Felt like this book was a slow start, however I stuck with it and enjoyed the twists and turns of this book.
When Sadies mother dies, Sadie gets the title of a liar, and that is when the adventure beginnings.

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2022/09/06/the-liar-of-red-valley-by-walter-goodwater/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Entertaining, fresh ideas, likable characters

I had a good deal of fun with this one. I went into it with little knowledge, in fact, okay, I confess, I didn’t know what to expect at all, and this could have added to my enjoyment because high expectations can often be a double edged sword, but, to be honest, I liked the characters, I seriously didn’t expect the twists, the ideas and concept felt unique to me and I just blasted through the pages.

In brief, the story takes us to Red Valley, California. A most unusual place indeed. The basic rules of Red Valley are:

Don’t trust the Liar.
Do not cross the King.
Never, ever go in the River.

So, we have a liar, no ordinary liar though. This role carries power and the magic seems to have passed down through generations of females. The most recent liar has died and her daughter will be expected to pick up the reins – even though she has no knowledge of the role whatsoever. We have a king, he possibly has secrets (but my lips are sealed). The King is never seen, this is not a monarch sitting in a castle atop a lofty hill. This is somebody hidden, not to be crossed who has ‘people’ working for him that you really don’t want to argue with. The River is actually a thing all unto itself and I’m not giving you any clues. Anyway, in order for the lies that people purchase to actually work they have to pay ‘the price’, a drop of blood marked in a secret ledger, a ledger that suddenly everyone is keen to have a sneaky peak inside.

As far as in depth world building goes this one would probably be considered a little ‘thin’ and I would agree with that. This is the type of supernatural world that you frankly have to ‘go with’, you’re going to hit the ground running and to be honest it’s probably best to keep on running because monsters, ghosts and other unidentified variables roam the pages. Red Valley is certainly a unique place. It’s a modern world and yet the inhabitants are protected by magic. It’s a world at odds with itself, the more modern residents, and particularly the sheriff, no longer believe in the King and the rules, they’re shaking things up, which seems a particularly bad idea given that on the other side of the River live all sorts of creatures only being kept in check by the King’s magic. Now, how all of this sits within the rest of the natural world I really have no idea. The story pretty much keeps within these boundaries and we don’t get to explore whether the rest of the world is similarly afflicted. To be totally fair, I didn’t have a problem at all with this. Like I mentioned above I enjoyed the story and pretty much got on board immediately.

I think the fact that I liked Sadie really helped with this She’s a young woman thrown in at the deep end, but she keeps her cool. She understands so little that I felt frustrated on her behalf but regardless she stands up for herself.

I enjoyed the writing. The author has come up with a fast paced story that certainly doesn’t lack imagination. I liked the idea of the way the lies work and it certainly involves some twists. There’s some decidedly darker elements that are a reflection of our own modern world but these are woven in well.

In terms of criticisms. I don’t have a lot to make mention of. This has a slight YA feel in some ways although that probably relates more to the slight world building. I couldn’t help wondering every now and again why the Liar didn’t use her powers to greater effect – that being said, once she did cotton on she really was quite inventive.

Overall I liked this. It was entertaining and refreshingly unique, punchy, dark, and the ending, whilst completing the tail in a satisfactory way, leaves things decidedly open for more to follow.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Don’t trust the Liar.
Do not cross the King.
Never, ever go in the River.
In Red Valley, California, you follow the rules if you want to stay alive. But they won’t be enough to protect Sadie now that she’s become the Liar, the keeper of the town’s many secrets. Friendships are hard-won here, and it isn’t safe to make enemies.
And though the Liar has power—power to remake the world, with just a little blood—what Sadie really needs is answers: Why is the town’s sheriff after her? What does the King want from her? And what is the real purpose of the Liar of Red Valley?

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

Fantastic premise. The story itself was well-written, if a bit long and disjointed at times. I like the idea of having a town with mystical powers that protect it, surrounded by “normal” towns. I do think some of the magic and monsters were a little too much. A lighter touch on some of the elements would help move the story forward without relying on this (slightly baffling) magic system. I’m looking forward to what else this author comes up with.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchanged for an unbiased review.

I wasn’t sure when I started reading this book but stuck with it and enjoyed the many twists and turns. The Liar, the King, The kings men, the laughing boys all played a part in a gripping story. When Sadie’s mother dies and the title of The Liar is given to Sadie the adventure starts. I think this is a book you will either love or hate but if you like mystical beasts and a chilling plot you will enjoy this book.

This was a gothic, haunting and atmospheric story that I couldn’t put down. It was gripping and engaging the whole way through with a level of suspense and unpredictability that added an extra layer to the storytelling. It was a chilling read that has stayed with me since I read it. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

A good option to pick up when you want a short execution of an innovative and intriguing urban fantasy concept. I'd call it a 'snack book' since it was 270 pages and wrapped up neatly and quickly.

This book has a very creative magic system, a plot twist that feels earned and has you flip back to the start, a Victorian gay couple with a time-travelling house, demons used as narcotics, ancient god-like creatures and a contemporary setting that felt very real. All of this packed into 270 pages without feeling too much at any point.

The plot kept me guessing the entire time up until the very end. At times it read more like a light horror novel than a fantasy book, but I mean that in a good way. The author succeeded in establishing mood and atmosphere through the setting descriptions- at times I felt like I could see the 'film lense filter' over the scenes.

I may be repeating myself, but the main strength of this book was in it's creativity. The creatures and the magic in the book felt original. I've certainly not read anything similar yet. The 'Laughing Boys' were my favourite concept. Demons as drugs? I love it. I also felt like the author did a very good job explaining the fantasy elements when most appropriate and created suspense when omitting explanations.

Now to some downsides.

This is less of a criticism, more of a content warning. Police brutality and general injustice they enact features heavily in this book. Especially with racism involved. I felt like it was done realistically, but I am also not an American reader. Death, grieving and death of family members is a major concept in this book too.

Because the book was short, some of the most interesting aspects of the book did not get much space to be explored. They never felt under-developed, but I just wished I had some more time with them. For example, I wish there was more use of the protagonist's 'Liar magic'.

The conclusion was a bit too 'Hollywood movie' for my taste. A little unearned in some regard, but not too jarring.

At first I found the protagonist quite bland... but I also feel like as the story unfolds, her personality is justified. I might be reading into it, but I felt like it made sense in the end why she felt kind of under-developed as a person. I did appreciate her stubborn take-no-shit attitude though. It was refreshing to see a female character that didn't hide her tail when men were being condescending or intimidating.

This is already becoming an extremely long review. So I'll wrap it up here, it was a 3.75 star read for me. I read this book as an ARC from NetGalley and it comes out in Paperback July 19th.

I received an eARC of The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater through Netgalley, thanks Rebellion Publishing! The hardback came out last fall, and the paperback version comes out this month on July 21th.

_Don’t trust the Liar.
_Do not cross the King.
_Never, ever go in the River.

This is an urban fantasy horror blend, set in a Californian town called Red Valley. When Sadie’s mom dies, she inherits her power as the Liar of Red Valley. The Liar has the ability to tell Lies and change the world. But while Sadie gets used to her new role and the secrets that come with it, things are changing in Red Valley. Danger lurks across the bridge, and Sadie needs to find answers and find them fast.

I loved the atmosphere, the blend of genres worked really well for me. The mixture of the realness of the town with the fantasy elements gave it perfect urban fantasy vibes, and the added horror elements were the icing on the cake.

Main character Sadie is great, I could really empathize with her and I love how she grows into her role throughout the book, as well as her bravery and ingenuity. I also enjoyed the different side characters we meet along the way, some helpful, some…not so helpful.

The plot is fast-paced and the stakes are high. There was a real sense of urgency throughout, which I loved. I felt like nobody was truly safe, I was on the edge of my seat a lot, and there were some jaw-dropping twists that left me in shock.

5 stars from me, I had a great time with this and am so glad I read it. Highly recommend!

I loved this book. It seamlessly combines traditional horror, amazing fantasy elements, and some folk horror in such a way that it the reader doesn't even realise it. It's a master class in how to combine genres in a book.

The concept of the Liar is wholly unique and gives us the underlying string that ties the rest of the narrative together in one frightening package.

I immediately loved the main protagonist, Sadie. She's tough as nails and take no prisoners but she's also scared, desperate, and lonely as she tries to figure out what she's supposed to do as the new Liar of Red Valley.

During her search she has to deal with the King (a supernatural being who is feared and revered in Red Valley), an Undersheriff who is hell bent on taking down the King, and other half human half demonic creatures that seek her blood.

All of these elements will come together for a thrilling, horrifying, and bloody finale that leaves the reader as breathless and spent as the characters.

Liar of the Red Valley is a frightening, unique, and totally immersive horror book that you'll remember for a long time to come.

The best way for me to describe this book is magical realism, mixed with paranormal thriller all packaged as an American gothic story. It was creepy, peculiar, there were twists and turns, and it was general madness but in a really well crafted way. The story didn't feel all over the place, you were sucked in from the beginning trying to figure out what was going on and how it all connected. I recommend if you are looking for a thriller that isn't your typical thriller!

I'm not sure how to start with this review. I suppose a spoiler free synopsis. This story follows Sadie, the daughter of the Liar of Red Valley, gifted with the power to make any lie into a truth (for a price). Sadie's power is tied to the elusive King residing deep below Red Valley and the King has enemies: monsters and gods and beasties far and wide who want him good and gone. Now Sadie has to choose - can she save Red Valley from it's blight and save the King at the same time?

Everything about this story's premise, general framework, universe, etc. was amazing. I loved the magical realism of monsters playing in the world of mortals and fighting for dominance. I loved the idea of watching someone discover their new power and figuring the best way to use it. I loved the exploration of choice and consequence, trust and betrayal, and the true nature of "real". But for all that, this was a terrible book.

Somehow, all this great framework fell entirely flat with a badly written protagonist, a needlessly rushed and spastic plot, and a conclusion that just felt so unearned. With an extra 300 pages or so this could have been an epic magic fantasy with pacing that makes sense and battles that are meaningful. As it stands now, this reads like a rough draft; a first pass to get all the ideas down but it needs meat on the bones! Add in a few plot holes and awkward attempts at representation and this was a mess. It's somehow too much and too little at the same time. It either needs to cut half the concepts to give room for gravity or expand on them all. It's a short-ish book, so I suppose the struggle doesn't last long, but I don't understand how anyone can read this and feel satisfied.

**Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion for the eARC**

Incredibly insane and addictive yet whacky and nurturing. This story was a good spin and memorably fun. It isn't for everyone and i had a great time feeling this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It's horror with a fairly light touch. I liked Sadie, and the things that puzzled me about her made a lot of sense in the end. I found this story unique, but that might be because I avoid horror. I generally am intrigued by conflict that is more nuanced, with characters that are motivated by something more relatable than pure evil. The story is well told here though, and well written, and though it's about a very young woman she is shown from a mature perspective. It's a stand-alone novel with a very satisfying ending.

This book was kind of all over the place. I'm not sure what I would classify it as I couldn't really determine the time frame. Is it today but in a fictional town with a whole lot of fantastical elements? I was very confused through a lot of it. Then there is the main character who was super flat through most of the book. Then you discover why she's so flat but it just came too late for me. Unfortunately this wasn't one for me. I was hoping for more horror and it didn't deliver.

Stars: 5 out of 5

I absolutely loved this book, y'all! This gave me the same vibes as American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett, only with a much more reliable protagonist. 

Sadie's mother was the Liar of Red Valley. A position that gave her a certain power with its inhabitants. They didn't like her, they certainly didn't trust her, but they still came to her and paid for her to tell lies on their behalf. But now she is dead, and Sadie needs to figure out how to become the next Liar. She also needs to find her mom's ledger, keep all the other ledgers safe, oh, and save Red Valley from total destruction. No worries.

As I said, this book is what is often referred to as American weird. The world is very much like our own, but certain things lurk in the shadows that are not human. The people of Red Valley know about them, and they also know the rules that let everybody coexist more or less peacefully. Newcomers though... well, either they learn, or they don't. The things in the shadows have to be fed from time to time too, after all.

I liked the atmosphere of Red Valley. This could be any run-down town in the American heartland. I drove through a lot of those. Closed and boarded up businesses on Main street, a couple cafes and diners barely surviving on local and sometimes tourist traffic, a few jobs supporting the local Walmart, drugs, alcohol, despair for the rest of the residents. The fact that there are some supernatural elements to this setup isn't all that far-fetched. After all, what do we know about those other crumbling town all over our nation? All we see when we drive through are boarded up windows. There might be their own kinds of weird residents staring at us from within. 

Most of my enjoyment with this book came from following Sadie. She is a great protagonist right from the start. She is relatable. She is very human, even when faced with hard situations. I loved her and rooted for her from the get go. And I loved her even more once I discovered a few things about her that I won't talk about because I don't want to spoil it.

The book is also well-written. There is plenty of tension and the story moves at a good pace. It's not so fast that the reader doesn't have time to get to know the characters or take a breather between action scenes. It is also not so slow that the reader would get bored. All the information about Red Valley is introduced in measured dozes and exactly when needed, without resorting to the dreaded info-dumps. 

All in all, this is one my favorite books I read in 2022 so far and I highly recommend it.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was unsure about this book at tge beginning, but it just kept getting better and better with every page I read. Sadie does what needa to be done, almost fearlessly, even though the odds are repeatefly against her. You want her to win against this battle of good and evil and get to live a calm, happy life.

WOW, I read this book in two sittings! The tension had me clutching my kindle with white knuckles for the last 1/3 of the story, and staying up well past my bedtime to reach the final page. Very rarely do I stumble across a novel I consider perfectly paced with no murky middle. Written in 3rd person, past tense, single POV (my fave) with crisp prose, this is definitely a book I would recommend to friends who like monsters and mythology.

What I loved: all of it? More specifically, the monsters, the magic system built on lies, the magic wielding characters who weren’t monsters (Sadie and Beto) and the lovely twist I didn’t see coming.

What I hated: that the book wasn’t longer. Yes, it’s 368 pages, but it feels much shorter because of the stellar writing and tension.

If you like monsters and things that go bump in the night, flawed yet fearless female MC’s and strange magic, then you will love this book!

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review for: The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater

Imagine the tv show Supernatural meets Marvel's Avengers Endgame only to twist everything you thought about the story into an ancient tale of gods at the climax. This is The Liar of Red Valley. Set in California with the main character Sadie. Shortly into the read, we find her searching for purpose in a small town only to uncover secrets about the people she loves that she wishes she never would. The supporting characters in the story have many traits of some of the most exciting sidekicks from different Supernatural episodes in my mind. None of them are too memorable, but they are essential to the plot. Overall, a well-told story, even if some of the dialogs were a little sophomoric for my taste. To the author's credit, the story does flow very well from page to page.

Spoiler Alert! I would recommend this book to others, but with a tiny caveat. Be prepared to be disappointed as one of the major plot twist characters makes a very brief appearance but is never fully explained. The book's conclusion is rushed, and it would be nice to see the author take their time telling more of the story after the climax. It left me wanting more, and unfortunately, it does not give that upcoming sequel feeling at the end (although I could be wrong, and if so, my apologies to the author).

Walter Goodwater wrote a book about some really bad water and a lot of other bad things. In fact, the little town of Red Valley is so god-awful that the major thing I didn't believe is that anybody would stay in this crappy one-stoplight village. Then I remembered the price of houses in California and realized citizens were stuck in Red Valley because it costs ten-bizillion dollars to buy a house in San Fran.

Once I got over the fantasy that people actually wanted to live in a town where the river ate anyone unlucky enough to fall in, and where "King's Men" showed displeasure by biting a hand off (That seemed a harsh reaction to getting a parking ticket,) I really got into the book. Not literally, because then I would be eaten by a river. Emotionally I got into the book because the characters were sympathetic (even the King's Men I kind of had sympathy for even if they bit) and the story was action-packed with plenty of villains and weird characters. For instance, hard-core drug users were sucking demons up their noses when other snort-type drugs were no longer enough. How awesome is that? They were called Laughing Boys until they turned into Crying Boys. Having a demon up your nose is not as cool as it sounds.

The people of Red Valley have huge problems, yet they go to The Liar to fix things like receding hairlines. Yeah, sometimes they go to forget the past, but the price of a lie is expensive. Binge watching RuPaul's Drag Race would cheer them up and be cheaper than a lie, but that wouldn't be much of a book, would it?

So, even though a lot of The Liar of Red Valley takes more suspension of disbelief than the average horror book, it's quite a bit of fun. As long as you don't wade in the river. Or upset a King's Man. Or snuff a demon up your nose. Lots and lots of action. If it can happen, it does. Oh, the two Victorian brothers with the roving, time-traveling Victorian mansion were a real hoot. I hope Mr. Goodwater writes a sequel starring these two guys.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review The Liar of Red Valley. It's a rollicking and spooky ride.

A compulsive read with just the right amount of monster

Sadie’s mother, the despised Liar of Red Valley, has just died and now the King’s Men are informing Sadie that the role has been passed down to her. Sadie tracks down her father and ancestors to find out more. But in doing so, her best friend’s brother is put in jeopardy and in order to save him, Sadie reveals an unexpected Truth, a secret, to the Undersherrif- the enemy of the King of Red Valley.

This secret might be the undoing of the King, the Liar, and whole town of Red Valley.