I listened to this on audio and it was a super fun read. It gave me subtle Six of Crows and Caraval vibes with the heist/games and I absolutely loved that because I adored both of those series. If you're looking for a fun easy YA read filled with mystery, intrigue, illusion, secrets, and waring brothers with a casino setting and dice magic, this could be for you!

My heart was racing reading this! I still can't believe that ending so I really hope there is more coming because I need more of this world

DNF at 10%. I genuinely tried to give this book a try, but I have certainly not been gravitating towards YA Fantasy lately. When I first requested this, I was very intrigued by the plot and wanted to read a fantasy book. I hope to come back to this series and give it a better shot once I am in more of a fantasy mood.

YA fantasy, brother rivals, thieves, friends to lovers and more! The first of a soon to be series? I was easily and very quickly hooked on this one in the beginning! Reminded me of a lot of my favorite fantasy books lately. I highly suggest picking this one up!

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ arc review ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

3.75⭐️


Den Of Liars sucked me in. The Liar and the Thief had me addicted and I couldn’t put the book down! High stakes, world building, slow burn romance, secrets, magic system, and banter and chemistry between the protagonists…it’s everything I enjoy about YA Fantasy/romantasy.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Jessica S. Olson and Feiwel & Friends.

DNF @ 11%

This is gonna have to be a DNF for me. I tried hard to read this book, picking it up multiple times, but I found the chapters to be too confusing and I just did not care for any of the action. Definitely has to do more with me than the book itself.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

i was not a fan. i had high hopes but this fell short. the plot seemed half baked, and all the characters were shallow and hard to connect with

I've read enough to know I unfortunately I am not the right demographic for this book. The premise reminds me of books such as Six of Crows (heist) meets Mistborn (magic system) with the romantic dynamic of Once Upon a Broken Heart ( FMC falls for an immortal).

The beginning of the book info-dumped a little. It's hard to fully understand the magic system. The issue that ultimately turned me off is the dynamic between the FMC and the two MMCs. I don't understand how old they are being immortal and I'm not vibing with the age ambiguity. The flirting and banter does not sit well with me.

I think if you are a fan of Stephanie Garber's books, you could very well enjoy this one. The magical casino is a really fun setting. The magic is not as clear cut as say a Sanderson magic system, but sometimes that's the fun of magic. It doesn't always have to make sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Feiwel & Friends for this advanced reader copy. #netgalley #denofliars

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Den of Liars is a YA fantasy romance novel about Lola who is an aspiring thief who enters a high-stakes tournament to complete a daring casino heist but gets caught between 2 brothers who are at war with each other.

Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The world-building was done well. I could envision the environment and it was dark and atmospheric. I loved the character development that took place. Each of the MC’s had their own moment and backstory. They bounced off of each other and grew together. And the tension?!?! It was so thick that you could’ve cut it with a knife.

The way this book was written had all the deception, betrayal, and alliances. I had many moments while reading this book that I found myself rooting for the Liar in the story and wanting him to be successful. I found myself hoping that Lola’s best friend would find a downfall because of what he did to Lola.

I found that this story moved along at a steady clip and there really wasn’t any down time which, in my opinion, is a good thing. There wasn’t really any lull in the action that was taking place. There was backstabbing, treachery, and unions taking place which made it so fun to read. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for allowing me to read the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to GoodReads on 8/27/25

“Den of Liars,” by Jessica S. Olson

One of my favorite books I’ve read all year and probably with be on my favorite list of all time forever. Number 1 I loved every single character in this book. I love how they interact with each other and the lack of trust but also the need they all want to trust in somebody, it was so good. Number 2 I loved the magic system and the magic plot; it reminded me a lot of Caraval series (which is one of my favorites too). I really like the mystical god powers with the abundance of dark themes like the gambling den and thieves, etc. Number 3 I seriously adored how the FMC has a disability that wasn’t an easy passing type of disability that you forget about it one page after it being mentioned, literally perfect. Number 4 (lol I’m forgetting which number I’m on because there are too many reasons I loved this book) The plot was so freaking good! It was intricate but not overly complicated for no reason. I loved the mystery and the peril of everything that happened. Number 5 I read the book and also listened to the audiobook, and both were absolutely perfect. I’m glad that I didn’t experience just one of the versions because both brought the story to life in different ways. I wouldn’t change a thing about either of them.

I would say this book is if Caraval and Phantasma had a baby. 5 out of 5 stars, I will be rereading it way more times for sure. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!

-Disability
-Thief
-Immortal Gods
-Hidden Identity
-Dual/Multi POV

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

“The beauty of living is in the discovery. Yes, we make mistakes, we get lost, we have our hearts broken a dozen times … but that’s the only way to live with your eyes and your arms and your heart wide open.”

“Sure, it’s simpler to build a house when you’ve got someone telling you where to lay every brick, but when it’s finished, is that really your house?”

“To live is to lie, little thief.”

My favorite book so far this year. The world building was excellent. The magic system was unique and intriguing. This book sucked me right in and I couldn’t stop reading until I finished it. Can’t wait for book 2.

God... I don't normally do this but I've never read a more boring book. I didn't care about any of these characters. As soon as I read that Nic was constantly wearing a fedora, I was DONE. I could not get the image out of my head of the awkward anime guy who is constantly tipping his fedora and saying "M'lady". No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't picture anyone in a fedora that looked hot. Never mind the fact that it seemed like Lola and Enzo had a thing??? But then suddenly she's referring to him as her brother by the end of the book and I'm like... ew. The image I had of him was much clearer and a lot hotter in my head than Nic was. The games as well weren't even interesting. I didn't care about the dice or the other people and it was never even revealed why Ostenia wanted to hurt Lola? Like just because she was another player? There were other players so why did Ostenia only go after Lola? Was it just to make the plot more interesing? For Nic to garner more interest in Lola? The whole "I can use both of the brothers magic!" too was not a good plot point. It made sense that she and Enzo could share his curse but nothing made sense in regards to how she could use Nic's magic. Overall, I did not enjoy this story and I do not want to read the rest of the series.

the plot was very face-paced and entertaining, it was really exciting and i kept wanting to know what happened next! i didn't really feel anything for the characters, they were just sort of there but i really enjoyed the story!

This book got on my nerves for the majority of it but despite that, I was still able to enjoy it and I am curious enough to see what happens next even if it's very obvious that Lola will end up with the Liar and probably get rid of Enzo once and for all. I really hope we get book 2 soon though!

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jessica S. Olson, and Feiwel & Friends for the opportunity to read an ARC of Den of Liars.

This was an easy and enjoyable read overall. One thing that personally drove me a little nuts was how often Nick’s fedora was mentioned—though I’ll admit I’m admittedly a fedora hater, so that one may just be a personal quirk on my part! On the flip side, I really enjoyed Lola as a character. She was sweet and fun, and I especially appreciated the representation around glasses—seeing the realistic struggles of constantly breaking them in a fantasy setting felt refreshing. That said, there were moments where she felt almost willfully ignorant, or perhaps it was simply that the foreshadowing was laid on a bit too heavily, which made her reactions seem less believable to me.

The pacing started off a little slow as the world and stakes were being set up, but once the story gained momentum—especially in the final third—it became difficult to put down. The game-inspired element of the plot was a unique and intriguing take, though I did find myself confused at certain points in how it functioned within the world.

Overall, Den of Liars was a solid but not perfect read. The ending really pulled me in, and while I enjoyed it enough to be curious about what happens next, I’m still a bit undecided on whether I’ll continue with the series. I want to know more, but I’m not sure how badly.

Overall Rating: 3.75 / 5
Spice Level: 1 / 5

Den of Liars writing style really worked for me, during both fast-paced action scenes and watching magic unfurl I was right there in the thick of it with the characters. The characters all felt new and I was interested in learning more about them from start to finish. Many recently-written fantasy romance novels (both YA and adult) have given me the creeping suspicion that the author quickly hopped into the increasingly popular genre and didn't take the time to fully build the world (or the characters) out. This book did not feel that way at all.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Jessica S. Olson, and Macmillan for the eARC!

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley and the publisher. Thank you for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own.*

I have loved Jessica S. Olson since I read her debut Sing Me Forgotten, and her sophomore novel, A Forgery of Roses. I was ecstatic to read Den of Liars! I’m happy to say it did not disappoint, and I absolutely loved it. If you like unique magic systems, slow-burn romance, morally grey characters and high stakes competitions, I think you will love this one too!

Lola St. James has a target on her back since her father lost the Liar’s Dice Tournament. She is rescued by the Thief, the head of The Tentacles gang and has been living in secret. The price she paid for her rescue, is to share her heart with the Thief. Lola and the Thief forge a bond and are able to feel each other’s emotions through their shared heart.

Now living under the alias Astra, Lola wants to officially become one of The Tentacles. When a heist goes wrong, she finds herself having to enter the Liar’s tournament herself. The Thief warns her that the Liar is not to be trusted. She is confident in her abilities to pull off heists, but the Liar, the Thief’s own brother, turns out to be more than she could have imagined. Despite the Thief’s warnings, Lola finds herself attracted to the Liar. She will soon be forced to confront her past and the truth of the brothers history.

I really enjoyed Lola’s journey throughout this story. She started out as very naive and trusting of everyone, and grew into a character that started asking questions and trying to find out things on her own.

I can’t wait for book two, and will be eagerly awaiting it’s release. Highly recommend!

A heist. Secrets. A plethora of lies. That's what "Den of Liars" promises and, for the most part, delivers.

The storyline follows Lola, a thief, and her friend/partner Enzo as they attempt to perform an elaborate heist to break a curse. Lola enters the Liar's Dice Tournament — run by The Liar, Enzo's brother — as a means to steal what she needs to break Enzo's curse. Things go sideways when lies, promises, and Lola's history begin to make it impossible for her to decipher who she can actually trust. There's also a romance subplot that runs through the book, but to be honest I didn't care much for that.

This book, the first in a new series, entertained me and kept me wanting more of the storyline. I loved the creative magic system. I did, unfortunately, not love any of the characters that much as they fell a bit flat for me.

Overall, I would recommend "Den of Liars" to anyone who enjoys YA Fantasy novels and is looking for an easy, fun book.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

WOW!

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I'm a little shocked I'm not hearing about this book all over social media considering just how good it was. I know this is a new release but this book deserve a lot more hype. I'm going to need that next book ASAP.

I really enjoyed how unique the plot and magic system was to this story. The characters were well developed while also all having a sense of mystery around them. The world was developed nicely and I really enjoyed immersing myself in this read!

I will be recommending to all of my friends ASAP (especially those that enjoyed enchantra)

10/10

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchnage for an honest review.