First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

On a frosty winter morning, in the waters of a half-forgotten island, a merrow was swimming far from her home.  Mist hung like a veil over the sea, clinging to her skin as she broke the surface:  first a crown of coral and bone, then yellow eyes as wide as moons.  A pale scar traced the curve of her jaw. 

Any ideas?

I’ve just finished this:  it was absolutely incredible, but I need the next one!   Goodreads synopsis:

Fionn Boyle has been Storm Keeper of Arranmore for less than six months when thousands of terrifying Soulstalkers arrive on the island. The empty-eyed followers of the dreaded sorceress, Morrigan have come to raise their leader and Fionn is powerless to stop them. The Storm Keeper’s magic has deserted him and with his grandfather’s memory waning, Fionn must rely on his friends Shelby and Sam to help him summon Dagda’s army of merrows.

But nobody else believes the ferocious sea creatures even exist. And how can he prove he’s right without any magic? As Fionn begins his search for the lost army, the other islanders prepare for invasion. The battle to save Arranmore has begun.

This is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.  It asks three questions:

1.       What are you currently reading?

2.       What did you recently finish reading?

3.      What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m currently reading The Lost Tide Warriors by Catherine Doyle.  I’ve been really looking forward to returning to Arranmore as I loved The Storm Keeper’s Island.  This is proving to be just as fantastic!  This will be the fourth book on my #20BooksofSummer.

I recently finished The Garden of Lost Secrets by A M Howell.  I really enjoyed the nostalgic feel to this and the clever unravelling of the many secrets in the story.  Review coming shortly.

I’ve chosen to read The Maker of Monsters by Lorraine Gregory next.  Peter Bunzl definitely sells it: “A monster mash of action, scares, and adventure with a core of warm friendship.  It had me on tenterhooks ‘til the very end.”   Can’t wait!

If you are brave enough to enter these woods … you will be utterly mesmerised as you are taken on the most intriguing journey full of twists, puzzles and incredible mind-blowing discoveries!  This is a book that is perfect for a one-sitting read and epitomises the phrase ‘page-turner’. 

With two references to time in the title, I feel the story offers a fascinating exploration of concepts in time which made me think of the Mobius Time Loop.  When and where in time are the three children?  There is so much to explore, but I don’t want to give anything away – suffice to say, nothing is ever as it seems!

One afternoon, three children get lost in the woods … and find a seemingly endless night!  Johnny is the bully; Charlie is the new kid in town; and Dizzy, a polio survivor, is Charlie’s only friend. 

Curiosity leads two of the friends into the woods … and Johnny follows.  Dizzy has seen sticks arranged into a secret code the previous day and wants his friend to help solve the mystery!  Johnny tells them Old Crony lives in the woods and he is someone to be feared.  The children’s heightened anticipation of Old Crony, together with the inspired use of sights and sounds, creates a real sense of foreboding with palpable fear building, leading to frantic and desperate actions as the children try desperately to run from their fear and their fate …

I found the woods both horrifying and fascinating, almost like a living entity, driven with an inexorable purpose for the children, a purpose that once realised left me stunned and in awe of the story-telling. 

Incredible heart-stopping moments, spine-tingling twists, and seeming impossibilities made me desperate to keep reading.  For me, the use of cliff hangers at the end of most of the chapters makes it the perfect classroom read! 

This is a perfect spine-tingler of a story which took me on the most incredible journey of exploration and discovery!

This is an incredibly powerful and thought-provoking story which totally engrossed me right from the prologue which occurs 10 years before the main story when society is drastically changed by the catastrophic environmental damage caused by Hurricane Chronos.

The story is set in a dystopian aftermath where society has been firmly divided into three social groups:  the Paragons, the Freedoms and the Outlanders.  The inequality between these groups in terms of social status, power and wealth is evident.  The Paragons rule ruthlessly through the ARK government, and control, not only the food supplies and wealth within Kairos City, but also the right to knowledge and perceptions of the landscape outside the City.  The Outlanders refuse to conform to the expectations of the Paragons and live outside society, displaced and suffering social deprivation and hardship.   Paradoxically, the group which is least free are the Freedoms, and it is to this group that the main protagonists, Shifa and Themba, belong.

Fighting his way through the eye of the storm, driven by his love for his infant son, Themba, Nabil survives the hurricane that devastates the very foundations of society.  On his return, he discovers an abandoned baby with her cat, Daisy.  There is no mother and her only possessions are a daisy chain strung around her body, a basket of edible leaves and a golden locket.  He names her Shifa, and brings her up as his daughter.

Skip forward ten years … to Shifa and Themba’s tenth birthdays.  It is on this day that the terrible, and heart-breaking, pledge their father has made to the ARK is realised.  In exchange for the benefits of the food, money and education the family have received, Nabil’s children must give up four years of their lives to become Freedom Field Recruits.  These recruits are needed to help with food production, including the pollination of plants as bees have become extinct due to climatic chaos.  This is sold to the family as a vital part of the re-generation of society so that all can eventually enjoy the benefits currently only in existence for the Paragons.    

Shifa and her family have a deep ingrained love of the natural environment and, defying ARK laws, have their own secret garden and ‘skep-heart’ code which becomes a powerful symbol of family love, loyalty and bonding threaded throughout the story.

We’ve got to keep our family skepheart beating.

What awaits the children on the Freedom Family Farm they are sent to is unbearably unjust as they struggle to cope in an oppressive regime where they are effectively dehumanised with any level of freedom they thought they had being cruelly ripped from them.  The treatment of the children and the hopelessness of their situation is heart-wrenching; however, the resilience and strength of the majority of the children is uplifting.  Torn from their families, they become a new family, taking care of each other, despite their hardships. 

Shifa and Themba are just wonderful children who have made a lasting impression on me.  They have an incredibly close bond and clearly adore each other:  it is their love for each other that helps them survive.  Shifa is kind-hearted, resilient and loving, but she also questions the society into which she has been born.  Themba is artistic, impulsive and trusting, but also vulnerable.  It is this vulnerability which gives his fiercely protective sister the strength, courage and determination to make an impossibly difficult decision.  A decision which leads them on a terrifying journey, but also one of new discoveries, new friendships and perhaps towards hope of a new way of life. 

The story’s central message is a very current one around the potential devastation that could be caused by inertia in tackling climate change.  It really crystallises the effects this could have not only on the environment but also on the people who have to live in the aftermath, with the innocent bearing the brunt of mistakes made by their elders.  Children are both the victims, and the redeemers, of this dystopian society.

Not taking care of the planet felt like destroying the thing that most cared for you.

The concept of freedom is also explored.  Are you truly free if you don’t belong anywhere and don’t care about anyone?  Can freedom be taken away if you have the love of your family in your heart?   Can apparent freedom be nothing more than a façade?  This theme is explored beautifully through the difficult and heartfelt  relationship between Shifa and Luca, an orphan taken in by the ARK.  Is he the enemy he appears, or just as much a victim as the other children? 

This is an engrossing story of family, friendship and hope, set in deeply rooted themes of the effects of climatic change, societal injustice and an exploration of freedom, which captured me entirely.  This story has incredible potential for classroom discussion.  As a teacher, I can definitely see me using it with children of 9+. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Children’s Books/ Hachette Children’s Group for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

Night fell as death rode into the Great Library of Summershall.  It arrived within a carriage.  Elisabeth stood in the courtyard and watched the horses thunder wild-eyed through the gates, throwing froth from their mouths. 

Any ideas?

I read the synopsis of this and just know I will love it!  I’m saving it for my summer holiday when I will be able to devour it in a day!  Can’t wait!

Goodreads synopsis:

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Here’s something you should believe:  this story is a must-read!  Cymbeline made me smile on many occasions as the conversational style of the writing, and the anecdotes around school and home life, and use of humour drew me inexorably towards him:  he is just so incredibly likeable!  Coupled with this, he is honest, kind and empathetic, qualities he has in spades as he astutely pieces together the clues to solve two intriguing mysteries.

Cymbeline is best friends with Veronique whose beloved Nanai, who came to England as a refugee from Vietnam, has stopped talking and eating, and Cymbeline is determined to solve the mystery, not only to make his best friend smile again, but because he also adores Nanai.  With the help of Kit-Kat, the most adorable and clever rat – not a hamster – and his adroit sleuthing skills, he very cleverly pieces together the puzzle, revealing some incredible twists and revelations.

Not content with solving one mystery, Cymbeline is also intent on finding out who appears to have a grudge against his favourite teacher, Mrs Martins who has been targeted in a very nasty way.  The children of St Saviour’s School adore her and are shocked by what happens to her, so who could the perpetrator be? 

Whilst Cymbeline is very perceptive at solving mysteries outside his family, he is not quite so adept at spotting what in going on in his own family – until the last moment!  

I adored the friendship between Cymbeline and Veronique.  They really have each other’s backs no matter the consequences.  Each is willing to make personal sacrifices to help the other.  Their relationship feels very authentic and heartfelt with a genuine connectedness from the everyday activities they enjoy with each other to Cymbeline’s pain and helplessness at his friend’s distress, and his dogged determination to bring her Nanai back to the family.

This story expertly blends humour with poignant moments; home with school life; modern life with historical context; and, misunderstandings with revelations, all of which captured me in an engrossing read which made this book unputdownable.  I hope I get to meet Cymbeline in Year 5!

I would highly recommend this book to any child of 9+ and their teachers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Books for an e-arc of this book.

This is the heart-warming story of Felix, a young boy with ADHD who can’t sit still, and his wonderfully eccentric Grandad.

When Felix is continually getting into trouble at school, and feeling a failure, his Grandad introduces him, in a very novel way, to his own passion: chess. His Grandad believes that the self- discipline needed to play chess will help Felix become better able to focus, concentrate and pay attention in lessons. But, is this enough if he doesn’t have belief and confidence in himself?

Despite his initial reluctance to play, he soon discovers an intrinsic talent for the game while also learning some of his Grandad’s secrets, carried with him from East Germany. Felix’s relationship with his Grandad is very special and resonates with humour, love, trust, frustration, betrayal, forgiveness. Ultimately, they are there for each other at a time when they are both finding adjusting to new lives difficult.

Felix has a well-meaning friend, Jake, who provides lots of humorous moments as they try to settle into life in secondary school. His other friend, Rebecca, encourages Felix to join the school chess club where he soon finds himself playing competitively, representing his school at tournaments. Will his chance of success be ruined by a rival chess player, his own lack of confidence or his Grandad’s failing health?

Check Mates is a story about the power of self-belief, perseverance and honesty and the importance of family, friends and forgiveness. I found this a truly inspirational story, coupled with an incredible historical twist!

A perfect read for children of 9+.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

This is a meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words.  It asks three questions:

1.       What are you currently reading?

2.       What did you recently finish reading?

3.      What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m currently reading The Garden of Lost Secrets by A M Howell.  This will be the third book on my #20BooksofSummer.

I recently finished Where the River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari.  This is one I was approved for on NetGalley.  It is set in a dystopian society and was incredibly powerful and thought-provoking.  This will be published on 1st July. I will try to get my review posted before then!

I’ve chosen to read The Lost Tide Warriors by Catherine Doyle next.  I loved the first in this series, The Stormkeeper’s Island and can’t wait to return to Arranmore. 

This is a weekly meme now hosted by The Artsy Girl Reader.  This week’s theme is: Books On My Summer 2019 TBR.  I am taking part in the #20Booksof Summer challenge, so that will be my first!  For the rest, I’ve chosen from the books I currently have on my bookshelf.

1. #20Booksof Summer list here. 
2. The Secret Dragon by Ed Clarke. I absolutely adore books about dragons and books set in Wales – and this has both!
3. The Secret Starling by Judith Eagle. Whilst I read mostly fantasy, I do like a good old-fashioned historical adventure – and this one fits the bill perfectly!
4. The Last Spell Breather by Julie Pike. “The Spell wouldn’t stay on the shelf.” With a first line like that, I’m desperate to dive in.
5. The Ice Garden by Guy Jones. This one has been on my radar for a while. I’m not sure what to expect but the blurb intrigued me: a girl who is allergic to the sun, discovering a magical garden made of ice.
6. The Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis. I read The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart over Easter and loved it. I really want to read this one to be ready for the final one which I think is being released in August.

7. The Gift of Dark Hollow by Kieran Larwood. I read The Legend of Podkin One-Ear just after Christmas and adored it. It is a testament to how many brilliant books are being published that I haven’t managed to read this one yet.

8. The Butterfly Circus by Francesca Armour-Chelu. Having two sisters of my own, I love reading books with sisters as the main characters. I haven’t read a book with a circus setting, so I’m looking forward to this.

9. The True Colours of Coral Glen by Juliette Forrest. Twister was brilliant so I’m looking forward to another of Juliette’s books.

10. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. This is my only YA book, but I absolutely couldn’t resist it. Katherine Arden’s review had me: “If you loved the Hogwarts Library, you’ll be right at home at Summershall. Tightly paced, hugely atmospheric, with a touch of wry humour, this book had me from its Gothic beginning right to the perfect end.”

It’s going to be a busy summer – so looking forward to it! 

This is a tag I’ve seen quite a few times, and have enjoyed reading so I thought I’d give it a go! I last saw it on Lucy’s Novel Purpose, and she tagged anyone who wanted to give it a go, so I considered myself tagged. Thank you to whoever created this tag!

What is the best book that you’ve read so far in 2019?

I’ve been really lucky this year with my reading choices as I’ve really enjoyed so many of the books I’ve read. I’m going to opt for one of my more recent reads which really had me so hooked that I carried it with me all day so could take any opportunity to read it!

What has been your favourite sequel of the first half of the year?

My absolute standout sequel was one that I read immediately after the first book in the series as I loved the first so much. The first book is Begone the Raggedy Witches and the second …

Is there a new release that you haven’t read yet but you’re really excited to?

This was hard, as I have bought lots of new releases, all of which I’m looking forward to reading. I found this one today and, after reading the blurb, just had to get it.

What is your most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

I loved books inspired by folklore, so know I will love this one …

What is your biggest disappointment so far?

This many seem like a cop-out, but I really have loved all the books I’ve read this year. I’ve read outside my preferred genre (fantasy) and have actually been surprised by how much I enjoyed other genres.

What is your biggest surprise so far?

As I’ve said, the majority of my reading is within fantasy, so I’ve chosen one outside fantasy which I loved more than I thought, especially considering I have absolutely no understanding of chess!

Who is your fictional crush from this year?

I’ve taken ‘crush’ to be a character I would love to have in my life and, in this case, it’s someone who lives under the bed or in a green carpetbag! I’m talking about Oswin, the kobold who is suspiciously like a cat!

Who is your new favourite character?

I’d have to choose the most brilliantly named, Utterly Thankless, who is a quick-witted rule-breaker with a penchant for recklessness who took me on one of the most spell-binding adventures this year!

A book that made you cry?

A few books have made me cry this year, but the one that made me cry the most was this one …

A book that made you happy?

This book made me happy for a couple of reasons. It is the first physical ARC I’ve received from a publisher, and the main character is an adorable dog!

Your favourite book to movie/tv show that you’ve seen so far?

I’m going to do this the other way round. One of my favourite shows of all time is Firefly, so I was really pleased to find this …

What is the most beautiful book that you have bought?

The book with the most beautiful cover I’ve bought …

What is your favourite post that you have written so far this year?

I just starting blogging in April of this year and I can honestly say I’ve loved the whole experience. I didn’t realise that blogging could be more than just posting reviews, so I guess my favourite post is the first book tag I did: #SixforSunday (hosted by A Little But a Lot): 2019 Books I want to read!

What are 6 books that you want to read by the end of the year?

I have far too many middle-grade books I want to read, so I can’t possibly choose. I’m going to choose six from other books I have in my TBR which I want to read.

I’m not going to tag anyone, but if you want to have a go, you’re tagged!