Friday Firsts (4)

The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.

• Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
• Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
• Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
• Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?

I'm reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick at the moment. Yes, the following line is the first line of the book; it's a prologue that takes place in 1565:

Chauncey was with a farmer's daughter on the grassy banks of the Loire River when the storm rolled in, and having let his gelding wander in the meadow, was left to his own two feet to carry him back to the château.

Sometimes I like prologues, and sometimes I don't. There seem to be more of them around now (I blame Twilight), and not all of them are really necessary. But the prologue in this book sets the stage nicely and provides a bit of intrigue. I haven't finished the book yet, but I can already see that the prologue was relevant to the events in the rest of the story.

I'm thinking that that first comma is misplaced, and it's bugging me a bit. But I didn't notice that when I read it the first time, so I'm not going to get too worked up about it. (I go into editor mode far too often... often to the detriment of my enjoyment of a book!)