Book Beginnings, First Line Friday, & Friday 56: Mortal Queens (The Fae Dynasty #1) by Victoria McCombs

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. I'm also linking up with Carrie at Reading is My Superpower for First Line Friday. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice and asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and share a non-spoilery sentence or two. Freda is taking a hiatus right now, but Anne over at My Head is Full of Books has taken over in the meantime.

This week I'm featuring Mortal Queens (The Fae Dynasty #1) by Victoria McCombs. 

About the Book

They vanish without a trace, disappear into the night . . .

Each year on the center island, one girl is chosen to be the next Mortal Queen of the idolized fae. The mortals praise these lucky girls, but their daughters are never seen again.

The fae realm is eternal night, where disputes are settled by chess matches, power is acquired through the most devious kinds of trickery, and seven illusive kings roam. The fae hide their faces behind masks and guard their glass hearts to keep them from shattering. But beyond the veil of this luxurious paradise, a dark secret simmers, for their Queens have disappeared.

When aspiring artist Althea is selected, she is desperate to avoid the same mysterious fate. With no one to trust, she conceals messages in paintings and receives anonymous replies from a stranger who slowly reveals the tale of a girl who outwitted the fae. Only if she is clever enough will Althea survive the fate of the Mortal Queens. As long as the king who cannot love does not claim her first.

Book Beginnings / First Line Friday

My life has been defined by bells. The first time, I got whipped in the square for stealing while the old brass bells tolled like laughter. The bells were on their final note the morning I found my mother gone. And when Desmond kissed me by the celestine fountain, the bells kept count.

Friday 56

King Brock rearranged the stars themselves to form a road leading to his home island, and chariots lined up to glide over the celestial pathway, one by one, setting down on the foothills of his quaint home.

What have you been reading lately?