Mistress of Lies is a dark, compelling fantasy that grabs you right from the first chapter with its thrilling and messy protagonist. Shan LeClaire, the daughter of a disgraced Blood Worker, is a force to be reckoned with. After spending her life honing her blood magic, building a network of spies, and amassing power, Shan takes the ultimate step to protect her brother—assassinating her own father and stepping into his position at the head of the family. This marks only the beginning of her complex, and bloody, journey of revenge.

The worldbuilding in Mistress of Lies is rich and immersive, creating a captivating backdrop for the story. But where this novel truly shines is in its characters. Shan is a wonderfully messy, morally gray figure, and her journey is filled with twists, betrayal, and fierce determination. As someone who loves reading about complex, flawed women, I was hooked from the very first chapter.

With its mix of vampires, romance, queer and LGBT themes, and a touch of horror, Mistress of Lies is an emotionally charged read that explores power, vengeance, and the dark side of ambition. If you’re a fan of gritty, character-driven stories with a dark edge, this book will be a favorite.

This was an interesting read, but wasn't my favorite read of the year. I felt like there was a lot of thing happening, but for some reason I could never buy into them. The premise was cool, and maybe this one just wasn't for me.

3.5 Stars

Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright is a dark and politically charged fantasy debut with a unique take on vampire-inspired magic, class struggles, and a murder mystery that brings three compelling characters together.

The story follows Shan, a ruthless and cunning Blood Worker who has risen to power after avenging her father’s disgrace; Samuel, an unblooded with a dangerous hidden power that could change everything; and Isaac, a royal bodyguard bound to protect the vampire-like king. When the three find themselves entangled in a brutal murder investigation, they must navigate deadly politics, forbidden magic, and their own complicated relationships.

There’s a lot to love here—the Filipino cultural influences, the intricate blood magic system, and the morally grey characters who are caught between ambition and survival. The romance was also a standout, with great representation, including a trans masculine love interest.

However, the novel suffers from pacing issues—a strong opening, a lagging middle, and a rushed conclusion. The murder mystery sometimes takes a backseat to political maneuvering and romance, making the plot feel stretched thin. Additionally, the telling vs. showing issue was noticeable, as key character developments and world-building elements felt underexplored.

Despite its flaws, Mistress of Lies lays an intriguing foundation for what could be a thrilling series. Fans of political intrigue, dark fantasy, and complicated characters will find plenty to enjoy here. I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel to see where the story goes next.

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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. The plot sounded so interesting and the cover of this book really drew me in, however unfortunately the story felt superficial and flat. Too much telling, not showing, and inconsistent pacing. I almost wonder if this book was drawn out into two books with more consistent pacing and diving into the different subplots might of helped. Overall really intriguing though which bumped it from two stars to three stars. I will pay attention to this author to see if their work improves because the ideas are all there.

This is a dark fantasy novel inspired by vampire lore… all I can say is if you like the book “Silver Under Nightfall”, I think you’ll like this one too. A lot. It surprised me! The romance wasn’t expected, including the “love triangle”. It wasn’t done badly, I actually didn’t mind it. I liked the diversity in the story too, so many interesting characters. I’m excited to read more from this author!

This book was fine but nothing ground-breaking. I enjoyed it well enough, but I probably won’t go out of my way to recommend it.

I had pretty high hopes for this book at the beginning. Actually for the first 30% I was loving it! I’m not a big vampire person and I thought the magic system was a really interesting take. I was also intrigued by the potential for a mix of politics and a kind of double life thing going on with Shan and Samuel. And then everything kind of fell apart.

The romance started to become much more central to the plot. And not in a good way. The characters also moved around but didn’t actually do very much on page. Everything was very surface level. The potential of political machinations went exactly nowhere. Way too much telling and no showing.

There were some interesting ideas here but the execution just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbitfor the e-ARC. This is my honest review.

This book I struggled to get through. It was much darker than what I was anticipated, and it was hard to follow. The world building wasn't great, and character development wasn't the best. I struggled to keep facts straight and ended up dnfing it at 49%.

This book was able to weave in the magical and history so beautifully. I was so captivated by the characters and their build up. I’m always excited to find story that feature polyamory as a couple dynamic.

Three people, a kingdom with a serial killer on the loose, and a mad vampire king bent on destroying them all. Shan LeClaire is the daughter of a disgraced Blood Worker and is determined to regain her family's reputation by first killing her brother and scheming her way to the top and getting her revenge. Samuel Hutchinson is the bastard son of the king who has a terrible gift he can't control... he can control people simply by speaking at them. When Samuel stumbles upon the a dead body he finds his life turned upside down as Shan finds him and decides that he has become her newest chess piece and an opportunity to get closer to the king, she helps reveal him as the last living relative of the king and sets him up in court. Then there is Isaac, the Royal Blood Worker and a faithful servant to the king... as well as Shan's ex lover who left her and is begging for a second chance... yet he is also falling for Samuel... and has his own courtly ambitions and schemes to contend to. Shan, Samuel, and Isaac are all playing a deadly court game and with so many schemes and plots amongst them all... it's hard to figure out whether or not they can trust one another when they are all players in the game. This is the first book in the series and it definitely has potential, the book suffers from a lot of "telling not showing" and I kind of wish it could have been better. I adore a poly political scheming fantasy, especially with queer rep and some magic. It could have been so great but it just felt a bit in the middle for me. I am intrigued to see where the next book goes and hope it just picks up with the pacing a bit and fleshes it out better, but otherwise this was a perfectly just mid book to me. I do think that other fantasy readers who are interested in poly relationship books with some court politics and a dash of magic will have fun with this.

Release Date: August 13, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Orbit Books | Orbit for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book was absolutely incredible from start to finish. This is a different perspective and take on intertwining fantasy elements, vampires and magic within one book. There are multiple means of representation that is refreshing to read within this novel, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to travel into a fantasy world that has a different take on magic, royalty, and vampirism all-in-one.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Orbit for this early access copy in exchange for an honest review.

Right off the bat, I loved the blending of mystery and historical fiction that Enright did. The attention to the historical accuracy is fantastic and it helps to bring the setting as well as the atmosphere to life. However, the execution of the plot feels uneven at times. While the mystery element keeps the reader engaged, the pacing can be slow, and some plot twists feel a bit predictable. The character development is solid, but certain relationships and interactions lack depth, making it difficult to fully connect with the characters. The strength is in the historical details and the premise, but didn't fully grip me as a mystery. Yet I am willing to try more by this author due to all the work she put into making the setting come to life.

This book was not exactly what I expected, but I did really enjoy it for what it was! I think that this book was mis-marketed a tad bit--it was a lot heavier on the romance and character work than I was led to believe. But I enjoyed it! The characters were dynamic and difficult and flawed, and I enjoyed seeing how they made their way around the horrible world they lived in. They actually struggled with the decisions they made, which made them feel so real. I was expecting the main character to be a pretty one note villain, but she surprised me. She had valid reasons for the way she moved in the world, and I found myself rooting for her growth, for her happiness. The love triangle was interesting--not so much a triangle but a polyamorous relationship. It was refreshing! Really cannot wait for the next book, especially after that ending!

3.5 stars
Mistress of Lies is a gothic fantasy written by K.M. Enright a Filipino-American and Sunday Times Bestselling Author.

This book features a M/M/F romance, transgender and Filipino representation, rags to riches, and vampires and blood magic.

First in Mistress of Lies, we meet Shan LeClare who has dedicated her life to master her blood magic, and to take her cruel father’s place. Samuel Hutchinson, a nobody (or so he thought), with a secret gift or is it a curse? Lastly, Isaac De La Cruz, Royal Bloodworker for the Eternal King. In the middle of executing Shan’s revenge plan, things take a turn when Samuel finds a dead body in the Unblooded region. Shan and Samuel are instructed by the Eternal King to find the murderer. Along the way Shan, Samuel and Isaac find each other growing close and to one another.

Shan is an interesting character however, I didn’t understand if she was so powerful and good enough with her blood magic then how could she not exact her revenge in a better, more action packed approach? I liked the romance aspect however, I do think that it distracts a bit too much from the plot. Sometimes (which could just be me) I got confused as to what parts were happening due to Samuel’s powers and what wasn’t. I do hope to learn more though about what Samuel’s mother knew, about the magical bond between the characters, and I am excited to dive into this interesting blood magic system/world when the second book to The Age of Blood series comes out!

Thank you to Netgalley, Orbit Publishing, and K.M. Enright for giving me this digital advanced reader copy of this book!

It took me so long to finish this book because I wanted to love it, but I just didn't. The first third of the book was great. The start of the story was intriguing, the descriptions of the magic system were fascinating, and finally - a book that described Filipino food! I was so excited.

Overall, the book felt underwhelming to me. There was lust-driven romance which isn't for me and I didn't care for the characters. What they were about, why they did things the way they did, I simply wanted more.

3-3.25 stars. Mistress of Lies is a Filipino-inspired dark fantasy with a murder mystery and a queer, polyamorous romance. I mean, what's not to love about that concept? And the book opens with one of the POV characters, a Blood Worker named Shan, killing her father to take over as head of her family?? And another "un-blooded" POV character Sam witnessing a murder that he and Shan then have to solve?? As someone who LOVES messy, villainous, dark, complex female characters, diverse POC/queer-driven narratives, mysteries, and dark fantasy in general, this should have been a no-brainer 4+ stars for me. Sadly, even though the world was fascinating, and the characters were well set-up, this book suffered from a HEAVY case of telling and not showing. The reader is told repeatedly that Shan is brilliant and cunning, but so many of her choices do not read that way at all, and in fact are not very cunning or well thought out. Similarly, a lot of Sam's progress as a character occurs off-page and instead the reader is just told about it, which I feel robs the reader of the experience of true character growth and a lot of the promise of the premise. The pacing also suffered as a result, with a compelling opening, a middle that dragged a bit, and a whirlwind of an ending, and with one too many side/subplots that as a result were underdeveloped. The romance was interesting, but because of these other issues I couldn't hook into it as much as I wanted to. The ideas in this book were fantastic, and it had tremendous potential, but unfortunately I didn't feel that the execution lived up to it. I would still read book #2 to see if some of these issues are resolved, as I do know this was the K.M. Enright's debut. Their actual writing craft is also very good, so I'm curious and hopeful to see what they do next, despite this book not being as satisfying as I'd hoped it would be.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and K.M. Enright for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

There was a lot of rich material here, but the execution did hold up. The opening chapter captured me with seeing Shan commit patricide. However, the story quickly became one of telling rather than showing, and the pacing was a struggle.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the characters and their juxtaposition compared to one another - they were all so different but meshed really well together to tell the story. The murder mystery aspects combined with the fantasy elements were really fun to experience, combining genres in a way that feels new and fresh. Enright did a great job of setting up book 2!

Didn’t love this one. The world building was not fleshed out very well, which was my biggest issue. Blood magic is supposed to be the power in this world that brings wealth and status to people… but what do they even use it for? Wards? Lights? And.., that’s it? The characters were okay, Shan was by far the best and most interesting. I don’t think I will be coming back for book 2 sadly.

This was a good and interesting read with lots of twists and turns. I appreciated the diversity of characters and openness in this world. I would read another book by this author.