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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a lovely read. I enjoyed the plot and the characters were fleshed out enough to seem like real people. There were no eye-roll, “why has she done that” parts which I often find in fantasy, which is a massive bonus. I’m looking forward to exploring more works by the author.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you thought fantasy romance was all sickly sweet cuddles and kisses, then R.A. Sandpiper is here to prove you wrong in A Pocket of Lies. Filled with cutthroat schemes, brutal fights, electrifying tension, and deadly deals, this fast-paced grimdark fantasy romance is an absolute gem of an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
Okay so if you ever feel like your life is utter shit, just read A Pocket of Lies and remember that Suri is probably having it way worse than you are. After our lovely little spitfire of a thief suffers a very humiliating robbery, she goes into full-on revenge mode and decides to abduct and impersonate a foreign princess at the royal ball. Except, her crazy con soon goes absolutely tits up, which ends up leading to her exile into the cursed wastelands on a deadly mission to assassinate the dark and notorious Fae lord Kol. And that, my friends, is only the start of this glorious trainwreck of an adventure.
Now, if there is one thing I love in books, it’s stabby women who can hold a grudge, and that is Suri to a T. Did I want to shake and strangle her for her incredibly rash and impulsive actions sometimes? Oh yes, I sure did, but that level of relatable messiness only made me love her more. She really is the universe’s punching bag for the entirety of A Pocket of Lies, and I loved seeing her stubbornly fight and bluff her way through all the brutal trials and tribulations. Plus, she also has this mysterious menacing voice in her head that made her even more compelling to follow; never enough emotional inner turmoil, if you ask me.
In a way, I almost think she was a bit too much of an intense whirlwind of loud personality, as I personally felt like the side characters fell a little flat compared to her. That said, I really enjoyed seeing her navigate all the webs of schemes that she gets entangled in, and I was absolutely eating up the tension between her and literally every other character she met on this hellish journey. Especially her interactions with Silla, Rasel and Kol had me in an absolute chokehold, and the knife-sharp banter had me grinning and chuckling the entire way through.
Despite that bloody high fun factor, I think A Pocket of Lies is one of those reads that you need to pay close attention to, not only because Suri somehow manages to stumble from one disaster into the next one faster than you can blink, but also because the plot and lore (hello meddling gods!) get impressively complex the deeper in you get. And as much as I enjoyed that utterly addictive ‘just one more chapter’ quality, I personally wouldn’t have minded the pacing to slow down a bit at times to just let this epic world with its intriguing history, rich lore and diverse, vibrant characters shine to its fullest.
Though while the pacing might be lightning fast, the romance is slow as molasses, and I was all here for it. There’s barely a glimmer of romance to be found in this first instalment (seriously, Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire or Nevernight series are more spicy than this), but the way that all the tense interpersonal relationships are set up for book 2 had me kicking my feet in giddy anticipatory delight. To me, Sandpiper really took all the best and most beloved tropes of both the grimdark and (Fae) romantasy subgenres, and just blended it all together into something altogether more exciting.
It honestly feels like we have barely scratched the surface here, and all the wild revelations during the hectic, high-stakes ending hooked me right in for the rest of the Amefyre trilogy. Whether you come here for the bloody brutal action, the riveting intrigue, or the sizzling tension, A Pocket of Lies will deliver it all and leave you desperate for more in the best way possible.
Okay so if you ever feel like your life is utter shit, just read A Pocket of Lies and remember that Suri is probably having it way worse than you are. After our lovely little spitfire of a thief suffers a very humiliating robbery, she goes into full-on revenge mode and decides to abduct and impersonate a foreign princess at the royal ball. Except, her crazy con soon goes absolutely tits up, which ends up leading to her exile into the cursed wastelands on a deadly mission to assassinate the dark and notorious Fae lord Kol. And that, my friends, is only the start of this glorious trainwreck of an adventure.
Now, if there is one thing I love in books, it’s stabby women who can hold a grudge, and that is Suri to a T. Did I want to shake and strangle her for her incredibly rash and impulsive actions sometimes? Oh yes, I sure did, but that level of relatable messiness only made me love her more. She really is the universe’s punching bag for the entirety of A Pocket of Lies, and I loved seeing her stubbornly fight and bluff her way through all the brutal trials and tribulations. Plus, she also has this mysterious menacing voice in her head that made her even more compelling to follow; never enough emotional inner turmoil, if you ask me.
In a way, I almost think she was a bit too much of an intense whirlwind of loud personality, as I personally felt like the side characters fell a little flat compared to her. That said, I really enjoyed seeing her navigate all the webs of schemes that she gets entangled in, and I was absolutely eating up the tension between her and literally every other character she met on this hellish journey. Especially her interactions with Silla, Rasel and Kol had me in an absolute chokehold, and the knife-sharp banter had me grinning and chuckling the entire way through.
Despite that bloody high fun factor, I think A Pocket of Lies is one of those reads that you need to pay close attention to, not only because Suri somehow manages to stumble from one disaster into the next one faster than you can blink, but also because the plot and lore (hello meddling gods!) get impressively complex the deeper in you get. And as much as I enjoyed that utterly addictive ‘just one more chapter’ quality, I personally wouldn’t have minded the pacing to slow down a bit at times to just let this epic world with its intriguing history, rich lore and diverse, vibrant characters shine to its fullest.
Though while the pacing might be lightning fast, the romance is slow as molasses, and I was all here for it. There’s barely a glimmer of romance to be found in this first instalment (seriously, Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire or Nevernight series are more spicy than this), but the way that all the tense interpersonal relationships are set up for book 2 had me kicking my feet in giddy anticipatory delight. To me, Sandpiper really took all the best and most beloved tropes of both the grimdark and (Fae) romantasy subgenres, and just blended it all together into something altogether more exciting.
It honestly feels like we have barely scratched the surface here, and all the wild revelations during the hectic, high-stakes ending hooked me right in for the rest of the Amefyre trilogy. Whether you come here for the bloody brutal action, the riveting intrigue, or the sizzling tension, A Pocket of Lies will deliver it all and leave you desperate for more in the best way possible.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
There's absolutely nothing in this book that I didn't like.
All the elements of a great fantasy novel you expect to see are here, court intrigue, twists and turns, betrayal and lies, and possibly a slow burn romance.
Suri is a total badass main character. She is tough and smart, but she really gets put through it in this book. Nothing she goes through shakes her belief in herself however, and that is the central theme of the story. Trust yourself above all else.
She certainly can't trust anyone else around her, all the side characters are trying to either use her or kill her, or both! Of course my fav character is Ruben!
This novel is so well written I couldn't put it down. That ending is fire!
I'm immediately starting book 2 and eagerly anticipating book 3 of the series!
All the elements of a great fantasy novel you expect to see are here, court intrigue, twists and turns, betrayal and lies, and possibly a slow burn romance.
Suri is a total badass main character. She is tough and smart, but she really gets put through it in this book. Nothing she goes through shakes her belief in herself however, and that is the central theme of the story. Trust yourself above all else.
She certainly can't trust anyone else around her, all the side characters are trying to either use her or kill her, or both! Of course my fav character is Ruben!
This novel is so well written I couldn't put it down. That ending is fire!
I'm immediately starting book 2 and eagerly anticipating book 3 of the series!
Can I just say for a debut novel this was a great plot but more towards the end, the first bit was hard to get through but this was my first fantasy romance of 2025 so it’s been a while since I’ve read this genre.
I am excited to read the second book though
I am excited to read the second book though
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Death. It was always death. The one big threat, given out more freely than any compliment. She lived each day on the edge of death. Since her exile, she had been a dead woman walking. She had contemplated her death a million different ways from when she was a child. Today, she had contemplated it coming at her own hands. What did he think his words would do?”
– R. A. Sandpiper, A Pocket of Lies
Suri is right about one thing; women’s clothing never has enough pockets.
I recently saw Sandpiper, an indie author, announce on her TikTok that she’d be taking applications for ARCs of her new book, A Claiming of Souls releasing on 10th May 2025. This is the third book in her Amefyre series and I was intrigued. One of the few conditions was that you had to have read the first two books in the series first; A Pocket of Lies and A Promise of Blood. So, thanks to them being handily available on Kindle Unlimited, I dove right in.
“The priesthood and prostitution. Two very different places with a near identical offering. A roof, a bed, some food, a few bits to spend. In exchange for worshiping some trumped up male a few nights a week.”
– R. A. Sandpiper, A Pocket of Lies
A Pocket of Lies is a very past-faced romantic fantasy. It follows the misadventures of Suri, a thief, barely surviving in the North. She suffers a vicious assault, scams her way into a ball as a means to repay a debt, and ends up fighting for her life in The Parched Lands as a result.
Suri’s adventure rapidly goes from bad to worse with brief breathers in-between. There are so many incredible twists in this book and they had me absolutely hooked. Sandpiper establishes her world without overwhelming amounts of lore and gives away just enough details that your curiosity is always piqued. I have so many questions about this world that have not yet been answered, which has left me so eager to read the next book in the series: A Promise of Blood. I feel like it’s a true skill to dance the line of sharing enough details that the reader isn’t confused, while still not giving everything away. It’s a skill Sandpiper has as a writer, for sure.
I also really enjoyed the fact that Suri was almost exasperated with the turns her life was taking. She’s a thief just trying to get by and improve her life for the sake of herself and her brother, who she hopes to be returning soon. I feel like it’s quite rare to see a morally grey female main character, and really enjoyed the way she was written. Suri has no interest in being nice. She’s out for her own survival. And has no interest in being anyone’s spy, priestess, or hero. She wants her freedom and a comfortable life. Honestly, relatable and refreshing to read!
There’s a good amount of humour that comes across in A Pocket of Lies too. The quote above about priesthood and prostitution was one of my favourites. Suri also has a spectacular rant towards the end of the book when she finds out just who the voice in her head has been all along. It gave me a good laugh and was a pretty realistic reaction for such a regular person.
Some tropes and common themes I enjoyed in this book:
- There’s never enough damn pockets
- Morally grey characters
- A morally grey Female Main Character
- Critical of religion
- Personifications of Life and Death
- Pagans!
- “Who did this to you?”
- Female main character is scrappy and does not give up easily
- It’s gritty and does not shy away from the reality of violence and poverty
- Learning to trust
- Great plot twists
- Old Gods vs New Gods
There were no trigger warnings listed, however, from reading I came across the following:
- Violence
- Extreme poverty
- Religious Trauma
- Death
- Graphic injuries and fights
- Mentions of sex and brief scenes
I think my only slight criticism of this book would be that there’s just not enough romance in this to call it a romantasy yet. You definitely see the start of the slow burn, and there’s other relationships and moments that come tantalizingly close. Though to be honest that has only fueled my need to read more. Overall a highly recommended read, and I’ll see you in the next review when I’ve finished the second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Blood, Abandonment, Classism
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail