adult titles more than I anticipated. :) Like before, I am not including the synopsis, but the titles link directly to Goodreads, where you can find the synopsis and much much more!

Title: Losing It
Author: Cora Carmack
Release date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: William Morrow
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

I was absurdly excited to read this one because it felt like absolutely everyone had read it and enjoyed it. I was excited to become part of that crowd! Losing It is probably my favorite new adult title I've read so far, and the ones I'll read in the future have a lot to live up to. I quite liked Bliss and felt like her hangups were much more realistic than those from a lot of characters I've read about recently. Plus, it certainly can never hurt to have a hot British boy around, can it? :) I think Losing It exemplifies what new adult could be. As a young adult reader, sometimes I do miss reading about a character that is my age. Instead of inserting gratuitous sex and things that are unnecessary, Cora Carmack simply writes about a different stage in a young adult's life and does it with humor and well.

Title: The Vincent Boys
Author: Abbi Glines
Release date: October 12, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

This is another I had heard tons of good things about. My experience with The Vincent Boys wasn't quite as good as with Losing It. I found it hard to read about Ashton cheating on Sawyer altogether, no matter how it was set up. Cheating obviously is a touchy subject, and, honestly, I think Abbi Glines does a good job with it. She takes care to show Ashton's unhappiness so the reader knows that the situation she is in is not good and I think she makes it clear there is a lot of remorse on both Ashton and Beau's parts. Even so, it rubs me the wrong way. Past that, I liked the book, if you can believe it. I especially liked Beau and Lana, and I liked seeing them juxtaposed against Ashton. It's always a pleasure to read about the area I'm from (I live about an hour from Mobile, and Grove seems to be set a little outside of Mobile) and this is definitely a summer kind of book. :)

Either one of these books would be a perfect beach read, though take care to keep them dry. :)

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Release date: March 5, 2013
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Tor Teen
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided through Netgalley
Pages: 367
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

When I requested The Nightmare Affair on Netgalley, I was excited. But somewhere between then and when I began reading this book, I lost my enthusiasm. I have no idea why, but, luckily, I really enjoyed it!

The Nightmare Affair is definitely an insubstantial--not in a bad way, just light--kind of paranormal book, but it's one that is terribly fun to read. Dusty is a Nightmare, meaning she feeds off of the dreams of others. She attends Arkwell Academy, a school for magickind, where she is an outsider--for she is the only Nightmare there, and a half-breed. When Dusty feeds off of Eli, a boy she knows from regular high school, she finds that he's dreaming of murder... Then it comes true. Dusty and Eli are teamed together and work tirelessly to find the killer, before it's too late.

My only complaint with the book is that I found much of the mystery to be very predictable, though I did have one big surprise. At times I was banging my head against objects with my frustration, though.

I think The Nightmare Affair is a bit of (don't freak out, y'all) Harry Potter lite in many ways. With a form of governance over magic, students at boarding school, and a mystery for a special student to solve with their friends, it definitely reminded me of the first Harry Potter book or two. While it doesn't have the potential to delve anywhere near the ubiquitous Potter books, it was an enjoyable read with fun characters and a lot of whimsy. I'm definitely going to be reading the next book!

Teaser Tuesday: Tides by Betsy Cornwell {30}

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Title: Tides
Author: Betsy Cornwell
Release date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 304

When high-school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don’t expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.

My teaser, from p. 65 in the egalley:

Noah didn't need a mystery or a fairy tale. What he needed, he lectured himself, was to go to sleep, so he could have some chance of not making a total fool of himself at the Center tomorrow.

He turned away from the shore and made his way back to the cottage.

I'm hearing good things about this one, so I'm hoping that it'll live up to everyone's good word! It's definitely a good one for the summer. :)

No internship anymore, so I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! Have a lovely Tuesday!

Ward Against Darkness Blog Tour: Interview with Melanie Card

I am unbelievably excited to have Melanie Card here for an interview today as part of the blog tour for the second book in The Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer, Ward Against Darkness! I have been looking forward to this sequel from the moment I closed the first book, so it is an immense pleasure to get to interview Melanie, and the biggest thanks to her for taking the time to answer my questions! Also, be sure to check out the giveaway Entangled is hosting in conjunction with the cover reveal!

About the book:

The last thing Ward de’Ath wants is more trouble. On the run from both the law and the criminal underworld, Ward and Celia flee Brawenal City only to stumble into the mansion of a powerful evil necromancer. And when Ward discovers the man possesses a dangerous grimoire, his duty leaves him no choice. He can’t allow the necromancer to keep the grimoire. But the mansion is filled with monsters—human and undead—and Ward has no way of telling who’s friend or foe. The only person he can trust is Celia who dominates more of his thoughts and feelings everyday. But there are still laws in the way of anything but friendship. She’s still dead and he’s still alive . . .

So, necromancy. That's not one you see too often, though a topic I'm personally fascinated with (I'm not a crazy person, I swear!) What inspired you to write about a "reluctant necromancer"? 

Thanks for inviting me here today, Rachel. If you’re crazy for being fascinated with necromancy than I must be, too. Perhaps it’s the romantic in me who wants to explore characters and relationships that transcend death. The Reluctant Necromancer series was inspired a little bit by the idea that we usually see necromancers as villains. And I wanted to know what would a good necromancer be like? Are there good necromancers? How could necromancy not be evil? With questions like that, I came up with Ward, a young men who, as much as he doesn’t want to be in the family business of necromancy, really has no choice in the matter. 

Now that you're about to release the second book in this series and are no longer a "debut author", how does the experience compare? Is writing and releasing a second book easier than a first? 

I might be a little strange, but I never really thought of myself as a debut author or that being a debut author was any different than any other type of author. So I haven’t really noticed much of a difference. As for easier, I’d say writing and releasing a second book has been equally challenging to writing and releasing the first book. The catch is, all the challenges are different. 

What are some of your favorite books, or books that have influenced you as a writer? (Or both!) 

As a fantasy writer, I’d have to say Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy has had an enormous influence on me. Not just in the sense that I read it and was inspire (although that happened as well) but that it’s influenced so many fantasy writers and by reading in the genre you can’t avoid that influence. I think I was also strongly influence by mythology and fairy tales. It might explain why I started reading fantasy in the first place. 

But I’d say my strongest influence has been Mercedes Lackey. I first read her when I was twelve and was hooked. She’s an extremely prolific writer (also does a lot of co-authored works) so over the years there has been a lot to read. I can remember standing in the book store when I was thirteen looking at Mercedes’s books thinking, I want to do that. I want to write books like that. 

A lot of reviewers, myself included, have loved how Ward and Celia seem to balance off of one another so well. Did you write them as they came to you, or were their personalities and banter developed over time? (Either way, it's terribly fun!) 

 Ward and Celia showed up fully developed. I can plan how a scene will go, start writing it, and inevitably Ward will do something or Celia will say something and they’re off, taking the scene in a completely different direction. I have a love/hate relationship with this. I love that these characters are so alive and surprise me, but I do like to plot my books and they always force me to take half my plot and toss it out the window. 

What book(s) are you most looking forward to reading this year? 

There are so many (and I’m so behind in my reading). I’m looking forward to Michelle Sagara’s Cast in Peril. I need to check out Guy Gavriel Kay’s River of Stars, and M. L. N. Hanover’s Graveyard Child. 

And... Can you tell us one random, silly fact about yourself? :) 

Only the house plants I’ve named have ever survived for more than a few months.

Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
Find Melanie online: Facebook | Twitter @melaniecard | Goodreads | MelanieCard.com

About the author:

Melanie has always been drawn to storytelling and can’t remember a time when she wasn’t creating a story in her head. Her early stories were adventures with fairies and dragons and sword swinging princesses.

Today she continues to spin tales of magic in lands near and far, while her cat sits on the edge of her desk and supervises. When she’s not writing, you can find her pretending to be other people with her local community theatre groups.