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.

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs :
In Nadežra, peace is as tenuous as a single thread. The ruthless House Indestor has been destroyed, but darkness still weaves through the city’s filthy alleys and jewel-bright gardens, seen by those who know where to look.

Derossi Vargo has always known. He has sacrificed more than anyone imagines to carve himself a position of power and influence among the nobility, hiding a will of steel behind a velvet smile. He'll be damned if he lets anyone threaten what he's built.

Grey Serrado knows all too well. Bent under the yoke of too many burdens, he fights to protect the city’s most vulnerable. Sooner or later, that fight will demand more than he can give.

And Ren, daughter of no clan, knows best of all. Caught in a knot of lies, torn between her heritage and her aristocratic masquerade, she relies on her gift for reading pattern to survive. And it shows her the web of darkness that traps her city.

But all three have yet to discover just how far that web stretches. And in the end, it will take more than wits and knives to cut themselves free.

Thoughts :
I just need everyone's happy ending. Please let them be happy. Thanks Netgalley for the early copy!

I can't get enough of this series! Once again you get sucked into this world and the magic system. I love how we get to see new layers to the characters and some new reveals about characters eekk!!!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me early access to a copy of this book*
Status: DNF at about a third of the way in

Reason: I liked the first book, A Mask of Mirrors, well enough; however, this second book had a different feel to it that was less of what I liked in the first onw to more of what I generally see in second world urban fantasies, like gang politics and secret societies. So I was already primed to be disinterested but I was also reading Lies of Locke Lamorra at same time which is about roughly the same things, and the comparison was just not fair. I hadn't even complete the first book and I was already more invested in the characters and story than I was with anything in the Rook and Rose series. I initially put The Liar's Knot on pause with the intention of picking it back up but I never had the urge, and even if I wanted to read it now I would need to reread Mask of Mirrors, which is a fine book but not one I would ever want to reread. I've come to the conclusion that large scale fantasies that focus heavily on plot aren't for me.

The Liar's Knot by MA Carrick is the second book in the Rook and Rose series. House Indestor may be deposed, and the balance of power shifted but things are still in flux.

This captivating story will entangle readers in a web of deception, intrigue, and sorcery. Carrick skillfully weaves a complex narrative that challenges readers to unravel the mystery of a realm on the brink of ruin. Their writing style is exquisite, with a cadence that mesmerizes and a depth that dazzles.

The world-building in The Liar's Knot is all-encompassing, transporting readers to a vividly-realized world of magic and intrigue. The characters are multifaceted, with intricate personalities that are imbued with nuance and depth. Carrick's attention to detail is remarkable, and the plot is laced with intricate twists and turns that keep readers enthralled until the very end. The cultures of Nadezra, both Vraszenian and Liganti, and cuffs and knots, are utterly fascinating.

The magic system in The Liar's Knot is seamlessly integrated into the world, evoking a sense of realism that is both enchanting and plausible. The different cultures, Vraszenian and Liganti, favour quite different magical systems. One focuses on cards, and patterns, and is far more free-form like any oracle card system is. The other (numinatria) focuses on precision and logic.

In conclusion, The Liar's Knot is a delightful addition to the Rook and Rose series. Highly recommended!

****Many thanks to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Love this second installment of a fantastic series! I ended up purchasing a physical copy for my collection and can't wait for the next book to come out. The magic system is so interesting and I love the character dynamics!

5 stars

The first 50% of this book is as good as the first book in the trilogy, The Mask of Mirrors. The second half is even better.

I absolutely loved this second installment in M.A. Carrick’s Rook and Rose trilogy, which has me on tenterhooks waiting for the third book to come out this summer. I would recommend reading The Liar’s Knot soon after finishing The Mask of Mirrors, simply because I waited a year in between each book (oops) and found it a little difficult remembering who knew which secrets. And there are a lot of secrets in this book, both carried over from the previous title and newly revealed and generated. Without avoiding spoilers, I can say that keeping track of all the secrets and plot threads gets significantly easier past the book’s midway point, as some disparate events start to slot together into the trilogy’s macro-plot (and very satisfyingly, at that).

When I read book one in the trilogy, my only major complaint was that the climax had been confusing and difficult to follow, due in part to all of the physical action and in part due to all that was happening. To my delight, The Liar’s Knot did not struggle with this issue. The climax was amazing and I followed it perfectly well.

The only—and it honestly feels like a nitpick—thing I didn’t 100% love about this book was the romantic subplot, which was honestly quite good, but just didn’t feel quite as strong as the rest of the narrative.

I want to take a moment to appreciate how much I enjoy the side characters, mainly Tess and Sedge but also Giuna, Arkady Bones, and some villainous characters who nonetheless feel fully realized and fun to read about even as I root against them. And, for those who know, know: Peabody is the best.

I have enjoyed this fantasy series more than I can possibly express, and I am eager to see the pattern laid out in the upcoming Labyrinth’s Heart.

I requested this book before realizing it was the second installment of this series. I purchased the first book and look forward to reading this entire series in the future! I’ve heard wonderful things.

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>

A strong follow-up delivers the same level of complex characters and excellent world-building with a fast-paced storyline. Definitely excited for the next book!

I am a complete sucker for the found family trope and this book delivered. The worldbuilding was expansive and the plot felt high stakes. The pacing was a little slower than I would have liked given the amount of pages this books has. However, this critique is less of a concern than in other long books I have read.

I wasn’t aware that this was the 2nd book in a series. Therefore I didn’t finish it as I haven’t read book 1.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I loved The Mask of Mirrors, so I was so honored when I was able to get the arc of The Liar's Knot last year. I pushed off reading this for so long because I often have an issue with sequels losing whatever it is that I loved in book one. I am so bummed to say this book did just that...

While the book wasn't bad, there was a general lack of plot, lack of understandable motivation, and too many characters and disguises to keep track of. I was never having a bad time, but I also was never understanding what was happening. After about 60% of this book, I decided to DNF simply because I saw no reason to finish.

Thanks for Orbit and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book for an honest review,

I tried this book several times and just couldn’t get into it. I’m not sure if it’s timing, maybe I need to reread the first book right before starting this one. But I found that every time I would try to read, or even listen after I got the audiobook, that I would look for other things to do. I wasn’t caring about the characters as much as I did in the first book. My mind was constantly wandering and I would have to reread certain parts every time that happened.
I don’t want to give up hope on this book, I definitely think it’s more of a me problem than a problem with the book itself. I will probably wait for the next sequel to come out and then try starting the series from the beginning. The prose is so good, and the plot is very compelling, I just don’t think it has been a good fit for me lately.

If you, like me, couldn’t get enough of the Renaissance Venice-like world of The Mask of Mirrors, dive right in! The Liar's Knot picks up the story during a brief pause, a moment of uneasy peace. The evil House Indestor may be finished, but an ancient darkness still weaves through the city’s filthy alleys and jewel-bright gardens. Ren (aka the Black Rose and a bunch of other alter egos), Vargo, and Grey Serrado (aka The Rook) each have their own gifts, weak points, and suspicions as they are drawn together. To say more is to risk spoiling the unfolding of secrets. Take my word for it, though. This sequel is just delicious!

I love this trilogy so much. It's a slow burn full for betrayals, mysteries, and characters that you truly fall in love with. I was worried that this sequel might suffer from middle book syndrome but I'm happy to report that it absolutely did not. In fact, I think this might be even better than the first book and I did not think that was possible! The characters are so fantastic that I could talk endlessly about them - especially Vargo who has had my heart since the first book and I need him to get a happy ending otherwise I don't think I'll ever stop crying - but the world building is just impressive. I also can't rate the audiobook highly enough because the narrator brings the characters to life. There's only one book left and while I'm sad to see this series will be ending soon, I can't wait to see what M.A. Carrick releases next.

What a great continuation of this series! I am absolutely loving this world and these characters. My only problem is that I have to wait for book three now...

Thank you publishers for allowing me the read this, unfortunately I couldn't make it past 50%, as I didn't feel I vested in what happened to any of the characters, so I will refrain from posting a proper review.

Definitely read the first book so you know what’s going on! It helps! Great sequel. Love the diverse character representation that’s inclusive. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy!

The Liar’s Knot by M.A. Carrick was a tangling story expertly weaving character motivation with the world-building that affected and molded those characters. With a fleshed-out, deep magic system and politics and intrigue that are simple to remember yet still surprising, the city of Nadezra serves an excellent location for the stories of the con-artist Ren, the crimelord Vargo, and the Vigil-watchman Grey. Though this intrigue did lose me at times, and I found myself not quite understanding what was going on, I believe any diligent reader who decides to pick up this thick adult fantasy book will find that the second book in M.A. Carrick’s Rook & Rose series a pleasant read.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***