Nick Martell

The Kingdom of Liars was a well-written book. It would have to be, as ordinarily reading about Royals and different class systems is not generally an interesting topic for me. Nor is fantasy or magic. However, this book is SO unpredictable, with twists and turns, that I was on the edge of my seat each night wondering what was going to happen next. I did think it was too lengthy, but I did not use that against the rating scale. I would have preferred this to be two books. I love to hold a printed book, and let's just say my arms were getting tired even with a pillow in place! The story centers around the character Michael Kingman, who is bound to find out the real truth about his father, and restore his family's name and well-being. Michael is like the eternal "bad boy", always seeming to take the wrong route or dark ways to get the information or behavior he desired. I never really understood all the types of magic mentioned, but that is probably because fantasy is not my usual genre to read. I don't want to add any spoilers, but to say that the ending was very heart-warming. And frankly, I was prepared for a very ugly ending. There is a LOT of torture, bloodshed and gross descriptions in this book. If you have a weak stomach, you need to consider whether you really want to read this novel. I think the biggest strength of this book are the details. The details help the story to flow and unfold in the reader's mind so vividly. I would definitely read this book again! It will be interesting to read other books in the series.… (més)

I can't remember the last book that I read, that was this incredibly boring. I feel like I've read this exact story too many times.

The magic in this story has strong vibes of that in Mistborn & Six of Crows, the cost of using your given skill being your memories. (but only sometimes?) The characters are predictable, and while everything is well written it's just boring.

The storyline, plot and themes are perfectly planned out, it's a by the book story of a black listed family, and a plot of discovering the truth to get their namesake back. So it's not that I hated it, it's just over done tropes and I forced myself through many parts of the story.

Michael is oblivious and child-like through many parts of the book, which doesn't really fit with the way he was raised. Many plot lines were left open, I assume to be resolved in the next book. I won't be continuing on, but hopefully others will discover the fate of like half the cast.

I received this book via NetGalley.… (més)

The world building in this novel was fantastic. The characters were well developed and the story was engaging. There were good relationships and growth within the characters that made them seem relatable. Right from the first you are drawn into Michael Kingman's life and slowly pick up clues as the story goes along. While at times events seemed a bit too convenient, I don't feel like it was too blatant as to take you out of the story or make it too unbelievable/outrageous. There was intrigue/mystery, adventure, and magic, all of my favorite elements. I look forward to the next story in the series. There are lot of questions I would like answered so get on with writing the next one! I highly recommend this book.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.… (més)

This little shtunk (as my mother would have called it) had me on the verge of throwing in the towel. I am always reluctant to give up on a read (doubly so for ARCs). The DNF pile feels like a shameful public record of my biblio-failures... a list of my botched attempts at connecting with someone's brain baby... their heart and soul. BUT after trying to read this book multiple times, and being unable to sit with it for more than 30 minutes at a clip, I almost gave up... almost... what did happen was that I waited until its audiobook was released and snatched it up, hoping for a different vibe. Thankfully I did because I found this (audio)book to be highly enjoyable.

Kingdom Of Liars takes place in a land where the use of one's innate talents, called Fabrications, could have the very unfortunate effect of losing one's memories, or even losing an entire physical ability, each time it is employed. Obviously, this alone could make things problematic. It could lead to some very disjointed, patchwork character narratives to say the least. Our MC, Michael Kingman, showed some unmistakable signs of memory inconsistencies of his own. He also exhibited some kind of burgeoning, unknown, Fabricator ability. We were unsure what was the cause of his mental gaps and we had no idea if/how many times he had already used his mysterious Fabrication talent. Were his memories lost due to his own actions, or was there a more nefarious (outsider's) plan in play?

Michael was a frustrating protagonist to follow around. Although he scraped by with what little he had left after his father's execution, mother's ill health and the fracture of his once unflappable Family unit... to top it all off... he also had to contend with his faulty memory. He floundered about while lacking pertinent information to make well informed decisions which was... annoying. For someone that should have been hobbled by what he didn't know, he sure found ways to blunder into, and out of, unbelievable circumstances. He was very lucky to have friends in high, and low, places and though he was frustrating to get behind, he was also quite likeable. He was most certainly an Unreliable Narrator... and this Nick Martell navigated skilfully.

I was impressed by the world building but confused by the broken moon's ultimate place within the storyline. Why was it necessary to introduce it and its fallen (possibly prophetic) pieces to us? Maybe I missed its relevance but if not, I hope the answers will be given in subsequent books. The magic system, on the other hand, was a bit underdeveloped BUT it was also unique and thankfully left room for a ton of possibility.

I enjoyed the story's time-line. It started near the end, then went back in time to better explain how we got to Michael's execution day and then back to the present. How did he get to that point? Who helped and how much? Are his memories sound and reliable? Who killed the young prince? Was Michael's father set up? Why did his father, and Michael as well, plead guilty to the murder of a royal while refusing to utter a word in their own defense? There were more mysteries and the ending... the ending made all of the fuss and patience and time put into it well worth it! What a twist! It answered a handful of questions but there are many more that need to come to light. I need to know! I am excited to see where this story takes us (and Dark the mercenary- one of my favorite characters) in book #2.

Overall:

This debut (audio)book was enjoyable. It was the Unreliable Narrator done right. There were schemes, machinations, betrayl, court juxtapositioning and misdirection aplenty. I must admit... I found excuses to spend more time with Mr. Martell's surprising gem. In order to have more time with these robust characters, in this richly detailed world, I found reasons to do extra chores. EXTRA chores!??! That's right... and that's saying a lot because who likes cleaning the bathroom or sweeping/vacuuming/mopping? Apparently I do (when simultaneously listening to a good book).

In my humble opinion, the audiobook was much more palatable than the print version. If you're having trouble soldiering through then I suggest switching things up and enjoying it auditorily!

I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for book #2!

~Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***… (més)