First Line Friday: 9/22

Okay, so explanation time. I got sick this week. It has majorly sucked. So that’s why I haven’t hardly posted this week at all. Now let’s move on to First Line Fridays.

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

📚 Take a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open it to the first page
📝 Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
📙 Finally… reveal the book!

Here are the first lines:

Be still now, and I will tell you a tale.

It begins deep within Verloren, the land of the lost.

Do you know what book it is? Here’s a little hint. Or two or three, you know the drill by now.

Do you know the book now? If you don’t, here are some gorgeous pictures of novels to scroll through while you consider it…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Cursed by Marissa Meyer!!

(Did you guess it?)

Cursed by Marissa Meyer

SERIES: Gilded Duology (Book #2)

LENGTH: 485 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Feiwel & Friends

RELEASE DATE: 8 November 2022

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer concludes her young adult retelling of Rumpelstiltskin in this sequel!

Serilda and Gild attempt to break the curses that tether their spirits to Adalheid’s haunted castle before the Endless Moon, when the Erlking means to capture one of the seven gods and make a wish to return his lover, Perchta, from the underworld. But as the story progresses, it becomes clear he doesn’t want just one god – he wants to capture all seven, and force them to bring down the veil that keeps the Dark Ones separate from the land of the mortals. Serilda and Gild must try to thwart his plans, all while solving the mystery of Gild’s forgotten name, freeing his younger sister who is trapped inside Gravenstone Castle, and trying to protect their unborn child.

Romance, adventure, and Serilda’s journey to finding her power as a woman, a mother, and a partner make this a retelling that Meyer fans – old and new – will treasure.

What books have you been reading lately? What’s on your TBR that you’re most excited about?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 9/1

Back again for this post for a second week in a row. One more and it’s a streak!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

Kalak rounded a rocky stone ridge and stumbled to a stop before the body of a dying thunderclast. The enormous stone beast lay on its side, riblike protrusions from its chest broken and cracked. The monstrosity was vaguely skeletal in shape, with unnaturally long limbs that sprouted from granite shoulders. The eyes were deep red spots on the arrowhead face, as if created by a fire burning deep within the stone. They faded.

Even after all these centuries, seeing a thun- derclast up close made Kalak shiver. The beast’s hand was as long as a man was tall. He’d been killed by hands like those before, and it hadn’t been pleasant.

Of course, dying rarely was.

Know the book? Here’s another little hint just in case…

Know what it is now? (And yeah, I guess that’s technically two clues, but whatever.)

If you don’t, here are some pretty pictures of books to admire while you consider it…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson!!

(Did you get it?)

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

SERIES: The Stormlight Archive #1

LENGTH: 1007 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 31 August 2010

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings, Book One of the Stormlight Archive begins an incredib new saga of epic proportion.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.

One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin commands one of those other armies. Like his brother, the late king, he is fascinated by an ancient text called The Way of Kings. Troubled by over-powering visions of ancient times and the Knights Radiant, he has begun to doubt his own sanity.

Across the ocean, an untried young woman named Shallan seeks to train under an eminent scholar and notorious heretic, Dalinar’s niece, Jasnah. Though she genuinely loves learning, Shallan’s motives are less than pure. As she plans a daring theft, her research for Jasnah hints at secrets of the Knights Radiant and the true cause of the war.

The result of over ten years of planning, writing, and world-building, The Way of Kings is but the opening movement of the Stormlight Archive, a bold masterpiece in the making.

Speak again the ancient oaths:

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before Destination.

and return to men the Shards they once bore.

The Knights Radiant must stand again.

As always, thank you so much to everyone for reading. I hope you all have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 8/25

It’s been forever since I last participated in this meme, and I’m raring to go! Especially after my little spontaneous vacation from the blog.

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

A girl is running for her life.

The summer air burns at her back, but there are no torches, no angry mobs, only the distant lanterns of the wedding party, the reddish glow of the sun as it breaks against the horizon, cracks and spills across the hills, and the girl runs, skirts tangling in the grass as she surges toward the woods, trying to beat the dying light.

Voices carry on the wind, calling her name.

Any guesses? I’ll give you a little hint…

Know what it is now? (And there’s a secret, second clue here too, BTW. I couldn’t resist…)

If you don’t, here are some lovely photographs of books to scroll through while you think about it…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab!

(Were you able to guess it?)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

LENGTH: 444 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Historical, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 6 October 2020

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s genre-defying tour de force.

France, 1714: In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever – and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Before I end this post, I have a bit of a confession to make. I’ve never really been interested in reading this book. That’s why it was on my first Popular Books That I’ve Read Never post. I knew it was popular and well-loved, but I’ve never had any interest in it. But my mom really wants to buddy read it, so I’ve decided to give it a shot. Who knows, maybe I’ll love it!

As always, thank you to everyone so much for reading. I hope you all have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 8/4

Oh yeah! Three Fridays in a row of posting! I’ve officially started a streak again!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

The boy liked Ventday best. He had always liked Ventday because on Ventday the processionals happened and there was no work when the pro- cessionals passed the farm. The tools and staffs were put away and the mothers made them wear their best clothes and the fathers made sure they were clean. Then they all stood on the grass, cold whistling around them, trying not to shiver as they waited for the monks to make their way through Woodedge from Harn towards Harn- Larger.

The monks always came in the first part of the day, but they never stopped at the farm.

Know the book? If you don’t, here’s some book pics to stare at while you think about it…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Gods of the Wyrdwood by R..J. Barker!

(Were you able to guess it?)

Gods of the Wyrdwood by R.J. Barker

SERIES: The Forsaken Trilogy (Book #1)

LENGTH: 460 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 27 June 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Ours is a land of many gods, and we are a people with the ability to pick the worst of them.

Cahan du Nahare is known as the forester—a man who can navigate the dangerous Deepforest like no one else. But once he was more. Once he belonged to the god of fire.

Udinny serves the goddess of the lost, a goddess of small things; when she ventures into the Deepforest to find a lost child, Cahan will be her guide. But in a land where territory is won and lost for uncaring gods, where temples of warrior monks pit one prophet against another—Cahan will need to choose the forest or the fire—and his choice will have consequences for his entire world.

This is one that was on my anticipated books for 2023 part three list. So, I’m a little excited to give it a go.

And as always, thank you so much for reading and have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 7/28

Yes! Two Fridays in a row of posting! Back on track!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

Halla of Rutger’s Howe had just inherited a great deal of money and was therefore spending her evening trying to figure out how to kill herself.

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Swordheart by T. Kingfisher!

(Didja get it right?)

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

LENGTH: 426 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Argyll Productions

RELEASE DATE: 27 November 2018

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle’s estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all…

As always, thank you so much for reading and have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 7/21

Ugh, I ended up skipping a week again. Cuz stuff happened. Again. But what can you do? Anyway, I’m back to posting on First Line Fridays again.

(Also, I totally crossed 200 blog posts without realizing it. Yay for me! 🎉🎉)

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

The star was particularly bright when the nightmare painter started his rounds.

The star. Singular. No, not a sun. Just one star. A bullet hole in the midnight sky, bleeding pale light.

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson!!

(Did you guess it??)

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

SERIES: Secret Projects #3, Cosmere Universe

LENGTH: 481 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 1 July 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

#1 New York Times Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings us a gripping story set in the Cosmere universe told by Hoid, where two people from incredibly different worlds must compromise and work together to save their worlds from ruin.

Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster?

As always, thank you so much for reading and have an excellent day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday #20

I’m early! For me at least. Ahhh, I’ve been so crazy busy this past week, so my posting schedule has been even weirder than usual.

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

“Give me your hat.”

They are not the sort of words that you expect to start a legend, but they were the first words he ever heard her say.

She said them to him, of course.

Do you know what book it is? Here’s some lovely images of books to admire while you think about it…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker!!

(Did you guess it??)

The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker

SERIES: The Tide Child (Book #1)

LENGTH: 496 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 24 September 2019

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A brilliantly imagined saga of honor, glory, and warfare, The Bone Ships is the epic launch of a new fantasy from David Gemmell Award-nominated RJ Barker. Two nations at war. A prize beyond compare.

For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war. The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.

Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war.

Thank you so much for reading, and have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday #19

I’m really early today! Yay! Somehow, I’d been a bit burnt out with this post, so I skipped last week. But I’m back and ready to participate in another First Line Friday!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

The first thing you learned on the job as a Hol- lower was to never trust your eyes.

Nash, of course, had a different way of saying it: All sorcery is half illusion. The other half, un-fortunately, was blood-soaked terror.

Any ideas? Here’s some lovely book pictures to admire while you think…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken!!

(Did you guess it right?)

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken

SERIES: Silver in the Bone (Book #1)

LENGTH: 474 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Knopf Books for Young Readers

RELEASE DATE: 4 April 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lore comes a stunning new Arthurian fantasy—the tale of a teenage girl who seeks her destiny in the cursed ruins of Avalon, driven by love, revenge, and pure adrenaline!

Born without a trace of magic, Tamsin Lark is no match for the sorceresses and Hollowers who populate the magical underground of Boston. But when the only parent she’s ever known disappears without so much as a goodbye, she has no choice but to join in their cutthroat pursuit of enchanted relics to keep herself—and her brother, Cabell—alive.

Ten years later, rumors are swirling that her guardian found a powerful ring from Arthurian legend just before he vanished. A run-in with her rival Emrys ignites Tamsin’s hope that the ring could free Cabell from a curse that threatens both of them. But they aren’t the only ones who covet the ring.

As word spreads, greedy Hollowers start circling, and many would kill to have it for themselves. While Emrys is the last person Tamsin would choose to partner with, she needs all the help she can get to edge out her competitors in the race for the ring. Together, they dive headfirst into a vipers’ nest of dark magic, exposing a deadly secret with the power to awaken ghosts of the past and shatter her last hope of saving her brother….

Thank you so much for reading, and have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday #18

I’m early today! Well, earlyish. But – this is my third week in a row (again) participating in this, so I’ve got another nice little posting streak going. Enough with my rambling – onwards with the post!

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

Let’s start with the end of the world, why don’t we? Get it over with and move on to more interesting things.

Know what the book is? Look at these awesome book pics while you consider it…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin!!

(Did you guess it right?)

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

SERIES: The Broken Earth (Book #1)

LENGTH: 498 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 4 August 2015

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter.

This is the way the world ends… for the last time.

It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world’s sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

Thank you so much for reading, and have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday #17

First Line Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers (formerly) hosted by Wandering Words, but I saw it over at One Book More.

What if instead of judging a book by the cover, author or most everything else, we judged it by its content? Its first lines?

If you want to join in, all you gotta do is:

Here are the first lines:

Gladioli for courage. White carnations for luck. Hellebores for peace.

Though I’d filled the sitting room with flowers and wrapped myself in their sweet perfume, I could not forget the Council’s warning.

Any guesses on the book? Here’s some lovely book photos while you think about it…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell!!

Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell

LENGTH: 345 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: HarperTeen

RELEASE DATE: 14 March 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Tamora Pierce, this standalone YA debut is a stunning cottagecore fantasy romance about a girl with powerful and violent magic which she must learn to control—or lose everything she loves.

Clara’s magic has always been wild. But it’s never been dangerous. Then a simple touch causes poisonous flowers to bloom in her father’s chest.

The only way to heal him is to cast an extremely difficult spell that requires perfect control. And the only person willing to help is her former best friend, Xavier, who’s grown from a sweet, shy child into someone distant and mysterious.

Xavier asks a terrible price in return, knowing Clara will give anything to save her father. As she struggles to reconcile the new Xavier with the boy she once loved, she discovers how many secrets he’s hiding. And as she hunts for the truth, she instead finds the root of a terrible darkness that’s taken hold in the queendom—a darkness only Clara’s magic is powerful enough to stop.

Thank you so much for reading, and have an awesome day/night!

See ya ~Mar