There's a lot going on here, and it's up to the reader to keep up.

Love all the work around secrets, truth and lies and the connections to what's happening in our world.

Lively, well plotted with complex characterisation.australian-ya conflict family ...more3 s Cait | GoodeyReads2,118 495

Thank you to GetUnderlined for the free ARC.

I AM SO CONFUSED.

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This book confused me. There wasn’t enough world building for me to understand anything and I was constantly in a state of befuddlement as I tried to piece together the land, the rules, and the magic system.

The summary even mentions a romance, there is no romance. There is one kiss, with no relationship buildup.

I guess I kind of d the side character friends Bell had?

And the writing style didn’t work for me. There was a severe lack of dialogue for much of the book and it made it hard to connect with characters.

Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: none
- Romance: kiss
- Violence: low-moderate2024 arc fantasy ...more3 s Text Publishing642 250 Want to read

The following book have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Liar's Test

‘Intriguing and layered worldbuilding that draws on the author’s Australian Indigenous culture steals the show in this serpentine fantasy adventure.’
Publishers Weekly

‘Tucked into a twisty, fast-paced narrative that explores legacies of colonialism are subtle messages about the ever-changing, symbiotic web of life. Intriguing and imaginative.’
Kirkus Reviews

‘A genre-bending, non-stop adventure foregrounding First Nations lifeways, the power of resistance and the multi-generational harms wrought by colonialism and empire. Bell Silverleaf is the kick-arse First Nations heroine we have longed for.’
Rebecca Lim

‘A fresh and far-reaching tale brimming with adventure, bravery and resistance—this is must-read Australian YA fantasy!’
Kate Murray

‘A high-action, thematically rich fantasy with a gutsy, intuitive protagonist...Kwaymullina's character development is strong, and she has created a rich lore full of beauty and complexity…Fierce and deeply imaginative.’
Books+Publishingtext-2024 young-adult1 2 comments rachel x265 11 Want to read

mmm not a huge fan of the cover but the blurb is still intriguing me!age-young-adult genre-fantasy myth-native ...more1 Rich in Color539 85 Read

If you’ve been around Rich in Color for a while you know that I love reading books from around the globe, so when the request to read a YA novel by an Aboriginal writer came, I jumped at the chance. The story sounded interesting and as a fan of fantasy I was looking forward to it. I was not disappointed. The story drew me in and with its fast paced storytelling kept me intrigued right up to the end.

The highlight of the book, aside from an awesome and likable character in Bell, is the world-building. It was very clear that Kwaymullina took her time creating Bell’s world as the rules of her society, the different religions, the mythologies, and even the supernatural aspects of the world was so clear that Risen society felt completely real. I fully understood Treesinger beliefs and their ways of life which gave Bell her strength to survive in such a hostile environment. What also was impressive to me was the complete history of the world that was slowly revealed through the story as Bell figured out the truth behind her own personal heritage. Each chapter was a mix of revealing more of this complex world while mixing it with a story that had political intrigue, a mystery that needed to be solved, and an overthrow the government type of thriller.

The heart of the novel is Bell Silverleaf, who when we meet her is dying but is brought back to life through a supernatural power. We realize she is someone special but because she is trapped inside a temple, she has been oppressed for much of her childhood. Bell survives by lying to who oppressors, pretending to share their religious beliefs, but by holding fast to the beliefs of her Treesinger people. She is courageous and thoughtful and really rises to the occasion when she is entered into the Queen’s Test against her will. Since she is such a survivor, she leans on those skills in the test but also discovers how much of a leader she can truly be and how much she actually really cares not just for her Treesinger people but for people as a whole. The growth that Bell went on as she learned to lean into her power was what really connected me to her. I enjoyed going on the journey with Bell and wanted to continue on her journey after the end of the novel (I don’t know if there is a sequel, but I hope there will be).

I really enjoyed Liar’s Test as it was a fun, immersive read that allowed me to escape into to another complex world for a brief moment. The story was full of plot twists that kept me guessing and drew me deeper into the story. This novel was so different than so much other fantasy and it is a world that I would love to visit again and again. fantasy Leslie884 35

Kwaymullina covers the same scope and breadth of her peers on the YA SFF shelf in what feels half the time, and certainly fewer pages. Does this mean she's abbreviated some of the world- and relationship-building, yes, and I think it works as well as her longer counterparts (who just as often rely on the reader to make similar leaps). The world and its lore is incredibly rich, the relationships satisfactory. There is a lyricism that maintains a rhythm and pace that is clearly well-edited and lovely and easy to read.

I was surprised by how quickly we were in and through most of the Trials. The pacing in this novel lingers only where it needs to and this may mean the reader may need to pay attention more. Also, it is a pretty twisty plot. That said, if you get confused, just be patient because Bell does pause to reflect and congregate her findings. Those more familiar with Science Fictional worlds/media will find this easier to follow; also, video-gamers.

I picked this up to read an Aboriginal writer and I was wise to do so. The conversation on post-colonialism is stellar. These moments were the only place I found the plot gaining weight (for good and less good ala heavy moralizing). All in all, a fantastic read and well worth the time. This would be a crowd-pleasing read for any book club or syllabus.

It brought Donna Barba Higuera's work to mind, especially that SF shift; which is a good thing.

With gratitude for the eARC from the publisher and Edelweiss+2024-read author-of-another-country black-lives-ya ...more Hillary329 16


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