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? The rules are as follows:
- 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!
If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!
Without further ado….
I will die drowning; it has always been known. This was my first vision, long before I knew it for what it was, and I’ve had it so many times now that I know each instant by heart. Where most visions are ephemeral things, shifting and changing in different lights and at different angles, this one is always so solid that it leaves its bruises on my mind and soul long after it ends.
Do you know what book this is?
Still guessing?
Well, the book reveal is…
Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian
From Penguin Random House:
The Lady of Shalott reclaims her story in this bold feminist reimagining of the Arthurian myth from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess.
Everyone knows the legend. Of Arthur, destined to be a king. Of the beautiful Guinevere, who will betray him with his most loyal knight, Lancelot. Of the bitter sorceress, Morgana, who will turn against them all. But Elaine alone carries the burden of knowing what is to come–for Elaine of Shalott is cursed to see the future.
On the mystical isle of Avalon, Elaine runs free and learns of the ancient prophecies surrounding her and her friends–countless possibilities, almost all of them tragic.
When their future comes to claim them, Elaine, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Morgana accompany Arthur to take his throne in stifling Camelot, where magic is outlawed, the rules of society chain them, and enemies are everywhere. Yet the most dangerous threats may come from within their own circle.
As visions are fulfilled and an inevitable fate closes in, Elaine must decide how far she will go to change destiny–and what she is willing to sacrifice along the way.
Recently Finished: I just finished reading a NetGalley ARC of The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart. It follows the first book, 
Reading Next: I plan to focus more on my NetGalley ARCs for the remainder of the year. But Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen, a new release, arrived on hold at the library for me. So I need to read that first since there’s a hold list and therefore I’m only allowed to keep it checked out for three weeks.
Recently Finished: I was feeling a little down at the end of October, so I decided to pick up A Deal With the Elf King by Elise Kova. It was exactly what I needed to read and I loved the strong female character in it. It’s a standalone fantasy romance, which is great if you’re not looking to obligate your time to another series.