Review: The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

Release date: March 3, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Pages: 416
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Book two of the dazzling Winner's Trilogy is a fight to the death as Kestrel risks betrayal of country for love.

The engagement of Lady Kestrel to Valoria’s crown prince means one celebration after another. But to Kestrel it means living in a cage of her own making. As the wedding approaches, she aches to tell Arin the truth about her engagement…if she could only trust him. Yet can she even trust herself? For—unknown to Arin—Kestrel is becoming a skilled practitioner of deceit: an anonymous spy passing information to Herran, and close to uncovering a shocking secret.

As Arin enlists dangerous allies in the struggle to keep his country’s freedom, he can’t fight the suspicion that Kestrel knows more than she shows. In the end, it might not be a dagger in the dark that cuts him open, but the truth. And when that happens, Kestrel and Arin learn just how much their crimes will cost them.

Marie Rutkoski has hit it out of the park again with The Winner's Crime. At once beautiful, heartbreaking, overwhelming, torturous, and a joy, the sequel to The Winner's Curse captures the same feelings as the first, while also expanding the world, political intrigue and machinations, and forbidden love between Kestrel and Arin. For me, never has a book so encompassed the phrase "hurts so good."

Against a background of excess--luxurious dresses, glittering jewelry, spun sugar utensils (yes, really)--Kestrel and Arin are mired in an even more difficult situation than before. In the capitol of Valoria, under the all-seeing eye of the emperor, Kestrel is stuck between loyalty to her country and her sympathy for those her people have enslaved. She has to make impossible decisions in the hopes of not risking the ones she loves while also preserving as many lives as possible. She plays a dangerous game, for the emperor is not a gentle man, and he is every bit adept as she is.

For Arin, the struggle is between his love of his people and his love of Kestrel. He can't understand the decisions she has made, but he doesn't know the truth--that her choices are for him, not for herself. He also is coming to terms with the fact that, though his country is free in name, they are far from it. There's more going on than he knows, and he has to find a way to fight for his people--or their very lives are at stake.

There is moment after moment of pure beauty in the writing, little snippets that fly off the page like poetry, and it's such a pleasure to read, especially as the writing gives so much just in its tone. Tension builds and releases, all up to the stunning ending--in more ways than one. This is a sequel that not only builds and betters its predecessor, but it leaves you desperate for more.

About the author:

Marie Rutkoski is the author of the YA novel The Shadow Society and the children's fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders, The Celestial Globe and The Jewel of the Kalderash. Her next project is a YA trilogy that begins with The Winner's Curse, which is scheduled to be published in March 2014. 

Marie grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She holds a BA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from Harvard University. Marie is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children's literature and fiction writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

Review: The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Release date: February 24, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 320
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review through Edelweiss
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

Sigh. I so wanted to love The Sin Eater's Daugher. I've been excited about it for months, reading rave reviews and drooling at the cover. But, in this case, my wish did not come true.

There are really quite a few things that grated on my nerves the whole way through, the biggest being that nothing happens for a huge portion of the book. And I mean nothing. Twylla sits in her room (she's stuck there because she only has one guard, as one has fallen ill and no one wants to guard the girl who could kill them with one touch) and passes the time praying, sewing, and talking to Leif. Pages and pages of what I figure is supposed to be their relationship developing, but... Not really. It's so boring. If there were substantial character development, I'd have been entertained--that's like crack to me, y'all--but there's not. Twylla wishes she could leave and tells herself she shouldn't like her guard so much. That's it.

I also found the queen, the villain, to be terribly cliched and boring. I love the idea that the royal family is inbred because of their desire for blood purity--so the queen is crazy, obviously. Fine. Good. I just think, though, that it's done in an obvious way and without any nuance to it. Twylla is stupid ever to believe a word that comes out of her mouth, but she has--and does--even as the queen is obviously out to get her own way at any cost.

What saved the book, at least sort of, is the fascinating worldbuilding. From the first pages, I wanted to know everything about the world. From the Daunen embodied to sin eating to the story of the Sleeping Prince, I loved every bit. Give me a book filled with the fairy tales of the world and a handbook on what each food stands for in sin eating and I'd have been way more entertained than for most of this story.

Luckily, the plot does pick up (finally, around 60 percent) and makes the ending of The Sin Eater's Daughter go by very quickly and, largely, interestingly, though the twists are rather obvious. It helped, but it couldn't save the book for me. In the end, I was pretty disappointed by The Sin Eater's Daughter, and it kind of broke my heart.

About the author:

Melinda Salisbury lives by the sea, somewhere in the south of England. As a child she genuinely thought Roald Dahl’s Matilda was her biography, in part helped by her grandfather often mistakenly calling her Matilda, and the local library having a pretty cavalier attitude to the books she borrowed. Sadly she never manifested telekinetic powers. She likes to travel, and have adventures. She also likes medieval castles, non-medieval aquariums, Richard III, and all things Scandinavian The Sin Eater's Daughter is her first novel. 

Waiting on Wednesday: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson {82}

Title: Walk on Earth a Stranger
Author: Rae Carson
Release date: September 22, 2015

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times–bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America. Walk on Earth a Stranger begins an epic saga from one of the finest writers of young adult literature.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? 

Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with the first book in the Gold Seer trilogy, introducing a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance, as only she can.

Nope, couldn't wait a single week to feature this one! I've been dying for another book from Rae Carson, and this sounds so good! Can it be September already? Please?

 So what are you guys waiting on this week? :)

Teaser Tuesday: The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury {108}

Title: The Sin-Eater's Daughter
Author: Melinda Salisbury

Release date: February 24, 2015

Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

My teaser, from 15% in the egalley:

Later, each gardener lost the index finger from their dominant hand for allowing dandelions to grow in the kitchen gardens unchecked and in such high numbers; the cook lost both her little toes for suggesting the queen might eat the leaves and roots of weeds in her salad, or drink them in tea. The queen had wanted her thumbs, but that would have left the cook unable to do her job. The queen called it mercy. Again.

I have been absurdly excited for this one for months and months, and I'm finally reading it! So far I'm not wowed, but it's definitely intriguing enough to keep me reading. We'll see! :)

I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! :) Happy Tuesday!

Review: The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy #2) by Sherry Thomas

Release date: September 16, 2014
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 414
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review through Edelweiss
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future.

DANG. I did it again. When I read The Burning Sky months after its release and loved it, I told myself that wouldn't be the case for its sequel, The Perilous Sea. I was over the moon to get a review copy months in advance--and I totally meant to read it! Yet, here we are, months after release--again--and I just read The Perilous Sea. And like its predecessor, it was awesome.

Even more so than The Burning Sky, The Perilous Sea is addicting. Told in alternating before- and after-style points of view, we see Titus and Iolanthe head back to Eton for another term after spending the summer accidentally apart and the two, sometime in the future, stranded in the middle of the Sahara desert, with no memories of who they are or how they got there, and pursued by Atlantis. While I found the desert island line slightly more compelling because its so filled with mystery (and because you get to watch Titus and Iolanthe fall in love all over again and in a completely different way), I was never rushing to get to one over the other. The line at Eton is so terribly important, because so many bits and pieces are beginning to come together. It makes for such a fast read.

Throughout the book, Titus is struggling with his mother's prophecies. He has so entrenched himself in the idea that her visions are infallible that he's been almost blindly following them. So, when he realizes her prophecies are telling him something he doesn't want to hear and that his original interpretation of them could be wrong, he has to confront how he's viewed them all along and whether or not that future she saw is absolute. Titus' dedication to the future his mother saw is a sticking point in his relationship with Iolanthe, but, god bless that girl, she comes through so well for him. This challenge serves as an opportunity for the two of them to grow together, challenged by circumstances and possibly fate.

The Perilous Sea is, truly, an exceptional sequel. In its interesting storyline, development of its principal characters, and its delving into those secondary characters that may have once seemed like throwaways, it will continually entertain and, in the end, shock you. Beware the cliffhanger ending--it'll only make you more desperate for book 3!

About the author:

Sherry Thomas immigrated to the United States from China when she was thirteen and taught herself English in part by devouring science fiction and romance novels. She is the author of several acclaimed novels in that genre and is the recipient of two RITA Awards. When not writing, she thinks about the zen and zaniness of her profession, plays computer games with her sons, and reads as many fabulous books as she can find. Sherry lives with her family in Houston, Texas.

Stacking the Shelves {106}

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? Mine's been good, though uneventful. Thursday night I got allllll caught up on a lot of things, most importantly commenting and posting reviews to Goodreads and Amazon. It took hours, but it's nice to have it done. And I almost didn't have any books to share this week, but I got a package yesterday afternoon! Yay for mail!

For review:

Love, Fortunes, and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen
Thursday - Review: When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill
Friday - Series Review: Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Books I read this week:
The Caller (Shadowfell #3) by Juliet Marillier
The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski
The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy #2) by Sherry Thomas

I'm currently reading:
The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

So that's been my week! I'm pretty proud of myself for this week, actually. It's been a while since I was so on the ball, and it feels good. :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Series Review: Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

Release dates: September 11, 2012; July 1, 2013; September 9, 2014
Author info: Website | Facebook
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 410, 406, 480
Format: Paperback, paperback, hardcover
Source: Purchased, purchased, library
Buy the books: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

About Shadowfell:

Sixteen-year-old Neryn is alone in the land of Alban, where the oppressive king has ordered anyone with magical strengths captured and brought before him. Eager to hide her own canny skill--a uniquely powerful ability to communicate with the fairy-like Good Folk--Neryn sets out for the legendary Shadowfell, a home and training ground for a secret rebel group determined to overthrow the evil King Keldec. 

During her dangerous journey, she receives aid from the Good Folk, who tell her she must pass a series of tests in order to recognize her full potential. She also finds help from a handsome young man, Flint, who rescues her from certain death--but whose motives in doing so remain unclear. Neryn struggles to trust her only allies. They both hint that she alone may be the key to Alban's release from Keldec's rule. Homeless, unsure of who to trust, and trapped in an empire determined to crush her, Neryn must make it to Shadowfell not only to save herself, but to save Alban.

 When it comes to fantasy done right, I have two people I go to: Robin McKinley and Juliet Marillier. Never have they disappointed, and when it comes to Juliet Marillier, after reading the Shadowfell books, that statement stands. I remember being excited for Shadowfell a long time before it released, I got an egalley, started it...and lost steam. I was pretty afraid I'd found one of her books I couldn't get into. I set it aside. For a long time. Years. I bought a paperback copy on a whim at least a year ago, which then sat around for a long time. Until a couple of weeks ago, when I had the biggest need for some fantasy, and I figured it was time for another try. BOY WAS IT EVER.

When I first tried Shadowfell, I got stuck in the first hundred pages. They're pretty slow. There's plenty going on, but it still manages to be very introductory. And yet, once I got past those hundred pages, I flew through the remaining 1,100 pages of the series with no problem whatsoever. Never a sticking point, never a moment where I thought I should back off and read something else. Once Neryn and Alban got me, they had me. Shadowfell in and of itself is good, but it never really stood up to my favorites from Juliet Marillier. This is partially, obviously, because my favorites are her more sprawling, intricate adult fantasies, and partially probably just the book itself.

A lot changed with Raven Flight, though. Since all that pesky world-building is, for the most part, done--as are most of the character introductions--you really get into the meat of the world and of Neryn's journey. There's a lot of travelling back and forth through Alban in the three books, but in the last two it's mixed in so well with important moments and character development that it really doesn't drag ever. And the characters have such a wonderful arc over the series, which is obvious no matter what, but highlighted all the more in the quick succession in which I read the series. Neryn is small, quiet, and principled, raised to value the old ways of Alban. As she develops her gift as a Caller, not only does she become more skilled and connected to the land, but she also becomes more confident. The girl who finishes the series is definitely not the one who started it. With Flint, most of his development comes in the first book, but we're given more glimpses into his past and that development throughout the final two. You see just how hard the life he lives is, and the toll that takes on him, each and every day.

The Caller felt like it was all rising action. There's a rebellion that's going to happen, whether its key players are ready or not, and each page turn takes you closer. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt a bit like I was living for the final pages. At the same time, Juliet Marillier really threw in some unexpected turns, which both kept me on my toes and made me realize that the events leading up to the finale definitely were not set in stone--which was something my forward-thinking mind had done. The finale itself is brutal at times, hard for someone who so quickly and completely became entrenched in the world of Alban, but it's so worth it.

Juliet Marillier's books are a treasure to me. There are so few authors whose work I connect with each and every time, but she's never failed me. Her writing is, without fail, peerless and completely gorgeous. If Shadowfell is a series you tried and stopped, or haven't tried at all but you like fantasy, I hope you'll give it a chance--past the first one hundred pages of Shadowfell. Neryn, Alban, and the Good Folk will enchant.

Shadowfell: 4 stars

Raven Flight: 5 stars

The Caller: 4.5 stars

About the author:

Juliet Marillier was born July 27, 1948 in Dunedin, New Zealand and grew up surrounded by Celtic music and stories. Her own Celtic-Gaelic roots inspired her to write her first series, the Sevenwaters Trilogy. Juliet was educated at the University of Otago, where she majored in music and languages, graduating BA and a B Mus (Hons). Her lifelong interest in history, folklore and mythology has had a major influence on her writing.

Juliet is the author of seventeen historical fantasy novels for adults and young adults, as well as a book of short fiction. Juliet's novels and short stories have won many awards.

Juliet lives in a 110 year old cottage in a riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. She shares her home with a small pack of waifs and strays - she is a foster carer for an animal rescue group. She has four adult children and seven grandchildren. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.)

Review: When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill

Release date: February 24, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 368
Format: Egalley
Source: Published provided for review through Netgalley
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Ellie Cahill is poised to coin the term “sorbet sex” with her charming twist on the age-old ‘friends-with-benefits’ story.

Dating can be fun, but it can leave a nasty taste in your mouth. For Joss, ever since her longtime boyfriend cheated on her, she doesn’t want her last memory of a guy to be that jerk. Enter her college friend, Matt. They come up with a theory: after a bad break-up, a person needs to cleanse the palate with a little sorbet sex. Lovers for a night, but always back to being friends in the morning. The two can handle it because they have a contract: rules they wrote, rules they follow and rules they can sometimes bend. The arrangement works: everyone needs a little sorbet now and again … until it starts to be the only thing you want. And then Joss breaks the one rule they never wrote down: don’t fall in love.

I was so excited to read When Joss Met Matt because I've loved Liz Czukas' (Ellie Cahill is a pen name) YA books and the fun personality in them. I figured a new adult book might have a similar vibe, but with more adult themes. And while that's somewhat true, I think a lot of the charm I've seen in her other books was missing.

The best part of When Joss Met Matt is the no-holds-barred friendship between Joss and Matt. As the book goes on, you see more and more of their friendship, and it's pretty darn clear they're meant for one another. It's what kept me turning pages. But while their banter and general closeness is definitely charming and very enjoyable, it just never at the level I guess I've come to expect. Maybe pitting this book against an author's previous books isn't necessarily fair--and certainly something that wouldn't come into play so much for someone without any experience with her work--but it still diminished my enjoyment.

And really, in a way that can actually be measured, my comparison to other books is all I've got. Though When Joss Met Matt is enjoyable and light and fun, it's not necessarily something that's going to stick with me. It was fun in the moment, but rather fleetingly so. This isn't exactly an objective or backed-up review, but that's how I feel. Sometimes it's hard to put into words.

About the author:

Ellie Cahill is a freelance writer and also writes books for young adults under the name Liz Czukas. She lives outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her husband, son, and the world’s loudest cat.

Waiting on Wednesday: Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) by Danielle Jensen {81}

Title: Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2)
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Release date: June 2, 2015

Sometimes, one must accomplish the impossible.

Beneath the mountain, the king’s reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cécile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king’s power. Or his manipulation.

Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.

To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cécile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted…

Excuse my flailing, but I am so terribly excited to read this! Stolen Songbird was just so good. I neeeed more Cecile and Tristan swooning. Like now.

 So what are you guys waiting on this week? :)

Teaser Tuesday: The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord {107}

Title: The Start of Me and You
Author: Emery Lord

Release date: March 31, 2015

Following her pitch-perfect debut Open Road Summer, Emery Lord pens another gorgeous story of best friends, new love, & second chances.

Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

My teaser, from 12% in the egalley:

"My therapist says it's important for me to be social," Ryan joked, clapping Max on the back affectionately as they crossed paths mid-switch. The class laughed.

"That's why I'm putting you in the front, my little problem child," she said, tapping the desk where Ryan was now seated. "So we can have super-fun chats!"

"They're going to be about literature, aren't they?" asked Ryan.

"Yes, yes they are." Ms. Pepper surveyed the new seating arrangement. "I like it. It stays. Now, back to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern."

I loooved Open Road Summer, so I did a happy dance when Bloomsbury approved me to read this one early! I cannot wait for more from Emery Lord. :D :D

I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! :) Happy Tuesday!

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Release date: February 10, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 383
Format: Egalley
Source: Published provided for review through Edelweiss
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

At this point, I'm sure most of us have an idea of what Red Queen is about and are aware of the excitement surrounding the book. So obviously, I started reading with much excitement. And while parts of the world are interesting and original, and I know I'll be reading the rest of the series, I can't say Red Queen was a truly outstanding read.

Maybe part of my problem in reading is that the genre is chock full. It's simply too hard to have a book that's dystopian in any way that doesn't, in some way, remind us of others. Nonetheless, Red Queen almost never excited me. My heart didn't race, my emotions never overwhelmed me. There are moments near the end when things finally get a bit unpredictable, and that's the best part of the book.  When Red Queen isn't relying on tropes, it gets good. Otherwise, it's lackluster.

While Red Queen, as the first book in the series, is not the strongest, I can't say that doesn't mean the rest of the series won't be. (That's certainly happened for me before! Throne of Glass? Meh. Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire? AMAZING.) I am far and away in the minority with my opinion, however. But, to me, as a introduction to the world and characters, Red Queen was interesting enough--we'll just have to see for the rest of the series.

About the author:

After growing up in small town Massachusetts, Victoria attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She graduated with a BFA in Screenwriting, which is exactly the degree being sought after in a recession.

She tries her best to combine her love of history, explosions, and butt-kicking heroines in her writing. Her hobbies include the impossible task of predicting what happens next in A Song of Ice and Fire, road trips, and burning through Netflix.

Stacking the Shelves {105}

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? Mine's been good! Do y'all get in moods where you only want to read one kind of book? I'm in one of those, and it's all about fantasy. Luckily, I have the Shadowfell books, which I'll hopefully be finishing today, and then I'm planning on The Winner's Crime. Needless to say, I'm excited. :)

For review: 

Rebellion (Extraction #2) by Stephanie Diaz

The Sin-Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Purchased: 

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
Plus my letter from Josh, bookmark, and book plate came! :D And ohh, the letter is wonderful.

Raven Flight (Shadowfell #2) by Juliet Marillier
Totally forgot to take a picture of this, and now I'm too lazy to get out of bed and do it. The picture off Goodreads will have to do. :)

Library: 

The Caller (Shadowfell #3) by Juliet Marillier

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Blog Tour: I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell {Review + Favorite Quotes}
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: Raven Flight (Shadowfell #2) by Juliet Marillier
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
Friday - Review: I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Books I read this week:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Raven Flight (Shadowfell #2) by Juliet Marillier

I'm currently reading:
The Caller (Shadowfell #3) by Juliet Marillier

So that's been my week! Nothing terribly exciting to report here. I think I need to read more than I am, since I'm steadily getting more and more behind on my Goodreads challenge. Oops! :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Review: I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Release date: February 3, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher provided for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.

I devoured I'll Meet You There. I went in with few expectations, having never read one of Heather Demetrios' books and staying away from reviews for this one. Quickly, however, I was brought into Skylar and Josh's story and, until I turned the last page, I only put the book down to get more tea (a necessity, obviously).

I'll Meet You There is heartbreakingly real. We all wish for sunshine and roses in life, but people deal with hardship. They make mistakes. All Skylar wants to do is get through the summer so she can head off to art school, the finish line for the hard life she's led thus far. What teenage girl wants to--or is fully capable of--taking care of their mother? Her anger and her fear that she'll never leave Creek View fill her narration. It's so hard to read about Skylar without being able to give her a hug, because it's just a cruel twist of fate that she might not be able to achieve the dreams she's been working so desperately to reach.

And Josh. Oh Josh. Back from Afganistan and missing a leg, he's haunted by what he lived in the war and the friends he lost. His tentative friendship with Skylar is one of his only bright spots, a line he can cling to. It'd be simple to see Josh and Skylar's as too easy, that love can fix whatever has hurt Josh so deeply, but that's not the way it is. Instead, friendship--and eventually love--is a salve. It numbs the pain, giving Josh hope that with time things will get better. He'll never be who he was before, but he can eventually be better, stronger, and grounded by that love.

There's a lot of pain in I'll Meet You There. A lot of drama, too. At times, the lines get messy and unclear. Some of the characters have less than pleasing pasts. But that's life, right? It might be uncomfortable or painful at times, but the experience is worth it in the end because there's beauty in overcoming together.

About the author:

When she's not traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, Heather Demetrios lives with her husband in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, she now calls the East Coast home. Heather is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real, which Publisher's Weekly called“[An] addictive yet thoughtful debut” about reality TV stardom. She is the author of Exquisite Captive, the first in the Dark Caravan Cycle fantasy series, as well as I’ll Meet You There. Coming from Macmillan in Winter 2015, I’ll Meet You There is a love story about a young combat veteran and a girl trapped in their small town, both struggling to escape the war at home. Heather is the founder of Live Your What, an organization dedicated to fostering passion in people of all ages and creating writing opportunities for underserved youth. She is proud to have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. You can always find her on Twitter (@HDemetrios) and pretty much any social media site you can imagine. - See more at: http://www.heatherdemetrios.com/about#sthash.

Waiting on Wednesday: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell {80}

Title: Mechanica
Author: Betsy Cornwell
Release date: August 4, 2015

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home. 

But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince . . . but realizes she doesn't want a fairy tale happy ending after all.

Are you not in love with that cover? There are certainly elements in the synopsis that remind me of Cinder, but the author has said she sold this before Cinder came out--and I bet there will be plenty to set it apart. How about that last line of the synopsis??

 So what are you guys waiting on this week? :)

Teaser Tuesday: Raven Flight (Shadowfell #2) by Juliet Marillier {106}

Title: Raven Flight
Author: Juliet Marillier

Release date: July 1, 2013

Neryn has finally found the rebel group at Shadowfell, and now her task is to seek out the elusive Guardians, vital to her training as a Caller. These four powerful beings have been increasingly at odds with human kind, and Neryn must prove her worth to them. She desperately needs their help to use her gift without compromising herself or the cause of overthrowing the evil King Keldec.

Neryn must journey with the tough and steadfast Tali, who looks on Neryn's love for the double agent Flint as a needless vulnerability. And perhaps it is. What Flint learns from the king will change the battlefield entirely—but in whose favor, no one knows. 

My teaser, from p.50  in the paperback:

The cause must come before matters of conscience for all of us. Already people had died because of me. If I could not come to terms with this, I would weaken the rebels. I would become a liability.

Shadowfell last week, Raven Flight this week! I really liked the first book (as I always do with Juliet Marillier), so I ordered the second immediately and picked it up last night. This is the best part of waiting to start a series until all of the books are out. :)

I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! :) Happy Tuesday!

Blog Tour: I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell {Review + Favorite Quotes + Giveaway}

Release date: February 10, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review through Netgalley
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

For fans of THE FUTURE OF US comes an engrossing story of two teens, whose love for each other is tested by time and fate.

Lucas and Juliet couldn’t be more different from each other. But from the moment Lucas sees Juliet, he swears he remembers their first kiss. Their first dance. Their first fight. He even knows what’s going to happen between them—not because he can predict the future, but because he claims to have already lived it.

Juliet doesn’t know whether to be afraid for herself or for Lucas. As Lucas’s memories occur more frequently, they also grow more ominous. All Juliet wants is to keep Lucas safe with her. But how do you hold on to someone you love in the present when they’ve begun slipping away from you in the future?

I couldn't begin to figure out what I'd compare I Remember You to--since we seem to love labeling books with X meets Y. Yes, The Future of Us, as the blurb says, ties in nicely with the knowledge of the future, but I still think I Remember You is a very different animal. It's so simple, yet so complicated, and sheer curiosity drives you forward in the book, desperate to come to the end.

And here's the thing: We know something bad has happened, and soon. Juliet is remembering these instances, telling them back with hints here and there. It's so hard to appreciate the love story being told because all you want to do is fly through the pages and get to the end, to find out just what's up with Lucas. But, to do so would be missing so much. Yes, the mystery of Lucas' dreams and knowledge of the future is the driving factor of the book, but Juliet and Lucas' relationship is the heart. It's a first love, yet it's so strong and genuine that you can't help but think it's the real deal. It makes for a slow book plot-wise, but one that was still a pleasure to read.

I Remember You is both a treat to read in its sweetness and akin to a thriller in how quickly I wanted to get through it, desperate for answers. With an ending unlike so much of YA, it's not one I'll easily forget.

About the author:

I was born in Princeton, NJ in 1971 and lived there until I was twelve, when we moved with my mom moved to West Hartford, CT.

My dad and mom had been divorced when I was two, and my dad lived in Williamstown, MA. I spent summers and school vacations with him.

I went to college in New York, at Barnard, and stayed in New York after I graduated. I worked as a newspaper reporter for three months, as a salesperson for a multimedia publisher for three years, and as a market researcher, and finally a copywriter.

I’m married and have two awesome kids ages two and five. I lived in Manhattan for sixteen years, but now am in Brooklyn, living downstairs from my sister and her family. I have two dogs named Oscar and Oprah. My favorite food is pizza and, strangely, in my thirties, I’ve developed a great love for playing catch. Slipping is my first book.

Now I think back to seeing Lucas with the lawn mower--there was actually a whole crew of landscapers doing the bushes and the edging, laying mulch--and I wish I'd never gone inside. I wish I could freeze time, go back and take a picture, write it all down, the way I'm trying to do now. Had he shaved, or was the line of blond stubble he got at the end of the day already there? Had he bunched up the gray T-shirt he wasn't wearing and tucked it into the back of his shorts? I remember that his chest and back were shining, but like I said, I was trying not to notice. They didn't belong to me then. They would.

-----

"What do you want from me?" I said. "I don't know. But I want something."

-----

Are the memories we recall governed by the feelings attached to them? Is that why they stay with us? Or do we remember only what we remind ourselves of over and again as they years go by? How is it possible that some memories you'd like to hold on to slip away and others--mundane and sad alike, the memories you'd just as soon forget--stay, bubbling to the surface of your brain for no reason at all?

-----

His voice broke. "I would give anything. To keep this. To keep the dream."

-----

I still felt dizzy, like my brain no longer trusted the orientation of the floor, like I was standing on a wildly rocking boat. But it didn't matter. I didn't have to feel confident in the ground beneath my feat, because I was about to fly.

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Stacking the Shelves {104}

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? Mine's been pretty darn good! I think I'm out of my slump! Juliet Marillier worked her magic, as I hoped she would, and I devoured Shadowfell (after the first hundred pages, at least). I've already ordered book two, so hopefully I'll be flying through that this week. :)

For review: 

Most Likely to Succeed (Superlatives #3) by Jennifer Echols

Thank youuuu Simon Pulse!!

Purchased: 

Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Thursday - Movie Musical Challenge: Intro
Friday - Blog Tour: Tuck Everlasting, 40th Anniversary Edition by Natalie Babbitt

Books I read this week:
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell

I'm currently reading:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

So that's been my week! Hopefully I'll have a good bunch to show y'all next week, as I ordered two books and have several packages coming Monday... Mail is my favorite thing in the world. :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!