Teaser Tuesday: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday {87}

Title: Of Monsters and Madness
Author: Jessica Verday

Release date: September 9, 2014

A romantic, historical retelling of classic Gothic horror featuring Edgar Allan Poe and his character Annabel Lee, from a New York Times best-selling author.

Summoned to her father's home in 1820's Philadelphia, a girl finds herself in the midst of a rash of gruesome murders in which he might be implicated. She is torn romantically between her father's assistants-one kind and proper, one mysterious and brooding-who share a dark secret and may have more to do with the violent events than they're letting on.

My teaser, from 30% in the egalley:

"Of course, Grandpere." He bids me goodnight and returns to his study. I take several steps up the stairs, then stop as I think about his words. I should go apologize to him. Clearly, I should not have been wandering on my own.

But when I turn around, Grandpere is standing outside the study doors with his back to me. He glances over at the door that leads to the dining room. Then nods to the shadow that I thought I had only imagined.

Happy release day to Of Monsters and Madness! Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors, so I DIE for retellings of his stuff. I hope this is awesome!

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

Review: Star Cursed (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2) by Jessica Spotswood

Release date: June 18, 2013
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Won
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Warning: As this is book two in a series, there will be spoilers for book one. Read at your own risk!

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.

For once in my life, I'm thanking my stars I didn't read a book sooner! That ending, y'all, that ending. I'd heard about it and heard about it, but THAT was not what I expected! Though I never wrote a review (probably out of laziness, for I am a lazy soul) for Born Wicked, it was one of my favorite books of 2012. I loved the alternate history and the strong relationship between Cate and her sisters (also, the sickeningly gorgeous cover that they up and redesigned--probably the most egregious case of cover redesign I know of). I waited impatiently for Star Cursed to come out and had a copy in my hands by release day, yet I didn't read it until now, over a year later. Why? Honestly, no real reason. It's worked out well for me, though, because Sisters' Fate is out in the world and I'll be buying it as soon as I can. Anyways...

A lot has changed since the beginning of Born Wicked. Cate has given up the promise of her future with Finn to save her sisters, agreeing to join the Sisterhood and moving to New London. With the Brotherhood becoming more and more of a threat and a seer making troubling predictions about the prophesied witch who will save her kind, Cate is under intense pressure, trying to reconcile herself to a future she didn't want and responsibilities she didn't ask for. When the danger at home becomes too much, Maura and Tess join Cate in New London, and Maura immediately begins her campaign to prove herself to be the prophesied witch. As tensions mount in the city between the Brotherhood and the people, the Sisterhood is at odds as to how to stop the threat and take control--but their time to make a decision is running short, for every day is one day closer to the prophesied death of one of the Cahill sisters.

Star Cursed deals heavily with the idea that the education and freedom of women are threats to order and to safety. Time and time again, the Brotherhood restricts the freedoms of women, and while obviously the characters are against this, I think Jessica Spotswood does a great job making it clear it's not a battle of the sexes, for there are several good and just male characters just as there are clearly female characters who harbor ill will, showing the value of the education her characters have been given, and reinforcing all of this through action, rather than words.

The plot on this one, while not filled with too many bangs and huge bits of action (though there certainly are enough to keep you satisfied), moves along at a brisk pace and is filled with a sense of foreboding, because there are events hanging over the heads of our characters and you just know their clock is ticking. The ending sequence, though, is fast-paced and thrilling, and, gosh, it ends with a heart-breaking bang. Seriously, I'm so lucky I can head to the bookstore and get Sisters' Fate instead of waiting more than a year for it, because that just might have killed me.

I readily admit I'm a bit picky when it comes to books about witches. Often they come across as cheesy, but the Cahill Witch Chronicles absolutely cannot be counted among that number. Their alternate history setting is familiar yet still individual and different, and the characters' struggles of forging their own way in a world that is set on forcing their hands is universal and real. There are moments of sisterly love, sisterly strife, triumph, heartbreak, swooning, and joy--often within a couple of pages of one another. 

About the author:

Jessica Spotswood is a full time author who lives in Washington, DC with her husband Stephen and a very cuddly cat named Monkey.

Stacking the Shelves {84}

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 AWESOME! Whew! I am exhausted, though. You might have noticed that I've been MIA all week. That's because Tuesday morning we got up bright and early (4 am early) and headed to Disney World! :D :D It was everything wonderful and I'll have to talk a bit more about it later, but I'm currently too exhausted to elaborate. (Would y'all be interested in a relatively detailed post? Do you care? I'm a self-proclaimed Disney expert.) It was a full day of travelling on Tuesday, followed by three days in the parks, and then a full day travelling yesterday. I'm writing this at 10:30 Saturday night, and once I'm done, I'm going to sleep! Being out of town didn't stop the books from coming, however... :D

For review:

A New Darkness by Joseph Delaney
If I wasn't so dead tired, I'd take a picture... But I am. It's a pretty, pretty hardcover, though. I haven't read the series this is a spin-off (I guess that's what you'd call it?) of, but I've heard of it--and like how it sounds! :)

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay
Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

Thank you, thank you to Greenwillow, St. Martin's Press, Delacorte, and Netgalley for these! :D

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Blog Tour: Playing With Matches by Suri Rosen {Review + Giveaway}
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes + September is For Sequels Giveaway Hop!!
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

Books I read this week:
.... None. Can you blame me? DISNEY.

I'm currently reading:
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

So that's been my week! Weird one, eh? I've gotta fly through some books this week to make up for the utter lack of reading. Eek! :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury {60}

Title: The Sin Eater's Daughter
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Release date: February 24, 2015

A startling, seductive, deliciously dark debut that will shatter your definition of YA fantasy.

16-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she's engaged to the prince, no one speaks to her. No one even looks at her. Because Twylla isn't a member of the court. She's the executioner.

As the goddess-embodied, Twylla kills with a single touch. So each week, she's taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love her. Who could care for a girl with murder in her veins? Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to her touch, avoids her.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose playful 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 a treasonous romance is the least of Twylla's problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies-a plan that requires an unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

I just saw this one on Becky's WoW last week and couldn't resist featuring it immediately! That cover is just fantastic, but it sounds so good too! I CAN'T WAIT.

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

Teaser Tuesday: Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes {86}

Title: Anatomy of a Misfit
Author: Andrea Portes

Release date: September 2, 2014

Outside, Anika Dragomir is all lip gloss and blond hair—the third most popular girl in school. Inside, she’s a freak: a mix of dark thoughts, diabolical plots, and, if local chatter is to be believed, vampire DNA (after all, her father is Romanian). But she keeps it under wraps to maintain her social position. One step out of line and Becky Vilhauer, first most popular girl in school, will make her life hell. So when former loner Logan McDonough shows up one September hotter, smarter, and more mysterious than ever, Anika knows she can’t get involved. It would be insane to throw away her social safety for a nerd. So what if that nerd is now a black-leather-jacket-wearing dreamboat, and his loner status is clearly the result of his troubled home life? Who cares if the right girl could help him with all that, maybe even save him from it? Who needs him when Jared Kline, the bad boy every girl dreams of, is asking her on dates? Who?

Anatomy of a Misfit is Mean Girls meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Anika’s hilariously deadpan delivery will appeal to readers for its honesty and depth. The so-sad-it’s-funny high school setting will pull readers in, but when the story’s dark foreboding gradually takes over, the devastating penultimate tragedy hits like a punch to the gut. Readers will ride the highs and lows alongside funny, flawed Anika — from laughter to tears, and everything in between.

My teaser, from 27% in the egalley:

"You're the freak."

"No, I'm not."

"Yeah, you are. You're the sexually deranged freak."

Now the demo couch pillow gets tossed in his face. And, of course, he tosses it back.

I don't want to get on his moped and go home. I don't want to walk out these giant demo doors. I don't want to do anything that makes any single tiny miniscule atom in this room change. I just want this this this.

Happy release day to Anatomy of a Misfit! I'd kind of forgotten what this was about until I went to look for a teaser, and it sounds really cute! I can't wait to start it very soon. :)

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

September is for Sequels Giveaway Hop!

Woo hoo! For the first time in a while, I'm participating in a giveaway hop! This time it's all about sequels. :) This hope is hoped by Lisa Loves Literature and I Am A Reader, and runs through September 9th! I hope y'all have fun hopping on through and entering all of the giveaways!

As always, I like to give a few suggestions of books I like, so here we go! I have read and loved all of these, but remember, they're just suggestions! You can pick whatever you'd like. :)

As for rules, you must be 13 or older to enter the giveaway. The giveaway runs until 11:59 EST September 9th. It is international, so long as The Book Depository ships to you! Winner will be contacted via the email address in Rafflecopter (so make sure it's one you check!) and will have 48 hours to respond or I will choose another winner. Book will ship from Barnes & Noble or The Book Depository, depending on where the winner lives.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Playing With Matches by Suri Rosen {Review + Giveaway}

I'm super excited to be kicking off the blog tour for Suri Rosen's Playing With Matches today! I knew from the moment I read the synopsis that this was my kind of book (they had me with that mention of Yenta!), and it certainly didn't disappoint. I hope you check it out, and scroll down farther, because I've got a copy to give away to one lucky reader!

Release date: September 9, 2014
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: ECW Press
Pages: 248
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

When 16-year-old Raina Resnick is expelled from her Manhattan private school, she’s sent to live with her strict aunt — but Raina feels like she’s persona non grata no matter where she goes. Her sister, Leah, blames her for her broken engagement, and she’s a social pariah at her new school. In the tight-knit Jewish community, Raina finds she is good at one thing: matchmaking! As the anonymous "MatchMaven,” Raina sets up hopeless singles desperate to find the One. A cross between Jane Austen’s Emma, Dear Abby, and Yenta the matchmaker, Raina’s double life soon has her barely staying awake in class. Can she find the perfect match for her sister and get back on her good side, or will her tanking grades mean a second expulsion? In her debut novel, Suri Rosen creates a comic and heartwarming story of one girl trying to find happiness for others, and redemption for herself.

Playing With Matches is so utterly charming and fun. I flew through it in the course of one afternoon. Suri Rosen has concocted a sweet story that will make you laugh out loud at times and grown in frustration in Raina's stubbornness at others.

Raina Resnick is a bit of a trouble-maker. She has little concern for her school work and is more interested in being stylish and well-dressed than a model student. Because of her actions, she has been kicked out of her New York private school and relegated to her aunt's house in Toronto. Truthfully, while Raina's narration is always entertaining and full of personality, at first, she's rather unlikable. But as the story goes on and as Raina's priorities change because of the odd friendships she's made, she becomes more and more admirable. Raina draws an odd crowd around herself, but her matchmaking gets her out of the self-involved bubble she's lived in and lets her see the problems of others--even as it goes unrecognized in her family.

There are tons of laugh out loud moments in Playing With Matches. I found myself rereading passages because they struck me as so funny and even seeking out someone to tell, because someone had to laugh with me. Raina has a very unique voice, filled with just enough sarcasm to be funny without being bitter. Her family can't see the changes happening before their eyes, but Raina doesn't really complain about it. She's more concerned with helping the people who have sought her out for help, which I loved all the way through, even though the model student in me wanted to remind her she should be doing her homework.

Raina is certainly not the only outstanding character, either. Her family is a mish mash of rule-followers, but Bubby is the renegade of the family, eavesdropping, eating what she shouldn't, inviting friends over whenever she wishes, and just generally causing frustration. Playing With Matches also deals really well with the relationship between Raina and her sister, Leah. Leah blames Raina for her breakup with her fiance, so their previously very close bond is distant for the majority of the book. All Raina does is really to help Leah, because she wants that closeness they had before, and she thinks finding her love with do the trick. Even though they are distant, you can still see the closeness. It also does the cool thing of being all about romance without finding love for the heroine--which I loved!

Playing With Matches is simply a delightful book. Between dealing with family dynamics, a search for popularity, and romance, it makes you laugh, smile, and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. I will definitely be reading whatever Suri Rosen comes out with next, and I hope you will too! (But read this first, obviously.)

About the author:

Suri Rosen dabbles in many arts, but excels in daydreaming. She has worked as a professional artist, art teacher, filmmaker, journalist, and mini-documentary producer for a local television station.

Random facts: Suri rides a moped, built an Appalachian dulcimer, is a trustee on her public library board, and is known to re-finish vintage furniture on occasion. Playing with Matches is her first novel. She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her family and her six imaginary dogs.

And now, thanks to ECW Press, I've got a copy of Playing With Matches to give away! I hope I've convinced you how adorable this book is and how badly you need it. :) US/CAN only. Good luck!

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