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:
Somewhere between the light and the dark, a woman got lost, and as the earth closed in around her, she wondered what she’d done to deserve it.
Any ideas on the book yet? If not, here’s another hint or two…
Still not know the book? Here’s a few awesome pics of books to admire while you consider it more…
Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez!!
Irish mythology collides with Gilded Age New York in this sweeping debut enemies-to-lovers historical romantasy, perfect for fans of Outlander and A Fate Inked in Blood.
Manhattan, 1870.Rua knows only two things: her name, and that she has no memories. So when the wealthy Harrington family mistakes Rua for their missing daughter, Emma, Rua goes along with the charade, hoping for answers about who she really is. As she tries to blend into a society she doesn’t remember, she’s drawn to a firmly off-limits man: the Lord of Donore, a newcomer to Manhattan society who is somehow familiar to Rua.
Finn is new to this side of the Atlantic and knows that the best way to fit in as Lord of Donore is to make friends in high places and play by the rules of society. He knows he shouldn’t become involved with a mysterious, recently missing debutante, but he’s intrigued by Emma Harrington, and Finn has an uncanny feeling that this isn’t the first time they’ve met.
With societal pressures mounting on both sides, Rua is determined to discover the truth about the missing Harrington daughter and her own past. But when her memories begin to return, they’re of a world far stranger than New York and traced in dark magic.
As ancient secrets unfurl in Rua’s memory, Rua and Finn are forced to uncover the mystery of their past and try to save their future. In this gritty and glittering romantasy, nothing and no one is as they seem.
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 awesome day/night!
Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday! It’s been a few weeks since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. This week’s topic is Unpopular Bookish Opinions. This is in regards to being a reader, a book reviewer or it can be about opinions you have on books that go against the grain.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s go!
#1: Relationships in Romance
I’m not into romance novels. I think most of them aren’t really realistically written to what relationships are actually like and what kind of people that people would actually dare/marry and actually have a successful relationship with. It’s just… ugh.
#2: Large Guys
This one is kind of similar to the first one, in that it’s very closely related to romance novels (as well as romantasy), but I’m so tired of huge guys. And I don’t mean guys with supernaturally large 🍆 – though that’s gotten annoying as well – but guys that are like mountains next to their love interest. I also garw it when they’re also described as being humongously tall, but then the author actually adds height descriptions in like inches or something, and the guy turns out to be like 8 inches taller than the girl or something. Then why are you describing him like he’s three feet taller than her or something!!!!
#3: Listening to Audiobooks
Now I’m not saying that I don’t consider using audiobooks as reading because that’s absolutely not true. Listening to audiobooks definitely counts as reading novels! What I’m talking about here is that I personally don’t care for listening to audiobooks. It kind of gives me a headache for whatever reason.
#4: Booktok
A lot of people seem to be obsessed with Booktok and it’s recommendations. Well I’m tired of the biggest recs from this platform being either not-very-well-written romantasy or dark romances. Like, I’m glad that people are reading, but I want to learn about other books that are my type! Come on!
#5: Organizing Bookshelves by Color
Now I think that bookshelves organized by color can be very pretty. I like seeing what some people’s look like when I’m on Instagram or YouTube or whatever. That said, it also tears me apart to see books from the same series separated in order to do this. I could never violate the series I own in such a way.
#6: Re-Binding Books
I hate this. I’ve seen people make some really nice looking covers on Instagram and stuff, but it feels like they’re mutilating the book and I can’t stand it.
#7: A New Cover Release Based on the Upcoming Adaptation (Movie or TV Series) of a Book/Series
I think this one is pretty self-explanatory. I hate movie covers – they always look terrible to me.
#8: When Authors/Publishers Release a New Cover for a Book or Series That is Less Than 10 Years Old
Let the books/series have at least a decade! It never seems like the books/series are old enough to justify a new cover, otherwise. It doesn’t help that I often find the original covers to be better.
#9: Romantasy Book Titles
The titles based off of A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Curse So Dark and Lonely are getting really old. Actually, they got old about five years ago. Recently, I saw a book with a title that was almost a mix between these two books specifically and it hit me then how much I despise this way of titling things. It’s not new and fresh anymore guys – it’s overused and annoying, and it’s certainly overstayed it’s welcome at this point.
#10: Most Blurbs/Book Descriptions on Books
And last – but certainly not least! – this. This is absolutely my biggest pet peeve when it comes to books. I actually love the idea of book descriptions in books to entice and attract the reader and get them pumped for reading books. But I’ve found so often nowadays that the blurb either outright lies or misconstrues things that happen in the book, OR the blurb is talking about and spoiling something that happens in like the second half of the book. The worst ones are the book descriptions that do both! Ugh!! I hate this so much! There’s just so many bad blurbs in books lately!
What are your unpopular bookish opinions? Are they about books and social media? Are they about what people tend to think or like or dislike about books?
As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope that you have an amazing day/night!
Happy Friday everybody! It’s been a couple of weeks since I participated in First Line Fridays – but I’m here again now!
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:
I will share how I fell. But first, I must tell you what it is like to fly.
Any ideas on what book it is? If not, here’s another hint or two…
Still don’t know? Here’s a few gorgeous pictures of books to admire while you consider it a bit more…
The first in an epic fantasy duology from Sunday Times bestselling author Laura Lam.
Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the ‘gods’ remember, and they do not forgive.
Thief Arcady scrapes a living on the streets of Vatra. Desperate, Arcady steals a powerful artifact from the bones of the Plaguebringer, the most hated person in Lumet history. Only Arcady knows the artifact’s magic holds the key to a new life among the nobles at court and a chance for revenge.
The spell connects to Everen, the last male dragon foretold to save his kind, dragging him through the Veil. Disguised as a human, Everen soon learns that to regain his true power and form and fulfil his destiny, he only needs to convince one little thief to trust him enough to bond completely – body, mind, and soul – and then kill them.
Yet the closer the two become, the greater the risk both their worlds will shatter.
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 awesome day/night!
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.
This week’s book is:
The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez! 🕣🐦⬛
Irish mythology collides with Gilded Age New York in this sweeping debut enemies-to-lovers historical romantasy, perfect for fans of Outlander and A Fate Inked in Blood.
Manhattan, 1870. Rua knows only two things: her name, and that she has no memories. So when the wealthy Harrington family mistakes Rua for their missing daughter, Emma, Rua goes along with the charade, hoping for answers about who she really is. As she tries to blend into a society she doesn’t remember, she’s drawn to a firmly off-limits man: the Lord of Donore, a newcomer to Manhattan society who is somehow familiar to Rua.
Finn is new to this side of the Atlantic and knows that the best way to fit in as Lord of Donore is to make friends in high places and play by the rules of society. He knows he shouldn’t become involved with a mysterious, recently missing debutante, but he’s intrigued by Emma Harrington, and Finn has an uncanny feeling that this isn’t the first time they’ve met.
With societal pressures mounting on both sides, Rua is determined to discover the truth about the missing Harrington daughter and her own past. But when her memories begin to return, they’re of a world far stranger than New York and traced in dark magic.
As ancient secrets unfurl in Rua’s memory, Rua and Finn are forced to uncover the mystery of their past and try to save their future. In this gritty and glittering romantasy, nothing and no one is as they seem.
Are you looking forward to the release of The Gods Time Forgot? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?
As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!
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.
My Review
“Where would I be without you, Em?” he said. It was an old joke of ours, but it wasn’t a joke now, the way he said it. I did not reply, merely straightened the hair he had mussed, brush-ing it back into place. He took my hand and we kept going. Soon, the castle came into view-its light was visible first, a glow that silhouetted the nearby trees.
Yes! I finally finished and posted this review! It only took me forever. Ugh, I don’t know what it was about February this year… I just couldn’t get into reading for whatever reason. (I also can’t believe it’s been a month since I last posted a book review. Grrr. I’m a little frustrated with myself.)
Anyway, let’s talk about Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales.
Despite how long it took me to get to reading this book (the end of February) and how long it took me to compose this review (now), I really did enjoy it. It wasn’t my favorite in the series – that’s still the first novel, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries – but it was still very good. Honestly, I found that I enjoyed it about the same as book two, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands.
And so, without further ado, here I go. This ended up being a longer review, so I had to break it into sections, lol.
The Characters
He rose, shaking the dew from his cloak. “You have that look.”
He had mirrored my own train of thought, which made me scowl at him irrationally. “Which?”
“The one you wear whenever you outsmart me in some area,” he said.
“Well,” I began with a shrug, then stopped. My magnanimity was wearing thin, I’m afraid. “Haven’t I?”
He laughed, a clear, bright sound, and then, before I knew what was happening, he had lifted me off my feet and spun me through the air, the greenery and shadow of the forest a whirl all around me.
“My beloved Emily,” he murmured in my ear.
📒 Emily Wilde 🖋️ is still a fantastic protagonist. I still love her narrative voice and the trajectory of her character arc was awesome. Her relationship and banter with her academic rival and heir to the faerie realm of Silva Lupi, 🍃 Wendell Brambleby 🪡 (and yes, Wendell is still just as ridiculous as he’s always been) is also just as wonderful as it’s been the past two books. I really love where their relationship starts off from in this book, and where it finally ends. Everything about it was beautiful.
I always enjoy animal companions in stories, and Emily’s Black Dog 🖤 Shadow 🐕 and Wendell’s faerie cat 🧶 Orga 🐈⬛ have been fantastic ones for this series. It’s been a little sad seeing Shadow slow down, as he’s an old dog now, but he’s still as sweet and loyal as ever, and it made me happy every time he appeared on page. And Orga… well, a cat is still a cat even if it’s a faerie one, and I enjoyed all of her appearances as well. I just love doggos and kitties.
📚 Niamh Proudfit 🌳 is, I believe, the only new major supporting character introduced in Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales, but I felt she was a strong one. I really enjoyed reading about her, as well as her developing friendship with Emily. And we got to learn more about characters introduced near the end of the last book that didn’t get a lot of pagetime before, like Taran (a faerie lord who is also Wendell’s step-uncle as well as apparently like a million years old – as well as a sadist) and Callum (Taran’s mortal consort who has the faerie lord wrapped around his finger, but is unfortunately still kind of a non-character here in book three).
As this was the last book in the series, we also saw the return of pretty much all of the relevant cast from the first two books, which was phenomenal. I always love it when final books do this; it gives the impression that the series has come full circle. So yeah, Lilja and Margret, Farris Rose, Ariadne, Poe, Wendell’s stepmother, and even the freaking Hidden King all make appearances. And none of them feel like they’re out of place.
The Plot
I paused as the weight of what he was saying sank in. “Then-you haven’t the slightest idea how to rule a kingdom.”
“Does anyone?” He took my hand, discomfort shifting suddenly into earnestness. “We will learn together.”
“Oh God,” I said faintly.
He studied me. “Is it that bad? You already know more about faerie kingdoms than any mortal.”
As with the other two books in this series, I rather 💖 enjoyed the plot 📖 – I’d put it on par with book two. I think the strongest part of this novel for me was the middle, but the beginning was also pretty good even if it was a little slow.
The ending was also something that I thoroughly appreciated. I think that it was a wonderful way to end not just this book but the entire series as a whole, and can’t imagine a different denouement. Though I will mention that some of the chapters leading up to it were slow and felt like the book was being drawn out a little. Yeah, some of the pacing of the last third of the book was kind of… yeah. But I still really liked the story of this novel as a whole!
The Romance and Prose
He took my hand. His eyes were greener in the dappled sun-light and emerald murk of the lake. “Will you marry me?”
As always, 💞 I adored the romance 🔥 between Emily and Wendell. Their banter, was of course, impeccable, and the respect and love and trust between these two characters is my favorite part of their relationship. These are two people who know and understand each other very well, even despite the very inhumaness of the way one of them feels sometimes. I can’t stress enough how much I love reading about a deep relationship between two mature (for the most part) adults that is very consentual and full of communication. This is why they’re one of my favorite couples in fiction.
Not to mention these two start dating near the end of book one, so the rest of the series sees their relationship continue to evolve beyond the “finally getting together” phase that most books with romance end on. Just, so much of their romance is refreshing to read. And they complement one another so well.
Regarding the 🖊️ writing and prose 📄 … well, of course it’s still fantastic. As I mentioned above, I love Emily’s distinct voice, but I also love the way her journal entries are written. Even though I admittedly skipped most of them, unless I needed or desired further clarification, I appreciated the footnotes. They were – and always are – a very nice touch in the Emily Wilde series, and even if I don’t always read them I like that I have the option to, if I so choose.
Final Thoughts
“What can mortals learn of the stars, given that we cannot walk among them? Yet we try.” I opened my notebook again. “Others have argued that it is the endeavour itself that is the point of scholarship. I am not so certain of that, for I can never stop yearning for new discoveries. Even the smallest are as precious jewels to me.”
Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales was an amazing addition to the Emily Wilde books, and an awesome conclusion to the rest of the series. I enjoyed reading about these characters and their world, and am very satisfied with the way things finished off, even if I’m a little sad to say goodbye. But it had a good ending, and that’s always one of the things I hope for the most when reading a series.
Of course I’m going to recommend this book, just like I did the rest of the series. Heather Fawcett is just a fantastic writer all around, and this book and especially the Emily Wilde series, showcase it beautifully. So yeah, if you like fantasy, romance, well-written romance and characters, and enjoy the occasional epistolary novel, then I can’t recommend this book enough. This trilogy enough. Heck, if you just enjoy good books – just read the Emily Wilde series, okay?
As always, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have an amazing day/night!
For anyone who doesn’t know, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly Tasteful Tuesdays, and before that, Majestic Mondays), is a series where I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.
This week the book cover I’m highlighting is The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard!
To save the realm from eternal darkness, she’ll have to choose between the truth and the lie—stand and fight or kneel and die.
“His Imperial Majesty, King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.”
When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.
But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who draws her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the starkeeper—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.
When the rebels carry out a brutal strike, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the starkeeper. But Roshan is hiding secrets of his own. And with no control of the power that seems to be stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of the old gods themselves…and the interest of one dark god in particular might be the biggest threat of all.
Book Cover Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 • 4 bright, glowing stars
Wow. The new books coming out lately sure have some pretty looking covers.
Like the last book cover I gushed over – The Beasts We Bury – The Starlight Heir’s cover art also has a bunch of purple on it. And, for some reason, purple covers tend to catch my eye. I dunno why, honestly. Purple isn’t even my favorite color or anything.
But purple isn’t the only prominent color on this cover. There’s also a lot of pink and teal, and they both compliment the purple very nicely. The pink more directly, as it’s clearly meant to highlight the purple of the feathers of the creature on the cover. The teal on the other hand, is part of the foliage in the background, behind the creature on the cover. There’s also some gold integrated here. The colors in the foliage definitely make it stand out.
As usual, I also really like the font chosen (or designed) for the title. It’s pretty serif-esque for the most part, which makes it feel very prominent on the cover art. But it has some swirls and a bit of a flourish to it, which gives it a bit of an elegant feel. The white color of the text also makes it stand out from the rest of the colorful cover.
So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read The Starlight Heir?
Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!
Here we are. Happy Friday everybody! Two weeks in a row with this one, once again! I’m hoping to hit another stream with 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:
Zeru closed his burning eyes, reeling as always from that first shock of brightness as he pushed his face aboveground.
Do you know what book it is yet? If not, here’s another hint or two…
Still have no idea? Ruminate on it a little longer while admiring these pretty pictures of books…
Annnd the book is… 🥁🥁 The Forest King’s Daughter by Elly Blake!!
Once upon a time, among the bloodred trees of Thirstwood, a young forest princess became friends with a lonely boy from underground. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket–or so he thought–because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the queen of the underground and the forest king declared war.
Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of enemies at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru abducts her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it’s only a matter of time before the war they’ve escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to forest and underground folk alike grows in the shadows.
From the author of the Frostblood Saga comes the first book in an enchanting, adventure-filled fantasy series about the daughters of the powerful forest king, sure to leave readers breathless and desperate for more.
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 awesome day/night!
Hey guys! Happy Thursday! It’s been a while, but I’ve wanted to do another Bewitching Book Covers post for a while, so here it is.
For anyone who doesn’t know, Bewitching Book Covers (formerly Tasteful Tuesdays, and before that, Majestic Mondays), is a series where I highlight an awesome looking book cover and talk about what I like about it. That’s it, that’s pretty much the point of this post.
This week the book cover I’m highlighting is The Beasts We Bury by D.L. Taylor.
Deceit and betrayal abound in this dark YA romantasy about an heir to the throne who can summon an army of animals and a thief who plans to manipulate her to pull off a once-in-a-lifetime heist.
Will he steal her heart or her chance at the throne?
Daughter and heir to the throne, Mancella Cliff yearns for a life without bloodshed. But as a child, she emerged from the Broken Citadel with the power to summon animals—only after killing them with her bare hands. Her magic is a constant reminder of the horrors her father, the ruler of the realm, has forced upon her to strengthen their power.
Silver is a charming thief struggling to survive in a world torn apart by Mancella’s father’s reign. When a mysterious benefactor recruits him for the heist of a lifetime, a chance to rob the castle, Silver relishes the opportunity for a real future—and revenge. But he’ll have to manipulate Mance and earn her trust to pull it off.
As the deception and carnage mount, Mance must find a way to save her realm without becoming the ruthless monster she’s been bred to be. And when Silver discovers that his actions are fueling the violence that Mance wants to prevent, he’ll have to choose between his ambition and the girl he’s falling for.
Book Cover Rating: 🪻🪻🪻 • 3 sprigs of purple flowers
So, The Beasts We Bury has a really pretty cover. I’m just a total sucker for covers with flowers in general, so this obviously caught my eye immediately. I also really enjoy shades of purple and lavender, which is something else that drew my eye to it.
The black backdrop really helped the rest of the cover pop out. The light purple flowers really stand out, as well as the gold colored text. The title and the flowers also contrasted well with one another, probably because they’re complementary colors.
I really liked the font used for the title and author and cover text in general. The B’s in particular look really nice. The author’s name also really stands out, yet matches the rest of the cover at the same time, by virtue of being green. So it stands out from the rest of the text by not being gold, but matches the cover by being green like the stems and leaves of the flowers. All in all, though, I think the cover art here is pretty good.
So yeah, here’s yet another beautiful book cover. What do you think about this cover art? Have you read The Beasts We Bury?
Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and I hope that you have an excellent day/night!
Happy Wednesday! It’s been a couple of weeks since one of these from me, but there’s still quite a few books coming out lately that I’m interested in!
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings (and was previously hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where it was known as Waiting on Wednesday) to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. They’re usually books that have not yet been released.
Perfect for fans of Brigid Kemmerer and Lexi Ryan, this debut romantasy stand-alone novel blends an immersive world, unique magic system, and swoon-worthy romance to create an unputdownable read that explores the great and terrible lengths to which love compels us to go.
Elia Tallis’s key conjuring abilities, when used with her father’s magic, allow her to open a path to any location. But Papa is dying, and Elia has been forced to painfully tether him to life so she can siphon his magic to provide for her siblings. The god of death, angry to be denied his due, punishes her by claiming her youngest brother as a servant.
Desperate to save her brother, Elia accepts a potentially deadly commission from Trys, a kindhearted prince with his nose stuck in a book. Trys wants Elia to help him find a legendary scroll. In exchange, he’ll give her his hand in marriage, securing her and her siblings’ futures and allowing her to release Papa to the afterlife.
Despite the danger of their quest, Elia and Trys find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. But when Trys finally reads the scroll, it transforms him into a monster beyond comprehension. Elia will have to wield her power in ways she never thought possible, braving a world of endless darkness and the nightmares dwelling within it to bring home the prince she’s growing to love.
Are you looking forward to the release of Unlock the Dark? What other books are coming out in the next few weeks that you’re looking forward to?
As always, thank you all so much for reading and have a fantastic day/night!
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!!
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.
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