Title: Book Review: Mistress of Lies by K.M EnrightAuthor: K.M. Enright
Series: The Age of Blood #1
Pages: 432
Publication Date: Aug. 13, 2024
Publisher: Orbit
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:
FATE IS A CRUEL MISTRESS
The daughter of a powerful but disgraced Blood Worker, Shan LeClaire has spent her entire life perfecting her blood magic, building her network of spies, and gathering every scrap of power she could. Now, to protect her brother, she assassinates their father and takes her place at the head of the family. And that is only the start of her revenge.
Samuel Hutchinson is a bastard with a terrible gift. When he stumbles upon the first victim of a magical serial killer, he’s drawn into the world of magic and intrigue he’s worked so hard to avoid – and is pulled deeply into the ravenous and bloodthirsty court of the vampire king.
Tasked by the Eternal King to discover the identity of the killer cutting a bloody swath through the city, Samuel, Shan and mysterious Royal Bloodworker Isaac find themselves growing ever closer to each other. But Shan’s plans are treacherous, and as she lures Samuel into her complicated web of desire, treason and vengeance, he must decide if the good of their nation is worth the cost of his soul.
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I have some mixed feelings about this book. It started off strong, and I really enjoyed the beginning of the story. It has an intriguing plot, and the writing style is immersive. I was easily pulled into the story from the first shocking line, and I was curious about the main characters and the world, but both of those fell a bit flat for the remainder of the book.
Initially, I was super curious about many of the characters. Shan, the main protagonist is compelling, as is Samuel, and I was suspicious of but intrigued by several others introduced. But many of these characters ended up falling flat for me. I thought many were one-dimensional, and I constantly questioned their actions and reasoning.
Shan is the most fleshed-out, and I like how the author explored the dualities of her character. She seems so bold, strong, and cunning, and for the majority of the story she is, but she flounders because of her emotional gullibility too many times. It contradicts the rest of her personality and doesn’t make sense in many instances. Shan is a woman who lives in the limelight but thrives in the shadows. I love this aspect of her character and wish that, instead of her romantic conflicts and angst, was explored more.
Samuel is my favorite character. He is so good, and he’s unwittingly pulled into political ploys and situations that are totally out of his element. He has such an interesting story, but I didn’t think it was explored enough. I felt this way about all of the characters – like we just scratched the surface of each of them when there was potential for so much more.
The plot is similar to the characters. It’s interesting if a bit predictable. I guessed one of the major twists close to the beginning of the story, and others were pretty easy to figure out. Even still, I enjoyed the overall plot and the several intriguing subplots. Political intrigue, social unrest, unexplained murders, rebellions, and more kept me invested in the story, as did the unique world it’s set in. I think my biggest issue with the plot is that it focused too much on the romantic subplot than it did on the murder mystery and all the other intriguing aspects of the story.
Disappointingly, I didn’t love this one as much as I had hoped. It wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t set my world on fire either. While the premise is intriguing, and the first part of the story grabbed me, the rest was a bit lackluster.
- The writing style.
- Samuel!
- The premise.
He was strong-willed. He was stubborn.
But she was indomitable.
A lie can be more powerful than the truth, if applied correctly.
He was a man a breath away from catching on fire, and Shan wanted nothing more than to watch him blaze.
K. M. Enright is a Filipino-American writer of fantasy romance. When not writing, he can be found playing too many video games, cooking, or listening to Broadway musicals. He currently lives in New Jersey with his spouse and their black cat, Zuko.
Great review!! Completely agree with all of this. I am finishing mine up after I catch up on some blog hopping. I wish I would have loved this more too.
Thanks, Leslie! I’m glad the buddy read we’re doing now is better!