
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers. What if, instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
- Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
- Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
- Finally… reveal the book!
First Lines:
“Keep your head down, ckara,” Hen snapped at me.
I was pretty sure ckara meant “stupid girl” in the old tongue, though I’d never had the nerve to ask. All I knew was that when Hen said it, it came with a silent warning: They’ll kill you.
Do you recognize the lines?

Here’s a hint:
It’s a new fantasy/romance.

Still not sure? Here’s another hint:
It’s written by Laurel Black.

The First Lines Friday book is:
LOST KINGDOM
About the Book:

Title: Lost Kingdom
Author: Laurel Black
Page Length: 472
Publication Date: Jan. 17, 2023
Publisher: Stormeer
Synopsis: Trusting him is the only way to save the kingdom.
Betraying her is the only way to keep them both alive.
Stripped of her memories and her magic, Raven has been left for dead.
As a prisoner in the enemy’s mineral mines, her only clue to who she is and where she came from is the mysterious map tattooed on her hand—a map containing hidden secrets that some people would kill for.
Jeddak is one of those people.
A warrior from the Kovak tribe, he’s hunting for the powerful Zavien stone to pay the corrupt king’s ransom. If he doesn’t return home with it by the new moon, his betrothed will be executed.
When Jeddak discovers that a prisoner named Raven has the only map that leads to the artifact, he allies with her as they navigate treacherous lands and battle against ancient magical forces to unravel the map’s secrets. But can Raven trust this stranger who’s helping her? If the map gets into the wrong hands, thousands of people will die.
As their feelings for each other grow, their tenuous alliance begins to fray. Until Jeddak is forced to make a decision—betray Raven or forsake his kingdom.
Choose wrong, and he’ll lose everything.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Review
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, including Amazon, and I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through my links.

I’ve seen a lot about this book recently! It’s already added to my tbr and I am excited!
Yay! I hope you love it if you get a chance to read it. I thought it was great!
Such a beautiful cover!
Didn’t recognize the book, but I love the cover.
I haven’t heard of this book before, but it sounds really interesting and the cover is so pretty!
I think you’d like it, Leah!
*adds to endless TBR*