First Line Friday: 2/14

Happy Valentine’s Day!! 💝🌹💌🌷🍫💐 Wow, it’s been like three weeks since I last participated in this 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:

📚 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’s the first line:

If there is one subject upon which Wendell and I will never agree, it is the wisdom of attempting to drag a cat into Faerie.

Know the book? If you don’t, here’s a couple more hints…

Still not know? Think about it a bit more while looking at these nice photos of books…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett!!

(Didja guess it?)

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

SERIES: Emily Wilde #3

LENGTH: 352 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Del Rey

RELEASE DATE: 11 February 2025

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves.

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world: How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

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

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 1/24

Hey everyone! How’s your Friday been going?

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:

When Red wins, she stands alone.

Blood slicks her hair. She breathes out steam in the last night of this dying world.

Do you know the book? If you don’t, here’s a few more hints…

Still not know what it is? Ruminate on it a bit more whilst admiring these nice pictures of books…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone!!

(Didja guess it?)

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

LENGTH: 198 pages

GENRES: Science Fiction, Romance, LGBT+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Gallery / Saga Press

RELEASE DATE: 16 July 2019

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future.

Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There’s still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That’s how war works, right?

Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 1/17

Jeez, what is with me this week?! I thought I was finally back on track after the holidays. Ugh. Oh well. Anyway, it’s been a few weeks since I last participated in 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:

Here’s the first line:

The first time I met her was at the tail end of one of those endless weekday nights you could only have at a school like Sherringford.

Know the book yet? If not, here’s another couple of hints for you…

Still have no idea? Think about it a little more, while staring at these pretty pictures of books…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallero!!

(Didja guess it?)

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallero

SERIES: Charlotte Holmes #1

LENGTH: 336 pages

GENRES: Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books

RELEASE DATE: 1 March 2016

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The first book in a witty, suspenseful new series about a brilliant new crime-solving duo: the teen descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. This clever page-turner will appeal to fans of Maureen Johnson and Ally Carter.

Jamie Watson has always been intrigued by Charlotte Holmes; after all, their great-great-great-grandfathers are one of the most infamous pairs in history. But the Holmes family has always been odd, and Charlotte is no exception. She’s inherited Sherlock’s volatility and some of his vices–and when Jamie and Charlotte end up at the same Connecticut boarding school, Charlotte makes it clear she’s not looking for friends.

But when a student they both have a history with dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Danger is mounting and nowhere is safe–and the only people they can trust are each other.

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 12/20

Week three babyyyy! (It’s a turkey! 🦃✨) Happy Friday all!

Anyway, 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’s the first line:

The warning came in the form of a great wind, sudden and cold, sweeping out of the western mountains on a perfectly bland and cloudless summer day.

Any ideas on the book? If you don’t, here’s another hint or two for ya…

Still don’t know it? Here’s a few photos of some lovely books, while you consider…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle!!

(Didja guess it?)

I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

LENGTH: 278 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Sword & Saga Press

RELEASE DATE: 14 May 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Unicorn comes a new novel with equal amounts of power and whimsy in which a loveable cast of characters trapped within their roles of dragon hunter, princess, and more must come together to take their fates into their own hands.

Dragons are common in the backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne, coming in sizes from mouse-like vermin all the way up to castle-smashing monsters. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who would much rather people call him Robert) has recently inherited his deceased dad’s job as a dragon catcher/exterminator, a career he detests with all his heart in part because he likes dragons, feeling a kinship with them, but mainly because his dream has always been the impossible one of transcending his humble origin to someday become a princess valet. Needless to say, fate has something rather different in mind…

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 12/13

It’s Friday the 13th! So late in the year too – I can’t remember the last time it was in December!

Also, second week in a row with this one!

Anyway, 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:

Many moons ago in a principality far, far away, a hirsute lady slept in a tower that was covered in thorns. In general, such an occurrence would not be considered worthy of note, for people slept in towers all the time regardless of their current level of hair growth.

Know it? If not, here’s a couple more hints…

Still no idea what book it is? Here’s some awesome pictures of books to stare at while you think on it a little more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne!!

(Didja guess it?)

Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson & Kevin Hearne

SERIES: The Tales of Pell #1

LENGTH: 384 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Del Rey

RELEASE DATE: 17 July 2018

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In an irreverent series in the tradition of Monty Python, the bestselling authors of the Iron Druid Chronicles and Star Wars: Phasma reinvent fantasy, fairy tales, and floridly written feast scenes.

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born… and so begins every fairy tale ever told.

This is not that fairy tale.

There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.

And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.

There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he’s bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there’s the Dark Lord, who wishes for the boy’s untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there’s a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar “happily ever after” that ever once-upon-a-timed.

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 12/6

I feel like I’ve got a system going again. Recovering from Thanksgiving week is always a bit rough, but I think I’ve been doing okay. (Haven’t gotten a book review out this week yet, or my November reading wrap-up, but I’m planning on posting both this weekend.)

Anyway, 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’s the first line:

At the height of the long wet summer of the Seventy-Seventh Year of Sendovani, the Thiefmaker of Camorr paid a sudden and un- announced visit to the Eyeless Priest at the Temple of Perelandro, desperately hoping to sell him the Lamora boy.

Know the book yet? (There’s a huge giveaway here, lol.) If not, here’s another hint or two for you…

Still no idea? Go on and look at these awesome pictures of books if you need a little more time…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch!!

(Did you guess it?)

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

SERIES: Gentleman Bastards Sequence #1

LENGTH: 752 pages

GENRE: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Random House

RELEASE DATE: June 27, 2006

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The first book of the epic fantasy caper Gentleman Bastard Sequence about a roguish group of conmen, which George R. R. Martin says “captured me right on the first page and never let me go.”

An orphan’s life is harsh—and often short—in the mysterious island city of Camorr. But young Locke Lamora dodges relentless danger, becoming a thief under the tutelage of a gifted con artist. As leader of the band of light-fingered brothers known as the Gentlemen Bastards, Locke is soon infamous, fooling even the underworld’s most feared ruler. But in the shadows lurks someone still more ambitious and deadly. Faced with a bloody coup that threatens to destroy everyone and everything that holds meaning in his mercenary life, Locke vows to beat the enemy at his own brutal game—or die trying.

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 11/29

Wow. This week has been an absolute doozy. If I wasn’t busy doing something for the holiday, I was stressed about the holiday. Either way I was busy Ruth something. So the blog was unfortunately a bit neglected.

But I managed to make time to participate in First Line Fridays this week. 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’s the first line:

It was an ordinary day when Evie met The Villain.

Know what it is? If you don’t, here’s another couple of hints for you.

Still not know the book? Here are some lovely photos of books to admire while you consider it a bit more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer!!

(Did you guess it?)

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

SERIES: Assistant to the Villain #1

LENGTH: 340 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Entangled: Red Tower Books

RELEASE DATE: 29 August 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain… and their unexpected romance.

ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.

With ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer―naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.

But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain―and his entire nefarious empire―out.

Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.

After all, a good job is hard to find.

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 11/22

Happy Friday everybody! Three weeks in a row!

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:

Logen plunged through the trees, bare feet slipping and sliding on the wet earth, the slush, the wet pine needles, breath rasping in his chest, blood thumping in his head. He stumbled and sprawled onto his side, nearly cut his chest open with his own axe, lay there panting, peering through the shadowy forest.

Any ideas on the book yet? If not, here comes another hint or two.

Still don’t know? Hmm. Look at these awesome pictures of books while you think on it a bit more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie!!

(Did you guess it?)

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

SERIES: The First Law Trilogy #1

LENGTH: 542 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Orbit

RELEASE DATE: 4 May 2006

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The first novel in the First Law Trilogy and debut fantasy novel from New York Times bestseller, Joe Abercrombie.

Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian — leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.

Nobleman, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.

Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, would like nothing better than to see Jezal come home in a box. But then Glokta hates everyone: cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time leaves little room for friendship. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government, if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.

Enter the wizard, Bayaz. A bald old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he’s about to make the lives of Logen, Jezal, and Glokta a whole lot more difficult.

Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood.

Unpredictable, compelling, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is noir fantasy with a real cutting edge.

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 11/15

Happy Friday everybody! I’m here a second week in a row! Yay!

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’s the first line:

Isla Crown watched the man she loved disappear as the world fell away.

Know the book already? If you don’t, here’s another couple of hints…

Huh. Still no idea? Here are some gorgeous photos of books to admire while you think about it a little more…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Skyshade by Alex Aster!!

(Did you guess it?)

Skyshade by Alex Aster

SERIES: The Lightlark Saga #3

LENGTH: 384 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Amulet Books

RELEASE DATE: 12 November 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The pulse-pounding third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Lightlark Saga, by acclaimed author and #BookTok sensation Alex Aster

Love kills kingdoms…

Back in Grim’s castle on Nightshade, Isla is reeling in the wake of a brutal battle and the devastating truths it exposed. Her future—and the fate of the world—now hinge on a heart split in two.

Past Isla, who fell in love with the ruler of Nightshade, fights to resist feelings she considers treasonous. The Isla of the present, who has seen the ruin her powers can cause, will do anything to save Lightlark and its king.

As the line between enemy and friend is tested, Isla is more desperate than ever to understand the oracle’s final prophecy and change her heartrending fate. But a storm is coming. And with it, a long-buried evil greater than anything the realms have faced before.

With the clock ticking on her destiny and the survival of two warring kingdoms hinging on her own shattered heart, Isla Crown will either save the world—or destroy it.

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

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

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 11/9

Hey everybody, it’s been a while. Happy Friday! Jeez, I can’t believe it’s been over a month since the last time I posted one of these!

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’s the first line:

Jenna Grodonsky was terrified of the snow.

Any ideas? If not, here’s another hint or two for you…

Still don’t know? Here’s some awesome pictures of books to start at while you consider it…

Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle!!

(Did you guess it?)

Snow Drowned by Jennifer D. Lyle

LENGTH: 304 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Horror, YA, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire

RELEASE DATE: 5 November 2024

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

There’s a saying on Fall Island: the snow will get you.

Gracie Hutchinson has lived here her whole life and knows there’s some truth to those words. Every few years someone dies in a snowstorm, or loses their mind, or disappears without a trace. Sometimes it seems like more than just New England weather. Now, a hundred-year-storm is approaching, and while most of the locals have taken the ferry to the mainland, Gracie must stay behind.

But she’s intrigued to find someone else her age has stayed too—Joseph Wescott, whose mysterious family lives in Wescott Manor, descendants of the legendary first settlers of Fall Island. Together, they stumble across something even more unsettling than the coming storm: the body of a stranger, murdered in a grim ritual. Someone on the island believes the old Fall superstitions have a dark power—and now, they have Gracie in their sights.

As the hours count down to the blizzard’s landfall, it seems the only safe place to go is Westcott Manor. But Gracie wonders if there’s another reason why she’s been brought there, one that has to do with Joseph. She’ll discover secrets that have been kept for generations, a hidden history, and the terrifying truth about Fall Island. Because even when the storm ends, there’s no escape from the horror beneath the snow.

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

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

See ya ~Mar