Friday Firsts: Empress of the Fall by David Hair
3 March 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: David Hair, Empress of the Fall, Friday Firsts, tenacious reader
Friday Firsts is a new meme that runs every Friday over on Tenacious Reader. The idea is to feature the first few sentences/paragraph of your current book and try and outline your first impressions as a result. This is a quick and easy way to share a snippet of information about your current read and to perhaps tempt others. Stop on by and link up with Tenacious Reader. This Friday I’m reading a couple of books but one of them is Empress of the Fall by David Hair.
‘More than 500 years ago, in 379, a man died and his followers became the new gods of Yuros – the magi. They have ruled the western continent ever since, yet the name of he who died has been raised highest. Johan Corin – ‘Corineus’ – is now revered as a god made flesh, sent from Paradise Above to gather and empower his followers. He is said to have been the Son of Kore.
But he was just a man: dead people are always easier to deify than living ones. Ordo Costruo Collegiate, Pontus, 927.
The Celestial, Pallas, Rondelmar Junesse 930 – final month of the Moontide Longevity is cruel, Ostevan Prelatus mused as he knelt in the holiest place in Yuros, mouthing prayers while staring at the massive rump of his superior. There were no seats, no cushions, just wooden leaning bars against which the thirty-two prelates of the Church of Kore could contemplate the infinite, while gazing upon the golden casket of Johan Corin – known to the world as Corineus the Saviour.’
My First Impressions
Well, immediate impressions are that there are an awful lot of names and named dates in that first couple of paragraphs, but, I won’t let that put me off, I understand this is a sequel to a previous series but can be read as a standalone so it stands to reason that this world is already firmly established. I must admit that I’m quite intrigued and anxious to find out more.
What you reading this Friday??
*The above excerpt was taken from an advanced reader copy and it is possible that the final version may have further changes.
Friday Firsts: Game of Shadows by Erika Lewis
24 February 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Erika Lewis, Friday Firsts, Game of Shadows, tenacious reader
Friday Firsts is a new meme that runs every Friday over on Tenacious Reader. The idea is to feature the first few sentences/paragraph of your current book and try and outline your first impressions as a result. This is a quick and easy way to share a snippet of information about your current read and to perhaps tempt others. Stop on by and link up with Tenacious Reader. This Friday I’ve just started Game of Shadows by Erika Lewis.
“Ethan Makkai, freedom is a state of mind.”
Ethan shook his head at his mother’s canned response. It was the same thing she said every time he told her it was time to cut the parental leash.
He dropped his backpack next to the kitchen table and sat down with a loud huff. “Wrong. Freedom is the state of not being imprisoned.”
“Will you please stop saying that?” Keeping an eye on the toaster oven, she poured herself another cup of coffee. “You’re not in prison.”
But Ethan was in prison. Incarcerated for life if she had her way. She wouldn’t let him go anywhere without her. Ever.
The only time she let him out of her sight was during school. He’d contemplated sneaking out. Skipping class. But every time he made a move for the exit one of his teachers was there. They were always watching.
A few seconds after the timer dinged, Caitriona padded over and playfully pushed his shoulder. “Can’t a mom want to spend time with her son?”
“Not when she makes him look like more of a total reject than he already is.”
My First Impressions
Well – difficult to gain too much from this start – although it makes me wonder if Ethan is going to be sorry in some way – he’s clearly wishing for more freedom and you know what they say about being careful what you wish for!
What you reading this Friday??
*The above excerpt was taken from an advanced reader copy and it is possible that the final version may have further changes.
Friday Firsts: The Valiant by Lesley Livingston
17 February 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Friday Firsts, Lesley Livingston, tenacious reader, The Valiant
Friday Firsts is a new meme that runs every Friday over on Tenacious Reader. The idea is to feature the first few sentences/paragraph of your current book and try and outline your first impressions as a result. This is a quick and easy way to share a snippet of information about your current read and to perhaps tempt others. Stop on by and link up with Tenacious Reader. This week I’m reading The Valiant by Lesley Livingston.
The steam rising off the backs of the cantering horses faded into the morning fog. Our chariot raced toward the far end of the Forgotten Vale and Maelgwyn Ironhand – my chariot, constant companion, and frequent adversary – pulled back on the reins.
“No!” I shouted. “Faster! Make them run faster!”
Mael didn’t bother to spare a glance over his shoulder at me. He knew any argument would be futile. Instead he gave the ponies their head and let them run. We flew over the ground like ravens diving over a battlefield. The horses snorted and strained, hooves drumming the grassy track and sending mist billowing in our wake.
I stood behind Mael with a spear gripped tight in my right fist and my feet braced against the swaying motion of the chariot’s suspended deck. The wind screeched in my ears, and the ground was a blur beneath our wheels. We’d never gone so fast before, and my heart hammered in my chest. I shifted and moved past Mael, stepping out in front of the chariot’s platform to balance on the square-sided draft pole that ran between the two horses.
“Fallon – be careful!” Mael called as one of my feet slipped on the wood.
My First Impressions
Well – that got off to a quick start, literally it exploded right off the page. I can’t wait to dig further into this one. It promises to be a great read and I’ve already read good reviews.
What you reading this Friday??
*The above excerpt was taken from an advanced reader copy and it is possible that the final version may have further changes.
Friday Firsts: The Winter Long (October Daye #8) by Seanan McGuire
10 February 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Friday Firsts, October Daye #8, Seanan McGuire, The Tenacious Reader, The Winter Long
Friday Firsts is a new meme that runs every Friday over on Tenacious Reader. The idea is to feature the first few sentences/paragraph of your current book and try and outline your first impressions as a result. This is a quick and easy way to share a snippet of information about your current read and to perhaps tempt others. Stop on by and link up with Tenacious Reader. This week I’m reading The Winter Long (October Daye #8) by Seanan McGuire
The woods were dark, filled with strange shadows. They twisted and swirled independent of any light source, making the space beneath the towering sequoias look treacherous and wild. Not much in the way of illumination could trickle all the way down through the tightly-laced branches to ground level; the few streaks of moonlight that had managed to reach us were washed out and thin, managing to seem almost darker than having no light at all. Everything was permeated by the smell of redwood sap and the sea.
We had arrived as a group, May, Jazz and Quentin packed into the backseat like sardines, me behind the wheel, and Tybalt sitting rigidly next to me. He didn’t really like cars under the best of circumstances. He liked them even less when there were multiple other passengers, since that meant he couldn’t respond to an accident by yanking everyone safely onto the Shadow Roads. Call it a quirk brought on by being several hundred years older than the internal combustion engine.
My First Impressions
Yes! I am so ready to read this book – everyone keeps saying this is ‘the one’! Super excited. And straight away we’re into the story – into the dark woods!! Oooh, *wiggles fingers*.
What you reading this Friday??
*The above excerpt was taken from an advanced reader copy and it is possible that the final version may have further changes.
Friday Firsts: With Blood Upon the Sand (The Song of the Shattered Sands #2) by Bradley P. Beaulieu
3 February 2017
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Bradley P Beaulieu, Friday Firsts, The Song of the Shattered Sands #2, The Tenacious Reader, With Blood Upon the Sand
Friday Firsts is a new meme that runs every Friday over on Tenacious Reader. The idea is to feature the first few sentences/paragraph of your current book and try and outline your first impressions as a result. This is a quick and easy way to share a snippet of information about your current read and to perhaps tempt others. Stop on by and link up with Tenacious Reader. This week I’m reading With Blood Upon the Sand (The Song of the Shattered Sands #2) by Bradley P. Beaulieu.
Ceda crouched, cradled in the branches of a well-tended fig tree, studying the movements of the Kings’ soldiers, the Silver Spears, along the palace wall above. Staring up through the leaves, she measured their pace as they marched from tower to tower, noted how long and at which locations they tarried. She gave special attention to the changing of the guard, and was relieved that the same guards had been posted as on the other nights she’d hidden here. Most important, though, was their mood. She weighed it – as well as she could from a hundred feet below – and to her great relief, found them attentive, but no more than usual. Had they seemed more prepared, on edge in some way, she knew she would have been forced to abandon her plan to kill the King of Kings.
This great palace that sat atop Mount Tauriyat was named Eventide and it was the home of Kiral, the King of Kings. Not only was it the highest and largest of Sharakhai’s palaces, it was the most difficult to penetrate. Its walls stood higher than any other palace. Its western side was built atop a sheer rock face, making it near impossible for any sizeable force to approach from that angle. Watch towers stood like sentinels every fifty paces, and the winding road leading up to it had a gorge spanned by a drawbridge that, unlike many of the other palaces on Tauriyat, was often raised.
My First Impressions
Its just so good to be returning to this world and no messing about at all – straight into an incredibly tense situation with Ceda. I’ve only just started this one but the writing is as good as I remembered from the first and I’m just so damned pleased to be reading about Ceda that at the moment I’m quite giddy with anticipation!
What you reading this Friday??
Books and travelling with Lynn 