A Treason of Truths was a fun adventure novel with a sapphic romance at its center. I felt like the book was good, and the characters were well developed. While this is a pretty short book, at times it felt like the plot was moving slower than needed. While I know this is a series and it helps to have read the first book ahead of time, I do think this does okay as a stand alone. Overall it was a fun story and I like how it wrapped everything up in the end.

I am always looking for Science Fiction and fantasy titles written by POC and Black authors. This is a wonderful romance on top of the amazing world building. Highly recommend.

Ana's review:


I adored the first book in this duology and so I had high expectations for this romance. I was eager to go back into this world and and explore the flip-side of the tropes from the first book. Unlike Galen and Olivia who meet during an assassination attempt and grow in to love and trust, Sabine and Lyre have been partners and friends for decades. Again Harper works to upend trope expectations while leaning into others. I loved the contrast between Lyre and Sabine’s styles and how that played into the way their romantic conflict were resolved. I am looking forward to more queer romantic adventures from Harper and I hope we see more like this from Carina Press in the future.

Lyre has found contentment and purpose serving spy Empress Sabine, guarding her throne from the shadows as her spy-master but when the empress ignores her advice and insists on accepting the mysterious Cloud Vault’s invitation for a summit between the Empire and Syndicate, Lyre is forced to take actions that neither of them ever anticipated.

Lyre and Sabine’s relationship is a friends-to-lovers slow burn romance, where both of them have long-ago committed their hearts while learning to deny the depth of their feelings and smother any acknowledgement of passion in order not risk their friendship and partnership. They had one night early one when things almost boiled over, and neither of them speak of it. While Lyre’s loyalty to Sabine has always been legendary, she fears if the truth of her past was revealed it would sunder their relationship and if it didn’t, it would threaten the security of Sabine’s throne.

Like the first book in this series, intense action dominates the book. Sabine, Lyre and a band of allies slip and slide through the murky underbelly of the Cloud Vault’s flying citadel, tangling with deadly carnivorous vines while trying to untangle the motives of their secretive hosts. About half-way my interest flagged a bit during some of the longer action sequences but my longing for more romance between Lyre and Sabine was rewarded by an incredibly swoony final chapters of the novel. I am not usually a fan of grand gestures but Sabine’s whole life is one of theatrical and strategic actions meant to wow her subjects and rivals and it was wonderful to see Lyre step out of the shadows and prove herself able to stand by her beloved’s side and stop playing the romantic martyr.





Content Warnings: guns, torture, abduction.

Queer Girl Die Hard on a Floating City was how this was originally pitched to me. I couldn't help it; I jumped on this like it was a lifeline.

I did enjoy it. The world building was very thorough. There are three different classes of humans in this world. We get a main character from two of them, but the third is definitely talked about and a major plot point to the world of this novel.

That said, I didn't love this book. Although the world was really well developed, the plot was fast paced and spectacular, there was a really solid hero's journey weaving throughout... it was missing a little "something".

I feel like that something was character depth. Or maybe character likeability. I'm not one of those readers who thinks that female characters have to be likeable or I'm out. However, I do feel like I want to be able to empathise with them and care what happens next in their life.

Both Lyre and Sabine had interesting parts of their personalities and pasts, but for some reason I couldn't quite connect with either of them.

Personally, I actually found myself more interested in the side character of the Prime Minster Cian and the guard who got a swift promotion to Sabine's side for the brief moments that Lyre left it.

Solid, but not amazing. It gets a little boost from being LGBTQ romance. We sci-fi fans don't get much of that usually and it really does give this book a leg up.

3.5 stars This book was an interesting mix of dystopian and sci-fi concepts and ideas. So many fantastical parts almost gave it a fantasy vibe. I loved that it had two women in love. I love any dystopian story and this one doesn't disappoint.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Empress Sabine is invited on a diplomatic mission with some other leaders to a place called The Vault; a technological marvel self sustained by nanotechnology and an archive of an unfathomable amount of human knowledge. But what seems to be an olive branch quickly becomes a deathtrap and Sabine's former bodyguard, Lyre, must face the secrets she's been keeping not only from her queen but the woman she loves.

Although I didn't read the first book, A Conspiracy of Whispers, this story stands well on it's own. The world building gives the story weight and doesn't get bogged down in the previous book's events while still making them understood in relevance to what happens in this book. The action is well paced and tense, making this a fun page turner. 

This also doesn't disappoint in the romance department. Even without too many explicit love scenes, Sabine and Lyre's relationship is touching and sweet and it's great to see a lesbian relationship with women of color. As a romance and a science fiction novel, it succeeds on nearly every level except for a lack of development with the main villain and the societal mess behind his motivations, which I won't spoil. I felt he needed more time to get to know all the details. 4.5 out of 5.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Part of it is that I’ve been having a hard time getting into any of my NetGalley books, and I keep switching between them until I finish one. Part of it is I didn’t know when I requested this that it was the second book in a series. I don’t think it’s necessary to read the first because Harper gives some good background on what happened in #1. However, it did take me a while to catch on to all the politics.

It’s an ambitious book, but for me, it fell short of the mark. I had trouble reconciling the tones. A scene would be tense and dramatic, and then a character would try to be funny. Or things would be very formal and then a character would say “idjit” or “Plan B,” which pulled me out of the realm of the story. Often, the humor often fell flat, and there were a lot of non-sequiturs in the dialogue that left me scratching my head. But most of all, I never got the sense of urgency or danger that Harper seemed to want to impart. I would have cut about 20K words to hurry the pace and make the story snappier.

I tend to not care too much about formatting in ARCs because, well, they’re ARCs and who knows how a book is going to upload? But in this case, the formatting mistakes could be a distraction. Sometimes, there was no demarcation between one scene and the next, and it always took a few sentences for my brain to catch up. And some of the paragraphs seemed smooshed together so that who was saying or doing what was somewhat confusing.

This sounds like I disliked this book, but for all its minor flaws, I think it had some shining moments. The world-building is intriguing, Sabine and Lyre are both complex characters, and there are some interesting insights into the characters and worlds and humanity. Maybe if I were in a better headspace and had read it more quickly, I would’ve enjoyed it more.

Overall, it was a very interesting idea. That the execution didn’t work for me is a personal opinion. I’d certainly try another Ada Harper book in the future.

Great read! Couldn't put it down. Loving the LGBTQ+ representation. I read it in 4 days which is unusual for me but the plot was engrossing. I look forward to reading more of Ada Harpers work.

It took me a really long time to get into this book. I didn't read the first where a lot of the world was probably set up and that is definitely the reason it took me so long to get into the story. Once the characters moved to the Cloud Vault I sped through the remainder. I enjoy that all the characters are competent and they get to all use their strengths without ever implying that one character's abilities are better than another's. The romance was a little under-baked for me, but I appreciated that the pacing of the book didn't suffer for romance. I'm not sold that the nano-technology was fully thought through by the author, but I'm also not a hardliner when it comes to the science in my science fiction. The ending also wrapped up a little too neatly, especially for the antagonist character.

I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is you absolutely have to read A Conspiracy Of Whispers before you even think about reading A Treason Of Truths. The good news is the Whispers duology is an incredibly refreshing and well-executed sci-fi series and you will not regret reading it. The premise for Conspiracy reeled me in and I’m not someone who reads much sci-fi to begin with.

But if I can find more sci-fi along the lines of what authors like Ada Harper and Brooke Taylor are putting out, consider me a convert!

I’m keeping this as spoiler-free as possible because Treason’s plot is an utter gift. One twist and turn after another, one revelation after another, and always, always inventive.

Treason picks up where Conspiracy left off. These are challenging times for Sabine, who must deal with the traitors in her midst while also trying to hold the Syndicate responsible for their overthrow attempt. She’s always relied on her spymaster Lyre but when the Cloud Vault offers to broker peace between the Empire and the Syndicate, Lyre wants no part of it.

This plunges Sabine and Lyre into new territory for their relationship, with so many things left unsaid. The Empress is now without her spymaster and friend and each feel as though they’re missing a limb, no matter how angry they are at the situation.

Of course, Lyre has a plan up her sleeve. I loved seeing her in action! I cannot imagine being an actual spy and the way her mind worked was fascinating but also heartbreaking. How difficult to have to lie to everyone, especially the person you love most. Her reflections about this were quite moving.

Sabine’s utter control as a ruler and the way she navigated ever-changing loyalties and charted a course for her Empire was downright inspiring. I also loved the way she couldn’t let her feelings show but Lyre could still read her.

Watching Sabine and Lyre figure out how to get out of tough fixes kept me turning pages. They were so good at their jobs and I never knew what wrench was going to be thrown at them next. In the middle of them fleeing for their lives, they were also navigating their feelings for one another and finally being honest about it. There was so much angst but there was also a good amount of humor. Lyre, in particular, is hilarious. Their growth as characters, figuring out how to be honest or let go of control, was handled really well. They complimented one another perfectly and it was so satisfying when they finally acted on their love.

Harper’s world-building is complex, there to serve the plot and not the other way around. When I stopped to really take in the details, for instance the various tech creatures on the Cloud Vault, I’d have to ask myself how on earth she ever came up with it. And then, much of the time, I’d wonder what it would be like if I lived in that world and had access to such things.

Olivia and Galen make an appearance and it was nice to get a glimpse of their relationship again. Alais is also along for the ride and I’m crossing my fingers she gets her own book next.

Everything unfolded the way it should and I could not get enough of it. I’m looking forward to whatever Ada Harper does next!

An amazing sequel. Ada Harper is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

I fear I miscalculated with this most enticing ARC. Harper centres her baroque SF offering on two women who're deeply in love but can't bridge the gap between them (yet), and that's wonderful--but A TREASON OF TRUTHS isn't the standalone I expected. It's a "same story, different main characters" sequel to A CONSPIRACY OF WHISPERS, and enough of the politics and worldbuilding relies on the first book that I'd recommend starting there instead.

I really wish I liked this more than I did. It was well written so don't let my low rating turn you off if it sounds interesting to you, it just apparently wasn't for me. I saw another reviewer say it is actually a sequel to the author's first book so maybe I would have benefited from reading that, but it wasn't marked as a sequel so I didn't know at the time. I think the book kind of just threw us into the plot too fast before I really got a chance to get connected to the characters and I never really recovered from that. I'm definitely a 'characters are more important than plot' kind of reader so even though the plot seemed pretty cool once it picked up, I just couldn't connect with it and found myself skimming a lot once I got about halfway through. Also the whole thing was very focused on political machinations and I always find it difficult to keep up with that, especially if my attention is already wandering. I'm sure it could be a very enjoyable read for someone else though.

I adored the first book in this duology and so I had high expectations for this romance. I was eager to go back into this world and and explore the flip-side of the tropes from the first book. Unlike Galen and Olivia who meet during an assassination attempt and grow in to love and trust, Sabine and Lyre have been partners and friends for decades. Again Harper works to upend trope expectations while leaning into others. I loved the contrast between Lyre and Sabine’s styles and how that played into the way their romantic conflict were resolved. I am looking forward to more queer romantic adventures from Harper and I hope we see more like this from Carina Press in the future.

Lyre has found contentment and purpose serving spy Empress Sabine, guarding her throne from the shadows as her spy-master but when the empress ignores her advice and insists on accepting the mysterious Cloud Vault’s invitation for a summit between the Empire and Syndicate, Lyre is forced to take actions that neither of them ever anticipated.

Lyre and Sabine’s relationship is a friends-to-lovers slow burn romance, where both of them have long-ago committed their hearts while learning to deny the depth of their feelings and smother any acknowledgement of passion in order not risk their friendship and partnership. They had one night early one when things almost boiled over, and neither of them speak of it. While Lyre’s loyalty to Sabine has always been legendary, she fears if the truth of her past was revealed it would sunder their relationship and if it didn’t, it would threaten the security of Sabine’s throne.

Like the first book in this series, intense action dominates the book. Sabine, Lyre and a band of allies slip and slide through the murky underbelly of the Cloud Vault’s flying citadel, tangling with deadly carnivorous vines while trying to untangle the motives of their secretive hosts. About half-way my interest flagged a bit during some of the longer action sequences but my longing for more romance between Lyre and Sabine was rewarded by an incredibly swoony final chapters of the novel. I am not usually a fan of grand gestures but Sabine’s whole life is one of theatrical and strategic actions meant to wow her subjects and rivals and it was wonderful to see Lyre step out of the shadows and prove herself able to stand by her beloved’s side and stop playing the romantic martyr.

A strong and unique voice in romance science fiction!

The story of Lyre and Sabine lives up to the promise of the relationship hinted at A Conspiracy of Whispers. As much as I expected this to be a story of Sabine, it was more the story of "the Liar" and all the more intriguing for it. Readers will enjoy finding out the truth of the woman who's loved and supported the Empire at the cost of much. If there was one complaint, it was the focus of the romance wasn't as on the page as prefer. If I hadn't already read the first book, I wouldn't have seen the bond between them. This book shows their romance but it reads as in progress. Not necessarily a bad thing but it made it hard to understand why the events, in the beginning, were so devastating to the characters. Regardless, I enjoyed Lyre and Sabine's story as much as I did Liv and Galen's romance and look forward to more books from her in the future.

When I saw the cover for a Treason of Truths, I knew I had to read it. Let’s see… a FF story from a major publisher starring women of color that looked like it had a scifi bent? Sign me up! So I scrambled off to NetGalley, and requested one quicksmart.

A Treason of Truths could be a stand-alone story, and I read it as such. It does take place sequentially after A Conspiracy of Whispers. I haven’t read that book yet, but now I want to go back. What I find so especially striking about this set of books is that the first one is about a MF pair, somewhat the norm for Harlequin/Carina, and this follow up is about an FF pair. As a reader and writer, I don’t care who is in the story. I just want to follow characters I like. Unfortunately for me, publishers don’t always work that way, and readers seem to be fickle. I was SO relieved that this was different. Carina, keep doing this. You’re doing wonderful things if you can stick to it.

Okay, but you might be wondering about the story. This is full of political intrigue, espionage, a floating city, a race through the sewers, torture (not graphic for those easily bothered), and love winning over all. There are two rival nations at the start of things, and a supposedly neutral third party invites them for peace talks. Spymaster Lyre has good reason to believe this is a trap of some kind. She grew up there and knows the machinations. Her queen agrees to go anyway, and while there one of the royals is murdered and all the delegates are infected with nanotech that will kill them at any moment.

During a dangerous journey through the sewers, truths are told and bonds are tested. The queen is able to get off the floating city, but not without sacrificing the spymaster and the prime minister of the opposing country. The action here is tight and exciting. It reminds me in a way of Super Mario brothers off to save the princess, but that’s just because I am silly. The tone of the writing isn’t silly at all.

As for the characters, Lyre and Sabine are great contrasts to each other. Sabine is poised and a very dangerous leader who is not easily fooled. While reading, I immediately liked Sabine, and it would be great to find more characters like her. Lyre on the other hand has a brilliant mind for spycraft and manipulating people and situations. She was well-trained, and we get to see her in action. She makes sacrifices. She’s not infallible so as to be unbelievable, but she’s very good at her vocation.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book. It exceeded expectations I had from being entranced by a pretty cover. I want more stories like this both in genre and coupling. I want more from Ada Harper. I’d say this is a scifi romance I didn’t know I needed since the scifi is so good.

This would be a good book for you if you like a rollicking adventure, strong women (and by that, I mean real and complex), and some really great political maneuverings to make just the right things happen.

Thank you NetGalley, Carina Press and Ada Harper for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

An ARC rec'd from Carina Press for review.
An action packed sci-fi romance with intrigue, angst an adventure. Leads Sabine and Lyre easily carry the storyline which rates 4 stars.

Review Tagline: An action packed and emotional ride that explores truth and deception.

My Thoughts: A Treason of Truths is an action packed, science fiction, f/f romance story which revolves around the relationship and actions of Empress Sabine and her spymaster Lyre. Summarised by the author as a ‘Queer Girl Die Hard on a floating city,’ the book more than lives up to this description.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Sabine and Lyre – at the heart of the novel is the couples love for each other. Not only does the novel feature explosions, nanobots, and a floating city in the sky, but the main romantic tension revolves around the couple as they come to terms with the truth and deception of their relationship.

The beginning of the story is one that kind of throws you in the deep end. I found for the first few chapters that I was having a tough time differentiating between the characters and the established relationships. It wasn’t until I read the acknowledgments at the end of the novel that I realised the book was a sequel. Which suddenly made the large character presence of Olivia and Galen make so much more sense. Do not get me wrong, A Treason of Truths can most definitely be read as a stand alone. I read it without knowledge of the first book and loved it!

Outside of these first few chapter, the rest of the novel is an excellently paced sci-fi adventure that sees the pair overcome an incredible amount of hurdles. Once you leave for the Vault, I found I couldn’t put the book down.

A Treason of Truths finds a nice pace of action and emotion. Not only does the book feature espionage, royal intrigue, and international politics, but it features a range of multifaceted characters. Mix all this with an intense and emotional romance between Sabine and Lyre, and you have an amazing and entertaining read.

Best Bits:

*Lyre – I absolutely loved the word play of Lyre’s name. Being a spymaster, her name is a not at all subtle play on Liar. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it when members of the Senate referred to her as ‘The Liar.’

*That cover! I love the two woman on the cover and the extra detail of the eye scar on Sabine is great. I really like it when you read a book and can see little details displayed on the cover like that ❤

*The world building – Harper has created an expansive and immersive world in A Treason of Truths. I absolutely loved the way in which the three different societies came together and were featured within the Vault. Harper doesn’t force the information, rather it is revealed to us in an incredibly natural way.

Recommendations: I would really recommend this book for anyone who was after an engaging and action packed lesbian romance.

You don’t have to be a huge fan of sci-fi to appreciate and immerse yourself in Harper’s world building. However, if you are a fan of sci-fi, then prepare to enjoy this action packed and emotion filled story!

Please note: I received a copy of A Treason of Truth from NetGalley.

3.5 Stars. This was a pretty enjoyable read. To be perfectly honest, the cover is what drew me in to try this book. I realized after I had it, that this was actually the second book in the series. From what I can tell the first book was an m/f romance staring two characters that had a smaller roll in this book. Just encase you could not tell from the cover, this second book was a wlw romance. I am very anal about reading series books in order. I did feel like I was missing out on some things. Obviously a lot had happened in the first book which included the stars of this book. However, for the most part enough background was explained that I was able to catch up enough to enjoy the story. So I do believe you could start here is you wished.

Sabine is an Empress trying to hold her court together. She doesn’t want to go to war with the neighboring country but peace talks have stalled. When she gets an invitation for peace summit from a neutral party called the Cloud Vault, she finds she has to say yes. Lyre is the Empress’ spymaster. She would do anything to keep Sabine safe. But Lyre has a secret. One that just might cause her to lose everything she cares about especially Sabine. Can these two women survive in a place filled with enemies?

This book had an interesting mix of fantasy and sci-fi. It felt almost like it took place way in the past, except the technology is very advanced. It was an interesting mix that made for an interesting world. I was able to learn enough about the world to understand how most things worked, however I know I was missing out on some world building not reading the first book. I did like the author’s choice that sexuality was never an issue. Discrimination of sexuality seems to be a plot point in many fantasy books so this was a nice change of pace.

The two mains were likeable characters. It took a little while to feel like I really clicked with them, but once I did they were easy to root for. The romance was pretty PG-13. I heard there was a lot of heat between the mains of the first book, so I was disappointed not to really find that here. I believed they cared for each other deeply, but I was missing that spice. I also thought they needed a little more conflict or something to make their connection stronger. On the other hand I did think the ending was really sweet.

There was some action in this book. I read through the book in one sitting and was never bored. However, I did think the action “climax” of the book was a little bit of a letdown. There are still a few threads left hanging. I’m not sure if that is just the chosen end, or the author is leaving it opened for a book 3. If there is a third book and it continues to star Lyre and Sabina, or another f/f couple, I would read the next.