Representation: Implied Brown character
Trigger warnings: Fire, death of parents and others in the past, near-death experience, imprisonment, murder, gun violence
Score: Six points out of ten.
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One year ago, I read Astrid Scholte's debut, Four Dead Queens--a massive disappointment. One year later, it was time to read her latest book (at the time of writing,) League of Liars. However, it turned out to be equally underwhelming. I thought League of Liars was enjoyable until I picked out the flaws. I'm done with this author.

It starts with the first character I see, Cayder Broduck, studying to be a lawyer after magic, or edem, killed his mother. He seizes an opportunity to be a public defender's apprentice to learn every trick to dismantle arguments, as the blurb said. However, when Cayder meets his clients in the prison, Jay and Leta, they are not what they seem at first glance. League of Liars revolves around a mystery concerning who burnt a town to the ground. If it's not the suspect, then who is it? Unfortunately, nothing happens in League of Liars except the characters living their lives, creating a monotonous reading experience. I couldn't connect or relate to them. The worldbuilding doesn't exist, and the worst part is the magic system. Why is there a veil where all the edem comes from? How did it get here? Why hasn't the country the author set League of Liars set in progressed compared to others? There's no explanation for any of my questions. The conclusion is a cliffhanger and more action-packed than the rest of League of Liars. The sequel, Shadows of Truth, will arrive this year, but I don't want to read any more of the author's fictional compositions for now. ( )

Dandy, slam-bang and with plenty of intrigue. Add in a magic that's seen by many as evil, but is anything but, have the main characters bounce from tension-filled situation, to tension-filled situation, then end with a great cliffhanging moment. I want a time machine so I can zip ahead and read the sequel now. ( )

Written by the same author as Four Dead Queens. Cayder lives in a world where black magic called Edem appears wherever there are shadows and so the world world is filled with lights everywhere to stop shadows forming. The Edem can be taken by anyone and controlled to be used against other people and objects and when Cayder was very young ( 10 years old) he used the Edem to escape a grounding at home. Unfortunately he forgot that whenever you use the magic, the royal family's police called the Regency can feel it and they arrested him. He was sent to reform school and permanently marked that he'd used the forbidden magic. With his mother then killed by Edem magic, from that point on, he'd had one purpose in life, but to make sure all users of edem are brought to justice.
Now at 17 years old, he is an apprentice to the public defender and he starts to see the point of view from the other side through three cases of young people like himself who have all been imprisoned by the Regency for supposedly using Edem magic.
A bit slow going at the start, the book gets better as we are introduced to the three prisoners and see Cayder's dilemma. One for fans of thought provoking fantasy with twists and turns and a bit of mystery thrown in. I was disappointed that it wasn't a stand alone novel and that there will be a sequel, as it leaves the readers on a cliff hanger. ( )

The Library finally got the book in.
So glad they ordered it.
I CAN'T WAIT!!!

How to spend a snowed in weekend? For me, it was getting lost in the fantasy world in Astrid Scholtes' new YA novel, League of Liars.
"In this fantasy thriller, four teens charged with murder and caught up with the illegal use of magic band together to devise the ultimate jailbreak."

I am always fascinated by the world building in fantasy novels. In this world in magic is forbidden and strictly regulated. Any misuse is dealt with quickly and harshly. The magic itself is interesting as it is shadows that execute the magic when they are called upon. But the end result often doesn't match the user's intent.

League of Liars gives us four teen protagonists, all with a vendetta against the Regency. There's Cayder, a law intern, his sister Leta and Jey, who is a bit of a rogue. And of course what fantasy world doesn't have a princess? Although Cayder leads the pack, I found myself drawn more to Leta. She's bold and brave, a bit hard headed and is the character I'd choose to play. The cast of supporting characters are easy to separate into 'good' and 'bad'.

The plot itself is busy in a good way - murders, disappearances, court cases, a prison, royalty, a ruling council, the mysterious Veil that is tied to the magic, and a touch of romance. Danger and action filled as well.

When I read YA books, I try not to be "adult eyes" critical of plot devices or directions, the actions of the teen protagonists, their actions and thoughts. For me, fantasy novels are just that - a chance to escape into another world in the pages of a book.

League of Liars weighs in at 464 pages. I do think it could have been tightened up in a few places, but overall I quite enjoyed League of Liars. Now about that ending.....all I can say is I hope there's a second book! And isn't that cover great! ( )