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titalindaslibrary 's review for:
Mistress of Lies
by K.M. Enright
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugh, I have such mixed feelings for this book, so I'll try my best to sort through them.
First, what I liked:
- The Bridgerton vibes are strong! I get a lot of that historical/regency vibe from the rich descriptions of settings, clothes, and prim exchanges between lords and ladies.
- This twist on vampires and making them Blood Workers instead is fascinating.
- Every time we got a reference to Filipino food I could hear the "RAAAAA PHILIPPINES MENTIONED RAAAAA!" sound go off in my head.
- The opener was SUCH A BANGER, wtf, so good! Of course I was hooked by that!
What didn't work:
- After such a strong opening, we hit a wall by the 50% mark. I almost DNF'ed at that point, I was so bored. We were just repeatedly being shown the same thing (omg, someone died again, who could it be!?) and the heavy handed exposition overtook the plot, making it a frustrating reading experience.
- For someone who's supposed to be a badass spymaster, Shan really doesn't seem to do much (aside from that killer opening scene)? Also, it feels ridiculous to believe NO ONE would recognize her, like what in the Clark Kent makeup disguise is this? Girl doesn't even wear a wig, she straight up adds some extra foundation and eyeliner or whatever and calls it good.
- The Blood Working sounds so cool...it'd be even cooler if we got a better explanation for how it worked.
- This book wanders down different paths of trying to be a murder mystery, a romance, political court intrigue, and revolution but fails to excel at any of them and instead becomes a rather middling experience in all four categories.
And speaking of the political intrigue/revolution plotline, by the end I was Team Villain! Shan and Samuel are such pacifist centrists in this that I couldn't help getting annoyed by them. While Samuel feels like he could be swayed into genuine revolutionary action, Shan is so clearly wrapped up in benefitting from a system that will continue to oppress others.
I wanted to love this book, and after such a strong opening, I was so excited! But my own expectations ended up making this feel even more disappointing.
First, what I liked:
- The Bridgerton vibes are strong! I get a lot of that historical/regency vibe from the rich descriptions of settings, clothes, and prim exchanges between lords and ladies.
- This twist on vampires and making them Blood Workers instead is fascinating.
- Every time we got a reference to Filipino food I could hear the "RAAAAA PHILIPPINES MENTIONED RAAAAA!" sound go off in my head.
- The opener was SUCH A BANGER, wtf, so good! Of course I was hooked by that!
What didn't work:
- After such a strong opening, we hit a wall by the 50% mark. I almost DNF'ed at that point, I was so bored. We were just repeatedly being shown the same thing (omg, someone died again, who could it be!?) and the heavy handed exposition overtook the plot, making it a frustrating reading experience.
- For someone who's supposed to be a badass spymaster, Shan really doesn't seem to do much (aside from that killer opening scene)? Also, it feels ridiculous to believe NO ONE would recognize her, like what in the Clark Kent makeup disguise is this? Girl doesn't even wear a wig, she straight up adds some extra foundation and eyeliner or whatever and calls it good.
- The Blood Working sounds so cool...it'd be even cooler if we got a better explanation for how it worked.
- This book wanders down different paths of trying to be a murder mystery, a romance, political court intrigue, and revolution but fails to excel at any of them and instead becomes a rather middling experience in all four categories.
And speaking of the political intrigue/revolution plotline, by the end I was Team Villain! Shan and Samuel are such pacifist centrists in this that I couldn't help getting annoyed by them. While Samuel feels like he could be swayed into genuine revolutionary action, Shan is so clearly wrapped up in benefitting from a system that will continue to oppress others.
I wanted to love this book, and after such a strong opening, I was so excited! But my own expectations ended up making this feel even more disappointing.