This book follows 2 sisters who decided to earn some cash just to pretend to be someone else for a couple of hours. All they needed to do was pretend to be sweet ol' Marsyas granddaughters. Sounds pretty easy, right? Right after Ursula dropped dead and her souls truth appeared I was invested in who did it. Finding out Wren and Ruby were dining with witches made the story even better!! The complexity and betrayal of the Four Lines was intriguing. I wish the power each witch held was on display more besides just the shield the Hegemony family seemed to mainly use. I was confused with Infinity character. In the beginning she was referred as a her/she then it changed to their/them. Within the entirety of the book it kept switching and that was confusing to me because I kept thinking Infinity was a conjoined twin or a monster. The ending was kind of confusing when Lavinia and Kaysa got trapped in Uruslas curse since they technically weren't their when she died.

So there you are serving up food-stuff at a Renaissance Fest with your sister to supplement your college savings when a little old lady, who’s visited before, asks you and your sister to impersonate her granddaughters at a posh party. She’ll provide what you need as well as pay you $2000 each for your trouble. No brainer. At least it is for Ruby’s younger sister Wren, but Ruby isn’t so sure. Her qualms prove correct when the sisters find themselves at the dinner party, their hostess dead. The little old lady who invited them has disappeared and they seem to be in the company of powerful witches. Now they not only have to solve their hostess’ murder but find ancient relics while still managing to stay alive in Sarah Henning’s wickedly delicious The Lies We Conjure.

If you’re like me and a fan of murder mysteries that occur in an isolated-no-escape setting then you’ll enjoy The Lies We Conjure. Add in a little (okay, a lot of) supernatural like powerful witches, ancient family relics, and interesting world-building and you have a popcorn-munching feast of a tale.

A nice touch is that sisters Ruby and Wren actually get along, which is a novelty lately. And they need to because this is a truly life-and-death situation they find themselves in. Wren’s impulsiveness frequently adds danger to an already desperate situation, testing her pragmatic sister’s patience and tolerance.

Stir in a little romance, inclusiveness, greed; a smidgen of dark wickedness and revenge; a dash of ingenuity and heroism, and you have a macabre fun-fest of a twisty mystery. Very enjoyable.

Many thanks to Tor Teen for sending The Lies We Conjure my way.

As someone who isn’t a huge fan of fantasy, I am absolutely shocked to say how much I enjoyed this. One of my favorite movies the other year was Knives Out. So when I saw this was comped to that, I HAD to get my hands on it. And sure enough, this is exactly what I got.

One reason I’m not a huge fan of fantasy novels is the magic systems are never explained well and if it is, it’s info-dumped. It’s always weird. But this one is actually done really well. They really show their powers before they explain them and then when they explain them, it’s because the MC is reading a book. And call me weird, but I loved the fish out of water, just dropped into this magical world vibe. It made them stronger in my eyes. Because you did this with these kind of people and still made it? Beast.

The romance was just ok. I know it had to be there to push some plot points, but I guess that’s why I didn’t actually click with it. It felt a tiny bit forced. Maybe that was just because I KNEW what it was doing? But still I just didn’t buy into it. I knew that they were falling for each other because they would need someone on their side. And I’m just going to tell you here to read it so you can see if he does.

Now this book is comped to Knives Out and Inheritance Games and those are two of my favorite things. I just KNEW this wasn’t going to be true. But as it turns out, it was definitely exactly that. It left me wondering if there was going to be a sequel, even after this first one closed so well. So basically I’m going to be sitting here a year from now trying to see if there’s another one and can I get it lol

The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is the characters. We don’t get to know really any of them. And even tho this is Dual POV and we’re in their heads, we only know small bits of them, one side is trying to help her and someone else survive and the other is trying to catch a killer. It’s quite the story.

This book is good and very surprising. I enjoyed the twists and turns. There’s so much happening that when the twist comes you will be caught off guard. Or at least I was lol I had forgotten that I was supposed to be looking for that thing. I was too busy trying to make sure that they found something that would help them against magic.

If nothing else, I can definitely say this book made me realize that I need to start reading the synopsis lol I added this to my TBR because of the cover, and I’m glad I read it because here we are a year before the next ToB and I already have a confirmed one I want to add to it.

I received the ebook as an Arc from NetGalley then purchased the audiobook on mine own. Thank you NetGalley!!

This book was fun! In this world there are different kind of magics. Some of the usual suspects - death magic, elemental magic, blood magic, etc. The powers are spread among 4 families and each family has teenage heirs. The bulk of this story is focused on the teenagers, specifically 2 sisters. They find themselves locked in a massive manor trying to figure out who is killing off the others but unfortunately, our sisters are imposters. In addition to finding the killer, they’ll have to maintain the ruse in order to survive.

The story is fast paced and kept my attention the entire time. There is a trace of romance which is cute even if there is a little bit of insta lust. Some of our players can be irritating but I found most of them interesting and endearing. Definitely a fun ride! 4 stars

The Lies We Conjure had me hooked from page 1 when we first meet Ruby and Wren, and the old lady asking them to pose as her grandchildren.
I loved Ruby and Wren's relationship, although I was sometimes annoyed by Wren's spontaneity and seeming unwillingness to think before she acts, which gets both the sisters into trouble throughout the story.

So Ruby and Wren arrive at the manor house, meet the other house guests, and during dinner the matriarch Ursula Hogemany keels over dead. Now this would be bad enough, except her ghost rises from her body and tells everyone she has been murdered and not only is it their job to find out who did it, but also find 4 magical relics before the end of 3 days or they are stuck in the house forever. Now Ruby and Wren are beyond shocked! An old lady was murdered, and there was magic! Which is real!?! How are they supposed to tell everyone they are imposters now? They will definitely be suspects, doubly so when you consider the old lady they came with seems to have disappeared.
I loved the setting, loved the characters, and the twists and turns were so good, even the one I knew was coming. I thought the pacing was well done, even in the slower moments the story didn't feel slow if you know what I mean.
I read this in one sitting and had a great time with the story. I cant wait to see what Sarah Henning is going to write next.

The Lies We Conjure is made for spooky season, and Sarah Henning’s new YA “Knives Out with witches” had me hooked from start to finish.
An old woman approaches sisters Wren and Ruby with a somewhat suspicious way to make quick cash; all they have to do is dress up, head to the mysterious Hegemony estate, and pretend to be her granddaughters for four hours, max. A pretty easy way to make $2000, right? The night quickly gets thrown into chaos, however, when a family member is murdered in plain sight and the sisters discover that their hosts are the most powerful witches in North America. The entire party remains trapped in the estate until the murderer is found and the stipulations of the will are satisfied. If they fail to do so within three days, they will remain trapped on the grounds with their power-hungry relatives—and their secrets.
Reading The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle made me realize that sprawling-spooky-manor murder mysteries are definitely in my wheelhouse, and The Lies We Conjure gave me everything I crave. The tone and setting propelled this story from the start, aided by the dual POVs of Ruby and one of the Hegemony sons, Aiden. Following both of them cultivated a thrilling tension over whether the murder would be solved, whether the girls’ secret would be discovered, and whether the family secrets would doom them from the start.
Thanks to NetGalley, TorTeen, and Macmillan for the ARC! The Lies We Conjure is out now, so grab it for a perfect start to October!

What an exciting and twisting story this was. This was accurately described as Knives Out meets The Inheritance Games with magic. And the magical aspect is what truly made this YA mystery a standout read. There are four different family lines of magic that exist and the Four Lines work together to keep their magic strong. Their magic is enhanced by master relics but these have been hidden away.

When Ruby and Wren are invited to impersonate granddaughters for a dinner party, they know they need the money and as struggling teenagers they cannot say no to how much is offered. They just do not realize what is in store for them at this party and that their lives as they know them may no longer exist. When a murder is committed, everyone is locked into the manor via magic and everyone is suspect as potential murderers.

Ruby is a fantastic character that is able to adapt to what is going on and really think things through. Wren, is much more spontaneous and finds that this might put her at risk in the middle of a murder mystery. Auden, is one of the potential heirs to the High Sorceror, and a charming gentleman with some very important secrets. The pacing and suspense were very well done in this and had me reading this all in one sitting because I needed to know what would happen next!

FOUR AND A HALF STARS

Thank you to @torteen for my ARC. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 / 5 stars

Ruby and Wren are teenage sisters slinging falafel at the Renaissance Faire for some summer income when a stranger approaches them with an intriguing job: Would they be willing to attend a dinner party and pose as her granddaughters for a few thousand dollars? Despite Ruby’s misgivings, Wren jumps at the chance to make easy money and have an interesting night.

Things get even more interesting when Ruby and Wren discover that the dinner party is to be held at Hegemony Manor, a Gothic mansion their deceased mother had long admired. The evening takes an unexpected turn when the hostess drops dead at the dinner table -- and her spirit rises up to declare that she has been murdered. Ruby and Wren aren't just at a dinner party, they are at a gathering of the four greatest Witch Houses in North America, and their "grandmother" has fled the scene of the crime. Now they have three days to solve the murder, find four powerful magical artifacts, and hide the fact that they aren't actually witches themselves before a curse traps them at Hegemony Manor forever.

The Lies We Conjure was a fun YA fantasy that mixed in some murder mystery elements with a treasure hunt. While the book’s mix of fantasy, mystery, and treasure hunt is engaging, the numerous elements prevent any single aspect from truly shining. The murder mystery has moments of tension but could have been stronger.

There is a lot going on in the book -- Henning establishes a magical system, four magical families, and then adds in the murder mystery and treasure hunt elements on top of that. Unfortunately, with all of these ingredients in the pot, no single element is able to truly shine. The magical system is intriguing, though I wished for deeper exploration. The relationship between Ruby and Wren is well-established early on, but Ruby’s character and her romance subplot felt underdeveloped compared to Wren’s.

As a fan of Golden Age mysteries, I am a little torn on how I feel about the resolution of the murder mystery plot. There are excellent moments of tension that accompany a locked-room mystery, including a "someone in this room is a killer" scene. Ruby sees a copy of And Then There Were None at one point, which feels like perhaps an Easter egg to the mystery's solution. I'm still not fully decided on how I feel about the murder mystery. It could have been stronger.

The Lies We Conjure is an imaginative dark fantasy mystery that will appeal to fans of The Inheritance Games and Harry Potter. Despite its many elements, it remains a good read for those who enjoy complex, magical tales that are a little dark and have a little kissing.

This review will be posted to Goodreads and Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on September 26, 2024.

In “The Lies We Conjure” by Sarah Henning, the author has conjured a layered and dynamic story with compelling characters and an intriguing mystery. One of the aspects I liked the best was the way the mysteries and truths slowly unfolded bit by bit in an organic and natural fashion.
The story is a magical murder mystery that does keep you guessing on the how as the writing alternates between Ruby and her sister and the Hegemony’s. There are multiple layers of deceptions and secrets, with a magical world building that excels at providing details at the exact moment you need them. One of the most successful aspects is that not everything is wrapped up into a nice neat bow but there are aspects that could be explored and expounded on if future books in the world are planned.
If you like mystery with a dose of magic and witches, this story will thrill you. It is layered and dynamic, the characters are compelling and I loved how likable the characters actually were, how the relationships entwined and how the ending brought everything together.

I’ve really enjoyed everything by Sarah Henning that I’ve read, and Lies We Conjure is no exception. I think it’s the darkest of her books so far, and I’d say ‘Knives Out plus magic’ is a pretty fair description of this one in a nutshell.

I loved the sisters, Wren and Ruby. Wren is impulsive and chipper while Ruby is the more methodical, quieter one. The story alternates between the perspectives of Ruby and Auden, one of the Hegemony cousins and grandson of the magical matriarch. I liked the tension of Ruby and Wren being imposters locked into the estate once the murder takes place.

I kind of expected there to be some hidden magical connection between their family and the other magical families, but that didn’t play out in the way I anticipated, which was fine. They do have a nostalgic connection to the estate.

The story has some great moments between characters and some scenes I didn’t predict at all. I loved the way things were pieced together and how the mystery resolved in the end.

I think reader who enjoy a murder mystery dripping with threatening magic will not be able to put this one down. If you like books by Mary Watson or Deep is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson, definitely check out Lies We Conjure.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Clue. Knives Out. Inheritance Games. But with witches!

I think some of those comparisons make sense. If you’re looking for a Knives Out look at aspects of society, an Inheritance Games situation with love options, or Tim Curry, you won’t find that here. But if what you’re looking for is *vibes* based on those, then you’ve got the right book.

There are a lot of things I don’t love in this book. I don’t particularly like evil witches or zombies or any kind of blood magic. And yet… I was having such a fun time reading the book that none of those things bothered me. It's also never graphic or gory enough to disturb my scaredy-cat self.

I liked the magic system overall. I liked the way the lines of magic were separated. For the most part I had a good idea of what each line could do and what made them unique, although it could have been more clear. I personally don’t love it when media uses Salem witches as a base saying they were real witches. I think it is a little disrespectful to the very real women who were murdered because of false accusations. Despite that, I enjoyed the magic systems. I appreciate how the magic was revealed a little at a time so I never felt like there was an overall info dump to try to explain how it all worked.

I liked the characters overall. It was tricky at first to remember who was a part of what family or even which characters the male POV character was referring to since the sisters were also using false names. However, by the end of the book, I felt like almost all of the characters were distinct and interesting. I also understood why all of the characters acted the way they did by the end of the book.

I didn’t love Auden as a POV character. I think he was used more to explain the magic systems than because he’d be a good person to see the story from. I think he would have been a stronger character just from Ruby’s observations. Once the excuse is made that the sisters must have lost their memory, we could have had other characters explain how the magic worked (which had to happen most of the time anyway) instead of having his perspective. When he was depicted in Ruby’s POV, he was a lot more interesting and likable for me than when it was his own POV.

My biggest complaint about the characters is that it’s essentially insta-love for four characters. It’s bad enough when it’s the main character, but it’s both sisters! Sure, things develop a little over time, but it’s more assumed than giving us significant reasons to root for either relationship.

The mystery was a lot of fun. It kept me guessing about how it would end. It wasn’t entirely unpredictable, but I enjoyed the twists and turns.

Overall, this is a great read for a spooky season, or anytime you’re looking for something a little dark and mysterious.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Lies We Conjure is a wonderfully captivating read, filled with magic, mystery, and suspense. During the first half of the book, I felt it would have been your typical locked room mystery/ whodunit/ murder at the dinner table case, but it turned out to be far more than that.

The book is based in Colorado, where two sisters, Ruby and Wren, decide to take a random woman up on her offer to impersonate her granddaughters. Little do they know, they're in for a wild (magical) ride. These grandkids aren't your typical grandkids- they are part of a secret society of witches. Ruby and Wren, however, learn that a little too late. After the Hegemony family matriarch and keyholder/ regulator of magic is murdered at dinner, Ruby and Wren's (along with the other witches) lives are now at stake. The witches are tasked with finding the murderer, and with only hours to do so. If they fail, they're stuck in the manor forever.

This book is a great witchy murder mystery. I would love to say it's a quick read, but the pacing in the second half did slow down a bit. The plot overall is very intriguing and entertaining enough to keep you tied to the story. The characters work well together, and I particularly enjoyed the drastic difference between Wren and Ruby and the real Blackwell sisters. A solid 4-star read!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I was initially drawn to the description of this book- it’s got fantasy, it’s got murder mystery, what more could you need?!

But- I don’t feel like I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would. There wasn’t many plot twists or exciting developments in the plot that kept me interested.

I found this book quite enjoyable, it has fun characters and a nice writing style. I think it could've had more plot twists, the happenings are pretty linear

Book Review of The Lies We Conjure by Sarah Henning

Cover Story: Gorgeously Gruesome
BFF Charms: Yay, True Love
Talky Talk: She Said, He Said
Bonus Factors: Magic, Spooky Mansion
Relationship Status: You’re Mine

Cover Story: Gorgeously Gruesome
I love this cover, but I know it’s likely a pretty divisive one. That heart is quite realistic, and the surrounding foliage, rabbit, and other elements have a sinister feel to them. It captures the feel of the book pretty perfectly and rightly lets readers know that they’re in for a darker read.

The Deal:
Ruby and Wren Jourdain live a pretty simple life in Grand Lake, Colorado. The day that Marysas Blackgate makes them a proposition at their jobs at the local renaissance fair, however, everything changes.

The proposition is this: Pretend to be Marsyas’s grandaughters, Lavinia and Kaysa Blackgate, and attend a dinner party at the infamous Hegemony Manor. Ruby and Wren find the idea intriguing, and the fact that Marsyas offers them $2000 up front and another $2000 when the night is over is music to the girls’s ears.

The dinner seems to be going well—until Ursula Hegemony is murdered, and the magical natures of the families in attendance are revealed. And Marsyas disappears, the number one suspect.

Will Ruby and Wren be found out? Will the murder be solved in time? Will any of them survive?

BFF Charms: Yay, True Love
Ruby is the older, more reserved, less impulsive sister. But she can’t resist the allure of $4000, which would pad her college fund nicely. And even the most restrained of individuals would be hard-pressed to turn down a chance to discover the secrets of Hegemony Manor, a building and family that has long had rumors about them swirling about the town. I totally get both her hesitance and intrigue, and would likely be in exactly her position were I in her shoes. She’s definitely got a cooler head on her shoulders than I had at seventeen, but I think we’d make an excellent team.

Auden Hegemony is a mystery—to start—all lithe frame, handsome face, twinkling eyes, and wry grin. He’s exactly the kind of guy who appeals to my “mysterious and possibly morally grey” preference for book boyfriends, and he only becomes more appealing as the book goes on and we get to hear from his POV. I, like Ruby, would have a very hard time keeping my composure around such a specimen.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Ruby and Auden have a history, but it’s one that Ruby has no recollection of, given that she’s not actually Lavinia Blackgate. Auden’s suspect of the drastic difference in her character—where Lavinia used to be all edges and darkness, Ruby has a kindness and softness about her—but he chalks it up to the 10 years since they’ve seen each other. Their childhood animosity quickly turns in the other direction when they’re forced to work together to find Ursula’s killer, but the truth about Ruby’s identity casts a shadow on any swoon they might have, especially given Ruby’s dislike of having to lie.

Talky Talk: She Said, He Said
The fact that we get to read from both Ruby and Auden’s POVs makes this an entirely different novel than if we were to only hear from Ruby. Hearing Auden’s thoughts and seeing his experiences rounds out the story without revealing too much, too soon—the book is certainly a thriller, and both Ruby and Auden are in the dark for much of it as much as we readers are.

Henning’s prose is beautiful without getting too purple, and her descriptions of the Hegemony mansion and surrounding grounds made me feel like I was actually there. Her magical system is unique, but believable, and her characters are folks I would love to know, even if I forfeited my life in the process.

Bonus Factor: Magic
Early on in the book. Ruby and Wren discover that they’ve stumbled into a magical world that lives on the edges of the “real” one. The other attendees at the dinner party are members of the houses of the Four Lines, the strongest magic users in the U.S., and from whom all other magics flow. These four lines trace back to the Salem witches, and even further pre-America, and have an interesting variety of gifts. Magic isn’t the book’s main theme, but it’s certainly intrinsically involved in the search for the murderer. That said, it’s not the only way to figure out clues, as Ruby and Wren prove by helping in their own, unknown-to-the-others unmagical ways.

Bonus Factor: Spooky Mansion
The Hegemony mansion is all-black, with four wings of at least three floors each surrounding a courtyard. The multi-story foyer features a mural of the landscape of the outdoors, and there’s a fourth-floor turret reading room covered in bookshelves and old tomes. It gives Crimson Peak vibes, but yet has a warmth to it. I’d be terrified to come upon it at night, but too intrigued to tour it to give in to my fear.

Relationship Status: You’re Mine
Your story is exactly the kind of thing I like to read in autumn, Book, and it helped me forget about the fact that it is still 90º outside in Austin right now. Although you took place during a Colorado summer, you’ve got a Dark Academia vibe that cannot be denied. Let’s curl up by a roaring fire in our sweaters and with our hot beverages and read the night away, OK? Maybe we can keep the change of seasons at bay through sheer force of will.

I thought this book was going to be for me. Sadly, I discovered it wasn’t at about 35% of the way through and had to DNF. The concept is really cool thrown in with elements of murder mystery, witches // cult like things, but the characters weren’t a good fit for my liking and they didn’t grasp my attention as well as I hoped for.

This was a dark fantasy murder mystery revolving around 4 lines of witches and 2 secret human intruders - Wren and Ruby. This book was captivating and kept me on the edge of my seat, dying to know what was going to happen next and who the true killer was. While the big reveal was not completely surprising, I enjoyed finding out all the details kept from the reader the whole book. The ending was better than I could have imagined. Definitely recommend if you like murder mysteries and witches!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I recently finished "The Lies We Conjure" by Sarah Henning, and while I was initially intrigued by its promising premise, I found myself disappointed by the execution. The plot has all the ingredients for an exciting story; magic, murder mystery, and a treasure hunt set in awesome locations. However, the pacing was oout of this world.

From the outset, the book throws readers into a whirlwind of characters and plot elements almost too quickly. Within the first 20% of the book, I was bombarded with a flurry of new names and details about the magic system, all while trying to grasp the narrative. Unfortunately, this rapid-fire introduction made it difficult to keep track of who was who and what was really at stake. I often felt like I was playing catch-up instead of enjoying the unfolding story.

Moreover, the pacing fluctuated in ways that made it hard to stay engaged. Some sections felt overly drawn out, while others moved at such a speed that I struggled to keep up. The name “Hegemony” was reiterated to the point of exhaustion. Can someone please do a word count of that name...I feel it must have been mentioned 3 - 4 times each page.

Ultimately, I think Henning had a strong foundation with "The Lies We Conjure," but it felt like it needed more refinement in terms of pacing and clarity. With a bit more time to develop the narrative, I believe this story could have truly shined. It’s a decent read, but I wish it had fully realized its potential.

Knives Out x Witches, I’m sold! This YA witchy murder mystery was such a great read! Two non-witches locked in a manor full of witches as a murder occurs, this premise couldn’t intrigue me more. This was well executed though I did find the pacing slowed down in the second half but not enough to lose any of my interest. That ending was just awesome as well! If you like locked room mysteries, murderous dinner parties, witches, and found family pick this one up!

Publishing 9/17/24

Thank you so much to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review!