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A review by cleolindbooks
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
4.0
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the e-arc!
This book is the definition of gothic fantasy; Murderous politics, blood magic, & an evil vampire king! The book opens with Shan LeClaire murdering her awful father to protect her brother and start the political games that will hopefully change the kingdom from the inside. She plans to change the country, one secret at a time. What she doesn't expect is the kindhearted Sameul, the Last heir to the blood king, and her ex situation-ship Issac, the current royal worker for the king, twisting her plans around. In a book packed full of dark magic and political unrest, Shan, Issac, and Samuel are thrown into a deadly game of secrets, death, and court lies.
I struggled a bit more with the characters in the story, specifically with Shan and Issac. I felt that these characters need a bit more consistency in their goals and personalities. Obviously, there is a lot of betrayal, lies, and manipulation in the story, but it felt like many of the character's goals and desires were extremely unclear. Shan wants to make the kingdom better with subterfuge, but from a reader's perspective, I am very unclear on what she's trying to accomplish. The same goes for Issac; other than just being told they want to make things better, we don't get a lot of backstory or knowledge about what they're truly planning or truly trying to accomplish. It's a lot of generally trying to make things better or make a change. I would say Samuel is the most consistent character in the story, with his growth and character progression consistent to his character in the world. I think the intrigue is actually getting in the way of the characters. It felt like the story was so focused on creating this web of deception and lies that the characters felt very inconsistent and messy.
There is a lot of random forgiveness given to some characters and grudges being held against others for similar things. Shan's main purpose was to protect her brother and try to make a better kingdom, but honestly, it feels really at odds with all of her actions. I think having her be so focused on the romance is actually very detrimental to her character. Everything is very insta-love, and we see her consistently undermining her goals for Issac and Samuel.
However, I still enjoyed the story! I think this story would've benefited from focusing a little less on the intrigue and the main three characters and more on the world, the systems, and the magic. Everything is happening so quickly with the romance and the intrigue that it doesn't leave enough time to really develop the characters.
This book is the definition of gothic fantasy; Murderous politics, blood magic, & an evil vampire king! The book opens with Shan LeClaire murdering her awful father to protect her brother and start the political games that will hopefully change the kingdom from the inside. She plans to change the country, one secret at a time. What she doesn't expect is the kindhearted Sameul, the Last heir to the blood king, and her ex situation-ship Issac, the current royal worker for the king, twisting her plans around. In a book packed full of dark magic and political unrest, Shan, Issac, and Samuel are thrown into a deadly game of secrets, death, and court lies.
I struggled a bit more with the characters in the story, specifically with Shan and Issac. I felt that these characters need a bit more consistency in their goals and personalities. Obviously, there is a lot of betrayal, lies, and manipulation in the story, but it felt like many of the character's goals and desires were extremely unclear. Shan wants to make the kingdom better with subterfuge, but from a reader's perspective, I am very unclear on what she's trying to accomplish. The same goes for Issac; other than just being told they want to make things better, we don't get a lot of backstory or knowledge about what they're truly planning or truly trying to accomplish. It's a lot of generally trying to make things better or make a change. I would say Samuel is the most consistent character in the story, with his growth and character progression consistent to his character in the world. I think the intrigue is actually getting in the way of the characters. It felt like the story was so focused on creating this web of deception and lies that the characters felt very inconsistent and messy.
There is a lot of random forgiveness given to some characters and grudges being held against others for similar things. Shan's main purpose was to protect her brother and try to make a better kingdom, but honestly, it feels really at odds with all of her actions. I think having her be so focused on the romance is actually very detrimental to her character. Everything is very insta-love, and we see her consistently undermining her goals for Issac and Samuel.
However, I still enjoyed the story! I think this story would've benefited from focusing a little less on the intrigue and the main three characters and more on the world, the systems, and the magic. Everything is happening so quickly with the romance and the intrigue that it doesn't leave enough time to really develop the characters.