Hi guys! Do you believe in love at first line? Can an author capture your imagination with just one sentence? For me the answer is: YES! If that very first sparks something in me, a sense of wonder or curiosity or intrigue, I just have to keep on reading. I’ve bought a lot of books because I was so enamored by their opening lines, and these are a few of my favorite ones.
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
“Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, tough he may claim otherwise.”
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
“Our dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley”
The Graces by Laure Eve
“Everyone said they were witches. I desperately wanted to believe it”
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
“My mother was raised on fairytales, but I was raised on highways”
The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell
“These days you can find anything you need at the click of a button. That’s why I bought her heart online.”
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
“Blue Sargent had forgotten how many times she’d been told that she would kill her true love.”
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
“Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you’ve ever heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn’t win”
The Painter by Peter Heller
“I never imagined I would shoot a man. Or be a father. Or live so far from the sea”
I’m Supposed to Protect You from All This by Nadja Spiegelman
“When I was a child, I knew that my mother was a fairy. Not the kind of fairy with gauzy wings and a magic wand, but one with a thrift-store fur coat and ink-stained fingers.”
We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen
“Many years ago there lived a man called Laurids Madsen, who went up to heaven and came down again, thanks to his boots.”
Everless by Sara Holland
“Most people find the forest frightening, believeing the old tales of fairies who will freeze the time in your blood, or witches who can spill your years out over the snow with only a whisper”
Oh my gosh I LOVE THIS POST!! Such a fun idea and SO many great lines. I featured Tiger Lily as my first ever First Lines Friday because I fell so hard for that book’s opening chapter. Also I have many of these books in my June book haul (just posted) and now I’m even more excited to read them! Great idea!!
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Thank you so much! I’m really happy you enjoyed it! Tiger Lily has the best opening, I literally couldn’t stop at just one line – I wish I could’ve included the whole first chapter 💕 I hope you love them all!
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I totally understand about Tiger Lily! The whole novel is stunning. And yes, I really liked a lot of these. I’d never even heard of The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night before and that opening line is killer!!
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It truly is, stunning and devastating! I don’t usually go for short story collections, but that first line drew me in and I’m glad it did cause the book is wonderful!
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I loved the Uprooted first line as well! I’ve not read We, the Drowned but I think I’d definitely be hooked from that first line 😊
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They both had me hooked from line one! Thanks for reading 😊
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I love this post ❤ ❤
And now I need to read Uprooted more than ever!
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Thank you so much 💕 I hope you enjoy it!
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I really like these first lines!! I especially like The Bone Witch, Uprooted, and The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night. I haven’t read any of those, but now I want to. Love this!
– Lefty @ The Left-Handed Book Lover
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Thank you so much! I love those three too, and they’re really good reads as well. I hope you enjoy them if you pick them up! Happy reading 💕
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I love that first line from The Bone Witch so much! An incredible first line can really convince me to pick up a book in the bookstore or library I otherwise wouldn’t have picked up. It truly sets the tone for the rest of the book 🙂
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Isn’t it amazing? I was hooked right away! I couldn’t agree more. A first line should set the tone for the book and if it’s incredible – I’m in. Even if it’s a book/genre I wouldn’t normally reach for 😊
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Great list! I just finished Everless and remember loving that first line. The whole first chapter does an exceptional job at rolling out the exposition in an easy, poetic way.
My favorite will always be Voyage of the Dawn Treader (the third Chronicles of Narnia) : “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”
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Thank you so much! That’s so true. I wasn’t even planning on picking up Everless, but then I read the first chapter and I was pulled into the world immediately.
Hahaha, that’s fantastic! Now I feel like I need to (finally) read the rest of the Narnia books. I’ve only read The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
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That Bone Witch one is amazing, holy fuck.
Also The Beginning of the World one!!
Those two are my faves, but these are all nice 😀
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Right??? The Bone Witch one might be my absolute favorite!
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The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night sounds super interesting after reading that first line. I’ve never heard of that book before, and it’s making me so excited to have found something new to check out 😊
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I’m so happy you discovered a new book you want to read! I picked that one up based on the first sentence (and the stunning cover) alone and I wasn’t disappointed 😊
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The Raven Boys one is so intriguing!
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Right? I was hooked right away!
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The Bone Witch’s first line sounds really good!
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It hooked me right away!
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I love when an opening line can hook you into a story right away. These lines are amazing! They definitely give me the urge to keep on reading.
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So do I, it’s such an amazing feeling! I’m so glad you think so 😊
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These first lines are all so great! The Bone Witch’s is so good.
The others I haven’t read yet but this makes me want to read them especially We, the Drowned and The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night.
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked them! I hope you enjoy them if you do pick them up! Happy reading 😊
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I adore the start of The Bone Witch and Uprooted!
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Me too! They’re so intriguing!
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After reading that first line, I really want to read the bone witch!! Also uprooted sounds veeeery interesting!
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Yesss, please read The Bone Witch it’s so beautiful and dark and amazing!
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!!!!!!! You’re getting me excited!!
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i was just talking abt the bone witch with my friend today and this first line is making me wanna read it ll the more!!
honestly, i can totally be sucked into a book bc of the first line and end up buying it bc of it. im weak like that aksjdhaskd
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Yes yes yes, please read The Bone Witch, it’s dark and beautiful and I love it.
Same!!!
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i really gotta finally do it!!! 😮
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These are all so awesome! LOVE how macabre Bone Witch and The Beginning of the World lines are! When I was in Grade 9 English, we did exercises to come up with the best, most intriguing first lines and other kids would rate them, and I was absolutely TERRIBLE at it. So I’m always in awe of writers who can come up with such awesome first liners. 😀
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Right? I guess amazingly macabre first lines are my jam! That sounds like so much fun, I feel like I’d be AMAZING at that. It’s the second and third and you know, all the other lines I struggle with 😂
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These are incredible! You have such good taste, I loved them all. And I love the variety you have chosen as well. My favourite is We, the Drowned. It’s so ethereal and magical but mundane at the same time?? Is that possible??
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Thank you so much!!! I’m really happy you think so 😊 That’s exactly what I love about it, you described it so well.
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The opening line of “The Hazel Wood” manages to say a lot in a few words – very intriguing. I bought George Orwell’s “1984” because of the first line: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
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Right? It pulled me right in. 1984’s opening line is iconic!
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Woah! WHat a post! ❤ Some of these books I´ve read and some, based on the first lines, I´d definitely buy! ❤ The Graces and We, The Drowned are high on my next shopping list! Thanks for the great lines and for the hidden recommendations ❤
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Thank you so much! I’m so happy you found something to add to your TBR! Happy reading 💕
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Thank you 🙂 I really can´t wait to read..<3
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Love this post! ❤ So many good lines! I've definitely bought many books at the bookstore because I've read the first line and then couldn't stop reading. Then I'd remember I'm not in a library and had to exit the premises haha. 😀 Amazing post, I especially love the one from Uprooted, and I'm so excited because it's on its way to me as I write this. 🙂
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Thank you so much 💕 Hahaha, me too! I sat down on the floor in the store to keep reading We, the Drowned, then realized buying it might me the more appropriate choice. I hope you love Uprooted! 😊
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Great post, this idea is so cool! I haven’t read these books but the first line of The Hazel Wood makes me want to continue reading to see what happens next!
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Thank you so much, I’m really glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy The Hazel Wood and happy reading 😊
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Ahhh, such great picks. That first line of Uprooted always makes me so happy; I love that book so much.
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Thank you so much! It’s such an amazing first line 😊
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I don’t think I’ve ever purchased a book because of the first line, since books sold here are usually wrapped in plastic–but that’s something I definitely need to do now!!! LOVE the ones for The Bone Witch, Uprooted, and Tiger Lily. ♥
– Aimee @ Aimee, Always
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You could always check out the first line on Amazon, I do that when I buy books online! I love all three of those! Thank you for reading 💕
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And I’ve now added The Bone Witch to my list! I love including opening lines on my reviews for books because sometimes the description of a book can be ‘meh’ but then an opening or first line floats under my eyes and I’m like, ‘what *is* this?! I must have more’ I Good choices!
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Thank you so much! I love the idea of including the first line in your review, they can be such a hook! I hope you love The Bone Witch 💕
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Several of these are on my goodreads tbr and now I’m even more excited for them! Great post!!!
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