The Liar's Crown

by Abigail Owen

Overview

Paste Magazine Pick for Best New YA Books of August 2022

“An addictive, action-packed, scorcher of a read!” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël

Some shadows protect you…others will kill you in this dazzling new fantasy series from award-winning author Abigail Owen.

Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present.

Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake.

As I try to escape, all the lies start to unravel. And not just my lies. The Shadowraith who took me has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, identities that threaten my very life.

Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save my sister and our dominion is to kill Eidolon…and the Shadowraith who has stolen my heart.

The Dominions series is best enjoyed in order.
Reading Order:
Book #1 The Liar’s Crown
Book #2 The Stolen Throne

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781649371522
Publisher:	Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Series:	Dominions , #1
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	48,641
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.80(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Multi-award-winning author Abigail Owen writes adult paranormal romance and upper YA fantasy romance. She loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of HEAs! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.

Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero husband and their angelic (mostly) kids, who are growing up way too fast. abigailowen.com

Editorial Reviews

2022-07-07
Texas novelist Owen (The Cursed King, 2021, etc.) launches a new YA series with a tale of a princess and her nonruling twin who battle an ancient enemy of their kingdom.

In the kingdom of Aryd, 18-year-old Meren is Princess Tabra’s twin. As the second-born of the pair, she must live outside the palace as a peasant with Omma, her caretaker. Should anything happen to her sister, Meren would take her place permanently in the public’s eye. The main threat comes from King Eidolon of Tyndra, an immortal with a penchant for murdering Aryd’s female rulers. Meren finds her primary relief from her drab life in sneaking outside the walls of the city of Enora to the desert. Even as the second-born she has special powers over sand, and she uses them there to sculpt glass flowers for Tabra. Meren also meets with Cain, a handsome desert Wanderer who expects to become the next “zariph” of his “zariphate.” Cain asks Meren to join his Wanderers and travel to Aryd’s Sacred Tree, but she’s kidnapped by a shadowy figure who takes her through a portal to the region called Wildernyss. The coldly attractive man is Reven, a Shadowraith who can manipulate darkness. When he claims to need Tabra’s help, Meren pretends to be her sister and learns Reven’s secrets, which both terrify her and draw her to him. The author playfully leads readers through sharp fantasy twists as Meren and Reven travel together, encountering a petrified dragon skeleton and a harpy eagle that mimics the sound of a woman climaxing. Owen adds modern phrases to keep things fresh (Meren calls herself a “total bitch”) and a bit of political commentary in lines like: “People...don't want to acknowledge a problem exists unless it affects them personally. And leaders, once they gain power, don’t want to risk losing it again.” Reven turns out to have a shocking connection to King Eidolon that further complicates his entanglement with Meren. The finale rattles the status quo enough to pique interest in future installments.

A sexy YA fantasy that creates a deep bedrock for sequels.

Kirkus Reviews

An addictive, action-packed, scorcher of a read!”

#1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël