FIRST LINES: More first lines from novels.

Sunrise taken near my desk during a morning before-work writing session. It looks like the 80s.

 Because.... why not?

So I re-joined my local library recently and proceeded to borrow a million books (and some really cool graphic novels!) so have a new stash, hence the titles in this post.
Most I haven't read yet but there are a few Australian YA titles here I have heard a lot of good things about so I am interested to check them out.

On the topic of first lines, I attended an interesting panel recently at a writing festival, where four publishing industry professionals (3x publishers and 1x literary agent) all agreed that the first page of a novel should be self-assured and confident, not written solely to grab attention.

I think you read a lot of advice saying the first line and first page is the most important so make sure you grab your readers attention. So it was very interesting to hear all four of these professionals agree that they are much more likely to continue reading a book with a quietly confident first page than a flashy one. So there's that.

So here we go...

I really freaking enjoyed this book!
Night Witches is a YA fantasy/sci-fi and is a masterclass in world building. 

It pieces together old Russian folktales (think Baba Yaga and witch folklore), with World War 2 communist Russian living and events (think young women pilots in spitfires fighting dangerous battles), with a world ruled by future technology (think 1984 thought-police stuff).

How do you fit all of that into one story?
I have no idea but it was excellent.





'I never wanted to fly.'




Night Witches.
LJ Adlington.

​Anna Dressed in Blood.
Kendare Blake.







'The grease-slicked hair is a dead giveaway - no pun intended.'

​The Flywheel.
Erin Gough.





'As far as English teachers go, I could do worse than Mr Hammer.'










​

Zac & Mia.
A.J. Betts.




'A newbie arrives next door.'

You're Welcome, Universe.
Whitney Gardner.



​

'Six stencils in and it's gone.'

​Lady Midnight.
Cassandra Clare.



'Shadow Market nights were Kit's favourite.'

Have you read any of these titles?
What did you think of them?
:)