The Liar's Knot
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
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.
Praise for the Rook & Rose trilogy:
“Lush, engrossing and full of mystery and dark magic . . . Jump in and get swept away.” —BookPage
“Will catch hold of your dreams and keep you from sleeping.” —Mary Robinette Kowal, author of The Calculating Stars
“I was unable to put it down.” —Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter
“Exactly the fantasy adventure novel you're craving.” —Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne
“A fantastically twisty read.” —Fran Wilde, author of the Bone Universe trilogy
"Immersive…a feast to savor slowly." —BuzzFeed
"For those who like their revenge plots served with the intrigue of The Goblin Emperor, the colonial conflict of The City of Brass, the panache of Swordspoint, and the richly detailed settings of Guy Gavriel Kay."—Booklist (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The jam-packed second Rook and Rose epic fantasy (following Mask of Mirrors) from Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms writing as Carrick, finds heroine Renata juggling multiple personas in a precarious balancing act that inevitably crashes to the ground. Ren uses her new status as an official member of House Traementis to try to lift the family curse—but soon discovers that it's intimately tied to the ancient tyrannical power that once ruled the city of Nadežra. As Nadežra slowly crumbles, Capt. Grey Serrado's quest to free the city and his desire to avenge his brother's death fight for dominance. His missions continually pit him against crime lord Derossi Vargo, who's determined to make a name for himself among the nobility while at the same time uncovering a murderer. As these plots converge, masks are removed and the key players reluctantly join forces to face a long-forgotten evil. True to the title, there are plenty of lies to go around and unraveling them involves a dizzying secondary cast. Readers will be challenged to keep track of who knows which secret while simultaneously mastering the intricacies of the magic system. The result leaves many of the characters underdeveloped, but fans of complicated puzzles and mystery will be satisfied.