I enjoyed this book. The story was interesting and the world felt expansive. However, I would say none of it really felt super unique. I think if you're into YA fantasy, this would probably be great for you.

Okay, I’m the wrong audience for this book. The Liar’s Crown felt like a discount These Hollow Vows, which is a book I already did not like. I ended up DNFing it at 30%. I’m giving it 3 stars so to not mess with the book’s rating too much, but in my heart, it’s a 2-star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

This book is incredible! I devoured this stunning audiobook in a day because I was so enraptured by it. It is absolutely stunning and the VA did an incredible job bringing these characters to life..

I’m not really sure what went wrong between me and this book.

I loved the beginning and I loved the interactions between Meren and Raven. They are both interesting characters, both very lonely and with a destiny already chosen for them. They find in each other the possibility to be the real themselves even if Raven has some very dark sides impossible to deny. I find characters like him, who fight with tooth and nails to do something good even if everything is against them, extremely fascinating and he reminded me of Rhys from ACOTAR.
I’m not gonna spoil anything, but Raven’s identity is a huge plot twist and a very very genius one.

The point is that I found the actual story a bit boring, too much action for my liking in the second part of the book and the end didn’t really convince me. It just sounded like something I’ve already read and a bit forced to make the series continue. The audiobook really helped me continuing the book and the female narrator, in particular, is really good.

That said I think I will still read the sequel because the characters are worth it and I really want a happy ending for them.

“I'd rather be scared of real monsters than something my logical brain tells me is mostly in my head”

I really enjoyed this book! Loved the world filled with amazing characters, magic and after the ending I need book two immediately!

🌸fantasy romance
🌸enemies to lovers
🌸hidden identity

Thank you so much netgalley and the publisher for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
🌸Release Date: August 30th 2022🌸

I loved this story so hard and I cannot wait until the next one! Meren is one kickass princess and I loved Reven. I just can't wait to get more of Cain and Tabra and all of the others.

No real complaints, I quite liked this. The narrator was amazing. It’s very fast paced, everything is always happening quickly. The boxes this ticked for me; Fun little adventure through some realms. I definitely want to live in the treehouses of Tindra, the MCs, the sort of Dorian Gray thing the king had going on was super interesting, enemies to lovers, twin sister princesses (one is the secret spare), forced proximity, who did this to you and a wee bit of steam/spice. There’s also miscommunication/lack of communication and a fair amount of betrayal. I’m looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance listen of this audiobook in exchange for a review. This fantasy story had all the makings to be entertaining enough, but the character development lacked. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could. The pros: an identical twin swap, queens and kings, strange magical creatures, plus an interesting bad boy:kidnapper turned lover trope. The cons: The main characters lacked depth, the story was a bit slow for the first half. The final twist ends with a cliffhanger but I don’t know that I’d be compelled to read book two.

I received an arc of the audio version of this book from Net galley. Thank you to the publishers and net galley for the opportunity to read this book.

It’s about two sisters who are princesses- one princess, Tabra, rules everything and eventually will gain the throne. The other sister, Merin, works more as a body guard. Merin hides in the shadows and no one even knows who she is or that she stands in for Tabra during dangerous events. Merin feels as though her destiny is to die for her country. Her duty makes her feel lonely, but she is a fighter.

Eidolon, the king that wants to destroy her family, and is cruel beyond all means has her sister, Tabra. While, Meren has been kidnapped by the shadow wraith.

We then embark on a journey filled with adventure, loss, and love with Meren & the shadow wraith.

I did find a couple of the events in the book contradictory, and I wasn’t sure why some of the events unfolded in a way where there was no need for said event in the first place. (One event happened twice)

There was slow burn, but not much dialogue between the two love interests until the last half of the book. Which is why I didn’t understand their pining for one another so early on in the book without really knowing one another.

This book was a pleasant surprise. The ending does leave on a cliffhanger, and I CAN NOT WAIT to read the next one. The author did such a great job of building intrigue and suspense.

If anyone was wondering there is one spicy scene that is skirted over in a YA light, but as I wasn’t expecting any spice, it was a pleasant surprise.

First thank you to publisher, netgalley and author for the opportunity to read this book as ARC audiobook.

I was excited about this book in the beginning. I was enjoying the first few chapters however once we meet Revren the story just went down hill. Maren started to insta love Revren, not giving any concern to Cain. So it was missing that will she, won’t she intrigue. Then I did not really enjoy that this book is written in first person with only Maren POV. It would have flowed so much better had we had Tabra’s POV or Revren. I felt like both those characters fell flat and there was not enough plot to the story. The author focused a lot of Maren’s inner monologue and view point. I also didn’t like how low of a self esteem she had and how she thought she wasn’t beautiful but her identical twin was. While also nitpicking the few differences she does have as being unattractive. Then how she became very pick me girl with Revren in her inner monologuing. Over all this book just missed the mark for me. I DNF at 38%.

The narrator was good I feel like I would enjoy other romance books read by her.

I loved everything about this audiobook! The narrator brought the story to life for me!

The story itself was exactly what I needed. I loved how the twins of this particular Royal bloodline were split up at birth and they always had a spare/duplicate to make sure the royal family always survived, no I don’t think it’s great for one to be a spare but it made for a great story.

So when one is kidnapped to save the lives of many and the other on the throne set to marry the king that has plagued their family for centuries and wants to destroy their kingdom, what should she do!

There was lots of intrigue and some love in this story. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance listening copy of this book. This is my honest voluntary review.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB media for the advance audiobook copy of The Liar’s Crown. I received the copy in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts below are my own.

A young woman has been taught since birth that her life is not her own. Tabra and Meren’s family tree is full of female twins whose lives have followed a similar pattern. The oldest twin serves as princess and queen while the younger is kept a secret and acts as her body double when there is threat of trouble. Trouble finds each set of twins as King Eidolon hunts each queen. Meren is to serve as Tabra’s body double after their grandmother’s death when fate takes her down a different path. Meren must work with an unlikely hero, Reven, to save her sister and people.

This story was unique from anything I have read/listened to before. This was the first story I have engaged in that dealt with twins and magic. The story is action packed and it was difficult for me to stop listening once I started. The characters are multilayered and develop well throughout the story. The writing style kept me engaged and there were twists I did not expect. The narrator did an excellent job and I enjoyed listening to them.

I tend to enjoy books that are in a series and this book indicates it’s the first in the series titled Dominions.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more in the series!

This book did contain some mature language and sexual content.

Whoa, this was so intense!
I cannot wait to read the next book. This is always the problem with starting a series before it's been finished There is magic, intrigue, a dark, broody, & dangerous love interest, and some treacherous jerkwads.
The way this ends is pleasant enough while waiting for the next book.
It's at least not a horrible cliffhanger, thank goodness!
This comes out on Tuesday and I can't wait for my preorder to arrive, this cover is sooo pretty and I need it in my possession!!!
Much love to NetGalley & RB Media for my audio ARC.

I really loved this audiobook! This YA fantasy was fast paced and well written! I really liked the main character Meren and how much she loves her sister and her people, even though she doesn’t get to have a life of her own life! Reven was also a great character who despite being born from evil, is still is good man and tries to save people in need. I love his chemistry with Meren! I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book after that ending! The narrator did a great job bringing this story to life. I loved her voice and would definitely listen to more books narrated by her!

Myth: 4.5/5

I was hooked on this story from the prologue. It was fast-paced, and action packed from start to finish. Meren was a delight as she struggles with her role in life (to be a sacrifice for her sister) and the situation in which she quickly find herself (taken captive by a dangerous man of shadows).

A story that unravels a generations old tradition of twin princesses with both new and old threats to the royal line and to the kingdoms in which they inhabit.

Magic: 5/5

I loved the magical world of The Liar’s Crown, it was beautiful and brutal as Meren and Reven make their way through the kingdoms, experiencing the magical animals and threats around them as well as various interactions with the Imperium (or those with magic). They’re split into two groups, the hyloraes, with more elemental magic, and the enfernaes, with things like soul or emotional magic.

Overall: 4.5/5

A captor/captive romantic plot, fairly quickly shifting into uneasy allies and more. The chemistry between Meren and Reven was electric. I can’t wait to see what happens next as this book is definitely setting up for a series.

I listened to the audiobook and I truly loved the narration, it was captivatingly done.

This book was fine. I didn't have very strong feelings on it either way. I was very engaged at first and then my interest sort of petered out as it continued. I feel like it felt very YA, but I also never really connected with the characters or the plot, so that could have just been me. I definitely think there will be readers who really love this, but this just isn't the type of fantasy romance that I've found myself to love.

**Review will be published on my site and socials August 30th!**

WOW THIS WAS GOOD.

Book hype for this one is real. I super enjoyed this.

Audio notes: I don’t have any! I LOVED the audio. Great narrators. Easy to listen. I flew through it. Highly recommend that avenue if you’re into audiobooks!

Another read where I felt remined why fantasy genre is the best genre. I loved the world building and shadow concept. The twists behind that was so cool and I felt added another unique layer to this story overall. Filled with a morally gray love interest that you can’t get enough of, I was hooked. I liked the steady pacing and that there’s a slow build to everything else happening.

Meren was a strong FMC and I liked her tenacity and loyalty to her sister. I love a great sister bond and I know that’s what is happening here and I hope we get to see more of it in the next book. Reven is the complex soul I love and I’m happy that I feel like I know him as well as Meren. Sometimes the love interest gets tossed aside and seems one dimensional and I liked the complexity his characterization received.

The ending was WILD. Still a bit in shock and everything expertly led to this conclusion. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Overall audience notes:
- NA Fantasy Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: one open door + some innuendo
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: battle scenes, loss of life, kidnapping

I'd like to start this off by saying that I loved this narration. Usually, audiobooks are too slow for me to enjoy them at their original speed, but The Liar's Crown was perfect.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It carries a lot of familiar fantasy tropes that make understanding the world fairly easy and still manages to be unique. I think the book did a wonderful job of making me invested in not only the plot but the characters and their relationships.
Now, personally, I really enjoyed that this book is closer to New Adult rather than YA. As someone who is part of the NA demographic, I really enjoyed seeing people my age just trying to figure things out. I also really loved the romance. The main character and her love interest are reluctant lovers and the tension between them is phenomenal.
I also want to talk about the casual queerness of background characters and how the main character doesn't bat an eye. We see a very bittersweet moment between two women that MC knows and We have an encounter with an androgynous person for which the MC uses they/them pronouns. This is what we mean when we say that authors should diversify their books. Just simply acknowledging that the world is full of different kinds of people. I really hope to see more of this in the sequel.

The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen
Dominion #1. YA high fantasy with a touch of romance.
Meren is the second born twin in the long line of Queens. Being the second born means it’s her job to protect her sister at all cost. Knowing there is a threat at the Coronation, it’s Meren that’s kidnapped rather than the Queen which is exactly why she’s stepped in. But she hasn’t bargained for what she will find beyond the walls of the Kingdom, and how it will impact not only her, but her sister and the entire Kingdom.

Magic, treachery, lies, friendship, honor, and love. This book is a mix of adventure and emotional discovery as Meren moves from a relatively boring daily routine to being the key to change and survival. Trite, but she falls in love with her kidnapper. I wasn’t sure he was he right one for her but her commitment is steady. At least until….
It’s an epic high fantasy with a lot more to come. A cliff hanger as this series is clearly not done.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Samara Naeymi with Luis Moreno for select passages and the first part of the epilogue. The performance was wonderful with clear emotions and tension throughout that kept the me engaged and actively listening. I found the best speed was 1.25 which is slightly slower than my preferred. I’m looking forward to the continuation of this series.

I received a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and RB Media.

This was so good and I can't wait for book two. I swallowed this book whole. I was worried it would be too similar to twin crowns. But it wasn't at all.