My review is pretty late oops. DNF at 15%. I just couldn't get into this book. I couldn't get use to the writing style & I just really didn't like the characters. The plot was okay but I found it prettyy slow to start.

I thought this was quite funny! I enjoyed reading a more adventurous story and I think this was done quite well. I felt the action scenes came together pretty well. It took a bit to understand the world and how everything worked, which at times was a bit difficult to get through to world building because of it, but I think if you enjoy the characters, it helps! It did feel long at times, I mean it's a big book, but, overall I think this was quite well done and is very promising!

4 Stars. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, as I was going in completely blind and had requested it off of the title. & cover alone. It was a bit disorienting at the first trying to get a grip on who everyone was, their relationships, and how the back story of his father played into everything. But once I got past that I was sucked right into the story and didn't put it down until I finished it. Will most definitely continue with this series

This was an enjoyable, unique fantasy novel. The world-building was, in particular, new and different. Some of the plot elements were less fresh and on the whole, I found this aspect of the book more predictable. Still, a recommended read for those who like epic-style fantasy with a unique twist.

I love debut fantasy series! Nick Martell did so well at weaving a beautiful and rich history and cast of characters. The plot seemed unique, and I really can't wait to see where this series goes! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. it is a five stars for me. I read some reveiws saying it was hard to get into it but for me, it was perfect. I was taken by the story of michael , who is a brave Young man, with a very dark past and that has to cary the mistakes of his father on his shoulders. I have to say that even after the end of this book, I still have so many questions related to the world building of the story. What can explain pieces of moon to collapse? what is outside of Hollow? I have questions about the magic the characters use. I is complicated, but i had no trouble to get into the story, even without have answers to these questions. I cannot wait to read the next one

A fine fantasy debut. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but there's plenty of interesting characters and enough happening to keep you reading.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. As I mentioned the premise was interesting, loved the book cover, Brandon Sanderson was on the blurb…And yeah. What interested me the most about this book was the magic system, the Fabricators, and the use of memory in this novel. I wish it was explored more but there was a lot going on in this book: the politics, the dynamics, the struggle to survive. Part of the reason why I never fully immersed myself in the book was because I was never quite convinced by the worldbuilding; as interesting as the magic system was, the worldbuilding was overwhelming with elements that I just never felt wholly convinced (or maybe I’m just not into novels that carry elements of magic and guns. Unless Brandon Sanderson wrote it).

Another reason why I didn’t like the book as much as I wanted to was the main character. Michael…his intentions are well-meaning, the only one who coul really shoulder the memory of the Kingsman family, but man was he whiny, which then lends to some of his decision making. The whole scheme just did not convince me at all, he didn’t evoke enough empathy in me to see his story through with my support. None of the characters actually intrigued me so my interest waned.

So yeah, unfortunately I did not enjoy reading The Kingdom of Liars. It had potential with the complex web of politicking and scheming and social class upheaval as well as the magic system but the characters and the worldbuilding just did not do anything for me.

The Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
🗓Happy Publication Day🗓

Description from NetGalley...
“Michael is branded a traitor as a child because of the murder of the king’s nine-year-old son, by his father David Kingman. Ten years later on Michael lives a hardscrabble life, with his sister Gwen, performing crimes with his friends against minor royals in a weak attempt at striking back at the world that rejects him and his family.

In a world where memory is the coin that pays for magic, Michael knows something is there in the hot white emptiness of his mind. So when the opportunity arrives to get folded back into court, via the most politically dangerous member of the kingdom’s royal council, Michael takes it, desperate to find a way back to his past. He discovers a royal family that is spiraling into a self-serving dictatorship as gun-wielding rebels clash against magically trained militia.

What the truth holds is a set of shocking revelations that will completely change the Hollows, if Michael and his friends and family can survive long enough to see it.”

Thank you to @NetGalley @simonandschuster @sagasff @gallerybooks for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.

My thoughts...
This is the debut fantasy for Martell. It had a slow start, which was challenging because this is a 600 page book. Even though I thought the magic system could have used more information, it was pretty easy to understand. The magic system was simple, but the concept is interesting. The world-building and politics were not hard to follow. I found the protagonist to be too indecisive and when he did make a decision they were impulsive and seemed out of character. Initially, the book was only okay, but as I got to the second half, it got interesting, faster paced and were left wanting to solve the murder mystery. Overall, the book felt like a start of a series. Lots happening, many characters, plot questioning and lots more that need to be revealed and uncovered. I like Martell’s writing style. I’m interested in reading more from him.

There are quite a few twists and turns to keep you hooked on this tale of avenging one's father.
The world building is beautiful, so is the writing, and the friendships throughout are very well done.

Not my favourite read this year, but I'd recommend it.

3.5 Stars

I’m almost at a loss for how to rate and review The Kingdom of Liars. On one hand, I enjoyed the characters and idea of the world. In contrast, I had a lot of issues with the world building and magic system.

The Kingdom of Liars follows the Kingman family. A family that has been devoted to the ruling family for generations. A Kingman’s job is to protect the ruling family at all costs while also acting as the checks and balances. When the story picks up, the Kingman family is in disgrace and labeled as traitors after David Kingman was found guilty of the murder of the prince. Michael Kingman and his siblings now live day to day trying to survive in a city who views them as guilty as well.

There is a lot of political intrigue from start to end as Michael has to navigate the high noble life in order to regain his family’s political standing while trying to clear his father’s name. I enjoyed this aspect of the story the most. Michael navigating this part of the world is what kept me reading. Part political thriller and mystery, Martell’s writing is tight and concise. The mystery deepens until the explosive reveal.

No fantasy is complete without a magic system. However, Martell’s magic system is poorly defined at best. Some characters are graced with different abilities, like expelling lightning or darkening a room, but these abilities come at a cost. The more these abilities are used, the more the person loses their memories. Martell has created a well balanced magic system, but failed to fully explain it. Or at least attempt to explain it.

There is a lot going on throughout The Kingdom of Liars. Martell weaves together multiple storylines that all tie in together at the end. Unfortunately, it’s not successful in its desired outcome. A lot of the storylines feel like a waste of time for most of the novel as their importance doesn’t become apparent until the end.

Overall, The Kingdom of Liars is a semi successful fantasy novel that bit off more than it can chew. I will be reading the sequel once it releases since the ending of The Kingdom of Liars sets up what should be an exciting sequel.

Thank you to l NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review .

The book was so detailed ( and long at over 600 pages) , and yet I never could get a clear picture of the world this took place in, what the different magical powers ( fabrications ) were ... The main character, Michael Kingsman just fell short as a hero, but there was so much potential there. He was always trying to do the right thing, or at least that’s what he kept telling himself, but often just came across as a self centred, legacy obsessed whiner ...

So much potential but the book just didn’t come together .

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this advanced kindle copy! All opinions in this review are honest and my own.</i>

This book was originally due to be published 5th May 2020 but now expected 23rd June 2020
HOWEVER appears to be available for purchase on Amazon UK already? So who knows!
<b>22.05.20</b>3 STARS
Boy... There's a lot to unpack here. I barely know where to begin! Martell's debut novel is definitely one of a kind. It has a very complex plot that at times was a little all over the place. There was so much going on that sometimes it was hard to pinpoint what was actually important and relevant to the story progression and what was not. Some things simply didn't seem as though they were necessary at all. Others, such as the magic system known as 'fabrications' really could have made the book shine had it been further developed. The world was only somewhat immersive, and I found myself struggling to really connect to the main character.

At it's core, <i>The Kingdom of Liars</i> is a web of political infused mystery set in the tortured city of Hollow. Michael Kingman and his siblings have been branded traitors after their father supposedly murdered the Kings youngest son, even though the Kingman family have always been sworn to protect the Royals. When Michael makes a deal with an ageing alcoholic noble, he sets in motion events that will either prove his father's innocence or his treachery. And Michael is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost to himself or those around him which could end up being his downfall.

I found Michael as a character to be incredibly whiny and indecisive. Any decisions he did make seemed impulsive and rash, then a few pages later he was changing his mind again. It made it frustratingly difficult to keep up. Some of the things Michael did, didn't appear to have any reasoning behind them or any relevance to the plot itself. The story progression for me was sorely lacking, it didn't appear to flow naturally at all. It all felt a little too engineered for my taste. The second half of the book is what saved it all in my opinion. This is where most of the 'shocking reveals' take place, and I have to say I DID NOT see them coming. In the end it became a whole 'who done it' mystery and the culprit genuinely surprised me. There still seems to be a lot to uncover which will explain the reveal further, but I'm assuming that is what the follow up books will contain.

For me the pacing in general was slow. This is a big ol' boy with over 600 pages to get through! It did take me a while to read, and normally the length of a book does not bother me in the slightest, I love an epic fantasy novel I can sink my teeth into, but this one did drag. I felt as though the entire of the first half was intended to set the scene and develop the world which actually could have been done a bit better. As I mentioned initially, there was simply so much thrown into this book it was hard to know where to begin. I think that if there was less to contend with, development of other things such as the fabrications could have been much more intricate. It just seemed to me that Martell ended up with too many things on his plate, so to speak, and that in turn cost some development along the way. I desperately wanted more magic in this story, yet it only reared it's head when it was convenient <spoiler>(for example, Micheal's mother spends the entire story sick in a mental institute having lost her memory for some unknown reason, then at the end thanks to a light fabrication - which seems to be able to restore memories stolen by darkness fabrications, yet this was simply never tried on her beforehand - she is the picture of health again and steps in to save the day having played no role at all throughout the rest of the story itself. It felt... pointless?)</spoiler>

The fabrications either needed to be more central to the plot, or taken out completely as it just added one more layer to unnecessarily over complicate the story as whole. It was a shame that the magic itself wasn't at the forefront of the novel as I feel it would have changed the dynamic completely and made it all the more compelling. The cast also was over populated and under developed. There were way too many characters to keep track of.

Overall, as disjointed as it was, I did enjoy the mystery itself and Martell's writing style, even though it was a little on the slow side. There was so much potential here it's a shame it wasn't all it could be, yet for a debut novel it is not bad. I will be tempted to give the second instalment a go, if only to see where the adventure takes us next! But I do hope we get further exploration into relevant aspects of the plot and more coherent world building.

So this might be one of my new favourite books. Martell is definitely an author on my radar now, this kind of dense awesome fantasy one that I enjoy so much but rarely find ones I can tolerate for the thousand page epics they are. I think the closest I can relate to this book is Brent Weeks' Lightbringer series, which is also like my absolute favourite series so it makes sense that this is one I'm going to be keeping an eye on.

There are a few complaints in other reviews about lack of full on definition for some terms, but I don't feel as though lacking a spelled out description hurt the book in any way. It's easy to interpret what's meant in these situations from context clues, and the magic system was simple but unique with a genuinely intriguing hint at what may be coming in future books partway through. The politics also didn't seem that out there for a general fantasy novel, either, and we're decently easy to follow.

The characters are really neat, too, and although Michael wasn't my absolute favourite, I began to understand that it may not have been his fault partway through the book. He did lose some sympathy from me when he randomly decided to take a super dark turn and burn down the temple but... That's the only real thing I can complain about, and for a 600 page book that's pretty good.

Ultimately, this is one that I'm going to be thinking about for a very, very long time. I want more, this world is so cool and I love the simplicity yet variation of magic here.

Sat on the edge of my seat the whole time, plenty of twists and turns. The climax really worked and I loved how it was not a standard sword/bow and arrow fantasy. Going on my list of will always recommend!

This book is exactly what I've been looking for. I enjoy books where magic is used at a cost. I find it exciting and adds a new layer to a story It has vibes of Red Queen in it, with rebels without power (guns) vs magical royal folk, but that's okay. I like something familiar in a book. I love the cover and I will be buying this book!

<i>arc provided by the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

DNF

I really really wanted to love this. The synopsis sounded intriguing and the fact that Brandon Sanderson blurbed this gave me high hopes but sadly it just wasn’t the book for me.

The plot just seemed flat during the portion that I had read and I was pretty bored. Plus, whenever I would put the book down, I had no motivation to continue it.

I did really like the author’s writing style though so I will still check out any future work by them.