The Friday 56 (92) & Book Beginnings: The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Magic lives in our darkest corners...

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she’s ever known. Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she’s fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it’s time to act. Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, though if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it’s how to hunt down what she wants…and how to take it. But some jobs aren’t as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire...

Beginning: "The Ala had gone to the library in search of hope."

56: "Caius stretched, spine popping. When he tilted his head back, he could see the mural painted on the library's ceiling. It depicted the tale of some long-forgotten battle, colors faded as surely as the memory of the heroes who'd fought in it."

Comments: Eh, this one was just okay for me. I was pretty excited for The Girl at Midnight but just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. However, I still think the opening sentence is great. It was a pretty interesting place to start the story. 

What are you reading this week?