Opening Lines

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a freebie so I decided to go with a prompt from around this time last year which was opening lines. Just like last year I decided to go with the first line from 10 books on my physical TBR! These are all very high on my reading list and seeing some of these opening lines definitely makes me excited to get into a few of them!! 

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A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

“It feels redundant to be at the pool on a rainy Saturday, even though it’s spring, and even though it’s Portland, but maybe I’m just more of a California snob than I want to be.”

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The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

 “The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages comes and pass, leaving memories that become legend.”

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The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

“There’s no such thing as witches, but there used to be.”

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Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

“Lucie Herondale was ten years old when she first met the boy in the forest.”

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Stormcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

“Evan of Tarvos stood at the stern rail, his eyes fixed on the ship that had been following them for the better part of a day.”

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Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin

“Dark clouds gathered overhead.”

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These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

“They say there’s a fine line between love and hate.”

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Heart of Flames by Nicki Pau Preto

“Veronyka kicked as hard as she could at Tristan’s face.”

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Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody

“It was early morning when Harvey Gabbiano dug the grave.”

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Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

“Of course the Parshendi wanted to play their drums.”

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May Wrap Up

This month I ended up completing 6 books which I am stoked about! I feel like I am finally coming out of my reading slump and am in the mood to read more and more!

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer – ⭐️3/5 stars

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson – ⭐️3/5 stars

A Memory in the Flame by Jessi Elliot & K.J. Sutton – ⭐️3/5 stars

Shadowcaster by Cinda Wiliams Chima – ⭐️4/5 stars

A Sacrifice in the Smoke by Jessi Elliot & K.J. Sutton – ⭐️3/5 stars

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – ⭐️5/5 stars

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Books I’ve Read but Won’t be Purchasing

Today I decided to redo a TTT prompt I did around this time last year which was books I’ve read but won’t be purchasing. I’m still somewhat on a book buying ban and have restricted myself to only purchasing books that I’ve rated ⭐️4/5 stars or higher so these are 10 books that I rated lower than that, which I probably won’t be purchasing for my personal collection.

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The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

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The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

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The Night Country by Melissa Albert

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Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

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Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender

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Burn by Patrick Ness

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The Guest List by Lucy Foley

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He Started It by Samantha Downing

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Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

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The Raven and the Dove by Kaitlyn Davis

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5 Quotes from Last 5 Books

These are five of my favourite quotes from the last five books that I have read!!

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

“Good people don’t bow their heads and bite their tongues while other good people suffer. Good people are not complicit.”

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A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer

“I’m confident in my strengths, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think about my weaknesses.”

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The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

“Sometimes all your words are the wrong shape and none of them will fit into the silence left when the conversation pauses.”

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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

“I was raised in hatred, Roma. I could never be your lover, only your killer.”

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Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

“I don’t know. I’m scared that out there, someday I’ll look around and realize forty years have passed and no one can see me. That I’m gone.”

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The Year of the Witching Review

This was completely different to what I was expecting.

The daughter of a union with an outsider that cast her once-proud family into disgrace, Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol and lead a life of submission, devotion and absolute conformity, like all the women in the settlement. But a chance mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood that surrounds Bethel – a place where the first prophet once pursued and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still walking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the diary of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

I really liked Immanuelle’s character right from the start. She was that little bit sarcastic and resistant to all the rules and regulations she has to live by. Even though she complies most of the time she still questions the decisions and isn’t afraid to break the rules and dig a little deeper into the history of Bethel. We see her evolve over the course of the storyline and come to terms with who she really is and how she can change the way things are run in this town.

I would of really been more invested if this story was a dual perspective and we got to see more from Ezra’s point of view. Having him deep within the institution as the Prophet’s son and seeing what he has had to endure over the course of the years to make him rebel would of given me a lot more context I think. I appreciated how committed he was too helping Immanuelle but I think their relationship could of been drawn out a little longer. I just wish they would of had a few more scenes together in more of a group setting where we could see the tension and attraction between them.

This was a lot more religious and pious than what I was expecting. It took me out of the story a little, granted this is my own fault for going in blind. I was expecting witchiness and spells and magic and this very different to that. I’ve seen this pitched as The Handmaid’s Tale for a new generation and I completely agree with that statement. It’s definitely thought provoking and starts a conversation but I was thinking it would be a more fantastical tale.

⭐️3/5 highly engaging and original, just not what I was expecting!