Book Beginnings | The Friday 56: Clash of Empires by Ben Kane

 Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader. Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) and post it.

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Book Beginning:

It was a beautiful evening, balmy and windless; the sea resembled a sheet of hammered bronze.

Friday 56

Many had already succumbed to blind panic. Unarmed, unmanned, they elbowed and shoved at one another in their eagerness to flee the battlefield. Baying their bloodlust, Felix and his comrades took up the persuit.

I just started Clash of Empires yesterday so I'm not that far in yet but what I've read so far I really liked. 

The book is set in the ancient world in 202 BC and it features three historical figures from history: Hannibal Barca who was a general from Carthage. He was considered as one of the greatest military commanders in history, Philip V of Macedon who was the king of Macedonia (221–179 BC) and Titus Quinctius Flamininus who was a Consul of the Roman Republic but at the start of the book he's "only" a Quaestor. It also features a young man named Demetrios, who's struggling a bit but he's fictional.
I can't wait to read more!

WHEN A NEW EMPIRE RISES, AN OLD ONE MUST FALL.

After sixteen years of bloody war against Rome, Hannibal Barca is on the verge of defeat. On the plains of Zama, Felix and his brother Antonius stand in the formidable Roman legions, ready to deliver the decisive blow. Victory will establish Rome as the pre-eminent power in the ancient world.

But in northern Greece, Philip V of Macedon is determined to restore Alexander the Great's kingdom to its former glory. Charismatic leader, ruthless general, he will use the unforgiving might of his phalanx to unite Greece and to fend off Rome's grasping fingers.

In Rome, young senator Flamininus is set on becoming one of the Republic's greatest military commanders. With Hannibal on the verge of defeat, the as-yet-unconquered Macedon and Greece are ripe for conquest. Strategist and spymaster, politician and general, Flamininus will stop at nothing to bring Philip V to heel.

Demetrios slumps on the rowing bench of his Macedonian ship. Thirsty, hungry, burnt by the unforgiving Mediterranean sun, dreams are his only sustenance. Dreams of the perfect thrust of a fifteen-foot sarissa spear, of the unyielding phalanx wall, of the glory of Macedon.

The Roman wolf has tasted blood, and it wants more. But the sun of Macedon will not set without a final blaze of glory.

What do you think of my Book Beginnings and Friday 56 quotes?

Also feel free to leave a link to your post if you participate in either one so I can visit you! ♥

Book Beginnings | The Friday 56: Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer

 Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader. Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) and post it.

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     Book Beginning:

Fowl Manor, Dublin, Ireland
Barely an hour north of Dublin's fair city lies the Fowl estate, where the boundaries have changed little in the past five hundred years.

    Friday 56:

Holly pointed to the sheen covering Angeline's face. "See the gel, Foaly, from the pores. And the smell of lilies too; there can't be any doubt."
"It's impossible," muttered the centaur. "We eradicated this years ago."
Artemis was growing weary of these vague references. "What is impossible? Eradicated what?"

I'm re-reading Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox. I think it's been 7 years or more since I last read it so I'm not remembering a whole lot about this book, although the more I read the more is coming back to me. Of course I'm loving it.

When Artemis Fowl's mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope for a cure lies in the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct due to a heartless bargain Artemis himself made as a younger boy.
Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it back to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher, who has set his sights on new prey: Holly Short.
The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all?and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.

Book Beginnings | The Friday 56: Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

              Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader. Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) and post it.

~~

     Book Beginning:

December 40 B.C.
They came from Memphis, Thebes, and Heliopolis to see the Savior born.

    Friday 56:

"Come, Selene, play your kithara for me today," the emperor said. "It will cheer you up, and I know you want to please me. That much was true. The night I'd forsaken Euphronius, I made pleasing the emperor my only choice.

Lily of the Nile is a novel about Cleopatra's daughter Selene and I'm loving it so far. I've read a book about Selene before that I also enjoyed but this one already is different for sure but even better than the one I read before. I personally really like the beginning of the book. It's a strong start. And I'm not actually yet at 56% so that short quote kind of makes me freak out so I'll just have to read on, I guess.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Heiress of one empire and prisoner of another, it is up to the daughter of Cleopatra to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers...

To Isis worshippers, Princess Selene and her twin brother Helios embody the divine celestial pair who will bring about a Golden Age. But when Selene's parents are vanquished by Rome, her auspicious birth becomes a curse. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, the young messianic princess struggles for survival in a Roman court of intrigue. She can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands, nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to resurrect her mother's dreams. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win-or die?

And don't forget to enter my giveaway that I'm hosting to win a book of choice from TBD. 2 winners, open INTL — Click here

Book Beginnings | The Friday 56: My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader. Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) and post it.

~~

Book Beginning:

The promise of liberty is not written in blood or engraved in stone; it's embroidered into the fabric of our nation.
And so is Alexander Hamilton.
My husband. My hero. My betrayer.

Friday 56:

"Mademoiselle, you are a most excellent patriot," Lafayette said when I returned to the safety of Johnston Hall, where I reported everything.
To my surprise, the Frenchman seemed sanguine. "It is good you learn of all this in secret while all eyes were upon your father and me. You have been an essential asset to the cause."
It was flattery—French flattery at that!—and I wanted to believe it was true.

I've said it a couple of times before on my blog here but My Dear Hamilton is my highest anticipated book of this year so I'm really happy to be finally reading it. And I gotta say so far it's not been a disappointment. I am enjoying it so much! I have a feeling the romance is going to break my heart in a million pieces but I'm sure it's all worth it. 

A novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton

A general's daughter...

Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington's penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she's captivated by the young officer's charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton's bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.

A founding father's wife...

But the union they create - in their marriage and the new nation - is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all - including the political treachery of America's first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.

The last surviving light of the Revolution...

When a duel destroys Eliza's hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband's enemies to preserve Alexander's legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she's left with one last battle - to understand the flawed man she married and imperfect union he could never have created without her...

Book Beginnings | The Friday 56: Now I Rise by Kiersten White

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader. Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) and post it.

~~

I'm doing something new today and participating in Book Beginnings and The Friday 56. I'm not sure if I will participate every single week but I'll definitely try.

Book Beginning:

Hell was a party. At least, Radu was fairly certain that whatever hell there was would certainly resemble this party.

Friday 56:

Lada's knife paused. She looked down at it as it trembled in her hand. This was the first time she would kill a man outside of battle. It was not a reaction to save her own life. It was a choice.

I'm actually not far into this book yet. I had to put it on hold for a few days while I read another book but I'm definitely enjoying it so far. I thought the start was really great and I can't wait to read more about Lada and Radu.

Now I Rise by Kiersten White

The Conqueror's Sage #2

Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by Delacorte Press

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.