Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Liar's Knot by M.A. Carrick

6 reviews

wardenred's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

4.75

...but this was Nadežra. Its foundations were built of lies as much as stone.

I read the first book in the series what feels like absolute ages ago, way before this one was even out yet, and I absolutely loved it to bits. Still, once The Liar's Key came out, I've spent ages being weirdly intimidated to start it. I can't even explain it, it just felt like an intimidating read somehow? And I guess it turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, because for about 1/4 of a book, I didn't have an easy time. I very much appreciated the "Story so far" section at the beginning and various hints at past events and outright reminders scattered throughout the first chapters. That sure made it easier to get reacquainted with this fantastic world and its characters. However, it still took me way too long to find my footing in it as a reader.

Looking back, I think I would've had a very different impression if I binge-read the books back to back. Because what apparently caused me difficulties was that the status quo here was very different from the get-go, compared to the first book (understandable!). But still, the characters seemed to be kind of... emotionally a step behind the changes, still embroiled in the pre-change events to some extent even as they were already plotting their actions going forward. And similarly, the narrative/structure/the book itself kind of played by the old rules despite the situation being so different, some of the secrets that drove the plot of the previous books being out for the reader to see, etc. Then gradually everything came back together and the plot once again turned into this intricate mechanism where all the details were in sync. If I read the books back to back, I think this transitional period would have felt like a cool feature, really helpful for characterization in particular. But the big gap between books caused me to feel mildly disoriented instead.

Overall, this is very much the second book in a trilogy: halfway dealing with the fallout of the previous events, halfway setting up the stakes and the game pieces for the conclusion. Of course, there are still a lot of developments and changes that are interesting to follow on their own, not just as part of the big whole. I adored getting to know the city of Nadezra even better, in all of its ugliness and splendor. The more small worldbuilding details are revealed, the richer this place becomes. The character arcs are top-notch; I especially loved reading Grey's chapters. His arc gets more and more fascinating as it develops. Ren also continuously held my interest and never stopped being fascinating, and there were so many other characters who continued to capture my heart, especially Tess and Donaia. I also loved how all the themes of secret vigilante identities were handled, and the layered politics and mysteries. In terms of complaints, I'm maybe a tad disappointed with some aspects of the romance storyline / how it played out once the beautiful slow burn phase was through, and I still harbor hopes for my OT3. Still, overall, after the rocky start, this was a great experience.

Now, note to self: don't wait THIS long before reading the third book!

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calicat42's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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aklovekorn's review against another edition

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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

4.75


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ijustreallyliketrees's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-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

4.5

It took me a while to get invested this time because there is a lot of political worldbuilding at the start, way more than in the first book I felt. Still really enjoyed it, love the characters and looking forward to seeing where the story will go from here.

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maryellen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0


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maggieslibrarycard's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

5.0

 The Liar’s Knot (Rook & Rose 2) by M. A. Carrick

5 stars

Content Warnings (may contain minor spoilers): Gore, Violence, Body Horror, Drug Use, Abuse, Death, Sexual Content

This was an amazing sequel, and it in my opinion was just as good, if not better, than the first book in this adult fantasy series, The Mask of Mirrors. I am so excited for book three!

The series mainly takes place in the city of Nadežra, and follows the same cast of characters from the first book, Ren, a con artist, Vargo, a crime lord, and Grey, a “hawk” (constable), along with a truly wonderful and dynamic cast of secondary characters.

One of my favourite aspects of this series is the world-building. M. A Carrick has truly done a masterful job at creating this dynamic series, and the  Vraszenians, Liganti, and interwoven cultures are so interesting to discover more about. There is always more information to know, that is always superbly woven into the story in a way that manages to avoid info dumps. There was even more expansion done in this book, and I was truly engrossed. While these books are fairly low magic, the two magic systems are also both so interesting and fun to read and discover more about. I especially enjoyed how - despite one being a so-called “hard” magic system and the other being a so-called “soft” magic system - both magic systems were shown to be both powerful and dangerous, with massive potential costs to users. 

Carrick also really succeeds in creating a dark, enthralling atmosphere, and I think this is partially done through the world-building, but also their exquisite prose. I’m not always the biggest prose person, but they managed to create prose for this book which is simultaneously both lush and descriptive, AND efficient and easy to read. It truly enhanced the dark, crime-ridden atmosphere of this series which is something I find prose rarely succeeds fully in doing.

The plot was also so entertaining and fun to follow. While DEFINITELY convoluted at times, I loved reading about all the cons that were being pulled off and they seemed remarkably well thought through. That being said, if you’re someone who does not like your plots to contain A LOT of information to remember, this might not be as enjoyable for you. You’re balancing an enormous cast of characters - many of whom have one or more secret identities - as well as what each character knows about the other characters and their elements of the plot. As I said, I truly think this was masterfully thought through, but I can see how this type of plot would be less appealing to some readers.

Another huge highlight of this series is the characters. In the first book, we are mostly focused on Ren, but I found the POV split in this book to be a lot more even. I truly love all three of the main “protagonists” after finishing this book. Firstly, Ren is such a badass. She plans for every outcome and has mastered the fine art of “girlbossing”. However, despite her industrious endeavours, she has a heart of gold and still cares so much and has so much compassion for those around her. Vargo and I definitely went on a roller coaster ride this book, but at the end of the day he’s iconic in kind of the opposite way to how Ren is. He appears to be very ruthless and cold, but deep down he also (maybe??) has a heart of gold and in this book we began to uncover even more undiscovered facets of his personality, which was very interesting (especially the one with the certain spider). To be short, he is my Kaz Brekker. However, the standout of the three main characters in this book was definitely Grey. I was very lukewarm about him in the first book, but I grew to love him so much over the course of the sequel. (I’m not going to say much more at the risk of spoilers, but he is really great in this book and the additional perspectives really help flesh him out).

The secondary characters are also so well written, in that they all have clear motivations and personalities, even with less page time. Some of my favourites include Arkady Bones (WHAT AN ICON), Tess, Giuna, Donaia, Tanaquis, and basically everyone in Vargo’s crime syndicate. 

Also, the romance in this book was SO GOOD but SO UNEXPECTED! I usually hate it in second books when two characters that didn’t seem to be at all interested in each other prior suddenly are, but I was so sold here and I was shipping it so hard. (I should also add that, while the relationship occurs over the book, it is pretty slow-burn, they don’t just “suddenly” become interested in each other as the last sentence may have implied.) This plot element also allowed for some really sweet quieter moments which really make books enjoyable for me to read. I should add that, while this city is very queer-normative, which I loved (and there are many characters in queer relationships), the main couple I’m discussing here is m/f!

In conclusion, this is an excellent sequel, a great winter-y read, and a perfect way to end off my literary 2021! If you loved The Mask of Mirrors, its sequel does not disappoint!

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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