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!
Today’s First Lines:
“Yadriel wasn’t technically trespassing because he’d lived in the cemetery his whole life. But breaking into the church was definitely crossing the moral-ambiguity line. Still, if he was going to finally prove he was a brujo, he had to perform the rite in front of Lady Death. And she was waiting for him inside the church.”
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
Title: Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Goodreads Synopsis
Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.
However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
Thoughts & Comments
I’ve read such great things about this book and have been looking forward to reading it. I enjoyed this author’s other novel, and these first lines definitely set up an intriguing start to the story.
Does this book sound like something you would like? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!
I finally finished the Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious multimedia event. Rather than reviewing the last three audio dramas individually, I thought it would be more expeditious to do mini reviews of each along with a summary of my thoughts on the entire event. So, here goes!
Mutually Assured Destruction picks up with the 8th Doctor directly after the events of All Flesh Is Grass. It doesn’t really stand on its own without having read previous installments of the event. There are some enjoyable moments with the 8th Doctor, but the Daleks were incredibly annoying in this one. There are very few characters other than the Doctor and the Daleks, and most of the audio is Daleks screeching at each other, which got on my nerves quickly. This story also once again repeats the theme of being the last of one’s kind, which is kinda old for Doctor Who at this point. Overall, I recommend skipping it and give it 2 out of 5 stars.
Genetics of the Daleks is one of my favorite entries in Time Lord Victorious even though it doesn’t have strong ties to the overarching story. It has an interesting, multi-layered plot that doesn’t focus solely on the Doctor. The other characters are interesting, and Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor is at his usual level of greatness. I enjoyed hearing his reaction to finding out he would eventually become the Time Lord Victorious. The ending really surprised me and made me wish I could do the escape room that this story is a prequel to. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and recommend it whether you’ve been following Time Lord Victorious or not. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.
Echoes of Extinction is an interesting pair of stories involving the 8th and 10th Doctors and a sentient psychic weapon. The plot once again focuses on the extinction of a race, but the psychic weapon kept me intrigued with the stories. Each story is pretty short, but they act as a good start and end point to the entire Time Lord Victorious event without tying too closely into the overarching narrative. It’s a bit timey wimey, but I’m pretty sure the 8th Doctor story comes first. So, I recommend starting with that one, but it probably doesn’t really matter. Both Doctors were fantastic in this, and overall, it was fun to listen to them. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.
Final Thoughts On Time Lord Victorious
I’m honestly glad to be done with it. There were parts of it that I loved, but the majority of the stories were mediocre at best. I was so excited to get to see the Doctor come a little unhinged and face down death itself, but there was so little of that in these stories. I don’t feel satisfied. The Daleks once again became the entire focus, which made me frustrated because I wanted the Kotturuh to be the main foils for the Doctor this time. I love them, but the Daleks have been done to death and back again. So, I rate this crossover event a 3 out of 5.
Have you read some or all of the Time Lord Victorious multimedia event? What were your favorite and least favorite parts?
COVID-19 has undoubtedly impacted everyone’s lives in a myriad of different ways. Employment, mental health, physical health, social lives, and every other aspect of life have been disrupted. So, I don’t think it is any surprise that hobbies, such as reading, would also be affected by the pandemic. Upon reflection, I’ve found COVID-19 has influenced my reading habits in three very noticeable ways.
1. Increased consumption of digital media.
I love the feel of a book or comic book in my hand. Turning the pages and smelling the paper are a huge part of the experience for me. For years, I swore I would never buy an e-reader or get digital books or comics. However, the stay-at-home mandates and fear of getting sick while in stores caused me to do some things I never thought I would do.
First, I switched to digital comic books. I now use Comixology for all of my purchases and enjoy using the app on my phone and computer. The aforementioned mandates and fears of illness were one driver of this decision, but the logistics and availability issues that plagued comic book stores early on in the pandemic were the final deciding factors. I would go on release day to be told that none of the new stock had arrived yet. Getting everything I wanted took multiple trips, which I didn’t deem safe at the time given my high risk. So, I switched to digital comics and haven’t looked back. It saves me the time and hassle of going to the store, and I don’t have to worry about stock problems. It has also saved a lot of space in my house…the boxes of comics were really starting to add up.
With the success of switching my comic book addiction to digital, it was only a matter of time before the same happened with other books. I began using the library’s digital services to read books and eventually started using the oft-neglected Kindle app on my phone. From there, it was a short jump to get my own Kindle Oasis e-reader, and I love using it. I haven’t completely given up on paper books like I did for comics, but I’ve significantly increased the amount of digital books I read from practically none to more than half of my reading every month. I like that I don’t have to put myself at increased risk to get books I want, but I do still get a book from the store if I’m going to be out already anyway.
2. Massive surge in the amount I read.
Thanks to the pandemic, I found myself with much more free time. I started working from home and have only been working part time. So, naturally reading has helped me fill a lot of down time. I also tend to read more at random times throughout the day between tasks. That has not been an option before because I was always in the office where something was constantly happening. Now I’m at home alone between client appointments; so, I can sneak in a couple chapters between my tasks. This has led to me increasing my reading from 1-2 books per month to 10-15 books per month.
3. I use the library now.
I rarely, if ever, got library books prior to the pandemic. As I mentioned earlier, I started using the online library services to read some books. Then I learned that my library had instituted a book quarantine policy and had contact-less check out. So, I could go in, check out a clean book, and never have to interact with anyone. This seemed even safer than going to a bookstore and was cheaper to boot. So, I’ve started using the library for both digital and print books quite a bit, which is something I never would have expected a year ago.
Has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your reading habits at all? If so, what has changed?
Before I get to the review, I wanted to celebrate the fact that this is my 50th book of the year! I can’t even remember the last time I read 50 books in a year. Honestly, it may never have happened before. So, I’m excited to have reached this milestone. It also means I’m already halfway to my goal for the year!
Goodreads Synopsis
Darkness never dies.
Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.
The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.
My Review
NOTE: This review contains some spoilers. So, read on at your own risk if you haven’t read the book yet!
I liked this book more than the first one. It had the same engaging style and witty dialogue that I enjoyed from the first book. It also gave me many of the things I felt were missing from the first book. I wanted to see more of the machinations at court and deeper building of the world and lore, and I got it. This book provided a lot of background information about the amplifiers that helped me understand the plot of both this story, and the previous one, much better. It also spent more time devoted to politics and the squabbles of the royal family, which I enjoyed.
Alina’s character was also deepened considerably throughout the course of the novel. It was interesting to see her grapple with what to do with her power now that she accepted it. She grew in many ways, and I liked reading about her struggle with learning politics and how to become a leader. The loneliness and greed that can often accompany great power and positions in leadership were things she worked to understand and overcome during the story while also navigating relationships with a wide range of men who wanted to use her power for their own gain. These struggles made the character much more relatable.
The new additions to the cast in this book were fantastic. I especially loved the privateer and his relationship with Alina. They had great chemistry and a playful dynamic. I enjoyed his charisma and intellectual nature because they added some levity to the book.
The one character I still hated was Mal. His pettiness and jealousy almost ruined this book for me. The relationship between him and Alina is super angsty. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; he just always seemed to be holding Alina back. I think her relationship with him is the security blanket that she needs to grow beyond to come into her own, and I can only hope that will happen before the series is over.
The plot of this book left a lot to be desired, as well. I was frustrated by the first several chapters because it felt like a lot of the character development, especially for Alina, had been undone, and the story quickly became a rehash of the same plot points from the first book. I think at one point she even commented in the book that they were right back where they started. Luckily, that changed pretty quickly into the book, but I still think the beginning could have been better. After the rough beginning, most of the book was spent preparing for a siege, as the name of the book implies. I enjoyed this because it gave time for learning about the world, the character development, and politics. However, not a whole lot happened plot-wise during this time. Then after all the time preparing, the climax of the book only lasted 20-30 pages, if that. I enjoyed how it all happened, but I wish more time had been spent describing the actual siege. In the end, the characters are largely in a similar situation to the one at the beginning of the book, which was frustrating after reading over 400 pages, but my feelings of frustration were tempered by knowing many of the characters have grown because of what happened in the book.
Another big complaint is the lack of the Darkling for most of the book. He was my favorite character from the first book. So, I was disappointed not to see more of him. He literally phoned in his appearances, but they were still well done and continued to build his creepiness. I think the story may have been better if we got to see some of the things he was doing from his POV, but I also get that it’s really Alina’s story. I’m just hoping he will have more of a presence in the next book.
Overall, the book was an improvement on the first one. It added many elements I thought were lacking in the first book (more info about amplifiers, politics, and deeper world-building). I also liked most of the themes and characters a lot more, except for Mal. The plot wasn’t perfect, but it was interesting. I just wished there was more of the Darkling. Therefore, I rated the book 4 out of 5 stars.
Have you read Siege and Storm? What did you think?
Dr. Aphra teams up with Darth Vader himself in the original script to the audiobook production—an expanded adaptation of the critically acclaimed Marvel comics series.
Dr. Chelli Lona Aphra, rogue archaeologist, is in trouble again.
A pioneer in the field of criminal xenoarchaeology, Aphra recognizes no law, has no fear, and possesses no impulse control. To her, the true worth of the galactic relics she discovers isn’t found in a museum but in an arsenal. This viewpoint has led to a lot of misunderstandings. After her latest plan goes horribly wrong, her roguish ways are on the verge of catching up to her. That’s when suddenly Darth Vader, terror of the galaxy, swoops in with his lightsaber and . . . saves her life?
Don’t get her wrong—it’s not like she’s ungrateful. Sure, her new boss is a lord of the Sith. And okay, she may have just become a pawn in a deadly game being played by him and his boss, who happens to be the Galactic Emperor. And yes, the life expectancy of anyone who disappoints Vader can be measured in seconds.
But she’s back doing what she does best. She’s got a ship to fly, a heist to pull, and two unorthodox but effective metal buddies: Triple-Zero, a protocol droid specializing in etiquette, customs, translation, and torture, and BT-1, an astromech loaded with enough firepower to take down a battlecruiser. Together, they might just find a way to get the job done and avoid the deadly performance review that waits at its conclusion.
Just kidding. She’s doomed.
My Review
I’m a huge fan of all the characters in this book (Doctor Aphra might actually be my favorite character from the new canon), and I loved the story when I read it in the Darth Vader comics several years ago. It just didn’t work for me in this format. The story came off as somewhat disjointed, which isn’t surprising given it was originally from a comic book. The scenes often felt disconnected and jumpy with a frenetic pace, which is also likely a result of how short this script was. It mostly felt like a play by play retelling of the comics without much added depth. I was hoping for even more insight into the characters, but I think the surface was only just scratched. The setup of having Doctor Aphra narrate the entire adventure while also being the main character in the dialogue wasn’t good. I would often need to double back to determine if a particular line was something she said as part of the narration or in dialogue with one of the other characters. It took me out of the story many times as I was reading. That being said, though, I don’t know how else the author could have structured it since the narration is what tied all the different pieces together into a cohesive story.
I did appreciate the nuance this script added to the character of Doctor Aphra. In the comic, she is smart, sarcastic, impulsive, brash, and seemingly careless, but in a calculating way. All of her fun and quirky attributes are on display here, but I also saw some of the reasons for and origins of these attributes. I enjoyed seeing her come to terms with her viewpoint of connection as a weakness while simultaneously wanting nothing more than to be seen by others as someone who is great. I particularly enjoyed learning about the backstory to her relationship with Sana Starros. Although, I wish the author had found a way to include Sana’s “marriage” to Han that was mentioned in the comics. I would have loved to get Aphra’s reaction to their potential romantic connection given her reaction to Han in this story. I also think it was a missed opportunity to easily include some bi+ rep in the story, and the story seemed to somewhat erase the bi vibes of Sana present in the comics.
I enjoyed the other characters here, as well. Darth Vader was particularly interesting in this story because we got to see his reaction to finding out about his son. The murder bots were also a hilarious duo, as they always are.
Overall, the story and characters are good. However, the pacing and format were choppy and somewhat disjointed. The script also didn’t provide the depth I was looking for. Therefore, I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. I suggest picking up the comics instead because it has basically the same story and some really great art.
Given my struggle keeping up with my NetGalley ARCs, I have decided to do a check-in at the middle of each month to keep myself somewhat accountable. My feedback ratio has been atrocious. Although, I think it is at least partly due to me just starting out. It doesn’t take many approved books without reviews to send my rating plummeting through the floor.
Right now my feedback ratio sits at 38% with 6 feedback sent for 16 approved books. However, I don’t think that is completely accurate because there are 7 books, not 6, with feedback in my shelf. Has that happened to anyone else? It is really frustrating because I was excited to have my percentage above 40%, and then the seventh book disappeared from my ratio calculation. I’m still proud to have improved it from the 20% ratio I had just a few weeks ago, though. So, progress…right?
I’m going to do my best to stop requesting new books until I’ve made a little more progress on reading the books currently on my shelf. But there are so many books that sound interesting.
The books below are those currently needing to be read on my shelf. I plan to read and review the books in bold before the next check-in on June 15.
Child of Light by Terry Brooks | Publication Date: October 12, 2021 Flash Fire by TJ Klune | Publication Date: July 13, 2021 If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich | Publication Date: December 7, 2021 Into the Lightning Gate by Roberth Roth | Publication Date: June 7, 2021 The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw | Publication Date: September 7, 2021 The Sightless City by Noah Lemelson | Publication Date: July 20, 2021 Traitors of the Black Crown by Cate Pearce | Publication Date: September 22, 2021 Not My Ruckus by Chad Musick | Publication Date: February 16, 2021
How do you stay on top of your NetGalley ARCs? Are you successful at staying above the coveted 80% ratio threshold? Let me know in the comments!
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is hosted by Reading Reality.
Weekly Wrap-Up
This has been a pretty good week for me. I finished a couple new books that I enjoyed, and I picked up some new stuff from Barnes & Noble and the library. I also got approved for a new book on NetGalley, which I’m looking forward to reading. The first part of the week was heavy on reading because the weather was gloomy and rainy, but I’ve been able to spend a lot of time outside the last couple of days working in my garden, which has been fun. I should have some vegetables soon (fingers crossed). Overall, it has been a pretty successful week, and I enjoyed the books I read (The Lost Apothecary, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, & Dark Farm).
Author Request
I had another author request this week and received the book in exchange for agreeing to write a review. It seems like a neat paranormal YA book. So, I’m looking forward to reading it and giving you all my opinion. Thank you to the author for the request!
e-ARC Acquisitions
I only downloaded one new eARC from NetGalley this week. So, I once again balanced out what I was able to get read with new acquisitions.
Library Acquisition
I made another trip to the library this week. I placed this book on hold a few weeks ago and have been waiting rather impatiently for it. Unfortunately, all the copies were checked out…so, I’ve had to wait. I’m ready to see what happens next for Alina, the Darkling, and Mal. I’m actually starting this book today and am pretty excited about it.
Barnes & Noble Purchases
I tried to stay away from the bookstore this week. I swear I did, but I found myself right across the street for another reason. Then the car just went to Barnes & Noble all on its own, and it would have been rude not to go inside. So, I was able to pick up three new books I’ve been interested in getting. 🙂
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m satisfied with what I’ve added to my shelves this week, and I’m looking forward to reading it all. Have you read any of the books I picked up? If so, what did you think? Are any of these on your TBR? Let me know in the comments below!
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!
Today’s First Lines:
“The boy and the girl had once dreamed of ships, long ago, before they’d ever seen the True Sea. They were the vessels of stories, magic ships with masts hewn from sweet cedar and sails spun by maidens from thread of pure gold. Their crews were white mice who sang songs and scrubbed the decks with their pink tails.”
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
Title: Siege and Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Goodreads Synopsis
Darkness never dies.
Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.
The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.
Thoughts & Comments
I’ve been waiting for this book from the library for the last few weeks because all the copies were checked out. So, I’m excited to start it. The first several lines don’t really seem to give much indication about the direction of the rest of the book, but it does show that the story likely picks up right where the last book left off. I’m ready to see what Alina and Mal get up to next, and I’ll be sure to let you all know what I think of the book when I’m finished.
Does this book sound like something you would like? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!
Wizards, gods, monsters, reanimated dead things … and this is just the beginning.
A family of campers has been slaughtered and Sam Morgan from the government’s National Security Office is scouring the Six Hills for the killers.
In nearby Quorn, trainee fire officer Kane Gates struggles to come to terms with his own family tragedy. And now he has to battle the sinister sorcerer Wilfred Waite, who is bent on corrupting his brother and unleashing hell on earth.
When the headstrong Arika Livingston appears in Quorn to investigate reports of a dragon attack, Kane finds himself with a valuable ally. But what is Arika’s real agenda? And what is her connection to Sam Morgan and the Dark farm?
The horrors lurking beneath the Dark farm will bring the feuding brothers together and begin a chain of events that will threaten not only Dylan, not only our planet, but existence itself.
How deep into a world of horror will Kane descend to protect his family from evil?
Dark Farm is a supernatural adventure, a thrilling rollercoaster ride into a universe of wizardry, magic, horror, gods, cosmic terror and a looming apocalypse, that has at its heart the fragile relationship between two brothers.
Dark Farm – Book One in the epic series, Bringer of the Dark
In the far reaches of the universe, the primordial Kragn Z’garh Khrl’ur plots its long-awaited return to Earth. It has help from ancient cults, opposed for centuries by the might of a supernatural society, and now new and unlikely heroes are emerging to lead the final battle.
My Review
***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book. The following review consists of my honest opinions and reactions to the book.***
This book was a roller-coaster ride of family tragedy, wizards, zombies, and destructive gods. The pacing was often pretty intense despite the book being over 400 pages. I kept wanting to turn the page to see what would happen next. The plot was interesting and left me with a lot of questions and excitement about the next book. The story was ambitious and attempted to cover a lot of ground in one book, but, overall, I thought the author did a great job weaving the parts of the story together to create a gripping, cohesive narrative with fascinating world-building and engaging twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. That being said, parts of the story were repetitive at times, and I think there may have been a less circuitous way to reach the same outcome by streamlining the story some. I also would have liked to see the events of the first third of the book have more of a direct tie-in to the ending given how long was devoted to the family tragedy faced by the main characters at the beginning of the book.
I loved so many of the characters. The two brothers, Kane and Dylan, were both well-developed, and their backstory was explored in great depth. I enjoyed seeing their distinct personalities at play as they both coped with family tragedy in different ways. They also both experienced tremendous character growth throughout the story, which felt organic and true to the nature of each boy’s characteristics, as well as the situations in which they found themselves. The wizards in this story were also some of my favorite characters simply because they were so deliciously evil. I enjoyed every part of the story that had them in it because their perspectives were just so outrageously villainous. There weren’t any characters I didn’t like, but there were some secondary characters who had what should have been impactful moments, if only they had been utilized and developed more before that point.
The level of horror and grotesque imagery utilized in this book was superb. The author was able to help me create truly repugnant pictures in my head of the zombies and monsters, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I’ve seen elsewhere that the gods and monsters in this book are based on Lovecraft’s writing, but I did not need to read any of his work to understand or enjoy this story. It stands well on its own, and the reader learns about the gods, magic, and history of the world alongside the main characters at a steady pace as the book progresses.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters and villains were fantastic, and the setting seems deep in lore, which is barely scratched by this first book. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars, and I cannot wait to get my hands on future installments.
I’ve been a fan of Spider-Man for a very long time. I loved the animated cartoon from the 90’s and enjoyed all of the movies. I’ve always enjoyed his wit and humor and related to the nerdy teenage boy turned super hero story. However, I didn’t start reading Spider-Man comics until much more recently. I started picking it up towards the end of the last run in 2017. So, Spencer’s time writing the book is really all I know.
This event, Last Remains, was the culmination of a slow burn story seeded way back in 2018 with The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #1. That issue, and many more since, hinted at a major villain pulling the strings of the things happening to Peter. I was surprised by the reveal of Kindred’s identity and am still somewhat confused on exactly how it is possible. I’m not sure if the confusion comes from something I missed about this character from previous comics or if the answers just haven’t come yet. I guess time will tell.
I enjoyed the darkness of the arc. It is not something I associate with Spider-Man when I think of the cartoons or movies. However, the things that happen to Peter in this story are terrible. It explores the idea of collateral damage from being a superhero very well. I never really stopped to think of the death and tragedy that has surrounded this character, but it seems there has been a lot, and Peter had to face it all here.
The art was really great. There are some very hair-raising scenes, and I found Kindred to be a super creepy villain. A couple scenes, in particular, have stuck with me since reading it, but talking about them would mean spoilers.
Overall, this arc was a good crescendo to the story told in this run of Spider-Man so far while also setting things up for the story of Kindred to continue. My main complaint would be the abrupt ending of the showdown between Kindred and the good guys. There was so much build-up and then it was over fairly quickly. However, I get the sense that may have been on purpose so that Kindred could move on to the next phase of his plan.
I rate this arc 4 out of 5 stars. Have you read Last Remains yet? What did you think? Are there any other Spider-Man runs that you think would help inform the events of this one? If so, let me know, and I’ll add them to my TBR.
