First Lines Friday 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!
First Lines:
“One hundred twenty-seven.
That was the number of lives I traded for a full belly over the years.
Today would make one hundred twenty-eight.”
Do you recognize the lines?
Here’s a hint:
It’s a new dystopia.
Still not sure? Here’s another hint:
It’s written by Brooke Fast
The First Lines Friday book is:
To Cage a Wild Bird
Title: To Cage a Wild Bird
Author: Brooke Fast
Series: Divided Fates #1
Pages: 384
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Publisher: AVON BOOKS
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Dystopia
Synopsis: Enter the brutal world of Endlock, a prison where the wealthy hunt the inmates for sport. The first novel in an electrifying dystopian romance series, this high-octane debut about forbidden love, found family, and a fight for survival will leave you breathless.
In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock.
Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him—even if it means getting herself arrested.
Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner, Raven must use all her cunning and strength to protect Jed—and herself if she is to complete her perilous mission. But there’s one obstacle she never expected: the prison guard who stirs something deep inside her. The man she should hate. The man whose true motives seem impossible to pin down.
In a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, Raven must decide if she will risk everything to tear down a vicious system.
LINKS: Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon | Review
Have you read To Cage a Wild Bird? What do you think of the first lines? Comment below!
