Waiting on Wednesday: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes {65}

Title: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
Author: Stephanie Oakes
Release date: June 9, 2015

When seventeen-year-old Minnow stumbles out of the woods one winter morning, she is haunted and handless and covered in someone else’s blood. She has just escaped the strict religious commune run by a cruel man named the Prophet. In exchange for freedom, she leaves behind her family, her home, and Jude--an outsider boy who changed everything. 

But the real world isn't the sanctuary Minnow imagined. Soon, she gets arrested and placed in juvenile detention. Now, Minnow is being questioned by an FBI psychiatrist about the night she escaped, the same night the Prophet was burned to death in his own home—a murder Minnow may be responsible for.

A modern retelling of the Grimm fairy tale, "The Handless Maiden," in which the Devil orders a girl's hands cut off, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is the story of a girl growing out of the wreckage of corrupted faith.

This doesn't come off as a retelling when you read the synopsis, but it is, which I love. And I mean, how awesome does this sound? :D

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

Teaser Tuesday: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by Robin LaFevers {91}

Title: Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2)
Author: Robin LaFevers

Release date: April 2, 2013

When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

My teaser, from p. 113 in the ARC:

"You're lucky you only got a clout to the jaw." He squints up at me again, as if trying to make sense of something in his mind. "Besides, you looked afraid," he mutters.

I gape at him. "Now who has feathers for brains? I had a mission--there--was no fear involved." But that is a lie. I was terrified, and I hate that he saw it.

I've had this for ages, but am finally reading it! I'm not far--so far so good, though. Gotta get to Mortal Heart soon! :D

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

Review: Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

Release date: September 9, 2014
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 288
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided for review through Edelweiss
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

Downton Abbey meets Cassandra Clare in this lush, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White.

“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.

Do you ever have those books that, for whatever reason, just feel right when you're reading them? Like it doesn't really matter any failings they might have or what anyone else thinks of them, you just know you love them. Illusions of Fate is one of those books for me. There are elements of the book that I think could have been done better and a lot of it would benefit from expansion and more time (even just as a longer book, though I wouldn't have complained about a second book either), but that didn't hinder my reading experience. I still loved the characters and found myself laughing out loud, I was still deeply interested in the world they lived in, and I was definitely invested in their fates.

What made me love Illusions of Fate was absolutely the characters. Jessamin is a fish out of water, come to Albion to continue her education and escape her mother's marriage schemes. Her island nation of Melei is basically colonized by Albion, and while she's been raised in the ways of Albion, Jessa's opinion of the country is less than enthusiastic. She loves her home and only wants to become a teacher so she can help her people. She's resistant to the wealth and pomp of the Alben people and heavily reliant on her wits and strength. And as soon as she meets Finn, their back and forth is a delight. He's charming and rich, a lord who pulls Jessa into a game she had no idea was afoot. Finn is just a little dangerous, with knowledge, power, and money more vast than Jessa could imagine, but he's also deeply kind, and his ultimate goal is to prevent Albion from taking over any more countries, to prevent war. Because he unwittingly pulls Jessa into his world, he does all he can to protect her. Their romance takes a while to develop, though the spark is there from the beginning, but it's terribly sweet and so rewarding once it happens.

This isn't even to mention the wonder that is Eleanor! She comes off as flighty and a gossip, but it's a carefully crafted disguise, for she can learn much through gossip and she's constantly underestimated. Her friendship with Jessa is very loyal and she proves herself over and over again to be an asset. Her bright and friendly nature pairs well with Jessa's not so overtly friendly personality as well.

As I said, there are parts of Illusions of Fate that felt like they needed more. The political parts and magic were light on details, which was okay in part because Jessa isn't necessarily interested in the politics and can't do magic, and the villain was dealt with very quickly. He's the threat all throughout the book, but his downfall is rather a short scene, and the big reveal is kind of anticlimactic. I didn't expect it, yet I didn't gasp or get upset about it either. The setup and world of Illusions of Fate are the kind that I really think need the time to be developed more (I mean, this is less than 300 pages!), and one short book doesn't give enough leeway to do that.

Yet, I unabashedly enjoyed Illusions of Fate. The world is just the type that I get most excited about, and the characters are just marvelously fun. Time and time again, I laughed out loud at remarks, or I stopped reading with a big grin on my face. I got so excited every time I got to pick it up and start reading again. It's just one of those books that got me, problems or not.

About the author:

Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy and the Mind Games series, as well as The Chaos of Stars and Illusions of Fate. She has one tall husband and three small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.

Stacking the Shelves {88}

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! I'm getting busy, but that's okay, because I have moneyyyy. :D Also, this was kind of a banner week for books in the mail. I'm not sure that I've ever gotten this many in a single week. IT'S FANTASTIC. And fun, and a little overwhelming--I have to read them now! 

For review:

Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick
The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre
Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin #3) by Robin LaFevers
Diamonds in the Rough (The Secret Diamond Sisters #2) by Michelle Madow
Stray by Elissa Sussman
The Fall by Bethany Griffin
The Invisible (Brokenhearted #2) by Amelia Kahaney
The Black Stars (The Planet Thieves #2) by Dan Krokos
Dark Spies by Matthew Dunn

Death Marked (Death Sworn #2) by Leah Cypess
A Cold Legacy (The Madman's Daughter #3) by Megan Shepherd

A big, big thanks to Henry Holt and Co., Roaring Brook Press, Feiwel & Friends, Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, Michelle Madow, HarperTeen, Balzer + Bray, Greenwillow, Tor Teen, William Morrow, and Edelweiss for all of these! :D

Gifted: 

The Young Elites by Marie Lu
My job wins for getting me awesome books. (Also, not a great picture, but I'm too lazy to retake it...)

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Review: Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
Thursday - Review: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Friday - Let's Talk About... Email Subscriptions

Books I read this week:
Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

I'm currently reading:
Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White

So that's been my week! SO MANY BOOKS IN THE MAIL. I'm also behind on comments--I'm working on it! I have less time to do them than I have, so I'm working on them when I can. If I owe you some, they will come, I promise! :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!

Let's Talk About... Email Subscriptions

Thrilling subject matter, huh?

Oddly enough, the idea of email subscriptions has been bumping around in my head for the past couple of days. To me, it always seemed like your email subscribers were the gold standard of subscribers. Anyone who subscribes to your blog is great, but those who choose to get notifications in their email were the hardcore readers, the ones who actually pay attention to what you're writing. That's how it was always sold to me, at least.

BUT, I've found that I'm rather annoyed by getting emails for blog posts. Now, I don't have many (one of them is my own, just so I can be sure my emails are coming and they look okay), but I don't even open the four or five that I do get from other blogs. I delete them. Every. Single. Day. I rarely even read the subject lines. Part of this is that I'm pretty inundated with email between the four accounts I maintain and I like to keep my inbox clean, but the other part is that I just don't want blog posts in my email. Where do I want blog posts? In a reader.

I open my Feedly reader at least five times a day and read posts. I like that every post is in the same place and that it's kept updated throughout the day. These aren't necessarily posts I'm going and commenting on, but I read just about every post that shows up in my reader. Feedly marks it as read once I'm done and if I want to save a post, it's simple to do so. (Obviously there are alternatives to Feedly--I generally like Bloglovin' too, but I find the Feedly app works better on my tablet--and I'm not saying Feedly is the greatest out there; it's just the reader I use.)

So I'm curious: Do you subscribe by email to blogs and actually read them? Have you been given the same impression about email subscriptions? How do you read posts, in general?

Review: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Release date: August 26, 2014
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher provided for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

The distinctive new crowdsourced publishing imprint Swoon Reads proudly presents its first published novel—an irresistibly sweet romance between two college students told from 14 different viewpoints.

The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.

But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship. 

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together....

I read a lot of books I'd describe as cute (Boy, do I like cute books.), but I'm pretty sure A Little Something Different takes the cake when it comes to cute. Some of us see the words "fourteen different viewpoints" and want to run away screaming because of horror stories with books with too many POVs. That's not the case here. In a large part, it's why the book is so good. In giving the reader Gabe and Lea's story from the outside, their romance is all the more real. Instead of immersing yourself in the characters (who you still get a really good feel for) of Gabe and Lea, we're immersed in their story, in this one part of their lives. You feel like you're Lea's roommate Maribel, or Gabe's brother Sam, egging the two on, knowing how perfect they'd be for one another. It's an utterly charming effect and an engrossingly adorable read.

A Little Something Different is really a simple book. It's the story of Gabe and Lea and how they come together. There's little side story--only a bit about what happened to Gabe prior to the start of the book, and really only how it applies to his relationship with Lea--but the book manages to feel full, between the fourteen narrators and the little moments between the two observed by everyone in their lives the book passes quickly. It's actually very refreshing, however, to read a book with almost no angst or unnecessary drama. The problems in Lea and Gabe's relationship are so normal and easily related to that it truly feels like it could be a story your friend is telling you or that you'd be witness to at school.

The only things I think could be a real, consistent turn-off for people are the narrations from the squirrel and the bench. They could easily be read as hokey, but they're certainly not something that bothered me. I mean, squirrels are funny!

This is one of those books that it's hard to find people not to recommend it to. I mean, doesn't everyone like happiness? Sunshine? Rainbows? Puppies? Sweet, awkward, shy people falling in love? Sure, it's not perfect, but boy is it fun.

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 isn't writing, or teen librarian-ing, she enjoys reading, marathoning TV shows, and long scrolls through Tumblr. A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT is her first novel.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West {64}

Title: The Fill-In Boyfriend
Author: Kasie West
Release date: May 5, 2015

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

I absolutely devoured Kasie West's other contemporaries, so of course I'm dying for more from her! I think I need to read Pivot Point and Split Second just to get through till May. :D

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