The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings » Week 2

Thank you for joining us for our second week of The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings!

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Sierra's Pick

The Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) by Alison Goodman

New York Times bestseller Alison Goodman’s eagerly awaited new project: a Regency adventure starring a stylish and intrepid demon-hunter!

London, April 1812. On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap?

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader.

"In the sun-warmed quiet of her uncle's library, Lady Helen Wrexhall spread the skirt of her muslin morning gown and snk into the deep curtsy required for Royal presentation: back held straight, head slightly bowed, left knee bent so low, it nearly touched the floor. And, of course, face set into a serene Court smile."

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

Pg 56
"Helen flexed her wrist, shifting the miniature into a firmer position against her palm. Her paper-thin kid glove was damp with perspiration, and stuck to her skin. There were too many bodies in the room, filling the air with an overpowering stink of stale perfume and sweat, not to mention the heavy anticipation that seemed to press down upon everyone like black clouds on a thundery day."

My dearest (and only) co-blogger Ellen has already read and reviewed this book. Find her thoughts HERE.

Ellen's Pick

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Faith Sunderly leads a double life. To most people, she is modest and well mannered—a proper young lady who knows her place. But inside, Faith is burning with questions and curiosity. She keeps sharp watch of her surroundings and, therefore, knows secrets no one suspects her of knowing—like the real reason her family fled Kent to the close-knit island of Vane. And that her father’s death was no accident.

In pursuit of revenge and justice for the father she idolizes, Faith hunts through his possessions, where she discovers a strange tree. A tree that only bears fruit when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit, in turn, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father’s murder. Or, it might lure the murderer directly to Faith herself, for lies—like fires, wild and crackling—quickly take on a life of their own.

 

"The boat moved with a nauseous, relentless rhythm, like someone chewing on a rotten tooth. The islands just visible through the mist also looked like teeth, Faith decided. Not fine, clean Dover teeth, but jaded, broken teeth, jutting crookedly amid the wash of the choppy gray sea."

The conversation promptly exploded into a debate about evolution.

Natural scientists liked to argue and debate. Back at the rectory Faith had grown used to her father’s guests smiling, bantering, and my-dear-fellow-ing over their tea, while racing their rival theories like prize ponies. The disagreements about evolution were always different, however. There was a crackle of fear behind them, a rawness like splintered wood.

The same rawness and tension filled the conversation now. To Faith’s surprise, the mild, courteous Clay was one of the loudest and most fervent voices.

“Lamarck and Darwin are leading the world into a great error!” he declared. “If we say that species change, then we say that they were created imperfect! We criticize God himself!”

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Ellen: There you have it, readers! The Dark Days Club and The Lie Tree are what we're working through now! Let us know below what you're reading. Remember to link your Book Beginnings and Friday 56's!