Tag: Opening Lines

First Lines Friday – 26/09/2025

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Today’s First Lines Friday features an upcoming book on my TBR. If you read any of my recent blog posts, I’ve mentioned this as an upcoming read on next month’s TBR as we’ll be discussing it in book club at the end of October. 

Shall we take a look at the opening lines and then I’ll share more about the book itself and why I chose it? 

 

The bed is empty.

Louise, the counsellor – twenty-three, short-limbed, rasp-voiced, jolly – stands barefoot on the warm, rough planks of the cabin called Balsam and processes the absence of the body in the lower bunk by the door.

Later on, the ten seconds that pass between sight and inference will serve to her as evidence that time is a human construct, that it can slow or accelerate in the presence of emotion, of chemicals in the blood.

The bed is empty. 

 

 

The God of the Woods – Liz Moore 

Genre: Mystery 

Pages: 435

Audience: Adult

Publisher: The Borough Press

Publication Date: 02 Jul 2024

Goodreads – The God of the Woods

 

When their thirteen-year-old daughter Barbara goes missing at summer camp, all eyes fall on the Van Laar family.

They’re cold, rich people. They own the camp. And it’s happened to them before.

Fifteen years ago their little boy, Bear, vanished without a trace.

Two children lost to the same wilderness.

Is it a tragedy… or a crime?

 

My Thoughts…

I picked up a copy of The God of the Woods fairly recently.

I suspect this book has just released in paperback format, because it was one of Waterstones book of the month picks. It was also part of the buy one get one half price sale, which you know I’m a sucker for.

When choosing our next book club pick, I knew I wanted to pick up a book from the genre. Not only is it a favourite among readers in the group, but with the time of year in mind, a spooky pick is ideal! We’ve picked up a lot of dystopia lately, so I am looking forward to a change of genre and hopefully to seeing some different faces at our next meet.

Whilst I am yet to start the book, one of our members Meg has already listened to this book in its entirety! Her review in short form was that she didn’t want to put it down and frequently fell asleep listening to this book whilst doggedly trying to stay awake for the next chapter. It bodes very well for me, and I am looking forward to getting stuck in with this read myself. I’m planning on picking up this book in a month where I also have historical fiction and several fantasy books on the reading list. The God of the Woods as a mystery will make a refreshing read and with the dark nights are coming in, it’s the perfect time to get stuck into this sinister tale. 

Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday! Have you read The God of the Woods? Is it on your reading list? 

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First Lines Friday – 12/09/2025

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Today’s First Lines Friday features the final book I’m reading as part of my upcoming ChatGPT recommendations reading challenge. So far, I’ve shared that I’ll be reading The Shadow of What Was Lost and A Crucible of Souls. The final recommendation I’ve been given is an interesting take on gods and fantasy. Belief defines reality, and faith and insanity have a great influence on this narrative. 

Shall we take a look at the introduction and then I’ll share more on the book? 

 

The old gods were broken by wars and plagues of the mind, left reeling like the most bloodied veterans. Infected with horror at the cost of their actions, they retreated into dementia. Insanity as escape. Seeking to free themselves, they fled to a world of delusion, a world uncorrupted by jealousies and psychoses. And yet, in the end, even this they would pollute. So deep was their need, so desperate their flight from their bitter past, that they ignored the one truism all must bow before. 

Belief defines reality.

 

 

Beyond Redemption – Michael Fletcher 

Genre: Fantasy 

Pages: 480

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Publication Date: 16 Jun 2015

Goodreads – Beyond Redemption

 

Faith shapes the landscape, defines the laws of physics, and makes a mockery of truth. Common knowledge isn’t an axiom, it’s a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon, conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods.

Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken–men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control.

But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall, including the High Priest’s own Doppels, and a Slaver no one can resist. Three reprobates–The Greatest Swordsman in the World, a murderous Kleptic, and possibly the only sane man left–have their own nefarious plans for the young god.

As these forces converge on the boy, there’s one more obstacle: time is running out. When one’s delusions become more powerful, they become harder to control. The fate of the Geisteskranken is to inevitably find oneself in the Afterdeath. 

The question, then, is: Who will rule there?

 

My Thoughts…

I chose Beyond Redemption out of three suggestions from ChatGPT. What appealed to me about it was the emphasis on belief and insanity. Religion is often a prominent topic in fantasy books, but this is something I’ve not read before. 

The question mark over what is true and real will have me questioning what I read throughout this book. I love a good book with an unreliable narrator. In this book, I’ll be doubting everything and so I’ll be fully engaged in trying to work out what’s going on! 

What’s interesting is that in the course of obtaining my recommendations, Beyond Redemption was actually suggested twice. I had already picked the book for my second prompt, but it was a ‘notable mention’ for my third prompt as well. For this reason, I’m confident the book will be what I’m looking for. 

Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday instalment! Have you read Beyond Redemption? Maybe you’ve read the other books I’m reading for my ChatGPT book recommendations challenge? 

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First Lines Friday – 29/08/2025

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In another First Lines Friday, I feature another book I’m reading as part of my upcoming ChatGPT recommendations reading challenge. Yes, I’m absolutely trying to get you as excited for my thoughts on this challenge as I am to taking part in it! 

For this challenge, I’m reading and reviewing three books. Last week I featured the most mainstream author and book on the list. Today, I’m doing a 180° and reviewing the indie author I was recommended after requesting a less mainstream novel. 

Now, here are the opening lines of today’s feature. Then, I’ll tell you more about the book…

A trickle of blood oozed down the cold steel of Aldrich’s sword. Drops splattered onto dry leaves, staining them red. He pressed his back against the old tree’s gnarled trunk, rough bark scratching his skin through his shirt. Thirty yards away lay the still-warm corpse of the man he’d put down, one arm outstretched, reaching for a knife discarded in the undergrowth. There was a smell of wrongness about the body, and something odd about its appearance; it looked… denser, somehow. 

Eyes closed and barely breathing, Aldrich waited, listening. All was silent.

 

 

A Crucible of Souls – Mitchell Hogan 

Genre: Fantasy 

Pages: 500

Audience: Adult

Publisher: Indie, then Harper Voyager

Publication Date: July 2013

Goodreads – A Crucible of Souls

 

Mitchell Hogan, an imaginative new talent, makes his debut with the acclaimed first installment in the epic Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, A Crucible of Souls, a mesmerising tale of high fantasy that combines magic, malevolence, and mystery.

When young Caldan’s parents are brutally slain, the boy is raised by monks who initiate him into the arcane mysteries of sorcery.

Growing up plagued by questions about his past, Caldan vows to discover who his parents were and why they were violently killed. The search will take him beyond the walls of the monastery, into the unfamiliar and dangerous chaos of city life. With nothing to his name but a pair of mysterious heirlooms and a handful of coins, he must prove his talent to become apprenticed to a guild of sorcerers.

But the world outside the monastery is a darker place than he ever imagined, and his treasured sorcery has disturbing depths he does not fully understand. As a shadowed evil manipulates the unwary and forbidden powers are unleashed, Caldan is plunged into an age-old conflict that will bring the world to the edge of destruction.

Soon, he must choose a side and face the true cost of uncovering his past.

 

My Thoughts…

One aspect I enjoy most about blogging is getting the opportunity to read and rep indie or lesser-known authors. BookTok and other socials are great at keeping the mainstream on top of the list. And that’s great – there are lots of mainstream authors I enjoy and love to see content about. 

However, the status quo has an opportunity to change with the introduction of new voices. I love variety, and so I’m excited to feature Mitchell Hogan, an Aussie author who originally published independently before A Crucible of Souls was picked up by Harper Voyager. 

Advertised as a coming-of-age novel, it leans into a well known fantasy trope. Broadly I do enjoy these, and it’s been some time since I picked one up. What does A Crucible of Souls have to offer? ChatGPT recommended this book to me for its inclusion of forbidden knowledge and magic, and a morally grey protagonist. 

I’m really excited to read this soon! 

Thanks for reading today’s First Lines Friday post! Have you read A Crucible of Souls? 

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Top Ten Tuesday – Opening Lines

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When I saw the topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post, I knew I had to do it. I love sharing the opening lines of books in the hopes that it will encourage someone to try a new, different book. Regular readers will know I have a fortnightly First Lines Friday series, in which I choose a book and share the opening paragraph.

Today’s post is all about my top ten opening lines. To avoid regurgitating content and boring you all to death with a blog post thousands of words long, I’ve decided to be selective about my books and pick the best one (or two!) liner beginnings that appeal to me. I have read most of these books, but there are a couple that are still on the TBR.

Shall we dive in?

 

The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss

Goodreads – The Name of the Wind

It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.

 

Dear Child – Romy Hausmann

Goodreads – Dear Child

On the first day I lose my sense of time, my dignity and a molar.

 

1984 – George Orwell

Goodreads – 1984

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

 

The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood

Goodreads – The Handmaid’s Tale

We slept in what had once been the gymnasium.

 

The Gunslinger – Stephen King

Goodreads – The Gunslinger

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

 

If We Were Villains – M L Rio

Goodreads – If We Were Villains

I sit with my wrists cuffed to the table and I think, But that I am forbid / To tell the secrets of my prison-house, / I could a tale unfold whose lightest word / Would harrow up thy soul.

 

Blackwing – Ed Mcdonald

Blackwing

Goodreads – Blackwing

Somebody warned them that we were coming.

 

The Testaments – Margaret Atwood

Goodreads – The Testaments

Only dead people are allowed to have statues, but I have been given one while still alive. Already I am petrified.

 

IT – Stephen King

Goodreads – IT

The terror, which would not end for another twenty-eight years – if it ever did end – began, so far as I know or can tell, with a boat made from a sheet of newspaper floating down a gutter swollen with rain.

 

Vox – Christina Dalcher

Goodreads – Vox

If anyone told me I could bring down the president, and the Pure Movement, and that incompetent little shit Morgan LeBron in a week’s time, I wouldn’t believe them. But I wouldn’t argue.

So, what do you think of this week’s Top Ten Tuesday post? Do any of these catch your eye? What are your favourite opening lines? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

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