First Line Friday 56 || When The World Ends

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.

Click To Reveal The Book

One minute you’re walking in the park, hiding from a party. Then you discover that the next nine months will probably be your last. Everyone’s last. You realise that you happen to be alive at the time when your species becomes extinct.

You have to decide whether to go with it meekly like you usually do, or to do something brave, to live your last months with all the energy and bravery you can muster, to rage against the dying of the light.

Olivia struggles to live her real life as fully as she wants to. She plans out conversations and events in her head but actually doing them and interacting with other people is hard. When the news breaks that humans have done such damage to the earth that there’s only nine months of safe air left everybody makes bucket lists and starts living their best lives – everyone, that is, but Olivia who is still struggling to figure out who she wants to be.

Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn’t even know existed. Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more. And as the girls meet up for their last summer on earth Olivia finds Natasha’s ease and self-confidence having a effect on her. But what if Natasha isn’t everything she first appears to be . . . ?

• Combines thriller, mystery, and apocalypse, which are the three best things ever (except dragons, of course).
• Interesting premise of how you would spend your last days.
• Bucket list books are always fun.
• Is the end of days too late for a coming-of-age story? I think not!
• Natasha has secrets, and I’m a fan of secrets!

5 On My TBR is hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and is meant to take place on Mondays. But since Fridays tend to be my TBR-focused post, I’ve decided to combine them here. Next Monday’s prompt is: purple cover.

I always love cover color prompts, because I’m all about the eye candy. Sure, we don’t judge books by their covers (*cough*allegedly*cough*), but they’re still fun to look at, right? I’m going to admit that purple is kind of a hard color. For whatever reason, I don’t have a lot of purple books on my TBR? But I’ll see what I can do.

               

Attack of the Killer Komodos by Summer Rachel Short

I read the first book and had so much fun with it that of course I’m looking forward to this second! This cover is also absolutely stunning. I recently got an ARC of this and can confirm the cover is even more gorgeous and colorful in person! This series has a female protagonist obsessed with STEM, which I always love to see in middle grade books, and combines mystery and the paranormal in a really fun way. Also, I’m pretty sure Komodo dragons are the closest this world will ever get to actual dragons, so I see this as a win.

Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen

I will read anything and everything Kwame Mbalia writes from here on in, enough said. That was honestly enough to get this smack dab on my TBR. The fact that it also happens to be about a mythical Ethiopian empire is really just icing on the cake. Also, that cover looks pretty sweet. I haven’t read many Afrofuturist books before, so I’m really curious about this one!

Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen

I bought this book and the first book at the end of last year, totally planning on reading them, and yet … here we are. They look gorgeous on my shelf, at least? And I will definitely read them … eventually. I know quite a few bloggers who really enjoyed them, and I definitely hope to pick up the series sooner than later! Hard to say no to pirates and magic.

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong

This is another one I thought I’d have read by now, but I haven’t. I want to read this entire series, because oh my gosh, it sounds incredible and cute! Yes to all sorts of magical monsters and adventure. Book three is coming out this year, so I might just try to read them all together. They have some of the most gorgeous middle grade covers I’ve ever seen. Is it shallow of me to consider buying them just for that reason? xD

Magic Required by Obert Skye

Have I read the early books in this series yet? No. Obviously, I’d start there, but they didn’t have purple covers, so you get book three. This series has some of the most gorgeous, dynamic covers, though, and I love them! I’ve also heard good things about it, so I’m looking forward to picking it up. Sounds like just my kind of magical adventure.

What are you reading this week? Share its first line in the comment below or drop your own First Line links!