The Friday 56 (With Book Beginnings): Children of Icarus (Children of Icarus #1) by Caighlan Smith + 50/50 Friday

On Friday's I take part in three weekly link ups - The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice, Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader, and 50/50 Friday is a new weekly link up and it is hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books. For The Friday 56, you choose a book, a book you have just finished, a book you are about to start, your current read, and share a line or a few lines that grab you (but don't spoil anything) from page 56 or 56% of the way through the ebook. Post it and share your post's url on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post. As for Book Beginnings, you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires, and then link up your post's url with Rose City Reader. Then, for 50/50 Friday, every week there's a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - you share a book that suits each category and link up on the hosts blogs.

This week I'm spotlighting one of my current reads, Children of Icarus (Children of Icarus #1) by Caighlan Smith.  I got approved for the sequel Children of Daedala on NetGalley (I didn't realize it was actually a sequel at the time), so I figured I'd better tackle book one before I jump into the sequel.  So, here we go:

Beginning: 

I count every ding in the elevator on the way up.  Fifteen.  Sixteen.  I don't look at the number Clara pressed.  I don't listen to her or the others now as they chatter about the parade.  I just keep counting and praying to Icarus that it's not twenty-three, not the balcony floor.

56:

I stare at the monster again.  Its wings have curled around its corpse.  its head is turned to the side against the stones, facing me.  It's black eyes are wide open and I feel like even in death it can see me.  I half expect it to blink.

50/50 Friday - Best/ Worst Graphic Novel/ Manga You've Read

Best Manga - Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata - I read this series ages ago and it's still one of my favorites.  By the way, I also love the the anime and the live action movies - the original ones, not the American one on Netflix (still haven't brought myself to that one yet).

Worst Manga - Witch & Wizard: The Manga, Volume 1 by James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet, Svetlana Chmakova - I've never read the book that this is based on and I probably never will after this.  Not even 100% sure why I picked this up actually.

Have you read any of these books?  What are you reading this Friday?  As always, thanks very much for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!