Happy Friday, everyone! Boy, was I ready for this one. There’s a shake up coming at the office next week (read: layoffs) and everyone is on edge. I would appreciate any prayers you could send my way.
This week’s first line is from a book that released yesterday (Oct 25) and is a timely reminder that this world, with all of its problems is temporary. I LOVED this story. You can read my full review here.
About the Book
Oz is not what you think.
Abrielle used to dream of a different life. Adventure. Romance. Hope.
Not of Kansas.
Now, after the loss of her mother and a move she didn’t want to make, she’s lost the will to dream anymore, let alone believe in her father’s Somedays. But a swirling wind, a wall of leaves, and a blinding darkness transform her world.
She and both of her brothers, Brogan and Matteaus, are swept from Kansas to someplace beyond—to a desert in which everything is watery brown, including the sky and the light of the weak sun. Abrielle finds herself in the middle of a realm everyone had heard of but no one believed existed. Except this version is run-down and broken, void of color and hope. Not much different from her view of life in Kansas.
When she gathers her bearings, she discovers her youngest brother is missing, lost in a land that is foreign and dying. Finding Matteaus becomes her sole focus, but when she and Brogan meet a boy named Levi, who only adds more mystery to this world that shouldn’t exist, she finds out this kingdom is much more perilous than the children’s book ever told.
Matteaus is in great danger.
There is nothing safe about Oz.
“With vivid settings, evocative descriptions, and brilliant characters facing issues relevant to our times, Emerald Illusion is a modern fairy tale that will appeal to anyone seeking a place to belong. With nods to L. Frank Baum and C. S. Lewis, author J. Rodes has created a portal fantasy that is both sweetly familiar and entirely new—with a hint of romance that adds an extra bit of tension to the plot. Highly recommended!” ~Serena Chase, author of the Eyes of E’veria series
Your Turn
What are you reading? Grab the book nearest you and drop the first line in the comments. Then head over to our hosts at Hoarding Books and check out what others are sharing this week!
Happy Friday!
My first lines come from A Twist of Faith by Pepper Basham……
PHD WAS NOT SUPPOSED to smell like this. Adelina Roseland dropped a box of research articles onto the floor and stifled a deep breath as the strong aroma of naturally fertilized farmland wafted in from the open window.
Have an awesome weekend and happy reading!!