3.75 ⭐️
This book had such an interesting idea for as a concept and overall I think was well executed. I liked our core 3 main characters and their interactions throughout the book. I found the dialogue super entertaining, and great romantic chemistry!. Where the book falls a bit short for me is in the pacing, you're dropped right into the action and kind of dropped off a bit in the middle. Luckily it picked right up in the last 15 chapters and I was fully back into the story. I will deff be on the look out for the next book in the trilogy.

Thanks to NetGally, Orbit Books and K.M Enright for providing me with an e-arc.

Dark political gaslamp fantasy with an MMF romance subplot. In a country ruled by practitioners of blood magic called Blood Workers, Shan inherits her family’s estate and uses her web of spies to leverage knowledge into power. In the city’s slums, Samuel the Unblooded (non-magical) finds a body drained of blood by a rogue Blood Worker. The two are thrown together by a string of murders and drawn dangerously close to the Eternal King.

This book had a lot of potential, starting off with a bang in the first chapter but suffering from a stagnant pace through most of the book. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and developments occurring off-page, apparently Shan and Samuel were hard at work investigating the murders but they seemed to only go to parties and bumble around cluelessly on page. The world was shallowly developed, the main characters never felt more than one-dimensional, and the romance was too fast burn to be believable. Ultimately this was a book I struggled to get through and would have DNF’ed if I it wasn’t an ARC.

CWs: murder, public execution, blood, classism, child abuse, off-page rape (not of any main characters), racism, human trafficking, death of a parent

I did not enjoy this book

First, I am not a fan of books heavy on politics. Which I knew before deciding to pick up this book, but I was expecting that this was going to be one of those few exceptions where I truly enjoy them but it was not the case.

With that being said, I found the plot to be very slow but what kept was readying was the mystery concept of it, which I found pretty good. Most of the action was in the last 20% and I would have wished it would been more spread throughout the book.

One very unexploited potential I found was the FMC. Throughout the books it was mentioned that she was always plotting and scheming which lead me to expect for her to have a hidden plan of her own and I was kept waiting. She does have a “secret identity” which she uses to gather information but even that I think missed the mark.

Another I found was that the personality of the main character were very flat, specially Samuel’s.

I did find a couple of plot holes as well, the main ones being if Samuel was the one to tell everyone about the kings “blood bank”, why wasn’t the king mad at him, and the connection that Shan and Samuel have at the end of the book that lead to her finding him. Where did it come from? It was just unexplained and a little too convenient.

Thank you Orbit and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange of my honest review!

** Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. **

This was a really interesting story, haven't read a book quite like this before. The magic is fueled by blood so there is trigger warnings for bloodletting, and self-harm. What I didn't realize going into the story is that it would be kind of a murder mystery. So, if you don't like mystery plots in your fantasy you won't enjoy it, but I was pleasantly surprised by that element. I really enjoyed the queer rep, with a budding poly relationship. I'm not sure this is a queer normative world, but it definitely felt that way. There is at least 1 spicy scene in the story that I feel was very well done especially as it involves our trans male character. Now I am not trans so I cannot speak to the specific representation and if it was done well or not. I recommend looking for own voices reviews to speak on that representation. Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the writing itself was very captivating. I will continue with the series as I am excited to see where the story goes and how the characters relationship(s) grow.

This book started off really good, I was very intrigued just from the first few pages, unfortunately it kind of dropped off after those initial few chapters and lost me.

I was attracted to this book because of the exciting description. Ultimately, I DNFed this book because of the pacing and the somewhat YA tone. The book starts out very promising, dropping you into the middle of the action. Unfortunately, after the opening chapters, it just moved too quickly for me. With all of the plot coming rapidly, I needed more time to develop a connection to the characters and found myself unable to invest.

I also had difficulty with the YA tones and believability of the romance. Shan's character is supposed to be this great strategist, but that is just told, never really shown. I was very quickly tired of how much she cared about her outfits and her old grudges. It made her an unlikeable character. That, coupled with the fast plot pacing, just made it hard for me to feel invested, and ultimately, I DNF.

I need book 2 now!! What an amazing read. The main characters are so well written with their incredible strengths and very real flaws. I'm thoroughly invested in seeing where this political tension and scheming goes to, and even more excited to see how the characters continue to develop. I'm also so happy to see a trans love interest be so well rounded.

More books need content warnings in the front. It just helps mentally prepare for what is to come, but also good to know that it doesn't cross certain points.

This book truly lives up to the gorgeous cover AND the hype: it's that good. The world building and political machinations are engaging from the first page, and the characters are incredibly well-developed. It's definitely edge-of-your-seat reading some of the time, though its pacing is great and meets those high-energy periods with quieter, if no less angry and high-stakes, moments of political stakes.

"Mistress of Lies" by K. M. Enright is a wonderful dark fantasy debut novel that combines elements of political intrigue, gothic romance, and blood magic. The story's main character Shan LeC laire, assassinates her father to protect her brother and takes over her family's power. Alongside Samuel Hutchinson and Isaac, she must uncover a magical serial killer while navigating a treacherous web of power and revenge. This book has complex characters, good world-building, and high-stakes romance. It is a good read for fans of dark, political fantasies. This was overall a good read and it was a novel that caught my attention and kept it throughout.

When I read the synopsis and saw the book cover of Mistress of Lies, I was immediately drawn in. Unfortunately, the writing style turned me away. DNF at the halfway mark.

I thought this book really started out with a strong premise. You’re immediately dropped into the bloodbath with Shan. The concept of Bloodwork is interesting as there’s ties to vampirism along with an intriguing magical component.

The writing was ultimately lacking for me. Shan is meant to be a cunning character, though immediately seems to fold to romantic interests which feels antithetical to her archetype. Samuel is immediately trusting of those surrounding him, but dives headfirst into a world that he is supposedly adverse to. The characters just really lack dimension in a way that has turned me away from the book, and unfortunately there isn’t enough context outlined in the magic system to keep me reading.

Intriguing beginning to a series, MISTRESS OF LIES has mystery, romance, sex appeal, and great worldbuilding around blood magic in a dark fantasy title.

E-ARC generously provided by Orbit in exchange for an honest review! Thank you so much!

Combining an artfully and angst-ridden poly romance with a glimmering spider web of political intrigue, Mistress of Lies is a compelling and arresting debut from an author to watch.

Overall I found this to be a really bold, daring debut. Unfortunately, it fell into some of the common traps that tend to plague debuts, like being a little *too* ambitious towards the end as preparation for later installments. But first, the positives!

I found myself really enjoying how dark and complex Shan was as a character. Shan's mind is a dark and writhing thing, but the reader can clearly see that this is something she struggles with greatly. As the novel develops, we see a different side of Shan emerge - one that I loved bearing witness to.

Unfortunately, I found myself significantly less interested in the romantic aspect of this book. I'm not so keen on second chance romances (a personal gripe), and seeing Shan ignore pointed advice from those close to her felt like an "Ugh!" moment for me. That being said, the way that K.M. Enright writes about trans people and their chosen descriptors is absolutely stunning. This book sets a precedent for the rep that the world of writing so desperately needs. In the future, I look forward to seeing much more of their work.

All in all, I think that I came out as feeling decidedly "meh" about the story, but ended up enjoying it overall. I can't wait for the next one to see how the author improves!

There is a major issue with telling rather than showing in this work. Samuel's rise to prominence is one obvious illustration. They are annoying characters. They genuinely do. I didn't have a connection with them, and I didn't believe the things that were said about them. The plot is nowhere to be found. By the middle of the novel, it had lost all of its intensity. The plot just stopped moving forward and gradually centered on their stupid relationship. We receive nothing in the world building. We are informed of the names of a few more nations and that blood workers are disliked there, but why? What on earth is this magical system? What really can blood workers do? The "plot" just addressed it once and did not go into further detail.

Many thanks and appreciation to NetGalley and Orbit Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

DNF - This book has all of the bare bones of a great fantasy in terms of the plot, world-building, and political intrigue. There are so many things I loved about reading this book at first, the prowess of the badass POC FMC, the magic of the Blood Working aspects, trans/queer/LGBTQ+ characters and sexual fluidity, atmospheric world but it's lacking a key factor to encourage me to continue reading - emotional investment. As much as I tried, I am not feeling connected to the characters enough to want to continue reading despite wanting to know what happens and more about the magic system. It was not enough of an immersive experience to me to finish which is especially unfortunate because I was really admiring and interested in the diverse cast of characters and their sexualities. That's something we do not see in a lot of books in general unless they are side characters. Ultimately, I had to put this book down because of the lack of immersiveness and emotional investment - very similar to my experience with the notable, "The Poppy War" by R.F. Kuang. Maybe it's just not for me!

The book wasn't bad, I did enjoy the blood magic system that was written .
A very cookie cutter built world that made this a quick CK read

AHHHH. This book was such a fun read, I couldn't put it down. It had me at the edge of my seat and I audibly gasped at many parts. Honestly part of me regrets applying for an ARC because I now have to wait longer for a sequel to come out.

The characters are written well. I love that they all essentially want the same thing, but all have different methods of achieving it. And many of their reasons are selfish, which begs the question of "What is the right way to solve this problem?" They all try to answer it with their own beliefs, refusing to understand where the others are coming from. Each character and their relationships are complex, adding to the high tensions in the story. I am really curious to see how they all continue in the sequel, and how they will all grow as characters.

Also, blood magic! Where you have to consume your own blood and the blood of others! That was fun and a bit gross, but overall an intriguing basis for the class system of their kingdom. Building a society based on those who can do magic vs. those who cannot isn't a new trope, but Enright's version is a horrifyingly realistic take. It also contributed to each character's motives, as well as blinded some of their actions.

Overall, I really loved this book and felt enthralled in the story. The complex relationships, characters, and society made for a high tension read that I want to go back and annotate. Will definitely be getting a physical copy just to have, especially to admire the pretty cover.

Mistress of Lies

Rating: 3.5/5

I enjoyed this book, I thought the plot was interesting and I liked the inclusive cast of characters. I wish this book got a few more rounds of edits to help with some character development, pacing changes and to flesh out the plot and characters more, because I feel like with these changes this book could easily become a five star read. I liked the idea of the novel a lot, but at times it was hard to follow what was happening or why something was happening.
I felt like the characters at times were inconsistent, and it was hard to tell their motives. Like one of the main characters, Shan, creates a whole network of communication and finds the other main character, Samuel, all to kill the king. Her goal for killing the king is to make the world better for people who can’t do blood magic, all because her brother cannot do blood magic. But by the time she starts to get closer to the king, she completely stops discussing the plan and her path to move forward. She also says that she gains her network of communication by listening to people, yet she doesn’t seem to understand or care much about non magical people that aren’t her brother. She feels very out of touch with the world outside of her blood magic circle. (Also her disguise is literally just wearing a different outfit and lots of makeup, and we’re supposed to believe that people she knows don’t recognise her like that? I understand the point that people with blood magic don’t spare a second thought for unblooded people, but it seems unrealistic that she wouldn’t be recognised)
I wish we saw more of the character Bart, as he seems to be an important character, he helps Shan in the first chapter of the book to kill her father and burn the body, he does most of the work in Shan’s information network, and is her brother’s partner. Yet we rarely see this character. I feel like I really don’t know much about him despite him being an important character, he feels forgotten.
I also wish the magic system was better established in the story. I feel like it was just mentioned like “oh yeah we do magic with blood” but never really given detailed information. Like what can be done with the blood magic, what is their blood magic schooling like, how much blood do they get from the government, etc. I just feel like the magic system wasn’t explained well enough despite it being a very important part of the book.
Another note I have is that the pacing of the novel could have been better. I feel like I enjoyed the romance scenes we had but the relationships didn’t feel natural, we didn’t really see the character’s growing feelings for each other and I wish we saw more interactions between romantic interests. In addition, the spicy scenes felt rushed, almost like they were added in to give it spice and not because the author wanted to write them. I wish the spicy scenes were longer or that they were removed all together. But having a scene that gets halfway through and then gets rushed and fades to black just wasn’t my favorite.
I almost feel like I must have missed information while reading the book, maybe I need to read it a second time to better understand the novel. I will update this review if I ever do a re-read.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Apologies - I submitted the wrong review for this book! Will correct and resubmit once I have finished.

A good fantasy book with solid characters and its own, interesting magic. The writing style made for a very engaging read. I'd recommend this to fans of the genre.