Writing a Killer First Line - A Romantasy case study

Romantasy being all the rage, let's look at the first lines from the bestselling Romantasy novels

Hello and Welcome back to Writer Story!

Today we are doing another First line case study, since the last one was such a hit. I have received multiple comments and DMs that it was helpful to see all the first lines together. So, I’ve decided to make this a series.

Today we are focusing on Romantasy, since no one is talking about it, right? (:sarcasm). Anyways we will get right on with it. No time to waste.

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Starting with the ACOTAR as I think in a way it helped begin this trend of Romantasy.

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - The forest had become a labyrinth of snow and ice.

• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - Conscription Day is always the deadliest.

• Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - Once upon a time… It was an ordinary day when Evie met The Villian.

• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross - Cold fog had settled over the depot like a burial shroud, and Iris Winnow thought the weather couldn’t have been better.

• House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas - The Hind knelt before her undying masters and contemplated how it would feel to tear out their throats.

• A Dawn of Onyx by Kate Golden - Ryder and Halden were probably dead.

• Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli - That bitch took my soap.

• Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout - An eerie quiet descended upon the chamber of the foundling home, hushing the soft snores and wheezy breaths from those sleeping on the cots in the chamber.

• The Coven by Harper L. Woods - In the 329 years since my making, I’d come to appreciate the finer things in life.

• The Jasad Heir by Sara Hasheem - Two things stood between me and a good night’s sleep, and I was allowed to kill only one of them.

• A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout - The throbbing pain in my throat was fading, and I no longer felt the flames of red-hot agony burning though my body.

• The Hanging City by Charlie N. Holmberg - “Let me tell you about Paca’s journey to Eterellis,” the old bard says, sitting on a dried stump and drumming knobby fingers on his knees.

• The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon - He heard the girl before he saw her, a high and golden hum that cut through the chaos of battle like the first flare of sunrise.

• Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco - In a small city called Waverly Green, which is somewhat similar to Regency London but not quite, a few mortals have seen strange occurrences that cannot be explained.

• Sorrow and Starlight by Caroline Pechkam, Susanne Valenti - Pain splintered through my chest as I climbed the cocky mountain, my body still taking the form of the monstrous beast which bound me to Lavinia’s curse.

• The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent - The king knew, in that moment, that his greatest love would also be his ruination, and that both would come in the unlikely form of a young human woman.

• Powerless by Lauren Roberts - Thick, hot liquid runs down my arm.

• A Promise of Peridot by Kate Golden - “I’m going to be sick again,” warned Ryder as he hung his head over the wet steel edge of the ship.

• House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig - Candlelight reflected off the silver anchor etched onto my sister’s necklace.

• Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli - When the blood guard suspected a girl of being a witch, they stripped off her clothes and searched her body for scars.

• A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen - My mother taught me many skills to ensure I’d make a good wife to my husband.

• Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland - Gold for blood—that’s my advertisement and words I live by.

In my opinion Romantasy is all about big stakes - physically and emotionally. It borrows the physical stakes from Fantasy and emotional turmoil from Romance. And looking at the first lines, one thing I can say for certain, the first lines are always guiding/hinting towards the stakes, creating intrigue for either the physical or emotional stakes.

Let’s pick any of the above first lines. For ACOTAR, it hinted on the physical stakes by mentioning the tough terrain of the forest. For Fourth wing, we get the physical stakes as well from the deadliest day. For Assistant to the Villain, we get the emotional stakes for Evie and the Villain. We know they are a couple to root for.

I would love to know what you think of the Romantasy first lines and which ones are your favorite and/or which ones you find most intriguing, please comment.

I hope this was somewhat helpful to deconstruct the Romantasy first lines. This is definitely a learning process and for fiction no one shoe fits all. So it’s all trial and error and learn as you go. But there’s no better way than to keep writing.

If you think this exercise might benefit someone, please share with them. The writing community is all about paying itforward.

Alrighty, here I end for now..

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~Toodle-oo~