Stacking the Shelves {143}

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 your week, y'all? Mine's been good! In exciting news, my best friend is getting married this fall and I'm the maid of honor! Last Sunday, we went to a bridal show and have a bunch of things happening--including a bachelorette trip to Disney World! Needless to say, I'm pumped, and planning is pretty much all I do now. ;) It's also a little crazy to me that I'm old enough to have a best friend getting married, especially since I've known her since first grade. Anyway, on to the books!

For review:

The Prey by Tom Isbell
The Capture by Tom Isbell
In paperback and hardcover, respectively, but taking a picture was too much effort for me. :)

The Season of You and Me by Robin Constantine
Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh

Books I read this week:
Didn't finish a thing. Disney trip obsession is killing my reading time...

I'm currently reading:
Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little

So that's been my week! I kind of thought HarperCollins had stopped with these mailings, since I'd not gotten them in a while, and then the Tom Isbell books showed up in my mailbox! I was so happy! Those were always my favorite packages! Also, did anyone else notice that Google apparently purged some people out of our followers? I dropped by a lot and am pretty sad. One day, I'd dropped by a few, and the next time I got on here it was more than fifty fewer. Laaaame.

Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Waiting on Wednesday: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas {114}

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release date: May 3, 2016

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Oh heeeey, ACOMAF! I could handle your wonderfully thick self being in my hands right about...now, yes?

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

Teaser Tuesday: Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little {131}

Title: Forbidden
Author: Kimberley Griffiths Little

Release date: November 4, 2014

In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart. 

Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying. 

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.

My teaser, from 8% in the egalley:

Tonight something powerful and magical had happened, just like my grandmother and mother had said. I had changed.

And I knew that my life would never be the same again.

I've had this sitting on my Kindle for ages, and am hoping the good reviews for this won't steer me wrong! Let's see, eh? :)

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

Review: Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Release date: May 30, 2012
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 246
Format: Egalley
Source: Author provided for review through Netgalley
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she's never had ... until she's betrayed.

Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family's cruelty and the court's contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.

But powerful men have powerful enemies--and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman's, giving Alyrra the first choice she's ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she's never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometime the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.

I really don't read self-published books often--and that's not because I don't think there are certainly wonderful self-published books. If I had to put it in words, it's...that I don't have a proven way of finding the good ones? I don't know that it makes sense, but it's the truth. But, sometimes those self-published novels pop up on Netgalley, and I see them in a much more limited way than the millions of books in the Kindle store. That was the case with Thorn, and the moment I read the synopsis I knew I had to read it. I've loved the goose girl story since reading Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl, and while that's a hard book to live up to, I loved the idea of another retelling. And pleasingly, I really enjoyed Thorn, and I'm pretty mad at myself for not reading it as soon as I got it.

What's so lovely about reading a fairy tale retelling is seeing a familiar story spun into something new yet familiar, and each author who takes on the story manages to make it different, seemingly no matter how many times it's adapted. And what I loved about Thorn was how true to the fairy tale it was, all while making the story fresh and adding a strong message.

Alyrra is rather a wonderful character. In the beginning, she's reticent and pliable, doing as others wish, mostly to protect herself. She's clearly a good person, kind to maids and happy to work hard, but she's trampled by those around her. Of course, it takes adversity for her to come out of her shell, and though she's only just found a safe space, she has to come to terms with a life larger than safety.

It's always moments like this that I get mad at myself for not branching out more and trying self-published titles. What lovely chance of fate brought me to Thorn? And what if I miss out on so many more? If I haven't made my message clear, I liked Thorn and definitely think you should read it. now it's clear!

About the author:

Intisar Khanani grew up a nomad and world traveler. Born in Wisconsin, she has lived in five different states as well as in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. She first remembers seeing snow on a wintry street in Zurich, Switzerland, and vaguely recollects having breakfast with the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo when she was five. She currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two young daughters. Until recently, Intisar wrote grants and developed projects to address community health with the Cincinnati Health Department, which was as close as she could get to saving the world. Now she focuses her time on her two passions: raising her family and writing fantasy. Intisar's next two projects include a companion trilogy to Thorn, following the heroine introduced in her short story The Bone Knife, and The Sunbolt Chronicles, a novella serial following a young mage with a propensity to play hero, and her nemesis, a dark mage intent on taking over the Eleven Kingdoms.

Stacking the Shelves {142}

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 your week, y'all? Mine's been good! Nothing exciting going on this week that I can recall... I did get a Harry Potter Tervis Tumbler--does that count as exciting? I'm kind of obsessed with it. It's the Marauder's Map. I feel cool everywhere I go now. :) 

For review:

Goldfish by Nat Luurtsema
Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius
All the Feels by Danika Stone
The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn P. Nguyen
The Gilded Cage by Lucinda Gray
Dream On by Kerstin Gier

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Review: Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Books I read this week:
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Thorn by Intisar Khanani

I'm currently reading:
I haven't picked my next book, actually! Any suggestions? :)

So that's been my week! SO happy about my books from Macmillan! That's always the best package. And yay Blackhearts! I've got a blog tour stop coming up, so keeps your eyes peeled for that. Yay blog tours! :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Waiting on Wednesday: Heartless by Marissa Meyer {113}

Title: Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Release date: November 8, 2016

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship.

Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Do you need an explanation? A retelling from Marissa Meyer? Sold! I'm actually not the biggest Alice in Wonderland...anything...fan, so we'll see what she can do for it!

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

Review: Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall

Release date: October 20, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher provided for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

The author of A Little Something Different brings you the most adorkable romance ever.

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She’s babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo. 

Teo doesn’t dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo’s pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he’ll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane’s house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she’s terrified of how her parents will react.

In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane’s Magic 8 ball can’t give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes.

Signs Point to Yes is a hard one for me to review right now. Why? Because I read this when it came out in October and...have very little memory of it. Most of the time, I have a pretty good memory for books, how I felt about them, and have some talking points that I could remember, even months later. In this case, I remember that it's cute...and that's almost it.

I quite liked Sandy Hall's first book, A Little Something Different, so of course I wanted to read her followup, knowing it would at least benefit from an individual narrative voice and would have a sweet romance that I'd root for. That was the case, with Jane and her habit of consulting her Magic 8 ball, and her romance with Teo. However, while A Little Something Different was pretty strong and memorable, with it's many narrators, Signs Point to Yes was relatively milquetoast. It leaves the cute impression, but it won't stick with you for any time.

If you're in the mood for a quick read that you'll like, Signs Point to Yes won't disappoint, but it's also not going to leave you clamoring for more about Jane and Teo, either.

About the author:

Sandy Hall is a teen librarian from New Jersey where she was born and raised. She has a BA in Communication and a Master of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. When she's not writing, or teen librarian-ing, she enjoys reading, slot machines, marathoning TV shows, and long scrolls through Tumblr. A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT is her first novel.

Stacking the Shelves {141}

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 your week, y'all? Mine's been good! Kind of awesome, actually? My alma mater, Alabama, won the national championship! Weeeee are the championssssss! :D Otherwise things were uneventful, but one can't complain about that kind of week.

For review:

Firstlife by Gena Showalter
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

Siren's Song by Mary Weber

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: And I Darken by Kiersten White

Books I read this week:
The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine

I'm currently reading:
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

So that's been my week! Another small haul, no purchases--the goal! I might put a "read this many books, buy a book" thing on myself, just to keep myself from going crazy not buying books, but we'll have to see. :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Waiting on Wednesday: And I Darken by Kiersten White {112}

Title: And I Darken
Author: Kiersten White
Release date: June 28, 2016

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

I alll about this, y'all.

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

Teaser Tuesday: The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine {130}

Title: The Impostor Queen
Author: Sarah Fine

Release date: Januayr 5, 2016

Sixteen-year-old Elli was a small child when the Elders of Kupari chose her to succeed the Valtia, the queen who wields infinitely powerful ice and fire magic. Since then, Elli has lived in the temple, surrounded by luxury and tutored by magical priests, as she prepares for the day when the Valtia perishes and the magic finds a new home in her. Elli is destined to be the most powerful Valtia to ever rule.

But when the queen dies defending the kingdom from invading warriors, the magic doesn’t enter Elli. It’s nowhere to be found.

Disgraced, Elli flees to the outlands, the home of banished criminals—some who would love to see the temple burn with all its priests inside. As she finds her footing in this new world, Elli uncovers devastating new information about the Kupari magic, those who wield it, and the prophecy that foretold her destiny. Torn between the love she has for her people and her growing loyalty to the banished, Elli struggles to understand the true role she was meant to play. But as war looms, she must align with the right side—before the kingdom and its magic are completely destroyed.

My teaser, from p. 47 egalley:

"Where's the Valtia?"

"She's being brought to her quarters now." Mim pulls me into an embrace, close enough to feel to shudder. "But they're saying she won't live out the night."

This is as far as I am, so I can't say too much yet. We're getting into the action now, though! :D

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

Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Release date: January 26, 2016
Author info: Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves. 

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken.

The Love That Split the World was rather...unexpected. Instead of the kind of book that's enjoyable but largely ruminates on the post-high school limbo and feelings that come with that, you're given this very thoughtful experience that focuses so intently on being far-reaching and philosophical that it kind of falls flat? There's nothing that says The Love That Split the World isn't well-written or very thought out, but there's a lot that says it should have been more emotionally affecting (before the final few pages) and heart-pounding.

Giving a book such a title promises a love story that'll stop you in your tracks, that will leave you wishing for more pages, more moments, more time. Instead, the romance between Natalie and Beau relies on their "connection", not on the kinds of things that forge lasting relationships. It's the kind of relationship that makes Romeo and Juliet look like immature kids, despite the mastery of the pen that wrote them. Maybe it'd last, maybe it wouldn't--but it doesn't necessarily offer the grounds to prove it would, despite the prettiness of the language that delivers it.

The strength of The Love That Split the World is how strongly held up by stories it is. The moments of Grandmother telling Natalie stories are far and away the most fascinating parts of the book--especially in contrast to the complicated theoretics of time travel and alternate realities we're given. They range in kind, most certainly including Native American folk tales and Biblical stories, and how they're woven into the novel is wonderful and masterful. Had all the jargon been ditched in favor of a more mystical approach, I bet I'd have liked this much more.

Throughout the novel, I found myself shrugging, wondering to myself how much I cared. It's a long book, and I never felt fully engaged until the final pages, when the emotional core finally does come to the front--but the bits that should have been surprising weren't, and the big moment isn't any kind of a shock. To see it happen is still affecting (finally), though.

The Love That Splits the World is a high-reaching book, one I can't say reached the expectations it set in me, but one that makes for a thoughtful read. I would argue it likely reaches too far, trying too hard to be both scientifically credible and based in heritage, instead of being fully immersed in one and giving more meat to the love that (supposedly) split the world.

About the author:

Emily Henry is full-time writer, proofreader, and donut connoisseur. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it. She tweets @EmilyHenryWrite.

Stacking the Shelves {140}

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 your week, y'all? Mine's been good! Nothing too extraordinary going on, but a good week all in all. I'm happy. :) I'm happy with the number of posts I did, one less than my heaviest load, but that allows me to do more commenting! I'd like to keep that up. :)

Gifted:

Outpost (Razorland #2) by Ann Aguirre
The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron

Both ARCs! Both I've been searching for for a while, so I'm giddy to have them. The Dark Unwinding is hard to find, y'all! But I need an ARC of A Spark Unseen to finish my collection, so if you know of one... :)

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Review: Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller
Thursday - Blog Tour: Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley {Review + Giveaway}

Books I read this week:
Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

I'm currently reading:
The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine

So that's been my week! Not many this time around, to contrast with last week's major haul! Most of my hauls in the future should look more like this, because I'm trying to buy fewer books. But we'll see! :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Blog Tour: Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley {Review + Giveaway}

Release date: January 5, 2016
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Amulet
Pages: 352
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings have always been inseparable. After all, nothing can bond four siblings quite like life in an isolated parsonage out on the moors. Their vivid imaginations lend them escape from their strict upbringing, actually transporting them into their created worlds: the glittering Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy Gondal. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as their characters—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go.

Gorgeously written and based on the Brontës’ juvenilia, Worlds of Ink & Shadow brings to life one of history’s most celebrated literary families.

What a fascinating book! As a big Jane Eyre (and to a lesser scale Wuthering Heights) fan, any book that fictionalizes the Brontës certainly catches my attention. I am a bit discerning with them, however. Worlds of Ink and Shadow is only the second I've read.

The concept is wonderful, a way to give order and reason to the tragedy of the Brontë family's story. Of the children, two daughters died very young, then Branwell (the only son), Emily, and Anne all died within a year of one another. Charlotte, the last Brontë child, died at 38--and their father outlived them all. Not only does Lena Coakley give us an imaginative reasoning for the children's shortened lives, but she weaves deeply intricate relationships among them, giving their storytelling and the story they live real life. She also gives the book a rather Gothic tone, with the winds from the moors rattling windows, ghosts popping in and out, and mysterious creatures showing up in the middle of the night--all of which works perfectly, of course, for a novel about the Brontës.

As a novel itself, without any appreciation of the Brontë's novels, Worlds of Ink and Shadow is very good. The glitz of Verdopolis and its goings on contrasts strongly with their real world, working as an escape for both the characters and the reader. Who doesn't want to be able to create their own world and then live out the events? Attending parties, creating scandal, and influencing decisions? Yet, having some knowledge of the Brontë novels and their backstory only makes it better. There are countless moments that are so clearly inspired by scenes, characters, and places in the novels (speaking as someone who has read Jane Eyre, Villette, and Wuthering Heights--I'm sure having read Agnes Grey, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Charlotte's other novels would have given even more fodder) and it's such a treat to seek them out.

Though I do love how Lena Coakley has given the Brontës the rich fantasy lives no one expected out of them (people were shocked three parson's daughters who lived in such isolation could write the kinds of books they did) but that they surprised people with, I wish the girls, as characters, had ventured a little more out of the expected, found a little of the depth and fullness they found their own characters possessed.

All in all, though, I'm a fan. I love the idea of what could be and I loved how intricate the goings on in the parsonage were, all with their father largely in the dark. Worlds of Ink and Shadow is a fascinating read.

About the author:

Lena Coakley was born in Milford, Connecticut and grew up on Long Island. In high school, Creative Writing was the only course she ever failed (nothing was ever good enough to hand in!), but, undeterred, she went on to study writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in Toronto, Canada. Witchlanders was her debut novel.

Visit Lena online:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Buy online: BAM | Chapters | IndieBound | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | B&N | TBD | iBooks

1 grand prize winner will receive a Brontë basket courtesy of the author (pictured)!
10 winners will receive a copy of WORLDS OF INK AND SHADOW!

5 winners will receive a black Brontë bonnet!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday: The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller {111}

Title: The Forbidden Orchid
Author: Sharon Biggs Waller
Release date: February 2, 2016

Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls' father is a plant hunter, usually off adventuring through the jungles of China. 

Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan fails to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid, meaning that he will be thrown into debtors' prison and the girls will be sent to the orphanage or the poorhouse. Elodie's father has one last chance to return to China, find the orchid, and save the family—and this time, thanks to an unforeseen twist of fate, Elodie is going with him. Elodie has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China. 

But even if she can find the orchid, how can she find herself now that staid, responsible Elodie has seen how much the world has to offer?

I looooved Sharon's last book, A Mad, Wicked Folly, so of course I'm dying for her next! Plus this sounds so good--adventure in China! Hoorah!

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

Teaser Tuesday: Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley {129}

Title: Worlds of Ink and Shadow
Author: Lena Coakley

Release date: January 5, 2016

Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne. The Brontë siblings have always been inseparable. After all, nothing can bond four siblings quite like life in an isolated parsonage out on the moors. Their vivid imaginations lend them escape from their strict upbringing, actually transporting them into their created worlds: the glittering Verdopolis and the romantic and melancholy Gondal. But at what price? As Branwell begins to slip into madness and the sisters feel their real lives slipping away, they must weigh the cost of their powerful imaginations, even as their characters—the brooding Rogue and dashing Duke of Zamorna—refuse to let them go.

Gorgeously written and based on the Brontës’ juvenilia, Worlds of Ink & Shadow brings to life one of history’s most celebrated literary families.

My teaser, from 20% in the egalley:

"Branwell," she said gently, "when we write, doors appear. We can't stop that. I have simply become unwilling to pay the toll for going through. You and I pay too heavy a price for crossing over." They both looked to the open door leading to the hall. They rarely spoke about the price they paid to get to their worlds, and they scrupulously careful about keeping the secret from their younger sisters.

Fascinating, right? I'm so excited about this one, and I'm currently reading it for the blog tour, which stops by on Thursday! :D

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

Review: Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown

Release date: October 20, 2015
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 336
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review through Edelweiss
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Samantha Donaldson’s family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a Girl Guide and messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, high-level mathematics, and complex puzzles and codes, hoping to make him proud.

When Sam is asked to join the famed women’s spy group La Dame Blanche she’s torn—this could be the adventure she’s dreamed of, but how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband to the war? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes there’s no way she can refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.

Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known to the members of LDB only as Velvet. Deep undercover within the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Samantha must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. To make matters worse she finds herself forming a forbidden attraction to the enemy-a dangerously handsome German guard. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Samantha discover the truth and find Velvet before it’s too late…for them both?

From author Teri Brown comes the thrilling story of one girl’s journey into a deadly world of spycraft and betrayal—with unforgettable consequences.

I so liked Teri Brown's previous YA series (Born of Illusion and Born of Deception), so needless to say I'd looked forward to a new book by her since I'd heard of it. Just like those two, Velvet Undercover was a fresh and fun historical fiction with a denouement that thrills.

Sam is your rather normal British girl, wishing to do her part for the war effort. Because she's got a distinct skill in German, she's recruited for a spy agency--with the promise of information about her missing father, should she prove useful. Quickly, Sam is entrenched in the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, teaching the family's children, listening and hoping for a trickle of information to help her find the elusive Velvet. Of course, nothing is as it seems, and soon every loyalty Sam thought she could trust (or not trust) is called into question and she has to trust her instincts, alone in the enemy's camp.

Though at times Sam is one of those characters you want to yell at a bit, just because she's willfully ignorant to things she should know, she's very smart, unprepared to let the tides of war pull her back and forth. Sam is the girl we all hope we would have been, had we lived at the time.

Spies! Girl power! That's enough to convince you, yeah? If you like historical fiction that's not too heavy, Velvet Undercover--and Teri Brown's other YA series, for that matter--are just the thing for you. They won't disappoint!

About the author:

Well behaved women rarely make history. Teri Brown lived that quote way before she ever even heard it. The two things she is most proud of, (besides her children), is that she jumped out of an airplane once and she beat the original Legend of Zelda video game. She is a novel writer, head banger, pet keeper, math hater, cocktail drinker, booty shaker, book reader, city slicker, food fixer, French kisser, rule breaker, wine sipper and word scribbler. She loves her husband, kitties and chocolate.

Stacking the Shelves {139}

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 year? It's been so long since I've been around that I feel like I should ask! Mine was my regular, rather uneventful time. I worked and read... And that's kind of it! Not having blogging was odd, but definitely relaxing. I'm going to be more laid back in how I do blogging from now on--not pressuring myself to post 6 days a week, but instead making sure I'm more social and reaching out much more than I have in the post. Hopefully I can handle it! :D

And because it's been so long since I've done a STS, there's a huge amount of books to share! Woo! This is largely because HarperCollins uploaded a bunch on Edelweiss, and I never have much self control with that, and because we had our employee appreciation days at work, where I bought a lot more books than I normally do since I get the extra discount! Here we go!

Purchased:

Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier
Ruin & Rising by Leigh Bardugo
The Golden Compass: 20th Anniversary Edition by Philip Pullman
Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (signed)
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling (signed)
Longbourn by Jo Baker
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray
The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Venom by Fiona Paul

For review:

Ruined by Amy Tintera
A Walk in the Sun by Michelle Zink
Even If the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia

Traitor Angels by Anne Blankman
Wanderlost by Jen Malone
Spark by Holly Schindler

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye
Remembrance by Meg Cabot

Traded:

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
There's been no action on here for weeks, except! 2015 End of Year Book Survey!

Books I read this week:
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Forever Your Earl by Eva Leigh

I'm currently reading:
Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

So that's been my week! Whew! That was a lot of links. And I actually realized I missed a couple that I bought, including some really cool Disney-oriented books and the illustrated Harry Potter, Buuut, I realized that rather late and am way too lazy. Maybe I'll show them next week, maybe not. :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!