Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the e-arc!
This book is the definition of gothic fantasy; Murderous politics, blood magic, & an evil vampire king! The book opens with Shan LeClaire murdering her awful father to protect her brother and start the political games that will hopefully change the kingdom from the inside. She plans to change the country, one secret at a time. What she doesn't expect is the kindhearted Sameul, the Last heir to the blood king, and her ex situation-ship Issac, the current royal worker for the king, twisting her plans around. In a book packed full of dark magic and political unrest, Shan, Issac, and Samuel are thrown into a deadly game of secrets, death, and court lies.
I struggled a bit more with the characters in the story, specifically with Shan and Issac. I felt that these characters need a bit more consistency in their goals and personalities. Obviously, there is a lot of betrayal, lies, and manipulation in the story, but it felt like many of the character's goals and desires were extremely unclear. Shan wants to make the kingdom better with subterfuge, but from a reader's perspective, I am very unclear on what she's trying to accomplish. The same goes for Issac; other than just being told they want to make things better, we don't get a lot of backstory or knowledge about what they're truly planning or truly trying to accomplish. It's a lot of generally trying to make things better or make a change. I would say Samuel is the most consistent character in the story, with his growth and character progression consistent to his character in the world. I think the intrigue is actually getting in the way of the characters. It felt like the story was so focused on creating this web of deception and lies that the characters felt very inconsistent and messy.

There is a lot of random forgiveness given to some characters and grudges being held against others for similar things. Shan's main purpose was to protect her brother and try to make a better kingdom, but honestly, it feels really at odds with all of her actions. I think having her be so focused on the romance is actually very detrimental to her character. Everything is very insta-love, and we see her consistently undermining her goals for Issac and Samuel.

However, I still enjoyed the story! I think this story would've benefited from focusing a little less on the intrigue and the main three characters and more on the world, the systems, and the magic. Everything is happening so quickly with the romance and the intrigue that it doesn't leave enough time to really develop the characters.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.65 (rounded up to 5) / 🌶️🌶️

Set in a vampiristic society where blood magic rules all, you are either born a Blood Worker or Unblooded. To be a Blood Worker is to inherit a gene that allows its wielder to manipulate and draw power from blood, and it is one that is indiscriminate in who it skips and who it blesses. Told from the perspective of Shan (a blood worker) and Samuel (seemingly unblooded with a mysterious power), this book picks up right after the FMC murders her father in cold blood. 🤯 Shan and Samuel must work together to discover who is murdering the Unblooded (in full serial killer fashion) or, should they fail, face the wrath of the Eternal King. Lines get crossed, sparks fly, and the world stuns in KM Enright's exhilarating debut. It is, perhaps, one of the most stunningly beautiful fantasy reads that I've had the pleasure of devouring this year.

My detailed thoughts below...

What I loved about this book:

💖 Writing Style, Pacing, and Characterization: This is one of those books that had me hooked right off the bat, and K.M. Enright's writing style is absolutely beautiful. Full of eloquent prose (never too much or too little), K.M. Enright has the rare gift of being able to build a world while simultaneously immersing the reader inside of it. Every single new concept introduced was quickly accompanied by explanation that was naturally woven into the fabric of the story, without leaning too heavily on narrative or too much telling vs. showing (my #1 pet peeve). I was able to quickly hop into the story with a basic idea of how Dameral came to be, who it was ruled by, what laws they governed themselves with, and a basic idea of how the magic worked while still eagerly flipping the page to the next action packed sequence of mystery + intrigue.

💖 World Building, Originality + Unique Take on Vampirism: K.M. Enright also introduces a very unique take on vampirism and I LOVE how original it was, and how it strayed from typical vampire tropes. I would say this book is less about vampires, per sé, and more about the blood magic itself... what you can learn from someone's blood, how you can use your own to generate power, and what you can do with it. I was instantly intrigued and I loved learning more and more about how the Blood Workers in the story operated in general.

💖 Beautifully Complex MC's: SHANNNNN. My heart. The FMC of this story is wildly complex, very sexy, and always has a backup plan b/c/d. In a lot of ways, she reminded me of S2 Katherine Pierce, and I LOVED reading the story from her perspective. She always kept me guessing, but we also got to see moments where she was deeply human as well. She has theeee most natural chemistry with everyone she interacts with and I legit couldn't stop shipping her with everyone she talked to 😂. I also loved Samuel as well, and found that his naivete and empathy provided a nice counterbalance to Shan's neurotic obsession with power and always needing to be the one that holds the upper hand.

💖 Thrilling Political Intrigue: Another thing I liked about this book was how deeply Enright went into showing us the inner workings and subliminal cues of how the political system in Dameral worked. I find that there are plenty of books that advertise political complexity and dialogue, but very few that really nail how every single little thing can be interpreted and seen as a gesture, invitation, or slight. It was unique getting to see all of these hidden messages from Shan's POV (someone who had been raised as a courtesan for her whole life) and how she navigated in this world.

💖 Accurate, Diverse Representation of POC + LGBTQA+ characters: Another thing I loved about the book was how human it was and how it didn't shy away from discussing issues like racism + transphobia. Our FMC has been routinely treated as a foreigner in her own homeland simply for being a different race, and another main character in the book, Isaac, discusses his transition without it comprising the entirety of his plot or character. It felt like Enright did justice to these characters without making their personal struggle their sole plot lines.

Areas I wish we got more insight into/didn't love as much:

😞 Sparrow's Origin Story: One thing I wish we had learned about in more depth was Sparrow's origin story -- how did she come to be, how did she build up her network, how was she so easily accepted as Sparrow, how did more nobility not notice her (even in disguise). This felt like a big hole in the plot and I really wish we had gotten a more detailed overview of how Shan's spy network came to be.

😞 Really Long Chapters: This is 100000% personal preference, but there were some instances I wish the chapters were a bit shorter. Some chapters felt like they could have been 2-3 different chapters and there times I was excited to get to the next point of action or the next scene, only to realize the same scene was strung out for an extra 10-20 pages.

😞 Too Much Foreshadowing + Predictable Ending: One thing I didn't feel was necessary was the amount of foreshadowing of the ending. While it totally made sense within the context of the book, I think there were aspects that could have been more of a *GASP* had Enright not foreshadowed them so much so early in the book (within chapters 10-20). That's probably my only complaint.

Overall, I really loved this book and it was a stunning debut from an extremely promising, incredibly talented author. I can't wait to read the second book, and I need more of Shan + Samuel STAT. Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Publishing, and K.M. Enright for the ARC copy to review.

As almost all of the 3 star reviews have said - great potential but did not hit the mark.

The initial premise of this is a world where some people can bloodwork, or do magic with blood, and others can't. Those who can bloodwork have more power and social currency than those who cannot, leading to an interesting political and social dynamic that the author did not quite hit. Early on, one of our main characters comes across a murder victim, the first in a string. This witness also happens to be the heir of a powerful family that has died off, and has a unique power of their own. Shan, the other main POV, discovers Samuel's powers and brings him to the King to bring back this powerful family, and they are tasked to work together to solve these killings.

This premise is so cool, and I was stoked for it. However, there is also a poly relationship that blooms between Shan, Samuel, and another character, Isaac. I was initially totally down for this. This book is unapologetically queer, which is great. However, these characters were so horny for each other for no real reason. I know that not all attraction has to be based on love, but I did not pick up this book for that kind of story. This probably is fine for a lot of other people, but I felt like the romance/horny aspect of this book took control to the point where I felt like the really cool premise of the initial plot got lost. I ended up putting the book down at 60% because I just wasn't into it and I have a lot of other things to read. I may consider picking this back up later, but right now I just got tired of them all being so horny for each other and not caring at all about the serial killer on the loose that they were tasked with finding. I dunno, maybe I'm a prude, but I just wanted more non-romance from a book that wasn't advertised to me as romance. (It is of note that on Goodreads one of the genres listed is romance, but on netgalley, where I requested this book, it is not.)

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars!

This was a very good time! If someone says they want a morally gray character, I would point them to this book because everyone was messy, nuanced, and part of stressful situations.

I think this book shined more in the characters than the plot. Although I was extremely interested in the world and the political system, I also appreciated how well we got to know our characters and their motivations. I also think this book has my favorite solution to a love triangle, and I loved how queer normative the world was!

Also, I don't know if this will be a common opinion, but this book reminded me slightly of Mistborn in a way that I enjoyed. I think it was the way the blood magic was used and also the Eternal Emperor reminded me of The Lord Ruler.

I will definitely be picking up the sequel in this series, and I think this was a very strong debut.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A very interesting read of love, betrayal, and courtly intrigue. With well developed characters that make you root for them until the very end. Pretty much all the characters, even the ones you think may be innocent, are morally gray and have questionable but valid desires they wish to fulfil. The magic system was fairly different from what I’ve read before with blood working, but it was quite interesting. Would definitely recommend giving it a read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut by K. M. Enright!! With a novel magic system of Blood Working, they have created a believable yet immersive world with high-stakes and deadly power. This novel has the perfect balance of politics, subterfuge, and spice. Our main trio has really intense chemistry, and I’ve never been previously intrigued by a poly romance, but this was tastefully done. I also enjoyed the trans representation, which I found to be intriguing and informative. While delving into themes of gender, love, betrayal, and politics, the reader is also left to consider the consequences of racism and classism. Overall, I really enjoyed Shan’s development as a character throughout the book and how her ultimate change of heart left her much less cold and reserved. Samuel is such a wholesome character and I can’t wait to see how their dynamics play out in the next novel.
As always, thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for this eARC for review!

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books | Orbit, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW: murder, blood, gore

Shan LeClaire is the daughter of a powerful, but disgraced Blood Worker and has spent all her life perfecting her own power, creating a network of spies and trying to elevate the status of her family. Even if that means killing her own father in order to protect her Unblooded brother and twin. Now head of the family, she's only started plotting her revenge and the other piece is finding the lost heir of the King, Samuel Hutchinson, who lived as Unblooded for all his life, fighting to hide a tremendous, but dangerous power in his veins. Pulled into the court, he will have to do anything in order to save himself and to to lose who he is. Now, Tasked by their vampire king to find the mysterious killer who is been killing in the city, Samuel and Shan have to rely on one other. Soon, Shan, Samuel and the Royal Blood Worker Isaas, find themselves in a web of desire, passion, lies and secrets and they have to choose what is the price of their own souls.

Mistress of Lies has a perfect, brutal and bloodthirsty heroine, able to create a web of secrets, lies, accumulating power, perfectioning her own powers, in order to protect those she loves and to get what she wants in a shrewd and original heroine. Even though I would have preferred to read a bit more about the investigations, I love how the author talks about Shan and Samuel, using the double POV and their so different point of view. From a disagraced daughter willing to do anything to get the power again, even bargaining with brutal kings, to the life of a simple man, fighting all his life against a powerful gift.
I loved how the story is also a bit political, underlying the division between Blooded and Unblooded and the brutal difference from one other and how Samuel finds himself in the middle of it, between lies and secrets.
Last, but not least, I loved the romantic tension in the book between the three characters. I've found it very intriguing and I can't wait to read more about it.

Intriguing and well written! So recommended!

Read an early blurb copy
Content warning: patricide, blood, insurrection, body horror, self-harm for magic use, vomiting, murder, dead bodies

My official blurb as Ladz author of The Fealty of Monsters on the Hachette site for the book:

“Mistress of Lies is a honey trap of romance and royaltycore that leaves no corroded stone unturned when delving into the corruption at the heart of monarchy.”

Decadent in a way that honors both its vampire horror and fantasy romance roots, Mistress of Lies tells the story of a young woman who brings a bastard with a deadly gift to get into the good graces of the centuries’ old despot, the Eternal King. While navigating the cut-throat world of Blood Worker politics, there’s a killer on the loose taking advantage of every bit of political tension throughout Dameral, pushing the city ever closer to revolution and civil war.

This post is going to be a moment where my author self and my reader self will overlap, because this truly is the romantasy of all time.

This book manages to straddle three different genres perfectly. There’s romance, there’s mystery, and there’s fantasy. The romance central to the series is between Shan, Isaac, and Samuel, at different levels of romantic heat. Shan and Samuel, having just met in this first volume, burns faster than Samuel and Isaac, with not as much of the angst as the exes-to-lovers that is Shan and Isaac. The plot does not move at all without the tension between these three, and the pay-off with how that romance meshes with the mystery and the fantasy is so tasty.

Tugging at the strings connecting those three vectors of attraction is the mystery that propels the story. A spate of murders among the Unblooded, citizens who cannot perform Blood Work (i.e. magic), lead to increased panic, whispers revolt, and even more tyranny from the ruling classes. The politics in this are so twisty, and it’s so fun to see Shan be a sexy, ambitious young woman attempting to restore her family’s name and learning the hard way that political rot cannot be undone with the elimination of one despot. The aesthetics lure into the reader into an anti-monarchy trance, which makes this read absolutely delightful for those who love villain protagonists.

On the fantasy side, if you want dark magic and court intrigue, it lies at the heart of both plots. This is a secondary world with all the trappings of magic casually used throughout all of society, including in gender-affirming medicine and transition as depicted through Isaac’s POV.

Mistress is a decadent, multi-faceted delight of a romantasy whose revolution is just getting started, and I’m so excited for everyone to experience it for the first time.

DNF. I love the concept of this book, and some of the characters. However, the author has the technical and stylistic subtlety of a cartoon anvil. You just get handed the characters’ feelings, and essential plot details, without needing to work for it. There’s little intrigue that is essential for the genre as a result. The idea isn’t bad, but the author needs to refine their craft further.

First off, this cover is gorgeous. Okay, moving on. Light fantasy with a sprinkling of vampires and why-choose romance. I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series once more is published, but I had fun with this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Stars: 3.5 rounded up to 4

This dark fantasy is chock full of politics, class dynamics, race dynamics, unique but vampire-esque magic system and tons of tension and angst between the three main characters. Love seeing the LGBTQ+ rep, and I enjoyed reading the messiness between the three characters. The author is hinting at a MMF poly relationship, and I am interested to see where the author takes us in book 2.

I love a badass morally grey FMC, so the first chapter with Shan hooked me. However, I would love to have seen more of chapter 1 Shan in the rest of the book as she fell a little flat for me as the book went on. Samuel is sweet and innocent with a strong moral compass, and I enjoyed this as I don’t often see this in a male character in this genre. Isaac is an incredibly complex and interesting character, and I am interested to see what happens with him in book 2.

Thank you to KM Enright, Orbit Books | Orbit, and to NetGalley for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of Mistress of Lies in exchange for feedback!

Mistress of Lies follows Shan LeClaire, a talented Blood Worker who wants to rise in the ranks of society after her father disgraced their family name. She meets Samuel Hutchinson, who doesn’t have the same blood magic powers that she and everyone else who controls society do, but he does have a far darker power that he can barely control. When a slew of murders sparks unrest, Shan and Samuel are tasked with working together to find the culprit, and they find they have more common goals than just solving their mystery.

I loved Shan - her scheming and playing the long game for her goals (long enough, perhaps, for her to start questioning herself) and the network she built were fascinating. I wish we had been given more about her past - how she (and the other Blood Workers) find their powers and are trained in them, her familial relationships, why she felt so driven to forge her network of spies. Similarly, I loved Samuel (begging the author not to hurt him in the sequel!!) but felt we could’ve gotten more of his backstory and learned what motivates him.

Plot wise, this was significantly more romance-forward than expected. I really enjoyed the relationships and sexuality in Mistress of Lies and found them substantial enough to keep the story moving. That said, readers who are expecting a dark fantasy murder mystery may be disappointed. A good third of the book was building our relationships and going to society parties - which I found very fun, but others might not be looking for.

The ending had the potential to stick the landing, but felt a little rushed. I think if we had been given more about the magic system throughout the book, the last third of the story would’ve felt much more impactful. We are, though, set up nicely for the next book - which I’ll look forward to reading as well!

from vampires, to balls, to murder mystery, to a polyamorous relationship, and trust & betrayal. this book has it all. i was sucked into this world from the very first page. i never expected the plot twists in this book. i also love that the ending promises more but isn't necessarily a cliffhanger. i can't wait for book 2! ♡

#netgalley #arcread #vampires #polyamorous #transrep #filipinorep #mistressoflies

Thanks Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start by saying that I did thoroughly enjoy this book which is reflected in my rating. That’s largely down to the characters and their relationships to each other, in all honesty.

I adored Shan, Samuel and Isaac so, so much, and their relationships with each other, the budding romance between all three of them, the lust and love and confusion and uncertainty. All of it was so enticing and captivating and I was hooked on this throuple. Each of these characters were so different from each other, all had different sets of morals and ambitions even if their end goals aligned.

While the overall plot is interesting, I felt the pacing was all over the place. There were stretches where I was getting bored and then parts where so much happened so quickly it gave me whiplash. I also just felt a little let down by the writing style. It wasn’t bad by any means, I just wanted a bit more polish, I guess.

I do recommend this book, especially if you’re looking for something diverse and a little different.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I got the eARC on NetGalley from the publisher so thank you for the copy in exchange for an honest review. It had a lot of potential but the writing was too much telling and not enough showing in places that mattered. Everything happened a little too easily. Shan's motivations felt shallow, especially when all her interactions with her brother were arguments. Samuel's relationship with both Shan and Isaac felt shallow and only sexual. The solution at the end felt too easy, but I enjoyed the twist. I did love the fresh take on vampirism, but I wish the blood magic was more elaborated on. I am looking forward to what the author does next and seeing him grow!

Mistress of Lies is the tale of a ruthless Blood Worker named Shan. She is willing to do whatever it takes for power and to protect her ungifted twin. When Shan discovers a lost heir, she takes the opportunity to gain more power and connections. Meanwhile, Samuel had no idea he was the lost heir except for a strange power he possesses. With the help of Shan and her friend Issac, they agree to help him survive the Eternal King’s vicious court. Yet as a killer moves through the city, will the three of them be able to unmask them in time?

Mistress of Lies is a solid and satisfying debut! I loved the world-building and connections to Filipino culture. Shan is a compelling character and I loved how far she was willing to go for those she cared about. I enjoyed how the LGBTQ+ rep was included. Issac, Samuel, and Shan have a very interesting dynamic and I’m looking forward to seeing how it progresses in the sequel. The story is filled with twists and it kept me guessing as to who the real killer was right up until the very end.

Readers who enjoy the book Nevernight, complex politics, and an intriguing magic system should check out Mistress of Lies!

Thank you to K.M. Enright, Orbit Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

I was really excited to read this, the premise was great but I think I overhyped it. The beginning great, we started out with a lot of action and then the rest was really slow. Then ending picked up for sure and I will read the second book, but the middle really dragged for me. I was interested to know what would happen but I didn’t feel compelled to get back to the book. It took me a while to finish it. I think there was a lot more focus on character development and the romance than on progressing the plot. The premise and magic system are interesting and I’ll continue with the series, but the book overall wasn’t a standout for me

Thanks to NetGalley, K.M Enright and Orbit Books for this e-ARC

Thank you Netgalley, K.M. Enright, and Orbit books!

Immediately we're thrown into our main character, Shan, carrying out a murder plot. So right off the bat there is no real build up into this world. And unfortunately we don't get a ton of it throughout. I see what the author was going for, and I believe this is going to he a duology? I would have rather known I would be going into a trilogy so that we could get to know Shan and the main male characters more. It felt like everything was instant lust to love, and it didn't feel authentic. If we had more time of the plotting and training one of the characters needed to go through, it could have given us time to see it bloom. All in all, the world is incredibly interesting, and I do want to see this author continue to improve their storytelling and writing abilities. It has political intrigue and vampires that aren't necessarily vampires? Or are they 👀

3.5 stars

Mistress of Lies starts off with a really compelling first chapter but doesn’t quite keep that same level of intrigue throughout the rest of the book. The story however is interesting, dark, and bloody, and does have a unique magic system and a good murder mystery storyline.

There’s a hint of a MMF romance, but it never quite goes anywhere. There are small romantic interactions and one spicy scene which I found a little out of place, but overall the romance left something to be desired. I liked Shan and Samuel, but I was never able to figure out what they saw in Isaac. I honestly wasn’t that thrilled with how the book ended and I’m unsure about continuing the series. That being said, there were plenty of enjoyable moments as well and I think there’s definitely an audience for it.

Thank you to Orbit for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be released wide by Orbit books on 8/13/24!

Buckle in guys because this politically charged vampire Romantasy is going to rock your damn socks. Fate is cruel mistress. A lying mistress which the FMC Shan knows all to well. There is blood magic. Spying, intrigue, fast paced plot and MMC worthy of the moniker. I had wicked fun reading this one