Friday, January 8, 2016

Book Beginnings & Friday 56 - #14


Book Beginnings on Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader. Every Friday we share the first sentence (or so) of the book we’re currently reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.


My Book Beginning:  

Radiance (Wraith Kings, Book 1) by Grace Draven

Today was Ildiko’s wedding day, and if she managed not to wretch on herself, or a guest, she’d consider the entire event a resounding success. 

My Thoughts:  I think it’s pretty normal for a bride to be nervous on her wedding day so this really doesn’t tell me anything one way or the other about this book so far.  The cover is somewhat unusual so I'm definitely curious.  

What do you think?  Don't forget to leave your book beginning below and to link-up at Rose City Reader.  





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Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice on every Friday.

To Play along here are the Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your post below. 
*Don’t forget to add your post URL (not your blog url) at Freda's Voice .  
*It's that simple.

My 56 (Also from Radiance by Grace Draven): 

 Ildiko pressed her cheek into his palm for a moment.  She pulled away, and her smile turned impish. “It’ll be hard not to tease your folk sometimes”.

Brishen couldn’t imagine how she might go about such a thing. He had no idea if the Kai and the Gauri even knew the same jokes or found the same things funny.  “What do you mean?”

He almost leapt out of his skin when Ildiko stared at him as both of her eyes drifted slowly down and over until they seemed to meet together, separated only by the elegant bridge of her nose.

“Lover of thorns and holy gods!” he yelped and clapped one hand across her eyes to shut out the sight. “Stop that”, he ordered. 


My thoughts:  Both Brishen and Ildikno have already shown through the first 50 pages of this book that they are determined to make the best of their arranged marriage and they are slowly becoming friends.  I’m really enjoying this book a lot. 



About Radiance (Wraith Kings, Book 1) by Grace Draven

THE PRINCE OF NO VALUE

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

THE NOBLEWOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE


Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn't just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she's known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light. Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.





Don't forget to post your meme's and link up at both host locations.  

Have a great Friday! 
Maria

11 comments:

  1. Interesting premise and excerpts....thanks for sharing!

    Here's mine: “A LONG TIME GONE”


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  2. Brishen and Ildiko sound like fascinating characters. I'm curious about the world this author has created.
    My Friday post features THE TIME IN BETWEEN.

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  3. I'm curious to read more. Happy weekend!

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  4. I'd like to read more to see what happens between these two.

    My Friday 56

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  5. Interesting premise - for some reason I can't stop thinking of Drizzt and Catti-brie! :)


    Check out my Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings).

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  6. Doesn't sound like my kind of book, but looks intriguing if you like the genre. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Bravo for the two of them. They made the best of a bad (at least at the beginning) situation. More of us need that skill. And that quote from the beginning? That was my husband on our wedding day. He was sicker than a dog. *lol* But he's hung around close to 20 years now, so it must not have been all that bad, eh?

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  8. This sounds like a great read! How did you like the book?

    Our BB

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  9. A little different for me but I'm curious. And I was a wreck on my wedding day. LOL

    My 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2016/01/08/the-friday-56-91-treasure-seed-savers-1/

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  10. I'm very hit and miss with fantasy books but this sounds interesting!

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  11. Hi Maria,

    This probably isn't my kind of book, however your featured excerpts were both good and insightful.

    I didn't think that the bride was so much nervous, more that she didn't want the marriage and was going to struggle to get through the service, as though she was being forced.

    It would appear that after just a short time together however, the two of them have reached a tentative kind of understanding and Ildiko is resigned to making the best of the situation.

    I hate it when people can roll their eyes, or cross them, seemingly at will. It is so spooky and looks as though it must hurt so much, that I start to feel quite ill. Definitely not the kind of trick your average bride is going to come up with on her wedding day, surely :)

    Thanks for sharing.

    Yvonne

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