Magical Mad Max, anyone?

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

This month I snagged from the New Release shelf:

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee

The cover art for Lee’s book immediately got my attention with its Mad Max style, and I loved the blurb promising “monsters, motorbikes, and magic.” Who wouldn’t?

While the first five pages do clunk a bit as far as pacing goes, the action is overall solid. Our protagonist, Jin, is a courier between cities in an epic wasteland wracked by lethal storms.

I dug the touch of using magic to make the motorbike work, but there is still a degree of technology involved thanks to the ancient Road Builders of old and the ruins they left behind. (Yes, Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines IMMEDIATELY came to mind.) The descriptive language for the setting is effective, and I appreciate meeting our protagonist when she’s alone in the wastes so we can see the world through her eyes. If you’re looking for adventure mixing dystopia with sorcery, Road to Ruin may just be the escape you’re looking for.

Let’s see what next month’s find will teach us, shall we?

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