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A review by mweis
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
4.0
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
This debut dark romantic fantasy had so many of my buzzwords that I couldn't not request it on NetGalley (or preorder it because I mean have you seen that cover?!). There's blood magic, a serial killer, a villainous heroine on a revenge quest, polyamory, and it's written by a trans Filipino-American author. This book had the potential to be a favorite of the year, and while it wasn't quite that I do think it had a lot of potential and I am so intrigued to see where the rest of this series goes.
I think most of my issues with this book stem from it being a debut. There are some pacing issues, specifically there were some plot beats that felt like they were barely touched on before moving on to the next thing and I would have loved to see more of those developments on page rather than fast forwarding through it. That being said, I really liked this book.
The story is alternately told from the perspectives of Shan and Samuel, who are the daughter of a disgraced Blood Worker with Plans for revenge and a bastard heir who stumbles into a game of politics he is completely unprepared for. I loved both of them so much. They are both very driven and complex. I also loved seeing how they interacted with the non POV characters and I would have loved to see even more of them. Shan's twin brother is Unblooded (nonmagical) and I loved seeing their relationship throughout the story because it's clear that while Shan loves and cares about her brother, she does not understand him. Shan's brother's lover, Bart, works with Shan as part of her information network, which I wanted to see more of. And then there's Isaac. Oh Isaac. He was a childhood friend of Shan's until he was promoted to the king's Royal Blood Worker and when he ends up back in Shan's life, there are Feelings. I love him.
This world is really cool. Thematically, the exploration of "othering" and systematic oppression doesn't feel new but it still feels relevant and I liked the take Enright had on those themes. I loved the casual transness of Isaac and the way he was able to use his magic to transition. Also the commentary on inequality there because Isaac is able to do this because of his status where Unblooded/nonmagical people wouldn't have the same access to healthcare.
I think as a whole, I just wanted more. There were so many fascinating plot elements that I just think we weren't able to spend enough time on that I hope to see more of in later books in this trilogy.
This debut dark romantic fantasy had so many of my buzzwords that I couldn't not request it on NetGalley (or preorder it because I mean have you seen that cover?!). There's blood magic, a serial killer, a villainous heroine on a revenge quest, polyamory, and it's written by a trans Filipino-American author. This book had the potential to be a favorite of the year, and while it wasn't quite that I do think it had a lot of potential and I am so intrigued to see where the rest of this series goes.
I think most of my issues with this book stem from it being a debut. There are some pacing issues, specifically there were some plot beats that felt like they were barely touched on before moving on to the next thing and I would have loved to see more of those developments on page rather than fast forwarding through it. That being said, I really liked this book.
The story is alternately told from the perspectives of Shan and Samuel, who are the daughter of a disgraced Blood Worker with Plans for revenge and a bastard heir who stumbles into a game of politics he is completely unprepared for. I loved both of them so much. They are both very driven and complex. I also loved seeing how they interacted with the non POV characters and I would have loved to see even more of them. Shan's twin brother is Unblooded (nonmagical) and I loved seeing their relationship throughout the story because it's clear that while Shan loves and cares about her brother, she does not understand him. Shan's brother's lover, Bart, works with Shan as part of her information network, which I wanted to see more of. And then there's Isaac. Oh Isaac. He was a childhood friend of Shan's until he was promoted to the king's Royal Blood Worker and when he ends up back in Shan's life, there are Feelings. I love him.
This world is really cool. Thematically, the exploration of "othering" and systematic oppression doesn't feel new but it still feels relevant and I liked the take Enright had on those themes. I loved the casual transness of Isaac and the way he was able to use his magic to transition. Also the commentary on inequality there because Isaac is able to do this because of his status where Unblooded/nonmagical people wouldn't have the same access to healthcare.
I think as a whole, I just wanted more. There were so many fascinating plot elements that I just think we weren't able to spend enough time on that I hope to see more of in later books in this trilogy.