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
