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lauraciriza's review against another edition
2.0
ARC provided by NetGalley for reviewing purposes.
Castle of Lies is a young adult high fantasy story that involves themes of political intrigue, romance, and magic. In a lot of ways, Castle of Lies did surprise me and I did like some of it but, unfortunately, I found a lot of flaws within this book that could have been avoided with more editing. What I found most tragic is that, while this book could have been quite good on its own, the feeling it gives is that of a Game of Thrones wannabe--which complitely ruined the story in the end for me, as I saw it trying to be something that it wasn't, and found it lacking.
1#: Castle of Lies ★★☆☆☆
Castle of Lies is a young adult high fantasy story that involves themes of political intrigue, romance, and magic. In a lot of ways, Castle of Lies did surprise me and I did like some of it but, unfortunately, I found a lot of flaws within this book that could have been avoided with more editing. What I found most tragic is that, while this book could have been quite good on its own, the feeling it gives is that of a Game of Thrones wannabe--which complitely ruined the story in the end for me, as I saw it trying to be something that it wasn't, and found it lacking.
alley_cat's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
xan_van_rooyen's review
DNF for me. I persevered for a while because of the promise of queer characters, but I just wasn't invested in the characters or intrigued by the story enough to continue.
prisoner_of_books's review against another edition
2.0
Ok so I didn’t like this book. The plot was good and the characters were ok, but there were a lot of things that I found annoying in the writing or just cliche. I don’t really know how to describe it but I d9 know that I struggled to get through this book because of the authors style of writing there was probably more reasons but that is the only one I can really put into words. I can see why someone would like this book, but it just really wasn’t for me.
libraryinthecountry's review
DNF @ 9%
I can’t. I just can’t. This is the first book I’ve DNF’d in years – so hey, it gets that award! Typically I’ll strive to stick through them but this one was just so over-the-top and modern sounding.
Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I can’t. I just can’t. This is the first book I’ve DNF’d in years – so hey, it gets that award! Typically I’ll strive to stick through them but this one was just so over-the-top and modern sounding.
Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
agameofbooks's review
2.0
ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As usual I needed time to get into the story, especially since Castle of Lies is one that involves an entirely new world and is told from the perspective of four different characters: Thelia, Parsifal, Bayled and Sapphire. We follow the characters as they are faced with an evil overtaking by elves who want to purge the city from all Magic. Unfortunately I never managed to immerse myself completely. A multitude of different plots and ruses were wound together and there was too much going on at the same time. It seemed overly complicated in setup, but lacked in depth. A very strange paradox of you ask me.
In my opinion this novel was trying too hard to resemble great series like Game of Thrones and Throne of Glass, but it never even got close to reaching that level. Especially since two of the characters that told the story were constantly in the same place. This added only confusion as to who was speaking at the time, especially with so many changes in point of view. Additionally, none of the characters got enough page time to truly develop them properly. This left them flat and cliché and made the story unimaginative.
Finally there was the involvement of the elf Sapphire, who was constantly referred to as ‘them’ instead of ‘him’ or ‘her’. Apparently, in a strange reference to gender neutrality, this elf never choose whether it was male or female and therefore had to be referred to as ‘them’. It was very difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that it was still just one person, not more as the plural ‘them’ would suggest. Also, why the strange love triangle between Thelia, Parsifal and Sapphire? Completely unnecessary.
This story could have been great, unfortunately it wasn’t in my opinion.
As usual I needed time to get into the story, especially since Castle of Lies is one that involves an entirely new world and is told from the perspective of four different characters: Thelia, Parsifal, Bayled and Sapphire. We follow the characters as they are faced with an evil overtaking by elves who want to purge the city from all Magic. Unfortunately I never managed to immerse myself completely. A multitude of different plots and ruses were wound together and there was too much going on at the same time. It seemed overly complicated in setup, but lacked in depth. A very strange paradox of you ask me.
In my opinion this novel was trying too hard to resemble great series like Game of Thrones and Throne of Glass, but it never even got close to reaching that level. Especially since two of the characters that told the story were constantly in the same place. This added only confusion as to who was speaking at the time, especially with so many changes in point of view. Additionally, none of the characters got enough page time to truly develop them properly. This left them flat and cliché and made the story unimaginative.
Finally there was the involvement of the elf Sapphire, who was constantly referred to as ‘them’ instead of ‘him’ or ‘her’. Apparently, in a strange reference to gender neutrality, this elf never choose whether it was male or female and therefore had to be referred to as ‘them’. It was very difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that it was still just one person, not more as the plural ‘them’ would suggest. Also, why the strange love triangle between Thelia, Parsifal and Sapphire? Completely unnecessary.
This story could have been great, unfortunately it wasn’t in my opinion.
mimi_chartier's review
1.0
I received the eArc of Castle of Lies by Kiersi Burkhart through Netgalley. It was downloadable now and since the synopsis had me intrigued, I was really happy to snag a copy of it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but in the end all I can say is I am perplexed.
The best way I can describe Castle of Lies is Game of Thrones meets Cruel Intentions meets Fantasia. If you are going like "what the frak", you are about right. I probably should've DNF this book but for some reason, I kept going. There were a lot of times that I was pondering what the hell did I just read and as I continued on and it never got any better. I'm going to try my best to not start ranting so apologies in advance. There will be minors spoilers in this review but nothing that ruins the book or gives anything major away.
The book started off good, I was legit enjoying the first third of it, but it went downhill from there. If you are looking for a fast paced book full of action, look elsewhere. This book is slow, NO I mean S.L.O.W. There are definitely parts that could've been cut that seem there just for the word count. Also everything is really tropey -the story, the characters - ALL TROPEY!
Castle of Lies is told from the perspective of 4 characters:
♦ Thelia - trained by her mother to be a fierce warrior. Will stop at nothing to become queen. Cousin to Parsifal and the Princess Corene. I believe she is demisexual, which was different and interesting to read about as I haven't seen a lot of that rep in the past.
♦ Parsifal - cousin to Thelia,= which he's been in love with for ever. Bisexual. OK am I the only one that is tired of seeing bisexual portrayed as floozies? They seem to be a lot of times presented in a promiscuous way and it is starting to really bug me. Parsifal is no exception to this, he is shown to live a life of debauchery.
♦ Bayled - is kind of the white knight in shining armor. He was taken from his family when he was young and brought to the Holy Kingdom to be the Heir of the King though he has no blood ties to him. In love with the Princess Corene.
♦ Sapphire - one of the elves that invades the Holy Kingdom to purge it from magic. Non-binary character. It's actually the first book that I read that has a non-binary character which is nice.
For me I felt like all these characters were all flawed and made to be unlikable, though I am not sure if that was the writers intention. I think most of them could've been written better, they all feel under developed. One thing I need to address about Thelia's character that really annoyed me, in the beginning before the invasion of the elves any mention of them would make Thelia break down as in like a full on panic attack where she goes into shock. On several occasions we see this happening BUT when the elves do get there, Thelia turns into this warrior goddess ready to fight them. All panic attacks forgotten. Is it me or is this unrealistic? I would imagine her reaction to them being there in front of her would only bring on another panic attack, not a "let's kill the bastards" reaction.
There are so many things that I feel are not explained in this book and I think the author probably kept them for the sequels but some of these should've been in the first book or at least hinted to.
For instance, the elvish invasion of the kingdom, the elves come in on a quest to eradicate magic which has been around for many many years but all of a sudden is dangerous?!? Why is magic dangerous now, when it's always been present? I don't believe any of it is explained and I found it very confusing. There's also a made to seem important character that disappears in the middle of the book and no one seems to know where he went or why he left. If you are going to make a character abandon everything and leave at least try to hint to where they've gone or what they're doing before the ending of the book.
Which leaves us with the magic system...just Ugh! Personally I hated the magic system in this book. It was actually like watching Fantasia. Brooms sweeping and carts rolling in with food. Oh! and did I mention a big ass mouth in the wall that opens and is used as a dustpan. I shit you not, there is an actual mouth with a tongue that eats up dirt... like what the serious frak! For me it didn't work, it wasn't "believable", it came off as childish and silly.
This book also is an offender of one of my major pet peeves in fantasy. It's really silly but this bugs me, but I mean it BUGS the hell out of me. I hate when in fantasy books parents are referred to as mom and dad. I don't know why, maybe cause mom and dad appears to be a bit like slang but it takes me out of the story when I see "mom and dad" in fantasy books. I strongly feel it should always be mother and father. There I said it, OUF! I feel better, lol. You can judge me if you want (looking at you Mel!!!).
On the positive side, I think Kiersi Burkhart shows promise as a writer. I know it's not her first novel, but it's the first one I read from her and based on the prose of the book I would give her another shot. There is a lot of diverse representation in this book which is always good, so kuddos to her for including these. It has the first poly relationship I've seen.
Like I mentioned before I probably should've DNF this book. It didn't do enough to keep me interested in continuing the series. If you do decide to pick it up I hope you enjoy it more than I did. This is a 1 1/2 star for me.
Thank you Carolrhoda Press and Netgalley. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
The best way I can describe Castle of Lies is Game of Thrones meets Cruel Intentions meets Fantasia. If you are going like "what the frak", you are about right. I probably should've DNF this book but for some reason, I kept going. There were a lot of times that I was pondering what the hell did I just read and as I continued on and it never got any better. I'm going to try my best to not start ranting so apologies in advance. There will be minors spoilers in this review but nothing that ruins the book or gives anything major away.
The book started off good, I was legit enjoying the first third of it, but it went downhill from there. If you are looking for a fast paced book full of action, look elsewhere. This book is slow, NO I mean S.L.O.W. There are definitely parts that could've been cut that seem there just for the word count. Also everything is really tropey -the story, the characters - ALL TROPEY!
Castle of Lies is told from the perspective of 4 characters:
♦ Thelia - trained by her mother to be a fierce warrior. Will stop at nothing to become queen. Cousin to Parsifal and the Princess Corene. I believe she is demisexual, which was different and interesting to read about as I haven't seen a lot of that rep in the past.
♦ Parsifal - cousin to Thelia,= which he's been in love with for ever. Bisexual. OK am I the only one that is tired of seeing bisexual portrayed as floozies? They seem to be a lot of times presented in a promiscuous way and it is starting to really bug me. Parsifal is no exception to this, he is shown to live a life of debauchery.
♦ Bayled - is kind of the white knight in shining armor. He was taken from his family when he was young and brought to the Holy Kingdom to be the Heir of the King though he has no blood ties to him. In love with the Princess Corene.
♦ Sapphire - one of the elves that invades the Holy Kingdom to purge it from magic. Non-binary character. It's actually the first book that I read that has a non-binary character which is nice.
For me I felt like all these characters were all flawed and made to be unlikable, though I am not sure if that was the writers intention. I think most of them could've been written better, they all feel under developed. One thing I need to address about Thelia's character that really annoyed me, in the beginning before the invasion of the elves any mention of them would make Thelia break down as in like a full on panic attack where she goes into shock. On several occasions we see this happening BUT when the elves do get there, Thelia turns into this warrior goddess ready to fight them. All panic attacks forgotten. Is it me or is this unrealistic? I would imagine her reaction to them being there in front of her would only bring on another panic attack, not a "let's kill the bastards" reaction.
There are so many things that I feel are not explained in this book and I think the author probably kept them for the sequels but some of these should've been in the first book or at least hinted to.
For instance, the elvish invasion of the kingdom, the elves come in on a quest to eradicate magic which has been around for many many years but all of a sudden is dangerous?!? Why is magic dangerous now, when it's always been present? I don't believe any of it is explained and I found it very confusing. There's also a made to seem important character that disappears in the middle of the book and no one seems to know where he went or why he left. If you are going to make a character abandon everything and leave at least try to hint to where they've gone or what they're doing before the ending of the book.
Which leaves us with the magic system...just Ugh! Personally I hated the magic system in this book. It was actually like watching Fantasia. Brooms sweeping and carts rolling in with food. Oh! and did I mention a big ass mouth in the wall that opens and is used as a dustpan. I shit you not, there is an actual mouth with a tongue that eats up dirt... like what the serious frak! For me it didn't work, it wasn't "believable", it came off as childish and silly.
This book also is an offender of one of my major pet peeves in fantasy. It's really silly but this bugs me, but I mean it BUGS the hell out of me. I hate when in fantasy books parents are referred to as mom and dad. I don't know why, maybe cause mom and dad appears to be a bit like slang but it takes me out of the story when I see "mom and dad" in fantasy books. I strongly feel it should always be mother and father. There I said it, OUF! I feel better, lol. You can judge me if you want (looking at you Mel!!!).
On the positive side, I think Kiersi Burkhart shows promise as a writer. I know it's not her first novel, but it's the first one I read from her and based on the prose of the book I would give her another shot. There is a lot of diverse representation in this book which is always good, so kuddos to her for including these. It has the first poly relationship I've seen.
Like I mentioned before I probably should've DNF this book. It didn't do enough to keep me interested in continuing the series. If you do decide to pick it up I hope you enjoy it more than I did. This is a 1 1/2 star for me.
Thank you Carolrhoda Press and Netgalley. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
mirianp's review against another edition
2.0
This book has a very slow start. It took me a while to get into this new world and story. It did pick up at the end, but it was as if the author had a remote control button because she sped through the rest of the book so fast, I hardly knew what was happening.
I also found it a bit difficult with all of the POV changes, maybe I am just not used to that in my books. So it is a subjective opinion from me. And most of the characters kind of mush into the same characteristics. No one really stood out to me and I never really rooted for anyone. Maybe because most of the characters were jerks... but I digress.
This books should also be noted as having a lot of trigger warnings for younger people. I am a 28-year-old nurse so not much shocks me anymore, but I can see some of the things that happen in the book bothering others.
I am not really interested in reading the sequel, this book just did not captivate me enough.
I also found it a bit difficult with all of the POV changes, maybe I am just not used to that in my books. So it is a subjective opinion from me. And most of the characters kind of mush into the same characteristics. No one really stood out to me and I never really rooted for anyone. Maybe because most of the characters were jerks... but I digress.
This books should also be noted as having a lot of trigger warnings for younger people. I am a 28-year-old nurse so not much shocks me anymore, but I can see some of the things that happen in the book bothering others.
I am not really interested in reading the sequel, this book just did not captivate me enough.
jwill0829's review
2.0
**Received an eArc through Netgalley for an honest review**
I read the synopsis of the book and I thought it would be interesting and I was looking forward to reading a book that would demi-sexual, bisexual and non-binary characters representation. I went into the book hoping to read a really good story but came out being confused.
The best way for me to describe the Castle of Lies is Game of Thrones meets Mean Girl (not kidding). While I was reading the ARC which started out good but then it went downhill over the course of reading. I kept thinking that I need to stop reading it and DNF it but I didn’t because I was hoping that it would get better. It did not! Unfortunately, I felt like the author was trying to add more word count and the storyline suffered from it. The story gave me more questions than was answered in it and the ending of the book did not answered them. It left me with more questions than answers. The story follows four characters, Thelia, Parsifal, Bayled, and Sapphire, it is written in their POV.
There were areas where the author could have explain certain things better so you wouldn’t felt lost throughout the book. There were a lot of unanswered questions such as why was the magic bad that the elves were sent to take care of it? Who actually sent the elves and how did they know that the magic was getting bad in the Holy Kingdom? Why was some of the elves having reactions to the magic? Thelia, Parsifal and Corene were bratty, mean-spirited, and selfish but Bayled and Sapphire were not given the chance to really any kind of substance other than being fighters and protectors.
Overall, the author writing style was good but it seemed to me that she was rushing through the story and didn’t put enough effort on building the story. I am not sure if this book is a standalone or going to be series but if it does continue then I hope the author will take more time to develop the story and the characters.
My rating is 2 out 5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the e-ARC and giving me the opportunity to give an honest review.
I read the synopsis of the book and I thought it would be interesting and I was looking forward to reading a book that would demi-sexual, bisexual and non-binary characters representation. I went into the book hoping to read a really good story but came out being confused.
The best way for me to describe the Castle of Lies is Game of Thrones meets Mean Girl (not kidding). While I was reading the ARC which started out good but then it went downhill over the course of reading. I kept thinking that I need to stop reading it and DNF it but I didn’t because I was hoping that it would get better. It did not! Unfortunately, I felt like the author was trying to add more word count and the storyline suffered from it. The story gave me more questions than was answered in it and the ending of the book did not answered them. It left me with more questions than answers. The story follows four characters, Thelia, Parsifal, Bayled, and Sapphire, it is written in their POV.
There were areas where the author could have explain certain things better so you wouldn’t felt lost throughout the book. There were a lot of unanswered questions such as why was the magic bad that the elves were sent to take care of it? Who actually sent the elves and how did they know that the magic was getting bad in the Holy Kingdom? Why was some of the elves having reactions to the magic? Thelia, Parsifal and Corene were bratty, mean-spirited, and selfish but Bayled and Sapphire were not given the chance to really any kind of substance other than being fighters and protectors.
Overall, the author writing style was good but it seemed to me that she was rushing through the story and didn’t put enough effort on building the story. I am not sure if this book is a standalone or going to be series but if it does continue then I hope the author will take more time to develop the story and the characters.
My rating is 2 out 5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the e-ARC and giving me the opportunity to give an honest review.