Just a perfect book to relieve that itch if you’re craving for a good romantic and angsty, fantasy novel. I am highly recommending it to everyone who loves this genre. Because this book has came to serve; banter, romance, angst and the quite engaging and exciting plot that one can’t help but find themselves immersed in it

Having read some of Owen's dragon books, I was really intrigued with this one. I loved the concept of the twins and how things work for them. But seeing it all play out for Meren was intense. This was a beautiful book and I cannot wait for the next one!

I love this book! Royals, secrets, hate to love, forced proximity, falling for the captor, etc. The banter between Meren and Reven is perfection! Can't wait to see where their story goes from here!

This book was sadly not for me but the writing was good and I truley hope it dose well. It’s also one I would by in for the library.

Meren is a twin - and more, as twin sister to the crown princess of Aryd, she was trained from birth to be her sister's body double. But she is decidedly NOT her sister, partially because of how she was raised, and partially because she has a totally different personality. Tabra, the crown princess, needs a body double because the king of a neighboring kingdom, Eidolon, has a power that prevents him from dying - and he has been kidnapping generations of Aryd's queens, always one twin, leaving the other behind to rule in her place. But he's getting tired of waiting, so instead of trying to kidnap Tabra or Meren, he sends Tabra a proposal - and so the adventure begins.

I quite enjoyed this novel. Meren is a unique sort of protagonist, straining against the bonds of her destiny and yet fully aware of her destiny and purpose, and willing to perform as needed to keep her twin safe. But everything goes wrong when an unknown man kidnaps Meren out of the palace, thinking that she's Tabra - and finds that he has a princess unlike anything he was led to expect. This is a complete novel, which, unlike so many recently, actually ends, and then sets up the next volume, instead of simply stopping in the middle and planning to pick up in the next volume. I appreciate it when books are handled this way, rather than simply writing one very long novel and splitting it into multiple volumes, assuming that readers will want to read a serial. I look forward to the next volume, due out next year, and hope it will meet the same standard that this one did.

The synopsis was so interesting I had to read about these twin sisters that one is hidden away and used as a body double if there is danger. There is a lot that happens in the beginning and end with a slow middle. There is an enemies to lovers trope between Meren and Reven, along with magic and secrets that keeps the story moving until the cliffhanger ending leading to the next story.

Interesting concept: twin princesses: one a queen, one a body double. Throw in a kidnapper with shadow magic and an evil king set with a sinister plan in mind.

I really loved the premise this has, with twin princesses and switching places. This is what drew me to the book in the first place. The magic system was another highlight of the book at the start, but it needed more explaining of how everything works. The ending left me speechless! It was spectacular and I wish the second book would come out quicker!

I loved the lore of this world, because I love royalty and fantasy with kingdoms. The first chapter was an amazing opening because of that. Hopefully we get even more of the history in the next book.

However, I wish we got more scenes of Meren and Tabra! Their sibling bond is something I wish was more explored, but maybe that will change in the sequel. I wasn't sold on the romantic pairing at first because it felt kind of weird, but once some things were revealed or explained by the love interest, I was more on board with it.

Another thing that I struggled with was the pace. Because it was uneven, so much happened in the first 40% and it felt to fast. It did slow down towards the middle and picked up at the end, but I wish the author took a little more time to lay the groundwork at the start instead of rushing.

This was a really great fantasy read. Very fast paced and kept my interest. There are a lot of the twin sister books lately and this one is one of my faves I've read.

Read this if you like:

-fantasy
-sister relationship
-lies and deception
-fun romance and swoons
-great world and characters

Thank you for the early copy!

Faccio fatica a a trovare un qualcosa di positivo in questo libro...barboso, noioso, sonnolento, eccessivamente prolisso, ho saltato di sana pianta pagine su pagine che non ne volevano sapere di scorrere e di apportare un qualcosa alla storia. Personaggi dimeticabili, intreccio che non mi ha catturata neppure un pò.
***
I struggle to find something positive in this book ... boring, boring, sleepy, excessively verbose, I skipped pages after pages that didn't want to know to scroll and make something to the story. Forgettable characters, a plot that did not capture me even a little.

What would it feels like to live your whole life in secret, knowing you are quite literally your twin’s spare? Meren loves her sister, the new queen, in fact, but no one wants to be a secret and be expendable. But after she is stolen while posing taps the queen her world is thrown into a vast pit of lies and surprising truths.

I LOVED this book. I just bought it for my friends birthday. It has great world building, a brilliant fantasy system filled with various abilities. The romance was perfect for me. (Though there was a scene that’s more than I prefer) I’m not sure what else to say because you should just read it.

If you like fantasy, enemies to lovers, swapped twins, and great worlds, this is for you!

Sadly I couldnt get into this book and it could not keep my focus. Some parts were good but it just wasnt for me.

I did NOT anticipate this one! WOW!

(Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book.)

I absolutely LOVED this book so much!! Most def my favorite of 2022! I can’t wait for book 2!! The author is so amazingly wonderful! Merin is our heroine, who’s a backup twin. She has to stay in hiding. Merin had a special power that she also is supposed to hide. The day Merin’s twin is going to be coronated as Queen, a man of the shadows steals Merin. His name is Reven and he needs help for his people. They go on a long, adventure fill journey to Reven’s land. These two encounter several types of weather & monsters along the way! But these two are both holding secrets from one another…..both of them have powers and a connection that’s hard to fight! So much happens in this book and I don’t want to give away spoilers! I can’t say I highly recommend this book! And it is a TBC! It won’t disappoint!

This is book one in the Dominions series. Great book! It pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention. The world building is detailed and imaginative. This book has strong, well-developed characters, an interesting story line full of suspense, danger, action, mystery, unexpected twists, and an ending that left me wanting to read the next book in the series. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.

~ I received an ARC copy of The Liar’s Club from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~

The Liar’s Crown reminded me what I love about the fantasy series. The world building alone was intriguing enough to pull me in, but I really liked Meren’s character and her interactions with the people around her. The enemies to lovers trope has a chunk of my heart, and Meren and Reven’s relationship develops interestingly. I definitely enjoyed Liar’s Crown, and can’t wait to see what else Abigail Owen’s Dominions universe has to offer.

The Liar's Crown is the first novel in Abigail Owen's Dominions series. It's also one of the prettiest covers I've seen this year, so let's give credit where credit is due! This series is perfect for those hoping for a delightful (and dangerous) fantasy romp.

We've all heard the story – a royal family has twins, and to keep the peace, the second born is quickly squirreled away, never to be seen again. Or so they hope (that's never how it works out). Enter Meren, a twin and second-born daughter of her kingdom. She's spent her whole life hidden away from the world. Her only purpose, or so she's been raised to believe, is to die for her sister, should it be so required.

Naturally, playing stand-in for the princess (now queen) has its risks, which is why Meren ends up abducted instead of her precious sister. However, this kidnapping may be precisely what Meren needs if she ever hopes to learn the truth.

“I'd rather be scared of real monsters than something my logical brain tells me is mostly in my head”

So, let's start by discussing the elephant in the room. There are two main reasons why I picked up The Liar's Crown. First, the cover (it's stunning!). Second, I may be a wee bit obsessed with the Man in the Iron Mask, so anything that alludes to it will immediately get my attention.

The Liar's Crown is a perfect fantasy novel. It has magic (duh), danger, a brooding hero, a strong female lead, action, and a bit of romance. In other words, there's something for everyone. Better yet, the balance between all of these elements is perfectly done. Oh! Did I mention that there's fantasy politics? You guys know I'm a sucker for that.

At first, my brain kept wanting to make comparisons to my favorite classic. Then, my brain wanted to compare it to the Impostors series by Scot Westerfeld. However, neither of these comparisons stuck for long. The Liar's Crown is very much its own novel, with a strong personality resonating all the way through.

I think the thing I loved the most is how well the characters are written – especially Meren. She's really the perfect protagonist. Honestly, I would love to see her story unfold on the big (or small) screen. It'd be so much fun!

I’m beginning to wonder if maybe it’s just me reading too much YA, but some books have started to look like a greatest hits mashup. This book being one of them. But, truthfully, I love those Hits of 2012 mashups. So I loved this book, too.

Unexpected love interest? Check. Shadow dude? Check. Feisty MC with powers she didn’t know about? Check. If you’ve read at least 5 of the biggest YA releases in the past 5 years, then you know the plot twists, you know where the story’s going. But, to the author’s credit, it’s done well and I genuinely enjoyed the read. I even read it in one sitting.

I do, however, enjoy lighter books that don’t get me in my head too much. I like the comfort of knowing that the Emo Boy we meet is actually going to be the tortured soul meant to be kindred spirits with our MC. I like knowing that she’s more than she seems. This book is absolutely a product of recent YA trends, and I love that about it.

If you’re not someone who enjoys the typical YA fantasy trajectory, this might not be for you. But, if you want to watch a good ol’ fashioned TGIF rerun or get yourself out of a reading slump with something that goes down smooth like a nice fruity cocktail, I highly recommend this book. It does leave on a bit of cliff hanger, though. It’s absolutely getting a sequel.

This review is entirely my own thought and made of my own free will. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eBook.

When I started this book I didn’t think I was going to like it. Right off the bat it had some very common themes: girl with a secret life, best friend in love with MC who becomes jealous, abducted by a handsome, dark and broody man(oh gee, wonder who the LI is)

While all of those things remained predictable, I thought it was a well written book and I did enjoy reading it.

I really like Meren and Reven and the building of their relationship. I appreciated that their sexual experience was on the same level as well, as that tends to be rare.

I do think everything with Cain wanting to marry Meren was so unnecessary to the story.

This felt more NA than YA to me.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the rest of Meren and Reven’s journey takes them.

*Thank you so much to Abigail Owen and Entangled Teen for giving me a copy of the book for an honest review

**4.5 Stars**
This is the first in a series so be aware of the huge cliffhanger ending! I read someone else's review and they compared The Liar's Crown to the Shadow and Bone series and that is the perfect correlation. If you liked the darkness and intrigue of that series, then this is the perfect choice for you to read next. I think this is the perfect mix of world building, plot twists and character development. Keep in mind that this author also writes adult romance stories and it completely shows in all the tension and buildup in the forbidden romance (that I 100% was behind) in the story. I will be sitting here, trying to be patient waiting for the next book...

I have enjoyed stories from Ms. Owen before and it is entirely my own fault that I did not realize that this new series is Young Adult series. That being said, it's clear that I struggled with this story.
When twins are born into the royal family the older twin is raised as the Princess and brought up to rule. The younger twin is taken away and trained to be a shadow princess sort of a body double to take his sister's place if ever needed.
When the Queen dies, the secret twin is hustled to the palace. With danger threaten, Meren the shadow twin who is playing the role of her sister is kidnapped and spirited away. Tabra the true princess comes under the control of the evil King who wants to rule the world. Can Meren with her newly discovered secrets save her kingdom?
Since this is a series, we are left at a cliffhanger to see what happens. I know people have adored this story but it was not for me and for that I apologize to the author.