Really enjoyed the book and how the plot was evolving sometimes I felt it a little bit slow passed but besides that it was great. The writing style of Enright it’s really good and I know that he will be improving more in his future books.

Loved how even the book was about fantasy and magic you get to taste a bit of his culture. That was a nice touch and that even felt forced. The only thing I wished was we have to get know more about Shan twin brother and not only played from a side in the book but besides that I really enjoyed reading this book.

I DNF’ed this book at 37%, but I wanted to still write a review to help connect this book to the right readers.

Mistress of Lies has an interesting premise…a ruling class of individuals who possess blood magic (called Blood Workers) and their “Unblooded” underlings, ruled by an immortal vampiric king. An Unblooded named Samuel gets swept up into the world of the Blood Workers when he stumbles upon a murder victim and his own dark powers are discovered as a result.

Over a third of the way in, though, I still felt no emotional connection with the world, the plot, or any of the major characters. I think this is in large part due to the writing style that focuses more on telling than showing. Readers who are fans of that kind of writing style would enjoy this book as the premise is fascinating. But I personally needed more context about the world and it’s magic system and deeper dives into the characters and their thoughts and feelings to connect with this story enough to continue reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

I wanted to love Mistress of Lies so badly! A queer Filipino romantasy? Yes, please!

Unfortunately, it fell so short that it took me forever to finish the read. Sometimes it's hard finding a balance in a romantasy with the romance and world building, and in Mistress of Lies case, I feel like the world building suffered and I was disappointed in the dimensionality of the characters.

This book put me in an incredible slump. I was so excited for it, and I hate to write this review - but sometimes things just don't work for us.

This book relied too much on the romance aspect, and the plot suffered for it. Midway through the book we lost the plot, and the entire set up felt like it was for nothing. I wish we could have had a bit more character development to understand motives and histories. There was a lot of telling us how brilliant they were but not a lot of showing. It just made the characters seem like shadows of what they should have been.

I just can't explain how disappointing it was to have such a banger of a first chapter that promises a cut-throat world and a badass MC to just fizzle out the way it did.

To describe this book in one sentence, it is a polyamorous fantasy with a murder mystery subplot. To describe it in one word, it is gothic. The story follows Shan LeClaire, a vampire who, in the first chapter, has murdered her father to take his position so you already know she is a badass. She becomes entwined with Samuel Hutchison, a long lost heir to the royal vampire family, and Isaac, an old childhood friend.

I really appreciate the inclusion of a transgender romantic lead. It really forced me to think more critically about the transgender experience and I enjoyed how the book went about explaining the transitioning process through the language of magic.

Speaking of magic, the magic system is not what you would expect from a vampire fantasy. The use of blood magic acts as a booster rather than a living necessity like with most vampire novels.

Overall, the reading experience was captivating and enjoyable. I wish I could say I saw the plot twist coming but I didn’t. The vibes and mood were immaculate and it would’ve been such a read for the Halloween season. I can’t wait to continue with this series to see where it goes!

On the streets of Damerel, a serial killer is on the loose, targeting non-magic users known as Unblooded, so the Eternal King tasks two individuals with tracking the killer down.

- Shan, an ambitious Blood Worker who has recently stepped into power by murdering the head of her family.

- Samuel, a bastard with an unusual talent. After he stumbles across a drained body, he unwittingly gets pulled into the investigation and the machinations of the Crown.

Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright paints an alluring dark fantasy filled with glittering political intrigue and conniving characters.

One of the most interesting parts of the worldbuilding in this book for me is its caste system—where Unblooded are treated as lesser and forced to donate blood quarterly as a part of a blood tax to fuel Blood Worker’s powers. This, of course, leads to the growing civil unrest that we see progress throughout the novel.

However, I think my biggest gripe though is that the actual murder mystery subplot tended to get put on the back burner. It got lost in all the political scheming and balls. While those scenes are fun, I personally wish that there was more of a magical crime procedural/investigation element incorporated into the story. Really, I feel like it's such a huge missed opportunity to not include more forensic work with a blood-based magic system.

I really am a sucker for blood magic, so if I were to continue to read this series, I’d love to see its magic used in more creative and practical ways.

I was incredibly grateful to read Mistress of Lies early, thanks to an ebook copy from Netgalley. It was literally the perfect cure for my Interview with the Vampire hangover, but now I digress as I do not know what to read next (Lord of Ruin the sequel is obviously not out yet).

The characters in this book were so beautifully written. Shan, Samuel, and Issac were instantly favorites. K.M. nailed the foreshadowing of two secret identities, and while I figured them out - they pay off of, "I KNEW IT" was well worth the pattern recognition. The world building and magic is so ingratiated into the story that it felt entirely organic and as a fellow fantasy writer, I was taking notes. The pacing and character interactions kept me reading as much as I could - and I know if life hadn't gotten in the way, this is easily a read in a day story (unless you wish to savor it - which I highly recommend).

I'm sure there are a lot of reviews with far more descriptive reasons to read the book from many standpoints (diversity, queer poly M/M/F trio, a slow burn to die for, etc), but I hope my addition of if you grew up on Anne Rice, want vampire lore that is fresh and compelling, and absolutely love reading delicious food descriptions you'll check this one out. I eagerly await my copy to arrive - and if any book boxes want to do a special edition I'll literally THROW my money at you.
(Also a shameless plug for a good friend - if you want to see two cosplays of Shan, the absolute badass FMC, check out Rosaredss on Instagram).

Wow, what a twisting ride this one was! The ups and downs of the relationships between our three main characters, Shan, Samuel, and Isaac pull at your heart while the main plot pushes forward at such a nice pace. The Blood Worker abilities and “magic system” were fascinating and I would love to see this explored more in the next book. Also, are there any others out there with the special abilities like Samuel? The world is so fascinating and I would love to see more of it!

For the start of a series though, this was a perfect introduction to the world while giving one hell of a thrilling story full of revolution, tyranny, and mystery.

Thank you so much to @orbitbooks_us and @netgalley for the eARC of the book. All thoughts are my own.

Mistress of Lies is not your traditional vampire fiction with more blood magic than blood sucking, but it is deliciously dark and seductive. Two of the main characters qualify as morally grey, at best, and between them is an ingenue, who is likely to be corrupted before the end. The polyamorous romance and the world building are the strongest parts of the story with the romance being a delicious slow burn. If you enjoy political intrigue in fantasy then Mistress of Lies won’t disappoint you. The mystery in this book was its weakest point, in my opinion, with uneven pacing making the reveal of the murder somewhat anticlimactic. However, K.M. Enright managed to regain my attention with a surprise ending that has me itching to pick up the next book in this series.

Title: Mistress of Lies by K. M. Enright
Genre: High Fantasy
Pub Date: August 13, 2024
📖 464 pages

3.5/5

🩸 Bløød Magic
🗡 Patricide
✨️ Counsel of Witches
⚔️ LGBTQ+ Rep
🩸 Human Sacrifices
🗡 Political Intrigue
✨️ Murder Mystery
⚔️ Love Triangle/Throuple
🩸Social Issues

My Review:

Mistress of Lies (The Age of Blood, Book 1) is an immersive romantic fantasy featuring diverse characters, political intrigue, blood witches and vampires!! If you're looking for a romantasy with multiple mysterious murders being investigated by a queer throuple under the rule of a vampire king, this is a must read.

Thank you so much, @netgalley and Orbit/Redhook, for the digital review copy ❣️

#MistressofLies #NetGalley #queerfiction

WOW WOW WOW

Okay, I am not one for political intrigue, but K.M. Enright managed to get me enraptured in his world through absolutely loveable and morally grey characters. (When I say morally grey, they are, like, grey grey, not your average romantasy misunderstood sad boy who actually is a wonderful person lol).

Shan LeClaire is a Blood Worker and spymaster tasked by the Eternal King to find the culprit responsible for a series of murders throughout Aeravin. She is cunning, sexy, and intelligent, though as she grows close with Samuel and rekindles an old flame with Isaac, her heart threatens to get in the way of her plans.

All of the main characters were relatable and endearing, despite their very questionable choices to do the right thing. (In fact, their decisions is what made them even more amazing.) They were also all pretty horny which was hot. This has excellent romance, and there is some mild spice. The magic system was kinda kinky, with blood magic and finger sucking, and I loved every minute of it. I went feral seeing how the author explored the taste of power, and I cannot wait to see what else he creates!!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Orbit for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This started off really great! Had lots of intriguing energy that sucked me right in. But right after the first few chapters, it started to lose that dark fire it came with and just never recovered until the last 10% or so.

I came for a Varys-led rebellion overthrowing a tyrannical vampire king. But what I got was a lacklustre, Teen/YA throuple romantasy that had no real tension or high stakes energy, but did have more Balls than all of ACOTAR.

And I'm very sad about that.

Because this book was one of my highly anticipated reads for the year, but unfortunately this just didn't work out for me.

If you liked Faizal's Tempest of Tea or Gong's Immortal Longings this will probably be for you!

Stars for the patricide opening gambit and the queer rep.

DNF'd at 40%. While this story starts off with a bang, unfortunately I found myself drifting away from the story after that, finding it difficult to connect with the characters or the world. There's a lot of info-dumping and telling instead of showing, which kept both the characters and the story at a distance. There are some interesting bones here, but there just wasn't enough on them to hold my interest.

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

This story caught my attention from the first chapter and held it throughout the book. I love it when a story has the power to do that! Shan and Samuel both have their reasons for needing to figure out who is behind the killings at Dameral. Ah! Awesome writing and wonderful characters! This is a story you don't want to miss!

This story is perfect for fans of the Scarlett Alchemist. I loved the combination of intrigue, court political, complex magic system, and queer characters. I loved the bi character rep so much. The magic system has me intrigued, and the anti-capitalism I can see woven throughout is peak. If you are looking for a new fantasy series, I recommend this one.

The dark and alluring cover for a Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright easily captured my attention, and it won me with its compelling premise.

Blood workers have sanctuary in the Kingdom of Aeravin. Ruled by an immortal Bloodworking king, those with the ability can use their powers and flourish under his rule. But only some have been blessed, or cursed, with the ability to learn, control, and heal people by using their blood. The Unblooded have become the working-class backbone of the kingdom, and tensions are high under the entitled Blood Workers’ oppressive rule. Shan LeClaire is from a disgraced but powerful Bloodworking family and is willing to do whatever it takes to claim her title and rise in society’s ranks. Samuel lives among the poor and Unblooded, hoping to hide a horrible power building up inside him. When Shan and Samuel’s paths cross, they form a shaky alliance. Shan wants to overthrow the king and believes Samuel can help her do it.

I loved the idea of this book. There’s powerful blood magic, a murder investigation, and a city bubbling over with tension under an oppressive, immortal ruler. It checked every box for me, and the book appeared to be a recipe for a compelling, complicated story. But the execution of all these elements wasn’t there. The story was too big to meaningfully explore every part, and as a result, we get a very shallow experience with the individual parts. Mistress of Lies tries to establish Shan as a powerful blood worker who is trying to build up her family's reputation, manage a network of spies, and overthrow their ruler. Then there is Samuel who possesses an unknown power, and once that power is discovered he has to find his footing among the nobility and learn to use his abilities. While ALL that is happening, there is a murder investigation, a magic-less class preparing to revolt, several romances, an all-powerful king being weird, and his Royal Bloodworker who loves to experiment.

The issue with this story is balance. These elements could have all played nicely together, but they’re all treated as the main story, and it’s too much. They all want to be in the spotlight but there isn’t enough space on the stage. Book one of this series should have prioritized the murder mystery, Shan’s work to restore her family name, and Samuel's development. The complete overhaul of a government, the generations of Bloodworking experiments, and Shan’s (apparently) clever spying and machinations could have built up nicely and been revealed over several books. But everything happened in this book, so I’m not sure where the story can go now. It would have been nice to have had more worldbuilding and understanding of the magic system, but it’s a little too late to attempt that in book two.

And because the plot struggles to keep its many plates spinning, the character development is completely abandoned. This is probably the most disappointing part for me because there are several interesting characters and complicated connections that would have provided a thick and delicious layer of tension and drama in the story. There are many points of contention between these characters that span across class, family hierarchy, magical abilities, and political beliefs. But alas, we don’t get to sink our teeth in for a satisfying bite. The character development also suffers because the story doesn’t show them doing anything. Shan is supposed to be this incredibly clever and conniving person who has been pulling the strings behind the scenes through a network of spies. Characters constantly call Shan clever or allude to her shadow behavior, yet we don’t see her doing anything clever. Telling the reader that Shan is meeting with one of her spies is not a display of a master manipulator. This sort of tell-and-no-show writing plagues the entire story.

If you’ve made it this far, you won’t be surprised to hear that I found Mistress of Lies disappointing. The interesting world described on the book’s back cover was absent entirely, and I can barely tell you what it’s about because there are at least five plots for you to pick from. Let your eyes land on the dark, saintly cover but keep moving along the shelf to find something else to read.

Rating: Mistress of Lies - 4/10

Bloodworking was the most horrific, stunning, and intimate magic system I have seen, and I am utterly obsessed.
🗡️
The politics never went over my head, and having Shan’s POV of the Blood Workers and Samuel’s POV of the Unblooded gave me as the reader a much more emotional investment into the political intrigue going on in the world.
🩸
Shan was a morally gray delight, utterly ruthless and determined to protect her own, to make a difference, no matter the cost.
Samuel was such a sweet contrast to her, someone who has striven not to cave to his dark, all consuming powers. Someone who when raised to near royalty after a lifetime of destitution, only wants to help those like him, to make the world a safer place for the Unblooded.
🗡️
The descriptions were delicious, from the outfits to the murder scenes to the pining. The sibling angst was strong, the romances were electric, and the twists and ending had my heart racing and my stomach dropping over and over again.
(ARC review)
🩸

Almost 4 stars. In some ways, this reminded me of the Hemlock Queen books, given the politics and the mystery. But also not. I felt like this one started really strong. I was so hooked after the first chapter. Like, the book literally starts off with one character committing patricide. How could you not want to continue? But ultimately, I did find other parts of this one to be a little bit slow, and I can't put my finger on exactly why. Maybe because pacing was inconsistent, or at some points the author did more telling than showing? I'm not sure. As far as characters are concerned, I really loved Shan and Samuel, but I had a hard time connecting with/ liking Isaac. I think maybe I wanted more from the mystery/ quest to find the magical serial killer. Like, I love the idea of the intersection between fantasy, mystery, and romance, but the mystery part of this wasn't as strong as the others. I know it feels like I didn't enjoy this, but I mostly did (I'm a sucker for any book with vampires... get it... sucker). And I can absolutely see myself reading the second book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Enright, and Orbit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

this was very difficult to get into for the first half, and after that mark, i was distracted from the lack of quality by the blooming polyship. the throuple, however, couldn't hide the disaster that was the last 15% of the book. it just doesn't make any sense to me? shan kills her own father in the literal first chapter of the book? wdym you're anti murder now, especially when the culprit is [redacted] and they did it because the "victims" were fucking slave traffickers who sold their own people to the king you supposedly hate? what happened to not throwing stones from glass houses?

shan's character is the biggest letdown i've had from a book. the blurb and the first chapter will have you believe she's a vicious, ambitious antiheroine, a brilliant spymaster, a rebel plotter who wants to overthrow the tyrannical king. instead, she's a brash, overconfident, self-obsessed moron who can't tell when she's being played by the king or anyone else for that matter. she's always botching her one and only stated goal (protecting her brother). for someone who claims she's been victimized by the crown and wants to install a better government for the unblooded plebeians, she's purposefully, constantly making things worse for them—including the unblooded brother she's trying to "protect." she refuses to listen to the perspective of any unblooded person and railroads over them like the nobility she claims to despise. i wouldn't blame her for being so selfish if she just stopped posturing as this warrior of the poor unblooded souls in front of her boyfriends, but she genuinely believes she's doing something and it's pathetic. shan is weak, a coward, a hypocrite, and worst of all, a fucking centrist. i hate centrists. grow a soul or be the nazi you were born to be. idk. and honestly, i just mainly hate her because of what she does to isaac and alessi. congratulations to shan for being the first female character i've despised on behalf of a male.

as for samuel, there's nothing to say about him. he is the most powerful and most unique character, in terms of his magic. except he's somehow blander than bartholomew the valet. a male y/n, if you will. all his magical development happens off page, aside from the one paragraph where he makes isaac crawl on all fours, and he just gets strongerout of nowhere. his character undevelopment, unfortunately, does occur on page, with him fighting with shan about unblooded representation in government almost every other conversation to becoming her caged lapdog. (shan's mastery of him would have been hot, if this wasn't a political fantasy and she joe biden's twin.)

this would have been so much more enjoyable if the povs were of isaac, alessi, and anton and we actually learned more about the unblooded instead of these two morons flirting at some party for half the book. (and free isaac. he did nothing wrong ever. my baby.)

thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

First, this cover? Gorgeous. Second, this book? Obsessed. I have a new obsession and it is this book. I loved it and cannot wait to hold the physical in my hands so I can kiss it. Like I need so much more. I need to know what K. M. Enright is coming out with next.