Of Liars and Thieves Book Review
4.5/5 Stars - Great read for quest lovers (especially those who appreciate worldbuilding).
They say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but that is exactly what I did with Of Liars and Thieves. In my defense, the cover is gorgeous. I was ready to buy it without even reading the description, but then I read the description, and I wanted to read it more. Long story short, Of Liars and Thieves immediately flew to the top of my TBR and made its way to the ‘read’ shelf in about a week (I’m getting slow).
Before we get into the actual review, we must address one thing. THIS BOOK HAS A PRONUNCIATION GUIDE IN THE BACK! This may just be a me thing, but I get happy when fantasy books actually teach you how to pronounce the characters’ names.
Okay, now, onto the review. Of Liars and Thieves, by Gabriella Lavarelo, is an exciting quest that brings together an unconventional band of individuals and tasks them with saving the land of Raymara from dangerous beasts created by the mysterious storyteller.
The worldbuilding in this book was incredible; I never questioned it for a second. It had plenty of “casual magic” (magic that adds to the world’s realism, not just the plot), which I absolutely love. Likewise, I loved how many fantasy creatures were included. From mermaids
to packs of brownies, Of Liars and Thieves had, like, everything. There were even dragons (yay!).
This was one of the few books when I was genuinely hooked by the plot. I usually go all-in on the characters and forget 90% of what actually happens. However, I’m a sucker for quests, and this one took you all across the magical land of Raymara and straight into the teeth of assorted beasts.
When I started, I expected Lorian and Finriel to be my #1 ship. Boy, was I wrong. To be clear, I love them together, but Tedric and Aeden stole the show for me. Full disclosure, Aeden stole every part of the show for me. I couldn’t wait to figure out what she was hiding.
Book one may have ended, but there is clearly a lot more to come. I eagerly await the next book. In the meantime, I’ll be here theorizing about what will happen next (AKA worrying about the future of Aeden/Tedric) and trying to knock out the rest of the unread books on my shelf (But let’s face it, that will literally never happen).