Is it bonding or is it trauma bonding? Can we really believe anyone or just that we can’t truly trust anyone? Such a good book and I’m glad to have ARC read!

I think this book will be a huge hit for people who enjoyed Phantasma and Caraval. Ultimately, I thought it was fine. I'm a little over the trope of a woman caught between two brothers, though I will say that the magic was very very cool.

This was good. Thrilling. Intriguing. But it needed a little polishing

Lola has been the Thief's most trustworthy partner in crime for 4 years--since he rescued her and shared her heart with him. They've been chasing the moonshard to break the Thief's curse, following lead after lead... until they reach a dead end. running out of option, Lola convinced Enzo to let her infiltrate his brother's domain under the pretense of joining a high-stakes annual tournament.
that's hosted by Enzo's brother, the Liar.
the same person who cursed Enzo in the first place.

Lola was so sure that she could finish the job. she's supposed to lay low and avoid the Liar at all cost. but it seemed she immediately caught his attention instead. and as she got to spent more time with the Liar, doubt began to creep into her mind. about a lot of things. and worse, something has sparked between her and the Liar, knowing damn well Enzo would hate her for that.

at it's core, this book is about lies and illusions and secrets. the writing was really good: strong characterizations, naturally engaging dialogues, interesting magic system. the pace was fast, very page-turner. there's 2 POV which constantly gave readers 2 perspective, so we get to know everything while the characters stay unknowing.

if you don't make a habit of scrutinizing everything too closely this would easily be a great read. but unfortunately that's not me... though i still immensely enjoyed this, i felt like there's still room for improvements. all in all I really can't wait for the sequel!! there's still some unanswered questions that i would like to be answered obviously, and i hope the second book brought us to a higher peak plot-wise.

the narrators were really good and fit both of the character's persona very well. I enjoyed their performance, though why did Lola's narrator's sound a bit hoarse?? it bugged me a tiiiiiiny bit but thankfully it's still bearable. so yeah that's it bye!

3.5 out of 5 (rounded to 4)

🎧 Format: Audiobook

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook for Den of Liars by Jessica S. Olson, and both narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters and atmosphere to life. This story is set almost entirely within a magical casino/hotel, and for such a limited setting, Olson did a great job keeping things moving. The way outfits, gestures, and scenes are described really helps you visualize the story—it felt immersive in a fun, darkly glittery way.

The book is told in dual POV—Lola, our FMC, and the mysterious Liar, our MMC. I liked getting both sides, especially as the story and characters began to unravel through the Liar’s Dice Tournament. The tournament structure kept me engaged, and it was a creative way to reveal bits of backstory and tension.

There were definitely things I enjoyed—morally gray characters, solid banter, and some great side characters that really stood out. I also appreciated the disability representation with the FMC not being portrayed as “perfect.” It added depth and groundedness to a story full of secrets and glam.

Now for the parts that didn’t work as well for me:
The magic system, while intriguing, took a while to fully click. I found myself a little confused early on and wondering if there were some plot holes. The FMC also came off a bit naive at times—which, to be fair, she is young—but it did impact how I connected with her. Some of the dialogue and inner monologue choices made her feel repetitive or immature. And, yeah... I could’ve done without the tutu.

Even with some predictable moments, the story held my interest, and the cliffhanger has me curious about where things go next. There’s definitely room for growth, especially for the FMC and her relationship with the rest of the cast. I’ll probably check out the next book to see how it all unfolds.

This one was a different sort of read for me and it was... fine. Pretty run of mill contemporary fantasy. The premise was a bit convoluted for my taste and the characters we're super memorable, but it was a still a fun read.

I really loved the enjoyed the plot of this book., but I think it might have been one I would have liked more in physical form. The female narrator had a couple minutes today felt a little bit too whiny for the content and I was lost in why that was how she sounded. Outside of those instances the narration was well done, but felt younger than 19 for the FMC and gave me a weird feeling between the MMC and her since she sounded so young compared to him.

This was a rollercoaster of a story, and I loved every minute of it. It was a unique story with fantastic characters. The way Lola and Liars story played out was my favorite part, who doesn't enjoy a well-done forced proximity trope?! I'm hooked and in need of book 2 ASAP!

Personally, it was hard to get into the book/understand what was going on. I think I might try the physical book instead because maybe I was in the mood for a physical book over an audio.

4.5 ⭐️ Loved this! I can’t wait for the next book—it ends right at the beginning of what feels like a whole new adventure.
The story opens with a girl who ties her heart to a thief. She becomes his shadow, learning how to steal and survive in his world. Her journey eventually leads her to the Liar’s Den, a place where nothing is as it seems and where she’s forced to compete in a series of intense tournaments. Put a twist to the story as we find out there is a secret between the Liar and the Thief, the brothers!
This fantasy adventure blends enemies-to-lovers tension with rich world-building and fast-paced action. It reads like a perfect mix between YA and adult fantasy—witty banter, zero spice, and compelling character dynamics.
I received the audiobook from NetGalley, and the narrators were amazing. Told through two POVs, both voice actors brought the characters to life with great emotion and energy. For the start of a series and the introduction of a brand new world, this was a fantastic read. Highly recommend picking it up!

A magical casino heist with lies, love and betrayal. So many twists and turns there was no predicting where this was going to go. Loved the setting and the characters. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

This was a fun read with heist, rivalry of brothers, unique magic, forced proximity.

The fmc is sharing her heart with one brother but falls for the other. The thief and the liar. The thief steals to feel alive and the liar cannot be trusted- he can manipulate feelings and reality. She joins the liars game to be able to snoop around and find something the liar has hid from the thief a long time ago so that his curse can finally be broken. The romance was very sweet. I wish it was a love triangle tho.

I was hooked from the beginning— Such a fun premise. While it’s not spicy (few kisses), the SWOON department was still open for business. Just the moments had me gushing fr, although I felt like a few of the monologue got a lil repetitive when describing, but nothing major.

This was a Den of LIARS fr though, like the way my trust issues are set up already? I could not. The gaslighting was crazy lmfao. But the way it was intertwined w/ dice & magic was so unique— And the way secret held so much power? I’d be unstoppable ‘cause I got all the tea 🌚 lol!!

SPOILER QUOTES, LOOK AWAY 🫵🏽🫵🏽🫵🏽

“Warm against my frigid skin, solid against my softness. We stay like that for a long time. Not moving. Not even daring to breathe. The two of us, silent as the stars. Alone, but together in this underground horizon.”
*SWOOOON.

“I could kiss him now. Let him devour me just as I imagined it before. I could give in to the want, give in to the way I cannot seem to breathe or think, give in to the sound of my name on his tongue.”
*Like the way I was biting my pillow, UGH.

“We lie to each other, lie w/ our tongues and teeth w/ desperate sighs and fingers clutching at hair. Lie that this could be real, lie that we could be friends, be lovers, be more. Lie that we aren’t monsters and villains, the both of us.”

“Lola, he repeats. And my whole body electrifies at the sound of my name spoken like a prayer, like a plea, like a promise.”

“This time when we collide, it is not stars or explosions or magic, not fire, not ice, not salvation or sin. It is quiet, a whisper, a wish. Skin against skin. Heart against heart.”

“How can I find relief, he says taking a slow deliberate breath. In someone so vexing?”
“Confounding, I thought, I say.”
“Tormenting, he dips. His lips grazing mine like a secret.”
“Tantalizing, his tongue slips along my mouth.
Tempting, I arch into him.”
*UGH, THEIR CHEMISTRY.

“Deceitful little creature, I loathe you too.”
*LOATHE ME THEN.

Overall, I didn’t expect for me to be this obsessed— I need that next book ‘cause 👀 THAT ENDING.
So many secrets left to unfold. Emotions are high, are stakes going to be even higher?! PROBABLY.
Is it even a game anymore… I don’t think so.
I’m scared.
Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick & Emily Ellet gave me all the best vibes, thank you for narrating 💋

I was over 50% in to this audiobook when I finally had to call it and label it as a DNF. I was lost from the start with this book, but really hoped with a little world building, the plot would start to make sense for me. However, I just could not make sense of the world, the magic and the general storyline. I usually love magic, sorcery, fantasy and unique types of "lore" , but the magical aspects in this just didn't catch on for me. The sharing of the two main characters hearts didnt make sense to me.

I won't be leaving negative reviews on social sites or Amazon, barnes and noble etc because I do belive the author is a talented writer and I can appreciate the time and creativity that was put into this creation, but at this time, it just wasn't for me.

Fast paced, high stakes, and great characters. I have absolutely loved Olson's other books and this one did not disappoint.
The whole dynamic of the casino heist and using secrets and lies and currency kind of thing was a breath of fresh air in a fantasy world that has become overpopulated with very similar story lines. the dual POV is wonderful one with Lola and her best friend and one of the owner of the casino so you see both sides play out. the found family dynamic of Lola and her best friend is intriguing and the owners solo life shows that he isn't all that he seems.
The magic and world building is explained pretty minimal. it's feuding brothers but that's about how much is explained. the magic I'm not sure if I missed something while listening but there are some aspects I'm confused about still and maybe will be explained in the next book or I would have to reread (the only downside to audiobooks, if you zone out and don't realize it you may miss something crucial).
The narrators themselves were wonderful. I did like the female narrator over the male but it's due to most male narrators having a limited range of voices. his female voices were horrible and enjoyed the story when it switched to him.
Overall a wonderful YA story line and can't wait for the next book!

This had so much potential but unfortunately fell short for me. I like to go into books fairly blind, because I tend to piece things together quickly. So I try not to read too much about a book before I dive into it. While reading this I kept feeling like it reminded me of other YA books,
especially Caraval. While there was no mention of that on the NetGalley page, I do see it marketed that way online including on Goodreads. To be fair, Caraval also didn’t hit for me. So if you liked that, you probably will like this.

The characters were so blah to me. I didn’t care about any of them. They didn’t feel original, and I wasn’t buying into the relationships between any of them.

The challenges for the tournament were fun, and I wish that the book leaned more into that.

On the audio side, I enjoyed the dual narration. I felt like the pacing and inflection was good, and that each narrator held their own.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for a chance to listen to this audiobook!

Ok I’m not ok. The cliffhanger left me needing more!!!! How long do we have to wait because I need to find out what will happen next! I love the twists and turns and the feeling of Now you See Me movie vibes.

I really loved the liars game and magic dice! The whole thing was played out very well…. I devoured it in a few hours.

I need the next book please!!!

Thank you to NetGalley & the Publisher for allowing me a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This one was kind of weird and it didn't work for me in various aspects. Just when I would start to kinda get into it, something weird would happen again & I'd lose it. It's really cringy at times & definitely feels "YA". I had the audiobook version of this & the female narrator had the worst put on 'male character' voice I've ever heard. But, she also had a really nice, normal, 'female character' voice so a bit of a give and take.

At first, I just kept thinking of Sailor Moon. I don't think the plot is similar to sailor moon at all, but the titles and the world setup just kept reminding me of it in a celestial-magic-13 year old girl way. Everything was stars this or moon that, and there's a specific magic structure revolving around moon shards, etc. Nick might as well have been Tuxedo Mask. IDK, it was just a weird vibe I was getting.

The choices in the story just didn't work for me though. In the same Sailor Moon sort of fashion, Nick was giving queer elegance the entire time. Are we suuuuure he's straight? And don't get me started on the aerial silk stuff. There was just so much bad decision making or faulty logic involved in this book by the characters. Or maybe it felt like missed opportunities. But what really did me in was how at every turn, the book was just kinda 'been there seen that'. What makes the book most unique is the magic system and we're sort of slapped with that upfront, confusingly, then we don't really mess with it much again until the very end, and even then it's still shrouded in mystery. I just wanted more of THAT instead of whatever these personal choices are between the characters lol.

Towards the end, it did get better though. The choices felt a little more like 'well what else would she do' & less like 'why would you go that route'? which helped. I was a little disappointed, however, in Lola's relationship with Enso. We had a lot to go on there & not a lot happening in the triangle department if you catch my drift. A triangle is always funnnn.

At it's core, this feels like a Beauty & the Beast type, spy fantasy, with an interesting but confusing magic system. If that sounds like your thing, and you do not mind the more YA lingo/setup, I think readers will have a decent time with it. Otherwise, there are other books out there that will likely do it better for you. I can't say whether I'm interesting in book 2 or not. I am leaning towards reading it but will depend on how well I remember the first by the time it's out. I guess time will tell!

What a fabulous start to a new series! I loooved this unique magic system that was vague enough to present a lot of twists, but also clear enough that it was easy to follow. The characters are fabulous and I love how you couldn't trust anyone. I am a sucker for heists so this grabbed my attention immediately and I was completely captivated by the tournament filled with trickery and lies. This book flew by because there were so many different things at stake. And the tension! Perfection. The right amount of surprising longing and tension and need for each other; despite them basically being enemies. The descriptions were beautiful and I loved the multifaceted use of coins and dice.

After that ending I CANNOT WAIT for the next one!

Note: The multi-narrator audiobook was fabulous for ramping up the tension and the stakes; I could feel the strong emotions vibrating through the characters as if we too shared a heart.

I just couldn't get through this. I was so excited & honestly I jumped the gun. The narrators voice when she was doing the man (I can't even tell you his name at this point) got me completely checked out. I made it to 31% and DNF'd. Sorry!
Thank you for letting me try it out though! I'd love to read it fully & not just listen to it!

This was a very enjoyable audiobook to listen to! I feel like it grabbed me right away. I like the sneaky missions and the blooming romance. The narration was great too. It did start to feel a little long but overall, I enjoyed it. I do wish it was a standalone because I don't know that I feel like there's quite enough to have a book 2.I did some Caraval vibes which I liked!!