Thief Liar Lady by D.L. Soria – Review

Published: July 11, 2023

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 416 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
I’m not who you think I am.

My transformation from a poor, orphaned scullery maid into the enchantingly mysterious lady who snagged the heart of the prince did not happen–as the rumors insisted–in a magical metamorphosis of pumpkins and glass slippers. On the first evening of the ball, I didn’t meekly help my “evil” stepmother and stepsisters primp and preen or watch forlornly out the window as their carriage rolled off toward the palace. I had other preparations to make.

My stepsisters and I had been trained for this–to be the cleverest in the room, to be quick with our hands and quicker with our lies. We were taught how to get everything we want in this world, everything men always kept for themselves: power, wealth, and prestige. And with a touchingly tragic past and the help of some highly illegal spells, I would become a princess, secure our fortunes, and we would all live happily ever after.

But there’s always more to the story. With my magic running out, war looming, and a handsome hostage prince–the wrong prince–distracting me from my true purpose with his magnetic charm and forbidden flirtations, I’m in danger of losing control of the delicate balance I’ve created…and that could prove fatal.

There’s so much more riding on this than a crown.

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I haven’t read many Cinderella retellings but it’s easy to see Thief Liar Lady stands out with its exciting twists on the classic tale. This does follow some of the basic elements of the Cinderella tale – a girl goes to a royal ball, intrigues the prince, and he searches for her after she leaves only a shoe and a glorious memory – but puts quite the devious spin on things. Aislinn, or Ash as she prefers to be called, is running a con. Her stepmother and stepsisters have put tremendous amounts of effort and money into putting Aislinn into position so she might cast an infatuation spell on a wealthy nobleman at Prince Everett’s three night birthday ball, but Ash set her sights on the Prince himself. Her success now sees her ensconced in the palace, away from her “evil” stepmother, and awaiting her wedding day. 

What her stepfamily doesn’t know is that Ash has a second mission from her Elorian grandmother to feed information to the Elorian rebellion and influence politics. Everything is going quite smoothly until the hostage Prince Verance, called Rance, shows his insouciant face and Ash is struck by cupid’s arrow. A slight exaggeration, but it’s clear from their first encounter that the two are entranced by one another. 

The story is told purely from Ash’s point of view and is mostly set in the present day. There are a few chapters where we flashback to the recent past and those were somewhat disorienting as in the eARC there was no way to differentiate those chapters in the heading. Ash is a fascinating character and while she was trained to execute a task this complex and delicate, it’s interesting to see how anxious she gets about being found out and to see here doubts and constant reminders to herself to stay in character. It’s clear to the reader from the very beginning that there’s no way she can stay in character as “Lady Aislinn” forever and at some point the charade will come crumbling down. The only question is when it will happen, especially as Ash and Rance continue to have their unplanned and emotionally fraught encounters. The tension between them is palpable. 

I think the most satisfying part about this book is when I thought I knew precisely how it was going to play out and then the rug was brutally ripped from under me and I was reeling! I was shocked! And then it bamboozled me yet again! The ending was ultimately satisfying, but leading up to the ending was a hell of an emotional rollercoaster and that is what made this book worth it. Thief Liar Lady was an excellent retelling, especially if you’re fond of roguish characters and confidence games.