First Line Friday: 12/1

It’s been a bit since I’ve participated in this post, but I’m ready for something familiar after a rather stressful week and a half. So let’s jump right in to 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:

📚 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:

The dragon wasn’t happy with the roses. No matter how Autumn cajoled and pleaded, Amfidzel refused to leave her garden, declaring that she wasn’t going anywhere until she’d plucked all the aphids off the drooping stems.

Jack’s round face was pale. “What do we do?”

Know what book it is? Here’s another hint (or two) if you need it.

Still don’t know? Here are some lovely photos of books to admire while you think about it…

flowers on top of stacked books and mug — Photo by Bianca Debisko on Pexels.com

sill life with gingerbread red berries and old books lying on a windowsill — Photo by Ioana Motoc on Pexels.com

wooden christmas decorations with open book — Photo by Demetra Ioannidou on Pexels.com

christmas gingerbread cookies tea candles and other decorations — Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels.com

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett!!

(Did you get it right??)

The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett

LENGTH: 343 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray

RELEASE DATE: 14 September 2021

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A spell-binding tale of magic, monsters and mystery, set in an enchanted boarding school. Full of suspense and exquisitely written, this is middle-grade fantasy at its best – and most original – for fans of Nevermoor.

Twelve-year-old Autumn is a beastkeeper at Inglenook School for Magicians, which she secretly dreams of attending as a student. Instead, she must care for Inglenook’s menagerie of dangerous creatures so the king’s future monster hunters can study them. But when she isn’t mucking out the griffin stalls, Autumn searches for clues about her twin brother’s mysterious disappearance. Everyone else thinks that he was devoured by the terrifying Hollow Dragon, but Autumn isn’t so sure.

Enter Cai Morrigan, the famous young magician prophesied to one day destroy the Hollow Dragon. When Cai comes to Autumn with a secret problem, Autumn agrees to help on one condition: that the ‘Chosen One’ join her quest to find her brother. Together they uncover the dark truth that lies at the heart of Inglenook School – because every school has its secrets…

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 amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 11/10

Wow. So it’s, uh, been about a month. Whoops?

Anyway, I’m back to participating in this post… mostly weekly? Hopefully.

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 smell of wilting flowers and spent candles almost masked the odor of decay. Raef pressed against a statue and fought to keep from trem- bling as the knight with the flaming sword paced nearer.

Any ideas? Here’s another hint or two, just in case…

Still no ideas? Here’s some awesome book pics to look at whilst you consider…

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton!!

(Were you able to guess it?)

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton

SERIES: The Gods of Night and Day (Book #1)

LENGTH: 394 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Blackstone Publishing

RELEASE DATE: 31 October 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The first in a new epic fantasy series from David R. Slayton—author of White Trash Warlock – Dark Moon, Shallow Sea is a powerful story of divine betrayal, ghosts, and self-discovery, perfect for fans of the Dark Souls series or Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

When Phoebe, goddess of the moon, is killed by the knights of the sun god, Hyperion, all who follow her are branded heretics. With Phoebe gone, the souls of the dead are no longer ferried to the underworld, and instead linger on as shades who feast on the blood of the living.

Raef is a child of the night. He lives in the shadows, on scraps, eking out a meager existence as a thief. But when an ornate box is sequestered in the Temple of Hyperion, the chance of a big score proves too great to resist. What he finds within propels him on an odyssey across the sea and back again, altering the course of his life forever.

Seth is a knight of the sun. But unlike the others of his order, the fire of Hyperion only brings him pain. He believes he deserves this penance, exacted for his unknown origins. Tasked with recovering the contents of the box, Seth must also venture beyond the horizon if he’s to learn the truth about himself.

In a dying world divided by the greed of those in power, Raef and Seth find their destinies intertwined—and learn they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

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 amazing day/night!

See ya ~Mar

First Line Friday: 10/14

Check it out! It’s Friday the 13th – and it’s in October to boot! 🎃👻🐈‍⬛💀🕸️🦇

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:

It came in handy, being small.

People talked of growing up like it was some grand accomplishment, but small bodies could slip through narrow gaps, and hide in tight cor- ners, and get in and out of places other bodies wouldn’t fit.

Like a chimney.

Still can’t figure it out? Here’s another hint or two…

Do you know which book it is now? If you don’t, here’s some lovely images of books to admire while you think about it some more.

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab!!

(Were you able to guess it?)

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

SERIES: The Threads of Power (Book #1)

LENGTH: 656 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor Books

RELEASE DATE: 26 September 2023

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab opens a new door into perilous adventure and tangled schemes with The Fragile Threads of Power.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed, and now only three Antari are known in recent memory – Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years—and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland’s absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own – but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she’s the only one who can bring them together – or unravel it all.

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: 9/29

Yes, finally! Another two week streak! Hopefully I’m getting back into gear. Yay! So, without further ado, let’s get into 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’s the first line:

In the myriadic year of our lord – the ten thousandth year of the King Undying, the kindly Prince of Death! – Gideon Nav packed her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and she escaped from the House of the Ninth.

Still somehow don’t know? Here’s another hint or two…

Know what it is now? If not, here’s some pretty pictures of books to look at while you think about it.

Annnd the book is 🥁🥁… Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir!!

(Were you able to guess it?)

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

SERIES: The Locked Tomb (Book #1)

LENGTH: 448 pages

GENRES: Fantasy, Science Fiction, LGBTQIA+, Fiction

PUBLISHER: Tor/Forge

RELEASE DATE: 10 September 2019

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

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