This book was so good that I read it all in one sitting. I do wish that the author hadn’t been so vague about what happened to the other twin in history but other than that I really enjoyed the book and cannot wait for the next one.

Abigail Owen's THE LIAR'S CROWN was a mixed bag for me in terms of what I liked and didn't like.

The premise had so much promise (and that cover is stunning!), but the actual execution left a lot to be desired. Overall, I feel like the story would have benefited from more structure, development, and streamlining. I was never convinced of or clear about the threat King Eidolon posed and how this would affect everyone; never super clear on the need for or impact of twins every other generation; why King Eidolon wasn't actively looking for Reven (there definitely could have been more tension here), etc. I also feel like the story could have spent less time on the relationship development between Meren and Reven. While the tension is well done, it seems like we lost track of the plot in terms of the world around them. Furthermore, I felt like Cain, as a character, just really wasn't needed. His presence created an unconvincing love triangle, one where we know he stands no chance beside Reven. Without the whole subplot, I think the story would have been tighter--and more room would have been created to further develop other aspects of the story that needed fleshing out.

That being said, the story--while a bit confusing--is still entertaining.

Loosely inspired by a Grim’s Fairytale, The Liar’s Crown is the first book in a three part series. Fans of Brigid Kemmerer, Alyson Noel, and Adrienne Young will enjoy this one.

Meren is the second born princess required to stay hidden and be the double for her sister Tabra when needed. Cursed from birth, she’s known her fate all her life. Just when her sister needs her most, she’s kidnapped by a person made of shadows known as the Shadowraith.

All the lies quickly come unraveled as Meren and the Shadowraith try to save Tabra and kill the evil King Eidolon. As Meren struggles to understand everything that is happening, her head and her heart war with developing feelings for the Shadowraith. When the time comes, she must choose who to save and who to kill in order to save the kingdom and her loved ones.

This is full of political intrigue and intense emotions. I could clearly picture the world Meren lives in and appreciated her struggle with who she is as a person. I enjoyed the tense relationship she had with the Shadowraith and understood why she made some of the choices she did. It does end on a pretty big cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read book 2!

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Teen for a copy.

Meren is a twin, and is expected to stand in for her sister Tabra at dangerous royal functions and events, but otherwise is kept hidden. No one knows there are twins, and when Meren is kidnapped, the Shadowraith believes it's Tabra, not Meren, that he's taken. Soon she's forced to look at her world from an outside perspective, and work together with her captor to save everyone.

I honestly enjoyed everything about this book, and it was a quick read. It has a unique magic system different than anything I've read before, and I loved the relationship between Meren and Reven. Meren has such a fighting spirit the entire way through, and the banter was great.

Sometimes you can tell where the next book is going when you finish the first, but with this one, I really have no idea. I'm hoping for a duology, but honestly I'll take any number of books for this series; it was that good.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*
*Possible spoiler alert*
This was such a fantastic book! Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down! It was a wild, action-packed, magic-filled ride! The Liar's Crown kept a consistent steady-to-fast pace from the first page to the last.
Meren is the princesses twin that nobody knows about. Forced to live in her sister's shadow unbeknownst to anyone. Her only purpose in life is to protect her sister while living without an identity to call her own. When she is mistakingly kidnapped by a dark, mysterious stranger, her whole limited existence explodes. We travel with Meren on an adventure packed with action, intrigue, and romance.
I loved taking the journey with Meren as she discovers her real place in the world and develops the powers within herself. I liked getting to know her and her spunky self and sharing her experience of self discovery and rising from the shadows (HA! See what I did there?) I loved her attitude, determination, courage and I even appreciated the occasional insert of her inner monolog. I feel in love with most of the characters in this book. Their development was top notch. From our badass heroine to our dark, mysterious Reven. I loved their quippy relationship and was delighted while watching him fall for her. While I was secretly shipping Meren and Cain, I came to love and appreciate the bond forged between Meren and Reven. I was not expecting any real "spice" so I was very pleasantly surprised with the elegantly written love scene. I read a lot of romance. Some borderline porn. However this love scene made me more uncomfortable then most. It was so much MORE! It caused me to blush for intruding on their breath-taking intimacy.
This was a beautifully written story with ample imagery. While the world building was so great in some ways, it was severely lacking in others. The detail was so plentiful and complex but missed the mark in some areas. Okay, I pretty much surmised the gist but I feel like there could have been more explanation into the Imperium, the Enfernae & Hylorae. The magics and the details therein were somewhat glanced over. It was up to the reader to figure it out and draw their own assumptions. The author painted an incomplete picture. Albeit a beautiful picture, but with pieces missing.
All in all, this was a great book. Excellent writing. Unique concepts and storyline. Wonderfully captured characters. Just a little short on building this new world. Solid 4.5 stars and eagerly anticipating the next installment!

Thank you Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of The Liar’s Crown in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I absolutely LOVED this book! This was one of the few books in the genre that had multiple action scenes that kept me engaged and didn’t feel like the book was leading up to a single defining moment.

While I personally felt like the Stockholm syndrome type love story was a little much at some points, all of the main characters had so much depth that the aspects I didn’t love, didn’t detract from the story. I think it also helped that the actual book was so fast-paced, as mentioned above, that it became impossible to get bored by the romance aspect.

The plot of this book revolves around twin princesses, one destined to be queen and the other destined to be the body double. That gets flipped on its head when the body double princess (Meren) is the one that gets cursed as a baby instead of the older twin. From here the book follows the POV of Meren and her eventual kidnap and getting back to try and rescue her sister. While I was confused about what was going on at some points, I love how the author was able to link back to the prologue near the end. The ending was also amazing and I cannot wait for the second book in this series to eventually come out!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥 (one mildly descriptive sex scene)
Trigger Warning: kidnapping

No one knows Meren's true identity. As the second born twin princess, her sole purpose in life is to act as her sister Tabra in dangerous situations so that there will always be a sister left to rule if the other is killed. When the queen dies, Meren is meant to take her sister's place at the pre-coronation ball, but instead she's kidnapped by Reven- a mysterious man who seems to control shadows. He has no idea that he's taken the wrong princess, and Meren is determined to get back home and protect her sister. For she knows that the evil king Eidolon intends to wed Tabra. But Reven has secrets that will change everything, and Meren can't deny the pull she feels when she's with him. Could Meren's captor really be her ally and be trusted with her true identity?

Okay I am definitely invested in this story, especially after that ending! I liked the premise of this book and found Meren to be a lovable heroine. She's feisty and determined, but she also wants to find a place of her own without being in the shadow of her sister. Speaking of shadows- Reven was mysterious, powerful, and protective. I loved how he was possessive of Meren at times, but he still had a softer side underneath. The chemistry these two had was undeniable and played out perfectly. Their steamy kisses were perfection 🔥🥵 The truth about Reven's identity was interesting and threw another plot twist into the mix. And I loved how Meren had powers of her own that we get to see developed throughout the story. I will be impatiently waiting for book 2 so I can see what comes next for Meren!

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked from the start! The writing was really good, the world building wasn't overly complicated and of course the broody, dark-haired male protagonist is always a plus.

Meren is the queen of Aryd's twin. So, you'd think she was a pampered princess but, in reality, she lives away from the castle and is trained in to take her sister's place in case there's any life-threatening danger. But when her sister Tabra is finally going to become queen and Meren is to step in as her during the coronation, everything goes wrong. Cause Meren is kidnapped by a handsome stranger who thinks he's got Tabra instead.

Give this book a read! I can't wait for the next one (yeah, it ends on a sort of cliffhanger).

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC. I am leaving this review willingly and honestly.

When I originally was flipping through NetGalley's archives of available ARCs, I came across this one. The first thing that captured my eye was definitely the cover, I mean, look at it!

The second thing that caught my eye was the description. It's very similar to some of the more recent Young Adult books that I've read, so I said why the heck not! Well, I'm glad I did.

This book follows the story of Meren who's the twin sister to the Princess of Aryd. The long generational line consists of twins every second generation. It also holds a tradition of the second born twin (in this case being Meren) basically being a body double for the Princess/Queen in case of emergencies. Meren has grown up learning how to be a princess, but never actually getting to be the princess.

When her grandmother (the current queen) passes, her sister Tabra has to take her place as the new Queen. With an evil King Eidolon lurking in the shadows (see what I did there), Meren takes her place at the pre-coronation event, as he is rumoured to be there. However, when she is on her way to the event, she is kidnapped by the Shadowraith.

This book follows the adventures, ups and downs, romances, and truth/lies around Meren and her world. It does end on a cliff-hanger, which isn't my favorite thing, but it's definitely worth the read!

This just didn't work for me at all. I couldn't even drag myself through it. The premise had such promise, but I was let down by th execution. When writing a fantasy novel, it's paramount that you know how to convey the structures of our world to your readers. Owen failed in that regard. Words and terms specific to this world are thrown around at random with absolutely no explanation. I was holding out for those explanations to come, but when they still hadn't materialised at 20% through, I was sufficiently annoyed to just call it quits. Life's too short.

I really like this book. Never read this author before. Characters were great. I love the story line. Will read more by this author

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! It will be published August 30th!

Every other generation of royals, twins are born. The first born is the true heir, while the second born becomes the body double. This is because of an ageless King, who has been killing Queens in this line of family for a long time. Enter Meren, our second born. She is to take her twins, Tabra, place when there is danger, so as the true heir can be safe. After a death, Meren steps in to keep Tabra safe, only to find herself kidnapped by the Shadowraith. While having to keep her true identity a secret, can she find a way back home and keep her sister safe?

I love Meren! She's sarcastic, witty, and amazing. When faced with danger, she's eyeing it down and cracking jokes. I love Reven even more. He's a huge cinnamon roll with layers - and I mean layers - of darkness. Their interactions and relationship is amazing from the beginning.

I love how quick I read this book, not wanting to put it down, but I also felt let down a bit with questions unanswered. I feel it's mostly because of the characters we were introduced to and them not being able to know the answers. The sequel, I'm sure, would have the answers to my questions. I hope. I also felt a little underwhelmed with the villain of the story. Again, based on plot and this story, I understand why we didn't know more of him, but he was hyped up and I wanted more of him. I think he'll be featured more in sequel. ( Hopefully ).

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I went into this book thinking it was a standalone and then discovered it's not (it's a trilogy). I am equal parts disappointed and thrilled--I expected the whole story and conclusion to be contained in this one book, but I definitely want more of this story and the world it's in.

The story is compelling, and I love that the inspiration was an obscure Grimm fairy tale. (I don't want to say more than that because it would kind of give some things away.) Meren (18, almost 19) is feisty and protective, and I love those things about her. I liked her even more when she started to realize that she had value beyond being her sister's double. Reven (23) is one of those characters I knew I'd like eventually even though he didn't make it easy at the start. And I did, even if he remained somewhat prickly the whole time.

Abigail Owen successfully crafted a book that I was quickly sucked into. Her writing delivered the story very well rather than distracting me from it. I think I forgot I was reading a few times--just experiencing. My biggest complaints, though, were the swearing and the sex scene. Any time a character swore, it was just so jarring and felt out of place in that world. I think the book would have been much better without it or the sex scene. I would have enthusiastically given this book five stars and a strong recommendation if it hadn't contained those two elements.

Note: Some swearing but lots of f words (about 10). A moderate sex scene.

I haven't read a whole lot of YA recently, and when I do, it's definitely not Fantasy, but the cover for this one was so pretty I just couldn't turn away from it. The story starts with two baby girls being born, which is common for that family line. Also common is the theft of one of those girls when she comes into her magic, so that her twin sister (who's been hidden) takes her throne, and the citizens never know that anything was amiss. However 18 years later, the secret twin, Maren, gets kidnapped by someone called the Shadowraith.

There is a lot of character building in this one, as you'd expect from the first book in what will inevitably be a series, but the characters are real and entertaining. Even though the male love interest is technically a bad guy, you can't help rooting for him. I enjoyed this one in a way I haven't been able to connect to YA books lately, and couldn't put it down.

So many stars for this epically wild ride. I am going to be honest, I don’t read many YA books, having said that when Abigail Owen is attached, it’s an automatic read for me. I couldn’t read it fast enough, absolutely devoured this book. I lost a lot of sleep, and could not put it down. As always it was just as amazing as I thought it would be.

Meren is the twin princess that nobody knows about, and is tasked with sacrificing herself to keep her sister the future queen safe at all cost. And when she gets taken instead of her sister, it starts an epic story. Reven gets a handful with Meren when he takes her. She is quite the ornery and sassy handful. And Reven is the calm to keep her inline…or you know try to. Whew, these two, seriously their chemistry is off the charts. The powerful connection between these two was everything, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Just wanted more of them, which also kept me glued to the pages. Their back and forth, with the growing respect they have for each other, topped off with so much raw chemistry was an intoxicating combination. One that I got completely lost in….for hours.

The storyline was fantastic. It starts out right from the Prologue and goes full force throughout, so many wild twist, and turns. Which is exactly what kept me glued to the book. And every single emotion I could feel, I did, and so intensely. At one point I was crying so hard I couldn’t get it under control…so that kind of intense emotion. Top all that off with these two and their raw chemistry…it’s hard to resist this bit of book crack.

4.5/5

Tabra and Meren were both born princesses, just minutes apart, but only one is allowed to live in the light, while the other must hide and live in shadow. For generations it has been this way: a princess for the people, and a princess for emergencies. With a lurking evil coming closer though, Tabra and Meren’s fates are suddenly thrown into chaos, and a mistaken identity changes their world - and their hearts - forever.

I really appreciated the single first-person perspective. It was a nice break from the many YA novels that have adopted the third-person omniscient view. Meren is such a fun and interesting character to read from. I really liked the depth of her character and overall story arc.

Reven gives me Rhysand vibes in all the right ways. So yes please. It was interesting to see his development as a character through Meren’s eyes as well. Solid male lead overall.

I really like Abigail Owen’s writing style. Reading is a breeze and I appreciate the shorter chapter lengths. Though this book is long, it didn’t take as much effort to get through it as I thought. The world building was also really interesting. The eARC I read didn’t include a map, so I’m hoping the physical will. I’m so down to just learn more about the world itself.

Honestly this book was near perfect to me. The middle dragged just a little, but the romance, general story and the plot twists definitely made up for that. I was, however, devastated to find out this wasn’t a stand-alone. That being said though, I am now looking forward to continue reading this series.

Geez, August is not going well for me so far. I've been in a crap mood because of chronic pain so maybe that's impacting my reading? I don't know. Let me tell you the reasons I didn't like this one and you can judge for yourself.

So this book is about a twin queen who can assume her sister's place when needed because no one knows she exists. There's an evil dude who has been killing queens for centuries and somehow stops when the twin gets put on the throne because he needs the line to continue. The twin (Meren) goes to the queen's side (Tabra) when their grandmother dies and she ends up getting mistaken for the queen and kidnapped.

My first issue with this, which is not the book's fault, is that I read something similar a few months ago (Twin Crowns) and I LOVED it. Therefore, it was already being held to high expectations because I wanted to love this just as much and I didn't. Some of the ideas in here felt half-formed and didn't really play out, which made me wonder why they were included in the first place.

Some examples of not fully formed plot points:
-Cain wanting to be with Meren
-Tabra being gay and in love with her handmaiden
-Meren's beef with Pelly
-Cain's family's background

Those are just a few. It seemed like there was just a lot of ideas that I expected to have some sort of point... and then they just became background fodder.

Also, this book was super focused on the romance between Meren & Reven and because I wasn't into either character, I just couldn't get into it. I imagine people that love Meren and/or Reven will end up loving this book. That just wasn't me. I also found the shadow selves and shedding confusing, which is another main theme of the book. So if I'm not liking the main characters or major themes in the book, it makes sense that I wouldn't like the book itself, yes?

Meh. Boring, underdeveloped, and not for me.

In a world divided into regions that are protected from each other by different means specific to the rulers magic, we meet Karen of Afyd, a desert world ruled by women. Tabra, Meren's twin sister, is next in line to the throne. Karen is Tabra's secret body double, who will ascend the throne should Have a be killed. Which is highly likely. King Eidolon, a long time threat to the Aryd crown, has killed many of the princesses of Aryd in an attempt to take over the region. Does he know if the body double?Will his attempt finally succeed? Not if Meren can help it. But then Karen is kidnapped as the kingdom awaits the arrival of King Eidolon, who has proposed marriage to Tabra.
With plenty of adventure, enemies to lovers story line, witty dialogue, well developed characters, and a bit of magic, The Liar's Crown is a winner for both YA and adult audiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc from Netgalley for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! Twin princesses, swapping roles, a brooding dangerous man, yes please. Every YA lovers style of adventure!

The characters and plot were fast driven and I was never bored! This is a fantasy to read for sure!

If you love fantasy romance with twin main character, strong heroine, brooding love interest complete with fake identity and enemies to lovers trope then you can check this one out!

The plot is very interesting, it was well written with unique magical system.
There's a few surprises along the story that makes me keep reading this book until the end.

I really like Meren's character in here, she's a fearless woman who dreams of being free and have her own life.
Then she met Reven, the mysterious brooding guy with a dark secret who kidnap her. His background story is what intrigue me the most here!

While I really like the main characters and their bantering in the beginning, the romance between them progresses too fast for my liking. Regardless, I still enjoy their sweet moments with each other.

The world building is unique and fascinating, however I hope there will be more development in the next book because sometimes I got confuse with the places, different powers and people in it.

Overall, it's a pretty good start for a fantasy series. The ending of this book makes me curious to what will happen in the next book!

<i>Thank you to Netgalley, Abigail Owen and Entangled Publishing for granting this review copy to me. I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily! </i>