Tag: First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday – 26/07/2024

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Happy Friday folks and welcome to the next instalment of my First Lines Friday series! In my Sunday Summary post last week, I set myself the challenge to feature a non-fiction book with you in this post. I think I found a great one! The introduction is exciting, and this book is on my Summer TBR so it helps psyche me up to read it soon.

Let’s take a look at today’s First Lines Friday feature, shall we?


Hundreds of men are screaming.

The armoured soldiers charge forward, howling with rage, their swords and shields clashing, their boots struggling for purchase in the thick mud. Slowly, agonisingly, some of the fighters are pushed back against a looming tower of corpses. The body pile is a mixture of slain men and horses, gorily intertwined like some gothic rendition of hell. In the distance, flayed men burn on crucifixes.

“You are dying!” yells an assistant director. “That’s the main thing to remember, you are dying!”

 


Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon  – James Hibberd

Genre: Non-fiction

Pages: 464

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Transworld

Publication Date: 06 Oct 2020


Goodreads – Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon

 

The official, definitive oral history of the blockbuster show from Entertainment Weekly’s James Hibberd, endorsed by George R. R. Martin himself (who calls it “an amazing read”), reveals the one Game of Thrones tale that has yet to be told: the thirteen-year behind-the-scenes struggle to make the show.

 Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon shares the incredible, thrilling, uncensored story of Game of Thrones, from the creators’ first meetings with George R. R. Martin and HBO through the series finale, including all the on-camera battles, off-camera efforts, and the many controversies in between. The book also features more than fifty candid new interviews, rare and stunning photos, and unprecedented access to the producers, cast, and crew who took an impossible idea and made it into the biggest show in the world.

 

My Thoughts…

As a huge Game of Thrones fan, I was always going to pick this up at some point! I’ve read all the books in digital and paperback format, as well as started listening to the audiobooks. I’ve also watched the TV show, some episodes multiple times. Now, I get to read about that too!

The opening lines introduce the filming of the Battle of the B*stards, which is one of my favourite parts of the TV series. It must have been a logistical nightmare, but on screen it was fantastic.

I’m looking forward to reading more about the overall production of the series. I (not so) secretly hope that it touches on how the TV series overtakes the books and how decisions were made on how to proceed (and how closely it stuck to GRRM’s intentions).

Have you read Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon? Are you as much a fan of the series as I am?

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First Lines Friday – 28/06/2024

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Welcome to another First Lines Friday post! In my Sunday Summary post last week, I shared that I was keeping the subject of this First Lines Friday feature open to a decision nearer the time.

I’ve decided for this post to share an upcoming read. As of this post, I have read three out of the four books in the series, with just this last one to catch up on until I can mark the series as complete!

So, without further ado, let’s get into this First Lines Friday feature shall we?


I floated in a void of nothing.

And felt like I belonged there.

So strange. I was a creature of flesh and blood. I knew that. Yet my soul – part of it at least – felt more at home here. In a vast void of meaningless time. The nowhere.

 


Defiant- Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Science fiction

Pages: 415

Audience: Young Adult

Publisher: Gollancz

Publication Date: 21 Nov 2023

Goodreads – Defiant

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes the final book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves from destruction.

Spensa made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she’s had about her own strange Cytonic gifts. 

The Superiority didn’t stop in it’s fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa’s team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it’s only a matter of time until humanity–and the rest of the galaxy–falls. 

Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: how far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself–and her friends–in the process.


My Thoughts…

Defiant is on this year‘s Summer TBR as I want to catch up with and finish this last instalment of the series.

For just a couple of months last year, I was up-to-date until Defiant was released in November. I’m not mad though! I am really enjoying this series to date even though I’m older than the target audience. Angsty teenager is a difficult character type to get right and for me to get on with. I’ve always been a bit of an old soul so I’ve struggled to relate to this kind of character before.

Not Spensa though. Is she incredibly feisty, spontaneous and a little bit reckless? Absolutely. Is this kind of person I would normally jive with? Not really. However, she works really well for me.

To be fair, there isn’t a Brandon Sanderson novel yet that I’ve not loved. I hope I haven’t jinxed it, but I’m quietly confident this will be another fantastic read.


Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday post! Have you read Defiant yet?

 

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First Lines Friday – 14/06/2024

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Last time I shared a First Lines Friday post I featured a non-fiction novel coming up on my TBR. For this post, I deliberately wanted to feature a recent fiction book I purchased by an author I’ve enjoyed re-reading recently.

I found this book at Waterstones unintentionally, but I loved the synopsis and I’m confident I’ll really enjoy the story. The opening lines below only reinforce that.

Let me share that with you now –


They kill my father first.

Shiny boots ring on the stairs as they march into our cell, four of them all in a pretty row. Blank faces and perfect skin, matte grey pistols in red, red hands. A beautiful man with golden hair says they’re here to execute us. No explanations. No apologies.

Father turns towards us, and the terror in his eyes breaks my heart to splinters. I open my mouth to speak to him, but I don’t know what I’ll say.

The bullets catch him in his back, and bloody flowers bloom on his chest. My sisters scream as the muzzles flash and the shadows dance, and the noise is so loud, I’m afraid I’ll never hear anything ever again.

 


Lifel1k3 – Jay Kristoff

Genre: Post apocalyptic fantasy

Pages: 417

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Publication Date: 01 Jun 2018


Goodreads – LIfel1k3

It’s just another day on the Scrap: lose the last of your credits at the WarDome, dodge the gangs and religious fanatics, discover you can destroy electronics with your mind, stumble upon the deadliest robot ever built…

When Eve finds the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend and her robotic sidekick in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, battle cyborg assassins, and scour abandoned megacities to save the ones she loves…and learn the dark secrets of her past.


My Thoughts…

I picked up this book entirely because it is written by Jay Kristoff and I have confidence in his writing. After looking at it for content for this First Lines Friday post, I may end up picking it up soon for a refreshing change.  

I’m intrigued by the post apocalyptic setting as this is something I have read in the past, but admittedly, I don’t read a lot of. Combine this with the evident tech that has a place in this world, and we’re in for an interesting mashup!

If I go onto enjoy this first because as much as I think I will, then what a shame that it’s the first part of a trilogy. I’ll just have to conclude the series, right?!

Do you like the sound of Lifel1k3? Have you enjoyed this First Lines Friday post?

 

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First Lines Friday – 12/04/2024

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Hello readers and welcome to my next instalment in the First Lines Friday regular series I feature on my blog.

This week’s feature is an upcoming read I’m looking forward to. Full disclosure here – it’s a book that takes an eye-opening view of the pandemic and how the NHS were left to handle the worldwide crisis on our shores. If it’s a topic you don’t want to read about right now, then this post (and book) isn’t for you.

I, however, am interested in the subject. If you’ve watched a Covid-19 related documentary on ITV lately then you may have an inkling of what is coming up.

If you’re ready, let’s take a look!

 

He lies on hospital sheets, but he’s drowning. Behind closed doors, with neither fanfare nor drama, he’s been quietly drowning all night. The act of voicing distress – alerting another human being to his plight – takes spare air he no longer possesses.

Wide mouth, wide eyes, face stunned and stricken. The mask clamps down on skin slick with sweat. His lips are grey, fingertips the colour of bruises. And though the oxygen roars, the highest flow we can manage, it’s still not enough, not remotely.


Breathtaking – Rachel Clarke

Genre: Non-fiction

Pages: 240

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Publication Date: 28 Jan 2021

 


Goodreads – Breathtaking

How does it feel to confront a pandemic from the inside, one patient at a time? To bridge the gulf between a perilously unwell patient in quarantine and their distraught family outside? To be uncertain whether the protective equipment you wear fits the science or the size of the government stockpile? To strive your utmost to maintain your humanity even while barricaded behind visors and masks?

Rachel is a palliative care doctor who looked after the most gravely unwell patients on the Covid-19 wards of her hospital. Amid the tensions, fatigue and rising death toll, she witnessed the courage of patients and NHS staff alike in conditions of unprecedented adversity. For all the bleakness and fear, she found that moments that could stop you in your tracks abounded. People who rose to their best, upon facing the worst, as a microbe laid waste to the population.


My Thoughts…

The ITV drama of the same name was based on revelations in this book. It was a heart-breaking watch, but I don’t want that to deter me from reading the source material.

It’s hard to stomach, but the stories and people within are real, even if their identities are protected under pseudonyms. Many undoubtedly suffered in the pandemic for a lot of reasons, and I think a lot of the detail was downplayed during the pandemic to avoid scaring the public. Now that the trauma isn’t so fresh, I want to read those stories. Understand what really happened. Pay my own respects to those who tragically lost their lives because we had no idea what hit us.

I appreciate this book isn’t going to be everybody’s taste, and that’s okay. There are many who will find this kind of book painful. I’m not one to shy away from a tricky subject though.

If you’re still here, thanks for taking the time to read today’s First Lines Friday post! Have you read or watched Breathtaking? What did you think?

 

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First Lines Friday – 08/03/2024

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Welcome to the next instalment of my First Lines Friday regular feature series.

As soon as I started planning today’s First Lines Friday post, I knew I wanted to feature today’s book. It’s a book I recently obtained a copy of, and it’s the one and only pre-order I have been waiting on for a good few months now.

It’s not very often I pre-order books I must admit, but this was an exceptional case! Let’s see if you can guess the book from the introduction.

 

The dead boy opened his eyes.

All was still and silent, he among it, and most of all. A statue he was, his only movement in the yawning of his pupils, the soft parting of his bloodless lips. There was no quickening of breath as waking claimed him, no deeping drumbeat beneath his porcelain skin. He lay there in darkness, angelic and bare, staring at the timeworn velvet canopy above, and wondering what had woke him.

 

 

 

Empire of the Damned – Jay Kristoff

Genre: Gothic Fantasy

Pages: 756

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Publication Date: 29 Feb 2024

 

 

Goodreads – Empire of the Damned

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Nevernight Chronicle, Jay Kristoff, comes the much-anticipated sequel to the #1 international bestselling sensation EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE.

From holy cup comes holy light;
The faithful hands sets world aright.
And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight,
Mere man shall end this endless night.

Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost. Drawn into an uneasy alliance with the mysterious vampire Liathe, Gabriel must now deliver the Grail to ancients of the Blood Esani, and learn the truth of how Daysdeath might be finally undone.

But the Last Silversaint faces peril, within and without. Pursued by terrors of the Blood Voss, drawn into warfare between the Blood Dyvok and duskdancers of the frozen Highlands, and ravaged by his own rising bloodlust, Gabriel may not survive to see the Grail learn her truth.

And that truth may be too awful for any to imagine.

 

My Thoughts…

My original plan was to re-read Empire of the Vampire in February so that I was in a position to pick up Empire of The Damned this month. That’s not worked out, but Empire of the Vampire is high on my upcoming reading list. Technically it is not on my March reading list as I’ve changed the way I’m structuring those. However, it is very likely to be the next book I pick up after I complete March’s reading.

I am very excited to pick up this sequel, even if I wholly admit that I need to go back to the first book as a refresher. I read this book in 2022, but I also had covid at the time. I may have been on holiday, but the circumstances of reading this when I was ill has definitely impacted my recollection of events… if not how the book made me feel overall.

It would also be very rude of me not to pick up and read my special edition copy of Empire of the Vampire that my sister kindly gifted me…

Have you read Empire of the Vampire or any other books by Jay Kristoff? Do either of these books appeal to you for their dark and gritty nature? I would love to talk about these books, so let me know in the comments!

Thanks for checking out today’s First Lines Friday feature and I’ll see you again soon!

 

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First Lines Friday – 16/02/2024

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Happy Friday fellow readers and welcome to another First Lines Friday feature post!

When I decided to share this feature, I kept my options open as to the book I could feature in today’s post. I’m glad I did that, as conversations within my family this week inspired today’s choice.

I’m not going to give you too much ramble here because I am keen to get stuck in. However, one thing I will say in the interest of transparency is that today’s First Lines Friday introduction contains swearing.

Read on at your discretion…

 

‘It’s an unfortunate situation.’

Bishop John Durkin smiles, benevolently.

I’m pretty sure that Bishop John Durkin does everything benevolently, even taking a shit.

The youngest Bishop to preside over the North Notts diocese, he’s a skilled orator, author of several acclaimed theological papers, and, if he hadn’t at least tried to walk on water, I’d be amazed.

He’s also a wanker.

I know it. His colleagues know it. His staff know it. Secretly, I think, even he knows it.

 

 

The Burning Girls – C. J. Tudor

 

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Pages: 396

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 23 Nov 2021

 

 

Goodreads – The Burning Girls

An unconventional vicar moves to a remote corner of the English countryside, only to discover a community haunted by death and disappearances both past and present–and intent on keeping its dark secrets–in this explosive, unsettling thriller from acclaimed author C. J. Tudor.

Welcome to Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake here. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself.

Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping to make a fresh start and find some peace. Instead, Jack finds a town mired in secrecy and a strange welcome package: an old exorcism kit and a note quoting scripture. “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.”

The more Jack and her daughter Flo get acquainted with the town and its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into their rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo is troubled by strange sightings in the old chapel, it becomes apparent that there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

But uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village where everyone has something to protect, everyone has links with the village’s bloody past, and no one trusts an outsider.

 

My Thoughts…

The Burning Girls, and CJ Tudor, have been topics of conversation amongst my family in the last week. It’s this inspiration that led to The Burning Girls being featured in today’s First Lines Friday post.

Mum has been reading The Chalk Man, CJ Tudor’s debut novel and we’ve been chatting about it. I’m pleased to say that Mum enjoyed this debut just as much as I did, and she is very quickly moving on to The Taking of Annie Thorne.

The recommendations have also gone the other way. Mum and Dad have been watching the TV drama based on the featured book in this post, The Burning Girls. Mum recommended this to me to watch last weekend as they thoroughly enjoyed it. I do intend to watch the TV series, but it’s also making me think about picking up the book. Shock horror, you say?

I picked up a copy of this in paperback format fairly recently, even though the book has been on my TBR since December 2022. Part of the reason I wanted to pick this up and physical format was because that’s how I’ve read CJ Tudor’s other books to date. I also bought it in this format so I could pass it on to Mum to read if she wants to after me. I did the same thing with The Chalk Man and The Taking of Annie Thorne. Although in practice, Mum does the majority of her reading at lunchtime and so purchased kindle copies for ease. And why not!

Either way, I hope I enjoy The Burning Girls as much as I did her other books, and that I can pass on this copy as a recommendation once I’ve read it to somebody I think will love it!

Have you read The Burning Girls, watched the TV series, or any other books by CJ Tudor? Have you enjoyed this First Lines Friday feature? As always, I would love to hear from you!

 

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First Lines Friday – 26/01/2024

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Welcome to my first First Lines Friday post of 2024 readers, and I have a great feature for you today!

More often than not, I find myself looking forward in these posts and featuring upcoming books on my reading list. Whilst I didn’t explicitly set myself a challenge this time, I decided tonight that instead I was going to look back in today’s First Lines Friday. I feature a five-star read from last year that I’m sure you will love too. Particularly, if you are a fan of Brandon Sanderson and read any of his young adult works.

Can you guess the book from the clues in the introduction?

 

A dark sphere appeared before me in the centre of the room. Scud. Was I really going to do this? In my hand, Doomslug fluted nervously.

The sterile, whitewashed, walls, enormous one-way mirror, and metal tables marked this as some kind of scientific facility. I was on Starsight: the massive space station that housed the regional offices of the Superiority. Up until this past year, I’d never even heard of the Superiority, let alone understood the nuances of how it – as a Galactic government – ruled hundreds of different planets and species.

To be honest, I still didn’t understand those nuances. I’m not exactly a “there are nuances to this situation” type of girl. I’m more of an “if it’s still moving, you didn’t use enough ammunition” type of girl.

 

 

 

Cytonic – Brandon Sanderson

 

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 432

Audience: Young Adult

Publisher: Gollancz

Publication Date: 23 Nov 2021

 

Goodreads – Cytonic

Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell—the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she traveled light-years from home as an undercover spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home.

Now, the Superiority—the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life—has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa has seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.

Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy.

The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.

To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.

 

My Thoughts…

I have dual motives for featuring Cytonic as today’s First Lines Friday feature. Firstly, it is a book I wholeheartedly recommend and a series that I will press into almost anyone’s hands. Whilst I haven’t officially published reviews of any books in the series, as yet, you can find a summary of my thoughts for Skyward, Starsight, and Cytonic in my Sunday Summary posts around the time I finished the books.

Secondly, I’m also featuring the book today as a reminder that the fourth book in the series was released at the end of last year. I need to read it! It’s not very often that I keep up with series as they come out. Indeed, so far, I haven’t been keeping up with this one at all. But, that is my intention in future. With this in mind, I hope to pick up Defiant soon.

I enjoy reading from the perspective of the main character, Spensa. She is young, feisty, and angsty. She has a chip on her shoulder and everything to prove. Her temperament makes her a bit of a loose cannon and this keeps us as readers guessing as to what she’ll come up with next!

If you like science fiction full of action and a fighting scenes then this will definitely appeal to you. I thoroughly enjoy how these scenes are written and how Spencer‘s personality adds a little spice.

I hope you have enjoyed today’s First Lines Friday feature!

Have you read Cytonic or any of the books in the Skyward series so far?

 

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First Lines Friday – 15/12/2023

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It’s the end of another working week, so congratulations… we made it! In today’s First Lines Friday post, I am excited to feature a young adult novel I discovered through the Currently Reading podcast.

For today’s First lines Friday post, I set myself the challenge of featuring a book I don’t yet own. When I prepare these posts, I typically gravitate towards books I already own, whether that’s physical or on kindle. It’s easier to sample those and find a great intro, as they are more readily to hand. However, I wanted to break that habit. With a wealth of information at our fingertips, that’s not the only way I can fulfil this post.

Today’s First Lines Friday introduction is short and snappy, but gets the point in an interesting way! Shall we take a look?

 

The room where they at last found him was so cold, they wondered at first if he had frozen to death. Face as white as snow, skin as cold as frost, lips as blue as ice. His expression seemed, to the police, perfectly peaceful. As if he had passed away in the middle of a very lovely dream.

Except for the blood.

Blood always tells its own story.

 

 

The Kingdom – Jess Rothenburg

 

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 352

Audience: Adult / Young Adult

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Publication Date: 28 May 2019

 

 

Goodreads – The Kingdom

Welcome to the Kingdom… where ‘Happily Ever After’ isn’t just a promise, but a rule.

Glimmering like a jewel behind its gateway, The Kingdom is an immersive fantasy theme park where guests soar on virtual dragons, castles loom like giants, and bioengineered species–formerly extinct–roam free.

Ana is one of seven Fantasists, beautiful “princesses” engineered to make dreams come true. When she meets park employee Owen, Ana begins to experience emotions beyond her programming including, for the first time… love.

But the fairytale becomes a nightmare when Ana is accused of murdering Owen, igniting the trial of the century. Through courtroom testimony, interviews, and Ana’s memories of Owen, emerges a tale of love, lies, and cruelty–and what it truly means to be human.

 

My Thoughts…

The Kingdom is unlike other books on my reading list, and I liked the sound of the premise. It’s for that reason that I added the book, and it is because of the introduction in today’s post that I am excited to be picking it up soon! If you read my Top Ten Tuesday – Winter TBR post earlier this week, you will know that I’m looking to pick up the book in the next three months.

Having looked back at the episode in which Meredith featured her experience of reading The Kingdom, I’ve reminded myself that this book has elements of mixed media. That’s something I have discovered and enjoyed reading in 2023, and I’m actively looking to include more books in this style in 2024. The story is told through a combination of courtroom testimony and the memories of the main character… an AI.

In the podcast, Meredith also shares that the book is a great insight into some of the backstage things that happen in theme parks. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one, but I’m looking forward to the setting and exploring that in more detail.

Meredith loved this book, and it made for a quick read for her. I’m hopeful for the same myself, and it gives me the chance to pick up something unlike anything I have read before.

Have you read The Kingdom by Jess Rothenburg?

 

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First Lines Friday – 17/11/2023

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Happy reading friends! Welcome to my First Lines Friday post to wrap-up this working week. I hope it’s been a good one?

When I decided I was going to be sharing another First Lines Friday, I decided to keep my options open. The last few times I have published this feature, I have set myself a challenge. Not so this week. Honestly, I had no idea of what I wanted to feature in today’s post. In hindsight, I can see why I left my options open and today’s feature feels like a natural choice. All will make sense if you’ve been reading my blog in due course.

Shall we get to today’s opening lines so we can enjoy my featured First Lines Friday extract together?

 

Coriolanus released the fistful of cabbage into the pot of boiling water, and swore that one day it would never pass his lips again. But this was not that day. He needed to eat a large bowl of the anemic stuff, and drink every drop of broth, to prevent his stomach from growling during the reaping ceremony. It was one of a long list of precautions he took to mask the fact that his family, despite residing in the penthouse of the Capitol’s most opulent apartment building, was as poor as district scum. That at eighteen, the heir to the once-great house of Snow had nothing to live on but his wits.

 

 

 

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Suzanne Collins

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 541

Audience: Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic Fiction

Publication Date: 19 May 2020

 

 

Goodreads – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

 

My Thoughts…

I first read The Hunger Games series in my later teenage years. I can’t pinpoint the exact date I read these books as it predates my Goodreads account. Looking back on my Amazon order history (as I read the books on my Kindle), we are looking at dates between 2012 and 2013 for me reading this series. At that time, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes had not been published. In fact, it is quite a recent addition to the series.

This may not come as a surprise feature. If you have been reading my blog in the last few weeks, I’ve mentioned that I have been watching The Hunger Games films on TV. I hadn’t really considered why they were airing them, until I found out that there is an upcoming film release for this prequel. Then it all made sense!

Those films have made me want to re-visit the series anyway. However, when I do so, I am also going to read this prequel novel. Initially I had reservations as the reviews weren’t great. However, as a fan of the universe, I am willing to give it a try!

Have you read The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or both? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

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First Lines Friday – 13/10/2023

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Good evening and welcome to today’s First Lines Friday post! I’ve set myself another challenge in today’s First Lines Friday post – to feature a book I intend to pick up and read before the end of the year.

This book is the second in a series by a much loved author. I first picked up the series in August 2020… over three years ago now! With my goal of trying to pick up and continue series I’ve started, this feels like the perfect book to pick up and make good on that promise to myself. It’s also a great series and a reliable author to revisit!

Are you curious about today’s feature? Let’s see if the introduction captures your imagination too!

 

I watched Calamity rise.

I was six years old, then, as I stood in the night on the balcony of our apartment. I can still remember how the old air-conditioner rattled in the window next to me, covering the sound of Father’s crying. The overworked machine hung out over a plummet of many stories, dripping water like perspiration from the forehead of a suicidal jumper. The machine was broken; it blew air, but it didn’t make anything cold. My mother had frequently turned it off.

After her passing, my father left it on; he said that he felt cooler with it running.

I lowered my popsicle and squinted at that strange red light, which rose like a new star above the horizon. Only no star had ever been that bright or that red. Crimson. It looked like a bullet wound in the dome of heaven itself.

 

 

Firefight – Brandon Sanderson

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 420

Audience: Adult / Young Adult

Publisher: Gollancz

Publication Date: 06 Jan 2015

 

 

Goodreads – Firefight

They told David it was impossible – that even the Reckoners had never killed a High Epic. Yet, Steelheart – invincible, immortal, unconquerable – is dead. And he died by David’s hand.

Eliminating Steelheart was supposed to make life more simple. Instead, it only made David realize he has questions. Big ones. And there’s no one in Newcago who can give him the answers he needs.

Babylon Restored, the old borough of Manhattan, has possibilities, though. Ruled by the mysterious High Epic, Regalia, David is sure Babylon Restored will lead him to what he needs to find. And while entering another city oppressed by a High Epic despot is a gamble, David’s willing to risk it. Because killing Steelheart left a hole in David’s heart. A hole where his thirst for vengeance once lived. Somehow, he filled that hole with another Epic – Firefight. And he’s willing to go on a quest darker, and more dangerous even, than the fight against Steelheart to find her, and to get his answers.

 

My Thoughts…

Brandon Sanderson is an author I can revisit in relative safety of enjoying whichever book of his I pick up. I’ve read 13 of his books so far (which feels like an auspicious number on Friday the 13th no less…) and I have a couple more shelved already. Every single one of the 13 books I have read to date has earned themselves a five-star rating from me. I literally couldn’t ask for anything better!

One of the greatest selling points I love about Brandon Sanderson’s writing is that he is able to reinvent completely different worlds, magical elements and fantasy settings with no series feeling the same. I particularly enjoyed how he advanced his original Mistborn setting to demonstrate technological and industrial advancement in the 200 years between each series. It takes courage to rework something great without unsettling a fan base.

Having not picked up this series for three years now, I’m keen to get back into it. The Reckoners is a trilogy; provided I can get stuck into Firefight without any trouble, I shouldn’t wait too long before completing the trilogy. Then, I can tick it off the list and assure myself that I am whittling down my LONG list of ongoing series… hopefully!

Have you read any books in this series, or any books by Brandon Sanderson on the whole? What do you think? Has today’s First Lines Friday inspired you to give him a try?

 

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