First Line Friday 56 || Gods in the Deep

Posted April 24, 2020 by Sammie in #5OnMyTBR, #amreading, Book Beginnings, First Line Friday, Friday 56 / 15 Comments

It’s time to play “guess that book” and also watch our TBRs weep.

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and is all about the first line of a current/upcoming read. Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda’s Voice, where you turn to page 56 (or 56%) in what you’re reading a find a snippet that jumps out at you.

Prologue First Lines



They say you can sail a thousand miles along the island chain of the Myriad, from the frosty shores of the north to the lush, sultry islands of the south.
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First Lines



“Are you sure this is safe?” asked the visiting merchant, struggling up the ladder that scaled the makeshift wooden tower.
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56% Snippet



“You people,” murmured Kly, staring at the shard on the floor. “It’s like there’s a bit of Undersea in all of you, waiting to rear up.”
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Book Reveal



Click To Reveal The Book
Deeplight

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea meets Frankenstein in Frances Hardinge’s latest fantasy adventure.

The gods are dead. Decades ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. But are they really gone forever? When 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity, he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists, and a secret fanatical cult so that he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms. How long should Hark stay loyal to his friend when he’s becoming a monster—and what is Hark willing to sacrifice to save him?



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Reasons to Read



✿ Dead gods that tore each other apart!
✿ Interesting coastal city with a dark backdrop.
✿ Dark mystery about what made the gods turn.
✿ Twists and turns and betrayal galore.
✿ All the hidden secrets you could ever want.

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5

This is a new weekly meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook meant to take place on Mondays, but since Fridays tend to be my TBR-focused post, I’ve decided to combine them here. Monday’s prompt is: poetry. Since I don’t actually read poetry books, generally, and I have no intention to read any poetry books, I’ve decided to spin the prompt a little to: books with poetry in them. Since I mostly read fantasy, I imagine these will probably be some sort of prophetic poem.

Deck of Omens     The Dark is Rising     Brown Girl Dreaming     The Mulberry Tree     For A Muse of Fire


The Deck of Omens shares the same prophetic poem as the first book in the series The Devouring Gray:

Sinners who’ve been led astray

Wandered through the woods one day,

Stumbled right into the Gray,

Never to return.

In that place where nightmares dwell,

Only four have lived to tell.

That is why we have to stay:

Branches and stones, daggers and bones,

They locked the Beast away.

The Dark is Rising is actually a re-read … and how often do I do those? (Hint: the answer is almost never). This was my second favorite series as a kid, and it’s been so long that really, the only thing I can remember about it is the poetry, which I memorized. Sure, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast three days ago (or if I had breakfast three days ago), but I can remember a pointless poem I memorized when I was eight. Go figure.

By the pleasant lake the Sleepers lie,

On Cadfan’s Way where the kestrels call;

Though grim from the Grey King shadows fall,

Yet singing the golden harp shall guide

To break their sleep and bid them ride.

When light from the lost land shall return,

Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn,

And where the midsummer tree grows tall

By Pendragon’s sword the Dark shall fall.

Fun fact: I named my first cat Pendragon after this book. He was … nothing at all like any of the characters in this book. Mostly, he was a loveable lump of fluff with a resting cat face that could melt you in acidic judgment, but I loved him anyway.

Brown Girl Dreaming is part poetry book and part novel written in verse. It lives in this weird in-between space, with the added benefit of being a memoir. I’ve heard wonderful things about it, and it’s definitely one I want to pick up sooner rather than later.

I am born on a Tuesday at University Hospital

Columbus, Ohio,

USA—

a country caught

between Black and White.

I don’t know much about The Mulberry Tree, but its summary opens with the rhyme: “Do naught wrong by the mulberry tree, or she’ll take your daughters … one, two, three.” That was enough for me. Count me in!

I thought this was pretty unique, but For A Muse of Fire has a prologue that’s actually a poem.

They cheer for her—the master of the shadows—

A girl who’d leave this broken land behind

Like ash and eggshells from a phoenix, rising,

Or the tattered body of a soul set free.
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Stay Fierce, Sammie

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15 responses to “First Line Friday 56 || Gods in the Deep

    • I’ve never read any of her other books! I’m glad to hear that, though. I am absolutely LOVING this world that she’s created here, though. Imagination, indeed!

    • Oooh, I’ll have to keep an eye open for a review from you, then, maybe. 😉 I’ll be interested to see what you think of it. And Deeplight has been so good so far!

  1. Happy Friday!
    On my blog I’m sharing from Being Known by Robin Jones Gunn. It’s such an EXCELLENT story. Currently, I’m reading Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner. I’m just getting into chapter 2 so I’ll share a line from there.
    “Meemaw? Are you home?”
    Hope you have a great weekend. Happy reading! 🙂
    Nicole Santana recently posted…First-Line Friday #133My Profile

    • Isn’t the new cover so pretty?! I love it! It does. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the opening at first, but that chapter really grabbed my interest in the gods. :3

  2. Deeplight sounds good–and I love that cover! I’ve had Brown Girl Dreaming on my TBR shelf for a very long time. I am not sure why I have not read it yet. I love novels in verse. I enjoy poetry. So I have no excuse other than all the other tempting books on my shelf that keep calling to me. Have a good weekend. Stay safe and well.

    • The new cover really is gorgeous! I just love the green. That is, in my opinion, the BEST excuse. Probably because that’s the only reason I have for not reading all the books I should’ve by now, too. xD

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