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 (I cheat a little bit here *cough*)
- Finally… reveal the book!
If you’re using Twitter, don’t forget to use #FirstLinesFridays!
Hello, reader!
We’ve made it to the end of another week and I, for one, am pretty happy about it! Though I do have to work this weekend so that’s less fun, haha. Still, the end of the work week means it’s time for another First Lines Friday! This week, I’m featuring a book that I just picked up from my local library. I’ve already started reading it and, I have to say, the first few lines definitely drew me into the story!
Now, let’s see if they can do the same for you.
The Line(s):
“The Masson House of Degener, Texas, was like the corpse of an old monster, too strange and feared for most to approach it, much less attempt to bury it. After all, it might be feigning death or dormant.”
The Hints:
This is a horror novel featuring a spooky house.
It is written by a Black author.
And it’s the Literally Dead Book Club pick for March!
The Reveal:
The Spite House by Johnny Compton
Click the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page
Goodreads Synopsis
Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he’s desperate for money–it’s not easy to find safe work when you can’t provide references, you can’t stay in one place for long, and you’re paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.
When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.
The job calls to Eric, not just because there’s a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it’ll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running. A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father’s love, Johnny Compton’s The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making.
Did that first line capture your attention? Did it make you want to read the rest of the story? Let me know in the comments!
And, as always, happy reading!
Kerri McBookNerd 