First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open 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!
Aloha everyone! 🌺 In Hawai’i we like to call Fridays, “Aloha Fridays”, because it’s the last day of the M-F work week, and bye-bye to the work wee. Except, obviously people still work on the weekends. 🤷🏻♀️ Whatever. It still gives you a reason to relax a little, right?
I haven’t written many book reviews this week because I’m trying to slow down and take my time reading. It’s been kind of nice – but I do have a few ARCs I really need to get through, finish and review. So hopefully I’ll have time this weekend.
Let’s get to the BOOK though…can you guess where this is from?
“The forest had become a labyrinth of snow and ice.”
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One of my favorite series! This book keeps staring at me, it’s on my shelf above my desk and I’ve been meaning to read it soon. But I have so many others to finish before I can re-read it.
What are your plans this weekend? What are you reading right now? Leave me a comment below – would love to hear from you!
I saw this book tag post on a few blogs this week so I wanted to try it. I clicked back to the original creator and fell in love with her blog, Read By Tiffany. It’s so beautiful, #bloggoals for real! This looks fun, let’s see how it goes and you can try it too.
Feel free to use any of my graphics in your post, or create your own!
Tag 5 other people at the end of your post, and let them know you’ve tagged them.
It’s not summertime if you aren’t reading a Sarah Dessen novel. A lot of her books are set by the water, usually a lake. The Rest of the Story takes place at a lake town in the height of the summer season as it approaches the 4th of July. It’s about family, summertime in a lake town, finding yourself and yes – falling in love! Perfect beach, lake or pool reading material. 🏖
This book comes out in December! But I read it as an eArc provided by NetGalley last month and can I just mention that there is a part in the book that is just…🔥🥵😍 and nothing really happens in this scene but pure tension and talking. But I was fanning myself, seriously. It’s a modern re-imagining of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. Hearts, Strings, and other Breakable Things should really be a summer book with all the heat in it but I guess it will be melting hearts in December. 😉
Another eArc provided by NetGalley that I just finished is The Lady Rogue by the wonderful Jenn Bennett. This one you don’t have to wait long for as it is being published on September 3, 2019. This has adventure through Turkey and Romania with our main characters going on a treasure hunt. The dialogue between Theodora and Huck is so much fun and they constantly bicker because they have strong feelings for each other. If you like Vlad (Dracula) legends and stories about roughing it in a foreign country in the 1930’s – then you will love this book.
In a time of Marie Antoinette and the Palace of Versailles…how could I not be starstruck by such excess of that time period? This book was enchanting indeed, from the hot air balloon rides, decadent nights gambling and playing in the gardens at Versailles and falling in love. Enchantée left me starstruck.
I am Frankly in Love with this book. It explored racism, how to bridge two cultures when being American and Korean. It made laugh, it made me sad and it made me cry. It’s funny and yes it has romance as well. A friends to fake lovers to lovers scenario. Though light-hearted at times and heavy as well, I read this book in one day. I read the ARC courtesy of winning it on Bookishfirst.com but it will be out September 10, 2019. It’s one of my favorite books this year!
Somewhere Only We Know is a sweet story that made me hungry! This book is one of my other faves this year. It is a cute romance story about a K-Pop star and an ordinary guy. They spend a whole day together and yes – fall in love while traipsing around Hong Kong. If you want a very fun, light-hearted read, this one is definitely for you!
Spin the Dawn was a breath of fresh air for me. It’s a fantasy novel with magic and a cutthroat fashion competition. The drama! The fashion! There is intrigue, magic, romance, a quest and adventure. If you want a little bit of everything, then add this to your TBR list.
There are so many books I read that fit this criteria but I went back into my archives for books I read this year and chose A Curse So Dark and Lonely. What better obstacle to conquer than trying to help break a curse? And doing it while dealing with Cerebral Palsy? This is a Beauty and The Beast reimagining and it’s really good. It’s book one in the series and I’m excited for book two.
This isn’t my original pick for this category, it would be Somewhere Only We Know or Frankly in Love because of the Asian cuisine that I love featured in it. So this is my third choice, The Gilded Wolves, which is actually a heist story set in industrial Paris. Already you know Paris has a reputation for amazing cuisine but there is a character in this book, Laila, who always has sugar in her hair and is baking amazing desserts. So because of that, this is my choice for a book with delicious food! 🤷🏻♀️😂
You don’t get more inspiring than Angie Thomas’ newest book On The Come Up. Bri wants to be a rapper and she’s so good at writing rhymes but she has to overcome some issues at home, school, the industry and the neighborhood to really succeed. Can she do it? Can she rise above it all? This embodied my love of hip-hop, and it explored race and socio-economic issues. By the end I felt as inspired as Bri to reach my goals!
And that’s it!
You know…after doing this tag, I realize I need more contemporary, light-hearted, summery books to read! Everything I seem to read has been dark lately. 😆
I’m not going to tag anyone only because I’ve seen so many bloggers doing this tag already and I don’t want you to be tagged again. If you didn’t do it yet, I’d love to see your list! If you do make one, post your link in the comments below and I will check it out. This is one way I add to my TBR list, I love reading these book tag lists and find books that interest me. Please, recommend me more light-hearted romance novels please! I need them. 😘
Categories: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Faeries
Sometimes the ones who save us are the ones we need to fear the most.
In a world where dark faeries have stepped in to save the planet from humanity’s mistakes, seventeen-year-old December Thorne is nothing but a shadow. Shunned by her peers, bullied at school, and paid a little too much attention by her sleazy foster father, she lives in constant fear and perpetual solitude.
Until the day everything changes.
Offered a scholarship to the prestigious Oberon Academy, December finds herself living in a whole new world. Boundless food, clean clothes, a safe place to sleep, and the potential for true friendship make her new life seem almost too good to be true—but the school has a secret.
The truth is, Oberon Academy isn’t just a prep school for society’s elite. It’s a training ground for a secret race of magical beings no one knows exists. And they’re preparing for war.
Filled with fear and denial, December has a choice to make. She can either return to her pathetic life with her dangerous foster parents, try to survive on her own, or make Oberon Academy her home and discover the truth about who, and what she really is.
And that truth could save the world.
If you know me by now, through my blog that is, you know I’m a sucker for “Academy” books. There are a bit way too much of it showing up on my Kindle Unlimited “recommended for you” list and the covers all look alike. 😩So I was drawn to this one because the cover looked a tad bit different
I just read it this morning, past midnight for sure…more like, I woke up at 4:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep so I grabbed my Kindle and was done with this by 7am! Haha, then my kids woke up.
It’s a quick read and only 252 pages. What I liked about it? I like that it’s a take on Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare because when I was in middle grade, I was kind of obsessed with this story. King Oberon, Queen Titania and Puck, I love them all! Mind you I thought the word Oberon in the title was just coincidence but when other familiar names started popping up I was like…😯. The Sylphs at Oberon Academy are like the good fairies who like to have fun, and most of them are blond. At that part, I was like, really? 🤔 Whereas the Zephyrs who helped Earth when humans were on the verge of world destruction have black eyes, black hair and black wings. Which December Thorne an enigma.
December, has had a rough childhood, bouncing from one foster home to another. But she gets a chance to escape her current situation when she is accepted into Oberon Academy. She has black hair, blue eyes and she has black wings. From then on it’s the predictable tropes that happen in this genre – popular boy falls for different, new girl, and then she finds she has more powers than anyone else and there is a villain to defeat.
But I eat this stuff up like ice cream. I can’t stop (well I am lactose intolerant now, so I do know I can’t consume ice cream like before 😩) – and the stories in these academy series by indie authors on Kindle Unlimited are usually so short, it’s easy to consume so fast.
I liked December and watching her grow from invisible girl to the girl dating the Oberon heir, hottie faerie Easton. The attraction between them is definitely bordering on New Adult status. Haha…there isn’t any sex though if you are wondering. I also enjoyed seeing her find a best friend in Shaela, because friendship is important. I think all of the characters could use a bit more depth maybe – it seemed too easy that she meets Easton and that’s it. I don’t even think she met another teenage boy at this academy. Not even Easton had friends!
Since this was only book one, I wonder if December will be driven to the dark side of the Zephyrs at all in future books, because that would be interesting! Anyway, this book was light reading, predictable, yes, but I enjoyed it and hopefully it can only get better from here on.
Categories: Historical Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Romance
Disclaimer: *I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Some legends never die…
Traveling with her treasure-hunting father has always been a dream for Theodora. She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.
Until Huck arrives from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.
Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.
Thank you to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eArc.
What an adventure!
Jenn Bennett is one of my new favorite authors because of her young adult contemporary romance novels. But a historical fantasy adventure with two teens romping through Turkey and Romania by train, legs, plane and raft in the 1930’s on the search for Vlad the Impaler’s magical ring? She did good, so good!
Seriously, what a life for Theodora Fox, growing up abroad because of her treasure hunter dad. I envied her freedom to explore. Alas, there are issues that come a long with it like a dad that goes missing and leaves her behind. But Theo is a headstrong and smart girl, who is obsessed with crossword puzzles and putting together clues. She pretty much seemed to be able to take care of herself. Did she resent her dad? Sure, and after her mom’s passing, she really did need her only other parent to be with her.
Then there is Huck who has charisma and is easy on the eyes. They have a past, of course. Jenn Bennett’s characters always fly off the page. They seem solid and real. I felt like I was watching a movie while reading this. I love the banter between Theo and Huck, there is a lot of passion between them and bickering. They like to argue and yell at each other but they make a great team. Huck charms the anger out of her and she keeps him on his toes. All the secondary characters are fun too and add more to the Vlad theories as Theo and Huck search for her dad.
Now the romance part is evenly thrown in there, it doesn’t take over the story, but it is present throughout. But the rest of the story? Good thing I read the author’s note where she explained how the magical ring is fiction, because I was about to google Vlad the Impaler’s (Dracula) magical ring. 🤦🏻♀️ Because it’s believable like that, at least the lore could be believable, right? Or, at least I want to believe it because it’s fun!
A secret society, a journal with clues, treasure hunting, magical rings, scary Romanian woods with wolf dogs and the the occult! This story had about everything. There was love, travel, action, history, fantasy and danger. And even with all the dangerous situations thrown at Theo and Huck, the story stayed light and funny because of their interaction with each other. I enjoyed that very much.
This book took me on a fun, amazing adventure with Theo and Huck. I hope there will be more of their adventures in the future. 😉
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBTQIA+, Historical, Diversity
No one believes in them. But soon no one will forget them.
It’s 1889. The city is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. Here, no one keeps tabs on dark truths better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. When the elite, ever-powerful Order of Babel coerces him to help them on a mission, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.
To hunt down the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin calls upon a band of unlikely experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian banished from his home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in arms if not blood.
Together, they will join Séverin as he explores the dark, glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the course of history–but only if they can stay alive.
The Gilded Wolves – wow! I’ve seen a lot of reviews where readers DNF’ed this book. I also saw glowing reviews of it too. The gorgeous cover and the polarizing reviews got me curious enough to read this book.
It did take me a few days to really get into the book. I put it aside for a few weeks and even renewed it once at my library. I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for it, and I wasn’t sure if it was for me after reading a few pages. But I kept reading…and something kept me there. It could be the characters, or my curiosity because I love puzzles, history and artifacts. (Also, I just read Harry Potter – I know, I know, only now?…but I’m a Ravenclaw for sure 😂)
This book has everything in it. Diversity, puzzles, history, secret societies, Paris, attraction, friendship, and a heist! At one point I thought, should I be taking notes? I was confused for the first few chapters because there is a lot of information to take in but the more I pushed through, the more the world gelled together.
I love the diverse cast of characters. Of course, my favorite is going to be Enrique, who is a bisexual Spanish-Filipino young man. I loved that he is super smart about history and artifacts. Also, he was funny and he’s my people! It’s rare to see Filipino characters and it made me feel recognized. ❤️
Another character that spoke to me is Zofia, who is a socially-awkward, Polish-Jew. She is a whiz at Math and Science . My husband is Jewish and so my children are Filipino/Jewish (by way of Russian descent)/and a lot of other European ethnicities thrown into the mix through my husband’s mom’s side. And…my daughter’s name is Layla, and what a coincidence that there is a Laila in this story! It’s like this book was made for me. Laila is a beautiful Indian young woman with a past that is really intriguing! Her skill is to entertain and spy on people.
I enjoyed Hypnos too, he brought fun and lightness to some of these serious characters even though he seemed like a villain at first. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. And then there is Severin and Tristan who grew up together and their bond is special. Severin and Tristan had an interesting upbringing and I hope to learn more about him in the next book.
This story revolves around Severin and his goal to become a patriarch and reinstate House Vanth. The world-building is captivating to say the least. France is ruled by four Houses that are in The Order of Babel. Severin is coerced to take on a mission to help The Order find an ancient artifact. If he succeeds, his wishes will come true.
At times, especially in the beginning I felt like I needed a family tree or map of something to keep the world-building straight in my mind. You have to keep in mind the origins of The Order of Babel. It basically started with the destruction of the Tower of Babel (Genesis/bible), where five fragments scattered and where they scattered, it created civilizations. Where these fragments remained, the art of Forging or creation/creating was possible. Interesting was the tidbit about the West getting their fragments through the Crusade when the Knights Templar got their hands on it.
So the duty of the Order of Babel is to safeguard their fragment in the West or else all the world is doomed. When I read all this in the first chapters…I was like what is this? Forging? What are they forging and for what? What exactly can they make? I had so many questions! Throw in some French words and my brain started to hurt. But in a good way, I think. But I can see why some people DNF’ed this book. Not gonna lie – I thought about it. I think I just needed to be in the mood to read about 19th century Paris.
From there we meet our cast of super smart, different and talented characters who help Severin with this heist. If Severin is made patriarch of his own house then the rest of the crew can reach their own personal goals as well, with his help and backing.
I loved the puzzles, and working out the clues. It had all the stuff that made the Da Vinci Code amazing back in the day. I kept wondering how the author kept all this straight when writing her book! The clues were woven in with a heist, set in this glittering world of Paris during the 19th century. I was impressed just on the information alone. I wanted to google everything.
The writing is wonderful. I was drawn into the bond of friendship-turned-family that these characters share. Their differences make them a tight crew, the interaction between was fun and heart-warming. The action is fun, intense and at one point heart-breaking. The relationships are complicated as each of them try to survive and carryout this heist successfully. I loved their inner dialogues, their troubled pasts and individual stories.
This wasn’t a quick read but the beauty of this book is how the author explores many themes in this story. This book touched on so many issues like colonialism, race and sexuality. So I am glad I didn’t DNF this book! I was even trying to explain this whole book to my husband and said the next book will take place in Russia! 😱 He was like…cool…😅 So I could tell by the way I was blabbing to him about this book soon after I read it, that I really enjoyed it and had to tell someone, right away.
Before book two comes out in 2020 I am going to reread this book again because now that I know what happens I need to read the parts that initially confused me. I need to see if I missed anything. By the way, I was near the end and thought there were more pages to read, and I put the book down to bathe my daughter. When I returned to the book and realized I was looking at the Author’s Note…I was like…wait..it’s done?! 😂 I was ready for more!
I’m looking forward to the sequel to see what is the deal with Severin and if they can find the next lost artifact! 😬 If you like a heist story that involves puzzles, romance, friendship, diversity, history and lore – then definitely give this book a chance.
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl – definitely check out her awesome website.
This Top Ten Tuesday was a free topic about Characters. I had such a hard time picking a topic. 😫 But eventually I ended up with this one to celebrate some of the badass female characters I’ve read throughout the years. I’ve read SO many books over the past thirty years that I chose the ones at the top of my head. Now this list is mostly from YA Books because it’s what I read most of lately. But this is a super short list folks, and not listed in any ranking at all. There are so many fierce female characters that I love and I keep adding to my mental list.
Feyre Archeron from A Court of Roses and ThornsSeries. The first chapter where we meet Feyre, I was like, YASS..this is going to be good. She’s starving, hunting her next meal and dealing with family that don’t appreciate her. She’s a survivor and fighter from beginning to end.
Caelaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass Series – Now before ACOTAR there was Throne of Glass. I thought TOG, the first book was just okay. Wasn’t totally in love with it, thought it was a light fantasy read but the sequels after were pretty amazing. Caelaena is a beautiful, fierce assassin.
MacKayla Lane“Mac” from the Darkfever Series. This one is not YA but Adult Urban Fantasy. Years before any Feyre, Caelaena and anyone on this list came along I was obsessed with Mac. On the chase for her sister’s killer, Mac meets enigmatic Jericho Barrons and she gets introduced to the Fae world. I think Mac’s appeal was she was this Barbie girl who loved bright colorful clothing and she gets thrown out of her comfort zone into this world with Fae and Alpha Males. She learns to fight but still keep her love of all things pink. She’s fierce and still a girly girl and there is nothing wrong with that!
Karou from Daughter of Smoke & BoneSeries because she’s like a dream. When I first read this book years ago, it transported me to a magical world with angels and Chimeras and other creatures. Karou was like a unicorn to me with her blue hair, sketching all the time and living in Prague. All of it: the setting, the characters, the wishes, the story was just MAGIC. And Karou was the perfect centerpiece.
Jude Duarte from The Cruel Prince Series. I can’t make this list without Miss Jude Duarte! What can I say about Jude? I love her. She isn’t charming, she’s flawed, she’s bold and brave too. I like how committed she is to her task no matter what happens, she is cold as ice sometimes! She’s smart and fierce and I’m addicted to her and Cardan!
Allison Sekemoto from The Immortal Rules Series. Some characters just stay with you and in a time when vampire stories were about dying out in popularity, Julie Kagawa published this book. This story blew me away – it was a vampire dystopian story and Allison Sekemoto wasn’t only an Asian character I could fangirl about, but she carried a Katana. I mean…YES, please! She’s an Asian vampire who is gritty, snarky, means business and oh so fierce.
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Series. The series that started my love of young adult dystopian novels. Katniss had a unique name, so I already knew she was going to be special. How can you not love a character who will take her sister’s place in an event where most people don’t survive? She’s a survivor until the very end.
Rose Hathaway from the Vampire AcademySeries. Speaking of vampire stories, I was obsessed with the Vampire Academy series! Rose isn’t a full vampire, which was nice – she’s a Guardian, basically a bodyguard for vampire royalty. She got some butt kicking skills, and it helps to be trained by a hottie, right? 😅 Rose is fun, brave and totally fierce.
Tea from The Bone Witch Series because a necromancer like her has to be mentioned as a fierce character. And yes she had the power to raise the dead and bond with scary creatures but what was super fierce about her was her love for her brother. Even just thinking about it breaks my damn heart. UGH. 😭💔
Roselle St. Sismode from Secondborn Series rounds up this list. What a fighter in this sci-fi/fantasy world. I love her and though she’s a badass with a fusion blade, she suffered from anxiety as well. Killing and seeing death is traumatic and I liked that she shows vulnerability because we all break down sometime, right? But no matter how many times she gets beaten down she gets back up and keeps fighting.
And that’s my list *whew* that was hard! I love so many characters!
Have you read any of these series? What fierce female characters do you love?Leave me comment below!
A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.
It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.
With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.
Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time—only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.
Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end…
I just finished reading Finale and I’m still processing my thoughts as I write this review. I gave it 4 stars but it’s dropped to 3.5…? And maybe my expectations were a bit high after reading Legendary, but this one fell short for me. I’m bummed that I didn’t love it as much as the other two.
This book picks up right away after Legendary. It is told through Scarlett and Tella, the Dragna sisters. Legend is about to be crowned emperor except the Fates are waking up. And he needs his powers at full force to defeat them, or at least take down their leader, The Fallen Star. He is a new villain that rules and punishes the other Fates to keep them in line. Around this story of taking down The Fallen Star is another game our main characters are playing, but it’s not Caraval.
I don’t hate love triangles in stories. I mostly enjoy them because I like the angst and trying to decide who would be best for our main characters – but by book three, I wanted these Dragna sisters to make a decision on their men. Caraval was a mysterious high stakes game invented by Legend, but the other game being played in this series is the game of love. And they all keep playing it, to the point of distraction.
Scarlett tests Julian’s love by meeting the real Nicolas. Nicolas has a cameo in this book, I don’t even know if he was necessary to the story. Tella tests Legend by running away from him and going to Jacks. This happens, a lot. After awhile, I got weary and I wanted choices to be made.
I liked Tella in Legendary, but she is so indecisive and impulsive in Finale. And yes, she loves the bad boys. That’s fine, I like bad boys myself. She got herself into situations that tested my patience but after awhile I just figured she likes the drama, she likes the game. How else could I explain why Tella keeps going back to these guys who don’t treat her right? Okay so they are good looking and great kissers, but come on…this girl seems to pine for heartache. Also she’s always creeping around trying to find out what Legend is up to in the beginning of the book. 😅 I was like, girl…what are you doing? 🤦🏻♀️
Julian and Scarlett at least had a relationship that seemed steadier, maybe because he’s not immortal. But Legend and Tella? I guess Tella did have a valid dilemma, to choose between Jacks the jerk with a literally devastating kiss or Legend the player who could also act like a jerk. 🙄 I was thinking…run away…from both of them! Are there no other options out there for Tella? hahaha…not gonna lie, I was even rooting for Jacks at one point.
This story was also darker than Caraval and Legendary. There are blood vows, obsessions and deceptions. But at least the story tried to point out obsession is not love. I did find it interesting that love was what could kill an immortal. It made some of the characters in this book question what they valued more: love or immortality? We also learn more about Paradise (the Dragna sisters’ mother) and her role with The Fallen Star. As I said, it’s a game of love, a dangerous game at that.
The ending was slightly surprising and left a little open so I wonder if the world of Caraval isn’t over. There are some questions left unanswered.
There is no Caraval game in Finale. The game in Finale is love and I think it took the mystery away from what the Caraval series was all about. The grandeur, the element of surprise, the romance, the players, the locations and illusions of Caraval was missing in Finale. Maybe that was the point – Tella had to decide if Legend the person was what she loved, or Legend the illusion. As a series, it is fun, different and enjoyable. As for Finale, the book, it wasn’t my favorite in the series. But it did have a happy ending at least. 😊
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open 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!
It’s been a long week folks, with slower reading time for me. Trying to take my time and not feel the rush to finish up a book in one sitting. I tend to do that and forgo sleep but I needed to rest this week. It’s been hot in Hawaii – has summer weather hit wherever you are?
Okay let’s get there lines down…
Scarlett Dragna’s bedroom was a palace built of wonder and the magic of make-believe. But to a person who’d forgotten how to imagine, it might have just looked like a disaster of dresses.
Can you guess?
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I’m 75% done so we shall see what happens in the end! 😱 After this book, I have to finish a few I started but have been taking awhile to finish. What are you reading this weekend?
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
Welcome to the magical world of libraries and grimoires! The dedication in the book alone gave me feels. I am that girl who lost herself in books at a young age and it’s a love that has never disappointed me!
The beauty of Sorcery of Thorns is how it weaves this mystery story in one of the most loved places for a book lover, a library or libraries I should say. Libraries are places of magic for us who love books. It’s why I once upon a time debated on becoming a librarian. It was a librarian at my elementary school that made me fall in love with books. I’ve worked in only college libraries but just being around books academic or fiction, it feels like home to me. Just as Elisabeth feels at home in the Great Library at Summershall in the Sorcery of Thorns.
I was swept up in this story of libraries and the directors, wardens, apprentices and the grimoires. Oh those amazing grimoires which have such different personalities! Books speak to us, in this story and in real life. Come on, have you ever told a book it’s beautiful? 😅🥰 I do it all the time.
And what’s a library story without sorcerers, the users of dark magic and grimoires? Nathanial Thorn is a very mysterious young man and he has a demon by his side named Silas. Elisabeth is deathly afraid of them in the first half of the book because she has had no interaction with the outside world. She’s been in the library so long, she was taught to fear sorcerers. I find the relationship between Silas and Nathanial so interesting, especially since demons are…well demons. They don’t feel the way humans do.
We find out there is someone out there trying to sabotage the great libraries in Austermeer and Elisabeth needs to find out who it is and stop them. It is a murder mystery, wrapped in sorcery and demon lore.
It is rare these days to read a young adult fantasy novel that is a stand-alone. But I’ve read this author’s other book and I have to say she does so well in balancing a story and giving us everything in one book. Her stories feel light also, even dealing with topics like demons. This story reads like a fairy tale, so effortless. Sorcery of Thorns has everything: humor, action, romance, friendship, and mystery.
This book wove it’s spell on me for sure. I thought the sorcery and demons in the book added a lot of excitement and action. The characters stood out on their own, but my favorite might have been Katrien – our resident bookworm apprentice who is Elisabeth’s best friend. The romance between Nathanial and Elisabeth is a slow burn and doesn’t take precedence. Nathanial has reasons to keep Elisabeth at arms length but eventually they grow on each other. And of course, I was in love with all the library scenes as well.
This story is a well written, enjoyable, enchanting homage to the mystery and wonderment of libraries and a girl who will help defend it from evil. I’d love to see this as a movie or tv series – with more adventures in the world of libraries, grimoires, sorcerers and demons! As a library lover, this book was definitely for me!
Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
For generations, the princes of Ilara have married the most beautiful maidens from the ocean village of Varenia. But though every girl longs to be chosen as the next princess, the cost of becoming royalty is higher than any of them could ever imagine…
Nor once dreamed of seeing the wondrous wealth and beauty of Ilara, the kingdom that’s ruled her village for as long as anyone can remember. But when a childhood accident left her with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.
Then Zadie is gravely injured, and Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.
In order to save her people, Nor must learn to negotiate the treacherous protocols of a court where lies reign and obsession rules. But discovering her own formidable strength may be the one move that costs her everything: the crown, Varenia and Zadie.
Thank you to Harlequin TEEN and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc.
The beginning of this story is intriguing. We meet twin sisters, Nor and Zadie, and they live in Varenia, a place on the water where the most beautiful girls are from. They are so beautiful, the kingdom of Ilara always goes there to find their future queen. Requirements for being chosen as a queen? The potential queen has to be the most beautiful girl in Varenia. Appearance wise, you have to be flawless, meaning no scars among other things.
Zadie is perfect. Nor, on the other hand, has a scar on her face she acquired from saving her sister’s life. I love their sisterly bond and how they would do anything for each other. I also enjoyed this world of Varenia that the author created, it’s a poor place to grow up in, the people are struggling and the pearls they survive on is becoming more scarce. It’s a beautiful place with gorgeous girls, but the reality is that they will struggle without their pearls. Varenians are a part of the sea, their life is the ocean, but Nor dreams of exploring beyond Varenia.
I think the first part of the book was stronger than the second half only because Nor’s connection is strongest with her sister and her home. When she arrives in Ilara it cuts her off from the sunshine, ocean, fresh air and her relationships. In New Castle she is bereft of all the things she loves and lives with a villain, her future husband.
There is a romance in the story but it doesn’t take over the book, which was fine. I felt like even if it it didn’t have romance, the love between the sisters would have been enough for me. There is also some thrilling action which I enjoyed. But the ending was rushed which is so unfortunate because this book started off so well and I was really into it.
Overall, it is an enjoyable read about a loving sisterly bond and how the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
