The Liar's Knot

By: M. A. Carrick

Narrated by: Nikki Massoud

Length: 23 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

A clever con artist, a legendary vigilante, and a dashing crime lord must fight to free their city from the clutches of a dark and ancient magic in the second novel of M. A. Carrick's “utterly captivating” Rook & Rose trilogy (S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass).

Trust is the thread that binds. And the rope that hangs.

In Nadežra, peace is as tenuous as a single thread. The ruthless House Indestor has been destroyed, but darkness still weaves through the city’s filthy alleys and jewel-bright gardens, seen by those who know where to look.

Derossi Vargo has always known. He has sacrificed more than anyone imagines to carve himself a position of power and influence among the nobility, hiding a will of steel behind a velvet smile. He'll be damned if he lets anyone threaten what he's built.

Grey Serrado knows all too well. Bent under the yoke of too many burdens, he fights to protect the city’s most vulnerable. Sooner or later, that fight will demand more than he can give.

And Ren, daughter of no clan, knows best of all. Caught in a knot of lies, torn between her heritage and her aristocratic masquerade, she relies on her gift for reading pattern to survive. And it shows her the web of darkness that traps her city.

But all three have yet to discover just how far that web stretches. And in the end, it will take more than wits and knives to cut themselves free.

©2021 Bryn Neuenschwander and Alyc Helms (P)2022 Orbit

Critic reviews

"Utterly captivating. Carrick spins an exciting web of mystery, magic, and political treachery in a richly drawn and innovative world." (S. A. Chakraborty, author of The City of Brass)

Phenominal.

The writing, the intrigue, the character development, the world, and the narrator's performance. All simply phenomenal.

The plot built upon threads left over from the first boo and introduced more for the next, the growing mystery in the background was fun to follow, the expansion and growth of so many characters was moving, and the narrator's commitment to the tone of the writing and personalities of the characters was amazing.
Though I will say the narrator seems to be at odds with words of French origin.

Love love love these characters

I just binged this book over 3 days. Excellent follow-up to the first. I love dark and urban fantasy but sometimes the “against the odds” stories where everything goes wrong all the time is draining to read. This series has a nice blend of setbacks and success. It’s really fun seeing how the clever characters improvise and plan and juggle through the main arc as well as the various masks all the characters wear. Can’t wait for the next book!

absolutely magnificent

I struggled a bit near the middle of the first book. Came back later, finished it, and decided to pick up the 2nd. so glad I did. The Mask of Mirrors was good. This sequel is amazing and one of my top books now, and I am so excited to read the third.

I love Ren, and Grey, but I have to say Alcius is my favorite character. he's the best, so cute and excitable, and just, a great character.

the world building in this is fantastic.

I am living for the political intrigue in this series. things from rhe first book are now popping up, just the plot and subplots, it's an airtight plot going on with so many twists and turns.

the romance. ever since Leato died, I've been waiting. and it did not disappoint.

I went back and forth in the first half of the book on my opinion of Vargo, I loved how the authors made him so complex.

anyway, definitely read this if you've gotten through the first book. it does not suffer from middle book syndrome at all.

and props to the narrator, she's great with all the many voices she does.

Outstanding! Don’t miss this series.

All around excellent. A very satisfying read and a great performance. This book is better than the first, albeit by a narrow margine.
The complexity of the world and amazing and the characters are great. The pacing is perfect.
I cannot stop wondering how two people write something like this together.
Thank you.

Wonderful book, DELIGHTFUL audiobook!!

The audiobook performance is an absolute DELIGHT, the narrator breathes so much personality and life into each character that it feels effortless to track the long roster of intertwined characters, since I know exactly who is speaking the second they open their mouth.

I will be absolutely inconsolable if they change narrators for the next book!!

The plot and characters are also an absolute treat - A con artist, a crime lord, and a phantom theif twisted into political machinations hinging on magical espionage, in a world with an internally consistent and interconnected magic system, where all characters are assumed bisexual until proven otherwise.

Can’t wait for the next one

Love these books. So creative! Such great characters. Good writing, great narration, engaging story. Will be awaiting the next installment.

Excellent Storyline!

I am loving this series! CanNot WAIT for the last one to be released. Also, hoping for some pattern cards. Excellent story. Excellent narration.

Fun and immersive

great continuation of the story. lots to unpack, and can't wait for the next one. the reader was the same one from the first book, and it looks like whoever directed the reading took notes from reviews, because this one was much better. you could actually hear the male voices, and the performance itself was better as well.

A good continuation

I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book, but was invested enough to keep the pages turning. This was a great continuation of what was built in the first book.

1st book was better. Doubtful will do 3rd

it was ok. But just didn't keep my interest. Vargo and Peabody were the only thing making it fun.

Enchanting

Seriously I suck at writing reviews, and it doesn't really matter because it doesn't seem like anyone reads them anyways.
But! In the off chance than anyone does, I just have to say: YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!! Well, you should definitely read "The Mask of mirrors" first, but you get what I mean.
It's a bit slow burn, but that is perfect for this book. Its just such a beautiful world. Just read it, you understand.
And BTW, I know a lot of my friends here enjoy YA (I do to, so no judging) but I just have to underline that this is not that. It's definitely more high fantasy.

A perfect sequel!

I loved the Liar’s Knot! It excels at everything that was great in the first book and I am confident that everyone that loved The Mask of Mirrors will equally be bewitched by its sequel. The narration is great as well, as it was in the first book in the series.

The story continues immediately where we were left off in the last book and all our three main characters are back. Ren, Grey and Vargo all have their own arc in this sequel and following them was such a joy. They (and all the side characters) are multi-layered and seeing their struggles and how they work against and/or with each other was a large part of what made the story so impactful.
The world-building was another high point in the Mask of Mirrors, and the authors continue to build on it in a way that feels incredibly innovative and real. There are so many details to this world and its cultures, politics, religion and magic systems. It is an excellent example for deep world-building in my opinion. The whole story takes place in Nadežra and the city truly comes alive, it feels like its own character at times. What makes the world and its people feel so real is the sheer complexity of everything. Languages, traditions, religions and magic are all tightly interwoven and beautifully complex (and even chaotic at times). Which is what makes the world ring true and mirrors actual real-world cultures! We learn a lot more about the different magic systems in this book, which is another aspect I really enjoyed.

The plot is as intricate as in the first book, with many different threads. Many questions are answered from the first book… some of which I didn’t even realise I should have asked! I’m already excited to reread the first book and see all the hints for things yet to come. There are lots, and I mean lots of secrets. The title of the book is very fitting, but seeing characters with different levels of knowledge about each other interact was so much fun. And when secrets are finally revealed (though not all of them) the pay-off is just beautiful.
The stakes are high in this second book and based on the ending will be even higher in the third! The ending was very satisfying and makes me eager for the third and last book in the series!

In short: An excellent sequel, solidifying The Rook and Rose Series as one of my all-time favourite fantasy series.

Charming and compelling.

I really am really enjoying this series - the narrator’s tone is wry and funny, the characters are mysterious and there are some surprising plot twists. The world building is also pleasingly rich. Would thoroughly recommend.

Recommended

well read. Well thought out engaging story. The characters have personality and there is a spectrum of good and bad. Much recommended. Best book in a while

Exquisite

O.M.G. I am obsessed. This book is so beautifully written and read. Captivating & impressive.