Title: Liar’s Test
Author: Ambelin Kwaymullina
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 257
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Review Copy: ARC by publisher
Availability: Available May 21st
Summary: A gripping YA fantasy with a deadly contest to win a crown, a fierce heroine determined to right the wrongs done to her people, and a smoldering love story that could change everything…
I didn’t want to rule the Risen. Wreak a little havoc upon them, though? That was something else entirely.
Bell Silverleaf is a liar.
It’s how she’s survived. It’s how all Treesingers have survived, after they were invaded by the Risen and their gods. But now—thanks to some political maneuvering—Bell is in the Queen’s Test. She’s one of seven girls competing in deadly challenges to determine who rules for the next twenty-five years. If Bell wins, she’ll use the power to help her people and get her revenge on the Risen.
But Bell doesn’t know how much she’s been lied to. She’s part of a conspiracy stretching back generations, and she’s facing much bigger dangers than the Queen’s Test. She’s up against the gods themselves.
Getting hold of that crown might just be the least of her problems.
Aboriginal writer Ambelin Kwaymullina has created a fast-paced, twisty narrative and an unforgettable heroine inspired by the strength and power of Aboriginal women.
Review: 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.