Even if you are not a fan of love at first sight, you must agree that the attraction of its intensity is too hard to resist. It may not be wise to act on love at first sight with humans, but that doesn’t have to be the case with books.
For centuries, great books have captivated readers just by their first lines. Just words, but confusing, shocking, or just interesting enough that you’re willing to spend over five hours figuring out the book. It’s time you discovered some of these classics. But remember, don’t judge a book by its cover; judge it by its hook.
‘The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman
First line: “This is my favorite book in the whole world, even though I’ve never read it.”
If you wonder how a person can love a book without ever reading it, it’s time you picked up this masterpiece. While countless people are familiar with the 1987 blockbuster starring Cary Elwes and Robin Wright, not everyone has had the chance to vicariously experience William Goldman’s masterpiece on paper. In a Renaissance-era world, Buttercup lives on a farm in Florin. On the same subject : Lis Smith on Her New Book, ‘Any Given Tuesday’. She abuses her ranch hand, Westley, but he always complies, telling her, “As you wish.” It’s not long before she realizes that he’s been saying, “I love you” all along.
‘The Bad Beginning’ by Daniel Handler
First line: “If you’re interested in stories with happy endings, you’d be better off reading another book.”
While this may seem like a risky choice for the first line of a book, it hasn’t stopped millions of people from enjoying it. The first book in the A Series Of Unfortunate Events series, The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket is a young adult mystery book that tells an unfortunate story about three very unfortunate children. To see also : Food deserts are affecting New Jersey residents amid efforts to alleviate the crisis. True to his word, the series is sad, not funny or sweetly sad, but pure, unfiltered sadness that seeps through the pages and attacks the heart.
‘Shatter Me’ by Tahereh Mafi
First line: “I’ve been locked up for 264 days. This may interest you : Help Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank achieve the “Summer Challenge”..”
The last time she touched someone, seventeen-year-old Juliette was charged with murder. Her touch is fatal, and the Reestablishment wants her banished forever. They have bigger problems to deal with anyway. But when the survivors revolt, they want to put Juliette to good use because she is the only one who can save them now. Juliette must make a choice: be a weapon, or be a warrior. With an extremely incredible plot, Shatter Me should be the next book you read, no matter what you have to give up for it.
‘Verity’ by Colleen Hoover
First line: “I hear the crack of his skull before the trail of blood reaches me.”
And so begins Colleen Hoover’s unremarkable thriller. Lowen is a struggling writer who gets a life-changing opportunity to finish bestselling author Verity Crawford’s successful series after she is bedridden. Verity’s husband, Jeremy Crawford, is kind enough to offer her a place to stay while she finishes the series, but there’s a connection between them that neither can deny. But things turn upside down when Lowen discovers Verity’s unfinished autobiography: a manuscript that was not meant to be read by her or anyone else.
‘Goodbye Days’ by Jeff Zentner
First line: “Depending on who—sorry, who—you ask, I may have killed my three best friends.”
Carver Briggs has it all – three amazing best friends, supportive parents, and a glowing reputation as a talented writer at his high school, Nashville Academy for the Arts, until one text demolishes everything he’s built. Right after Carver sends the message to Mars, Mars, Eli and Blake are killed in a car accident. So of course, everyone blames him, except for a few unexpected allies. Blake’s grandmother wants to have a farewell day with him to remember her lost loved one. But when everyone insists on saying goodbye, is Carver about to say goodbye to his life too?
‘The Kinder Poison’ by Natalie Mae
First line: “All good stories begin with bad decisions.”
An ironic but relatable start, Natalie Mae did a great job with Kinder Poison. The book follows Zahru, a lowly whisperer who dreams of having the incredible adventures she’s only heard about in stories. Any hope Zahru has of escaping the cruel kingdom of Orkena is lost when she decides to sneak into the castle one night and finds herself becoming Crossing’s human sacrifice to settle a feud between the heirs. She has only one chance to save herself: if she finds out how to overcome the most dangerous people in the world.
‘Circe’ by Madeline Miller
First line: “When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist.”
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, Circe was a strange child. She is powerful, just like mortals. But when she discovers her superpower: witchcraft, Zeus is threatened. She is banished to a deserted island where she practices her skills and hones her craft. But a woman of power has enemies innumerable. Circe must choose where she belongs: the gods she was born to, or the mortals she loves.
‘We Hunt the Flame’ by Hafsah Faizal
First line: “People lived because they killed. People died because he lived.”
To mention the first line alone would also make sense, but these two belong together, both the lines as well as Zafira and Nasir. Zafira is a hunter who poses as a man as he crosses the cursed forest of Arz to feed her people, and Nasir is a cruel prince who plans to murder those who his autocratic father, the Sultan, defend. Everyone would reject all of Zafira’s achievements if she passed as a girl, and Nasir’s father would punish him if his sympathetic side was ever in sight. They are both legends in the kingdom of Arawiya, but neither wants to be.
‘The Cruel Prince’ by Holly Black
First line: “In Faerie there are no fish sticks, no ketchup, no TV.”
Holly Black made a very brilliant move with this first line because whether you like fish sticks or not, Faerie feels worse than a prison. And you don’t even know what it might be like, especially for Jude, a seventeen-year-old mortal trying to fit in a place where she doesn’t belong and maybe isn’t even welcome. Jude will do anything to belong, including defeating the infamous Prince Cardan. She hates him, sometimes so much that it becomes difficult to breathe.
‘To Kill A Kingdom’ by Alexandra Christo
First line: “I have a heart for every year I’ve lived.”
The deadliest siren royalty of all, Princess Lira has the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection. But when fate leads her to kill one of her own, her mother, the sea queen, transforms Lira into a human. Can she deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen through the winter solstice? Or will Elian be the one to catch her? A beloved retelling of The Little Mermaid, Alexandra Christo’s “To Kill a Kingdom” is a definite recommendation if you want to jump into the world of fantasy.
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