Two brothers quarreling for years - the Liar and the Thief - one broken, vulnerable girl, caught in the middle, and a game exchanging one's deepest secrets for a chance of freedom.
Astra wants nothing more than to be free. Free of the other heart she's linked to, free of carrying her burdens, free to know the truth of her father and her past. When she hears about the Liar's Dice Tournament, she immediately wants to join. She believes this can be her chance at gaining her freedom. However, when she joins, things aren't as simple as she hoped they would be. Astra quickly needs to figure out what is the truth and what is a lie before she is tied to this bond forever.
This book is incredibly suspenseful, with a steady building climax that will have you holding your breath until the very end. The plot is promising and very enticing. The characters are well-developed, with Astra, of course, being my favorite. I think this book is a 5-star read, all the way up until about 95%. The ending seemed like a major downfall, somewhat of a disappointment, after all the built-up anticipation. I was hoping to get at least one answer to the many questions the author had us developing in our minds. Who is Astra/ Lola? What is Nick's secret? Why does Enzo desire to find the stone so badly? Why was Astra taken? What caused the rift between the brothers? What is Enzo's ulterior motive? The book is great and suspenseful, however, the ending wasn't quite what I was expecting. I feel like the breath I was holding was followed by a sigh instead of the gasp I was waiting for. A solid 4-star read, and of course, I am looking forward to the next book! I (we, the people) need answers! Thank you Jessica S. Olsen. This is an absolutely incredibly remarkable and unforgettable fantasy!
Thank you NetGalley, MacMillian Audio, Jessica S. Olsen for this intriguing read! Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick and Emily Ellet did an incredible job narrating!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

Den of Liars is a YA dark fantasy with an addictive setting and an intriguing plot.

I enjoyed this one. I loved Jessica Olson’s A Forgery of Roses, so I was very excited to dive into her next release. The darkly lush, immersive settings I devoured in AFoR once again captivated me in Den of Liars. I longed for more world-building and development of the magic system and tournament, although I enjoyed the exhilarating and creative high-stakes trials. The pacing fit the story nicely. The characters were vivid and intriguing, especially the Liar. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to connect to Lola’s character. The romance was addictive and beautifully crafted. Jessica Olson’s prose fit the story well, although the banter between Lola and the Thief was often a bit silly for my taste. Overall, this was an entertaining YA fantasy, and I’m interested in seeing what’s in store in book 2!

Dylan Reilly Fitzpatrick and Emily Ellet were wonderful narrators for this one. I adored the emotion and energy they brought to the story, and their accents fit the characters well. Emily’s voice for Lola felt a bit off, but I enjoyed her performance. I recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Listened to this so fast because I needed to know what would happen! The concept of basically a locked in game in a casino where if you lose your secrets become public was absolutely fantastic. The slow unraveling of secrets that had us learning more about our main character was perfect. Some of the twists I had guessed pretty early on but the reveals still had me wanting to read more. The romance was cute and the friendships formed were a sweet addition as well. I really enjoyed the Dice Tournament the most and the magic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

While this is a formally well-written book, I struggled to feel emotionally invested in the story.
I enjoyed the atmosphere — the setting of the casino, the games, the challenges — but I never truly connected with the plot or its characters.

Part of the issue might be that I quickly guessed where things were going with certain characters, so the later “reveals” that were meant to change Lola’s perspective didn’t feel all that surprising or impactful to me.

In addition, there was also a lack of chemistry between her and one of the MMCs, the Liar, despite the story immediately trying to frame an attraction between them. Maybe it’s the fact that he wears a fedora that he actually tips multiple times (!) that killed my interest in their relationship quickly, or perhaps it’s just that I’ve seen his exact character type so many times before that he didn’t feel fresh or interesting to me, which made their relationship fall flat. Whatever it was, it resulted in me not feeling much of a spark between them.

I think the strongest parts of the book were the scenes where Lola actively participated in the Dice Tournament. Those moments were genuinely tense and engaging, and I was fully on board during those challenges.

I also really appreciated the way the author handled Lola’s visual impairment. She has reduced depth perception due to a lazy eye and limited vision in one eye, and I thought this was woven into the story with care. It felt thoughtfully integrated into her experiences during the tournament, and added a unique layer to her as a character.

On the audio side, I switched between listening to the audiobook and reading, and found the female narrator’s voice to be very soothing and pleasant. The book alternates POV chapters, and the male narrator who voiced the Liar’s parts also did a great job with a delivery I truly enjoyed.

Still, the characters overall felt a bit one-dimensional. Even though they each had backstories that should have been compelling, especially in a world filled with crime syndicates, a magical casino, and high-stakes games, I just never felt truly drawn in by them or the surrounding storyline and thus my engagement with the story remained overall pretty low.



Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

💜 A Young Thief
💰 A Heist
⚔️ Two Waring Brothers
💜 Forbidden Love
🎲 Magic
🤫 Secrets Bargained

Lola & Enzo share a heart. Can she free Enzo & herself?

This was such an interesting read. A game of lies & deceit, secrets bargained, illusions & magical dice. 🎲

*I received an advance review copy for free in the form of an audiobook (advanced listening copy) from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is my honest feedback about the book as an avid reader.*

If you want a dash of romance mixed with a high stakes game, this is the book for you!

Huge thank you to the author, MacMillanAudio, & NetGalley for letting me read & review this book. 💜

Available for purchase July 1st, 2025 💜

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook of Den of Liars

This was a fantastic book. It had my attention from the very start. It was one of those books that just sucks you in. The world building could have been a tad more solid, but other than that I don’t have any complaints.

I loved the characters and their relationships with one another. I thought the amount of conflict was just right. I loved having little bits and pieces revealed throughout the story and that there is still so much to learn. The narrators did a phenomenal job at bringing these characters to life. The Liar was especially well done, one of my new favourite characters.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a heist or a good con.

The premise of this sounded so good. I really was excited for this stories about thieves… but I really didn’t love the writing. I don’t know why but the octopus around his wrist kind of gave me the ick? I just couldn’t get passed that and the curse. Maybe it’s just not the right time for me to read this… but honestly I think this just isn’t for me.

This book was sooo good! The narrator’s do absolutely amazing! This book was action packed and had me gripped to my seat then I couldn’t do anything else but listen to this book! The plot was a 10 out of 10. I have never read anything by this author before and I can’t wait until this comes out so I can tell people to go pick it up because this book was addicting.

This book had me in a chokehold, the plot was magnificent, the characters are well thought out and relatable.

The narrators did an amazing job bringing this book to life!