First Lines Friday: March 10, 2023

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!

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First Lines:

“I didn’t do this!” Nathaniel insisted, leaning out the manor’s front door, gazing helplessly at the vine thrashing up along the thorn hedge, the animated topiaries prowling through the garden, and the threatening magical gale that howled around Thorn Manor, carrying past leaves and branches and loose cobblesrones in a whirling cyclone. “I swear upon Baltasar’s unholy grave, I didn’t do a thing.”

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Do you recognize the lines?

Here’s a hint:

 It’s a new release by Margaret Rogerson

Still not sure? Here’s another hint: 

It’s a YA fantasy.

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The First Lines Friday book is:

Mysteries of Thorn Manor

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Title: Mysteries of Thorn Manor

Author: Margaret Rogerson

Series: Sorcery of Thorns 1.5

Page Length: 192

Publication Date: Jan. 17, 2023

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Synopsis: In this sequel novella to Sorcery of Thorns, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas must unravel the magical trap keeping them inside Thorn Manor in time for their Midwinter Ball!

Elisabeth Scrivener is finally settling into her new life with sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn. Now that their demon companion Silas has returned, so has scrutiny from nosy reporters hungry for gossip about the city’s most powerful sorcerer and the librarian who stole his heart. But something strange is afoot at Thorn Manor: the estate’s wards, which are meant to keep their home safe, are acting up and forcibly trapping the Manor’s occupants inside. Surely it must be a coincidence that this happened just as Nathaniel and Elisabeth started getting closer to one another…

With no access to the outside world, Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas – along with their new maid Mercy – will have to work together to discover the source of the magic behind the malfunctioning wards before they’re due to host the city’s Midwinter Ball. Not an easy task when the house is filled with unexpected secrets, and all Elisabeth can think about is kissing Nathaniel in peace. But when it becomes clear that the house, influenced by the magic of Nathaniel’s ancestors, requires a price for its obedience, Elisabeth and Nathaniel will have to lean on their connection like never before to set things right.

LINKS:   Goodreads   |    Amazon | Review

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Have you read Mysteries of Thorn Manor? What do you think of the first lines? Comment below!