First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if, instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

The Rules:

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
• Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

“The twisted branches flash past, swift as shadows, yet solid as spears. I don’t have time to feel afraid of falling or being struck by deadly low-hanging trees. Instead, I cling to Tan’s mane, my heartbeat racing to the thunder of his footfall. A horse gallops faster than thought, and nothing exists for me but the exhilaration of his speed.”

This is a more quietly intriguing first lines selection than I usually go with, but this makes me wonder why she is riding so fast through dangerous territory. Is she racing away from something? Or maybe speeding towards something?

Do you recognize the lines?

Here’s a hint:

This is a standalone historical fiction.

Still not sure? Here’s another hint:

I’m a big fan of the author, Elodie Harper.

The First Lines Friday book is:

Boudicca’s Daughter.

About the Book:

• Title: Boudicca’s Daughter
• Author: Elodie Harper
• Page Length: 424 pages
• Publication Date: September 2, 2025
• Publisher: Union Square & Co.

Synopsis:

The riveting new novel about the fearless daughter of a Celtic queen, from the acclaimed author of the Wolf Den Trilogy.

Boudicca was an infamous warrior, queen of the British Iceni tribe, and mastermind of one of history’s greatest revolts. Her defeat in c. 60 CE by the conquering forces of the Roman Empire spelled ruin for her people, yet still Boudicca’s name was enough to strike fear into the hearts of her enemies.

But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow—her daughter Solina—who has her mother’s looks and cunning and her father’s druidic gifts, but a spirit all her own? Solina’s desperate bid for survival takes her from Britain’s battlefields and sacred marshlands to the glittering facades and treacherous politics of Nero’s Rome, where she must decide what it truly menas to be Boudicca’s daughter.

Links: Goodreads     

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