Scan barcode
A review by jamies_shelves
Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you Orbit and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was a really fun and intriguing story. Definitely unique.
I was sold because I saw vampires, and while I think technically there are vampire aspects, and I think it's setting up for what we think of as vampires in the next book, it's not true vampires. At least, not the main characters.
They are blood workers. Imagine blood bending from Avatar, but if they needed to consume someone's blood in order to use blood bending on them. (Which in the author's note I learned he has a cat named Zuko so this makes sense lol!) But they can also consume their own blood to give themselves more strength, speed, allow them to heal, etc. which I thought was super cool.
We get two POVs in this story: Shan and Samuel. I genuinely enjoyed both of them.
Shan is morally grey, which we learn from the first page, and she is always scheming. She will do whatever she can to keep her brother safe and to get what she wants. She was intelligent, cunning, badass, but also kind, and I really liked her as a character.
Samuel is an unblooded (someone born without the power of blood working), but he has another power he is trying to hide. He gets thrust into their world, but still cares deeply for the unblooded and hates the cruelty they face. It was interesting to see him navigate this new world and find his place in it. I do wish we got to see a bit more of it, and more of him really developing his powers.
Isaac is also a main character (I think) though he's not one of the POVs we switch back and forth between. He has a past with Shan, one that I hope we get to see more of and really understand what happened between them. Isaac is a trans man and this is addressed multiple times, but never a main focus of his story or seen as a negative thing by the other characters. I liked his character and want to know more about him.
Anton is Shan's brother and his partner is Bart. I'm really intrigued by both of them and hope they play a bigger part in the next book.
Shan, Samuel, and Isaac have a fun dynamic where all three of them are clearly infatuated and into each other. I'm interested to see how this plays out in future books..
I think the plot could be a little slow at points, so I almost gave it a 3.5, but I went 4 because overall I really liked it.
I'm hoping book two focuses more on the politics and tensions between blood workers and unblooded.
This was a really fun and intriguing story. Definitely unique.
I was sold because I saw vampires, and while I think technically there are vampire aspects, and I think it's setting up for what we think of as vampires in the next book, it's not true vampires. At least, not the main characters.
They are blood workers. Imagine blood bending from Avatar, but if they needed to consume someone's blood in order to use blood bending on them. (Which in the author's note I learned he has a cat named Zuko so this makes sense lol!) But they can also consume their own blood to give themselves more strength, speed, allow them to heal, etc. which I thought was super cool.
We get two POVs in this story: Shan and Samuel. I genuinely enjoyed both of them.
Shan is morally grey, which we learn from the first page, and she is always scheming. She will do whatever she can to keep her brother safe and to get what she wants. She was intelligent, cunning, badass, but also kind, and I really liked her as a character.
Samuel is an unblooded (someone born without the power of blood working), but he has another power he is trying to hide. He gets thrust into their world, but still cares deeply for the unblooded and hates the cruelty they face. It was interesting to see him navigate this new world and find his place in it. I do wish we got to see a bit more of it, and more of him really developing his powers.
Isaac is also a main character (I think) though he's not one of the POVs we switch back and forth between. He has a past with Shan, one that I hope we get to see more of and really understand what happened between them. Isaac is a trans man and this is addressed multiple times, but never a main focus of his story or seen as a negative thing by the other characters. I liked his character and want to know more about him.
Anton is Shan's brother and his partner is Bart. I'm really intrigued by both of them and hope they play a bigger part in the next book.
Shan, Samuel, and Isaac have a fun dynamic where all three of them are clearly infatuated and into each other. I'm interested to see how this plays out in future books..
I think the plot could be a little slow at points, so I almost gave it a 3.5, but I went 4 because overall I really liked it.
I'm hoping book two focuses more on the politics and tensions between blood workers and unblooded.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Classism