June 13, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is book 2 in a YA modern fantasy duology.

Synopsis:
Picking up right where it left off, Joss tries to find a way to rid herself of the magic inside her. As secrets are revealed through the echoes, she begins to realize she might be able to control the magic and it can actually help her.

I liked this book a little better than the first one. I think Joss’ character was much more developed and was more likable to me. The magic system and concept of the echoes were unique and I really liked that part. I didn’t even mind the rushed ending because it would have been too long of a book if things were explained more.
If you are looking for a YA fantasy set in a modern world, you will like this one.
I will be reading her other books for sure!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the ARC! 🖤

Reviews Posted June 12, 2023
Goodreads
Storygraph

I think that this book suffered from a second-book slump. I expected the high I felt from the first one to carry on in this one, but things just kept falling flat. The plot was just intriguing enough to see me turning the page, but I get that much of it was predictable or just needed for the larger picture. For how much was happening to the characters, I just didn’t think that they developed enough or that I got to know them any better. The romance also felt off and awkward to me and that probably pulled me out of the story the most.

Overall I think this book was just okay. There is nothing about it that was bad, but nothing was great either it was all just fine.

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having fled the palace with Prince Elian in tow, Josslyn and company have made their way to Jericho Nox’s boss Valery, a powerful witch, in the hope that she will have a solution for them both. A way to remove the memory magic from Joss and a cure for Elian’s death magic induced condition. But when it’s clear that Valery isn’t interested in helping, Joss is determined to find the cure herself, and in the middle of all this, she begins to realize that she might be able to control the memory magic which is revealing increasingly interesting and critical secrets to her – including a hint of a staggering royal secret that could prove to be the answer to all their problems.

This was one of the highly anticipated sequels on my TBR this year, so I was very excited to get an early copy (though the formatting was terrible and slowed down my reading pace horribly). I had some doubts going into this book because I read the first book over a year and a half ago and didn’t recall much, but it wasn’t as bad as I feared.

Plot-wise I feel like there wasn’t too much going on, I could probably sum up the entire book in half a dozen lines or so and most of the time was taken up going from place to place with the real work of solving the problems the characters have run into happening in approximately the last quarter of the book.

The world building was better this time around and the magic system made more sense though it was still pretty vague with not much explanation of the details. The magical realism type world was a bit jarring to me previously but not as much with this one, and I remembered more from the first book than I realized, so it was easier to slip back into the world and characters.

This was pretty fast-paced throughout and the narrative never dragged at any point, making it a quick and easy read.

Joss definitely came a long way from the spoiled girl we met at the beginning of Echoes and Empires, there was some great character development in her arc. I also loved her friendship with Celina and how it stayed so strong even through all the craziness. Jericho felt much the same to me in this book as the last, I didn’t feel like there was much growth for his character though I did like how his and Josslyn’s romance arc was developed and I wish there was more page time devoted to it. It would have been nice to see more of a sibling dynamic between Elian and Joss as well but the tone of their scenes didn’t really change much from the first book despite this new knowledge.

The ending was way too rushed in my opinion. The big reveal of the secret that the queen had been keeping could have easily been a starting point for a third book in this series, and with how the narrative was moving, I fully expected this to turn out to be a trilogy even though it was already announced as a duology. The secret itself honestly wasn’t that big of a surprise – it was pretty logical conclusion to draw based on what had been revealed up to that point. Regardless, things moved extremely quickly after this and while all the loose ends were wrapped up in a manner more or less satisfactory, the last couple of chapters were a very hurried conclusion.

Overall, Legends and Liars was a fun ride, but I feel that this plotline had much more potential and this book felt more like this middle book in a trilogy than a finale. If you liked the first book, I would definitely recommend picking up this sequel! I’m looking forward to seeing what Morgan Rhodes will write next.

Legends and Liars is the sequel to Echoes and Empires by Morgan Rhodes. This book picks right up where the first one stopped at with Joss and friends asking Valery for assistance with her magical problem and Prince Elian as well. After the sorceress refuses to help Joss realizes that it's up to her to solve her own magical problem.

I thought this was a really good duology! As a fan of her previous series,Falling Kingdoms, I really think Morgan Rhodes is a Queen of fantasy!!

I loved the relationship between Joss and Jericho - they were just so cute and epic together!! I also really liked Joss as a character herself. I think she went on a great journey of character development and the ending comes full circle for her.

The only grievance I have is that the ending of the novel was a little rushed and I wished things were explained a bit more or we got to see an epilogue of how things turned out! Or maybe the author can write a short story in the future? I'd love that!

All in all I definitely recommend Legends and Liars to fans of the first book in the duology and the series as a whole to all fans of YA fantasy especially those mixed in with a more modern world!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

This was fun, thrilling and addictive but I do have a few minor gripes with it. I for sure enjoyed the first book more but this was still a fun ride.

The plot is engaging and addictive—forbidden magic, massive secrets, strangers-to-reluctant allies-to-lovers, huge conspiracies and let's not forget a snarky love interest—but the pacing was a bit off. The magic is unique and I loved seeing more of the echoes, how they worked and learning about death magic.

There was so much character growth, especially Joss. She's come a long way and I liked her friendship with Celina a lot. I would've loved to see more of it. Nox is my boy but he kinda annoyed me with his mood swings. The romance was cute but I feel like we didn't get enough of it. Like, we finally got to a certain point and then the book ended. Speaking of endings. Was this really an ending? This ended in a good spot for a middle book but not for a finale—although I loved how the last line brought the story full circle. I feel like there's more to this story. There were so many revelations with the characters, the magic and the state of the empire. I really wish this was a full-blown series, at the very least a trilogy.

Overall, it was fun being back in this story with these characters. So, if you're in the mood for a series full of secrets, dangerous forbidden magic, a sweet romance and powerful mages, check this duology out.

A nice conclusion to the duology. Love the covers of book one and two, very eye-catching.

I realize I am older than the intended market for this one, so I am trying to keep that in mind as I review. For me this fell a tad flat. The ending was a bit rushed, and I just wasn't enthralled with it overall.
Still a solid read that I think many, especially the younger crowd, will enjoy.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be an ARC reader. I wish you much success on the book's release.

This was such a fun ride with a tremendous growth in all of the characters. Especially Joss. She has come so far and learned so much from her spoiled upbringing. Jericho stayed much the same, but he grew in who he was as a friend and brother.
This was such a satisfying end to a great duology. I’m just sad that it’s over. I definitely would have read a third.

Thank you to PRH for an e-arc of this book.

I rated book one five stars. I expected this one to be just as good. Imagine my surprise when I got to about 45% of the book, and realized it just wasn't working for me. There was nothing wrong with the writing, but the pacing, the plot, and the characters, I just couldn't get into it.

I'm really sad, because I was so hoping to love this sequel.

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

meh

I expected this to be better than the first and it wasn't, not sure why this series fell so flat for me. It's just still giving bad fanfic and insta love. I can't tell you what happened in this book, only that it was mediocre.

**Review will be published on my sites and socials June 8th**

I AM FEELING LET DOWN.

I LOVED the first book, Echoes and Empires. Clearly that meant I went in hoping for a great conclusion and instead I feel like I got this meandering story that had lost its charm and ended too simply.

Where did the romance go?! I loved that Jericho and Joss worked together and there weren’t any undue separations. Yet, the snark and banter and tenderness that I saw in the first book was hardly here. I lost that connection with them.

I also don’t think much happened? There were a lot of little plot lines that did come together (and were wrapped up way too neatly in a bow) yet the progress to fixing the problems in the world and figuring out the magic system hardly occurred.

And the big secret that Joss took the whole book to figure out??? That was a joke. And the ease of which the ending happened had me wanting more rather than feeling satisfied.

The book is written well and I do love the main characters. The world is an interesting mix of fantasy & urban which I liked too. I’m not UPSET I read this, I was just hoping for a more comprehensive conclusion.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy
Language: a little mild
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: weapons violence, physical altercations, kidnapping, near death experiences, loss of loved ones

What a sequel! I loved returning to this world and getting back into the magic with Joss. I've been waiting so long after that cliffhanger twist! I loved seeing Joss grow along with her powers, and still cannot believe all the turns this took and the secrets that came out and the BETRAYAL. I'm still thinking about it hours later. This world is a favorite of mine, and Jericho is is life. Definitely pick this up if you've been dying for the next installment!

3.5 Stars

Thank you Penguin Teen for the e-arc of Legends and Liars.

Here’s what I liked about the book:
• the plot is very engaging
• Jericho
• the romance is so sweet
• no cliffhanger!

I also loved how ever character was just trying to do what was right and watching them learn what crosses lines, what is worth fighting for, and when forgiveness is necessary.

My issue was that Joss spent a good deal of the book talking over people and not listening. Her balance of kindness and honestly wasn’t good. Jericho was very hot/cold which I didn’t enjoy.

But overall I would still recommend this series.