Michael was branded a traitor and his family exiled from courtly life after his father, David Kingman, murdered the king's nine-year-old son.
Now he survives by conning, cheating and duelling minor royals in a weak attempt to strike back at the world that abandoned him and his family, sure all the while that his father must be innocent . . . and aware that some powerful secret lurks in the hot white emptiness of his mind.
So when the opportunity arrives to return to court, via the most dangerous of the King's royal council, Michael takes it, hoping for clues to unlock his hidden past. Instead, he's going to find a royal family spiralling into a self-serving dictatorship, as beyond the walls gun-wielding rebels clash against magically trained militia.
But if he can find his way to the truth, he could completely reverse the injustices which rule the Hollows . . . if Michael and his family can survive long enough to see it . . .
I was approved an ARC of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety was originally posted at my blog, eclectic tales: http://eclectictales.insanitysandwich.com/blog/2020/08/14/review-the-kingdom-of-liars/
I wanted to like this book, I really did. As I mentioned the premise was interesting, loved the book cover, Brandon Sanderson was on the blurb…And yeah. What interested me the most about this book was the magic system, the Fabricators, and the use of memory in this novel. I wish it was explored more but there was a lot going on in this book: the politics, the dynamics, the struggle to survive.
Another reason why I didn’t like the book as much as I wanted to was the main character. Michael…his intentions are well-meaning, the only one who could really shoulder the memory of the Kingsman family, but man was he whiny, which then lends to some of his decision making. The whole scheme just did not convince me at all, he didn’t evoke enough empathy in me to see his story through with my support.
So yeah, unfortunately I did not enjoy reading The Kingdom of Liars. It had potential with the complex web of politicking and scheming and social class upheaval as well as the magic system but the characters and the worldbuilding just did not do anything for me.
