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!
This week’s First Lines Fridays is my next read. It will be published on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, and I’m so excited to be picking it up soon. 🙂
Today’s First Lines:
Two strangers arrived on a mid-autumn morning, as if swept in by the cold wind rustling the drooping branches of the elm trees. Peering through a crack in the folding screen, Jun couldn’t see his mother’s face as she opened the door, but he noticed how her back and shoulders stiffened. She stepped aside and bowed low, speaking in a soft and respectful voice.
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
Title: Breath of the Dragon
Author: Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Goodreads Synopsis
The first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy duology based on characters and teachings created by Bruce Lee!
Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Earth to a new protector. Eager to prove his skills, Jun hopes that a win will restore his father’s honor—righting a horrible mistake that caused their banishment from his home, mother, and twin brother.
But Jun’s father strictly forbids him from participating. There is no future in honing his skills as a warrior, especially considering Jun is not breathmarked, born with a patch of dragon scales and blessed with special abilities like his twin. Determined to be the next Guardian, Jun stows away in the wagon of Chang and his daughter, Ren, performers on their way to the capital where the tournament will take place.
As Jun competes, he quickly realizes he may be fighting for not just a better life, but the fate of the country itself.
That’s it for this week’s First Lines Fridays! Do you plan to read Breath of the Dragon? What did you think of the first lines? I’d love to see your opinions in the comments!