DNF'd at 34%

The prologue of this book had me practically salivating. Unfortunately, the main story didn't live up to the potential.

My biggest issue with The Liar's Crown is the lack of world-building. Instead of using events as an opportunity to provide explanations (for Enora's hostilities, the existence of monsters, the need for a sanctuary), we're expected to just swallow Reven's "Later" and move on.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. The story itself was on that was full of adventure, great characters, action, suspense, enemies, secrets, threats, revenge and funny moments. There are so many layers of threats when it comes to this series that you won't know which one will present itself at any given time. It also has a slow-burn romance that will have you on the edge of your seat waiting for things to happen between the two main characters. I wanted them to get to it, but I loved the anticipation. The one thing I disliked about this story was that I felt that the main character put herself down or thought herself so worthless when it came between her and her sister. I hope that in the next book she believes in herself and see herself as equal and worthy. I don't want to give anything away, but I think that any person who enjoys a good paranormal romance will enjoy this story. I'm excited to know what happens next, especially with that cliffhanger ending.

The description of this book really intrigued me. The idea of the secret princess who is essentially the stunt double for the future queen? Never heard of this story line and it pulled me in from the beginning.

Let me preface by saying that this wasn’t a bad book. I loved the world, the beginning of the plot and the magic system. It really sucked you in, in the beginning of the book. Super epic prologue and everything. I was so excited until Meren (our main character) gets kidnapped and it just completely does a 180 on the direction of the story.

The current queen died which forced the eldest sister to ascend the throne. Through tradition, the younger twin sister Meren pretends to be her. It was a way to protect the royal bloodline. But while impersonating her, Meren gets kidnapped because the kidnapper thought she was the queen.

Then it seems that the plot just changed direction and I felt that the reason I went into this no longer was there.

A lot of action scenes in the woods of them fighting to save themselves from monsters that to me just didn’t make sense in the plot. Meren, when she got kidnapped, didn’t really show much resistance. The plot really slowed down and you don’t really see her back at the kingdom.

I really wanted to love this book because the beginning delivered a powerful punch. I wanted more of what was happening in the actual castle and Meren interacting with her sister.

Amazing. Perfect. Stunning. Heartbreaking. These are just a few of the adjectives I can use to describe The Liar’s Crown. I’m so happy I had the chance to read the ARC, this is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone loving New Adult books.
In the beginning, the story is a bit confusing between the worldbuilding and the magic system, but it’s also quite fast-paced and it doesn’t feel dragged out at all.
Our protagonist is Meren, the spare, but not in the way one would think: she is destined to take the throne on certain occasions so as to keep her sister, the actual heir, safe from the threat of another ruler.
Well, one could say she does accomplish her mission. In a way. Perhaps not completely.
She is, in fact, kidnapped just before the coronation ceremony, but not by the right monster… Who, might I add, doesn’t look like a monster at all, and Meren knows this all too well despite all her tentatives to lie to herself. We’ve all been there girl, we’ve all been there.
Once again, weirdly enough, I’ve fallen in love with the heroine, adoring both her internal struggles as well as her actions. Everything, from beginning to end, didn’t picture her as the stupid girl who acts out because she thinks she knows better. Perhaps it’s because it’s a New Adult and not a Young Adult, who knows. But I love her and her sass.
Another one who loves her sass is our male lead, Reven, whom you’ll undoubtedly fall in love with. The whole atmosphere between the two of them reminded me of Captain Swan fanfictions when Killian has… magic. Nope, not going into heavy detail, otherwise I’ll spoil you the plot twist. Just let me tell you this: Reven is amazing, I love him.
Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, I’d-love-to-kiss-er-kill-you, only one tree, an amazing yet not omnipotent heroine who would do anything for her sister and her people, a very much morally grey hero, an unique magical system… What more could you ask for? (I would love the sequel, thank you very much!)
Oh, before I forget: I absolutely love the harpy eagle. If you know, you know.

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Fantastico. Perfetto. Stupendo. Straziante. Questi sono solo pochi degli aggettivi che posso usare per descrivere The Liar’s Crown. Sono così felice di aver avuto la possibilità di leggere l’ARC, questo è decisamente un libro che consiglierei a tutti gli amanti dei New Adult.
All’inizio, la storia è un po’ confusionaria, tra il worldbuilding e il sistema magico, ma è anche piuttosto rapido e per niente tirato per le lunghe.
La nostra protagonista è Meren, il rimpiazzo, ma non nel modo in cui è inteso di solito: è desinata a prendere posto sul trono in certe occasioni così da tenere sua sorella, la vera erede, al sicuro dalla minaccia di un altro regnante.
Beh, si potrebbe dire che porta a termine la propria missione. In un certo senso. Forse non completamente.
Difatti, viene rapita proprio prima della cerimonia di incoronazione, ma non dal mostro giusto… Che, devo aggiungere, non sembra affatto un mostro, e Meren lo sa benissimo nonostante tutti i suoi tentativi di mentire a se stessa. Ci siamo passate tutte ragazza, ci siamo passate tutte.
Ancora una volta, stranamente, mi sono innamorata dell’eroina, adorando sia la sua lotta interna che le sue azioni. Tuto, dall’inizio alla fine, non l’ha dipinta come la ragazzina stupida che fa i capricci perchè pensa di sapere tutto lei. Forse è perché si tratta di un New Adult e non di uno Young Adult, chissà. Ma la amo e amo la sua insolenza.
Un’altra persona che ama la sua sfacciataggine è il nostro protagonista maschile, Reven, di cui vi innamorerete senza dubbio. L’atmosfera che si crea fra loro due mi ha ricordato le fanfiction Captain Swan in cui Killian possiede… la magia. Nope, non scenderò nei dettagli, altrimenti vi farò spoiler dei plot twist. Lasciate solo che vi dica questo: Reven è fantastico, e lo amo.
Enemies to lovers, forzata vicinanza, vorrei-baciarti-er-ucciderti, un solo albero, un’eroina fantastica seppur non onnipotente che farebbe di tutto per sua sorella e la propria gente, un eroe davvero, davvero moralmente grigio, un sistema di magia unico… Che altro potete chiedere di più? (Io vorrei il sequel, grazie tante!)
Oh, prima che me ne dimentichi: amo incondizionatamente l’aquila arpia. Se lo sapete, sapete.

I really wanted to like this book, but the writing felt very amateurish and the plot didn't make a lot of sense. Others will like it, but this book just wasn't for me.

Abigail Owens brings us a story of drama and danger. This story is between Meren and Reven. Meren is a twin princess but usually one that stays in the shadows while her twin Tabra is to be the next queen. But Tabra wants to be free of her duties and Meren takes her place as her double at the coronation but then gets kidnapped! Meren tries to get escape so she can save her sister, who she loves. Now Reven is hot. His grumpy side and protective. The banter and sassiness between the characters is great. I loved the history and the magic that comes into play with the Sacred Tree. Lots of drama and danger as any good story will bring out. It isn't an insta love but one that builds up but in a good way. I was expecting the end but I can not wait for the next book! As always Abigail is a one click buy for me and love to support a phenomenal author!

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

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t as invested in this book as I wanted to be. I was hoping for a deeper exploration of Meren’s relationship with her twin sister and the bond they shared, but I felt that that aspect was quickly forgotten once we got past the beginning of the book. I wasn’t particularly enamoured with the romance either—it was just a bit too insta-love and predictable for my taste. However, I do think that romantic fantasy enthusiasts would love this book—it has all the quintessential elements of the genre. Perhaps I’m just not the right person for this book, but if you’re a fan of romantic fantasy I highly recommend you give this a go!

This was a delight. We have a heroine who feels second best because she's the twin/body double of the princess who doesn't really get to have anything for herself. Except sass. Girl's got that. She gets kidnapped by a shadowy, tall, dark and secretive hot guy. He had good reasons for kidnapping her but she doesn't let him off the hook easily.

She's desperate to matter and get back to her sister who is in danger. Reven's backstory is interesting and I want to see what else he can do. I want good things for Cain despite him clearly being the odd man out of this book. He really wants Meren but he's not the guy, you know? There are all sorts of things going on here that I'm looking forward to seeing in future books in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Meren was born to be the back up. Hidden her whole life and taught to do everything just like her sister, so she would be ready if something should happen. Her sister was to be queen after all. But when her grandmother dies and her sister is about to ascend to the throne, everything goes wrong. Meren is kidnapped and must fight to get back to her sister before she weds the evil king from Tyndra.

This fast-paced, magic-filled adventure will suck you in and leave you dying to read the next book!

The Liar's Crown, by author Abigail Owen, is the first installment in the authors Dominion series. Dominion is an upper YA fantasy series with a twist on the Beauty and the Beast and Snow White fairy tales, with a nod to the sisters of Snow-White and Rose-Red. In this world, there are six dominions: Aryd, Tyndra, Wilderness, Savanah, Mariana, and Tropkis. 18 years ago, twin sisters were born. One (Princess Tabra) was born to become Queen. One (Mereneth) was born to be raised in obscurity and used as a stand-in when necessary.

One child was born Enfernae, the other Hylorae. Hylorae can control tangible, physical elements like sand, water, and plants. Enfernae control the intangible like souls or a persons mind. For as long as he has been King, Eidolon has been stealing and murdering the Queens of Aryd. In Ayrd, the Queens have been unique in that they have a set of twins every other cycle. For 18 years, Meren has lived life in poverty raised by her Omma. Her best friend is Cain who is a Wanderer, but wants more from their relationship. Things quickly change when Meren notices that she's being followed.

Then, the Queen of Aryd dies which makes Princess Tabra the new Queen. If that weren't enough, Eidolon sends Tabra a pendant as a gift. The first seen in a thousand years. With the gift, he seeks to wed her. Meren decides to take her sisters place at the coronation and unwittingly puts herself in the sights of a shadowed kidnapper named Reven. As Meren struggles to gain her freedom, she learns that there are more lies to unravel than just her own. This is definitely a story that falls into the enemies to lovers category.

While Meren is learning more about Reven, she discovers that she may be the one person who may be able to stop Eidolon and his brutal regime that seems never ending because of her powers. She also gets introduced to a cadre of characters who have made a new life for themselves away from the Dominions. Meren was raised in the desert and that made her strong, brave and compassionate towards her people. She was also forced to hide her power to control sand since childhood. She only came out of hiding when Tabra was put into dangerous situations.

Though she has one purpose in life, she longs for so much more, and her epic journey, both emotional and physical, we see the real Meren. Yes, it is fair to say that this book ends on a cliffhanger. If 2023 allows me, I will likely request the sequel from the publisher.

This was one of those books where I definitely was benefitted by being able to listen to the audiobook and ebook ARCs simultaneously. THE LIAR'S CROWN utilizes the twin body double trope and did it pretty well I think. The book starts off really strong and immediately grips the reader's attention. The worldbuilding with its matriarchal queendom, the unique magic, and the unique set up of Meren's world and its politics was a particularly strong feature in this one. I also really enjoyed Owen's writing style and the moments where her voice and humor came through in Meren's narration and personality. I was here for the slow-burn dynamic between Meren and Reven and how that relationship stretches and develops throughout the book. While this is a YA novel, it felt kind of NA at times, which I did really like because I like a good fantasy with romantic chemistry and steam between the love interests. This book was tropey, bold and just a lot of fun to dive into. There were moments in the middle of the book where I felt like the plot lagged and lost its way a little, BUT the ending really did make up for it and left me very intrigued for book 2 to see where Meren's story goes.

The Liar’s Crown is the newest book by Abigail Owen. I just saw this book all over social media, and when I was approved to review this I felt so lucky. The Liar’s Crown tells the story of twin princesses, and their purposes. I couldn’t wait to start reading, and had high expectations. Will this book meet my expectations?

As second born twin Meren’s life only has one purpose: to sacrifice her life when death comes for her sisters. Only in her true role as princess when danger lurkes, she is called to the palace when the queen dies and her twin must take the throne. When King Eidolon has sent her sister a gift as well as a proposal, Meren doesn’t trust it. The only way to keep her sister save is by killing the king, so Meren decides to take her place on the eve of the coronation. SBut then she is kidnapped by mistake by the Shadowraith. But when trying to escape, lies start to unravel. What secrets were hiding in the shadows? Will Meren be able to save her sister and dominion from the King, by killing him?

This book is a young adult fantasy with lots of magic, mystery and tension. Even though Meren seems to be just a double for her twin Tabra and them living seperate, they love each other very much. They both have accepted their fates, and communicate about when Meren is needed as a double.

In this book you will get to know both the sisters, as the different kinds of magic. One more physical, one more mental. These powers are divided between the twins, as the one thing that makes them different. But normal citizens can also posses one of the kinds of magic. During the kidnapping of Meren you will get to know lots about the magic, but also about all the dominions and their goddesses.

The Liar’s Crown has a slow building romance, but it is not really in the foreground of the story. This makes that the focus really is on the twins, their enemy and magic. This book is just full of drama, and even though the story line might not seem unique at first, I can tell it really is. Abigail Owen has managed to write such an unique story with a smooth writing style and amazing world building. I really loved reading The Liar’s Crown and am hoping for a sequel soon, since this story is far from finished if you ask me.

Obsessed in an understatement. I just finished this ARC provided by NetGalley and I am still reeling from it. I cared so much about the characters, the world was wonderfully built, the magic was so interesting.

💕If you’re looking for your next romantasy read you just found it!!!💕

👑 Enemies to Lovers
👑 Hidden identity
👑 Dark secrets
👑 Upper YA (it gets steamy my friends)

This is easily in my Top 5 new reads of the year. I want a copy on my shelf ASAP!!

A fun story that follows through in a satisfactory manner with almost everything it promises! I really enjoyed The Liar's Crown and its main character, Meren, which feels like it's getting harder and harder to say about YA fantasy lately. Usually, you only manage one or the other. The real challenge now is if the series holds itself up. I have faith, and I look forward to seeing more.

This book has a little bit of everything. Romance, action, magic, and intrigue.

Is it the most original thing I've ever read? No, it contains many tropes we've come to expect in YA. But did I enjoy it for the most part? Yes.

The story follows Meren, a girl who has lived her whole life knowing that her intended purpose is to stand in for her sister should the need arise. However, when the need finally does Meren sees herself kidnapped far away from her kingdom and unable to protect her sister as she'd always been trained to do.

Countless revelations come to light on Meren's quest to protect those she cares about, which comes to include the very man who stole her away in the first place.

I will say I do feel like this book was more romance than fantasy. It leaned more heavily into developing the relationship between Meren and Reven than it did in engaging us in the overall mystery of Eidolon on his nefarious plot.

Luckily, I enjoyed the romance and therefore mostly enjoyed the book. I'm interested in hopefully seeing more intrigue and politics in the next book as this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger

Wow! A strong read!

Enter into this fantastical world. A place of shadows and gates that traverse the country—if one can make them. For generations the kingdom of Aryd has had a deeply kept secret. When twin daughters are born to the Queen only one is acknowledged as the ruler, in this case, the Princess Tabra Eutheria I of Ayrd. The other is dead to all, never known, never acknowledged. Her duty, to act in the princess’ stead when the princess / queen is in danger.
“A second-born princess in a long line of royal twins—one to rule, the other to serve as nothing more than a secret body double in dangerous circumstances.”
Mereneith Evangeline is brought up in a modest place, not quite a hovel, but sequestered away. Meren has trained as a warrior and is a figure of stealth and deception. She is in regular touch with her sister by hidden ways. Their sworn enemy is Eidolon, the King of shadows. There’s rumours of the shadowraith abroad in the city. Meren ignores the warnings. The lonely Meren has found a way out of the city and to companionship with a group of Wanderers. Over the years she and Cain (the heir to the Zariph) have become fast friends.
When the Queen dies and Tabra is in danger it’s Meren who is taken by the shadows, into a vast forest. She will face unimaginable perils, meet new friends, find her heartsworn—and then she’ll lose them all.
A great start to a vividly imagined world. One I had no trouble stepping into.

An Entangled ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Thank you, Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.
Abigail Owen’s “The Liar’s Crown” has a very interesting premise. I liked the intrigue of a secret princess, a shadow wraith, and political backstabbing that seemed to be what the promised plot. In reality, it was just a lot of the protagonist and love interest pretending very poorly that they aren’t into each other.
And I wouldn’t have minded that, if they were particularly interesting.
I really, really wanted to love this book. I just found myself bored when I would force myself to read it. The plot seemed convoluted and the pacing was so dull. It seems that many other readers really loved this and I’m in the minority when it comes to my disappointment, and that’s ok.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 stars

The Liar's Crown is about Meren, the secret twin sister of the crown princess, meant to act as a body double. The kingdom of Aryd has done this for generations in order to thwart the evil King Eidolon, who kills at least one of the sisters every other generation for unknown motives. A dark, mysterious man kidnaps Meren on the day of her sister's coronation, which kicks off the rest of our story.

The world building is interesting, though the names are just regular words with a Y instead of other vowel (Wildernyss, Tyndra). Even still, I could see it vividly in my head and feel the changes between environments. Meren is a great FMC - she's sarcastic and deeply devoted to her sister and country. The relationship between Meren and her sister is a loving one, something I was pleasantly surprised about.

The best part is the relationship between Reven and Meren - UGH I am so emotionally invested in them. This book has the perfect balance between plot and romance for me, it had me squealing and kicking my feet. The enemies-to-lovers is written so well and I was eating it up. The tension building was great, I was falling in love with Reven right alongside Meren.

All in all, I cannot WAIT for the next book, and this one's not even out yet.

Note: I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley (Entangled Teen!) in exchange for my honest review.

This YA fantasy novel was a whirlwind of action, romance, and palace intrigue with a touch of duty and family loyalty. The gorgeous cover drew me in as well as the title. Are all those who wear crowns naturally liars? One would hope not. Thankfully, there was plenty to keep me engaged throughout the book.

I fell in love with Meren, a twin sister who must live in the decrepit shadow of her first-born sister who is expected to eventually reign as queen. Hers is a life of subjugation: poor circumstances, no free will, and certainly no one to love. She must operate as her sister's body double and expects to die in order to keep her sister and the queendom of Aryd safe. Talk about having no life! Despite these circumstance, Meren is able to find joy amongst a few people, her sister being one of them. Meren was a kick-ass protagonist who felt real and genuine. The struggles she faced on a daily basis would have anyone giving up early on, but she persevered.

Another highlight was the duality of good and evil that permeated key characters throughout the novel. It made me wonder how much evil lurks in those around us. This dichotomy drove much of the plot and offered characters unique opportunities to reflect on their humanity and worth. Plus, it added more than a bit of suspense!

Of course, there was swoon-worthy romance, held at bay by the increasing perils to the characters. There was a somewhat explicit sex scene, so it probably isn't appropriate for middle schoolers. The suspenseful romance was stellar and the possibilities of love triangles made things even more interesting.

Overall, the plot was action-packed and fast-moving without being ridiculous. It was right on pace to keep things interesting and believable, even for a magical world that was having issues.

I definitely recommend this fantasy novel, and I can't wait for the sequel!

As usual, as soon as I heard the word “retelling” I immediately requested The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen on NetGalley. While I’m not typically a huge fan of romantic fantasy, I absolutely loved this book!

Meren is a princess, but no one is allowed to know about her. There are a set of twin girls born in the royal family every other generation, and the second-born is always raised to give her life to protect the future queen. Meren is no different. She knows that her sole purpose in life is to protect her sister from the evil king, Eidolon, but when Meren is kidnapped things go awry quickly.

I adored so many things about this wonderful book! Probably my favorite aspect is that the plot is not lost to the romance. That is definitely the biggest issue I run into with romantic fantasy novels, but The Liar’s Crown was the opposite. The romance was well thought out, and more importantly, the plot was the main focus of the novel. Usually I feel like you end up sacrificing one or the other; either you have a great romance with little plot, or a great plot with no romance, but this book balanced the two perfectly!

Furthermore, Meren was a phenomenal character! She felt so realistic and very three-dimensional. Her character growth was fun to read and extremely complex. Similarly, I was initially worried because the romance seemed to rely heavily on Stockholm Syndrome, which should not be romanticized, but the author was really clever about handling this, and the romance did not feel creepy to me at all.

The entire book was written so eloquently, but the ending was everything! It doesn’t really leave you with a cliffhanger, but I’ll just say the characters are in precarious situations towards the end of the book. However, Owen adds, what I think is the perfect detail, at the end that gives the reader hope while also building intrigue for the next book!

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance, fantasy, or retellings!