Apparently The Breakfast Club has gone off to the cosmos…

As writers, we hear all the time that we’ve got to hook readers in just the first few pages or else. We’ve got to hook agents in the first few pages or else.

Whether you’re looking to get published or just hoping to hook your reader, first impressions are vital. Compelling opening scenes are the key to catching an agent or editor’s attention, and are crucial for keeping your reader engaged.

JEFF GERKE, THE FIRST FIFTY PAGES

Well then, let’s study those first few pages in other people’s stories, shall we?

Today I snagged from the New Release shelf:

Star Bringer by Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft

With a gorgeous cover design and a surprisingly long trigger warning, Star Bringer caught my eye and exposed me to two romance writers I’ve never read before: Nina Croft and Tracy Wolff. Their publication histories are both quite impressive, showing the two clearly know a thing or two about writing in the romance genre. The book’s blurb promises a combination of Firefly and The Breakfast Club, and after reading the opening scene featuring a princess and her companions, that promise seems to hold true.

Personality exudes from different members of the group, which is great, and the voice of the princess narrating is quite distinctive and personable. The first pages use the conflict between princess and empress to set up the true stakes of this story’s cosmic work: the empire may be destroyed if a certain scientist isn’t found, and it’s up to the princess to find out what’s going on.

When it comes to characterization and a hook, all is accomplished with aplomb in the opening pages. My only remaining concern is about the worldbuilding. When a writer commits to a genre like science fiction, that writer must be ready to create something new and unique with depth and age. But the princesses’ observations about anything sci-fi related felt extremely vague, so I do hope this won’t be the case when other characters become the narrator.

That brings me to my one other concern: the dust jacket promises a primary cast of seven for this story. A glance at the chapters reveals different characters narrate different chapters. Will everyone narrate? Plenty of writers struggle just to make two characters’ narrative voices sound distinctive, let alone seven. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see!

No matter what the season brings, keep reading!

Read on, share on, and write on, my friends!