BLOG TOUR Liar's Kingdom by Christine Callela

Hi friends! Welcome to my stop on the tour organized by TBR and Beyond Tours for Liar's Kingdom by Christine Callela. Check out my post to learn more about the book, the author and where you can get yourself a copy. Make sure you show the other hosts some love as well. The link to the tour schedule is below. Happy reading everyone!

Liar's Kingdom by Christine Callela Tour Schedule (TBR and Beyond Tours) 

About the Book

Ell has spent years slaving away for her cruel stepfamily. So when Prince Bayard—who seems to have difficulty recognizing faces—shows up at her door with a glass slipper, Ell allows him to believe she danced with him at the ball. There’s just one problem: Ell didn’t attend the ball and she’s never met the prince before in her life. But if it’s a choice between moving to the royal palace or staying home, Ell is willing to say anything to escape.

However, Ell finds that being royalty comes with its own problems. Bayard’s sister, the princess, has gone missing. The king is preparing for war against the fae. And Maxim, Bayard’s treacherous (and handsome) best friend, appears to know Ell is lying.

If Ell wants to keep this life she’s stolen, she’s going to have to roll up her sleeves and rescue herself.

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publishing date: January 14, 2025

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Review of Liar's Kingdom by Christine Callela 

Rating: 4 Stars

Format: eARC (Courtesy of TBR and Beyond Tours and Publisher)

Christine Callela's new young adult fantasy, Liar's Kingdom, was an innovative and exciting spin on the Cinderella fairy tale. The prince of the kingdom is on a hunt for the girl he met at the ball, and all he has to find her is the glass slipper she left behind. But little does the prince know, the first girl he meets whose foot fits the slipper (Ell) never actually went to the ball. 

I loved the twists in this book. The prince's face blindness in particular was so unique, and I appreciated how it honored the original tale without parroting it exactly. The incorporation of the fae into the story was also excellent, and it added another layer of magic and intrigue to the tale. 

The characters were excellent. Ell is not the whimsical and naive girl from the Disney fairytale. She's been living a hard life subject to the whims of her step-family for years, and is desperate to do whatever she can to escape. Seeing the opportunity, she jumps at the chance to leave with the prince. Maxim was another interesting character, and I loved the verbal sparring matches that the two got into. 

Overall, this was a great read and I'm excited to see more from this author in the future. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy fairytale retellings complete with unique twists, thought provoking themes, and morally grey heroines. 

Favorite Quotes

• A nice pinch is sometimes what you need to remind yourself the good things around you aren't a dream. 
• ...don't ever want to be so evil someone would rather shatter than forgive me. 
• I love you because, from the first moment our hands touched, it was like lightning. I felt like we were made for each other. Like you were my other half. 

About the Author

When not writing, Christine Calella spends her spare time singing showtunes in the shower, drinking more chai lattes than is strictly necessary, and either over- or under-watering an unfortunate string of houseplants named after sitcom characters. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, and she lives in New York City.

As her romance alter ego, Madeline Bell, Christine also pens adult rom-coms with a bookish twist. For more information, check out the Books section, under the “By Madeline Bell” drop-down.

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REVIEW Nine Tailed (Realm of the Four Kingdoms #1) by Jayci Lee

Nine Tailed (Realm of the Four Kingdoms #1) by Jayci Lee

Rating: 3 Stars

Release Date: August 1, 2024

Format: eARC (Courtesy of Author + Publisher) and Audiobook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publisher: Montlake

“Desperation makes fools of us all. And I’ve always been a fool for you, Sunny. I’ve loved you since I was sixteen.”

Jayci Lee's Nine Tales, first book in the Realm of Four Kingdoms series, was an interesting take on Korean Mythology and culture. While entertaining and filled with adventure, I don't believe its accurate to classify it as a young adult book (the better age category would be new adult or adult).

Sunny is a gumiho, or a nine tailed fox spirit who has been hiding from the world of the Gods, or the 'Shingae' for most of her life. Ageless and nearly immortal, she's been on the move for the last century so the mortals don't realize she doesn't age. When someone from her past finds her, however, she's forced to return to a past she thought long behind her and confront old enemies she thought long dead.

I loved getting to learn about the elements of Korean folklore and mythology. Fox spirits have always been interesting to me (thank you Pokemon and Naruto), and I love 'trickster' spirits too. The author also delves into different types of spirits from the Underworld and even forest spirits, so those were nice to learn about too. The team that Sunny and Ethan end up working with later in the book is made up of figures from different ‘kingdoms’ and I enjoyed that found family aspect of the story. 

Sunny and Ethan's relationship was a bit hard for me to buy into initially. Insta love doesn't always connect for me, and that's what it came across as (though Ethan has, in his own words, loved Sunny since he was sixteen). While there many obstacles in their path (i.e. destiny and prophecies), I'm curious to see how things play out in future books. I do want to note that their relationship is why I don't think this book should qualify as a young adult novel. It gets intimate, spicy, and very detailed at multiple points throughout the novel. While that might be ok for some youg adult readers, I'd hesitate to paint with such a broad stroke. As such, I think the better age categories would be new adult or adult.

Overall, an entertaining and engaging read. I'm curious to see what happens next in the series, especially with the revelations about Ethan. Narrators Michelle H. Lee and Greg Chun did a great job bringing the story to life with their performance in the audiobook. I would recommend this book to mature readers who are fans of the romantasy genre, like diverse worldbuilding and characters, and the found family trope.

Thank you to the author, the publisher Montlake and the team at NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.