First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if, instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

The Rules:

• 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:

“It’s easy to fall into the wrong world.

It happens most often to children. Their grip on reality is loose to begin with, and when their imaginations wander, sometimes body and soul will follow. I’ve seen it happen. One minute the kid is there, playing in the dirt and whispering to themselves, and the next they’ve slipped down into an Echo.”

I am so intrigued by this—I can’t wait to read more and discover this magic system.

Do you recognize the lines?

Here’s a hint:

This is a recently published fantasy novel that starts a new series.

Still not sure? Here’s another hint:

It’s written by Melissa Caruso.

The First Lines Friday book is:

The Last Hour Between Worlds.

About the Book:

• Title: The Last Hour Between Worlds
• Author: Melissa Caruso
• Series:  The Echo Archives #1
• Page Length: 432 pages
• Publication Date: November 19, 2024
• Publisher: Orbit

Synopsis:

A whip-smart adventure fantasy packed with rival guilds, reality-bending magic, and sapphic pining, The Last Hour Between Worlds is the brilliant launch of a new series from David Gemmell Award-nominated author, Melissa Caruso.

Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she’s determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She is a Hound, after all, and she can’t help picking up the scent of trouble. 

She’s not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what’s causing the mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual. 

As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits—and each other—to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home. 

Links: Goodreads