Hey again guys!
Today as my second Saturday Pages entry I have a book and a author that are specially dear to me. This is one of those special books that I got as an ARC and that I owe big thanks to both my dear friend Sarah and to the author herself, because on my trip to Chicago I got my hands on a physical (and slightly annotated) ARC! I loved it so much that I just cannot wait for my preorder to arrive and re-read it!
Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was very lucky to read this book well in advance, but given the fact that there were a few changes made into the finished copy from the ARC, I'm absolutely dying to get my preorder so I can re-read it again!
I'm quite a big fan of murder mysteries and I've devoured every Agatha Christie book out there, and although that doesn't make me an absolute expert, it does make me rather good at seeing patterns and trying to identify what might be going on and where the twists might lead us.
Another thing that you need to know is that I read this one during my trip to the US last October and I was suffering an acute case of jet lag that turned me into a morning person, meaning that I was up at 4 or 5 am and conking off at 8 pm at the latest. Why would that be relevant you may ask? Well, the day I got this book I stayed up reading, passing pages like a madwoman and only stopped for a quick dinner break and didn't go to sleep till I finished the book at midnight! That ought to tell you something about the gripping pacing and how intriguing the plot was!
Liars INC, is the story of Max and his two friends, Preston and Parvati, the murder of Preston, Max being accused of it and Parvati trying to help Max prove his innocence. But who would trust you when you've made lying your business?
Not only the pacing was absolutely addicting and make you want to keep on turning page after page, in the beginning learning all about the Liars and who they are and then following Max's escape and the investigation and all the things we discover about the characters too. Seems that the Liars are really good at lying to others and to themselves too! The plot was very tightly woven and although it seemed rather straight forward at first, we kept on getting a few twists here and there that I didn't see coming AT ALL! None of my initial theories were right, and although I got my suspicions about something, it was too vague on my part to really think I guessed right!
Max was a fantastic character with a genuine boy voice. He wasn't a jerk per se, but he has his rough edges and also his vulnerabilities that he keeps really tucked close, and has some real trouble with showing off his affection and even more with his family. I loved the diversity that you can find in this book, presented like the most natural thing in the world. Max is adopted and has two Korean baby sisters, his family is lower middle class and he lived on the streets for a while as a kid.
Parvati, other of the Liars is half Indian and she seems to both embrace her heritage but refuse to be defined by it. She is also prickly and difficult to straight away like. But she ended up being my favourite character of the lot. She's very capable and totally trained to kick arse, good at flaunting rules and has some mental health issues that can tweak her perception of circumstances and the way she reacts to them. I just need a book all about Parvati, she's such a fascinating character!
Preston... well, Preston is also quite a box of surprises, because once he gets offed, we do learn so many unexpected things about him and how there's much more to him than just the "poor white rich boy" and his problems.
If you are looking for a different kind of read, a very compelling and intriguing YA thriller with a twisty murder mystery, a very genuine male voice and a lot of very welcome diversity... YOU NEED TO GRAB THIS ONE NOW!
Very well deserved 4 to 4.5 stars to this one!
View all my reviews
Today as my second Saturday Pages entry I have a book and a author that are specially dear to me. This is one of those special books that I got as an ARC and that I owe big thanks to both my dear friend Sarah and to the author herself, because on my trip to Chicago I got my hands on a physical (and slightly annotated) ARC! I loved it so much that I just cannot wait for my preorder to arrive and re-read it!
Liars, Inc. by Paula StokesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was very lucky to read this book well in advance, but given the fact that there were a few changes made into the finished copy from the ARC, I'm absolutely dying to get my preorder so I can re-read it again!
I'm quite a big fan of murder mysteries and I've devoured every Agatha Christie book out there, and although that doesn't make me an absolute expert, it does make me rather good at seeing patterns and trying to identify what might be going on and where the twists might lead us.
Another thing that you need to know is that I read this one during my trip to the US last October and I was suffering an acute case of jet lag that turned me into a morning person, meaning that I was up at 4 or 5 am and conking off at 8 pm at the latest. Why would that be relevant you may ask? Well, the day I got this book I stayed up reading, passing pages like a madwoman and only stopped for a quick dinner break and didn't go to sleep till I finished the book at midnight! That ought to tell you something about the gripping pacing and how intriguing the plot was!
Liars INC, is the story of Max and his two friends, Preston and Parvati, the murder of Preston, Max being accused of it and Parvati trying to help Max prove his innocence. But who would trust you when you've made lying your business?
Not only the pacing was absolutely addicting and make you want to keep on turning page after page, in the beginning learning all about the Liars and who they are and then following Max's escape and the investigation and all the things we discover about the characters too. Seems that the Liars are really good at lying to others and to themselves too! The plot was very tightly woven and although it seemed rather straight forward at first, we kept on getting a few twists here and there that I didn't see coming AT ALL! None of my initial theories were right, and although I got my suspicions about something, it was too vague on my part to really think I guessed right!
Max was a fantastic character with a genuine boy voice. He wasn't a jerk per se, but he has his rough edges and also his vulnerabilities that he keeps really tucked close, and has some real trouble with showing off his affection and even more with his family. I loved the diversity that you can find in this book, presented like the most natural thing in the world. Max is adopted and has two Korean baby sisters, his family is lower middle class and he lived on the streets for a while as a kid.
Parvati, other of the Liars is half Indian and she seems to both embrace her heritage but refuse to be defined by it. She is also prickly and difficult to straight away like. But she ended up being my favourite character of the lot. She's very capable and totally trained to kick arse, good at flaunting rules and has some mental health issues that can tweak her perception of circumstances and the way she reacts to them. I just need a book all about Parvati, she's such a fascinating character!
Preston... well, Preston is also quite a box of surprises, because once he gets offed, we do learn so many unexpected things about him and how there's much more to him than just the "poor white rich boy" and his problems.
If you are looking for a different kind of read, a very compelling and intriguing YA thriller with a twisty murder mystery, a very genuine male voice and a lot of very welcome diversity... YOU NEED TO GRAB THIS ONE NOW!
Very well deserved 4 to 4.5 stars to this one!
View all my reviews
THIS BOOK AND THIS AUTHOR = <3 <3. This book definitely was a huge page-turner. I loved the writing, the pacing and the storyline itself. Plus, come on, who wouldn't want an entire book all about Parvati? I also loved how she knew when to say sorry, but also knew when she needed to give someone space and keep her distance. Such a fabulous character--definitely my favorite as well. ;)
ReplyDeleteYESSS!! We need more Parvati!! I love that girl!
DeleteThank you, Aimee!
Great review Pili :D I'm glad you loved this book a lot. <3 I'm curious about it, but yeah, not sure if I will read it. Sigh. Have read some annoying things :\ but I also like mystery books. And it do seem interesting :D And I'm curious, since you did like it ;p Maybe one day. Thank you for sharing Pili :) So happy that you got that signed ARCs months back. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you so much sweetie!! Getting a physical ARC is always special, even more for us internationals, isn't it?
DeleteI'm really intrigued with this book and the Liars, it does remind me of PLL in a way and I need to know more about Parvati. She sounds like a really intriguing and fascinating character that is kind of unexpected! Wonderful review Pili!
ReplyDeleteParvati is a fantastic character for sure! And the book has the intriguing and addicting feeling in common with PLL but not much more!
DeleteThank you, Jeann!
Lots of great points! I, too, loved that the diversification in this book seemed very natural, not like it was being intentionally thrown in your face. Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteYep, the diversity was simply integral to the story, felt very organic to it!
DeleteThank you Christina!
I need to read this one so bad. I've managed to run out of time though, it seems... I'm glad the characters and mystery are really good. Yes awesome pacing and addictive?? MUST READ. Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteYESSSS!! This one is a must Rachel! It keeps you turning pages like maaaad!!
DeleteAwww :) I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Pili! I know how much you enjoy mysteries :D This one wasn't a favorite of mine, but I enjoyed the mystery part of the story. Mysteries are not my thing, but I'm glad I gave this book a shot.
ReplyDeleteFabulous review, Pili!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
I know this wasn't a favourite of yours, but I'm glad you still enjoyed the mystery part!
DeleteThank you sweetie!
I really enjoyed this one too Pili! I don't read many mysteries and thrillers, so I was excited to find one I actually enjoyed! Paula's writing style was infectious! And I loved Max. I wasn't crazy about Parvati, but I can appreciate her wanting to go her own way and not let herself be transformed into what her parents wanted. I did not see the twist in this one coming! Definitely floored me. I loved that.
ReplyDeleteI've read loads of mysteries and I didn't see the twist coming either! And yep, Paula's writing style is so addictive, you just have to keep reading!
DeleteThank you Jessica!
Glad that you loved it so much, Pili. I actually liked the aspect of Max's family the most and his distance from them, a feeling brought about by previous foster parents who abandoned him. It felt like it captured the accurate feelings of someone who eventually does want to be closer to them but wants to do it at his own time and pace. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteFaye at The Social Potato
Max was such a complex character and so well done! He felt so genuine!
DeleteThank you Faye!
Murder mysteries always happen to intrigue me as well! I have a arc of this, but to be honest I have yet to read it. Been super busy lately >.> But it is one of my most anticipated reads, so I cannot WAIT to get to it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll get to read it soon Olivia and that you'll love it!!
DeleteYou got an annotated ARC...how cool! I would treasure that.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book, and I loved Parvati, and I loved Max, and I loved all the twists. The mystery was so well done, and I can't wait to read the next book from Paula Stokes.
YAY! So happy to hear that you loved it, Stephanie!! Paula is totally now one of my autobuy list!
DeleteFantastic review, Pili! I've loved both of Paula's books so far - Lainey is still my favourite - and just like you, Liars, Inc. kept me up late dying to find out what was going to happen! It was full of so many twists and we uncovered so much about the Liars that I just had no idea where Paula was going to take the story! But it was fantastic and the ending was amazing! Everyone needs to read this!
ReplyDeleteAgreed!! Even with all my murder mystery reading, I still couldn't figure it out really!
Delete