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.

Firstly thank you Netgalley and K.M.Enright for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I hate DNFing an ARC read but it didn't pass the test;
At chapter 7 do I care about the characters - no
Am I interested in the plot and where the story is going - no
Do I want to know what happens in the next chapter - no
Unfortunately this means I won't be reading the rest

The first scene is when she kills her father but because I didn't know the characters it had zero impact, then I found out why and it still didn't make sense to me.
It's great that the author introduces characters that aren't usually written about e.g trans but I'll be honest I usually disregard authors description of how characters look anyway and picture my own 😂

FMC: 23
MMC: 25

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

I feel I just am not having a good time with new fantasy releases this year :( This just feels like so many other things I've read before - with some different elements, but ultimately not enough to keep me going. So much telling and not showing; dialogue that just felt mismatched with the tone the rest of the book was setting; and what felt like a pretty standard revolution plotline.

I feel like we're just being served the same stories in slightly different packages, and while that works for some people, I was really hoping to find something unique and compelling but just didn't find that here.

I'm going to be honest - this was one I wasn't sure on, but I heard so many people raving about it so I really had to give it a try.
It was amazing 👏 🤩
The magic system is essentially vampiric in nature, which I don't recall coming across before. Outside of vampire books that is.
The characters are complex, and I loved seeing the dynamics develop and change between them.
I think Shan's development is my favourite and I love her and Samuel's interactions.
I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

I have nothing but good things to say about the first half of the book. The blood workers concept was refreshingly different from your traditional vampires. Surprisingly, the murder mystery suspense had me hooked quickly. And don’t get me started on the chemistry between the trio–tension was good!

Despite the amazing start, the middle of the book was draggy and the ending was lacklustre. Even with multiple victims along the way, the investigations always have the same outcomes–little to no progression. The last few chapters were great but the cliffhanger in the epilogue felt forced or written as bait to return for the sequel.

This book wasn’t bad neither was it mindblowingly good. I just expected more because it was one of my anticipated reads of this year. Nevertheless, it's not bad for a debut book.

Thank you Little, Brown and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Mistress of Lies' by K.M. Enright.

Honestly I feel a bit conned by this. I was so excited, and maybe my excitement came fully from the cover and it's all my fault. I just fell into a minor slump whilst reading and I'm gutted. I will not be reading the sequel.

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own.*

Rating: 3.5

TLDR: Ambitious for a debut, but Enright does a great job for the most part. I think it's worth the read, but there are definite issues with the pacing and some plot holes that stop this book from being rated higher.

The summary for Mistress of Lies got me, along with the stunning cover. I don't regret reading it, but it didn't meet my expectations.

Starting off with the good points—a novel and interesting vampire story! Super hard to put a spin on the typical vampire story, but I was so interested in bloodworking and how diverse it is! It would have been nice for this to be expanded upon more, but I believe that might happen in the sequel, considering the "how" relates to a particular plot point.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the characters. They're all very morally grey, and you find yourself going back and forth on whether what they are doing is right or justified. I am an absolute sucker (no pun intended) for some flawed and MG characters! What lets them down is understanding each character's motivations for what they're doing. Some are half-formed, while others are near non-existent.

The pacing could definitely be improved; you're hooked straight away from the first chapter and feel like you're strung along through the entire middle part with nothing really going on until the very last few chapters, where everything gets rushed to a conclusion.

Also, the final chapter? No spoilers, but I was definitely left feeling frustrated as to why that character would go see that person and how it played out.

Overall, I would still recommend Mistress of Lies, and I'll be looking out for Enright's future releases, as they've done really well for a debut. It was maybe just a bit too ambitious or else needed a bit more direction or input.

I was very excited about this book and it did not disappoint! It was amazing!!! The blood magic system was unlike anything I've read before and I loved the characters. Shan is a great morally grey FMC, she is clever, strong and determined. Samuel's character development was great, can't wait to see how his story continues. Isaac's character is very complex, I hope we get more of his POV in the next book. The ending SHOCKED me, I did not see this coming at all!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC!

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Mistress of Lies is a dark fantasy novels that follows Shan LeClaire, a blood worker and a noble who is trying to get her family out of shame after her father turned them to ruin. She follows her own plans to protect her non-blood worker brother. We also follow Samuel, who is a bastard with high morals, and he’s conflicted many times throughout the story.

I’m really sad about this book. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. I feel like there was a lot of potential and the story started with a bang. However, I lost my interest really quick, and that’s probably because this book had a problem with telling, not showing. For example, we’re told Shan is a very good spymaster and mastermind, but we never really see this in action. Samuel was supposed to be a kind-hearted person who would always fight for the poor people, but we also don’t really see that. I think I couldn’t connect to the story and the characters because of this. I also didn’t really like the romance between the characters. It felt very insta-lovey and based on lust and that’s not the kind of romance I like. In terms of the plot, nothing really happened until the ending.

Overall, I feel like this had a lot of potential, but it ended up disappointing for me. The book probably needed more time to be properly fleshed out. The author is definitely talented, but this just needed more.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the earc!

There are no words for how much I loved this book! It was completely unexpected, as based on the synopsis I’d say it’s something that wouldn’t capture me. But I gave it a chance and what a good decision it was!

I find it really hard to write a proper review for books I loved and this book is not an exceptation unfortunately. So bear with me for this review-like thing.

I loved the world building, it was just as dark as one would expect with secrets, lies and schemes. In the heart of it we have Shan, who just murdered her father, so she can take over his place. She wants change in their world to protect her brother who was born without magic. And being Unblooded in this world is not a guarantee for a happy life, even if you were born to an aristocratic family.

I loved Shan’s character, she’s smart and deadly. I loved the duality of her character, the heir to their bloodline and being the head of a spy network. She knew what she wanted and there was nothing that could stop her. She was constantly planning ahead, scheming and lying. But she wasn’t the only one with secrets in the family. Her twin brother, Anton had just as many secrets as she did. I admit, I’m still unsure about his character. I understand that it must have been hard for him to grow up the way he had to, but sometimes his actions were too harsh. I hope we’ll get to see more of him in the sequel!

On the other hand we have Samuel, who wanted to do nothing with Blood Workers and their magic. But he had a greater power in his blood, one that could’ve changed everything. It was interesting to see how he became part of the very society he worked so hard to avoid. And not just part, but one of the most important people in the country. I loved that despite everything that happened to him, he still kept his kindness.

In a way this book was a murder mystery and not going to lie, I loved that part too. Though I was really surprised by the killer. I was not expecting that twist.

Overall, it was an amazing debut (I can’t believe it is a debut!) and highly recommend it! Though please, check the trigger warnings first, it is quite dark and disturbing at times.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I’m… a wreck about this book.
Mistress of Lies never stops moving, with a thrilling plot that tackles classism and dubious ethics, political intrigue, and compelling twists.

That’s not to mention the fantastic and dark world building, with its fucked-up blood magic and build-in queer acceptance/normalisation/representation.

And most importantly: amazing and messy characters.
Shan, Samuel and Isaac stole my heart from the first few chapters. They’re all written very well; to the point where it’s so very easily to emotionally connect with each of them and their various motives.

I was on the edge of my seat for the whole ride. The ending?? The author needs to answer for their crimes, because that’s was an insane ending. I need the sequel right now, thank you very much 😌

One of the best books I’ve read this year.

5⭐️

This book starts with a bang when Shan, a Bloodworker and the daughter of a Lord assassinates her father in order to gain more control of her own destiny and stop the suffering of her Unblooded brother Anton. Our heroine, also known as Sparrow, has a network of spies who she calls to when she needs to be updated about the news regarding the events happening in the city, believing that knowledge is power when it comes to the game of politics and intrigue. Enter Samuel, a long lost heir to the Eternal King, who lived his life as Unblooded and kept the secret of his power under wraps, knowing that once it gets out, his life will change completely. When murders start in the city, Shan stumbles upon Samuel's secret and takes him under her wing, seeing it as another way to gain King's acknowledgment. But it's not that easy, because another person involved in this is Isaac, the Royal Bloodworker and Shan's former lover, who, at King's orders, is educating Samuel about his powers.

This was interesting concept in general and I think that portrayed it pretty well. I didn't realise how prominent the politics will be in this book, although it makes perfect sense when you find out how Bloodworkers treat Unblooded and view them as a different, lower species even the their only difference is the lack of blood magic/control of the Unblooded, who don't even have a choice in the matter since it is genetic and not something you can gain. I liked the fact, that all main characters were so different from each other, but somehow came together so well and their dynamics didn't feel forced. Shan and Isaac were definitely morally grey while Samuel was portrayed more like a good guy who was going with the flow and trying to understand how to handle his new life and new responsibilities. Their romantic relationships are very intertwined right from the start, which although I knew before hand, was still something to look forward too. I liked that the connections progressed slowly, but surely and it didn't feel random or like insta love. I also enjoyed the dark atmosphere that the book provides, always keeping you in suspense of what will happen next. The slow revealing of Eternal King's schemes and who was responsible for the murders was also done quite well as it wasn't obvious right from the start and you could only figure it out by putting the little puzzle pieces that were scattered in the book. Also, the ending was intriguing enough for me to continue with the series when the next book comes out.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions! As per publisher's request, my full review will be posted on Goodreads on the 1st of August, 2024.

The premise of this book was so intriguing and had me excited to read it right from the start! I really don't think I've ever read a book like this one before - there was something so unique about it from both the plot and magic system, to the characters and world everything was set in. I also really enjoyed that this book was duel POV, it added a lot of depth and context to the book, and certain parts made a lot more sense or had a bigger emotional impact than they would have had without it. (honestly think every book could benefit from having more than one pov)

The main female protagonist also seemed like such a bad ass to me, the very definition of "if you want something done right, do it yourself". She wasn't at all afraid to get her hands messy and take charge, such a strong character working towards what she thinks will be a better future.
I was actually glad that this went a little light on specific details (sometimes they can really weigh the book down and make it difficult to read). I enjoyed that there was more to this than just the romance element too! The politics and world just made it all the more interesting, and clearly indicated that there was more at stake than just the chance of romance and a happily ever after (some things are more important than that).

I am very excited about what will happen in book 2, and what will happen between the trio of main characters! (they all made the whole book that much more enjoyable to read). The ending was phenomenal and a perfect conclusion!!

A massive thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the chance to read this title early! <3

Quick disclaimer:

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown UK for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.
Once again my opinion is my own and is not influenced by receiving this E-ARC.

Review:

Content Warning :
Explicit Sexual content
☠️
Patricide
Gore
Blood Magic and Blood Magic for the purposes of magic
Discussions of Racism and Classicism
And mentions of 🍇



I loved this book to pieces!

I had to start with this because it will be obvious how much I loved this book in the review.
The premise already sang to me, and I could not help but choose this book to review.
A prodigy daughter to protects whom she loves dearly ends her father's life and takes the power into her own hands as the matriarch of the family. This already calls the attention of the soon-to-be readers. However is the intricate way that K.M Enright builds on how blood can be power in a vampiric society that really sold it for me.
Shan is cunning and is not afraid to take matters into her own hands to see the end that she wishes to see. It's very anti-hero. (If she could be called one).
This book is also divided into two POVs. And is shared by two very different characters that I would say are the opposites of each other but that complement the story.
Samuel is an unblooded that shows the other side of a society that is carried by the back and bone of those with no power. He is caring, and self-righteous (And more I can't say without spoiling the book).
There's political intrigue, Fighting for what's right with every weapon you have, and morality systems clashing.
REPRESENTATION! By far the best part of this book is how representation is so flawlessly delivered.

Of course, I do think some plot devices should've been better used but the writing and characters more than made up for it!
I cannot wait for this book to be out so other readers can enjoy it as much as I did!

(Will update it 2 weeks before release with the socials!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC of Mistress of Lies!

3.5 stars. I think this is a really decent debut; it's a very cool take on the vampire trope. I do think it was a little light on 'classic' vampire elements.

This one is very politics-heavy which I don't mind from a book, but I would have liked it to have been a little more balanced out with the romance. I feel like it's blurbed as a romance, but this aspect felt very lacking to me. Maybe I've read too much romance recently, but this one seemed to dance around the polyamorous relationship without following through with any of it.

I think it could have had a bit more info-dumping too. I know some people don't like that but I wanted to know more about Blood Working (like how it actually works?!) and the city of Dameral too.

This series has a lot of promise! Also, the cover is absolutely stunning!