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marleens's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I received an eARC of The Liar of Red Valley by Walter Goodwater through Netgalley, thanks Rebellion Publishing! The hardback came out last fall, and the paperback version comes out this month on July 21th.
_Don’t trust the Liar.
_Do not cross the King.
_Never, ever go in the River.
This is an urban fantasy horror blend, set in a Californian town called Red Valley. When Sadie’s mom dies, she inherits her power as the Liar of Red Valley. The Liar has the ability to tell Lies and change the world. But while Sadie gets used to her new role and the secrets that come with it, things are changing in Red Valley. Danger lurks across the bridge, and Sadie needs to find answers and find them fast.
I loved the atmosphere, the blend of genres worked really well for me. The mixture of the realness of the town with the fantasy elements gave it perfect urban fantasy vibes, and the added horror elements were the icing on the cake.
Main character Sadie is great, I could really empathize with her and I love how she grows into her role throughout the book, as well as her bravery and ingenuity. I also enjoyed the different side characters we meet along the way, some helpful, some…not so helpful.
The plot is fast-paced and the stakes are high. There was a real sense of urgency throughout, which I loved. I felt like nobody was truly safe, I was on the edge of my seat a lot, and there were some jaw-dropping twists that left me in shock.
5 stars from me, I had a great time with this and am so glad I read it. Highly recommend!
_Don’t trust the Liar.
_Do not cross the King.
_Never, ever go in the River.
This is an urban fantasy horror blend, set in a Californian town called Red Valley. When Sadie’s mom dies, she inherits her power as the Liar of Red Valley. The Liar has the ability to tell Lies and change the world. But while Sadie gets used to her new role and the secrets that come with it, things are changing in Red Valley. Danger lurks across the bridge, and Sadie needs to find answers and find them fast.
I loved the atmosphere, the blend of genres worked really well for me. The mixture of the realness of the town with the fantasy elements gave it perfect urban fantasy vibes, and the added horror elements were the icing on the cake.
Main character Sadie is great, I could really empathize with her and I love how she grows into her role throughout the book, as well as her bravery and ingenuity. I also enjoyed the different side characters we meet along the way, some helpful, some…not so helpful.
The plot is fast-paced and the stakes are high. There was a real sense of urgency throughout, which I loved. I felt like nobody was truly safe, I was on the edge of my seat a lot, and there were some jaw-dropping twists that left me in shock.
5 stars from me, I had a great time with this and am so glad I read it. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Racism and Police brutality
Minor: Drug use, Abortion, and Pregnancy
cookreadrepeat's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my thoughts and opinions. A full review of this book can be found by clicking the link below:
https://cookreadrepeat.wordpress.com/2021/08/17/the-liar-of-red-valley-by-walter-goodwater/
https://cookreadrepeat.wordpress.com/2021/08/17/the-liar-of-red-valley-by-walter-goodwater/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
house_of_hannah's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Thank you so much to Rebellion Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This books brings us into the modern world, but with a magical twist to it. The setting was one of my favorite aspects of the book, as we had everything from creatures trying to fit in to Old God-esque beings. I would love to read more stories about this world, and if there are other towns similiar to Red Valley.
I found the writing style to be average. There isn't anything spectacular about it, but the situations, characters, and universe held my interest to where I didn't want to put the tablet down. This story has quite a cast of characters, but it never feels overwhelming, and it's easy to follow.
The character design is absolutely fantastic. I would love to see art of the creatures in this story, because some of them would be terrifying. I think the descriptions of them gave great visuals, and everything really felt like it had it's own voice.
This book reads like a quest, and really reminded me of RPG video games. The main character, Sadie, travels to different areas to gather what she needs to complete a goal, and then repeat that until the end of the book essentially. I think this setup makes it a great pick to be adapted as a movie or mini-series.
The climax of the story is actually my least favorite part of the story. I was surprised at how quick it was, and it just wasn't as epic of a conclusion as I was hoping for. There was also a character that seemed extremely ominous, but ended up being totally useless in the end. It was strange compared to everything leading up to it, and in this case the journey was way better than the destination.
This books brings us into the modern world, but with a magical twist to it. The setting was one of my favorite aspects of the book, as we had everything from creatures trying to fit in to Old God-esque beings. I would love to read more stories about this world, and if there are other towns similiar to Red Valley.
I found the writing style to be average. There isn't anything spectacular about it, but the situations, characters, and universe held my interest to where I didn't want to put the tablet down. This story has quite a cast of characters, but it never feels overwhelming, and it's easy to follow.
The character design is absolutely fantastic. I would love to see art of the creatures in this story, because some of them would be terrifying. I think the descriptions of them gave great visuals, and everything really felt like it had it's own voice.
This book reads like a quest, and really reminded me of RPG video games. The main character, Sadie, travels to different areas to gather what she needs to complete a goal, and then repeat that until the end of the book essentially. I think this setup makes it a great pick to be adapted as a movie or mini-series.
The climax of the story is actually my least favorite part of the story. I was surprised at how quick it was, and it just wasn't as epic of a conclusion as I was hoping for. There was also a character that seemed extremely ominous, but ended up being totally useless in the end. It was strange compared to everything leading up to it, and in this case the journey was way better than the destination.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy