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!!

Liar's Crown was not my favorite as it didn't really draw me in or stand out from other YA fantasies. If I had to put my finger on it, I'd say it was TOO focused on Reven and Meren. Only the first part of the book is about Meren's 'normal' life and the other 90% is her journey with Reven. While her thinking changes between being a kidnap victim and wanting to help Reven and his people, I expected her time away from the castle to be short, and my reading dragged when it turned out to be the whole book.

(5 Stars)

"All this feeling, and I have no idea what to do with it."

"(Reven) My princess has a potty mouth."

"I have no idea if I'm terrified or turned on" (Me unashamedly so many times in the book)


This book is pure fucking gold. I love nothing more than entering a fictional world which is well-written. And this book was exactly that. I think this is one of the books I'll never be able to forget. Not just for the language, which the author did a fantastic job at, but also for the plot and the characters.

We have a badass heroine, and she was amazing through and through. I think I might have a crush on her, The book was not just a fantasy book, but her coming of age story, and I loved it. Now if I talk about Reven, I DEFINITELY have a crush. A morally grey character, a reluctant saviour and pure-hearted man with a tortured soul. What's not to love about him? I think I'm going to dream about their relationship for weeks to come because it was the 'I protect you, you protect me.' kind of relationship they had The feminist in me was glowing throughout this book.

The reason fantasy books have always been my favourite genre is because of the plot. And this book just proves it. There was never any stagnancy in the plot, it kept moving and taking me with it. I went through so many emotions while reading this. And I still couldn't keep the book down. It was gripping, captivating and BEAUTIFUL.

This book wasn't just about lies and betrayal, but also about steamy chemistry, confusing feelings, and a thrilling adventure. It was perfection carved in so many words. And I absolutely loved it.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen is book one of a three-part series YA fantasy novel set in a dystopian world where Meren, a second-born twin princess lives a life where she has to sacrifice her life for her sister if death comes for her. Per tradition, Meren is her sister's body double. On the day of her sister's coronation as queen, Meren is mistaken as her sister and is kidnapped by the Shadowraith.

I thought the author did a great job at world-building -- a lot of vivid details on the world which helped me picture their surroundings. However, I was not crazy about the romance between Meren and Reven. It is the usual YA romance authors always add to a plot line and the amount of times they both describe the temptation for one another was cringeworthy.

Going into the novel, I had thought it would be a standalone book but the author leaves the ending open for a sequel, which I prefer. It would've changed my perspective as I read the novel if I had known this was a series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This was just perfect. The pacing was amazing. I LOVED our two main characters. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite trips and this book did it SO WELL. I cannot wait for the next one.