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? If you want to make your own post, feel free to use or edit the banner above, and follow the rules below:
- 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!
Hello, reader!
Welcome to another First Lines Friday post. Today, I’m featuring a book that has been on my TBR for quite some time. I’ve been promised a book that is feel-good and has a lot of heart and I’m eager to get to it! It also happens to be on my Trope-ical Readathon TBR because it features one of my favorite tropes.
But, before I completely give it away, let’s get to the first few lines and see if they will capture our imaginations.
The Line(s):
“Oh dear,” Linus Baker said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “This is most unusual.”
That was an understatement. He watched in rapt wonder as an eleven-year-old girl named Daisy levitated blocks of wood high above her head. The blocks spun in slow, concentric circles. Daisy frowned in concentration, the tip of her tongue stuck out between her teeth. It went on for a good minute before the blocks slowly lowered to the floor. Her level of control was astounding.
The Hints:
This is an adult fiction that is probably one of the most hyped books on my TBR.
It features the found family trope, which is one of my faves!
And I’ve been told there’s a M/M romance that will hit you right in the feels.
The Reveal:
Click the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page
Goodreads Synopsis
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
“Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.”
Did those first few lines capture your attention? Did they make you want to read the rest of the story? Let me know in the comments!
And, as always, happy reading!
Kerri McBookNerd 