3 ⭐️

The premise of this book was super intriguing and fun. A different take on a retelling of Cinderella, where Cinderella has ulterior motives and it's all an illusion to get the Prince to fall in love with her. I really was excited for this book concept, but on delivery I just couldn't connect with it. I really struggled with the writing style for this one. It's a super slow beginning, that never really took off and sucked me in.

Although this book was not for me, I do believe others will enjoy it. The characters have depth and connecting the dots to the original story was fun. The cover of this book is also just absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Ray, and Random House Ballantine for this advanced read copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

A worthy retelling of the Cinderella story. Though Aislinn, the novel’s Cinderella, has tricked the prince into marrying her, it wasn’t thanks to her fairy godmother, but her scheming stepmother. This novel has what the fairytale lacked, intrigue, political machinations, humor, and romance. Well worth the read.

I was both excited and nervous when I first picked up this book. On one hand, I love fairytale retellings, and it seems like it’s been a bit since I’ve read one lately. On the other hand, “Cinderella” has always been a particularly hard nut to crack, as far as I’m concerned. There’s just so little “there” there. I mean, she meets the guy for three nights and then they get married. Kind of a tough sell for modern audiences who want a bit more foundation to their romances. “Ella Enchanted” did it well. But that book is also middle grade fiction and decades old at this point. And this one is not only not middle grade, but it’s not even YA (the usual haven of fairytale retelling). Nope, straight adult fantasy! But wow, was I impressed with this book!

There were a lot of really smart choices that I think the author made right off the bat that got this book off to a good start. For one thing, the story opens up after Cinderella/Ash has won her prince. After the balls. After the glass slipper. From there, we also swiftly learn that this fairytale romance is not what it seems. Ash herself is not what she seems. Instead of the picture perfect maid-turned-princess, she’s a spy with her own agendas. And I say agendas, plural, because there are layers to the schemes behind her journey to the palace. As the story progresses, we have a few jumps backward in time, so we do see some of the actual ball and events seen in the traditional fairytale. But even here, there are twists and turns behind how these events played out and what was truly going on behind the scenes. All of this gave the story an incredibly fresh, unique feel. Yes, you can clearly see the influences from the original. But 90% of the book is its own story.

This leads to the second choice the author made that I think was incredibly smart: changes to our main characters. Ash, of course, is no Disney princess. Her history, while containing many of the same bullet points from the original story, is one that has shaped a very different woman. Indeed, she’s partly aligned with her “evil” stepmother to further their own hatched plans. But further, she has her own political motivations, fighting for her mother’s homeland, a country that has suffered greatly under the pressure and power of this realm’s king. She’s brave, brash, and a truly morally grey character. She makes no excuses for the fact that she is bespelling and using the prince for her own ends. I enjoyed her entire arc throughout this story. It is a journey of accountability, of compromise, and of understanding just what sacrifices she is willing to make for the sake of a cause.

I also really enjoyed the fact that the romance was changed around. Instead of the prince (who is both sympathetic for being manipulated by Ash but also incredibly unlikable at different points), the love story is shifted to a different character. I really loved the slow burn nature of this romance. And even more than that, I enjoyed how the development of this romance forced Ash to confront some of the realities behind the choices she was making and the people she was working alongside. Beyond the shifts to Ash and her prince, I really like the roles the evil step-sisters played in the story. We don’t get tons of page time with them, but I think there was some really interesting commentary to be found there about sibling relationships, especially those formed in abusive households.

The writing was also incredibly strong. The book both made me laugh out loud, but was also incredibly sad at various points. Indeed, my one complaint about the book comes down to a bit of a dissonance in tone. I like the fact that the book went to some dark places (honestly, way darker than I was ever expecting). But then the switch in tone from light, funny, and action-packed to incredibly tragic, and back and forth…it became a bit hard at times to fully make that switch when the story took a sudden swerve one way or the other.

But even with this minor quibble, I was so pleased with this book! I had a blast reading it, and it’s definitely the sort of story that I can see myself re-reading many times in the future.

Rating 9: Fresh, vibrant, and bringing us a morally grey “Cinderella” who you can’t help but root for!

(Link will go live July 7)

4.5 - For me, Thief Liar Lady was reminiscent of The Prison Healer series with a hint of Little Thieves and a tiny bit The Cruel Prince.

The concept of “what if Cinderella was a con artist” was a great way to get a foot in the door. From there, the plot developed into a political intrigue espionage story that managed to surpass my expectations.

I loved Rance immediately.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I am not usually huge on fairytale retellings, but this was really enjoyable! At first I didn’t connect with the main character and it the story felt simplistic, but it didn’t take long for it to dive deeper into the characters and for the plot to thicken. I absolutely loved Rance! I loved their connection so much. The way loose ends we’re tied up definitely wasn’t the most believable and parts of the end felt a bit rushed, but I still found myself smiling as I read the last page, so I will call it a fulfilling ending despite the flaws!

Great retelling if Cinderella-with a multi dimensional heroine. Ash shines as someone caught up in multiple plans and trying to figure out how to do the right thing. The plot kept twisting and turning, keeping me guessing, while ultimately wrapping up in a way that was satisfying but believable.

This book was sadly a DNF for me. I love the premise. The idea that there's a little more to Cinderalla's story and her goals outside of meeting a prince who saves her from all of it. That this story is one of her own making. It's just the using magic to enchant the prince into loving her and the racial ambigiousness of the people she's supposed to be saving via helping the rebellion that's bothering me. And the more I read the less answers I felt I was getting, while I had so many more questions because Ash didn't feel like this badass in control character that she was supposed to be.

I'm not a big fan of fantasy, especially fairy tales, so I'm not sure why I picked up this ARC, but thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

Most retellings of Cinderella stick closely to the original and are thus predictable but D.L. Soria created a more unique concept than I'm used to seeing. Our Cinderella, Ash (or Lady Aislinn as she pretends to be) was a double agent, sent to the ball by her stepmother to snag a rich husband. But instead, Ash seduced the King's brother, Prince Everett, using magic dust (or lustre) that was mined by her country and had caused wars to be fought over due to its rarity.

Ash's stepmother trained her and her two step sisters to be the best thieves, the best liars, and to get what they needed whatever it was. They learned to use lustre's magic to influence people, and to be immune to its effects. She also beat her and was a genuinely evil stepmother after her father's death.

Ash is also half Elorian, on her mother's side and her grandmother has another reason for her to be at the Court - to help the revolutionaries free their people. Years ago, Solis won the war with Eloria and enslaved its "golden" people (think: non-white). And the Elorian prince has been a hostage in the Solarian's King's court for 20 years.

This book was much more than a rags-to-princess tale; it gave power to women, even the stepsisters. It had moral dilemmas that explored bigger topics, such as war, what's right, and what's wrong. It also had a lot of areas where it could have been improved, and hopefully, this young author's novels will reflect that as she gains experience. I look forward to seeing more from DL Soria.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy. This book had its ups and downs. Up: it's quite a different retelling of Cinderella. Down: the reimagined world was weakly built and I wasn't really rooting for the main character. The only time I think I wanted the main character to succeed was right at the end. Parts of the narrative kept me engaged and continuing to read while others almost made me put the book down. While I don't normally have a problem with first person narrative, the back and forth between the past, present, and the narrator's ideas of what will happen, didn't work for me. 2.5 stars.

I received a digital copy of Thief Liar Lady via NetGalley to read and review.

I enjoy fairytale retellings. Instead of Thief Liar Lady rehashing the same exact timeline of Cinderella we get the story from right before the famous ball to after the wedding. Ash is not a damsel in distress- she’s just acting like one. She’s actually working WITH her stepmother and stepsisters while working as a rebel with her grandmother.

We get a little backstory prior to the ball and the full story after the prince and Ash “fall in love”.

I appreciated the author’s timing for the story. Instead of droning about politics and the real story it’s woven perfectly into the new version of the fairytale. I also like that while retelling Cinderella we get a glimpse of after the “normal” fairytale ends.

Currently, a DNF for me.

I was really excited for this one but I just cannot get myself to enjoy it. The characters are dense (not in a good way), the plot is boring and I felt like there was no world building at all. We jumped directly into plot and nothing made sense at all. The magic without consent is really where it lost me.

May pick up again in the future, but it's a big maybe.

This was a fun retelling of Cinderella! I loved the “there’s more to the story than you know” vibes. However, the writing quality could’ve been a bit stronger for me, as such a great premise was at stake. It did feel fresh and new, and I am sure readers will love it. I give it four out of five stars.

A creative turn of events for a Cinderella retelling. I really didn't see this one coming and to tell you the truth, I absolutely loved it. As a Cinderella retelling, there is far more going on than a poor girl smitten by love.

I think Ryland was my favorite character, although Ash came in a close second. He was snarky, knew what he wanted and always had fun. A great way for a secondar character/love interest who screws everything up should be.

The use of magic was unique. A powder, if used correctly, can control the person it was used on. Although, this form of magic is not made from a person's power, but learned to wield like a sword it has its uses in this world and story.

I gave this story five stars since it kept me guessing the whole read with the character manipulation and and the surprise of things going wrong. There' wasn't a point that felt disappointed or weird.

This was a great read. I can't wait for this release day.

I have not read this author before and while she is an excellent writer the execution of this particular twist on the Cinderella fairy tale had me waiting for something real to happen. I think that 2/3 of the story was the build up and 1/3 was the finally the action.

Soria's take on the Cinderella tale needed something more. I needed a chance to know Aislinn/Ash. We get glimpses into Ash's character and there are some witty moments, but I fail to feel for her.

In the background is a campaign to overpower another nation to capitalize on their production of "Lustre" the magical powder that Ash uses to entice and entrap her prince, Everett. Solis, the "prince's" kingdom went to war many years before and have enslaved the loser of the war the country Eloria. Another "twist" to this story is that the prince of Eloria has been a captive of Solis since he was a child and has grown up with Everett in the Solis Kingdom court.

Add in a cruel step-mother, Seraphina, with an agenda of her own, and a couple of step-sisters that are at court to get a couple of rich men of their own and to keep an ever watchful eye on Ash.

I just never truly connected with Ash, Everett, or Verance, (Rance, the Eloria prince). The only one to express true emotions, IMHO, was the soon to be sister-in-law, Mariana, who is married to the current King Ryland.

While this was not an entirely bad read, I just think that the storyline could have been executed better.

Thank you NetGalley, and Random House Ballantine & Del Ray for the ARC.

These opinions are entirely my own.

#ThiefLiarLady #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel. A quick, witty read!

This book was so fun! This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

In this unorthodox retelling of Cinderella, the protagonist is actually in league with her step-family to enchant a wealthy suitor, but Aislinn has a slightly different agenda than her stepmother, and instead of just a wealthy noble, she goes after the prince.

This Cinderella story was refreshing in its slant. Instead of an innocent, Aislinn is a full conspirator (though not quite to the same plot her stepmother) in using magic to enchant the prince. Her plans go astray, though, when her magic runs a bit short and the prince's natural inclinations to treat her as a delicate flower appear. On top of that, the hostage prince returns to the castle and is immune to Aislinn's charms--both magical and otherwise.

I think this story was cute and I love a good retelling when done right. What I dont love? magic. Honestly. We didn't need it here and I think it took away from the story.

I actively seek out retellings of familiar fairy tales and folktales, especially since most modern tellings give the female lead character so much more agency in her fate. I always hated that the fairy tale "maidens" were generally passive. It was especially fun that Aislinn in Thief Liar Lady was very much NOT as she appeared, but rather part of a scheming family playing a long game. Many thanks to Del Rey and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this very entertaining novel.