I'd had Allie Therin on my radar and LIAR CITY piqued my interest. Not sure if this is the right book for me, but I'm grateful to have gotten access to the preview!

I *loved* this book. Ended up reading the full thing when it came out and was very captivated by it, especially the parallels to the modern day. Can’t wait for more in the series and for the romantic subplot to develop.

These first few chapters made me super curious about what's yet to come! Characters and their dynamics shine through clearly already despite the shortness of the excerpt, and I can't wait to read on!

Can't really bring myself to review this yet. Don't get me wrong, the book itself is great. I had so much nice things to say about it. But after how things ended I'm a quite disappointed that there wasn't even a little bit of romance. Finding out this is a series makes sense for it to be a slow burn but I'm just majorly bummed that I have to wait to see it progress, so to me, I consider this unfinished and can't give a review on this.

Hoping the sequels come out sooner than later...

This book wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be a slow start that would take some time to get into but I found myself invested in the MC right from the start. Found myself sucked in almost immediately. An easy read that I would definitely love to finish if given the chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the sample chapters.

Great preview! I'm looking forward to reading this book, and learning more about the author's other works.

This is an exciting mystery with new twists and turns placed in just the right moments. Every time one question is answered, another one pops up, and kept me engaged and excited to keep reading. The world building is fascinating and the magical realism and mystery reminded me a little of The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater, except the characters are in their late twenties and the stakes are much higher. The setting of each scene feels perfectly laid out, the descriptions are vivid and provide clear images of the environment. The character descriptions provide just the right amount of information for readers to understand the characters, and still be left wondering about the mysteries surrounding them. Every time a character is introduced, the plot builds up nicely so that when we are given a little bit of information about them, not only is it just the right amount of information to answer some questions and still be left with more, but it's also a satisfying buildup to that reveal that sets us up for more reveals later on in the story. The characters all feel human, their dialogue, actions, and motivations realistic and believable. Liar City is an exciting mystery with delightful characters, well-paced and page-turning prose, and a fascinating magic system. I'm excited to read more and looking forward to seeing how the mystery unfolds!

I have to admit that while this starts off with a bang I was confused! As the story progresses though I settled into it and I was so intrigued! I love Therin’s stories and the way they unfold.

An interesting and intriguing first chapters to this new world of empaths and murder
Now I want some more! .

<b>WOW! I'm hooked and it's only been five chapters. Excuse me while I rush off to pre-order this book right now.

But in all seriousness, Allie Therin delivers an instantly gripping urban fantasy murder mystery with <i>Liar City</>. The empath and empath hunter team up is brilliant. I know the romance arc is going to build over the course of three books and I have all the confidence in the world (thanks to her fantastic Magic in Manhattan series) Allie is going to deliver a thoroughly fulfilling slow burn romance with Reece and Evan.

Also, I have a feeling I'll be begging for a spin-off series focusing on Reece's sister Jamey.

<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Carina Press & Carina Adores (Harlequin) for the chance to read this digital preview.</i>

<b>Series side note:</b> <i>Liar City<i> is the first book in the Sugar and Vice series.

Thanks to the publisher for this 5 chapter preview!

I think this book certainly started out really strong and it’s neat seeing the author writing a paranormal (can this be considered paranormal) in more contemporary times. I am interested in reading the rest of this book when it comes out because now I’m hooked and intrigued by the story and the characters.

The writing is pretty good. I think at times it seems a bit clunky still? I found myself having to backtrack back on some sentences because the word placement in the sentences is just so awkward. But maybe that’s just me.

The book is unexpected in that it has many POVs telling the story? I would’ve thought this would only have Reece (one is the MCs) and his love interest but so far in 5 chapters we’ve gotten scenes from his sister and an FBI agent. For a romance book, it’s very weird. I wouldn’t have expected it from a Carina Press book so I admit I am taken aback by the choice to already have so many POVs that aren’t the MC and his love interest. I’m not sure I like it.

I will say the main thing I’m annoyed with (mad about?) is the audiobook narrator for this book. It’s Joel Leslie. Again. I was looking forward to getting this in audio after reading this snippet but it appears the audio narrator is the same as the author’s last book and I’m very much NOT a fan of his narration voice at all. But the publisher keeps using him so I guess I will continue to suffer. I’ve read 12 books this year and 11 have been by audiobook. So I guess it’s a shame I’ll have to find time to try to read the rest of this book with my eyes. Which is not easily done these days.

The story is good. Just wish I could’ve read the rest of this on audiobook.

NOTE: Review is based on the first 5 chapters of this book only. I will update it after reading the entire book.

Admittedly, I was drawn to this book by the cover. I knew immediately seeing the Space Needle on it that it would be set in Seattle and PNW area.

I was hooked in chapter one with the Sci-Fi & Fantasy elements of the story and each chapter left me wanting more.

The book is marketed in the LGBTQIAP+ genre with NetGalley but so far has not gotten into anything related to that in the first five chapters.

Either way I like the story and am excited to read the rest of this book. I have a feeling this author is going to quickly become a favorite of mine.

(Pub Date: 02/28/23)
Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc!

such a compelling premise! having only read the first five chapters, i can affirm that yes, there is (understandably) much confusion being had by yours truly, but know that it's mixed with many parts wonder and intrigue. i will absolutely be reading this in full once it releases, because i need to know more about this infamous Dead Man and how our empath Reece reacts when they meet in person for the first time 👀

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a preview of the first five chapters of the book - this is my honest review :)</i>

I received a copy of this sneak peek through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This sneak peek has me confuzzled. Which being a mystery, I guess it should. If I felt like I knew what was going on in this book after just five chapters, it wouldn't be a very good mystery. Then again, there are some things that after five chapters I could have a good understanding of, that I still don't. For instance, I could have a better understanding of why empathic abilities are considered a bad thing in this world, I could know a little more about how empaths have been used to help solve crimes, and I could know why Jamey is so intent on getting Reece away from the Dead Man. Then again, with a few more chapters, I'd probably have that information, so not having it in the first five is necessarily a deal breaker.

There are about a million and a half things that I have questions about still regarding this book. Some things I'm almost dying to know. The politics surrounding empathic abilities have me intrigued, the entire Dead Man storyline has me wanting to know more, and the genres listed on Amazon tell me this is a romance and I'd love to see how that works coming from where I'm at right now. Mystery isn't a genre I typically gravitate to, but boy do I want to keep reading this one. Now I just gotta' wait until February.

An interesting couple of chapters for this sci-fi book about empaths and murders. I'm a bit unclear by empaths and what exactly anti-empath means from this preview, so I hope this is expanded upon more clearly in the rest of the book. I liked the concept a lot, and this looks like it will be a fun sci-fi mystery-thriller set in Seattle. I liked the writing but am a bit unclear on the worldbuilding, so I'm not sure if I'll read the full book.

I'd never read anything by Allie Therin before this but I was really intrigued by the synopsis so I decided to give these first few chapters a try. I'm so glad I did because I really enjoyed the writing and overall setting. It's so moody and interesting and just draws you in right away. I can't wait for the full book to spend some more time with these characters and see what happens!

I really enjoyed those five chapters. I can not wait to read the rest of this book. This is probably one of the few books with male protagonists that I read willingly so that has to count for something. I really loved those chapters.

Extremely interesting premise. Very hyped to read the rest of the book... The book has been set up brilliantly

This was a fascinating preview of Liar City! I was unfamiliar with Allie Therin before this and was drawn in by her world-building. I’m so eager how things will unfold for Reece and his sister! The ominous cases are clearly intertwined and I am curious to learn about “The Dead Man” and his connection to Reece/empaths. Thank you to Allie Therin, Carina Adores, and Netgalley for a free preview in exchange for honest feedback.

Loved Magic in Manhattan series and was very curious about this one featuring contemporary characters.
I had high expectations and I wasn't disappointed as it promises to be an intriguing and gripping urban fantasy.
Can't wait to read the rest of the book, this sampler is an excellent start