The book has a really strong start, setting up a cruel world of blood magic and power abuse, and a trio of wonderfully morally grey characters. Shan, Issac and Samuel get woven into each other in this game of lies, power and attraction - so much even that it becomes hard to tell who is playing whom.
It has a poly and trans rep that from my understanding is developed and portrayed greatly.
However, about 50% into the book I got the feeling that the plot basically vanished. Things get muddled and the pacing is weird, so much even that I lost trust that the book knows what story it really wants to tell. There's the politics, but then somehow it became less important. There's the magic system, but there's not enough information to really get a grip on it. There's the murder investigation, which seems more like an excuse for our MCs to work together. And there's the romance, but I didn't care enough for the characters for me to matter.
I would have loved to love this book, but sadly this one wasn't for me.

3/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the eARC!

#MistressOfLies #Netgalley #Bookstagram

A bloodthirsty heroine Yes
Vampires Yes
Morally Grey character, dark fantasy, political intrigue Yes Yes Yes
This book stared with a bang and kept me locked in.
Character driven and so much fun.
This was a great read and I'm so excited for the next.

A great book with an original take on vampirism. The tension and the love triangle were brilliantly written.
Full of political intrigue and morally grey characters, it grabbed me from the first page until the bittersweet ending.

Would recommend

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

2.5 stars

Mistress Of Lies sounds like an interesting world of politics, blood magic and a hint of romance so I was thrilled to be accepted for an arc of this book.

Realistically, the story has a intriguing beginning, a surprising end and an extremely long, boring, slow paced everything else. The romances felt contrived and lacking any real chemistry, unsurprisingly since the characters themselves lacked any real depth.

The world building was adequate and you did gain a sense of the inequality between the class systems but it certainly wasn't enough to draw you into the storyline. The magic system, though interesting, didn't really feel that important to the progression of the story.

Overall, whilst the premise was really good, the execution was disappointing. I was really excited to read this but have now cancelled my preorders for the book as I know I won't read it again.

I enjoyed this one!! Sure, there were some things that could’ve been improved, but it’s a fun and quick read. Let s delve deeper into the things I liked and liked a little less.

Likes:
- the characters were really the strong suit of this story. The book is written from a double POV of two very different characters and I loved that. Their voices are unique and they both have a very different vision on what’s going on in their country which makes it interesting
- Hand in hand with strong and well developed characters, there was a very good romance story. This book lays the foundation for an MMF polyamorous story and I love that so much. We need more stories like that. The characters were cute together, they fit well together and the chemistry is amazing. Can’t wait to see more of them.
- The political intrigue was very well worked out. I love some good politics in my books and this one certainly had that. We step into a society on the brick of revolution, with an immortal king that threats his human subjects like crap. With all of that come some amazing morally grey characters

Dislikes:
- The pacing of this book was a little weird. The story didn’t really focus on the most important things in my opinion. There’s a murder mystery going on but we don’t see that much of the characters actually trying to figure out who did it. There’s also a lot happening off the page which felt a little weird.
- Stuff happening off the page caused a more “tell than show” writing style to happen. For example, Samuel had to learn how to controle and use his power. Yet, we see barely anything of that training. We’re just told he’s making great progress every so often.
- A last thing that could’ve been better is how easily the main characters trusted each other. Their inner monologue keeps saying that they don’t trust other people, yet they readily keep telling each other everything. Samuel was taught his whole life to never trust a bloodworker, but he immediately accepts and trusts the help of two of the most powerful and influential bloodworkers of his generation. A little more tension and trust issues would’ve been nice.

So overall there are some weaker points that could’ve been improved, but it was a fun and quick read and it keeps your attention. The romance was definitely the strength of this story. I’m excited to read the second book.

It starts with blood! I was hooked from the outset - I haven’t read many books that start with patricide from our FMC who goes on, attempting to fill the void her father’s murder has created. This book was a refreshing fantasy with vampire-like humans and their ability to harness the power of blood. The worldbuilding was brilliantly woven into the narrative and every chapter in this was action-packed and developed the story well. The characters were great, with Samuel being particularly endearing! He was thrust into a world that he had long hidden himself away from and has to very quickly learn the political games of the King and the ruling elite, whilst not entirely knowing who he can truly trust, all at the same time as trying to keep his power under control. I really like that the story only centred around a few main characters, with the rest being good supporting side characters that helped to develop the plot of the story well.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, the first book in a series and loved the cliffhanger that it ended on! I will eagerly anticipate the next installment from this debut author! Congratulations to K.M.Enright!

I have also given it a 1🌶️ for the spice, as there was a little much later in the story, but it wasn’t overpowering in the narrative, it actually added to the tension in story as the three main characters were intwined into each other’s lives (often in life-or-death situations)!


Thank you to NetGalley, K.M. Enright and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mistress of Lies is a fast paced fantasy with an interesting magic system. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get the writing style to work for me, and I found it hard to get through. Definitely worth giving a go though if you like your fantasy dark and full of action!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the Little, Brown Book Group, Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in return for an honest review!

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“She had ruined people before and would do so again. What did it matter that he was the most innocent person to ever cross paths with her?”

From the very first chapter we are thrown into the action, magic and politics of the story, and I was hooked immediately. The writing is easy and intriguing to read, and I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with what was going on despite the plot becoming increasingly intricate as the story goes on. The vibes through it all were dark, bloody, tense and had me on the edge of my seat. Elegant ballroom scenes, fast paced chases through dark streets and scheming over drinks in offices and at parties. Delicious!

“Aeravin was a city of flaws, and a city of blood, a city of tragedy, but it had still been so alive.”

The world building was recognisable and familiar enough to be easy to understand and slide right into, but distinct enough that it felt magical and I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about all its inner workings, cultures, and the magic that shapes it all. I especially loved how normal and incorporated into the characters everyday lives queer identities seemed to be. And seeing a polyamorous romance slowly bloom on the pages of yet another anticipated book makes me more happy than words can describe; why have only two people navigating their complicated emotions for each other and the world they live in, when you can have three and add several more layers of angst and pining in all directions. It turns me into the embodiment of the Elmo fire meme.

“Now if she could only get past his morals— or hone them into a blade that she could use.”

I am, forever and always, incredibly weak for any magic and power related to manipulating blood - and this book really takes it to a level that had me on the floor. There’s something so incredibly romantic and sexy about ingesting each other’s blood, and I am very here for it.

“Haven’t you learned anything yet? We all work for Shan. She’s seen to that.”

The female main character, Lady Shan LeClaire, is complicated and ambitious. And I love her so damn much. I support women’s rights, and god how I love women’s wrongs.
The male main characters are also all intriguing, and lovable in their messiness, but the real star of the show was Shan and her scheming. I wish her nothing but success and power.

4,5 stars and I cannot wait to have this gem on my shelf to admire for a long time!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book was really good. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the next one. There's going to be another one, right? *Fingers crossed*

I loved the story, the pacing, the world building and character building.
My only issue was with the writing style, which wasn’t hugely for me, but I can respect a good story for sure.

I'm really sorry but I'm throwing in the towel at 38%.

I've been pushing myself to read this because I was really looking forward to it, but I'm so bored and I've ultimately lost interest in the book.
Couldn't care less about the characters or plot and the vampires didn't seem like vampires to me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I couldn't put this down!!! I loved it so much that I want to form a fanclub and be its president! The author does not step a foot wrong in his storytelling, and the feeling of "I wouldn't change a thing, not even a comma." is so, so rare but also so gratifying when it comes.

It is told by two perspectives, of Shan's and Samuel's. Shan is truly ruthless and has a villainous aura. Her anger against the system is so loud, so tangible, and her desire to protect her loved ones is palpable in the air. I LOVED HER! She's smart and competent and efficient, and she can take her time to form a plan but she can also improvise and take an opportunity when it arises. I loved how aware she is. Aware of herself, of the bad and the good, aware of the consequences of her manipulations. She's the queen of "I know this might hurt your feelings / I know this is wrong but I need to do this, so I do it anyway."

If Shan is the beating heart of the book, then Samuel is the soul.

Samuel is the moral compass, the one who decisively sees right from wrong and reacts without considering the political and social implications. He speaks his mind even in situations that could lead him to some serious trouble. In a bloody and bloodthirsty world, Samuel's morality shone through every step of the way. He was the beacon of hope we needed. I loved him so much.

I want to hug and protect Samuel, and drink with Shan.

The romance between Shan, Samuel, and Isaac is sooo good. I loved how the author paid attention to all pairs but also to them as a throuple. Shan and Isaac had a turbulent past but they slowly overcame it because Isaac was sincere and Shan simply understood his motivations. Also because Isaac definitely looked like he regretted most of his life choices. Poor guy. Samuel and Isaac had this calm yet intense flirty vibe. Shan and Samuel clicked together like two pieces of a puzzle. Albeit being very different from each other, they fit together. Every bit of romance is believable and oh so very delightful!!

The plot was good and I really liked the pacing. It had many twists and many plot threads, but we also had time for character and romance development.

It's not a light read, though. The world in the book is truly brutal and bloody. Cw include but aren't limited to: patricide on the page, mention of rape (happened in the past to a now dead character), murder, blood, experimentation on humans.

I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!! I CANNOT HOLD MYSELF TO WAIT FOR BOOK 2!!!!!! I mean, what did you by THAT, Samuel my dear?!!!

This book is a monthly pick for an August box, and RENEW, RENEW, RENEW!!!!!! I can't wait to see it!!!

There was so much promise in this book - based in a society where the upper classes have access to blood magic and the lower classes are "unblooded", an eternal king sustained by an annual sacrifice and general scheming and conniving. When a long lost member of the Royal family is discovered people are keen to use him to further their own aspirations, and there is a love triangle (circle? unclear). Unfortunately though I found the writing and pacing very disjointed, things seemed to plod on for ages then all of a sudden a major plot point would happen with not a lot of reflection and moved on from. People's motivations weren't made particularly clear and they seemed to change on a whim as well. By the end I did feel it was a bit of a trudge and even the final reveal wasn't that revealing!

There were/are a lot of debuts that I was/am excited for this year, but if I had had to choose, Mistress of Lies would have probablymy number 1 most anticipated one. Everything about this sounded so amazing and I could not wait to get my hands on this, and I am very happy to report back that my intuition didn't lead me astray.
This is easily one of my top 3 favorite debuts ever, I am OBSESSED.

There are just so many elements in this book that I love, and combining that with amazing writing and storytelling means that Mistress of Lies immediately catapulted itself to the top of my reads of the year.
I'm always down for a vampire novel, especially when it's high fantasy rather than paranormal romance, and the way it was done here was so unique. It's really more blood magic than vampires while still delivering on the vampire vibes.
I've really noticed this year that I love fantasy with sci-fi elements, and it was done so well here. Combining blood magic with science is just a great match in my opinion.
I love a good poly romance and the development of the relationships in this book was top tier.
Murder mystery and puzzle solving are tropes I always enjoy, especially in fantasy, so this being the main plot was right up my alley.
And finally, the whole setup with all the court intrigues, morally gray characters and villainous main characters was just so good, without ever feeling tropey or trying to follow trends (not that there is anything wrong with that).

I adored the three main characters and their character arcs were all done so well and I can't wait to see how they continue to unfold.
Shan is a favorite for sure, but the two men are both great in their own ways.

Another thing that was done really well was the genderqueer and Filipino rep, it was woven so effortlessly into the story.

This really felt like Six of Crows meets These Violent Delights meets Game of Thrones meets vampires and I never knew I needed it, but as soon as I read the synopsis for the first time, I realized that this is, in fact, something I desperately needed in my life.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This was a driven story, it was slow starting at first and it took me some time to really get into it. Very politically driven within the world-building and the characters weren't all perfect which made them feel more human.
Well done

3.5 stars. I can tell this author is going to be someone to watch, and overall I enjoyed this solid fantasy debut. But there were things I had issues with as the book went on (otherwise it would have been a firm 4 star rating.)

The things I liked: The representation was great. We had multiple queer characters and poc characters. I really liked the way magic was weaved into Isaac's transition. It totally made sense for the world and showed just how easy it actually is to include more queer/trans characters in fantasy stories.

I think Samuel was my favourite character and the one I had the most emotional connection to. I really felt for him and understood his choices.

But the other two characters. Well, I liked Isaac and again I actually feel bad for him because I think his treatment is unfair (we'll get into that.) But Shan...I'm sorry but I just could not connect to her at all. In the authors note it's said she's supposed to be an unlikable character. And that's great, we need more complicated female characters! But there's a difference between being unlikeable and being ridiculous.

Shan was giving Celeana Sardothian and not in a good way. There was lots of talk about how super duper special and clever she is but she literally did barely anything until 80 percent into the book. She doesn't even solve the crime she's been hired to solve. She doesn't know what her brother or Isaac are actually doing at any point during the book.

The attempts to show her cleverness were very clunky. Multiple times character x would say "I cannot do this thing because of reasons." And Shan would say, "So you want me to do it" and they'd fall over backwards exclaiming how smart she is to work that out. Well not really? Since you've literally just brought it up? Why else would you be telling her? I also found her motivations to be a little flimsy. I totally get what the author was trying to do - A lot of her motivations are rooted in her own privilege. But it's still not that fun to read about.

The romance aspect is something I did like. The MMF story felt natural to the characters (Though I did feel Samuel and Isaac had more chemistry with each other than they did with Shan.) and it wasn't made an issue of, and whilst they felt quite seperate during this book I'm sure the relationships will develop with the next installments.

But this is why I became quite frustrated at the end. Shan has spent the whole time not really doing much of anything but apparently wanting to bring down the king by replacing him and still keeping the non blood workers as second class citizens (?). Samuel wants to get rid of the king. Isaac wants to get rid of the king and kills some bad people to do it. He also does exactly what Samuel asked of him. And they repay him by...capturing him and turning him in? Like why not just join him? Would you not all be powerful enough between you to capitalize on the rebellion you've started instead of just going back to square one? It honestly didn't make that much sense. They keep mentioning that Isaac betrayed them but he didn't? He actually just did more to accomplish the things they said they wanted? But apparently not in the way they wanted. In a book that's supposed to be about morally grey protagonists, it felt very hypocritical for them to suddenly take the moral high ground.

Also the mystery aspect didn't make any sense because they have Samuel, who can compel information out of anybody, and they just decided to not use that. At all. Like it would have saved a lot of time, no?

Anyway that sounds like a lot of negatives but I actually don't mean to say this was a bad book by any means. I don't think it was. It was a quick read with an intriguing plot line. Unfortunately the pacing let it down and there were just a few things with the characters that didn't quite land for me. That being said I think this is a great debut, and I love seeing more queer fiction within the fantasy genre.

Overall thoughts:
3.75/4⭐️
2 🌶️
Release Date: 15th August 2024

‘I suppose you think your crimes are excusable, so long as you commit them in the dark.’

‘No justice! No peace! If we don’t get justice, you don’t get peace!’

Tropes: politics, twins, kings/ queens, queer rep, magical powers, strong FMC, sexual tension, slow burn, he falls first, murder mystery, dual POV, love triangle, trans rep, betrayal, second chance romance.

After murdering her father to claim his position in court Shan LeClaire finds out what it really means to be a Lady. As she tries to play both sides she finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery, love triangle & high society politics!

This book started off well & the set up had me intrigued, however throughout the book there were areas that just fell a little flat. However it did pick back up again in the third act.

I loved the murder mystery part of the plot and how that concluded, in fact I wish that had been the whole plot. I say that because it feel like this book had two sub-plots which combined to make a plot, I would have preferred a more solid ‘who done it’ style plot (but that’s just personal taste, I prefer murder mystery to politics).

Some of the concepts of this story/ series are really interesting, like the magic & vampire style behaviours, how the society works as a whole (I really don’t want to spoil anything).
And this story highlights real world issues through its story & world (we love some subtext)!

I know this is a very mixed review, but I will tell you that I am intrigued by what’s in store with the next book. Especially given how it ends for Shan!

*I do hope the book has a trigger warning section, as some heavy topics are covered throughout.*

Thank you to Net Galley, K.M Enright & Orbit for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book just wasn’t it for me, I didn’t have a relationship with the characters to care about the death at the beginning so that didn’t really have an impact on me, although I preferred the first half of the book I just didn’t enjoy the rest.

3.75

Thank you to Netgalley for accepting my request to read and review this one early.

I adored the start of this book, I felt like the opening set us up for an action packed story with blood magic and politics. The vampire-esque magic system also really had a lot of potential.

However, I felt like the story went downhill and became a very talky book rather than plotty book. We were so often told things like how powerful the blood workers are or how brutal the king is and yet we dont actually see it on page.

The "people are being murdered brutally in the city and the protagonist investigates as a secret spy" gig is in so many ya fantasy I YAWN.

I think we needed a bit of a different pacing setup as there were large chunks of this book where nothing actually happens.

I also felt like the characters had a case of insta-love, the romance wasnt developped enough. The second change vibes between Isaac and Shan were great but Samuel kind of appears out of nowhere?

Perhaps I have also read so many revolution fantasies that by the end it felt like a generic story despite its potential to be super unique. I wasnt shocked by any of the "twists" either, since the cast is so small theres few options for people betraying.

Overall, I did really enjoy this and I did love the characers I felt like they were super developped and had greath depth but the plot and pacing fell flat for me. I also feel like character interactions could have been done better.

I also really loved having a trans character and how thier identity has been impacted by the use of blood magic. (less)

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC. With a sizzling polyamorous queer romance, Filipino representation and a trans main character, all it needed were characters I grew to be highly invested in and a gripping storyline to seal the deal. And author Enright delivered!

I was initially drawn to read Mistress of Lies because I heard it had a polyamorous romance; I'm a great advocate for more of those over, say, love triangles which I find extremely stale nowadays. The book does not disappoint, with the trio having great chemistry with one another as well as the necessary conversation when it comes to dealing with poly dynamics (albeit promised to delve into more "later" given the urgency of the present situation). There is attraction very early on, but not insta-lust, thankfully. I found the romance to be so intriguing that I didn't mind how it tended to overshadow the mystery of the serial killer.

MoL alternates between two POV characters: biracial noble-born Shan LeClaire as the titular protagonist with her scheming, & the idealistic, earnest Samuel Hutchinson who was raised in poverty. While I enjoyed reading both, Shan's chapters were definitely my favourite. I adore an unapologetically ruthless and ambitious female lead whose sole soft spot is the person she loves and would unflinchingly kill for. She is not without moments of frustration though, because despite her (seemingly) righteous goal of ending the oppressive system of the kingdom she lives in, Shan acts very much self-serving at times. She is determined to take down the tyrannical Eternal King, and yet holds barely enough empathy for the marginalized she claims to want to help. Regardless, such flaws make her more interestingly complex and part of her growth is to see her be forced to face the realities of the horrors she chooses to conveniently ignore. Samuel's dark Cinderella tale—wherein he is thrust into a privileged world he was previously barred from, that comes with horrific strings attached—may not captivate me as much, but his personality makes a good foil for Shan. Wherein she embraces the bloodiness that is necessary, Samuel struggles to maintain his gentle heart and resist the ease of embracing violence and manipulation.

The backdrop of the book is the brewing political tension between the oppressive Blood Worker class and the oppressed Unblooded. At its core, the former holds power and privilege over the latter group due to their ability to utilize magic via blood as a resource, led by an essentially immortal practitioner of Bloodworking known as the aforementioned Eternal King. No, they're not vampires... most of them anyway. Some readers might be bothered by this pretty vague magic system that could use more fleshing out, pun intended. That aside, Enright also throws in racism and classism, and this is a novel brimming with rage that calls for justice for the marginalized. There are radical characters that know true change comes with an overhauling of the system, and violence is unavoidable when you have unrepentant oppressors who will never see the oppressed as people and literally impose a "Blood Tax" on its Unblooded citizens. MoL verges very, very dangerously close to the unfortunate pitfall of villainizing revolutionaries who resort to violence and kill their bigoted oppressors. That said, I have to trust that Enright is playing the long game here, if that ending is anything to go by. There definitely looks to be a bigger picture at play.

The final act with all the twists and revelations did feel rather rushed after what was essentially a nicely-paced build up of the romance and mystery. Regardless, I wasn't really bothered it given that it ended on a *very* intriguing set up for the sequel. Now I need to watch the system burn down and can't wait for it.