First Line Friday 56 || Life After Death

Posted December 10, 2021 by Sammie in Uncategorized / 14 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.

Patricia was crying.

Wallace Price hated it when people cried.

Little tears, big tears, full-on body-wracking sobs, it didn’t matter. Tears were pointless, and she was only delaying the inevitable.
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“What are you doing?”

“Trying to find what tea will best fit our guest,” Hugo said.

“You did this with me?”

He nodded as he pointed toward a dark powder toward the top of the shelf. “You were easy. Easier than almost anyone I’d ever had before.”

“Wow,” Wallace said. “First time anyone’s said that about me. I don’t know how I feel about that.”

Hugo was startled into laughter. “That’s not—oh, you know what I meant.”

“You said it, not me.”
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Click To Reveal The Book
Under the Whispering Door

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead.

Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop’s owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over.

But Wallace isn’t ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo’s help he finally starts to learn about all the things he missed in life.

When the Manager, a curious and powerful being, arrives at the tea shop and gives Wallace one week to cross over, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Under the Whispering Door is a contemporary fantasy about a ghost who refuses to cross over and the ferryman he falls in love with.



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  • Cinnamon roll characters that are too easy to love.
  • Badass female reaper who has no qualms about stabbing people if they need it.
  • A found family vibe that will absolutely steal your heart.
  • A doomed queer romance destined to end tragically.
  • Older protagonists who still have plenty of life to live.
  • Well . . . kind of? Technically, some of them are already dead. *cough*
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5

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: magical realism. I’m actually not even sure what magical realism books I have on my TBR, so this will be a fun surprise for me, too! Let’s dive in.

The Problem with Prophecies     Trailer Park Trickster     Narwhal I'm Around     Hollow Chest     Maya and the Return of the Godlings


The Problem with Prophecies by Scott Reintgen

I’ve really enjoyed Scott Reintgen’s previous work, including his other middle grade series, so of course I need to jump on this one! I also find the conflict in this to be absolutely delicious. What would you do if you inherited the power of prophecy and learned that a boy down the road was about to die and that Death doesn’t give up its targets easily and Fate won’t tolerate meddling? Hmmm? I can’t wait to find out how Celia deals with it!

Trailer Park Trickster by David R. Slayton

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and with the way it ended, is it any surprise that I can’t wait to read the second?! In this world, there’s a (pretty stinking dark) supernatural world layered over the real world. And lucky for Adam, he just happens to be able to see it. And may very well be the only one that can save us. Huzzah! I love this world and all the plot twists and little surprises along the way, not to mention the utterly adorable queer romance (possibly love triangle? Very confusing, but hey, love is complicated).

Narwhal I’m Around by Aaron Reynolds

I thought the first book of this series was hilarious. A little bonkers and off-the-wall, but hey, some of the best people are, so the same should definitely apply to books, right? Rex is extremely relatable, as someone who has ADHD but also as someone who was once a kid just trying to get through life. I’m very curious about this new investigation he’ll have to solve, and I can’t wait to laugh my way through this one, too.

Hollow Chest by Brita Sandstrom

This book is going to 100% destroy my feels, but that’s okay. Sometimes we need books like that. This is a magical realism bent on PTSD and the things soldiers lose when they return from war. In this case, war wolves consume their hearts. I’m extremely curious about this take, and I think it has the makings of a very powerful middle grade book.

Maya and the Return of the Godlings by Rena Barron

Back to the Orisha! I can never get enough of books featuring them. I enjoyed the first book and all of its adventure and its leading trio, so I can’t wait to see what they get up to in the sequel. Plus, I’m still crossing my fingers that some of my favorite Orisha make an appearance, because I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve seen so far!

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Stay Fierce, Sammie

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14 responses to “First Line Friday 56 || Life After Death

    • I think you’ll enjoy it! I didn’t love it as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea, but it’s hard to go wrong with Klune, in general.

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