The book had an extremely strong premise. I enjoyed the writing and the character relationships. I appreciate a well done poly relationship rep and this is one of them.

However, the book fell short on expanding the magic system and there weren't much details to the FMC lies. I hope the author explores the magic system and the world more in the next book.

I really liked this book
It wasn't as gory/ intense as I expected it would be.. from the blurb but I def liked the characters and am looking forward to reading book 2

4/5★

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with this E-ARC--I am beyond thankful!

Alright, so this book has me feeling very conflicted! Mistress of Lies is a fantasy mystery full of morally grey characters, political intrigue, and representation of a myriad of groups. The premise of the story is very interesting, and the characters are wonderful to read about--even if they themselves are not wonderful; where this story is lacking, however, is the plot. Even as I sit here writing this review, I am having trouble deciding on a rating because of the dichotomy of my love for the characters and the lack of plot. My heart wants to give it 4 stars so I'm going with 4 stars!

Of the main three characters, I absolutely loved Shen and Samuel, but I did not particularly care for Isaac, as I felt his character was pushed to the side a bit. As mentioned previously, the plot of this book is somewhat lacking and is very much an example of all vibes, no plot. In my opinion, discoveries and plot progression didn't feel very organic and oftentimes felt drawn out—it felt as if instead of the characters discovering parts of the mystery or other secrets along with the reader, they instead would do the work off page or simply just materialize the idea out of nowhere while using the pages to describe things that did not add to the plot's momentum. Despite this, Shen and Samuel were absolutely delightful to read about. As far as characters go, they were so intriguing to me that I actually considered giving this book a higher rating simply because I loved them and all of their moral ambiguities! Usually I am all for a book with all vibes, no plot, but this book just did not scratch that itch for me because I could tell that this was unintentional.

Okay so now that I've got all of my contradicting opinions out of the way, would I recommend this book? I think yes? I am so sorry I am SO conflicted. If you are okay with mystery stories jumping to conclusions rather than walking through the process with you then I would say absolutely yes, but if this is a dealbreaker to you like it is to me...I still say maybe! I don't know I just loved the characters SO much. They have secrets, betrayals, and hidden agendas, but they also have moments of kindness and love with one another making them so dynamic.

I would say if you really cannot get over pacing issues and a somewhat easy and skimmed over mystery, this book will not be for you. If you can get past these issues in the plot, I would say that Mistress of Lies should DEFINITELY be on your radar!

This is another case where I’ll admit that I was initially drawn in by the unique cover art. Even without the book description or the title, it’s pretty easy to understand the general tone of the book with one simple look! And after looking into it further, I found a lot of other elements that typically intrigue me. Morally grey heroines! Spies! Revenge tales!

To start with the pros, I did like some of the original world-building elements of this story, especially its use of vampires. Not only are vampires one of the most popular supernatural beings to pop up in fiction for centuries, but they are having a bit of a resurgence here in 2024, with numerous titles releasing this year focusing on vampires in one way or another. So to introduce a fresh-feeling take on a society in which they exist is worth noting and praising! I really enjoyed learning about this society, with the Blood Workers, blood magic, and the lowly unblooded. If anything, I’d say that the strength of these ideas was let down in the rather lackluster focus that was given to them. For having one of the main characters being unblooded himself, I felt like we were still left with very little insight into the actual lives of these people.

In a similar vein (ha!), I found myself liking the idea of many of these characters more than the characters themselves. For one thing, the story quickly fell into the trap of telling the reader a lot of facts and traits about the characters, but then proceeded to roll out a plot in which the reader never saw any of this in action. The most obvious example is Shan herself. The story opens with an action-packed bang, with Shan finally committing step one of her plan for vengeance. It’s exciting and sets Shan up as an interesting character with much more to come! But, unfortunately, that very first scene is ultimately the peak of her entire arc. We’re told repeatedly that she’s a mastermind, but as the plot bottoms out towards the middle, the reader is left to reconcile what they’ve been told to believe about the character with the reality of Shan’s very poor decision-making throughout.

This is a polyamory romance, as well, which I think requires even more skill from the author to properly set up and convey. Personally, I don’t love polyamory romances, but that’s a “me thing” as far as my own preferences for the types of love stories I enjoy and thus I didn’t factor this into my rating. That said, I do think that, again, the reader is often told that these character have chemistry, rather than showing it in any meaningful way. There seems to be insta-lust every way one looks, and I couldn’t buy any of these characters as truly having deep feelings for one another, in any combination.

Overall, this was a bit of a lackluster reader for me. There was a lot of potential in the world-building, and the entire thing started out on a high note. But as the story continued, the plot began to feel thin on the ground and the character inconsistencies became difficult to ignore. If you’re a bit fan of poplyamory romances, this may be worth checking out (again, as I don’t love this sort of romance novel, I don’t have a lot of comparison to bring in to my evaluation). But as a general fantasy title, I think there have been better vampire novels all around.

Rating 7: An exciting start and a creative world were let down by some lack-luster characterization in its protagonists.

Link will go live on The Library Ladies August 28.

This read falls into the category of good rather than exceptional. It kicks off with a stellar first chapter, setting high expectations that are not entirely met throughout the remainder of the book.

The plot, while engaging, can feel sluggish at times. The elements of scheming, politics, and a murder mystery are intriguing, but the focus on these aspects wanes until the narrative reaches a critical juncture.

In terms of characters, Shan and Samuel shine, but Isaac's portrayal left me underwhelmed, with their dynamics feeling inadequately explored. The interpersonal developments felt somewhat simplistic and lacked depth, given the magnitude of their circumstances. Samuel's endearing innocence added charm to the story, particularly in his interactions with Shan, which were the most fleshed out. While the potential for a complex triad relationship is hinted at, it remains unexplored in the narrative, though it held promise.

Despite these points of critique, I found enjoyment in the read. While it doesn't quite reach a 4-star rating for me, the storyline has piqued my interest enough to anticipate the next installment.

I think this might be my new favorite book of the year. Wow…. Just wow 🤯 I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. There is so much politics in this book and it felt like one giant chess match, except every single person is playing at the exact same time. Everyone has their own agenda, and they will lie cheat and steal to make sure they come out on top. The world building in this was so good too! Everything felt so full of life, and it was explained so well!

Shan is the standout character in this book, at least in my opinion. I fell in love with her and her schemes in the first chapter! She is so conniving and sneaky, and I was eating it up. Samuel and Isaac were great characters too! Watching them all interact and dance around each other was so fun and interesting. They all have their secrets, and I enjoyed watching the three of them lie to try and protect them.

The one thing that sucks about reading an arc is having to wait so much longer for book two 😭😂 Even with having to wait, I’m excited to see what comes next!

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for sending me an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ❤️

The first chapter was incredible, I was immediately sucked into this story! I also cannot believe “patricide” is a word that exists.

This is a twist on vampires in a way I have not read yet which was very cool to read and at times a little gruesome. I absolutely love Samuel he is a precious, kind and easy to love character. I was rooting for him the entire time.

Shan was very confusing she was a paradox with her views and behavior. The political themes in this book are reflective to what is happening in society today, which makes it so easy to digest and connect to.

I initially loved the dynamic between the characters but then it became instant love with a love triangle which is not something I enjoy. However I did think maybe it was because of Samuels history of loneliness that he was so eager and open to anyone who wanted him.

Overall I enjoyed reading this!! I definitely think the next book in the series will answer a lot of questions because that ending was a major cliffhanger. I’m also so excited to gain more insight from the author during a fable bookclub that they he will be moderating on release day.

Thank you so much to Orbit Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this ARC.

Mistress of Lies is a queer dark fantasy revenge story of a young aristocratic blood worker named Shan who through manipulation of others and her network of spies is seeking to overthrow the Eternal King. From the get go I fell in love with Shan's character and was incredibly interested in the world and plot. Shan's relationships with Samuel, the unknown heir of the Aberforths, the King's only remaining family, and Isaac, the royal blood worker, definitely added to the story as well.

While this book started out great, a solid 4.5/5, I feel like it really started to slow down in the second half, with the second half being a 3.5/5. That being said, I still greatly enjoyed the book, am giving it a 4/5 all together and am looking forward to the sequel.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a queer dark fantasy starring a morally gray woman working her way behind the scenes to the top, seeking to get revenge and rewrite a kingdom.

This book is basically The Foxglove King with blood mages instead of death magic. It has a lush, magical aristocracy fueled by unmagicked wage slaves, a love triangle, and a character with unique magical abilities. Many parallels, but it’s just as compulsively readable and I would definitely recommend Mistress of Lies for anyone who wants something similar to The Foxglove King. 

Mistress of Lies starts off with a bang. Shan LeClaire is about to murder her father, who has nearly ruined the LeClaire name so that she might take over as head of the household. Shan has vision and has been building a network of spies and informants under the guise of the Sparrow. Her fortunes really start to look up when a Bloodworker informant tells her of a man who can control others with only his voice. 

Enter Samuel, an accountant who has just lost his job after a Bloodworker investigator shows up to his workplace to interview him after he stumbles across a recent murder. Samuel is literally about to lose everything he has when Shan LeClaire shows up to strike a deal and reveal that he is in fact, the lost Aberforth heir. The Eternal King’s entire family killed in a horrible murder-suicide twenty years ago, but Samuel’s mother was a servant who was let go by the family just prior to the tragedy. Suddenly he finds himself in high society, and realizes that the decadence of the bloodworker ruling class disgusts him even more when he’s sitting amongst it.

And finally, we have Isaac de la Cruz, former bff and lover of Shan LeClaire and now tutor to Samuel Aberforth. Isaac has been playing for power since he was a young student, trying to gain acceptance even though his parents are foreign and this country claims to welcome bloodworkers from all over the world. Isaac spends much of the story trying to re-ingratiate himself with Shan after ditching her when he was promoted to royal bloodworker.

Despite Mistress of Lies being seemingly focused on politics, it is what I would label as political fantasy lite. Yes, all three of these characters (and so many secondary characters) are maneuvering for power and personal gain, but so much of this is focused on the romantic aspect that the politics gets a bit drowned out. There’s also a murder investigation going on in the midst of the impending throuple, so that further complicates things! One spicy scene does not make a romantasy, but all those longing glances, the yearning, and the snuck kisses do.

Overall, Mistress of Lies was a book easy to be swept up in and it read very quickly. I was a little disappointed in the politics of it all, but that was mostly because Shan was supposed to be so clever. She vastly oversells herself and peaked when she murdered her father at the beginning of the book. Isaac, Samuel, and Shan are so easily caught up in their lust, but they’re all portrayed as controlled, clever people and Samuel in particular should be far more suspicious than he is! He’s too easily accepting of people who straight up tell him they will use  him for personal gain. Despite my criticisms, it’s a very fun read with an engaging plot and I’ll probably check out the sequel!

I really wanted to love this but it failed to meet my expectations. The concept, the magic, the world were all very intriguing and unique. I loved the fresh take on “vampires” and the political intrigue aspects. I was beyond excited for the diversity of representation present in this novel.

One of the largest obstacles for me was the clunky prose. Nearly every sentence felt too long, there was an exorbitant amount of semi-colons and colons used, and the writing seemed very passive. The prose made it nearly impossible for me to really get lost in the story and as a result I rarely wanted to pick this up. The plot felt meandering and slow after the initial bang the book started with. The depth of character development was too shallow for a book with such a slow plot.

Overall not a terrible book, but not great either. I think this might work for some but it was a miss for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

→ 3.5 stars

“mistress of lies” took me a while to read simply because it’s a very dense book, in my opinion, but i did find it an enjoyable read. it’s got an interesting cast of characters and i liked how the blood magic was used in the novel – it’s quite a fun magic system if it’s used right and i think the author did a pretty good job in this novel.

i really liked the characters, overall, even if some of their choices were questionable at times. shan was made to be this cunning, badass character, but she definitely had morals even if the narrative wants us to think otherwise. i also felt like we were told about her scheming, but we weren’t showed much, so her cruelty wasn’t that believable. isaac was a character that had potential and i think we will see a lot more of him in the second book. samuel was probably my favourite from the trio, simply because i love characters that are somewhat corrupted by the system they’re part of. i loved reading about his inner conflict and how he tried so hard to do what’s right. the side characters weren’t used much, since most of the story revolves around the main trio, but maybe that will be resolved in the next book. anton, especially, is a promising character and i’m a bit sad we didn’t get to see more of him.

the novel starts with a bang, but the momentum fizzes out towards the middle of the book, but it picks up again towards the end. so, pace-wise, this was a bit slower than what i usually enjoy reading. as i mentioned before, we’re told a lot about the characters, but they don’t actually do much on page and i wish we would’ve seen more. the book is supposed to be about the trio trying to catch a serial killer and yet we barely see this happening. all plot-points are somewhat superficially touched upon and this is definitely a book that relies heavily on its characters and not so much on the story itself.

overall, this wasn’t a bad book by any means and if you’re solely looking for a romantasy, then this will be just the book for you, but i went into it expecting more of a political read, so i was a little disappointed by that aspect. the characters and the romance were good, albeit a little on the insta-love side, but it didn’t bother me that much. it was a fun read and i love morally gray characters so much. i will definitely be picking up the next instalment in the series.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this eARC!! All opinions are my own!

the way i ate this up is incredibly concerning and i do worry for my own sake and others because i will talk about this book when there is nothing to talk about. i even subbed to the only book box that was doing this book (i'm that down bad for it). it consumed my mind when i wasn't thinking about much.

it has everything i ever wanted and didn't even know that i wanted; polyamorous relationship (sorta? more like a "why choose?" that reminded me a little bit of A Dowry of Blood); vampires (maybe not like the typical vampire); political intrigue; dual POVs. it had everything i wanted and more. and i still wanted more. (also shoutout to that Filipino FMC and her family!)

one aside i'll make is that Filipino representation! i loved seeing our dishes get talked about, as well as seeing Shan interact with Anton, her brother. i felt that it was good representation, especially with the family values that she held, even though they were subtle. some people may agree to disagree, but from someone who was raised in Filipino culture, i really loved seeing me on a page.

all the characters were incredible. i wouldn't trust them as far as i could throw them, but god, they were incredibly complex. Shan LeClaire is such an icon and an incredible anti-hero. she had her own motivations for doing what she did and they were so relatable. i do wish that i saw more of her scheming and plots, instead of her getting pulled around. i wanted to see her build up these foundations (well, technically you do see it with Samuel, but i digress)

also shoutout to Samuel! he was interesting to read about, especially when you follow him throughout the book. it was interesting to see his character development and really see him come into himself throughout the course of the book. sometimes, he did get a little preachy, but it slowly started to retract as the book progressed.

i'd also like to shout out Isaac! he was cool and his powers were incredible. i think, however, it would have been nice to get his POV as he felt like a key player in the story, especially in the beginning with Shan. i'm still not too clear on the story between them two as i felt it wasn't explained properly, but i hope that in the second book, they'll talk about it in more detail.

this really was such a lovely book, but my critique is that the pacing ebbed and flowed at times. i felt that there was a lot of down time and not a lot of "active" time, if that makes sense. it was only a few chapters, but i do feel like maybe the polyamorous aspect could have been explored further (i'm greedy) or had a little more focus instead of grand parties. i believe that this is the author's debut(?) book, so sometimes i think the author fell into the habit of repetition, such as "...was all [s]he said before..." and a lot of "blood and steel" thrown around. i do wish there were more variations on words. said is okay to be said!

I'll end on a good note, as always. I felt that this book was incredible. There was so much intrigue and lovely prose that it kept me going. I was fascinated to see what was going to happen next and it excited me. I'm hoping to see K.M. Enright grow as an author and I'm incredibly happy that I got to see myself represented in a book.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5!

Mistress of Lies has a wonderful premise and was a fun read for me, though it perhaps just missed the mark.

I enjoyed Enright’s prose and the world he’s built is really neat—the blood based magic system was cool and created interesting political problems, and I liked seeing the different ways it’s been employed throughout society. He did a good job at giving enough information that I felt like I understood what was going on, but it didn’t feel overly explained.

Shan, Samuel, and Isaac are interesting characters in their own right and I do love to support women’s wrongs, but while I liked them a whole lot in the beginning, I felt like by the end they didn’t feel quite as strong to me. I think the romance between them has really solid bare bones and is on the whole fun, but I remain unconvinced by the end (though I’m curious to see how they develop in future installments, so I’m not writing them off at all).

I thought this book started out super strong, but I found that I felt like it was fizzling out around the middle, and the ending’s execution was a little lacking for me. This has a solid foundation and the bones of the story feel quite strong, so I’m willing to chalk this up to being normal debut growing pains, and I’m still eager to read the next book to see what happens next. I thought the writing was lush, but even enjoying the prose didn’t change the fact that the ending felt more like a whimper compared to the opening.

Regardless, I’ll keep an eye out for the sequel because there was quite a bit to like and it’s still got a lot of potential.

Alas, I fear my may have read one too many polyamorous vampire books in recent years, and I've bled myself dry (haha) of my enjoyment of them. Mistress of Lies was, in a word, disappointing. After vampire/"Blood Worker" Shan LeClaire assassinates her father, she assumes his place as head of the house and begins her masterful revenge plan. After reading this synopsis, I was expecting political scheming, a unique blood-based magic system, and intense, passionate romance. What I got was a predictable murder mystery, an underwhelming power system, and insta-love. No, sorry, I meant insta-lust.

I guess I'll start with what I enjoyed?

Isaac. Yeah. That's about it. I love Isaac. Give us more of him please.

In all seriousness I do quite like the last quarter of the book, when everything starts going down and twists (banal as they are) are revealed and the characters finally (finally!) start to have some sense of agency and brains. I slogged through the long middle of this book but flew past the last act; though one could argue that this was because I was almost done and wanted to be done sooner.

Most of the rest of this book I found, regrettably, not to my taste. I didn't care for Shan at all - she was meant to be some master schemer, a spymaster who has a dozen impenetrable walls and infinite. Instead I just got... a juvenile young woman lol. There were multiple scenes where a character would begin explaining (expositing, really) a situation or scheme or motive, and Shan would interrupt with a very obvious observation, and the other character would literally say something along the lines of "Very astute of you, Shan," or "You really are so clever, Shan." By the third time this happened I was honestly confused. Shan sneaking around in a mask a few times and finishing other people's sentences does not make her a good spy!! ALSO what is her masterful revenge plan??? Who exactly is she getting revenge against??? I don't really know !!!!

Samuel is a character who can best be described as "existing." I think he's fine. I think he's a bit bland. I think I'm a bit unsure where his character arc was meant to go but I'm going to assume that's a problem for the sequel. And that's about all I have to say for him.

The worldbuilding in Mistress of Lies is scant. I was intrigued by the concept of Blood Working as a magic system and I would have loved to see more exploration in its various uses beyond just... drinking blood and becoming more powerful? (It's hinted at in the book that Blood Working has a lot more potential uses, but we don't actually see many practical applications of it) The blood magic often felt like a convenient device to be employed when the plot called for (!! WARNING, SPECIFIC SPOILER !! : When Samuel is kidnapped near the end of the book, Shan consumes a vial of his blood. In doing so, she is conveniently able to *sense* Samuel's location and find him. There is no explanation as to how this tracking works, and as far as I can recall this ability is never mentioned or explained anywhere else in the book.) There's very little exploration of the world beyond this one kingdom. There's a few mentions of how other countries in the world have shunned/banned Blood Working, but there are no real political consequences to this, since we have no knowledge of who these other countries are or what might happen if a Blood Worker travelled to one of these countries. Shan and her brother's Tagalan heritage is brought up often and it appears to have affected their family's reputation and even their relationship with their mother, but I have no idea how and frankly I don't really care.

I think this is one of those books where worldbuilding and plot come second to the characters and their romance. Unfortunately I did not like the romance in this book so I cannot let it slide I'm sorry. Shan and Samuel have no chemistry whatsoever. Samuel starts the book incredibly mistrustful of Shan's motivations, as Shan clearly states that she is just manipulating him to further her own goals, yet in like 50 pages they're already eyeing each other and getting ready to risk it all for a fun time. Isaac, being the best boy, brings the sorely-needed tension and drama to the equation but it's just not enough to get me invested in their interpersonal relationships. Isaac and Shan have a sore history that's concluded and forgotten about after only like, 100 pages. I really don't think these characters have enough personality and depth on their own to make a romantic relationship feel even remotely realistic.

I could say more but I'm honestly a little sleepy so we'll speed things up here: the Eternal King is a god-awful villain and why is he trusting these two young adults to find a serial killer. Anton goes from being angry at Shan for killing their (abusive) father to just straight up disappearing for most of the book without a good resolution to his character.. I think the dialogue and parts of the prose to be stilted and awkward (though I'm no Shakespeare myself, and this is a debut novel so I will put my faith in the author's steady improvement in future works). I wish Shan's Tagalan heritage/culture was explored more beyond mentioning pancit twice and adobo once. If I have to read one more sentence about how Shan feels frustrated because she's just so clever and smart but has to act demure in front of other people, I will go crazy.

I don't usually write long reviews like this, and as a Canadian I feel a little mean and nitpicky. I just had such high hopes for Mistress of Lies, with its intriguing synopsis and gorgeous cover. Well, I suppose honesty is the best policy. There is an audience for this book and I am simply not it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

I didn't make it far into this book. I just didn't click with the writing style. The premise is fantastic, and I'm sure the world-building is as well, but I wasn't enjoying while I was reading.

it took me awhile to get through this 🥲 the story starts off strong (patricide!) and i was really intrigued by shan and samuel at first but their inner thoughts felt really repetitive throughout the book 😭 there was some good character development from shan but samuel just seemed confused/lost the entire book 😆 isaac felt more like a side character since we don’t really get his pov but the romance was so angsty 😩 i didn’t feel much urgency with the murder mystery plot so it felt like nothing was happening for a large portion of the book 🚶🏻‍♀️ the blood working magic system is interesting and was probably my favorite aspect of the book. i really wanted to love this book (poly romance and trans rep and Filipino rep!!!) but it just wasn’t for me 😔

Vampires and blood magic? What’s not to love? I really enjoyed the first few chapters as well as the last 20% of this. It was fast paced and magical and everything I was hoping for going into this book. The middle was..hard..it was a lot more politics than I anticipated which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there was just so many other things going on to further the plot I got kind of lost in the sauce and had a difficult time picking it up. However it really did redeem itself in the last 20%, enough so that I will probably continue this series!

VERY FUN. Messy in good way with court intrigue style politics, dramatic relationships, and mysteries to solve. Interesting blood based magic system—I hope we get to learn a little more specifics of the "science" behind it in the second book, but I still felt like I understood what I needed to in this one, I just want to know more because it's cool.

There were a few characters I would have loved to see a bit more of, but there was also so much going on with the three main characters that I'm not sure where the side characters would have fit in more.

Overall I really enjoyed this. It's dramatic and fun, lush, and I am excited to have a copy on my shelf and to continue the series.

Thank you to orbit and netgalley for the e-arc!

Absolutely excellent balancing act of political intrigue, murder mystery, and complicated romantic tension! And a cliffhanger that has me antsy for the sequel!

This book started out with a bang and I was really excited to see where it lead after the first few chapters. Unfortunately, that’s kind of where it ended. I felt like the momentum just stopped there. The characters were not great and I didn’t connect with any of them. They were just kind of there. I don’t know, I’m kind of disappointed because the whole blurb for this book I was so appealing and exciting but I didn’t get any of that while reading.