*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I went into this book thinking it was a standalone and then discovered it's not (it's a trilogy). I am equal parts disappointed and thrilled--I expected the whole story and conclusion to be contained in this one book, but I definitely want more of this story and the world it's in.

The story is compelling, and I love that the inspiration was an obscure Grimm fairy tale. (I don't want to say more than that because it would kind of give some things away.) Meren (18, almost 19) is feisty and protective, and I love those things about her. I liked her even more when she started to realize that she had value beyond being her sister's double. Reven (23) is one of those characters I knew I'd like eventually even though he didn't make it easy at the start. And I did, even if he remained somewhat prickly the whole time.

Abigail Owen successfully crafted a book that I was quickly sucked into. Her writing delivered the story very well rather than distracting me from it. I think I forgot I was reading a few times--just experiencing. My biggest complaints, though, were the swearing and the sex scene. Any time a character swore, it was just so jarring and felt out of place in that world. I think the book would have been much better without it or the sex scene. I would have enthusiastically given this book five stars and a strong recommendation if it hadn't contained those two elements.

Note: Some swearing but lots of f words (about 10). A moderate sex scene.

I haven't read a whole lot of YA recently, and when I do, it's definitely not Fantasy, but the cover for this one was so pretty I just couldn't turn away from it. The story starts with two baby girls being born, which is common for that family line. Also common is the theft of one of those girls when she comes into her magic, so that her twin sister (who's been hidden) takes her throne, and the citizens never know that anything was amiss. However 18 years later, the secret twin, Maren, gets kidnapped by someone called the Shadowraith.

There is a lot of character building in this one, as you'd expect from the first book in what will inevitably be a series, but the characters are real and entertaining. Even though the male love interest is technically a bad guy, you can't help rooting for him. I enjoyed this one in a way I haven't been able to connect to YA books lately, and couldn't put it down.

So many stars for this epically wild ride. I am going to be honest, I don’t read many YA books, having said that when Abigail Owen is attached, it’s an automatic read for me. I couldn’t read it fast enough, absolutely devoured this book. I lost a lot of sleep, and could not put it down. As always it was just as amazing as I thought it would be.

Meren is the twin princess that nobody knows about, and is tasked with sacrificing herself to keep her sister the future queen safe at all cost. And when she gets taken instead of her sister, it starts an epic story. Reven gets a handful with Meren when he takes her. She is quite the ornery and sassy handful. And Reven is the calm to keep her inline…or you know try to. Whew, these two, seriously their chemistry is off the charts. The powerful connection between these two was everything, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Just wanted more of them, which also kept me glued to the pages. Their back and forth, with the growing respect they have for each other, topped off with so much raw chemistry was an intoxicating combination. One that I got completely lost in….for hours.

The storyline was fantastic. It starts out right from the Prologue and goes full force throughout, so many wild twist, and turns. Which is exactly what kept me glued to the book. And every single emotion I could feel, I did, and so intensely. At one point I was crying so hard I couldn’t get it under control…so that kind of intense emotion. Top all that off with these two and their raw chemistry…it’s hard to resist this bit of book crack.

4.5/5

Tabra and Meren were both born princesses, just minutes apart, but only one is allowed to live in the light, while the other must hide and live in shadow. For generations it has been this way: a princess for the people, and a princess for emergencies. With a lurking evil coming closer though, Tabra and Meren’s fates are suddenly thrown into chaos, and a mistaken identity changes their world - and their hearts - forever.

I really appreciated the single first-person perspective. It was a nice break from the many YA novels that have adopted the third-person omniscient view. Meren is such a fun and interesting character to read from. I really liked the depth of her character and overall story arc.

Reven gives me Rhysand vibes in all the right ways. So yes please. It was interesting to see his development as a character through Meren’s eyes as well. Solid male lead overall.

I really like Abigail Owen’s writing style. Reading is a breeze and I appreciate the shorter chapter lengths. Though this book is long, it didn’t take as much effort to get through it as I thought. The world building was also really interesting. The eARC I read didn’t include a map, so I’m hoping the physical will. I’m so down to just learn more about the world itself.

Honestly this book was near perfect to me. The middle dragged just a little, but the romance, general story and the plot twists definitely made up for that. I was, however, devastated to find out this wasn’t a stand-alone. That being said though, I am now looking forward to continue reading this series.

Geez, August is not going well for me so far. I've been in a crap mood because of chronic pain so maybe that's impacting my reading? I don't know. Let me tell you the reasons I didn't like this one and you can judge for yourself.

So this book is about a twin queen who can assume her sister's place when needed because no one knows she exists. There's an evil dude who has been killing queens for centuries and somehow stops when the twin gets put on the throne because he needs the line to continue. The twin (Meren) goes to the queen's side (Tabra) when their grandmother dies and she ends up getting mistaken for the queen and kidnapped.

My first issue with this, which is not the book's fault, is that I read something similar a few months ago (Twin Crowns) and I LOVED it. Therefore, it was already being held to high expectations because I wanted to love this just as much and I didn't. Some of the ideas in here felt half-formed and didn't really play out, which made me wonder why they were included in the first place.

Some examples of not fully formed plot points:
-Cain wanting to be with Meren
-Tabra being gay and in love with her handmaiden
-Meren's beef with Pelly
-Cain's family's background

Those are just a few. It seemed like there was just a lot of ideas that I expected to have some sort of point... and then they just became background fodder.

Also, this book was super focused on the romance between Meren & Reven and because I wasn't into either character, I just couldn't get into it. I imagine people that love Meren and/or Reven will end up loving this book. That just wasn't me. I also found the shadow selves and shedding confusing, which is another main theme of the book. So if I'm not liking the main characters or major themes in the book, it makes sense that I wouldn't like the book itself, yes?

Meh. Boring, underdeveloped, and not for me.

In a world divided into regions that are protected from each other by different means specific to the rulers magic, we meet Karen of Afyd, a desert world ruled by women. Tabra, Meren's twin sister, is next in line to the throne. Karen is Tabra's secret body double, who will ascend the throne should Have a be killed. Which is highly likely. King Eidolon, a long time threat to the Aryd crown, has killed many of the princesses of Aryd in an attempt to take over the region. Does he know if the body double?Will his attempt finally succeed? Not if Meren can help it. But then Karen is kidnapped as the kingdom awaits the arrival of King Eidolon, who has proposed marriage to Tabra.
With plenty of adventure, enemies to lovers story line, witty dialogue, well developed characters, and a bit of magic, The Liar's Crown is a winner for both YA and adult audiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc from Netgalley for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! Twin princesses, swapping roles, a brooding dangerous man, yes please. Every YA lovers style of adventure!

The characters and plot were fast driven and I was never bored! This is a fantasy to read for sure!

If you love fantasy romance with twin main character, strong heroine, brooding love interest complete with fake identity and enemies to lovers trope then you can check this one out!

The plot is very interesting, it was well written with unique magical system.
There's a few surprises along the story that makes me keep reading this book until the end.

I really like Meren's character in here, she's a fearless woman who dreams of being free and have her own life.
Then she met Reven, the mysterious brooding guy with a dark secret who kidnap her. His background story is what intrigue me the most here!

While I really like the main characters and their bantering in the beginning, the romance between them progresses too fast for my liking. Regardless, I still enjoy their sweet moments with each other.

The world building is unique and fascinating, however I hope there will be more development in the next book because sometimes I got confuse with the places, different powers and people in it.

Overall, it's a pretty good start for a fantasy series. The ending of this book makes me curious to what will happen in the next book!

<i>Thank you to Netgalley, Abigail Owen and Entangled Publishing for granting this review copy to me. I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily! </i>

Abigail Owen is one of my favorite authors but I had a little bit of a hard time getting through this one.
There isn't anything "wrong" with it, I just think it was me not feeling it?

I absolutely love the idea behind this book and it is very well written I just don't think I could connect to the world like I normally do, hence why I think it was me and not the book itself.

Meren is a twin, a body double, to her sister Tabra who is next in line to be queen. She has always been the after thought throughout her life because she is only meant for one thing. She wants her own life but she has been groomed to be her sister and that is what she is determined to do. She can't let anything happen to her so she is willing to let it happen to herself.

Always expecting the worst, it happens. However Meren learns that there is more of a world out there than she was taught. Reven, the lovely kidnapper, has his reason behind taking Meren and she comes to understand them. She also comes to understand Reven too and that leaves her questioning a lot about herself and her life and what she should be doing with it.

There will be a book 2 so at that point I will be re-reading and maybe then I will be in a good mindset to enjoy this book like I should!

The best thing I've read in a long while! I loved this one! Interesting characters and a great twist on the heir and the spare trope. The romance was excellent. The only bad part is is how much I cannot wait for the next one!

The Liar's Crown is a fairly generic young adult fantasy with the classic enemies to lovers trope. It isn't anything new but if you enjoy these classic tropes you will enjoy this story.

ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man I didn't expect to love this book as much as I ended up doing. The romance was just jumping off the pages while also working well into the plot. My one big complaint is that I expected this book to be the typical young adult book which meant I was not expecting there to be a sex scene in it. I would probably consider this book to be more new adult considering the ages of the characters as well as the steamy scene. I can't wait for the sequel to see where things end up going!

I liked this book just fine but I don't think I would re-read it. The premise and the characters are really interesting and I found myself really drawn into the story. I think I will recommend this book to others once it is released.

The Liar's Crown is an exciting fantasy novel filled with action, romance (some enemies-to-lovers), magic, and complex characters. Meren and Tabra are twin princesses - one exists to become queen and the other exists to be the body double in dangerous, potentially fatal, situations. Meren, the "double", wants more from life; however, she also loves her sister dearly and will do anything for her. Then, one night, the Shadowaith kidnaps Meren, believing her to be Tabra. The story really picks up pace and excitement at this point. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of Meren and Reven's (the Shadowaith) relationship. Added to the story is an evil shadow king who is set on marrying Tabra.

The world building and the magic system are well-done. The two main characters are both complicated with many layers. There are plenty of side characters that are also enjoyable to read. The book ends on a cliffhanger, so there will definitely be a sequel. I will be recommending The Liar's Crown to all my fellow fantasy readers, and I cannot wait for book 2!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC.
**May contain spoilers**

I was immediately drawn into this story- plot, characters and all. Though the idea of a male character manipulating shadows and having a ~shadowy~ past is nothing new, the premise of this story was so refreshing. There was the typical darkness, but overwhelming tenderness. It was such a beautiful read that it went by far too quickly. I can not wait for the next book!

I was expecting a typical YA fairytale retelling with this one, but what I got was much much better. As the author explains at the end, the seed for this story came from a lesser-known Grimm Fairytale about a man who sheds his shadow and the shadow ends up taking over his life. But this was definitely not a retelling and I found the entire storyline to be unique and very engrossing. Once I started, I had a hard time putting it down. I try to keep my reviews spoiler-free, so let me stick to what I liked about this book without going into any details. First off, I loved the character of Meren. She was smart, capable, and really funny, and even though she spent her life being a stand-in for her sister (so basically had no life of her own), she still managed to carve out bits of time for herself and even made a good friend. Reven was absolutely fascinating and I loved that the romance between them was not Insta-love, which you often find in YA romance novels. The author really took her time developing the relationship between them and I loved the humor that was integrated into their conversations. The struggle between good and evil was so well-down and the author made you feel that struggle on a visceral and visual level. The twists and turns that occurred at the end had me on the edge of my seat and I was so disappointed when the book came to an end, knowing I will have to wait who knows how long for the next book. Despite the harrowing end, though, the author leaves you with enough hope that you will want to dive right back into the next book as soon as it's released. This is the first book I've read by this author, but I loved it and plan on reading more of her books.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book is being published on August 30.

A young adult fantasy with world building, romance, twins, and a love triangle. Meren, our heroine, is a kickass "younger" twin destined to fill in or die for her twin sister who is destined to be Queen one day. Woe to the person who kidnaps the wrong twin, or does he? This book starts with many intriguing ideas and jumps right into action, so it grabs you quickly. Most of the details and world building occur later in the book, which does drag down in the middle and asks more questions than it answers. If you hang in, you are rewarded with non-stop action for the last part of the book, and you will not be able to put it down. I was taken aback with the obsessive love relationship between the two main characters. It was not my favorite part of the book, but then I was rooting for the other man in this love triangle, so I may be biased. I thought this was a standalone book, but it is clear from the ending, that this is the first of two or more books. Now I can't wait for the next one.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. The review is my own.

We follow Meren, the second-born princess from a kingdom where twins are born every other generation, and where one of them acts as a double for the 'true' heir in any dangerous situation. One day, Meren gets kidnapped by a mysterious figure who thinks she's her sister.

The world-building as a whole was interesting. The magic system, although not the most innovative or unique, was fun. However, I was confused a lot, especially in the beginning. There were a lot of new concepts thrown at me all at once: hylorae, enfernae, imperium, zariphates, wanderers, devourers… Also, at the end of the book, I still have many questions (I think there’ll be a sequel but idk for sure). why are the lands sinking/floating?

As for the plot, overall it was ok. I felt at times that it was a little repetitive. Also, this book felt so long to the point of thinking maybe some things should’ve been condensed (?). Most of the plot was pretty basic and predictable. The major plot twists didn’t shock me. Although Reven's relationship/tie to Eidolon was an interesting concept.

The romance was fun to read about, the spice was a fun surprise (though does it make sense for YA?), and their banter was so fun. However, it felt a bit insta-lovey and I felt like there was zero to none of the enemies to lovers I was expecting. They were enemies for a solid 5 minutes before Meren was attracted to Reven. And then he’s kissing her out of nowhere. It felt rushed. Also, the constant denial of attraction was pissing me off. As for the lowkey love triangle, I have a feeling it will manifest in book 2 and I really hope it won't.

I liked Reven and Meren but also meh. I'll probably forget them soon, they're very similar to other characters from similar books.
Meren is "not like other girls". She's strong, swears, prefers comfortable clothes... She's also incredibly stupid. She cannot for her life figure things out. Although, I did love her funny comebacks/thoughts .
Reven is a "bad guy" who is scary looking but actually is nice on the inside and falls instantly for the main characters. I've seen this a million times before.

In fantasy books, I am always particular about swearing. If it’s made-up words, as in this case “mother goddess” or “hells”, I don't mind it but it needs to be consistent. The random “ass”, “bitch”, and “fuck” didn't make any sense to me.

Overall, fun and fast to read, even if I have read similar books before.

I love Abigail Owen's books and I was really looking forward to this latest one. That said, I was a little nervous, young adult isn't usually my genre of choice and I was worried that this one might not quite hit the spot. I needn't have been concerned. From the first page, when we are given the details of our heroine Meren's birth, I was hooked.
The previous books I have read by Owen have all been romances and while this is a romance, or rather it would be misleading to say that it wasn't a romance, there's a lot more going on here. This is a fantasy story with a bit of romance that unfolds in the pages.
I loved Meren's character, I'm all about strong female leads and she has that and then some. Our hero, Reven is also fantastic, is he evil? Is he good? Perhaps he's a mixture of both and neither all at the same time. Either way, he's a fascinating character.
This book is the first and three and the story is far from resolved by the last page. I both loved and hated that. I didn't want to leave this world yet, but neither did I want to have to wait (as I am doing) for what is going to happen next.
A fantastic, gripping read that drags you in and then leaves you with a serious 'book hangover' while you wait for the next instalment.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

absolute gem of a book

pros: characters. written so well and ugh i just love all of them
plot! it's actually good
world building!! it's so nice to see a good fantasy romance book with actually good world building
also the writing style is very very good and i liked it a lot!

cons: i can already feel the incoming love triangle in book 2 and idk if i like it (feeling my heart will get swayed then broken)

meren is such an easy character to root for and although i didnt really like reven at the start, he def grew on me. also love all the other characters and omg achlys and tabra make me swoon they're so sweet together (hoping for more achlys tabra content in book 2!!!)

-1 star for no particular reason, it just wasn't an unforgettable amazing book that i would make one of my favorites.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book!!