Thief liar lady A novel

Review by Booklist Review

In her first foray into adult fiction after the young adult Fire with Fire (2021, as Destiny Soria), Soria reinvents a classic fairy tale to address physical, political, social, and economic abuse. Everyone thinks they know the true story behind Cinderella. But it was actually a con job, conceived of and brought about by a willing stepdaughter with the full cooperation of her stepmother and stepsisters. There was no fairy godmother, no transforming pumpkin or mice, and although there was a lost slipper, it was not made of glass. The scam worked mostly due to Lustre, a naturally occurring crystal that, when ground into powder, is used for casting magic spells. The goal was for Ash Vincent, otherwise known as Lady Aislinn, to embed herself among the nobility, arrange to find wealthy husbands for her stepsisters, and then allow her stepmother access to their power and influence. But Ash set her trap for a prince rather than the wealthy industrialist her stepmother chose and has another scheme in play, a secret one known only to herself. What Ash had not accounted for was that there were two princes, not just one. Fantasy fans will wish to explore this fascinating revisionist take on what really happens "happily ever after.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Soria makes her adult debut (after the YA novel Fire with Fire, written as Destiny Soria) with a clever if occasionally slogging twist on "Cinderella." Ash Vincent, an orphaned scullery maid, hatches a plan with her stepfamily to con her way into becoming princess and thus secure fortunes for her stepsisters. She infiltrates the royal court of Solis as dazzling but demure Lady Aislinn under strict orders to charm Prince Everett, keeping him wrapped around her finger through illegal magic. But Aislinn has her own agenda, and things become increasingly precarious as war looms between Solis and neighboring country Eloria. Meanwhile, her growing feelings for and dangerous flirtations with Everett's best friend, the Elorian hostage prince, threaten to derail Aislinn's plans. As her careful lies slowly unravel, Aislinn becomes torn morally and romantically as she struggles to balance her two identities. It's a fun premise replete with espionage and just a touch of magic, but the plot is bogged down by overly involved political scheming and the ending is disappointingly rushed. Still, fans of retold fairy tales will be drawn in by this savvy upending of a classic character. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (July)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

Soria's (Fire with Fire) adult debut is a Cinderella retelling in a fantasy kingdom with access to magic. The story begins after the fairytale meeting, with twists and a true love that isn't expected. Ash and her stepsisters have been trained by her stepmother to use magic to manipulate and control, with the goal of forming an influential marriage. The day of Prince Everett's ball, Ash uses magic to get the prince to fall in love with her. After he sweeps Ash away from her evil stepmother to the palace, they begin to plan their wedding. Unbeknownst to Ash, however, there is another prince there, the hostage prince Rance of Eloria, whose charm is distracting Ash from her original scheme. VERDICT Soria's novel will grab readers right from the first page with her strong women characters and unexpected twists on a classic tale, as it alternates between the present and past, slowly revealing the real story and the depth of the characters. Fans of Marissa Meyer, Holly Black, and Rebecca Ross will enjoy this read.--Leigh Verburg

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

An unlikely princess is driven by a secret political mission in Soria's take on "Cinderella." Lady Aislinn and Prince Everett's whirlwind romance was an instantaneous legend. An unknown noblewoman forced into servitude by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters sneaks into the prince's birthday ball, they fall in love, he finds her by using the shoe she left behind, and so on and so on. Everyone in the kingdom of Solis knows the story. But stories so rarely tell the whole truth. In Lady Aislinn's case, the truth is that she and her stepfamily schemed up the whole fairy tale, missing shoe and all, in order to get Aislinn married to the prince. That same wicked stepmother, Seraphina, has been training her stepdaughter and two daughters all their lives to be expert con artists and also to be so skilled in illegal magic that Aislinn knows how to cast a little spell to manipulate Prince Everett into falling for her. Seraphina's goal is to secure wealth and security, but Aislinn has plans Seraphina doesn't know about. Her motivation to secure her place in the Solisti royal family has little to do with money and jewels and more to do with a notorious political prisoner and the welfare of a downtrodden neighboring nation that Aislinn--supposedly--has no reason to care about. Soria effectively spins several layers of conspiracy here, and once the twists start coming they only keep building. While there is a somewhat perfunctory romance, far more interesting are Aislinn's relationships with the many finely drawn female characters, including Seraphina, her daughters, Aislinn's palace maid, and Mariana, the queen of Solis. And unlike fairy tales, which have clean moral lessons, this book is unafraid of the deep complications and compromises people in positions of real power and influence sometimes have to make in order to do what's right. A standout fairy-tale retelling. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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CHAPTER ONE I never thought the tale of my daring escape from servitude into the glittering world of the royal palace could be boring, but after the hundredth telling it had begun to lose its shine. I was seriously considering stabbing myself in the leg with a fork as an excuse to leave the dinner party early. The only problem was that I really liked the gown I was wearing, and I knew from experience that removing bloodstains from silk was a pain in the ass. Instead I had to school my expression while Lord Hollish to my left expounded on the story that the poets were already calling the Romance of the Century. The embellishments being woven into my adventure with every new iteration were reaching the realm of the ludicrous. I couldn't think of a bigger waste of magic than turning a pumpkin into a carriage, although mice into horses was a close second. And apparently my shoes had been made of glass. How impractical. I curved my lips with a fetchingly sweet smile and cast a glance toward the star-crossed lover of my magical tale, Prince Everett of Solis. He was grinning broadly when he met my eyes, somehow not yet bored by our epic love story. With his charming dimples and warm, open countenance, he was much more dashing than his elder brother, and kinder too, which I'd never stopped being grateful for. As for me, I'd been told by my stepmother on numerous occasions that my genuine smile made me appear less genuine than my fake one did. "Devious" was the exact term that Seraphina had used. Ah well. I was practiced enough at my fake smile that it didn't matter much. The noblewoman across the table from Lord Hollish clapped her hands together in glee. "How magical," she said, with too much vim to be entirely sober. She was a regular in the queen's sewing circle, but her name escaped me. Tasia or Tansy or something. "Lady Aislinn, you must tell us how your shoes did not break." "I'm very light on my feet," I said, my eyes demurely downcast. "I can attest to that," said Everett, jumping to my rescue. He knew how much I disliked the attention, though the reason was much different than he imagined. "She is grace itself when she dances, like the fey of old." I didn't have to fake modest embarrassment at his praise; a flush rose in my cheeks. Everett certainly had a way with words. He was thirty-three and a fine statesman. His brother the king was already making good use of him as an ambassador. All the more reason for me to embed myself in these people's hearts as a symbol of everything bright and beautiful, which meant letting the ridiculous tale of my and Everett's whirlwind courtship continue to grow from a starry-eyed story into a legendary romance. Maybe that's wishful thinking. It's equally possible that I was merely a novelty. A fine topic of gossip until Everett came to his senses and realized that--second-born or not--the royal prince of Solis marrying a nobody was simply untenable. Even if I was technically a blueblood on my father's side. A burst of laughter at the end of the table caught my attention. Queen Mariana was radiant with a smile as everyone around her laughed uproariously. Her wheat-brown hair was woven with strands of tiny pearls tonight, and her forest-green dress, trimmed with creamy lace appliqué, draped elegantly off her lily-white shoulders. She lifted her wineglass for a sip, and I saw that she'd laid her right hand, gently and unobtrusively, onto her husband's. Whatever the joke had been, King Ryland didn't seem amused, but that was to be expected. The king wasn't known for his levity. I stared for a moment too long. Ryland's glare locked onto me, and his frown deepened. I dropped my gaze quickly. Out of everyone of consequence in the palace, the king was the only one who had yet to warm to me. I poked at my vegetables with my fork, calculating how much lustre I had left. Only three vials. Possibly enough to soothe Ryland's suspicions of me for a few days, but that was hardly worth it. I would have to meet with Seraphina soon and see about replenishing my stock. My stepmother wouldn't be happy about it, but at this point losing control of the delicate balance I'd created would prove fatal. "Lady Aislinn, what do you think?" asked Lord Hollish. I set down my fork and looked up. Everyone at our end of the table was watching me expectantly. Damn it. I needed to get better at scheming and conversing at the same time. "I beg your pardon." I dabbed my napkin at the corner of my mouth. "I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention." "That's all right," said Lady Ta-something (what was her name?). "It wasn't terribly interesting." A good-natured laugh rippled through the guests, but I just took a sip of wine. Hollish owned one of the largest lustre factories in the city, and it was safer not to risk antagonizing him if I could help it. Wealth and power were two things I always tried to keep on my side. Judging from the venom-laced smile that Lord Hollish was currently leveling at the drunk Lady . . . ​Tallia, he was the sort of man who kept a precise tally of enemies and allies. Not that she noticed. She had already launched into some rambling anecdote about her own experience at the ball. Seeing as it didn't involve any magic pumpkins or royal proposals, no one else was terribly interested. "I must say, Aislinn." Lord Hollish turned to me with a tone that was much too familiar. "It's refreshing to have new blood around here, and you're such a lovely girl, I'm sure you'll do quite well in the palace." A tad condescending, especially considering who I was about to marry. Hollish reached over and patted my thigh in an intimate gesture he could claim was fatherly if I were to raise a fuss. I'm sure it was only coincidence that he'd timed it while Everett was distracted by conversation with someone else. I didn't raise a fuss. Lady Aislinn never did. "That's so kind of you, my lord," I said, clasping his hand between both of mine in gratitude--and so that I could move it discreetly but firmly away from my lap. Before I released him, I flicked open his diamond cuff link and palmed it. "I'm lucky to have made so many wonderful friends here." Lord Hollish beamed at me. I smiled prettily back and thought about how satisfying it would be to plunge my fork into his beady eye. An even more effective way to end the dinner party. I rolled his cuff link between my fingers. I didn't have a way to pawn it right now, but it never hurt to stay sharp. I waited until Hollish's attention was claimed by the lady on his other side, then surreptitiously flicked the cuff link into his gravy. Maybe he would choke on it. Lady Tallia was still meandering through her story, which I was beginning to fear didn't have a point. Even so, it was vastly preferable to Lord Hollish's conversation. I nodded and made affirming noises in all the right places, and even managed to get a word in edgewise to compliment the gown she'd worn on the third night of the ball. I didn't have any idea what she'd worn, but she was too drunk to consider that and only launched into a new story about her seamstress. To call those royal dinner parties exhausting would be a comical understatement, but I had no choice but to partake. I had to give everyone the dazzling, perfect Lady Aislinn that they had created with their stories of magic and romance. I took another sip of my wine--I never let myself have more than a single glass during a meal--and noticed that Everett was watching me from across the table. He mouthed something when he caught my eye. I love you. Despite myself, I blushed again. He was too charming for his own good. The sort of charisma that was bred from a lifetime free of uncertainty and self-doubt, from the unwavering assurance given to him ever since he was in his cradle that he was inestimably precious. But it was more than that. He was generous with his confidence, gifting it to others as easily as a handshake. If I wasn't careful, I sometimes caught myself falling prey to his benevolent trap. You're nobody. Seraphina's words were a refrain in my head, drowning out the blissful promises that Everett gave with every gentle smile, every enamored glance. Only a nobody can be anything they want. And everything depended on me being a princess. Excerpted from Thief Liar Lady: A Novel by D. L. Soria All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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