"The Kingdom of Liars" by Nick Martell is a gripping debut that immerses readers in a richly detailed fantasy world. The story follows Michael Kingman, a disgraced noble seeking to uncover the truth behind his father's execution and clear his family's name. Martell's world-building is exceptional, with a unique magic system tied to the cost of memory loss. The plot is filled with political intrigue, twists, and complex characters that keep readers engaged. Michael's journey is both thrilling and emotionally resonant, making "The Kingdom of Liars" a must-read for fans of epic fantasy and intricate storytelling.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience. Note: I ended up purchasing a final copy to read in the future.

The Kingdom of Liars is a great debut fantasy story. With a unique atmosphere that doesn’t follow the conventional path of your average fantasy story, it follows an amnesia protagonist that chooses all the wrong paths that showcases her character arc.

A three star book isn’t always a bad thing, it just shows room for improvement. In this story, it did feel a good chunk of the side characters could be fleshed out more. It felt some of them were simply there for the main character and to further progress the story. It would be nice to see an equal playing ground between characters rather than seeing how significant Michael Kingman is to this world.

Overall, this is an impressive first book for a new author. Improvement is imminent further in this series.

Michael Kingman lives in the shadow of his father, who was executed for killing the crown prince. Unsure of what his role in life is now, Michael will stumble upon a clue that could prove his father's innocence. But to clear his father's name, he needs to get more proof.
The plot was quick paced, full of adventure and peril. It was exciting to see Michael be quick on his feet and even quicker with his words as his search for clues lead him deeper and deeper into deadly territory. The world building was full of history and lore and a magic system that came at an unpredictable cost.
The characters were a driving force for this book. There are a lot of characters. As Michael navigates between his personal world and the royal court, the list of characters grows tremendously and can become confusing at points. It was an interesting take on having an unreliable character because you knew information was missing, but there were a lot different explanations for how it could of happened.

This was not for me. I didn`t feel connected to Michael or enjoy his journey sadly.
His sister Gwen was alright, but sometimes she felt unessesary to the plot.

Unfortunately didn't gel with the writing style of this one. Concepts were interesting and the cover art is STUNNING, but found the voice of the main character immature and frustrating so ended up DNFing. I own a physical copy now though so I'll be getting back to it at some point. Thank you for the arc!

The book starts slow but I found it enjoyable. I've been trying to get into reading more books with male protagonists. So of course, there was a small disconnect but I really loved the unreliable narration. The book is full of intrigue from the characters and all the way down to the magic system. Didn't think I'd make it through but I loved it and definitely would recommend to a friend.

Filled with political machinations, cut-throat nobility, and secrets upon lies upon mysteries, this book is an interesting fantasy centering on disgraced noble Michael Kingman.

Told from Michael's POV, the story focuses on his quest to find his place in the world as he uncovers what his father really did to have his descendants literally branded as children of a traitor.

Michael is a rash, act-first-think-later fearless young man, which leads to him being manipulated often, and indebted to many, which can become quite tiresome. There are a lot of characters and factions to keep straight, and I'm still a little fuzzy on some aspects of the magic system.

The plot is just twist after twist as Michael kind of stumbles around and happens upon the info he needs, and the reader uncovers the unfolding story as he does.

The story is well-written and the pacing was fairly quick, and it was a solid fantasy read. I am definitely reading the next book in the series.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC.

This book was looong and fantasy is not my favorite genre. I felt like I trudged through the first half of the book, but if you make it to the second half, what a delightful change. It does take patience to get there but when you do, it is well worth the wait. I'm glad I stuck with it because now I can't wait for the second book to this series! Absolutely, A turn around book for me.

3.5 stars but could've been a 4 or even a 5 for me had the first half been as good as the second.

Michael is branded a traitor as a child because of the murder of the king’s nine-year-old son, by his father David Kingman. Ten years later on Michael lives a hardscrabble life, with his sister Gwen, performing crimes with his friends against minor royals in a weak attempt at striking back at the world that rejects him and his family.

In a world where memory is the coin that pays for magic, Michael knows something is there in the hot white emptiness of his mind. So when the opportunity arrives to get folded back into court, via the most politically dangerous member of the kingdom’s royal council, Michael takes it, desperate to find a way back to his past. He discovers a royal family that is spiraling into a self-serving dictatorship as gun-wielding rebels clash against magically trained militia.

What the truth holds is a set of shocking revelations that will completely change the Hollows, if Michael and his friends and family can survive long enough to see it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It took me quite a while to talk myself into reading this, but once I finally started it I found that I couldn't put it down.
The plots and intrigues keep you on your mental toes throughout the book. This is a story filled with fictional royalty and political falls. The social structure and magical forms are moderately unique, definitely interesting.

I did not get along well with the main character and that definitely affected my ability to enjoy this one. However, making it past the midpoint helped some as it picked up quite a bit!

This seemed like it would be right in my wheelhouse, and it does have some great ideas, but unfortunately I did not like the writing. When a book's concept relies on memory loss and unreliable narration, the plotting needs to be pretty tight, but here instead it's rather a mess. There's also a ton of infodumping in lieu of careful worldbuilding. It's like it tries way to hard at being a Brandon Sanderson or a Scott Lynch world, but misses the mark.

I ultimately made it about 1/4 through (after several false starts), and then decided to give up.
Extra star for the great ideas! I would still give this author's work another try outside of this series, when he finds his own voice.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like such a plot driven book, but the characters were well written as well.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Amazing fantasy debut - kept me hooked from page one. Love the blend of sci-fi and fantasy and the concept of memories being the price of magic. Excited for the next book in the series.

It took me a couple of tries to get into THE KINGDOM OF LIARS. Martell has created a fascinating and original fantasy world, and populated it with interesting and engaging characters.
There was something about the novel that didn't quite click for me, but I tried again and found it easier to get into (clearly my mood was just off).
If you're looking for a modern fantasy novel that offers something a little different, then give this one a try. Looking forward to giving the sequel a try.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

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 ***

**Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

I remember reading a writing prompt a couple months ago about using magic that has a price, and that price is memories. I found the concept intriguing and I filed it away. So when I found The Kingdom of Liars book, I immediately jumped on the chance to read it.

I really enjoyed the world building, it was rich, complex, and layered. I also loved the writing style, it kept me on the edge of my seat wondering about the mystery. However, I didn't feel that the stakes for Michael's life was high enough for me to be worried about him dying. Which is why I dropped it down one star.

In reading The Kingdom of Liars, I was hoping for a good rich epic fantasy in a fascinating world that would let me really sink deep into a long, complex story. But while I liked some of the ideas that went into this debut epic fantasy, like memory as the cost of magic, and the disintegrating moon pieces falling from the sky and causing natural disasters, there was just too much stuffed into one book that couldn’t really handle that much. I never managed to care about the world, the characters (especially our first person POV protagonist), or the political intrigue plot. There were, furthermore, some authorial choices that were...problematic optics at best?? But most of all, it’s just kind of 600 pages of mess, and not even a fun or intriguing mess, just a dull one.