Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, 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? Here are the rules:
- 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:
“I sit with my wrists cuffed to the table and I think, But that I am forbid / To tell the secrets of my prison-house, / I could a tale unfold whose lightest word / Would harrow up thy soul. The guard stands by the door, watching me, like he’s waiting for something to happen.”
Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?
*drumroll please!*
Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail – for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he’s released, he’s greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago.
As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless.
If We Were Villains has been on my TBR for a while but I happened to see it was available on Kindle Unlimited the other day and immediately added it to my library. I started a bit of it on a whim and I have to be honest, I was right to be intimidated 😂 I’ve never been huge on Shakespeare but these characters seem to speak in Shakespeare (and other plays) from what I’ve read so far. It’s still pretty interesting though and I’m so curious to see how it plays out cos the sinister vibes are strong and I’ve seen crazy reviews. This cover also really piques my interest!
Have you read If We Were Villains or is it also on your TBR?
dinipandareads 
Ooh that sounds like it could be a tricky one to really get into if that’s how they speak. Although the first line definitely has me intrigued. I hope you can get through it and enjoy it.
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Haha, I know! I’m more convinced I want to read it now but also more intimidated at the same time 😂 The struggle is real but I think it’s gonna be worth it (hopefully)!
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First lines of this book are quite intriguing. I’ve been looking at it for quite some time, and I am inclined to read it now)
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I thought so too! I’m definitely more curious but also more intimidated because of the all the Shakespeare dialogue inserts. But I’ll definitely be reading it at some point. I hope you enjoy it 😃
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Oooh, this is on KU?! I’ve been curious about it for quite a while, too, but I don’t know. I’m pretty daunted by Shakespeare, too. I think I might have to wait and see what you think when you’re done before deciding whether or not I want to read it. xD
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It is, Sammie! I have KU UK though, so I don’t know if it’s different? But it shouldn’t be, right? I was surprised to see it on there but immediately scooped it up! I’m very curious about it but also hella intimidated 😂 I think if I do pick this up at any time soon it might take me a while to read/digest it? We’ll see! Lol
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… I don’t *think* it’s different, but don’t quote me on that. What do I know? xD If you pick it up, let me know! We can totally do a buddy read if you want.
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I’ve heard really good things about this book!
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Me too! I’m kinda intimidated by it though 😂
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