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:

“Her wedding dress is the colour of the massacre of Pilvreen.”

Well, hot damn. I don’t know about you, but I am lusting to start this book just from this one line. And the last time I remember a massacre just mentioned so casually in a story was … The Red Wedding.

Do you recognize the lines?

Here’s a hint:

This is an upcoming historical fantasy.

Still not sure? Here’s another hint:

It’s written by Holly Race.

The First Lines Friday book is:

Six Wild Crowns.

About the Book:

• Title: Six Wild Crowns
• Author: Holly Race
• Series: Queens of Elben #1
• Page Length: 416 pages
• Publication Date: June 10, 2025
• Publisher: Orbit

Synopsis:

The king has been appointed by god to marry six queens. Those six queens are all that stand between the kingdom of Elben and ruin. Or so we have been told.

Each queen vies for attention. Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be Henry’s favourite. And if she must incite a war to win Henry over? So be it.

Seymour acts as spy and assassin in a court teeming with dragons, backstabbing courtiers and strange magic. But when she and Boleyn become the unlikeliest of things – allies – the balance of power begins to shift. Together they will discover an ancient, rotting magic at Elben’s heart. A magic that their king will do anything to protect.

A captivating epic fantasy filled with dragons, court politics and sapphic yearning, perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and House of the Dragon.

Links: Goodreads     

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through my links.