Cover Image: Daughter of Lies and Ruin

Daughter of Lies and Ruin

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Member Reviews

I did really enjoy this book right from the beginning. The action started right from the very begging of this book and lasted. The two main character's were also very good leads. I am excited to read the next book in this series.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for providing a free ARC of this book.

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Daughter of Lies and Ruin definitely does not disappoint! The action begins as soon as you open the book and begin reading Chapter One.

I really enjoyed Aleida and Dee’s characters. However, I feel that they could have been developed more, especially Dee. There were times where she was constantly whining and relying too much on Aleida for help, instead of trying herself. I hope there is another book in the series to wrap up a lot of loose ends.

Thank you to Voyager and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

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I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. There was great character development and plot development and I really enjoyed the writing. I did not want this book to end! Thank you Netgalley and Harper 360 for this ARC but all opinions are my own.

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Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the first book in the Blackbone Witch trilogy I fell in love with the atmosphere, mystery and altogether different take on witch’s that I had previously read. I mostly follow YA story lines, and this series took witches in a different direction than I am normally used to.

The second book in the trilogy picks up where the first book let us go, a couple weeks after the fact. Our main characters are just living life, and Aledia is teaching her new young apprentice the craft. Learning to live in the world is full of surprises and Dee faces the dilemma that many of us face in our real lives, good vs evil— right back wrong.

Throughout the story Dee is constantly pressing the issues of morality as she seems them. Although I think it’s an important part of her development as a character I really couldn’t relate to her with it. I felt it was over hashed out and almost took away from the story.

The only other qualm I had with the story and as well as the first story is the time setting. Both books take place over a VERY short amount of time. This leads to the actions and story line to be more unbelievable (if fantasy could be considered believable in the first place 😂) and lent to be less credible to what I would like in a story!

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The story begins several months after the conclusion of A Curse of Ash and Embers, and the relationship between Dee and Aleida has grown quite a bit from the first book. Throughout the first book, the characters were getting to know and understand each other, as well as the new situations they were thrust into. Now, they are more comfortable with each other and seem to understand each other well. Aleida and Dee have embraced the roles of mentor and mentee, and their ease with each other shows that they are close companions with trust and a strong connection.

No longer the naïve and innocent girl who first arrived, Dee has become more confident and self-assured. I like that she is gaining confidence and a sense of belonging. Though she still longs for things that were missing in her past, Dee has found a new family in Aleida. Aleida, in turn, has learned from Dee and isn’t as hard and uncompromising as before. These women are so different in how they think about and deal with the world around them. They contrast each other, and yet they complement each other well.

I love the depiction of strong, powerful women who aren’t daunted by the obstacles that stand in their way. Aleida, in particular, embodies female empowerment and independence. Kara, a young woman searching for her missing father, is another strong, determined character who refuses to listen to the men that try to control her. She is a woman of action, and I like her fiery personality. Of course, there is more to Kara than meets the eye, which totally surprised me. Dee, no longer obedient to her abusive step-father, is finally free to think, speak, and act without fear of retribution. There are so many messages about sisterhood and the strength of women, which is one of my favorite aspects of the novel.

The supernatural elements continue to expand and remain intriguing. We learn more about Dee and Aleida’s abilities, which are so fascinating. Abilities like being able to inhabit the bodies of animals or being able to travel to different worlds are explored. As Dee and Aleida travel throughout the book, they also work on their magic. Even though they have different strengths, Aleida has much she can teach Dee. Of course, this becomes even more imperative as nefarious forces threaten both Dee and Aleida, and Aleida’s curse still hasn’t been cured.

Daughter of Lies and Ruin is an engaging addition to the Tales of Blackbone Witches, and I’m excited to continue the series. Adventure, mystery, magic, and an epic fight scene make for an engrossing read, though there are some parts that felt a bit slow for me. It is the second book in the series, and though you could read it as a standalone, I think reading the first book would provide important context for readers. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Voyager, and Jo Spurrier for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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I love that this jumped right into some action. No easing in, just continuing the story where it left off. I really enjoyed this book, it had great pacing and an interesting plot with a lot more magic.
There is a big magical problem in the area and Elodie and Aleida must figure it out before it's too late.
Sly humor, interesting new players and plenty of action make this a fast and very enjoyable read.

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Daughter of Lies and Ruin is the second book in the Blackbone Witches series and it is another great one. It takes place after A Curse of Ash and Embers and follows Dee and Aleida on the road dealing with magical business. Along the way, they run into bandits, a sword-fighting girl, and an evil witch. I absolutely loved the first book and this one did not disappoint. The relationship between Dee and Aleida is fantastic and one of my favorite things about the story. I also enjoyed the beasts especially Toro. While this is a wonderful follow-up to the first, you do not need to have read that one to understand this one. It stands just fine on its own. It is a fantastic story with strong characters and a clever plot. I can't wait to see what is in store next.

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I loved the heck out of the first book in this series, I have no idea how many books there are supposed to be and I can't find any information anywhere as to how many there'll be. While I enjoyed this book as well, I wasn't as fond of Dee's character as I was in the first book. Her character development felt like it took a bit of a step back.

She had less agency and spent a lot of the book reprimanding Aledia for all her choices, failing to see the bigger picture. Her naivete and narrow worldview caused more problems than resolved. Yes, she was correct that they should investigate the strange and concerning things happening, but the way Dee wanted to do things barely worked out most of the time, and most revolved around luck.

I enjoyed this book, but I felt that it had less focus than the first book in a lot of ways. I would have liked to see Dee getting trained more, rather than a lot of standing around in the forest talking. I don't know, I just felt that the decision to get involved didn't really add anything to Dee and Aledia's story that much. They're no closer to breaking Aledia's curse than they were at the end of the first book. I just hope that there are more books and they actually make progress with that.

This review is coming across a lot more negative than I feel for the book in general. I recommend this book and this series, they are fun reads and the magic is interesting, I just, again, wish that Dee had more training so that the magic could be explained with more detail.

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I have received this ARC from NetGalley and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie here guys. When I saw that I was accepted to read this lovely eARC from both NG and Edelweiss I freaked out. Mostly because I knew I enjoyed the crap out the previous book and I was really hoping that Daughter of Lies and Ruin wasn't going to disappoint me.

Well, it didn't but I definitely didn't like Dee in this one. It's like her character development went downhill a bit. It's weird to me that she didn't really improve in this one because I remember wanting her to grow a backbone in the first book. Now in this one, she is just really naïve and whines so freaking much.

Besides Dee, there's Aledia and honestly I love this girl. I didn't think she could become better but she definitely improved and I'm so happy for that. She was a bad ass and I loved her sass. I just didn't like how Dee was like can you do this and this and this. Like excuse me.. look at this poor witch and realize that maybe you can do something so she can take a nap or something. Hot damn!

In the end, the action was so freaking good and I can't wait for their next adventure. I really hope Dee gets better because if not .. I don't know how I'm going to feel.

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Daughter of Lies and Ruin is a is a wonderful and incredibly rich fantasy novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere, and the characters.

This novel submerges the reader in a landscape so imaginative and detailed that the information of the world building/plot never feels forced, and is never difficult to understand or picture in one's mind. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

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Thank you to Netgalley and Harper 360 for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Elodie is an apprentice witch to Aleida Blackbone who has been cursed by her former mentor, the original Blackbone.  This happens in the first novel of this series, but it was easy to catch up and I didn't have to read the first book in order to enjoy reading this one.  This was a fun YA story with an engaging heroine and fascinating world-building. 

Elodie and Aleida are on a journey to give away the ill-gotten gains of the original Blackbone witch, and attempt to find a way to break Aleida's curse.  Along the way they encounter a young lady warrior searching for her father, many bandits and smarter than average animals.  There is a big magical problem in the area and Elodie and Aleida must figure it out before it's too late.

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Daughter of Lies and Ruin is book 2 of a triology. I haven't read the first book, but I find it safe to say one can read this book as a stand alone.

Dee is a young woman who is an apprenticeship with a witch named Aleida. As Dee and Aleida are travelling to donate some cursed money to a convent when they find strange occurances happening. Dee ends up meeting Kara who is staying at the convent under authority of Lord Belmont because her dad has been missing for several months and as a young lady, she has no parental guidance. Dee is hell bent on finding her dad and she will go to any length to find him.

I really enjoyed the book. It was a quick, easy YA fantasy read. I liked Dee and Aleida's characters. Dee always sees the good in someone which could get her in trouble at times and this seems to drive Aleida crazy.

I guess I need to read the first book to see it fills any missings gaps I may have overlooked.
All in all, I would recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper 360 for this egalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

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I enjoyed this book. The pacing and characters were well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

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I liked characters and descriptions. I liked cover. I liked world building . I liked gentle giant Maggie

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