Hello and welcome again, hope you’re having a great weekend!
A couple of days ago, I had this theory that, generally speaking, we can anticipate if a book is gonna be “the one” or not from the first couple of chapters. Actually, I’ve had some that I knew were gonna be bangers from the first paragraph! The BEST EXPERIENCE EVER when that turns out correct!!
So I thought I’d share some of the most iconic first lines (for me). Please share yours below!
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
“A bank robbery. A hostage drama. A stairwell full of police officers on their way to storm an apartment. It was easy to get to this point, much easier than you might think. All it took was one single really bad idea.”
I can’t mention iconic lines without bringing Anxious People up. It’s seriously one of the best books I’ve ever read…It’s been around 4 years if not more since I read it and I still remember it! (which is a mighty feat because I only remember the vibes, on a good day)
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
 “Take your clothes off.”
EXCUSE YOU!!
To be fair, once you read what’s after, you’ll understand a bit but hmm, what???
We Hunt the Flames by Hafsah Faizal
 “People lived because she killed. And if that meant braving the Arz where even the sun was afraid to glimpse, then so be it.”
Nothing better than an assassin FMC to start the day!
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
 “If the bread hadnât burned, this would be a very different story. If the cookâs son hadnât come home late the night before, if the cook hadnât known he was hanging around that lady playwright, if she hadnât lain awake fretting for his immortal soul and weeping over the future fates of possible grandchildren, if she hadnât been so tired and distracted, then the bread would not have burned and the calamities that followed might have belonged to some other house than Casa OrdoĂąo, on some other street than Calle de Dos Santos.”
This is a bit longer than the others but I found it an interesting start to an interesting book.
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
“In Faerie, there are no fish sticks, no ketchup, no television.”
To be honest, I cheated a little bit here since this the FIRST chapter not the first line (there’s a prologue), BUT I LOVE IT!
Not to say the prologue is not good, but chapter 1 just hits differently.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
 “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Because….of course!!
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
” In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
 You can just tell how the story will go, can’t you?
Her Daughterâs Mother by Daniela Petrova
” I watched her walk down the street. She had a fast, determined pace, knew where she was going. No hesitation, no windowshopping as she passed boutiques and gourmet grocery stores. Not even cute dogs or babies distracted her. A woman on a mission. A woman who didnât bother glancing back. A woman easy to follow.”
 Don’t ask me why, but the title and that first paragraph sound so good to me :-p
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
” It begins where it ends: beneath the yew tree.”
 Actually, the whole first chapter is memorable. I usually have trouble with books where the main characters are centuries old or time traveling. It’s just hard for me to get into. BUT this is seriously something else!
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
“Once upon a time, Chloe Brown died.
Nearly.”
 Dramatic much??!
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