Submissions for #FirstLineFriday#2 are officially closed now. My thanks to all who stopped by to see if this one rang a bell. I’m sorry—but maybe not surprised– to say we have no winners, though. While I was hoping I’d be wrong, I was also thinking this would be a tough one, even though it made an official Top 100 Opening Lines list. This is one of my favorite reads of recent years, and well deserving of being included in the list, in my own opinion. If you are a fantasy reader of any age, I highly recommend you check it out. So, without further ado, here’s the answer to today’s quiz:

“Joost had two problems: the moon and his mustache.” is the opening line from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Six of Crows is a fantasy novel which takes place in the Amsterdam-inspired city of Ketterdam. The new series takes place in the same world as Bardugo’s Grisha books but is set in a different time frame, in a world loosely inspired by the Dutch Republic of the 17th century, and based on a magical system. The plot is told from the close third-person viewpoints of five different characters, plus a first and last chapter from the point of view of two minor characters.

The book is the first in a duology, followed by Crooked Kingdom. Bardugo’s Grishaverse” trilogy, which includes Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. Reading both series will provide a deeper understanding of the Grisha world. Bardugo has since also written The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic which features several short stories from the Grishaverse, and King of Scars, a spin-off from the “Shadow and Bone” trilogy.

Take a close look at this stunning cover!
Amazing!

WHAT AMAZON SAYS:

Enter the Grishaverse with the #1 New York Times–bestselling Six of Crows, Book One of the Six of Crows Duology.

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo returns to the breathtaking world of the Grishaverse in this unforgettable tale about the opportunity—and the adventure—of a lifetime.

Praise for Six of Crows:

“Six of Crows is a twisty and elegantly crafted masterpiece that thrilled me from the beginning to end.” –New York Times-bestselling author Holly Black

“Six of Crows [is] one of those all-too-rare, unputdownable books that keeps your eyes glued to the page and your brain scrambling to figure out what’s going to happen next.” –Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra

“There’s conflict between morality and amorality and an appetite for sometimes grimace-inducing violence that recalls the Game of Thrones series. But for every bloody exchange there are pages of crackling dialogue and sumptuous description. Bardugo dives deep into this world, with full color and sound. If you’re not careful, it’ll steal all your time.” —The New York Times Book Review 

My Thoughts:

And any book that has garnered a 4.5 star average out of 3,691 ratings can’t be all bad, now can it? I HIGHLY recommend Bardugo’s work, and while reading about the Grishaverse first might be the typical approach, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom stand on their own, as well. And as an aside, I’ve heard Netflix has plans for this one, and may already have begun filming. I haven’t been following the news, because I almost always hate the film version of my favorite books, but that right there tells you they think it’s a winner.

Buy Six of Crows Here

And that wraps up this week’s quiz, folks! Again, sorry I couldn’t give away any downloads, but I’m still happy to be sharing a book I love with folks who may not have heard of it yet.

#FirstLineFriday will be back in two weeks, and I’ll try to have something that rings a bell with more of you. Maybe. You never can tell. 😀  See you then!