Lola St. James has always been kept a secret, first by her father and now by her rescuer, the Thief. When the Thief rescued Lola from a kidnapping at the age of fifteen, she made a bargain with him to share her heart. Over the past four years, Lola has been working to prove she has what it takes to become a member of the Thief's crew, the Tentacles. The perfect opportunity presents itself when one of Lola's heists goes wrong and she is forced to enter the Liar's Dice Tournament. The Thief's mysterious brother runs the tournament, and now Lola will have to play the game to keep her secrets from being revealed and guard her heart from both of the brothers.

Den of Liars is a fun, fast-paced Young Adult Romantasy. I really enjoyed the world that the book is set in. There's magic, the lure of casino life, secrets, and theives, liars and heists. The magic system with using dice in the casino was unique, and I loved that they were used for the magic and to hold the players secrets.

The book focuses on Lola, the Thief, and the Liar's characters. I really liked the fact that all of the characters are morally grey or at best, questionable characters. It added a different atmosphere to the story with characters that are involved with crime families and are liars and thieves.

The romance is slow burn, and loathe to love, which I enjoyed. I thought the chemistry between Lola and the Liar was done really well. I also liked the complicated relationship between Lola and the Thief and how Olson brings the three characters stories together.

I did feel like I didn't get a good sense of the Zenithic religious beliefs and the gods that are mentioned, so I'm hoping to get a better understanding in the next book.

Olson sets up a great cliffhanger, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Lola's character continues to grow in the next book. If you love books like Six of Crows and Caraval, then I would definitely recommend Den of Liars.

I was skeptical starting this and it did take me a bit to get into it, but this was genuinely so good. I did not want to put it down once I got to about 30%. The slow start and build up made up for the very exciting 70% as the tensions and stakes were raised. The Nic and Lola tensions was so top tier. I just wanted more and more of them. Excited to see the next book in the series and get a lot more answers.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC!

Lola St. James, or Astra, is a girl with multiple personalities, a skilled liar, but where will it all lead?

Lies and love—how can you trust at all?

A tournament of lying dice, a game with high stakes where players bet their most treasured secrets, creating a constant atmosphere of tension and intrigue.

It was very atmospheric! A hint of Caraval and Six of Crows. The chemistry between the characters.

I enjoy themes like thieves, games, and mysteries.

Most of the plot is from the FMC's perspective, but there are also chapters from the MMC, which I liked—seeing his point of view, his thoughts, and leaving fewer questions unanswered.

Who to choose, the one who saved you or the one you’re drawn to?

At times, I found it boring, and the characters didn't really engage me.

• Thieves
• Magic of lies
• Secret tournaments
• Shared hearts
• 2 brothers
• YA

I think this will be the next big YA viral booktok sensation, this was amazing, super addictive I love the writing style, definitely recommend for fans of Caravel, was twisty and pacy, had a ton of fun reading

This book was not what I was expecting and there was a lot of surprise details. I enjoyed the adventure all the twist and turns it provided. The ending was good and I’m curious how the author will continue the story. Exciting to see a lead female character grow into her own.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-arc! This was such a good book. I loved the story line, the characters and the writing style! I was pleasantly surprised by this book! If you are a fan of Caraval, you need to read! Can't wait to read more by this author!

🎲 Secret tournaments. Shared hearts. Two magnetic brothers. Sign me all the way up.

This YA fantasy romance absolutely delivered. Think Six of Crows meets Caraval, but with even more emotional angst and high-stakes deceit. Lola (aka Astra) is such a compelling main character—fierce, vulnerable, and oh-so-clever. Her journey from hidden secret to powerful player in the deadly Liar’s Dice Tournament had me hooked.

The shared heart connection between Lola and the Thief? Deliciously angsty. But then comes the Liar—enigmatic, dangerous, and way too tempting. Cue the internal screaming and love triangle chaos in the best possible way.

Jessica S. Olson built a world full of shimmering illusions, underground crime, and emotional depth that does not hold back. The pacing never let up, the twists kept me guessing, and the romance was electric.

If you love morally gray love interests, secret identities, high-stakes games, and just a touch of magical danger—Den of Liars is your next obsession. I need book two like, yesterday.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the early read!

Thank you Netgalley for an e-ARC of "Den of Liars" by Jessica Olsen in exchange for my honest review.

DOL is Olsen's anticipated YA thriller and romantasy. Lola, the FMC takes part in a game where secrets become currency, and you cannot trust your own judgment. The Liar, the MMC, is conflicted between continuing on with how the world and his brother views him and being honest even when he can’t.

With twists, thrill, and forbidden romance every reader will find something to like about this book. The character development, world building, and fast paced plot will leave you wanting the next book ASAP

Okay, this book? Wild in the best way. I dove in expecting a fun heist story, but Den of Liars delivered so much more—betrayal, slow-burn tension, secret identities, and that perfect amount of “who can I trust?” energy.

Lola is such a compelling main character. She’s fierce, clever, and loyal to a fault—but also clearly carrying a ton of emotional weight. And her connection to the Thief? So unique. I loved the whole idea of them being emotionally linked—it added a layer of intensity that made every moment between them hit harder.

Then the Liar shows up, and wow… the tension, the mind games, the shifting loyalties—it was delicious. The Liar’s Dice Tournament alone is reason enough to read this book—high-stakes, clever, and full of twists that made me gasp more than once.

What really stayed with me, though, is how much heart the story has. Beneath all the cons and chaos, there’s this raw, emotional core about identity, trust, and fighting for the people you love—even when it’s messy.

If you love morally grey characters, tangled relationships, and fast-paced fantasy with real emotional depth, Den of Liars is 100% worth your time. I couldn’t put it down.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I love the way this one is set up! She's taken by the Thief to save her father and ends up between him and the Liar. She must decide where the truth lies, who she can trust and if she can survive the roll of the dice.

Oh. My. Goodness.

To say I loved this book would be an understatement. I couldn't stop reading it and I finished within 9 hours. The characters, the setting, the unique form of magic....all of just captures you and draws you in. Everything is described in lush detail that makes the imagination run wild. The characters are all unique in their own ways and the fleshing out of them is so well done.

The mystery behind what caused the magic to "infect" the brothers and how Lola ties into it keeps you guessing throughout the book and even by the end you still hunger to know more. The cliffhanger absolutely killed me because I wasn't ready for the book to be over yet. I wanted more immediately. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the second one.

This was my first time reading a book by this author and it's made me interested in her others works. The writing styles flows smoothly and gives enough detail without going overboard and slowing the story down for no reason. And I love the secrets still unknown by the end. Hopefully we get to know a few of them in the next one!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It's been awhile since I've read a book into the early hours of the morning. This book reminded me of "Caraval" by Stephanie Garber, especially the setting. It had a little bit of everything which made it a super fun read: forbidden romance, magic, twists and turns, action, suspense. I will definitely be purchasing this book for our collection.

“A little thief and a little liar.”

If you’re a fan of “Caraval” by Stephanie Garber snatch this up.

I honestly think this is the sort of book that the Booktok girlies will absolutely LOVE. It’s kind of got everything you want in a YA Romantasy—a badass female main character, a little bit of a love triangle but not in a way you’d expect, enemies to lovers, and like “I can fix him” villain. I mean, yes, please.

I really enjoyed the overall story, and while I was slightly annoyed that I was going to get a setup for the next one and not get my happily ever after near the end, I can tell this is going to be a fun and compelling series.

On a world building spectrum, I’d say it’s of the same caliber as “Devine Rivals”—where the world isn’t super deep and there are definitely some gaps that could’ve been explained better, but it didn’t make me not enjoy the story. I thought the world was nice and expansive, definitely fit for a series. I like a lot of the quirks with Gods and the secrets of the Deep and believing in the Stars. It was definitely something new and rich to keep me entertained.

Character wise. I appreciated that none of the characters were these cookie-cutter, stock images. Lola has an engaging backstory, interesting motivation, and a decent personality. At times, I felt she was a little teeter-totter-y in the way that she just couldn’t decide if she wanted to be a thief or someone who had morals. On the other hand, I liked how grey both the Liar and the Thief were; it made their dynamics very interesting to read about. And let me just say, the Liar… hello, oh my God. If he’s morally grey, then grey is my new favorite color. He’s quite possibly my favorite love interest I’ve read about in a while.

Romance wise. I very much felt like I only got a tiny taste of it in this book, but I’m not particularly mad about it. I liked the sort of enemies to lovers and hate to love thing going on. And some of the scenes... MHMM, I was melting and kicking my feet.

Closing thoughts: this is sort of what I wished “Caraval” would’ve given me, and I was exceptionally pleased with this book. I will absolutely be reading the second one.

Note: I’m actually bouncing with joy that I get to review this. Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGallery for letting me read this early!

Oh my goodness,that cliff hanger ending has me shouting "I WANT MORE!!" I thought the plot was so intriguing and it has such a fun and unique magic system. Are you devious enough to win the Liar's dice tournament or stealthy enough to join the Tentacle? The Liar's Den will have you wanting to do both! I am hoping there will be a sequel and that it dives deeper into the Theif and the Liar's past more. I hope Lola gets the justice she deserves for everything she's been through and that she can be loved and trust others.

Discover heart-pounding action, twists and turns, and fast-paced storytelling in this enemies-to-lovers romance that gets better and better every chapter. I am dying for the second book and this one hasn’t even officially released!!

I absolutely loved Lola’s character and the MMCs.

Den of Liars by Jessica S. Olson keeps you on your toes!!

With Lola, the FMC, stuck with conflicting feelings and questioning her truths, she is thrown into a game of deceit. In this game, secrets become currency and you cannot trust your own judgment. She will be faced with choices that will make or break her. Past trauma, family ties and new found friendships will all be tested in order to keep her biggest secrets from coming out. Can she hold onto who she is while others expect her to fall in line?

The Liar, the MMC, past and present collide in a way that makes him reflect on his past choices. He is stuck between continuing on with how the world and his brother views him and being honest even when he can’t. He is the barter within his resort and when gambling with him, one should be sure to not give away secrets that they don’t want the world to know. Yet, he gives his secrets up to become vulnerable and to tell his truth to someone who may not have the best intentions.

With dark twists, thrill, and forbidden romance you’ll be addicted to this story right away. The character development, world building and fast paced thrill you’ll be craving the next book as soon as your finished reading.

This book was excellent. The story focuses on two main characters and their viewpoints alternate throughout the book. This offered a deeper understanding of the characters and their motives; however, not all secrets are revealed. This leaves the reader asking questions and wanting to know more. I am sad that I will have to wait until 2026 to read the second book of this duology.

Not only is the character development great, but the plot leaves me wanting to solve the same mystery, the female character does. Secrets are revealed, and it leaves you questioning everything you thought you knew.

There are a lot of great themes in the book: integrity, friendship, sacrifice, and courage. It has you revisiting your values and morals, and questioning, is it always black and white? Could there be situations where our decisions call for us to be morally grey to protect those that we love or care about? How do our decisions in a Kinney influence or impact others?

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. If you enjoy a little mystery and romance (not spicy) then you may enjoy this book.

This IS a good book. I can objectivly say that. The magic system is so unique to anything I've read before and the heist/undercover theif plot was very promising.

Somehow, I had a hard time getting into it. I think I only started having fun at about 70% in. At points, I just felt like the games and trials aspect wasn't high-stakes at all, the deceving wasn't very memorable because we know all (or most) of the facts due to different POVs; the reader themselves isn't really getting deceived, and I just did not feel the need to root for Enzo as he's barely there, pops up at inconvenient times and generally just seems to be making her job harder for her. I think if Enzo was a more loved character to the reader it would've helped me be more invested in her mission from the start and it would've hurt so much more at the end.

The Liar is a great character, I loved the tension between him and Lola and especially loved finding out more about his personality (unlike Enzo's). I might have even prefered it he didn't get any POVs to make the reader question just what he believes and thinks the whole time.

The ending was what makes me forget all my uncertainties with this book. I would've loved book 2 to be about the partnership with the other brother, but this is just even better.

Jessica S. Olson's "Den of Liars" is a captivating blend of heist thriller, romantic intrigue, and fantastical world-building. It plunges readers into a world where secrets are currency, and deception is an art form, all wrapped up in a compelling narrative that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Lola St. James, or Astra as she's known in the shadowy world of the Tentacles, is a protagonist with a compelling mix of vulnerability and determination. Her unique connection to the Thief, stemming from their shared heart, adds a fascinating layer to her character and the story's dynamics. Olson skillfully portrays the complex relationship between Lola and the Thief, highlighting the delicate balance between loyalty and sacrifice.

The Liar's Dice Tournament itself is a stroke of genius, a high-stakes game where players wager their deepest secrets, creating a sense of constant tension and intrigue. The game serves as a perfect backdrop for the story's themes of deception and hidden truths, and Olson masterfully uses it to reveal the characters' inner workings.

The introduction of the Liar, the Thief's enigmatic brother, elevates the story to another level. His presence sparks a compelling romantic tension with Lola, adding a delicious layer of complexity to her already complicated situation. The dynamic between Lola, the Thief, and the Liar is a masterclass in slow-burn romance, full of stolen glances, hidden agendas, and undeniable chemistry.

Olson's world-building is rich and immersive, creating a vivid and atmospheric setting for the story to unfold. The illusions and fantastical elements are seamlessly integrated into the narrative, adding a touch of magic to the otherwise gritty world of thieves and secrets.

"Den of Liars" is a thrilling and addictive read, filled with unexpected twists and turns. It's a story that explores the power of secrets, the complexities of relationships, and the importance of confronting the truths we hide from ourselves. With its compelling characters, intricate plot, and captivating world, this book is sure to leave readers wanting more.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.