“Do not trust the Liar, Do not go in the River, and do not cross the King." This was one of the better genre-splicing horror/fantasy novels I've read recently. The story is addictive and I loved the way this mysterious, fantastical story moves in unexpected, bizarre directions while retaining a link to the real world.. There were creepy moments, like the Laughing Boys, witty parts, and some political commentary that didn't feel forced, just fresh.
Perhaps some of the character development could've been a little deeper, but really, it's the plot and it's many twists that made this such an enjoyable read. Great fun all around!

3.5 stars rounded up for this C H A O T I C book!

I think I'm going to need to sit with this one for a few days before I can conclusively decide whether or not I liked it!

What I really enjoyed: The fascinating blend between real and fantasy --- while there were things happening in Red Valley that were decidedly magical (like the Liar's ledgers and the reconnecting with the dead) there were also parts that were very grounded in reality (like police brutality and abuse of power).

What I wanted more of: there were SO many elements going on in this book sometimes it felt a little all over the place! I think if we had stronger character development from Sadie throughout that would have done a better job connecting the dots of the fast-paced plot.

I will say this is unlike any other books I've read recently, and that is a rare gift!

This book isn't my usual genre, but ai enjoyed it. It is what I would call magical fantasy. There are monsters and lots of lies. Uncovering the lies in ",The Liar of Red Valley" is part of the challenge of reading this novel. As someone who enjoys suspense novels, this novel doesn't disappoint.

Wow, read this in like 2 days and really enjoyed it. So many striata and turns. I loved Sadie and Beto I thought they were dynamic characters. Would recommend this to a friend.

Thank you so much to Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

This books brings us into the modern world, but with a magical twist to it. The setting was one of my favorite aspects of the book, as we had everything from creatures trying to fit in to Old God-esque beings. I would love to read more stories about this world, and if there are other towns similiar to Red Valley.

I found the writing style to be average. There isn't anything spectacular about it, but the situations, characters, and universe held my interest to where I didn't want to put the tablet down. This story has quite a cast of characters, but it never feels overwhelming, and it's easy to follow.

The character design is absolutely fantastic. I would love to see art of the creatures in this story, because some of them would be terrifying. I think the descriptions of them gave great visuals, and everything really felt like it had it's own voice.

This book reads like a quest, and really reminded me of RPG video games. The main character, Sadie, travels to different areas to gather what she needs to complete a goal, and then repeat that until the end of the book essentially. I think this setup makes it a great pick to be adapted as a movie or mini-series.

The climax of the story is actually my least favorite part of the story. I was surprised at how quick it was, and it just wasn't as epic of a conclusion as I was hoping for. There was also a character that seemed extremely ominous, but ended up being totally useless in the end. It was strange compared to everything leading up to it, and in this case the journey was way better than the destination.

4.5 out of 5. A really great book, one of the best I read this year! The main character and side characters were interesting, the book was very fast paced, and the plot was gripping and smooth-flowing, so much so that I finished the book in three sittings. That may sound slow, but I am a very slow reader and reading something similar in volume to this may take me a week or two if it is not interesting. The book starts off on a low note, Red Valley feels like any other small town, but as the plot progresses, the book reveals more and more of its secrets to you, and it hooks you to the town and it's people.
This can very well be the start of a new urban fantasy series, and I hope there are sequels planned, as the book felt very short for what it is. I'd really love to read more of this town and its people!
All the good things out of the way, I'll now list some of the shortcomings of this book. Although they are very sparse and spread out too far apart, there are a few pacing issues in the book. Like in one of the scenes, when a huge plot point about the mc is revealed, it doesn't take her very long to come in terms with it, which I felt was unnatural, seeing how her character reacts to other situations. Other than this, and some slight issues I have with character development, I can not find any flaws with this book. It is only issues like these that made me take half a star away from an otherwise great book. This can very well become one of the top urban fantasy books of this year upon release!

Thank you to the author, publishers Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

Fantastic world building delivers a wholly engrossing fantasy adventure which will appeal to fans of horror, magical realism, dystopian thrillers and more.

Sadie’s mum is the Liar. Within the borders of the town of Red Valley whatever lie she writes in her ledger instantly becomes true. Sadie knows what her mum is, but she doesn’t know she has cancer, not until the hospital calls to say Sadie’s mum has hours to live.

Now everyone seems to expect Sadie to be the new Liar, particularly the King of Red Valley - a being of immense power who lives under the town and grants protection to those who live within the borders from the monsters in the world.

In this epic adventure Sadie has to discover the power of a lie and keeping other people’s secrets.

I loved this book. There is some truly epic world building to create the context in which Sadie lives and how her powers work, but it never gets in the way of the plot. Sadie herself is a really engaging character and it’s easy to be on her side and cheer her on as she faces down demons and monsters and deals with traumatic revelations about her own life.

As far as I can tell this is intended to be a standalone and not part of a series, which is a shame. I’d love to read more about Sadie and her friends. While this is an entirely satisfying self-enclosed story I’d happily travel back to Red Valley anytime.

The Liar of Red Valley is my kind of book!

Supernatural fantasy with a little twist of horror. Sadie is a great character, she is moody and grumpy but very much human. There is a twist near the end that I did not see coming at all, but I loved it so much!

I was sent a copy of this book for an honest review.

I found that I wanted to read this book continuously. Just as well I'm not working at the moment, because it really was very good! It has a very interesting story, and the characters are good. I loved how it flowed, and it was so different to anything else I've read of late. Really good!

#TheLiarOfRedValley #Netgalley

Do not trust the Liar.
Do not go in the River.
Do not cross the King.

The Liar of Red Valley is about a town protected by a King, harassed by a River, and full of secrets kept by a Liar. The book opens with the Liar dying. Her daughter Sadie will become the new Liar. That's how it works. The King will keep the peace. Or will he? And, man, that undersherrif is an annoying dude, right? And what secret is kept in the Liar's ledger that everyone wants?

I freakin' ate this book alive! I read it in two sittings and I couldn't wait to get to the end to see what happened. Walter Goodwater knows how to spin a tale. The world-building was wonderful, the story was great, there were a couple of times where he hit me with a twist that made me exclaim out loud.

There were so many small details about this book that I loved. That's the real secret to building an captivating world- the little pieces of true things that you add up in your head to build your own image of the place you're reading about.

This book was fun, scary, funny, and poignant in places. The story moves at a good pace and keeps you wanting more. All in all, this was a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes spooky stuff!

Wow! Thanks to the gods of literature to send us a brilliant author! I haven’t read something so original, extremely smart ( those twists fooled me more than two times and triple shame on me! ) so outstanding!
American gothic story dances with magical realism and well balanced paranormal, thriller vibes.

The world building is peculiar. The creepy, haunted town story is well crafted, characters were lovely and relatable. Diverse representation is well executed and the triggering subjects including police brutality, hate crimes, homophobia, racism are boldly approached.

Walter Goodwater finally brought fresh, complex, intelligent soul to the gothic, dark, paranormal universe.

Think about the town centered on three simple rules: “ Do not trust the liar! Do not go in the river! Do not cross the king!” Easier said than done!

I have to admit: this is not reading in one sit kind of fast pacing, heart pounding story. It’s not hard to focus on but it needs your entire attention to absorb the rules of creepy town rules by only the King and the liar whose takes people’s lies and making them believe they come true.

We mostly read the story from the POV of designated new liar a.k.a. Sadie but when the author switch to another POV without warning, we get a little distracted. I honestly turned back to reread a few pages. Writing style was still easy to catch the entire concept but you have to give your full attention.

Sadie inherited her mother’s powers as soon as she passes away, becoming the next liar but she reluctantly accepts her new title, having hard time to learn her new powers and responsibilities and she has still no idea to whom she can truly trust. Now she has ability to create a new world with full of lies but each lie comes with its cost.

As Sadie starts to learn more about her mother’s past, she also learns more about mysterious King and haunted river.

I don’t want to give much away so I have to stop right here.

I can honestly say this book is quiet different, intriguing, clever experience with a lot of unexpected twists, action packed, exciting turn of events and a well executed conclusion which earned my four extremely creative absolutely captivating four stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion/ Solaris for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

»A Lie can do lots of things, but it can't make cancer go away.«

Imagine you had to power to bring a lie to life. To make it true (for a certain definition of true).
Real or not, the Lies work. Doesn't matter if they're real, they're real enough.
Find out more about it in this contemporary fantasy gothic story, with a slight twist of horror, some very absurd (and fun to read) ideas and creatures and a lot of twists.

This book is set to be published in September, ready for fall, the season where we cuddle up with a cup of hot beverage and a good book. And while the days will be getting shorter, you won't even notice the shadows growing larger before your window and your hot beverage turning into a cold beverage because you won't be able to put this book aside. Yes, it's that good.

I've heard this work called lovecraftian, but I disagree. Not everything that involves dark powers is automatically this subgenre, and comparing it to Lovecraft is not giving Walter Goodwater the credits he is due: He has created this world with fresh ideas, and it is not a mere copy of some cthulhian stories. Instead, he blends magical elements (like Mexican Brujos) with fantastical creatures and philosophical ideas into a delightful concoction.

This book is about Sadie, who inherits the title of Liar of the Red Valley after her mother dies. She also gets a clear idea about the power of lies, and the limits to that power on that day when she discovers her mother had cancer for a while but lied about being healthy. The lie holds truth until the very last moment - and I think that's a statement to ponder about. After all, »A Lie can do lots of things, but it can't make cancer go away«.

Well, there always was a liar in the red valley, like there always was the king. Who is the King, and why did he create the Liar?

You'll find answers (and more lies) on Sadie's journey through the fantastical, mythical and kind of scaring Red Valley. Before the end of this journey, talking to the dead and a house stepping in and out of time will be the least of your worries. And when you think that in all this fast paced action you finally have a slight grasp of what's going on, then Walter will hit you with one in the final plot twist I've had the pleasure to read in a long, long time.

Of course I was trying to picture what the great Lie that Sadie's Mom had told at the end of her life would be, and I had a few ideas cursing through my head. But wow, did I ever not expect that.

And no, I'm not going to spoiler that for you. Just read the book, will ya? And remember, your cup is getting cold.


Submitted to Goodreads and Amazon (Amazon review still pending)

In Red Valley, the rules were simple: Do not cross the King. Never, ever go in the river. Don’t trust the liar.

After tragedy strikes, Sadie finds herself the new Liar of Red Valley. As the keeper of the town’s secrets, she has powers that even she does not understand. She must learn who to trust, who is lying, and eventually has to learn to use her powers to save her town.

This is an American Gothic style horror novel that will have you hooked from the very beginning. There is the perfect balance of reality and paranormal that creates a believable and somewhat realistic world. The writing style is easy to follow and the story line is very fast paced.

There is a good mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. There are also some truth bombs dropped that seriously almost made me yeet my Kindle across the room. This style of book is out of my comfort zone and I am so glad I picked it up. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a one sitting read but I did finish it in a day because I was not able to put this down.

People believe things they know ain’t true every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

This story is full of lovable and relatable characters as well as villains and juicy conflict. It is a nail-biter for sure and will leave you wanting more until the very last page.

Positives- well written, easy to follow, relatable characters, interesting plot line

Negatives- There are times when the narrator switches to a different character with like zero warning and this took a bit of getting use to. Majority of the book is in Sadie’s perspective but there are some switches that can throw you off.

First book i have read in a month, and this was the perfect book for me to read to get back into reading.
It was hard for me to put the book down and stop reading it, and right now i already want to read it again.

Definitely the best book I've read so far in 2021

This book is about Sadie who's the daughter of the Liar, and when The Liar dies, that's when troubles begins.

Sadie inherits the powers that was gifted to her family in the 1800's by the King of Red Valley.

And in red valley there are three rules just must follow if you want to stay alive

Don’t trust the Liar.

Don’t go in the River.

Do not cross the King.


This book has a bit of everything, Creepy beasts called The laughing boys, an annoying new under-sheriff who disapprove of the king (not annoying because he disapproves, he's just annoying and a jerk), a time traveling gay couple (whom i adore), and great friendship

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

This is, without a doubt, the most creative book I’ve read all year. There’s magic, a King, and a Liar, but there’s also a town in California that’s set in the modern day. This book will send you on a rollercoaster ride that’s a mixture of horror and fantasy. One of this year’s truly great books.
I loved the lore and magic in it. And I especially loved the main character, Sadie. She has fire and is a force to be reckoned with. The plot is rich and the villains and side characters are wonderful to read about. Definitely recommend.

This might be my FAVOURITE book of the year so far. Clever, fantastical, creepy, dark... an easy 5 stars for me.

The Liar of Red Valley is mistrusted or disliked by almost everyone in her mysteriously magical hometown. Why? Because for a price, she can take people's lies and make the whole world believe that they are true. When Sadie's mother passes away unexpectedly, she inherits the Liar title - and a whole other host of dangerous problems and secrets with it...

I. LOVED. This. Book. It's a mystical and dark modern fantasy, and I absolutely tore through it. As the story develops it only gets better, and the way Goodwater used different characters and aspects of the book and the town was so, so clever. The twists were unpredictable and reminded me very much of Frances Hardinge's stories (which is a huge positive for me as Hardinge is my favourite author and has written several of my favourite books) but for an older audience.

There's a huge range of diverse characters, with mlm and wlw representation as well as POC rep, all of which are significant characters throughout the book. In turn, the book deals with sexism, homophobia, and racism (as well as police brutality) in a way that seamlessly and realistically blends into the story. Goodwater's characterisation and writing was witty and thoughtful, and I absolutely loved it.

I want to say again that this book is CLEVER. Authors who can pull off such clever twists and weave events together so well always leave me in awe, and I've not discovered many yet other than Hardinge who can do this so effectively. Goodwater pleasantly surprised me again and again with his unique concept and twists.

The writing and descriptions themselves are nothing particularly special, but the story itself makes up for it. This additionally means that the book is fast-paced and a nice quick read. I thought it was perfect for the story Goodwater was telling.

I would urge any fantasy fan to pick up this book AS SOON as it comes out. Please. Please read this book. I adored it and I need someone to rant to it about!!

Sadie's mom is The Liar. Sadie knows a bit about what her mom does, but when Sadie finds she's inherited the title after her mother's death, she finds she has a lot to learn. A lot to learn about being the Liar, about the King, about her mother, and about herself.
The Liar of Red Valley is a great mix of horror, suspense, monsters, magic...and friendship. It had me hooked from the beginning! It's a real page-turner.

#TheLiarofRedValley #NetGalley

3.5 stars!

I really liked what Walter has done with this story. He has created a really unique and believable concept and added in some very out there fantasy ideas. Everything works well and there is nothing out of place in the story.

I think this is a story that makes you ask questions, makes you fill in the blanks and that’s a great story to read. I just wanted more character development for Sadie!

A crazily creative tale or myth, The Liar of Red Valley is magical!

Like all mythical tales, the fate of the people of the town of Red Valley are in the hands of the Evil King. We learn quickly that the the Liar, mother of Sadie, is dying, and Sadie is fated to take on the mantle of the King's liar. It is certainly not a popular role and one that Sadie does her best to reject. But one of the governing rules of Red Valley is that you do not cross the King!

For me, I wanted more character development. It was hard for me to emphasize with the characters. I think this is a great book for lovers of magical realism, horror and fantasy.
It is a fast paced book that may occasionally lose you in the story lines that take absurd plot twists.

Talk about twists and turns. Just when you think one thing it goes the opposite way! Was a very interesting read.

Thank you to publisher for allowing me to read this book!