First Page Friday #11

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Pigeon English
by Stephen Kelman
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 288
Release date: 7th March 2011
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads
Preview on Waterstones.com

Goodreads synopsis:

Newly arrived from Ghana with his mother and older sister, eleven-year-old Harrison Opoku lives on the ninth floor of a block of flats on an inner-city housing estate. The second best runner in the whole of Year 7, Harri races through his new life in his personalised trainers - the Adidas stripes drawn on with marker pen - blissfully unaware of the very real threat all around him. With equal fascination for the local gang - the Dell Farm Crew - and the pigeon who visits his balcony, Harri absorbs the many strange elements of his new life in England: watching, listening, and learning the tricks of urban survival. But when a boy is knifed to death on the high street and a police appeal for witnesses draws only silence, Harri decides to start a murder investigation of his own. In doing so, he unwittingly endangers the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to try and keep them safe. A story of innocence and experience, hope and harsh reality, Pigeon English is a spellbinding portrayal of a boy balancing on the edge of manhood and of the forces around him that try to shape the way he falls.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

This book has intrigued me for a while now, but although I have a copy, I still haven't picked it up to read. I don't know why, it just keeps passing me by.
However, reading this first page now, might just change that! The first sentence, although short, has so much impact! I'm immediately asking who the blood came from, and what happened. And I feel as though I'm already getting to know the character, even from just half of this page; the boy's naive dare game, and the belief that if they cross the police line, they'll turn to dust. We can already tell that the main character is young, and still very naive, but he also has a certain level of intelligence about him (noticing that the 'dead boy's mama' was guarding the blood as though she didn't want it to be washed away, which I think is a pretty intelligent observation for such a young character).
I'm definitely intrigued by this character, and by what is happening on this first page, so this is going to have to be bumped further to the top of the to-read pile!

What do you think of this first page? If you've read the book, do you think it was the best way for the novel to start? If you've not read it yet, does it make you want to pick it up, to find out what's going on?
Let us know in the comments below :)

First Page Friday #10

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Slated
by Teri Terry
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 448
Release date: 3rd May 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads
Read my Review

Goodreads synopsis:

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

The First Page

My Thoughts...

I read this book earlier in the year, and I can honestly say that it's one of my favourites of 2012, without a doubt!
When I read this page, for the first time, I can remember being instantly gripped by it. The opening sentence is so short, but it's also really powerful. I was immediately thinking "what are they running from? Why are they running?", and that was just from the first two words! And then we have other questions, like "where are they?" (they are scrambling over sand dunes), and "who is the man in front of them?"
This page is incredibly gripping - I don't think it's even possible to disagree with that statement! For me, this was a really great start to the book, and made it a page-turner from start to finish.
I can't wait for the sequel, Fractured, to come out in May next year!

What do you think of this first page? If you've read the book, do you think it was the best way for the novel to start? If you've not read it yet, does it make you want to pick it up, to find out what's going on?
Let us know in the comments below :)

First Page Friday #9

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Breathe
by Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 384
Release date: 11th October 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads synopsis:

When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides which lucky few will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate. Years after the Switch, life inside the Pod has moved on. A poor Auxiliary class cannot afford the oxygen tax which supplies extra air for running, dancing and sports. The rich Premiums, by contrast, are healthy and strong. Anyone who opposes the regime is labelled a terrorist and ejected from the Pod to die. Sixteen-year-old Alina is part of the secret resistance, but when a mission goes wrong she is forced to escape from the Pod. With only two days of oxygen in her tank, she too faces the terrifying prospect of death by suffocation. Her only hope is to find the mythical Grove, a small enclave of trees protected by a hardcore band of rebels. Does it even exist, and if so, what or who are they protecting the trees from? A dystopian thriller about courage and freedom, with a love story at its heart.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

I finished reading this book a little while ago, and I absolutely adored it. I had been really excited to read it, when my review copy arrived a couple of months earlier - it sounded as though it was going to be a really unique and interesting dystopian. I'm so glad that I wasn't wrong.

I love this first page. When I was reading it for the first time, I was immediately wondering what the characters, Alina and Abel, were up to. It's obvious that they're on some kind of mission, and that it could be a potentially dangerous one (they're trying to be inconspicuous). I really wanted to know what was happening with them, but I also wanted to know what was going on with the Silver Birches, because the world is described as 'treeless' in the synopsis.

The other reason I love this opening, is because Alina is probably my favourite character in the whole book, and I think that, even on the first page, a large part of her character shows through. Although she's technically acting, in this first scene, we also get a glimpse of her caring side.
The way she remains calm in this situation though, also shows the other part of her. She's a very tough, strong character, which I think is the reason for me liking her so much throughout the book. She didn't once give up, despite the difficult situations she found herself in.
I loved this book, and I hope that, if you decide to read it, you will too!

What do you think of this first page? Does it make you want to read the book? 
As always, let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

First Page Friday #8

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

The Obsidian Mirror
by Catherine Fisher
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Pages: 400
Release date: 4th October 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Read my review

Goodreads synopsis:

Jake's father disappears while working on mysterious experiments with the obsessive, reclusive Oberon Venn. Jake is convinced Venn has murdered him. But the truth he finds at the snow-bound Wintercombe Abbey is far stranger ... The experiments concerned a black mirror, which is a portal to both the past and the future. Venn is not alone in wanting to use its powers. Strangers begin gathering in and around Venn's estate: Sarah - a runaway, who appears out of nowhere and is clearly not what she says, Maskelyne - who claims the mirror was stolen from him in some past century. There are others, a product of the mirror's power to twist time. And a tribe of elemental beings surround this isolated estate, fey, cold, untrustworthy, and filled with hate for humans. But of them all, Jake is hell-bent on using the mirror to get to the truth. Whatever the cost, he must learn what really happened to his father.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

I read The Obsidian Mirror earlier on in the year, while I was doing work experience with the publishing company. Catherine is an author I had read before (I'd read Incarceron, and seriously loved it), so I was excited to be asked to read this so soon before publication. I ended up liking this even more than Incarceron though, which is great!

Having read the book, and knowing the entire story, though (and this is the first time on this feature that I'm going to say something like this) ... I don't think that the first page communicates the full extent of the protagonist. That's not to say that the first page is not good - because it really is - but there is so much more to Jake's character than what this page shows.
When I've mentioned characters on this feature in the past, I've always said that the character comes through really well, but this makes Jake's character seem like an entirely bad and sly one, and he turns out not to be like that. But on the other hand, it does give his character a chance to noticeably develop, which is something that I really liked about the book.

The very beginning to this page is what I think is the most fascinating, though. It absolutely doesn't make any sense when you read it for the first time. You don't know who any of the characters are, after all, so Symmes is a mystery man to you, but you also have very little idea of what he's talking about (you only have the title of the book and the synopsis to go by). The first line is seriously good, as well. Discovering something impossible sounds very exciting to me!

I loved this book, and if you want to find out more of my reasons for this, you can read my review HERE.
I also interviewed Catherine for the Obsidian Mirror Blog Tour yesterday, which you can check out HERE.

What do you think of this first page? Does it make you want to read the book? 
As always, let us know what you think of it in the comments below!

First Page Friday #7

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Heaven
by Christoph Marzi
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 416
Release date: 2nd February 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Read my review

Goodreads synopsis:

The night that Heaven lost her heart was cold and moonless. But the blade that sliced it out was warm with her dark blood...

David Pettyfer is taking a shortcut over the dark rooftops of London’s brooding houses, when he literally stumbles across Heaven: a strange, beautiful, distraught girl who says that bad men have stolen her heart. Yet she’s still alive...

And so begins David and Heaven’s wild, exciting and mysterious adventure—to find Heaven’s heart, and to discover the incredible truth about her origins.

Part thriller, part love story and part fairy tale, this brilliantly original novel from a bestselling German author will take your breath away...

The First Page

My Thoughts...

I really loved this, when I read it earlier this year. It definitely has a huge serving of fairy tale and magic to it, but there is also a much darker side, running alongside that. It's because of this that it really reminds me of Neil Gaiman. It's almost like a mixture of his Stardust and Neverwhere, with the magic from Stardust, and the dark, London underworld of Neverwhere.
Looking at this first page again is wonderful. Now that I've read it, I can appreciate the power of this opening page even more. Personally, I think that even the first line is enough to draw you in. You begin to immediately ask questions, like "how did she lose her heart?", which quickly turns to "who would steal a person's heart?", when we read the second line.
As for the the first page, as a whole, I think it really showcases the dark atmosphere that punctuates the entire book. We don't really have the sense of the magic quite yet, but that does come very soon, and it's definitely worth picking up, just to find out what that is.

I really did love this book, so if you're as gripped by this first page as I am, I seriously recommend that you read the rest! It's not one to be missed.

Have you read Heaven? Did you like it as much as I did?
If you've not read it, does this first page make you want to? Let us know in the comments below :)

First Page Friday #6

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Blink Once
by Cylin Busby
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 304
Release date: 11th October 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads synopsis:

West is a high school senior who has everything going for him – until an accident leaves him paralysed. Strapped down in his hospital bed, moving in and out of consciousness, West is isolated and alone. Until he meets Olivia.

Olivia is the girl next door – though not the typical girl next door. She is in the hospital room next to his, and before long, she’s sneaking into his room to talk with him. Only Olivia seems to know what he’s thinking, and even dreaming about. Yet certain questions haunt him: Why is Olivia in the hospital? And how is she connected to the terrible dreams he’s been having? But the biggest shock of all comes when West must face the possibility that the girl he’s fallen in love with – and who’s done more to aid his recovery than anyone else – may not even be alive.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

I only heard about this book, for the first time, earlier this week, and already I'm excited about it! I actually read the first page (which was sent to me by the publisher, as an option for this feature), before I knew anything else about the book, and I was immediately drawn into it - I had to find out what the book was about! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew that I had to read the rest.
Just this short first page drew me into the story - I instantly wanted to know who was crying, and why, and why the main character, whose point of view this is written from, can't move. There's also the terror behind the idea of not being able to move, or even cry out, without even knowing why.
Everything about this first page is so compelling, and I know that I have to read it.

What do you think about this first page? Would it make you want to read the book (even if you didn't know what the rest of the book was about, like I didn't, at first)? Leave your thoughts in the comments - I'd love to hear from you :) 

First Page Friday #5

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

The Forsaken
by Lisa Stasse
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 432
Release date: 2nd August 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads synopsis:

Alenna Shawcross is a sixteen-year-old orphan growing up in a police state formed from the ashes of Canada, the US and Mexico after a global economic meltdown. 

But when she unexpectedly fails ‘the test’ - a government initiative which supposedly identifies teens destined to be criminals - she wakes up alone on a remote island reserved for the criminally insane. 

Terrified and confused, she soon encounters a group of other teen survivors battling to stay alive, including Liam, a boy who will become her love... and her lifeline. 

Soon Alenna makes the terrifying discovery that there’s more to the island (and her past) than she could ever have guessed... But who can she trust? And can she ever escape?

The First Page

My Thoughts...

This is only the second occasion, where I am featuring a book on First Page Friday, that I haven't actually read myself, yet. So again, I am reading the first page, for the first time, without any influence from the experience of the story as a whole.
I have to say that this book seems to be immediately gripping and exciting, which makes me want to pick it up now. We're straight into the action, thrown right into the middle of things, and already I have a need  to know what is happening. I have loads of questions, on top of this; "Why are the military police there for them, what did they do?", "Why did the Government restrict all travel?", "How is she going to deal with becoming an orphan at such a young age, in an apparently quite violent world?" etc... the list could really go on for a while - and this is only the first page!
If the first page is anything to go by, then this book is going to be something really quite incredible, and I can't wait to read it!

Have you read The Forsaken? What did you think of it? 
If you haven't, does this first page make you want to pick it up, if you weren't already considering it? 
Let us know in the comments :) 

First Page Friday #4

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Scarlet
by A. C. Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 304
Release date: 7th June 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Read my review

Goodreads synopsis:

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

Scarlet is, by far, one of my favourite books of 2012, so far - and it's certainly one of the most unique books I've ever read. You wouldn't expect it to be unique, as it's a kind of retelling, of the tale of Robin Hood, however the way it's written is unique. You can see this stylised written style, even from the first page.
As I said in my review, the characters are really well-written in the book, and they definitely feel real, but it is this written style, that really makes Scarlet's character come entirely to life, and puts her voice into the reader's head.
In a way, the style of the book also makes it feel more 'comfortable', and warm - if that makes sense to you. It just feels more cosy - like I can sink into it, and live it, with much more ease, than if it had been written in a 'standard' prose style.
So this first page definitely introduces the atmosphere of the book, and Scarlet's character really well, and it only gets better from here! I adored it (obviously), and you read more of what I had to say about the book as a whole, by reading my review.

Have you read Scarlet? What did you think of it? 
If you've not read it, does this first page make you want to add it to your TBR? (I hope so!!)
Let me know in the comments below :) 

First Page Friday #3

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Anna Dressed in Blood
by Kendare Blake
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 384
Release date: 5th July 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads synopsis:

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

Unfortunately, I have yet to read Anna Dressed in Blood, but it is next on my to-read list! I've been excited about it for such a long time, but so many other things have just gotten in the way, and I haven't managed to get it read.
So, this is the first time that I am doing a First Page Friday, when I haven't read the book, so my thoughts on the first page are entirely fresh, and not altered by the experience of the story as a whole. And I have to say that my first impressions of the book, from this page alone, are really good.
The imagery created, just on this first page, is really rich - I can see the guy, flicking his Zippo, and looking like someone out of Grease (this is how I picture him anyway, though I know he is described as something out of West Side Story), whilst attempting to blend in, with perfect clarity. It's almost like he's right in front of me (which is a little creepy, I'll admit, but obviously great too!).
If the first page is anything to go by, then the rest of the book should be as incredible as I've heard it is, as well! I'm definitely looking forward to getting onto this one next!

If you've read Anna Dressed in Blood, definitely comment below and let us know what you thought of it, and how well it compares to this first page :) I'd love to hear from you!
If you've not read the book, obviously I'd still love to hear from you! What are your thoughts on page one? Does it make you want to read the book? Comment below :)

First Page Friday #2

First Page Friday is a new weekly feature at Pen to Paper, where I will post the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.

Pushing the Limits
by Katie McGarry
Publisher: Mira Ink
Pages: 416
Release date: 3rd August 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads
Read my review 

Goodreads synopsis:

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

The First Page

My Thoughts...

If you haven't already seen/heard me talking about this book, and how amazing it is, where have you been?! This has, without any doubt, gone down on my list of favourite books of the year, it's so good!
Even though I didn't think this book would be an incredible read, like it turned out to be, when I first started reading it, I was absolutely gripped from this very first page. Page one shows the style of the novel really well - it's so well described, but in such a non-intrusive way (meaning that you can still use your own imagination, but certain things are interjected - like with the stench of cheap coffee and sharpened pencils, on this page), which gives the book so much more depth, and makes it feel much more real.
This first page also sets the tone of the novel really well, even though we're yet to meet Noah, or see Noah and Echo together.

I just really love this book, and if I haven't already managed to convince you to read it, then I hope that reading this first page will!
If you haven't already read my review of the book, CLICK HERE. There is also a video review of it at the bottom of the post, and a small Q&A with Katie McGarry, so it's definitely worth a look! :)

First Page Friday #1

I'm really excited, this week, to be able to introduce Pen to Paper's brand-stinking-new (hopefully) weekly feature, First Page Friday! This really does do what it says on the tin, but just in case you missed it ... each week I will be sharing the first page of a (probably) Young Adult book, that I am particularly excited about, or have already read and loved.
I will make a point of this as well, as this is a new feature - I have had, and will have permission from the publishers for every single first page that I publish in this feature.
So yeah, without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the book that I am featuring on the very first week of this new feature!

Throne of Glass
by Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 432
Release date: 2nd August 2012
Buy: Book Dep | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones
Find on Goodreads
Read my review 

Goodreads synopsis:

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

The First Page

My Thoughts...

I chose this book to be one of the first books that I would feature on First Page Friday, because it was a book that surprised me a lot (in a good way). I had been initially very excited about reading it, but once I started, I was disappointed at first. This did change however, much to my surprise, and I was so obsessed with it by the end of the book, that it's going to be a very long wait for the sequel!
I think the first page of this is a really great demonstration of Celaena's character - we get to see how tough she is, how feared, and most importantly of all, how sharply intelligent she is. I adored her character, so it's really great to re-read the first page, and recognise her immediately!

I'm really hoping that if you haven't already read this, and hadn't already added it to your wishlist, that I have managed to do so today!
Definitely leave a comment below, if you have anything at all to say about this - we all love talking about books ;)
Click here for my review