Book Review | Mistress of Lies

On the streets of Damerel, a serial killer is on the loose, targeting non-magic users known as Unblooded, so the Eternal King tasks two individuals with tracking the killer down.

- Shan, an ambitious Blood Worker who has recently stepped into power by murdering the head of her family.

- Samuel, a bastard with an unusual talent. After he stumbles across a drained body, he unwittingly gets pulled into the investigation and the machinations of the Crown.

Mistress of Lies by K.M. Enright paints an alluring dark fantasy filled with glittering political intrigue and conniving characters.

One of the most interesting parts of the worldbuilding in this book for me is its caste system—where Unblooded are treated as lesser and forced to donate blood quarterly as a part of a blood tax to fuel Blood Worker’s powers. This, of course, leads to the growing civil unrest that we see progress throughout the novel.

However, I think my biggest gripe though is that the actual murder mystery subplot tended to get put on the back burner. It got lost in all the political scheming and balls. While those scenes are fun, I personally wish that there was more of a magical crime procedural/investigation element incorporated into the story. Really, I feel like it's such a huge missed opportunity to not include more forensic work with a blood-based magic system.

I really am a sucker for blood magic, so if I were to continue to read this series, I’d love to see its magic used in more creative and practical ways.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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