OOOHHHH MMMYYY GOODNESS!!!

I loved everything about this book.
- World Building - CHECK
- Great MC - CHECK
- Easily to get lost in - CHECK

This book was so fun, and like nothing I have ever read before. I throughly enjoyed myself and am now sitting on pins and needles awaiting the next novel!

Good fantasy looking forward to more. I liked the worldbuilding and characters. i will be recommending this on my instagram

Meren is a decoy for her twin sister Tabra, the crown princess. Both of them have abilities that the evil King Eidolon wants to possess. He’s been killing off queens for generations and stealing their powers. To prevent him from succeeding, his rogue Shadowraith named Reven kidnaps the sister he thinks will be queen. Little does he know he’s abducted the wrong one. As they get to know each other, Meren and Reven form a bond. They collect allies on their journey to safety, but is anywhere really safe from the king? And what will happen to Tabra? Meren must return to save her sister regardless of her personal jeopardy. Twin royal sisters, immersive world-building, and a suspenseful plot make for an easy reading experience, although be warned the story doesn’t end here. You must read the sequel for the conclusion.

In the Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen we meet a hidden twin to the princess destined to inherit a throne who is kidnapped in her sister's place and secrets begin to unravel all around her.

What i loved
1. body double trope using the idea that every other generation twins are born within the royal family
2. exploration of the effects of not being able to have one's identity
3.unique magic system
4. forced proximity trope

What didn't work as well for me
1. bad pacing for building the chemistry between the main character and love interest.
2. a few of the twists were more trope adhering than expected.

Who I would recommend this book for
The Liar's crown is a perfect read for fantasy lovers wanting a dash of mystery and political intrigue in their next read.

This one did not disappoint, I have seen several friends enjoy it and I wanted to give it a try.It was a wild NA adventure fantasy I thoroughly enjoyed, I love a good royal story and sibling bonding especially if it involves twins. The world building is brilliant and beautifully done, the writing is simple and the pacing is steady, I adore the strong protagonists and their relationship is something I had never read/experienced before.

I say it is such a unique way to present a morally gray character like Reven and Meren the FMC is equally strong, I enjoyed their chemistry and I also I devoured the twists that came through out the book. The secondary characters were also pretty impressive along with magic system that kept me intrigued, overall such a promising plot that kept my interested until the very end.I liked the whole concept of shadow magic and the curse that plays a pivotal role in the plot, I think the antagonist in this one has to be one of the interesting villains I have read in recent times. The ending was pretty good, it was satisfying and at the same time left me wanting to read the next book asap. So excited to pick up the sequel!

This was a bit of a whirlwind, but not super predictable! With enemies to lovers and some great tension, too.

Thank you to Netgalley, Entangled Teen, and Abigail Owens for the eARC!

The Liar's Crown by Abigail Owen is the first in a new series. One twin, Tabra, is the crown princess, learning and preparing to take her mother's crown one day. The other, Meren, is unknown to all but her mother, sister and aunt. Her duty is to be a body double should anything happen to her first born sister. After the death of the queen, Meren steps in for her sister and is kidnapped by the infamous Shadowraith. With the "wrong" princess taken, and the crown princess still moving forward with the coronation, the political panic leading to change does not happen. I really enjoyed the magic in this story and the world building was wonderful. Both sisters had their own unique personalities. Meren attempting to imitate her somewhat spoiled sister was a bit much for me, and I felt she accepted her kidnapper a bit quickly. I tend not to enjoy the romance side of YA stories, but the crossover nature of the romantic interests in this story kept my interest. Overall this was a very enjoyable read.

The Liar’s Crown is a fast-paced and action-packed novel about a decoy who disguises herself as a princess. I found the protagonist to be very strong and smart. The other characters were also very likable. I like the humor, political intrigue, and romance! I loved the ending and can’t wait for the sequel! I recommend this novel for fans of Castles in their Bones, Twin Crowns, and The Fake Princess!

I received an ARC free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The characters and world building were amazing. I loved the twists and turns and seeing where the story was going. You were invested in the characters and the secondary ones also. It was very detailed but not too much. The perfect balance. I cannot wait to read the next one. Plus OMG the covers on this series are amazing!

I received this from NetGalley and Entangled Teen in the form of an ebook for an honest review.

Meren and Tabra are twins born from the royal line. Meren has one purpose- to sacrifice herself for her sister’s life, as she is the second born twin. The Queen, Meren and Tabra’s grandmother, is dead. Therefore, Tabra is in line for the throne. King Eidolon sent Tabra a gift and a proposal for marriage. Meren doesn’t trust him and takes Tabra’s place. She’s kidnapped by a figure made of shadows.

Meren and the Shadowraith start to get to know one another. The truth starts to come out.
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I honestly found the first 50% of this book to be rather boring. I do think I would’ve ate this up when I was 12-14 though. The world building was done really well. I felt that it was easy to understand and not super duper confusing. I think the plot of the book is really great. I just think world building can be super tedious but it is vital to the story!

I couldn’t find myself connected to the characters. I’m hoping to like them more in the next book. I do like Meren and Reven, but that’s about it right now. I think Meren is a great heroine and I’m interested to see where the story goes. Also, I just know Reven is cute. I would’ve swooned over him at 12-14 😂❤️ I found the second half to be much more interesting. I am very interested to see what happens after the epilogue of this book!

thank you for sending this my way. Excited to dive into the next one ☺️

This was such a fun start to a new epic fantasy series! I can’t wait for book two and my kids are insanely excited for the library to get this.

“I was led to believe you’re a sweet, innocent girl.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with the rest of your dominion. You’re a holy terror.”

Finished this book in one setting and loved it.
It had me constantly wondering what would happen next and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This story follows royal twins Tabra and Meren.
Meren has been hidden all her life to be the body double of that her twin. Very few people in fact knows she exists, that us until the Shadowraith comes to kidnap her at the pre coronation celebrations.

To say I enjoyed this book is an understatement at best. I loved the world building (esp Shadowood) and the characters. Reven really got to me with thinking he could never be loved because of the evil inside lurking under his skin, but Meren saw through that and saw such beauty in him. The enemies to lovers and slow burn of there relationship just has me rooting for them the whole time.

: Tropes 💥
•royal •grumpy x sunshine •enemies to lovers •forced proximity •secret identity •mistaken identity •dark secret •kidnapped •redemption

A tale of two sisters. Such a wonderfully written book with many twists and turns. Lived the morally gray character vibes.

An interesting new read in the upper teen/new adult section; the author creates a fascinating world with believable characters while keeping some things a mystery until the very end. Good for fans of Sarah J Maas.

4/5 stars! I have included the link for the review I posted on Goodreads, I truly enjoyed the world and relationships created by the author.

Meren and Tabra are twin sisters and princesses. Meren as second born is the body double for Tabra in dangerous situations. The queen dies and Tabra is to become queen and marry a neighboring king known as a shadow. A suspicious gift is sent so Meren takes Tabra's place as queen to protect her. What follows is a twisted tale of lies, intrigue and other world building.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Now THIS is exquisite fantasy. Five stars and a book hangover from this little beaut. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meren and Tabra are twins in a long royal line where the second born is hidden as a spare for the first born. Tabra is set to become the queen of Aryd, and has caught the eye of a neighboring king, Eidolon(also known as a shadow king). When the coronation is deemed too risky for her to attend, Meren is sent in her place. On her way, Meren is kidnapped by a dark young stranger. She must continue to convince her kidnapper that she is Tabra both in an effort to keep Tabra safe and keep herself alive. Will Meren's powers as a sand wielder help her escape back to Tabra? Or is there more to this stranger than meets the eye?

Guys....this is the beginning of something great. The world building is phenomenal, the characters are sassy and engaging, and the magic system is the real star. Meren is such a great heroine, she isn't whiny or resentful about being second born, instead she takes her duty as a double for Tabra severely seriously. It's so refreshing to see a hidden main want to serve her purpose while also finding out who they are outside of it. She doesn't throw her sister to the wolves upon realizing what she wants out of life. Reven, our kidnapper is very charismatic, reminds me a bit of the Darkling, and is hard to stay angry with, simply the best kind of enemy to lover in my opinion. This novel grants the reader everything they could want: classic tropes, fresh magic, and reveals leaving you gasping for air. I am STARVED for book 2 and will be counting down the months, days, hours until I can sink my teeth into it.

5 stars for the beginning of a new epic in fantasy. Recommended for readers who loved the Shadow and Bone trilogy or Vicious from V.E. Schwab. Age recommended for readers 15+ as there is some explicit romance, but nothing untoward. Don't mind me, I'll just be here willing time to go faster to get me closer to book 2

This one was a rough start and I think that it is one of those stories that you will either love it or hate it. The pacing was super slow but then evened out. But the characters and plot itself were lacking in the tale. This started out so well with that prologue but then once the story got going it lost me. I don't know it just wasn't for me. I found it kind of meh.

🍷🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen

Crystal's Thoughts-

The Liar’s Crown is the first book in a new high fantasy, upper ya, romance series from author Abigail Owen. I adored this author's Inferno Rising (adult paranormal romance) series so when I saw this book in a promo from Entangled I had to know more!

Meren is the second sister in a pair of royal twins, and in holding to their family's traditions she has been hidden all of her life and only brought out as the unknown double to her twin, Tabra, when needed if the situation can be dangerous. When she is not filling in as the royal princess though, Meren lives her life hidden in the desert with her cranky great-aunt, twin sister to the current queen of Aryd, sneaking out to run through the dunes with her best friend. That is, until the moment comes when her grandmother, the queen, dies. As Meren is set to step-in for her sister during the coronation to protect her from any possible threat from the villainous King Eidolon, she is kidnapped by the Shadowraith . A man only spoken of in whispers but who Meren is beginning to realize is more than meets the eye...

“The man is an arrogant, growling, genetically blessed bastard. Someone should knock him down a peg or two.”

The Liar’s Crown weaves a story of magic and intrigue that sucked me right in. I loved Meren's spunk and her dedication not only to her family and her crown, but also to her people. She wasn't bitter over being the "spare", and while she yearned to see and learn more of the world, she never held the circumstances of her birth against her sister. When Reven, the Shadowraith, kidnaps her thinking that she is Tabra, Meren doesn't correct him. And while she worries over her sister being at the hands of Eidolon and knows that she must get back to her, she can't quiet regret the fact that she is seeing parts of her kingdom and others that she would never have been able to see if it hadn't been for Reven. Reven himself is an enigma for much of the story. A broody hero who of course fights his desperate attraction to Meren tooth and nail. The banter between these two was quite entertaining, and while there was a bit of insta-love and some angsty love-triangle drama, I was here for it.

Abigail Owen hits all of the points with this tale; with world-building that included magical creatures, abilities, and new and different lands, to a plot containing twists far and wide, captivating characters alongside hidden powers and revelations, a romance that was both light and dark, and pacing that kept me engrossed in every page. The Liar’s Crown was a enchanting adventure and I can't wait to read more from this series!

Loved this new fantasy-romance series! I appreciated that the sisters had a great relationship, and the romance was (mostly) swoon-worthy. Meren did start having feelings for Reven a little too soon for my taste, but other than that, I loved it. I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment!

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