Cinderella isn't quite the fairytale we thought we knew. Aislinn has successfully conned her way into the Palace and is engaged to the Prince, but she isn't in love. Far from it - she is there to aid a rebellion from behind enemy ranks...

This is such a fresh take on the fairytale, and I completely adored it! Aislinn was a brilliant character and there wasn't a single moment that I wasn't totally gripped by the action packed plot.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

An retelling of Cinderella where Cinderella is a con woman infiltrating the palace to help her crushed people, this was a decent read but the sudden spice toward the back half felt out of nowhere. Don’t get me wrong, loved the romance and all, but it felt too sudden and rushed when it finally came to fruition.

Like I said, not a bad read, but read more like YA with unexpected spice at the end. Nothing against spice, it just felt out of place here.

A cleverly crafted con has the veneer of an endearing fairytale romance but the truth behind it masks more massive consequences in D.L. Soria’s Thief Liar Lady.

Eagerly and oft repeated by the masses is a tale of magical transformation for an orphaned and abused maid into the auspicious lady who captured the prince’s heart, but isn’t quite what people make it out to be; instead, the reality is that Ash, posing in a meek persona as Lady Aislinn, intricately planned for this outcome and enchanted the prince, in part using magic and skills taught to her throughout her youth within the plan devised by her less-than-pleasant stepmother and in part following her own secret and rebellious plans to serve slightly different ends with the same driving motivation for power. In becoming betrothed to Prince Everett of Solis, Ash is now well-placed to be able to influence treaty talks regarding Eloria, which has been subjugated after the last war and been heavily mined of the lustre needed for magic, and help prevent the looming war that’s festering as an Elorian rebellion begins to visibly resurface. Complicating the plans she’s working toward are the grander, and closely-guarded, ambitions held by her stepmother and the distracting Elorian hostage prince, Rance, whose charming, if frustratingly languid, affect capture Ash’s attention away from her ultimate goals. With much depending on her ability to maintain her place within the palace Ash must preserve a balance between the various demands upon her or risk disastrous outcomes.

Within this ambitious retelling of Cinderella, manipulations of those in power, driven by magic and intricately developed plans, and political intrigue form the central captivating storyline focused on seizing power, for both personal and public benefit, and exacting justice for a group of people who have been gravely wronged surrounds the base nugget of a happily-ever-after fairytale love story, demonstrating the unsavory beneath the image of sweet. The magic in the story is not a direct replication of what’s presented in varied renditions of Cinderella, making it an interesting concept, particularly when coupled with the natural resource that channels it, though it’s not terribly well-defined. While the familiar character of Cinderella from the classic version of the tale is a mild and wholesome personality, Ash is strongly opinionated, deeply committed to her cause, highly capable, and entertainingly caustic, serving as an adequate foil for the insipid persona of Lady Aislinn that she pretends at being; the concept of putting on a mask to obscure actual intentions extends to characters beyond Ash, namely in the fascinating Rance although her stepsisters also exhibit this behavior, demonstrating the duplicity that can exist within noble and ignoble figures alike. The despicable cruelty and darkness that lurks beneath the surface, some at greater depths than others, of some characters is revealed through their words and actions, heightening the impact of the upsetting setbacks they initiate, which aids in ramping up the pace of the story as it was slow to start but becomes overly swift by the end.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DISCLAIMER: slight spoiler, read at your own discretion. Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn't influence my review. I will start by saying that one of my top favorite tropes is when the FMC is disguised, and the love interest guy is suspicious and tries his best to uncover her secrets, in private ;) or public. This book had that!!!!!
Tropes: scheming anti-hero FMC, twisted fairtytale retelling, hidden identity, court intrigue, fantasy romance, one bed.
This book had an entrancing writing style, which kept me hooked in both the plot and the romance... up until a certain point. I had a problem with the romance, as it contained a "love-triangle". I know the FMC did not have feelings for the prince, but she shouldn't have gone through with the marriage, much less consummate it. That threw me off, and I did not feel like reading. Before this happened, I was invested in the romance.

Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Soria was so much fun to read. It provided a whole different perspective on the Cinderella story.

The characters were well-written, and the story was intriguing and fun to immerse yourself in the creative reimagining of this classic story. The plot made sense and kept me guessing until the end.

Thief Liar Lady had political intrigue of the caste system, romance, lots of magic, plenty of characters betraying each other, and good twists to keep you turning the page.

It was a fun book to read, and I will check out other books by this author. A solid 4 out of 5 stars for me.

#ThiefLiarLady #NetGalley @thedestinysoria @atrandom

I’ve never read a Cinderella retelling and I actually enjoyed reading this. The MC (Ash) is a con artist who sort of tricks her way into the princes heart. I love the premise of this (the opposite of the original Cinderella sorry) and I love how Ash has two be two different people throughout the novel (she’s crass and steals from people at parties). I do think there could have been more character development and world building but overall I thought this was fast paced and enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great and fantastic retelling. It was whimsical and wonderful. This was a great read.

Their Liar Lady by D. L. Soria had so much potential. A Cinderella-retelling fantasy book where the main character is a crook sounds propitious, but the writing was just too slow for my liking. The cover is beautiful and it, paired with the synopsis is what initially drew me in and i had such high hopes for this book. I did like how Ash showed little moments of self-doubt and hesitation in her actions because it had the promise of character development, but Ash did not develop as the story progressed. Personally, the part that let me down the most was the fact that she relied on her lustre instead of showing show wit or dexterity in situations where the outcome was not in her favor. Again, the story was not as fast-paced as I had hoped. I really wanted to like this book, I tried so hard to, but ultimately I had to DNF it because unfortunately, I just was not invested in it.
A million thank you's to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this edition in exchange for my honest review.

In this Cinderella retelling, our Cinderella, Ash Vincent, is actually a con-artist who tricks the prince into marrying her. She does this by pretending to be Lady Aislinn, a woman fit to marry the prince.

I really liked the premise and thought it was a unique twist on Cinderella. I liked the acknowledgment of the original tale and the commentary on the absurdity of it. And I loved the cover art! It's done by the same artist who did the UK edition of Six Crimson Cranes.

Ash constantly analyzes every situation, every word she says, while pretending to be Lady Aislinn. I thought I would love this, but in reality, I wasn't fond of the over-analysis and constant reminder that Ash was supposed to be "Lady Aislinn". Even thoughts she had were quickly followed by sentences that read something like "Lady Aislinn wouldn't say this, so I couldn't". It became really repetitive and took away from the facade she presented. As a result of constantly being in Ash's head like this, the pacing suffered.

I also would've liked to see more of Ash's wit and cunning when dealing with situations, and less of a reliance on lustre to influence people. I think that's what was lacking in this book. Every time somebody was acting against Ash's wishes, all it took was a pinch of lustre to change their behavior.

<i>I received an ARC from Del Rey Books </i>

(I will post my review to Goodreads 2 weeks before the publishing date)

A young woman uses a magical substance to entrance the prince at a ball, securing her future as the next princess but when a rival kingdom and a different prince meddle with her plans she decides to use her talents for a much bigger payoff.

I have to say, first off, hats off to the cover designer/illustrator. It's what got me interested in the book initially and why I ended up requesting it.

However, it sets the wrong tone. The cover makes this seem like a historical fantasy or historical romance but it isn't. These kinds of things are silly but they pull in the wrong readers and then you get less than stellar reviews. I'm sure there are people who would enjoy this book but it's just not to my tastes.

And it isn't because it's reads too contemporary: the words 'ass' is on the first page lol. Which is fine but those are not the vibes I was promised. Again the marketing/perception is coming off very different than to what this book is. It's also not adult enough? It almost reads like a YA but it doesn't have the right tone for that either.

This is a retelling, yes but it's not very fairytale-esque or historical or fantasy. I don't know what it is, it should've ideally just been a romance because that seems to be the focus which makes this an odd choice for Del Rey as a publisher.

Low stakes magical realism? The writing is fine but I just wasn't invested in the characters.

I’m not sure of the category this book will be marketed in, but the problem with it is that it’s not able to sustain itself as an adult fantasy, because it’s just too simple and undeveloped, but also seems to be unable to call itself YA precisely because it’s trying so hard to be taken as what it couldn’t be. Poorly developed characters and motivations on top of an inconsistent plot and hasty conclusion built up a disappointing read. This is actually not a bad book, it has a number of interesting elements and ideas but it’s clear that the author spent a great amount of pages trying to go big and ultimately decided to go home.

Despite her affirmations about loyalty and a sense of purpose, Ash’s motivations for at least half of the story seemed to lean more on spite, to prove that she could accomplish her goal (and simply because there was no way back), than on an actual desire to fulfill her purpose. And then things just derailed from there. Most of the secondary characters lacked charisma, and somehow Ash spent more time with those characters than with her established romantic pair. So the romance didn’t convince me either, not even the sparse moments of banter showed any spark between them.

The political plot had potential and wasn’t entirely poorly done, it was just strung along for too long to be resolved so quickly. The inconsistency of the characters’ personalities as well as their actions and motivations messed with the pacing of the story. I hoped for a fast paced book, considering its premise, but got a tiresome one instead.


A huge thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for this edition in exchange for an honest review.

You can check this review and others at my Goodreads page on the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/80102102-ana

Ella Enchanted was one of my all-time favorite books growing up so I jumped at the opportunity to read this updated take on the classic fairytale. It did not disappoint!

This story envisions Cinderella (Ash) as a woman in league with her stepfamily to obtain power and fortune. But, unbeknownst to them, she’s got some goals of her own. I really enjoyed the added depth to the classic tale - the political tensions, the uprisings and rebellions, and a magic kingdoms are willing to wage war to obtain. My favorite part was experiencing the inner workings of Ash’s mind as she tried to meet the demands of her stepfamily and grandmother, all while maintaining her ruse as the scullery maid turned princess-to-be. Her evolving relationship with the “hostage prince” was a main highlight of the story.

The pacing was a bit slow at first, but the second half was jam packed with action. I do wish there was more about the different workings of lustre and the Elorian way of life, including their worship of the Golden Goddess. Overall, Thief Liar Lady gives Cinderella agency and purpose and makes her part of a larger story and world. A must read for fans of Ella Enchanted and Cinder and anyone who wanted Cinderella to take charge of her own destiny!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.8
I enjoyed this conceptually more than in practice. Cindy on the grift but, inexplicably, with magic? Okay, yes, let's do this. Buuuut. The pacing didn't work and it just wasn't all that fun until about 3/4 of the way in.

In. a sea of cinderella retellings Thief Liar Lady stands out as something special; fallowing the foot steps of Cinder and Ella Enchanted this version of cinderella builds upon the original story while having elements all of its own. The idea of having Cinderella and her step sisters manufacturing the classic fairytale in order to secure power was an perfect way to build a relationship between them that was not based on jealously; additionally the magic system used is wonderful and helps to create a world in which having a bid for power would be needed for someone like Ash and her family. This was such a fun read and I'm looking forward towards publication day.

I got this book as a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. I started out loving this book. I loved the concept and the conceit and I was really pulling for this book.

What worked for me: the idea of this book is really intriguing. Dark Cinderella! Yes!

What didn't work for me: Oh, um. Well, the characters were pretty flat. There wasn't a lot of growth in the book by anyone. When it came time for Ash to Make A Decision, she just sort of... made it. But it wasn't propelled by growth. I'm not even going to talk about the two princes, who were just sort of paper dolls.

The worldbuilding is pretty thin. Lustre seems so cool! How does it work? Oh, magically. It works... magically. Okay then.

It also needed to be edited with a much heavier hand - the pacing in the middle dragged.

This book was SO CLOSE to being good.

This book made me stay up too late and wake up too early to finish. The writing was well done, and the characters were engaging. A fun twist on a fairytale without going too far dark.
My only quibble on this (and it really isn't against this book in specific but more an industry trend) is that because it is classified as "adult" there is unnecessary cursing and sex on the page. Which is fine, it didn't hurt the story much (the modern curses threw me out of the fantasy realm occasionally, along with a few other anachronisms) it just irks me that you can't have a book be considered for adults without that.

I really enjoy retellings, and this was the perfect Cinderella retelling! I feel like it had the perfect amount of actual fairy tale story and modern elements that were fun to read together. Cinderella (Ash) isn’t it who she says she is, which is basically the premise of the entire book. Overall, it’s a really entertaining read. It was a bit slow in parts, but definitely worth reading.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read Thief Liar Lady as an ARC! I don't know if I've read a Cinderella retelling before, so this was a new venture for me. I'm giving this one 3/5 stars.

The first thing I noticed about this book was that I sort of felt like maybe I was reading a sequel; I felt like I was really missing some information that I should have known about, and although the appropriate information was revealed in time, I still felt like I was missing some baseline knowledge from the beginning. Other than that, the storyline was unique and I felt like the pacing wasn't too drawn out, which I appreciated.

If you're a big fan of Cinderella retellings and are looking for something unique, look for Thief Liar Lady coming in July!

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me a chance at reading this fun take on Cinderella.

There are some positives about this book, which is that Cinderella isn't quite who she says she is and that's the entire plot. There is also an interesting romance...

But that's about it.

The problem I had with this book is there is little to no world building. You learn hardly anything or see anything in regards to the political issues with the neighboring kingdoms. Magic is used / dropped so casually in this book that there is little to no explanation on the magic and where it comes from.

I'm also confused on what this kingdom is supposed to look like - including the dress of the characters. The men appear to wear suits and ties, but they ride around in carriages and seem to have paupers and princesses. It's really a mishmash of things that don't quite make sense. And my visual reading mind cannot seem to envision any of this.

It is also told in first person narrative and the narrative is wordy - the dialogue is not used enough in my opinion, and neither is the build up between the lead and her ML of choice.

Idk, I really expected a more heavier story and more development as to what was going on with the stepmother and her daughters, but it seemed to just skirt past the surface.

I actually really loved this book! I haven't read many Cinderella retellings, but even without I know this one is unique and it was absolutely a thrill.

There was no gilded carriage turning back into pumpkins at midnight-- but we do get magic, murder, and the machinations of a woman at war and willing to do whatever it takes. Even win over Prince Charming. Only things, and people, are always a surprise and Ash learns that lesson over in over as she tries to navigate the royal family, courtiers, and politics.

I'm a sucker for all of the above, and this book ticked all of them. The romance is light, so if that is what you're expecting from this re-telling, look elsewhere. Still, the tension is real and Rance is… le sigh, the one for me I'm sure of it.