The Liar’s Knot by M.A. Carrick – Review

Published: December 7, 2021

Publisher: Orbit Books

Series: Rook & Rose #2

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 672 (Paperback)

My Rating: 5.0/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Trust is the thread that binds. And the rope that hangs.

In Nadežra, peace is as tenuous as a single thread. The ruthless House Indestor has been destroyed, but darkness still weaves through the city’s filthy back alleys and jewel-bright gardens, seen by those who know where to look.

Derossi Vargo has always known. He has sacrificed more than anyone imagines to carve himself a position of power and influence among the nobility, hiding a will of steel behind a velvet smile. He’ll be damned if he lets anyone threaten what he’s built.

Grey Serrado knows all too well. Bent under the yoke of too many burdens, he fights to protect the city’s most vulnerable. Sooner or later, that fight will demand more than he can give.

And Ren, daughter of no clan, knows best of all. Caught in a knot of lies, torn between her heritage and her aristocratic masquerade, she relies on her gift for reading pattern to survive. And it shows her the web of darkness that traps her city.

But all three have yet to discover just how far that web stretches. And in the end, it will take more than knives to cut themselves free…

May I just say that I am uber impressed by how awesome this book was? And the FASHION! It’s glorious! With a cover that gorgeous I really would expect nothing less. Also, I’ve just realized that a peacock spider like PEABODY is part of the mask design. I love Peabody and I don’t normally care for spiders, but he just seems really cute.

I have so many favorite parts of this book to be honest. For instance, the intertwining of the Vraszenian pattern magic and the somewhat more scientific astrological magic was really cool. I love that we got to explore how those two magics can work together or influence one another. Then you throw in the secret societies and that’s a whole new level of exciting stuff! Since Vargo and Ren have both recently been elevated to high society, they’ve been invited to one of the most prominent of the societies and they must be initiated to become privy to the secrets they hold.

I also love all the tension between Vargo, Ren, and the Rook. It’s not exactly what I’d call your stereotypical love triangle, since Ren isn’t a vapid teenager that just can’t make up her mind on which guy to choose. There was just the right amount of time spent on Ren being entranced by both for different reasons and then she makes a decision. Vargo is handsome and fascinating obviously, but he also runs on the darker side of things with his gangs. The Rook is a vigilante seeker of justice, hunting down magical relics and has more of a “good guy” vibe to him though he’s not exactly a shining example of morality either at times. There ends up being a delightful amount of tension (not sexual) between Vargo and the Rook too, since they have a bit of a history with one another.

Overall, the story and character development were phenomenal and I was SUPER invested for the entire duration of the book. I really didn’t want it to end and now I’m out here jonesing for the sequel because there is most definitely going to be a third book. There’s so much left to explore in this world and so many unfinished plot elements, like destroying the numinatra artifacts the Rook has been chasing down. Did I mention how much I loved learning more about the Rook’s origins? This was such a compelling story with just the right blend of action, intrigue, and political maneuvering mixed with lots of magic and FASHION and BAKED GOODS. I love that Ren’s sister Tess is being wooed by a guy who brings her tons of baked goods – that too is the way to my heart (just ask my husband). I really can’t recommend this series enough and loved every page!