Top Five Tuesday | Final Lines

This week I decided to concentrate more on the writing side of things. Plus, right now I’m struggling a lot with gathering the motivation to read, and I always find the second half of a book to be easier to read than the first half. So, this week’s Top Five is dedicated to the best final lines of some of my favourite reads. 

Ink | Alice Broadway

I drop all my outer layers to the ground and stand in my breastplate and skirt. Leaving my robes and my old life at my feet. There are gasps as I walk down the aisle away from everyone and everything. I hear the shock as they see the mark Obel has given me across my chest, skimming my shoulders. The talons clawing at my chest, the tips of my wings fluttering down my arms.
A crow. A crow. The mark is a crow. 
I walk outside. Snow falls like feathers. The whole town is blank.

I love how badass Leora was in the epilogue of Ink. Her character completely shined through after the novel’s conflict within society. Leora’s strength was shown here in full as she revealed her latest tattoo, and it was then that I realised just how much I love her.

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The Raven Boys | Maggie Stiefvater

Ronan, still in the ruins, looked over his shoulder at them. In the dim light of the torches, the tattooed hook that edged out above his collar looked like either a claw or a finger or part of a fleur-de-lis. It was nearly as sharp as his smile. 
“I guess now would be a good time to tell you,” he said. “I took Chainsaw out of my dreams.” 

This final moment at the end of the first instalment of The Raven Cycle is what urged me to continue the series. The mystery behind Chainsaw’s existence is finally revealed, however, that only causes more questions. Plus, the idea of a key character being able to take things from dreams set up a brilliant story line for the rest of the series.

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Half Wild | Sally Green

You would never have had to kill Marcus, would never had had to do all that, if it hadn’t been for Annalise. 
You lie in the rain. Going over it again and again. There’s nothing else you can do today. But tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow you go after her. 

This change to second-person is the reason I’ve included the second book in the Half Bad series, rather than the others. In the instalment, Nathan’s anger takes a hold of him often, and the sudden decision for him to go after his previous love-interest with such obsessive language was incredible to read. I love Sally Green’s writing so much.

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Carry On | Rainbow Rowell

“Enough flirting!” Penny says, flopping down into a stuffed chair her parents gave us. (Which I carried up by myself.) “I’ve endured enough flirting for this lifetime. I’m hungry, Simon. Find the biscuit box.”
Baz grins, then leans over and kisses my neck. (I have a mole there; he treats it like a target.)
“Go on, then,” he says. “Carry on, Simon.” 

I’ve included this book purely for that moment while reading when you come across the title of the novel; well played, Rowell.

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Skulduggery Pleasant | Derek Landy

She clicked her fingers, summoning a small flame into the palm of her hand. She watched it flicker and dance, then looked up at Skulduggery and grinned. 
“Magic,” he said. 

This book was my all-time favourite when I was younger; I just love every single interaction between Skulduggery and Stephanie. They bounce off each-other so well and this moment where you learn that Stephanie’s been practising magic sets up the rest of the series brilliantly.