"Whether you say yes or no, you will always be my forever." 
 They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. 
 They lie. 
 For 21 days she held on. 
 But on Day 22, she would have given anything for the sweet slumber of death. 
 Because on Day 22, she realizes that her only way out means certain death for one of the two men she loves. 
 A haunting tale of passion, loss, and redemption, The Paper Swan is a darkly intense yet heartwarming love story, textured with grit, intrigue, and suspense. Please note: This is NOT a love triangle. 
 "Are we ever able to truly understand the 'why' or do we simply yearn for labels and boxes to organize the chaos we can't control?" 
 I heard so many positive things about this book before I even knew what it was about. When I read the synopsis, I expected this to be completely the opposite of what it actually was. The author promises that this is not a love triangle, so I had no idea what I was walking into. As much as I heard, "This is not a love triangle," I kept re-reading the story line and getting more and more intrigued. The best advice I can give is to go into this book knowing it is a powerful saga spanning over a long period of time. Try to avoid any reviews until after you finish the book. All you need to know is it is a beautiful story of family, love, loss, revenge, forgiveness, and redemption 
 "How much is your life worth, Skye Sedgewick?" 
 The story begins as Skye, a 24-year old spoiled rich girl, is abducted while getting into her car. Her captor drugs her and takes her out to the middle of nowhere prepared to shoot her. About to die, she shouts out a prayer she stopped saying as a child and is promptly knocked out. She awakens on a boat after being smuggled into Mexico. Going through the stages of grief, she refuses to become a statistic and knows she will do whatever it takes to get away from her captor and return home to her father and life. 
 "This was not some random kidnapping. This was a murder-turned-into-abduction. This was a screwed up moment of weakness. This was a personal, targeted attack against my father." 
 For a girl who lived an extremely charmed life, I was surprised how level headed she stayed throughout the entire book. I love how we get Skye's internal monologue of anger and sarcasm to work through her fear towards her captor. 
 "Don't play with scorpions unless you intend to get stung." 
 This book is not a typical captor/captive romance. In fact, Skye makes it very clear to the reader and to herself that she will not succumb to Stolkholm Syndrome or form any misguided attachment to Damian. We get to see bits and pieces of her childhood a s Skye has flashbacks into her past. When her past and present collide, the story really takes off. It was truly impossible to set down. 
 At times, it can be a bit hard to stomach when you learn what each character has been through. A few times I just said, "HOLY HELL! Can this person possibly go through any more shit?" The answer to that question was, "Absolutely." Each character experiences so much loss that at times you have to wonder if a person could actually come back from it. I love how Leylah Attar was able to provide the reader with understanding and compassion toward each character, especially considering some pretty horrific occurrences. I found myself falling in love with all the characters despite some pretty unforgivable actions. 
 "You don't always get the treasure by holding on. Sometimes the magic happens when you let go." 
 A lot of stories that have a revenge plot will resolve itself because the antagonist falls in love with the protagonist and love cures all. The Paper Swan is so much more realistic in my opinion. Yes, truths and misunderstandings are revealed, but it's not that simple. I love the prose-like writing that allows you to experience the story with all of your senses. My emotions were all over the place during this story and by the end, I was a puddle. This is a unique and emotional story because it is sweet and heartwarming, but at the same time dark and haunting. It is definitely one of my favorite books that I have read in 2015. 
 "I may have fixed the gap between my teeth, MaMaLu, but my true love didn't need a space to slip his heart in. I'd had it all along."