Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 3.5/5

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

From the moment I saw Six of Crows as a comp title, I was intrigued. The plot of the book was very different from Six of Crows, the characters were nothing like the crows, the writing style wasn’t similar to Leigh Bardugo… There is nothing that I can directly and explicitly pinpoint that is similar to Six of Crows, and yet I totally understand this comp. There is just some vibe that is so Six of Crows. Like, I’ve read other books that are similar to Six of Crows and often compared to it when it comes to tropes like heist, found family, and gangs, and I enjoyed them, but they never captured the essence of the book like this did.
I think that it has to do with the political aspects of the book. This book is intensely political in a way that doesn’t feel YA at all to me, and Six of Crows had a similar feel to me.

I think this book has a strong appeal to adult readers, and I think most of the aspects that I wasn’t able to really get into—the romance(s), especially, and the way the characters acted and spoke—felt forced and were only there to help the book appeal to teen readers. I think if this book had been rewritten for an adult audience, or just not tried to cater to teens, it could have been a five star read. And I say this as a teenager (19) and as someone who predominantly reads YA.

I want to dive into the plot a bit. So much happens in this book, I don’t know what to do with it all. The plot and Cayder’s goals change so much from page one to page 50, and then they do another 180 at the 50 or 60% mark. And I think that it is done very well, but the tag line of the book got in my head and didn’t really mesh with everything that happened. It ruined a lot of the tension, because it tells you things that would have been so much better, and the book would have read so much smoother, if you found them out as the story happened, instead of being confused because what’s going on doesn’t match what the story was pitched to you as, and then having one of the biggest moments of tension be underwhelming because you knew what was going to happen from the start. It also kind of spoiled Cayder’s character growth for the same reason and made it and his decisions later in the book underwhelming.
Also, another issue I have with the tag line—it says four teens are charged with murder and illegal use of magic, but there are actually only three?

Screw it. I’m rewriting the tag line.

League of Liars is a dark and twisty mystery set in a richly drawn world where nothing is as it seems, rife with magic, villains, and danger. In this political fantasy thriller, three teens are charged with murder and the illegal use of magic, band together with a goody two shoes law apprentice to expose the truth, no matter what.

Now it’s not spoilery, has the correct facts, and has an oxford comma—since the original one didn’t.

Anywayyyy I got a little off track.
The tension and intrigue of this book (if you ignore the whole tag line fiasco) is spot on. I truly never knew what was going to happen next, but I always knew it was going to be shocking, and draw me in even more. Astrid Scholte weaves an engaging story of magic, politics, and intrigue that had me gasping out loud more than once.
I have so many questions about the magic system of this story—which is like the whole point—and I can’t wait to watch it all come together in the next book. I’m quite sure this will be a series, though I don’t know how many installments, but I don’t doubt that the revelations about the Edem at the end of the book will masterfully weave together with the drama and politics of the world.

I really enjoyed the characters. Each character was strong and distinct. I liked that though Cayder was the main POV character, we got to see a bit from Leta, Eleanora, and Jey’s point of view as well. I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that Cayder’s chapters were in 1st person, and the other 3 were in 3rd person. It was hard for me to get used to, and I think the story may have been more cohesive if the whole book was in 3rd person, butI did eventually get used to it, and by the last half I barely even noticed it.
Cayder went through a lot of character development throughout the book, and it felt very natural and well done. He started out as kind of a prick, and I found him annoying, but as he grew as a person, I too grew to like him and connect with him. He was always a strong character, he just started out as an annoying one.
I must admit that Jey was my favorite character. I couldn’t figure him out. He was funny and full of charisma and vibrato, but there was something genuine and vulnerable about him as well. I think we got just enough of a look inside his head in the couple of chapters we had in his POV to really connect with him and start to get to know him, without giving anything away. We got a taste, and that got me hooked as I tried to figure him out.

The only thing I truly disliked about this book (aside from the tag line. Ugh.) was the romance. It was so unnecessary. I can’t say much, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I felt absolutely no chemistry. The interactions that were supposed to be romantic just felt awkward and out of place, and I just cringed. It was only a few lines here and there, but I still feel like the book would have been so much stronger without it. It felt as if it was just there because “YA books need romance to sell”. I just felt nothing, and I feel like that lack of chemistry just undermined every interaction between those characters, because when they were supposed to be flirty or connecting romantically I just felt like cringing.

All of that is to say—whoever came up with the tagline sucks, don’t expect romance, read this book whether you’re a teen or an adult, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for book 2!

I honestly didn't know what this book was about until I picked it up. I saw Asteid Scholte and knew I'd enjoy it.

This book is full of mystery and political intrigue. Edem is a magic substance that can be used to alter time. It's highly illegal to use, and 4 teenagers are arrested for using it to kill people. Cayder realized his sister, Leta, had been arrested for burning down an entire village and assisted her attorney with her case. When none of the puzzle pieces seem to fit, they go on a hunt to find out what really happened. Lies, betrayal, and government coverups are found throughout. Plus, a hint of humor from Jey- which I loved. The ending makes it feel like it will be a series and I'd be just fine with that.

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte is a unique mystery that combines magic with murder trials. I found the genre-blending premise original, and I enjoyed the mix of narrators, both inside and outside of the prison. While the content of this book didn’t meet all of my expectations, I still enjoyed the story as a whole. This is a great read for those looking for the tension of legal drama with a touch of fantasy.

Dreaming of becoming a prosecutor someday, Cayder is determined to bring all wrongful users of magic to justice after the death of his mother. When he is offered an opportunity to work as an apprentice for a public defender, he jumps at the chance, but upon entering the prison and meeting the criminals he is supposed to defend, he realizes that their cases are more complicated than he originally thought. When his sister arrives in the prison with a life sentence, everything changes, and it is up to Cayder to uncover the truth and prove her, and the rest of the wrongfully accused, innocent.

❀ INTERESTING MAIN CHARACTER

Cayder is an interesting main character, and I enjoyed the way he changes throughout the book. He is committed to bringing illegal users of magic to justice–driven by the people who killed his mother–but he is forced to change his perspective as he must defend people who have been accused of this same crime. Also included are the perspectives of three characters who have been accused of illegal use of magic, and this provides an interesting contrast to Cayder. For me, not every perspective was particularly useful, but I still enjoyed getting glimpses of both life inside and outside of the prison.

❀ PLOT FEELS RUSHED

Where I struggled with this book was with my own expectations that didn’t live up to the actual content. Based on the Six of Crows comp and the “ultimate jailbreak” that the synopsis promises, I was anticipating more of a prison break/heist story, so I was surprised to see the plot take a more investigative approach, similar to books like All These Bodies. I still enjoyed the story as a whole, and it does deliver on the prison break, but this only begins to unfold at around 70% through. Because of this, the plot feels very rushed. I rarely advocate for series over standalones, but in this case, I feel like a duology would have been way more effective.

❀ A GENRE-BLENDING FANTASY-THRILLER

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte is a great read for fans of courtroom dramas. I found the premise unique and enjoyed the balance of perspectives, but this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations for an action-packed read. The book as a whole is still enjoyable, so I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a genre-blending fantasy-thriller.

4/5 stars, I assume this has a sequel in the works because that cliffhanger was wild

I have had the not-so-pleasant experience of reading other books by Astrid Scholte, most notably Four Dead Queens. I was a bit hesitant to enter into another one of her stories, but when this was compared to Six of Crows I knew I had to give it a try. Also, the cover is really amazing and cool looking and I am in love with it, even if the story had some flaws for me.

My biggest problem with the plot fell on when the heist started to take place, it was only towards the end of the book and the rest was build-up. I still really enjoyed the beginning part so I'm not exactly complaining, I just wish the heist that was promised had started sooner. I enjoyed seeing how this world's courts worked and it was a weird juxtaposition (but also reflection) of our world. The plot was fairly fast-paced otherwise and had a lot that seemed to be set up for coming books, but still was a bit relevant to this plot. It really was not perfect but was just kind of fun. However, while the setting of the prison was really fun, it didn't feel like a fleshed-out world beyond that. I hope that changes as this series continues if it is one.

Caydar was the first character that the reader was introduced to, and I think this was a good choice. He makes up the majority of the story, but he is honestly the most interesting. He had a lot from his past playing into how he handled things, including his apprenticeship and the whole heist they plan. He's obnoxious sometimes and jumps into things too fast, and I hope to see some character growth in the second book (if there is - I assume so). The story revolved around him primarily and the reader spent the most time with him, so that might be why I liked him more than the others.

Leta is Caydar's younger sister and is thrown in prison for burning down an entire village towards the beginning of the story. She even has a death mark, but she claims she is innocent and was just trying to investigate what happened to her mother when she died. In the beginning, there was a lot going on in the story that the reader was not initially clued into, but even at the end it still felt like that. I definitely felt she had just as much to offer as her brother but we didn't see it.

Jey was the "main" character that I liked the least, and also the one that was absent from the story the most often. There were only a couple of chapters from his point of view and none of them were super interesting. In the beginning, when he was introduced I was hoping that he would be more present, but that didn't end up playing out and was a bit disappointing. He was dark, mysterious, and witty which is one of my favorite types of characters.

Princess Elenora comes into the story later on, after a few horrible things have happened so I won't talk about her much for fear of spoiling. There was soooo much that could have been done with her character, especially with her complicated backstory. I just felt that it didn't work. Just like Jey, she was introduced in the story a bit later but had so much potential to be a great character. Instead she fell a bit flat but I think there is a lot that could be evolved in the coming books.

I think that Astrid Scholte still greatly has to work on developing her characters to be better, though most of the book felt very one-sided. Or they had very simple motivations and didn't grow as a person as the story went along. They were still fun in this book, and I did like most of them, but there is seriously just something missing. There were a few side characters as well in this book, we spent the most time with Grayson, the best attorney in the country. He was a really fun and loveable character, though not many of the others present in the story were really fleshed out. I was glad to see a side character that was almost there.

You could say that there was a thread of romance in this book or a couple, but I never felt that they were developed properly or efficiently. That's why I am personally not categorizing the "romances" as actual romance, I saw it more as crushes between the characters. They definitely did not spend enough time with each other to actually develop such feelings and everything. You can totally argue it does count as romance but there were just a few comments, and that was really it. Either way, it was not developed in the proper storyline it could have been.

Overall, it was a really interesting story with a fun little heist towards the end. My favorite part was the mysterious magic and the court scenes, both were thrilling. The story was a bit off on its world-building and plot points, but that didn't take away too much. I just hope that is expanded on in the future if there is another book, as there should be because of that cliffhanger at the end.

[TW: death of a family member, bad prison conditions, harsh arrest, torture]

League of Liars was a mix of a legal thriller and a fantasy heist. Definitely not something I have read before. I found the legal parts to drag a little bit and found myself waiting for different points of view. By far my favorite character was Jey, the snarky criminal. His story was the most interesting to find out since he refuses to elaborate on his crimes at all. I also felt like his reveals were more shocking than the rest, though Cayder definitely goes through the most character development. My biggest complaint was at the climax of the book. It was made to seem that the characters were trapped in a situation which caused a betrayal, and then all of a sudden they were able to get out, even though they could have used the same way beforehand. I find that too often, in fantasy books especially, this happens. Basically the author backs the characters into a corner causing one of them to act out, and then all of a sudden the other characters are able to find a way out that had nothing to do with what the acting out character did. All that to say, I wish the character actions at the climax had made more sense or that the betrayal actually helped the others get out of their situation. For me, this was a 3.5/5.

If you like new magic systems, criminal trials, or snarky characters, this is the one for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book based off of what it’s compared to but in terms of Six of Crows, the portion is only there close to the end, almost 70% of the way through and HTGAWM is almost non-existent.

I do think that there is a lot of potential with this series and this book, the characters are compelling and I was invested in the world building and the mystery. Unfortunately, the pacing wasn’t it. It was definitely slow-paced to say the least, but we don’t necessarily pass the synopsis until about 68% of the way through and it also doesn’t pick up until that point either. For a book with so much world building, I still felt like I was missing a lot of information by the end.

This ended up not being my cup of tea but I do think others might enjoy it. Premise was intriguing but didn’t keep my attention.

Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for sending me an eARC for an honest review.

3.75/5 stars

Wow. This book was not what I was expecting, and I have to say I really hope there will be a sequel because I have so many questions after the end!
I found that the book started out pretty slowly. I was expecting it to be focused on the plan to break the people out of prison, but that plan didn’t even come to the characters until 68% into the book. When I got the about halfway through I found that it picked up for me. I was more interested in what was happening, and I was excited to get answers. I liked the planning for the prison break, and the last 15% of the book was super exciting and fast-paced.
The characters were good. Cayder was frustrating at times, but I liked how the author portrayed his struggles between what he believed and what he was faced with. Leta was really interesting, and I would have liked more of Jey. Kema was kind of just there for the most part, and Elle was interesting but I didn’t feel like I knew her enough to be super invested in her story. The book is primarily first person in Cayder’s POV, but it does flip to third person for the other characters.
I thought the world building was decent, and the writing style was easy enough to follow. I had more questions in the end than I did at the beginning, though, so I’m hoping there’s a sequel that will eventually provide answers.
Overall I liked how the story played out. I liked the interactions between the characters, but I wouldn’t say this has found family vibes. The ending felt like it was setting up for them to develop the found family vibes, but I didn’t feel like it was there yet. If that’s what you like from Six of Crowd, be warned. This book was more about the law and a murder trial than about a heist and found family.

Book Report for League of Liars by Astrid Scholte

Cover Story: Mind Prison
BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh
Talky Talk: Not MG, But …
Factor: Series Starter?
Relationship Status: We’ll See

Cover Story: Mind Prison
Now, I like skulls. But this one’s getting a little creepy, even for me. Do we want to know what that smoky key opens? Especially since it seems to be locked up in addition to locking something else?

Also, I think I watched too much Sherlock, as I keep seeing a violin where there isn’t one here.

The Deal:
Cayder Broduck wants nothing more than to become a prosecutor who tries dangerous criminals who use edem (magic) for nefarious purposes. He’s had this life goal in mind since his mother’s death at the hands of such a criminal, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make it come to fruition, even if that means lying to his father—a famous criminal judge. He’s supposed to be working his summer internship at the city library, but instead, he’s working for an old family friend, someone who defends edem users in their trials. Cayder sees the apprenticeship as a means to an end, but when his sister is arrested, he begins to see that justice isn’t just about putting any and all edem users in prison; there are a lot of nuances to each case that need to be addressed.

BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh
BFF charm with Roger Murtagh from Lethal Weapon's face.
Although we get to hang out with Cayder the most, there are a few other POVs in this book. But all of them had me questioning their motives and antics frequently. And even though they were all over the age of 16, they seemed way younger—and therefore, less mature and more naive. I couldn’t see myself being friends with any of them, sadly.

Swoonworthy Scale: 3
Cayder perhaps didn’t expect to find romance in prison, but one of the people he finds himself working for makes him feel a certain way. There’s no real chemistry between the two, however, and the idea of them getting together felt like a way to get to a later plot point rather than a necessary (or fun) inclusion.

Talky Talk: Not MG, But …
League of Liars had promise—especially with the comps to Six of Crows. Unfortunately, I perhaps should not have put so much stock into those comps, as it fell quite flat in comparison. Mostly just for the fact that the found family dynamics and actual heist themes weren’t present, or weren’t present until the very end—an end that left a lot to be desired, but more on that in a bit.

I typically like Scholte’s world-building, but there was a lack of detail to League of Liars—in addition to the characters themselves feeling way younger than their actual ages—that had the book leaning much farther into MG territory than I expected. Of course, MG books are wonderful and valid, but this one’s not being marketed as such. I wanted more—more detail, heightened action, better chemistry, deeper connections.

Factor: Series Starter?
I cannot find anything that says this isn’t a standalone, but I really hope that there’s another book coming. The ending leaves a lot to be desired and sets the scene for more to come. If that’s all there is, it’s a shame (and a frustrating one at that).

Relationship Status: We’ll See
I had high hopes for our date, Book, but that’s what I get for putting too much weight on an Internet profile. I’d be willing to get together again if only to hear the rest of your story, but I don’t see this being a long-term thing. I’m just a completionist and don’t like to be left hanging.

How to spend a snowed in weekend? For me, it was getting lost in the fantasy world in Astrid Scholtes' new YA novel, League of Liars.
"In this fantasy thriller, four teens charged with murder and caught up with the illegal use of magic band together to devise the ultimate jailbreak."

I am always fascinated by the world building in fantasy novels. In this world in magic is forbidden and strictly regulated. Any misuse is dealt with quickly and harshly. The magic itself is interesting as it is shadows that execute the magic when they are called upon. But the end result often doesn't match the user's intent.

League of Liars gives us four teen protagonists, all with a vendetta against the Regency. There's Cayder, a law intern, his sister Leta and Jey, who is a bit of a rogue. And of course what fantasy world doesn't have a princess? Although Cayder leads the pack, I found myself drawn more to Leta. She's bold and brave, a bit hard headed and is the character I'd choose to play. The cast of supporting characters are easy to separate into 'good' and 'bad'.

The plot itself is busy in a good way - murders, disappearances, court cases, a prison, royalty, a ruling council, the mysterious Veil that is tied to the magic, and a touch of romance. Danger and action filled as well.

When I read YA books, I try not to be "adult eyes" critical of plot devices or directions, the actions of the teen protagonists, their actions and thoughts. For me, fantasy novels are just that - a chance to escape into another world in the pages of a book.

League of Liars weighs in at 464 pages. I do think it could have been tightened up in a few places, but overall I quite enjoyed League of Liars. Now about that ending.....all I can say is I hope there's a second book! And isn't that cover great!

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Ever since Cayder spent a year at Vardean, justice has been very black and white to him, but he doesn’t expect to stumble upon shades of grey in Astrid Scholte’s League of Liars.

Cayder’s internship at the public defender’s office starts out as a way to spy on the other side and learn their methods, until his sister gets arrested on his first day assisting in the prison.

Cayder was an extremely stubborn character whose arc was unlearning the prejudices he’s grown up with. After Varden juvenile turned his life around, he’s held the idea that anyone sentenced to Varden deserves it, but working with Jey, his sister Leta and the third inmate challenge these ideas, and his beliefs in an infallible justice system. Cayder’s journey of self discovery was, by far, the most impactful in the book with him coming out a more complex and interesting character on the other side.

While Jey, Leta and the third inmate have less memorable arcs, each imparts Cayder with a central lesson. Jey’s story isn’t what it seems, Leta’s ideas shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, and the third inmate represents the failing justice system as a whole. Seeing how their stories intersected added a depth to the book that went beyond Cayder’s arc.

By far the most impressive aspect of League of Liars was its worldbuilding. Scholte gives us a world where a rip allowed shadow magic into the world. Because of how volatile it is, it’s forbidden to use and the society has built in safeguards to never truly be in the dark in order to avoid casting any sort of shadow that might attract the magic kind. There’s even a research team dedicated to studying the rip and the shadows, which gave the book somewhat of a sci-fi feel that I appreciated.

Astrid Scholte’s writing is expansive as she paints just about every detail of a scene. Throughout the book, she makes an effort to describe the big and the small, which gives the sense that there exists a world beyond the plot of the book. However this also weighed League of Liars down. My biggest complaint, meandering it was. There’s so much set up that the action is condensed in the later half of the book, with it feeling rushed at times.

While it’s obvious that parts of League of Liars were meant to be a social commentary on our own justice system, they don’t land so well. Through the first half of the book, Cayder explains the justice and court systems in minute detail, with a constant insistant on how perfect they are. As such it was hardly a surprise when he discovered the justice system did fail his loved ones. Because of this insistence, Scholte’s writing lacks the subtlety to deliver this message.

League of Liars by Astrid Scholte left me underwhelmed. Her book promised fantastical concepts that were bogged down by court room drama and Cayder discovering how to listen to others. Though I couldn’t find anything about it, the end of the book did make me think it’s a set up to a be series. I might give the next one a go as the last part of the League of Liars was the best.

I had a great time reading this book! I really enjoyed the mystery aspect and had fun piecing together each case with Cayder. The plot was fast paced and engaging, with something exciting happening on each page. The plot twists also surprised me, I didn't see them coming! As you guys all know, I love a good heist story and this book definitely delivered! The multiple perspectives really added to the tone and mystery of the book and it was satisfying when we learned new information. All of the characters felt unique and were interesting to read about. I enjoyed all of their perspectives and thought they were all important and crucial to the plot. My favourite character would have to be Cayder. I related to him the most and found his interest in law and court proceedings to be really unique and unlike other characters I've read about before. I'm excited to learn more about each character and connect with them more in the coming books.

The ending of League of Liars answered a lot of my questions but gave me so many more too! I'm excited to read the sequel!

After his mother gets killed by dangerous magic, eighteen-year-old Cayder Broduck is determined to become a prosecutor and hold people accountable for magic-related crimes. But when he meets three other teens being tried for magical crimes they didn’t commit, he must help them stage a prison break to ensure justice gets done!

This is the third of Astrid Scholte’s books that I’ve read, and I continue to adore her genre-bending, unique premises. This book is part fantasy, part thriller, and I thoroughly enjoyed the blending of the magic system with political intrigue, courtroom drama, and daring escape plans.

The main character, Cayder, is the complete opposite of Kaz Brekker in that he’s a rich goody two-shoes whose love of the legal system is kind of annoying at the start. Luckily, his experiences in the rest of the book, and his interactions with some of the more morally gray cast members, soon fixes that :D

My favorite character was Jey, a charming murder suspect who seems weirdly insistent that he killed his father despite evidence to the contrary, but I loved how all the characters’ stories intertwined even though they seem unrelated at first. I also loved the betrayals and twists toward the end!

The big thing that took me out of the story was the large amounts of exposition, especially toward the beginning. I prefer books that dribble backstory throughout the narrative, and I would have preferred some more subtlety from the characters.

The ending was a cliffhanger, but I found it satisfying even though there’s no sequel coming at the moment. I felt like I can speculate on where the characters go from here.

Love this plot line - we have a prison heist in a fantasy where shadow magic exists after the Regency has imprisoned both our main character Cayder’s best friend and the a princess. Using shadow magic is illegal because it’s dangerous and Calder is determined to make sure his sister is found innocent.

The mystery was unfolding so nicely and I loved the cast of characters and how they come to help. The villains were showing up to be quite fun in almost a dystopian way.

However … there nothing out there to indicate this book is the start of a series ad the book ends in the middle of the climax, as if setting up for another book except even then, it felt a bit unfinished. We don’t have closure on any of our open plot lines and mysteries to be found out. I was left disappointed when I read the last page.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was fun but I think the comparisons to Six of Crows are hurting this book by giving people the wrong impression about this book. There is no heist. And honestly the synopsis has a huge spoiler about the book so... 🙃

League of Liars follows four teenagers: Cayder Broduck, a young man who wants to become a public defender and knows his apprenticeship under one of the premier public defenders can make his dreams come true. The other three main characters are prisoners of Vardean, a high security prison. One of them is Cayder's sister, Leta. Cayder doesn't know how his sister has been accused of mass murder, but he's determined to find out what really happened. As Cayder gets caught up in these three cases, he finds surprising connections and treachery.

I really enjoyed this story. I found all the court politics and trials fascinating. The magic system was kind of confusing but I was curious nonetheless. I really want to know if there will be a sequel because this was 100% set up for one and even ends on a cliffhanger (of sorts) so...powers that be please make it happen.

Cayder was all right. I liked him well enough even though he was quite stubborn. But I really enjoyed his character growth throughout this. He uncovers a shit ton of info throughout this novel and the way his actions change were really amazing. I loved Leta and I always wanted to know more about her character. Even though this book is multi POV with four narrators, Cayder and his journey is the focal point. We get to know Eleanor, Jey and Leta well, but their arcs are not as complete as Cayder's was in this one. Regardless I really came to like them all. Though Cayder's estranged childhood best friend, Kema, was my absolute favorite.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the parallels of discovering how frustrating injustice is and seeing a system you thought worked and was good fall to corruption. The themes in this book definitely parallel 2020-2021 and the things we've seen happen in the US justice system.

Rep: white male cishet MC, white female cishet MC, white female cishet MC (royalty), vegetarian male cishet MC (I think Jey is white but I don't remember), BIPOC sapphic female side character, BIPOC male side character (lawyer).

CWs: Imprisonment, forced institutionalization, corruption of trial process, grief, death of parent, violence. Moderate: fire, mass murder (whole town dies), murder, fascist government regime attempting to take over.

An exciting fantasy story full of twists!

I don’t often read fantasy books, but this one had me hooked early on. After that, I feel like my interest fluctuated. Some parts were bit drawn out and I would’ve liked more backstories and development for most of the characters. But there were plenty of shocking twists that kept it exciting.

I did think the veil felt too similar to Shadow & Bone. And I really hope there is a sequel after how that ended.

This morning’s book hangover is sponsored in part by Penguin Teen and League of Liars by Astrid Scholte. 😂

There’s magic, a prison break, a princess and LIES. This book centers around a dark mysterious shadow magic that bends time. Like what?! I’ve never read anything like it before. Magic is a sure fire way to get me to read your book and this kind was unique!

It was full of lies, deception, loyalty and love. Those lies made for a lot of twists and revelations that kept me reading late and reading those chapters like they were handfuls of popcorn.

It wasn’t perfect and had its flaws. (Honestly though, for such a notorious prison how did Cayder keep coming back and walking around the most secure floor?!) I would have liked more from the story, more character development and a closer look at the magic would make for some more fleshed out worldbuilding. But all in all I enjoyed the reading experience.

One question: is this going to be a series? I won’t go into more because the book has only come out today and don’t want to ruin it for anyone but… I was internally screaming. Take that as you’d like.

3.5 stars (which could be rounded up or down at any time.)


Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the egalley.

I'll admit and blame the expectation that I set for this book because it was compared to Six of Crows.

It was a good book but the bar was set too high that my experience was affected in general.

Imagine a society where a specific form of magic was illegal? For main character, Cayder, this is his goal as a future prosecutor… putting away the bad guys who illegally use a form of magic called Edem. After all, his mother died at the hands of Edem…and he was sent to a prison reform school for using it once when he was younger. Yes, Cayder is ready to take on Edem users and put them behind bars…but first he must complete an apprenticeship under a family friend whose objective is defending those accused of Edem crimes. However, when Cayder and his mentor take on three clients throughout the story, his viewpoint starts to change as he learns their stories and starts to question the brutal society as a whole.

When I first received this ARC e-book, I was sure my YA Fantasy days were pretty much over. However, when I started reading it, I became hooked! I really liked the characters, the story, the twists…it was such a fun ride! I especially loved the court room scenes. I really hope there is another book after this one! This was my first book by Astrid Scholte and this will not be my last one!

Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me this NetGalley ARC e-book in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

I found this novel to be very entertaining and the magic system was really unique compared to other books that I have read in this genre. However, where this book fell a little flat to me was in its characters. I felt that the main character, Cayder, was the least interesting character in the cast and I would have liked to see more POVs from the other characters. I think that multiple-POV stories can work really well but in this case, it falls short because there are not enough POVs from secondary characters to keep us emotionally interested in them and their stories. Overall, this book is very enjoyable and I liked the stance it takes on the prison industrial complex but the lack of character development made it difficult for me to get through.