The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly + 50/50 Friday

Welcome to The Friday 56, a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice.

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.
3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
4. Post it.
5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

I'm also taking part in Book Beginnings, a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader.  The rules are pretty simple - you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires.  Don't forget to link up your post's url with Rose City Reader.

This week I'm spotlighting my current read, A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly.  I've just started it and I'm really excited by the premise.  It's set in an alternate Prohibition era, but instead of illegal alcohol it features illegal magic.  Essentially, it's been billed as The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern meets Peaky Blinders - that sounds like a perfect combination to me!  I've really been looking forward to seeing what Lee Kelly does here as her novel, City of Savages, was one of my favorite debuts of 2015.

Beginnings:

Magic can do a lot of things, but it can't undo the past.  I've sworn off sorcery, buried my magic with earth, blood, and tears below the ground, but I'd gladly sell my soul to use it just once more, if sorcery could find a way to bring me back in time.  If it could bring me right to the edge of where I once stood and shattered my world into tiny shards, and make me walk away instead.

56:

My body's beyond spent from the tension, the fear, and the long trek up here.  So I close my eyes, ready to steal some sleep to carry me through to whatever lies waiting on the other side of tomorrow.

This week I'm also taking part in a brand new linkup called 50/50 Friday, which is hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books.  Every week they'll have a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - this week the topic is Animal sidekick as a pet/ Never as a pet.

Animal sidekick as a pet:

Manchee from The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness - Such a sweet and loyal dog - he would make a wonderful pet!

Animal sidekick never as a pet:

Lying Cat from Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - Lying Cat is one of my favorite epic sidekicks - and I'd like to keep her that way!  I mean, look how cool Lying Cat and The Will are!