POW (Page One Wow): BITTERBLUE

 

Things to ask yourself when looking for POW: Does the book draw me in from the first page? Does it have that certain something that makes it unputdownable? Does it make me pay attention?

I'm going to post a few lines from the first page of a book (current or past read), and say whether or not I think it has Page One Wow. As always, feel free to chime in!

My current read: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

 

Prologue

 

"When he grabs Mama's wrist and yanks her toward the wallhanging like that, it must hurt.  Mama doesn't cry out.  She tries to hide her pain from him, but she looks back at me, and in her face, she shows me everything she feels.  If Father knows she's in pain and is showing me, Father will take Mama's pain away and replace it with something else.

 

He will say to Mama, "Darling, nothing's wrong.  It doesn't hurt, you're not frightened," and in Mama's face I'll see her doubt, the beginnings of her confusion.  He'll say, "Look at our beautiful child.  Look at this beautiful room.  How happy we are.  Nothing is wrong.  Come with me, darling."  Mama will stare back at him, puzzled, and then she'll look at me, her beautiful child in this beautiful room, and her eyes will go smooth and empty, and she'll smile at how happy we are.  I'll smile, too, because my mind is no stronger than Mama's."--page 1, Bitterblue

 

So, does it have POW?  I'd say yes.  *Shivers* I've been a fan of Cashore's writing since Graceling.  This first excerpt is so creepy, so wrong.  That sense of wrongness reminds me exactly why the power of persuasion is so dangerous and why King Leck was such a formidable foe.  If you haven't read Graceling, I'd recommend you do so immediately :D

 

Any thoughts?

 

Hope eveyone has a wonderful week!

 

Ninja Girl

THE GHOST AND THE GOTH by Stacey Kade

The Ghost was good.  The Goth was better.  And the plot was what made this book such a winner in...well...my book J  Hilariously funny and heart-warming, this YA with the awesome cover (I mean, seriously, does it get any better than that?) was exactly what I've been looking for.  With basically all of Meg Cabot's books read--and read again--I was in search of something light, something that would make me smile yet give me great characters and tell a good story.  The Ghost and the Goth delivered on all counts!

It's the story of Alona Dare (Yeah, yeah.  At first, I wasn't loving the name either, but it grew on me), the homecoming queen who gets hit by a school bus, dies, and then comes back as a ghost.  A ghost with attitude to spare and a skid mark forever imprinted on the front her white tee (She's stuck in her hideous gym uniform for all eternity J  How funny is that??).

Then there's Will Killian (Just thought I'd mention that, unlike Miss Dare, I loved this character's name).  He's the Goth, obviously, who just so happens to have the ability to see, talk to, and touch ghosts.  Not that he does any of those three things--willingly at least.  With his nifty iPod in tow, Will plays it cool, trying to ignore all the ghosts in school until graduation when he'll be free.  But then Alona Dare, Little Miss Popularity, bites it, and she's determined to get him to help her--or annoy him to death.

The characters were spot on.  They were exactly who they needed to be, without being stereotypes so often found in YA.  And the pairing, oh the pairing!  Will and Alona were the perfectly un-perfect couple (if that makes sense).  I couldn't get enough of their bickering, Alona's reluctant compliments to Will, and Will's attraction to Alona even with all her faults.  Which was another thing that I liked; Alona was bitchy without being a complete bitch.  Good on you Stacey Kade.  That's a tough balance.

All in all, I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good story and wants to laugh.  Out loud.  Possibly for long periods of time.  Great story, I can't wait to read the next one!  Who knows?  Since she's already got a ghost and goth; maybe next time there'll be a ninja? J