Mortal Engines

This was one of my favorite series when I was younger and on a re-read, it holds up way better than I remember. The setting and idea is fantastic, the worldbuilding is shoddy yet kind of brilliant– the protagonists are unconventional and it just feels very unique. Feels like a YA version of Senlin Ascends at times.

The first line just sets things up perfectly, too:

“It was a dirk, blustery afternoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-out bed of the old North Sea.”

Closing lines:
"You aren't a hero, and I'm not beautiful, and we probably won't live happily ever after," she said. "But we're alive, and together, and we're going to be all right."