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:
“As Wendy Darling pushed through the door, all conversation died and every eye focused on her. As she stood there, files stacked in her arms, the whispers started in hushed tones. The hairs on the back of Wendy’s neck prickled.”
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
When children go missing in the small coastal town of Astoria, people look to Wendy for answers.
It’s been five years since Wendy and her two brothers went missing in the woods, but when the town’s children start to disappear, the questions surrounding her brothers’ mysterious circumstances are brought back into light. Attempting to flee her past, Wendy almost runs over an unconscious boy lying in the middle of the road, and gets pulled into the mystery haunting the town.
Peter, a boy she thought lived only in her stories, claims that if they don’t do something, the missing children will meet the same fate as her brothers. In order to find them and rescue the missing kids, Wendy must confront what’s waiting for her in the woods.
Thoughts & Comments
I just finished this book not that long ago. I enjoyed it’s dark take on the Peter Pan story. The first lines kind of give the book away, but I like how they already start to build the mystery surrounding Wendy from the very beginning. Check out my full review of the book here!
Does this book sound like something you would like? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!
Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
My Review
I decided to finally read this book because I wanted to watch the Netflix series. I had been contemplating it for a while, but I stayed away from it because of the mixed reviews it has gotten. I knew I would feel guilty about watching the show without reading the book first. So, I took the plunge and got the book from the library. It was a mixed bag for me; there were things I really enjoyed and others that annoyed me a lot.
For the most part, I enjoyed the plot and the world the author created for this story. It started out a bit slow, but the second half of the book was much more intense and fast-paced. There were some twists I didn’t see coming, which is always nice, and others I picked up on pretty quickly. The plot involving the amplifiers was somewhat confusing to me and left me with quite a few questions that I hope will be answered later in the series. The magic system in this world was a lot to digest at first with so many different groupings, but I found the various powers, and the order built around them, interesting. If anything, the book could have used more time spent on exploring the different factions and court intrigue because I found the world fascinating. However, I enjoyed the world-building style of slowly introducing different concepts throughout the story rather than doing a ton of huge info dumps.
The characters were hit or miss for me. I didn’t really care for Alina at first. She was annoying and constantly seemed obsessed with her looks and those of everyone else. She also acted helpless and did not want to accept her power, which I found frustrating. As her journey through the book progressed, I came to like her character more and more. I enjoyed the character progression quite a bit and am interested to see where her character goes next given how the book ended. I did not like Mal or the way he treated Alina for most of the book. I do not want them to end up together in the end. He came across as jealous and possessive, especially whenever he first interacted with Alina after she learned to use her powers. My favorite character was the Darkling. He was mysterious, dark (as implied by the name), and dangerous. I thought his relationship with Alina was one of the highlights of the book, even if it represented everything a healthy relationship should not be. I am curious to see if any of the feelings he had for her and the background he discussed early in the book were real or just a ploy to use her.
I enjoyed many of the themes the book portrayed. I especially liked how the book showed the detriments of hiding one’s true self for the sake of others. It can leave someone a husk of themselves, which this book showed well. I also loved the emphasis on how the power of mercy is stronger than that of death and destruction.
Overall, I enjoyed a lot about this book and thought it was a good book. I’m glad I read it. The world and themes were intriguing and engaging even if the plot and characters weren’t always that interesting. I recommend it for anyone who likes YA fantasy and doesn’t mind the usual tropes for that genre. Therefore, I rate the book 3 out of 5 stars.
Have you read Shadow and Bone? What did you think? Just don’t spoil the next two books for me. 🙂
I struggled a bit keeping up with the pace I set last month. I also decided to swap some books out so I could read others. Overall, I felt rushed and somewhat stifled because of the commitments I made, which is not how I want to feel about reading. So, I’ve decided to do things a bit differently this month. I am going to set both a lower number goal and a shorter list goal, which will hopefully give me a little more flexibility.
In total, I plan to read 10 books in May 2021. I may end up reading more than this, but I don’t want a repeat of the rushed feeling I felt last month.
My list for this month includes the following books:
The Other Side of Magic by Ester Manzini (eARC)
REPLAY by Trevor Morris (eARC)
Reality Testing by Grant Price (eARC)
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (Hardcover)
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra by Sarah Kuhn (Hardcover)
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (Hardcover)
There will obviously be others, but I want the flexibility to pick them based on what I’m feeling like reading at the time. I also intend to read more comic books this month with a goal of completing at least two volumes of something. I just haven’t decided yet exactly what I want to read.
What do you plan to read this month? Do you ever feel stifled by your TBR goals?
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 Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality.
Weekly Wrap-Up
I’ve had a pretty great week. Work has been steady but not overwhelming, and I had a lot of time to read and work in my garden. I got a lot of new ARCs this week, but I only bought one new book, which my bank account was thankful for. Now I just need to work on reading all of the ARCs because my NetGalley ratio is abysmal, but I’ll get back to 80% one day…hopefully.
Author Request
I had an author request that I review their book. I received the book in exchange for agreeing to write a review. It seems interesting and is fairly short. 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 downloaded quite a few eARCs from NetGalley this week. Most of them were ‘read now’ selections, but I was approved for one this week that had me very excited. I can’t wait to read Flash Fire by TJ Klune because I just finished the first book in that series, and it left me wanting more. So, it was a pleasant surprise when I got the email saying I was approved. I definitely plan to read several eARCS over the next couple weeks because my NetGalley score is getting ridiculously low. I really need to do better with limiting what I request, but there are so many interesting books…and I want them all. 🙂
Barnes & Noble Purchase
I also made a trip to Barnes & Noble to pick up the new Star Wars release. I have been waiting for this book for what seems like ages. Thrawn is one of my favorite Star Wars characters. I couldn’t wait to read it, and I actually finished it yesterday. So, a review will come soon!
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!
Hello, everyone! It seems that another month has already flown by! My blog has continued to grow (thank you to everyone who stops by to read the posts), and I’ve been increasing the amount and types of content. It’s been a lot of fun to experiment with all the different posts, but it has also been a bit exhausting keeping up with it all and trying to read books too. That being said, I made a lot of progress on my reading goals this month, which you’ll be able to see 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
Hello! Today is the last post in my series reflecting on my motivations for reading. If you missed the first three parts, you can see them here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3.
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 Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality.
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
I am excited to reflect on my third motivation for reading: relaxation/escape/coping. Although, I don’t think any of those words adequately describes the peace that reading brings me. Before delving in to this week’s reflection, be sure to read parts one and two of this series, as well.
For as long as I can remember, I have experienced anxiety and cycles of depressive episodes. My mind constantly worries about everything and will not turn off. This then leads to exhaustion and the onset of depression to the point of being unable to get out of bed or do basic daily activities. Luckily, with therapy and years of honing coping skills, I have learned how to better deal with both of these disorders. I have even been able to successfully help others by becoming a therapist myself. So, I am living proof that things can get better.
One of the ways I cope with my anxiety and depression is reading. It is one of the things that allows me to focus and quiet my mind whenever I’m feeling anxious. The practice of intentionally bringing my thoughts back to the book at hand rather than going down the random rabbit hole of worry my brain tries to create helps me stay grounded in the moment with the story. I enjoy being absorbed in a good story, and it allows me to escape my thoughts or whatever situation I may be worrying about, even if only for a time. The distance created by this distraction very often helps me return to a stressful situation refreshed or with a different perspective.
Reading has also helped me cope with depression. When I get depressed, I typically don’t have the energy to do much. This often leads to thoughts of me being worthless, useless, or guilty for being lazy. These thoughts then further fuel and deepen my depression. I’ve found that reading is something I can do without the need to use up a great deal of energy. Finishing a few pages or a chapter gives me a sense of accomplishment that helps decrease my negative feelings toward myself and assists in stopping the negative spiral of becoming more and more depressed. It allows me an avenue to feel I am doing something worthwhile without overwhelming the small reserves of energy I have during a depressive state. As with the anxiety, the distraction of reading also helps me cope during times I’m feeling overwhelmingly sad because it sometimes provides at least a small break from the oppressive darkness. Additionally, it allows me an outlet to express some of the sadness that is often bottled up. For example, reading something sad may help me cry or get in touch with that emotion, which allows me to release some of it and feel a little better. So often, I feel a sense of apathy when depressed, and reading can assist in overcoming the apathy and help me feel again.
Does reading solve all of my problems? Definitely not. There are plenty of times when I am too anxious to control my mind enough to read or too depressed to be able to focus for even a couple of pages. There are also numerous situations where avoidance and distraction can do more harm than good in the long term. So, I’m not advocating that reading can cure mental illness or make someone, or myself, feel better all the time. It is one of many tools I use to relax and distract myself when things get to be too much. However, I do think it is one of the things I find most relaxing and most useful in many cases to help cope with my anxiety and depression. I have found that reading regularly when I’m not anxious or depressed also helps me prevent extreme cases of worry or depression because I am spending more time mindful of my reading rather than letting the negative thoughts consume my mind. Therefore, maintenance of my mental health is huge motivation for why I read consistently.
Do you use reading to relax, escape for a bit, or cope with depression or anxiety? Let me know in the comments.
