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Amefyre #1
A Pocket of Lies
Bloodbound and penniless. Exiled to cursed lands. Hunted by death.
When thief Suri suffers a humiliating robbery, she has just one day to settle a dangerous debt. Her abduct and impersonate a foreign princess at the royal ball. But when the wickedly handsome fae lord of the wasteland, Kol, crashes the party to find the princess she's pretending to be, everything takes a darker turn.
With her knife in Kol’s righthand man, stolen trinkets in her pockets, and the kidnapped princess now missing, Suri can’t outrun the law. The King exiles her with one assassinate Kol, and all is forgiven. But Kol has sworn his own brutal revenge - if his wastelands don't kill her first.
In this high-stakes fantasy debut, prepare for unexpected twists and a slow-burn romance. Fans of The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen and The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty will love this new series.
Rachel A Sandpiper (she/her) is a twenty-something fantasy author living in London. She's passionate about creating strong and complex characters in unkind and twisting worlds, but despite what she puts them through, there will always be a heart-pounding romance.
When thief Suri suffers a humiliating robbery, she has just one day to settle a dangerous debt. Her abduct and impersonate a foreign princess at the royal ball. But when the wickedly handsome fae lord of the wasteland, Kol, crashes the party to find the princess she's pretending to be, everything takes a darker turn.
With her knife in Kol’s righthand man, stolen trinkets in her pockets, and the kidnapped princess now missing, Suri can’t outrun the law. The King exiles her with one assassinate Kol, and all is forgiven. But Kol has sworn his own brutal revenge - if his wastelands don't kill her first.
In this high-stakes fantasy debut, prepare for unexpected twists and a slow-burn romance. Fans of The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen and The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty will love this new series.
Rachel A Sandpiper (she/her) is a twenty-something fantasy author living in London. She's passionate about creating strong and complex characters in unkind and twisting worlds, but despite what she puts them through, there will always be a heart-pounding romance.
11 pages, Audible Audio
Published May 22, 2025
About the author
R.A. Sandpiper
6 books403 followersR A Sandpiper (she/her) is a romantic fantasy author living in the UK. She has a law degree she's never used despite spending five years in government-adjacent roles, loves games of all kinds (the nerdier the better), and will always dance at weddings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
March 10, 2026
Fun, addictive, dark.
Suri, a spunky, desperate thief impersonates a princess to pay off a debt. When she is caught, she is exiled to a deadly wasteland to assassinate a powerful Fae lord. What could go wrong?
I have a soft spot for characters that are sharp-tongued, self-reliant, and dragging along a string of bad luck. I do wish we got more demonstrations of her skills as she’s on the bad end of every encounter in this book.
I was expecting a romantasy, but got a Grimdark fantasy with hints of a potential later romance. Don’t expect any real romance in the first instalment.
This is dark, but Suri matches the landscape and situation with tenacity and wiles.
I didn’t get a firm grip on the world-building, but, considering the shorter length, a lot was packed in a satisfying manner.
Think political, religious, and fae-related conflicts.
An impressive indie debut that has a lot of potential in its series continuation.
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Suri, a spunky, desperate thief impersonates a princess to pay off a debt. When she is caught, she is exiled to a deadly wasteland to assassinate a powerful Fae lord. What could go wrong?
I have a soft spot for characters that are sharp-tongued, self-reliant, and dragging along a string of bad luck. I do wish we got more demonstrations of her skills as she’s on the bad end of every encounter in this book.
I was expecting a romantasy, but got a Grimdark fantasy with hints of a potential later romance. Don’t expect any real romance in the first instalment.
This is dark, but Suri matches the landscape and situation with tenacity and wiles.
I didn’t get a firm grip on the world-building, but, considering the shorter length, a lot was packed in a satisfying manner.
Think political, religious, and fae-related conflicts.
An impressive indie debut that has a lot of potential in its series continuation.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
March 28, 2025
This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine
If you thought fantasy romance was all sickly sweet cuddles and kisses, then R.A. Sandpiper is here to prove you wrong in A Pocket of Lies. Filled with cutthroat schemes, brutal fights, electrifying tension, and deadly deals, this fast-paced grimdark fantasy romance is an absolute gem of an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
Okay so if you ever feel like your life is utter shit, just read A Pocket of Lies and remember that Suri is probably having it way worse than you are. After our lovely little spitfire of a thief suffers a very humiliating robbery, she goes into full-on revenge mode and decides to abduct and impersonate a foreign princess at the royal ball. Except, her crazy con soon goes absolutely tits up, which ends up leading to her exile into the cursed wastelands on a deadly mission to assassinate the dark and notorious Fae lord Kol. And that, my friends, is only the start of this glorious trainwreck of an adventure.
Now, if there is one thing I love in books, it’s stabby women who can hold a grudge, and that is Suri to a T. Did I want to shake and strangle her for her incredibly rash and impulsive actions sometimes? Oh yes, I sure did, but that level of relatable messiness only made me love her more. She really is the universe’s punching bag for the entirety of A Pocket of Lies, and I loved seeing her stubbornly fight and bluff her way through all the brutal trials and tribulations. Plus, she also has this mysterious menacing voice in her head that made her even more compelling to follow; never enough emotional inner turmoil, if you ask me.
In a way, I almost think she was a bit too much of an intense whirlwind of loud personality, as I personally felt like the side characters fell a little flat compared to her. That said, I really enjoyed seeing her navigate all the webs of schemes that she gets entangled in, and I was absolutely eating up the tension between her and literally every other character she met on this hellish journey. Especially her interactions with Silla, Rasel and Kol had me in an absolute chokehold, and the knife-sharp banter had me grinning and chuckling the entire way through.
Despite that bloody high fun factor, I think A Pocket of Lies is one of those reads that you need to pay close attention to, not only because Suri somehow manages to stumble from one disaster into the next one faster than you can blink, but also because the plot and lore (hello meddling gods!) get impressively complex the deeper in you get. And as much as I enjoyed that utterly addictive ‘just one more chapter’ quality, I personally wouldn’t have minded the pacing to slow down a bit at times to just let this epic world with its intriguing history, rich lore and diverse, vibrant characters shine to its fullest.
Though while the pacing might be lightning fast, the romance is slow as molasses, and I was all here for it. There’s barely a glimmer of romance to be found in this first instalment (seriously, Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire or Nevernight series are more spicy than this), but the way that all the tense interpersonal relationships are set up for book 2 had me kicking my feet in giddy anticipatory delight. To me, Sandpiper really took all the best and most beloved tropes of both the grimdark and (Fae) romantasy subgenres, and just blended it all together into something altogether more exciting.
It honestly feels like we have barely scratched the surface here, and all the wild revelations during the hectic, high-stakes ending hooked me right in for the rest of the Amefyre trilogy. Whether you come here for the bloody brutal action, the riveting intrigue, or the sizzling tension, A Pocket of Lies will deliver it all and leave you desperate for more in the best way possible.
If you thought fantasy romance was all sickly sweet cuddles and kisses, then R.A. Sandpiper is here to prove you wrong in A Pocket of Lies. Filled with cutthroat schemes, brutal fights, electrifying tension, and deadly deals, this fast-paced grimdark fantasy romance is an absolute gem of an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.
Okay so if you ever feel like your life is utter shit, just read A Pocket of Lies and remember that Suri is probably having it way worse than you are. After our lovely little spitfire of a thief suffers a very humiliating robbery, she goes into full-on revenge mode and decides to abduct and impersonate a foreign princess at the royal ball. Except, her crazy con soon goes absolutely tits up, which ends up leading to her exile into the cursed wastelands on a deadly mission to assassinate the dark and notorious Fae lord Kol. And that, my friends, is only the start of this glorious trainwreck of an adventure.
Now, if there is one thing I love in books, it’s stabby women who can hold a grudge, and that is Suri to a T. Did I want to shake and strangle her for her incredibly rash and impulsive actions sometimes? Oh yes, I sure did, but that level of relatable messiness only made me love her more. She really is the universe’s punching bag for the entirety of A Pocket of Lies, and I loved seeing her stubbornly fight and bluff her way through all the brutal trials and tribulations. Plus, she also has this mysterious menacing voice in her head that made her even more compelling to follow; never enough emotional inner turmoil, if you ask me.
In a way, I almost think she was a bit too much of an intense whirlwind of loud personality, as I personally felt like the side characters fell a little flat compared to her. That said, I really enjoyed seeing her navigate all the webs of schemes that she gets entangled in, and I was absolutely eating up the tension between her and literally every other character she met on this hellish journey. Especially her interactions with Silla, Rasel and Kol had me in an absolute chokehold, and the knife-sharp banter had me grinning and chuckling the entire way through.
Despite that bloody high fun factor, I think A Pocket of Lies is one of those reads that you need to pay close attention to, not only because Suri somehow manages to stumble from one disaster into the next one faster than you can blink, but also because the plot and lore (hello meddling gods!) get impressively complex the deeper in you get. And as much as I enjoyed that utterly addictive ‘just one more chapter’ quality, I personally wouldn’t have minded the pacing to slow down a bit at times to just let this epic world with its intriguing history, rich lore and diverse, vibrant characters shine to its fullest.
Though while the pacing might be lightning fast, the romance is slow as molasses, and I was all here for it. There’s barely a glimmer of romance to be found in this first instalment (seriously, Jay Kristoff’s Empire of the Vampire or Nevernight series are more spicy than this), but the way that all the tense interpersonal relationships are set up for book 2 had me kicking my feet in giddy anticipatory delight. To me, Sandpiper really took all the best and most beloved tropes of both the grimdark and (Fae) romantasy subgenres, and just blended it all together into something altogether more exciting.
It honestly feels like we have barely scratched the surface here, and all the wild revelations during the hectic, high-stakes ending hooked me right in for the rest of the Amefyre trilogy. Whether you come here for the bloody brutal action, the riveting intrigue, or the sizzling tension, A Pocket of Lies will deliver it all and leave you desperate for more in the best way possible.
July 15, 2024
3.5⭐️I actually really enjoyed this, I went in with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. Loved how the fmc was written, she was morally grey and had pretty much no interest in being the hero- which was so refreshing for a main character. The plot was maybe a bit predictable but it’s well written and I want to know what happens.
Definitely intrigued and will be reading book 2💫
✔️One dark window x Daughter of no worlds vibes
✔️Morally grey Fmc
✔️SLOW- burn🔥
Definitely intrigued and will be reading book 2💫
✔️One dark window x Daughter of no worlds vibes
✔️Morally grey Fmc
✔️SLOW- burn🔥
March 4, 2025
There's absolutely nothing in this book that I didn't like.
All the elements of a great fantasy novel you expect to see are here, court intrigue, twists and turns, betrayal and lies, and possibly a slow burn romance.
Suri is a total badass main character. She is tough and smart, but she really gets put through it in this book. Nothing she goes through shakes her belief in herself however, and that is the central theme of the story. Trust yourself above all else.
She certainly can't trust anyone else around her, all the side characters are trying to either use her or kill her, or both! Of course my fav character is Ruben!
This novel is so well written I couldn't put it down. That ending is fire!
I'm immediately starting book 2 and eagerly anticipating book 3 of the series!
All the elements of a great fantasy novel you expect to see are here, court intrigue, twists and turns, betrayal and lies, and possibly a slow burn romance.
Suri is a total badass main character. She is tough and smart, but she really gets put through it in this book. Nothing she goes through shakes her belief in herself however, and that is the central theme of the story. Trust yourself above all else.
She certainly can't trust anyone else around her, all the side characters are trying to either use her or kill her, or both! Of course my fav character is Ruben!
This novel is so well written I couldn't put it down. That ending is fire!
I'm immediately starting book 2 and eagerly anticipating book 3 of the series!
April 3, 2026
This was an interesting venture and I admit I am more hyped about it, because there was an accurate depiction of "enemies-to-lovers" and potential slow burn, which gave it a lot of points in my mind!
So, what is this about? Suri, a street orphan thief who gets to be at the wrong time and place and gets entangled in something bigger than she would ever expect (as it usually goes) and she tries to survive one situation after another. The lore itself confuses me a little bit, but I appreciate Suri and her character as she is tenacious and does make wrong choices, as well. Kol, on the other hand, is more... goody goody than I'd have liked for starters. The hate Suri felt seemed real to me due to the circumstances, but when you introduce the reputation of some "bad guy" that has lived 100 years and everyone knows how bad he is... it feels a bit off to see him humanized SO fast. I'd have liked a few more scenes with some more tension before we get to that point. It's not that Suri grows him on fast (thankfully!), but just as the reader I would want a bit more suspense.
The tidbits in every chapter added a little something to unveil the whole mystery behind Parched Lands and I liked that and the powers seem interesting enough, mostly because there aren't many. The romance aspect is still not there, other than some rare recognition that Kol is handsome and strong, but I find that natural enough. But, to be fair, Suri is still more like a child playing in adult games and I don't see her as equal to him or the circumstances.
Hence I am torn about scoring this. I keep thinking that if I ever wrote a book, I'd have liked this to be my debut; a bit confusing and rough around the edges, but creative enough with proper tropes and a decent story. Hmm, I would score it closer to 3.5, but since I cannot, I'll keep it to 3, though I have the best feelings for it!
So, what is this about? Suri, a street orphan thief who gets to be at the wrong time and place and gets entangled in something bigger than she would ever expect (as it usually goes) and she tries to survive one situation after another. The lore itself confuses me a little bit, but I appreciate Suri and her character as she is tenacious and does make wrong choices, as well. Kol, on the other hand, is more... goody goody than I'd have liked for starters. The hate Suri felt seemed real to me due to the circumstances, but when you introduce the reputation of some "bad guy" that has lived 100 years and everyone knows how bad he is... it feels a bit off to see him humanized SO fast. I'd have liked a few more scenes with some more tension before we get to that point. It's not that Suri grows him on fast (thankfully!), but just as the reader I would want a bit more suspense.
The tidbits in every chapter added a little something to unveil the whole mystery behind Parched Lands and I liked that and the powers seem interesting enough, mostly because there aren't many. The romance aspect is still not there, other than some rare recognition that Kol is handsome and strong, but I find that natural enough. But, to be fair, Suri is still more like a child playing in adult games and I don't see her as equal to him or the circumstances.
Hence I am torn about scoring this. I keep thinking that if I ever wrote a book, I'd have liked this to be my debut; a bit confusing and rough around the edges, but creative enough with proper tropes and a decent story. Hmm, I would score it closer to 3.5, but since I cannot, I'll keep it to 3, though I have the best feelings for it!
April 10, 2026
5 ⭐️’s 🎧
intelligent independent morally grey fmc!!!!!! the slowest burn that they don’t even KISS or leave the enemies stage by the end of the book (fmc is the main focus with crumbs of the mmc throughout the book) + amazing audiobook!!!!
You can just tell when an author has a higher education because this book was well written with developed characters & unique and digestable world building, no cringy dialogue or actions that took me out of the book, no plot holes, no unnecessary plot devices!!!! Ugh just chefs kiss all around. So excited to dive into book 2 & 3.
intelligent independent morally grey fmc!!!!!! the slowest burn that they don’t even KISS or leave the enemies stage by the end of the book (fmc is the main focus with crumbs of the mmc throughout the book) + amazing audiobook!!!!
You can just tell when an author has a higher education because this book was well written with developed characters & unique and digestable world building, no cringy dialogue or actions that took me out of the book, no plot holes, no unnecessary plot devices!!!! Ugh just chefs kiss all around. So excited to dive into book 2 & 3.
August 24, 2024
Die Slowburn-Romance ist übrigens Schrittgeschwindigkeit-Slowburn und damit sogar mir leider zu langsam. Wenn man das weiß aber voll ok.
Die Protagonistin - zumindest wunderbar moralisch grau und echt ne starke Frau - muss einen Blutdruck von 300 haben so sauer wie sie die ganze Zeit ist. Bis kurz vor Ende scheinen alle Emotionen außer Wut und Resignation Urlaub zu haben, was echt ermüdend ist. Wird zwar irgendwie innerweltlich erklärt, aber das macht es für mich nicht besser.
Das letzte Viertel des Buches wurde dann endlich das, was ich mir die ganze Zeit vorgestellt hatte. Das hat mich dann wieder richtig abgeholt, war aber einfach zu wenig. Erhältlich in Kindle Unlimited.
Die Protagonistin - zumindest wunderbar moralisch grau und echt ne starke Frau - muss einen Blutdruck von 300 haben so sauer wie sie die ganze Zeit ist. Bis kurz vor Ende scheinen alle Emotionen außer Wut und Resignation Urlaub zu haben, was echt ermüdend ist. Wird zwar irgendwie innerweltlich erklärt, aber das macht es für mich nicht besser.
Das letzte Viertel des Buches wurde dann endlich das, was ich mir die ganze Zeit vorgestellt hatte. Das hat mich dann wieder richtig abgeholt, war aber einfach zu wenig. Erhältlich in Kindle Unlimited.
July 27, 2024
4 stars
This was so much fun! I read this in about 2 sittings, and it really didn't disappoint. Tiktok led me to the author, and this seemed right up my alley, strong female character with a true enemies to lovers Storyline. Sign me up.
The romance: Very little in this book, they are just enemies which...I AM ABSOLUTELY FINE WITH. I love a good slow burn, and when the enemies are actually enemies but not like full-on abuse, unforgivable shit you know. Even though he did get on my tit's at parts, haha. I love it when all went to hell. She chose to trust him over everyone else. Even if she didn't like him, her brain was telling her he was the smartest option, and I'm excited to see more of them together in the second book.
Suri: MY GIRL DESERVES BETTER. She went through hell, and she was just trying to survive. She's so strong but not invincible. She's smart and thinks with her head yet isn't completely cold. And what happened (spoiler) to her eye broke my heart. She's also not afraid to make tough decisions, evident by the ending, choosing to kill that one girl to save the others.
The plot: The ending was creepy, I hate cult/ritual stuff, and it really freaked me out. I was so glad when Kol did end up helping her in the end. We all know I'm not much of a plot girl, but this was interesting. It went down a unique path that I wasn't expecting and kept me guessing. The story starts out somewhat typical; thief infultrating a ball to pay off debts, but it progresses so well, and seeing Suri survive it all was very enjoyable.
Also, if Scilla has no haters, I'm dead. Hated her, don't try and redeem her because i have already cemented myself as a hater.
And fuck the queen Lera, cheeky bitch.
This was so much fun! I read this in about 2 sittings, and it really didn't disappoint. Tiktok led me to the author, and this seemed right up my alley, strong female character with a true enemies to lovers Storyline. Sign me up.
The romance: Very little in this book, they are just enemies which...I AM ABSOLUTELY FINE WITH. I love a good slow burn, and when the enemies are actually enemies but not like full-on abuse, unforgivable shit you know. Even though he did get on my tit's at parts, haha. I love it when all went to hell. She chose to trust him over everyone else. Even if she didn't like him, her brain was telling her he was the smartest option, and I'm excited to see more of them together in the second book.
Suri: MY GIRL DESERVES BETTER. She went through hell, and she was just trying to survive. She's so strong but not invincible. She's smart and thinks with her head yet isn't completely cold. And what happened (spoiler) to her eye broke my heart. She's also not afraid to make tough decisions, evident by the ending, choosing to kill that one girl to save the others.
The plot: The ending was creepy, I hate cult/ritual stuff, and it really freaked me out. I was so glad when Kol did end up helping her in the end. We all know I'm not much of a plot girl, but this was interesting. It went down a unique path that I wasn't expecting and kept me guessing. The story starts out somewhat typical; thief infultrating a ball to pay off debts, but it progresses so well, and seeing Suri survive it all was very enjoyable.
Also, if Scilla has no haters, I'm dead. Hated her, don't try and redeem her because i have already cemented myself as a hater.
And fuck the queen Lera, cheeky bitch.
August 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, it had everything I look for in a fantasy series - a strong female lead and a brilliant world and plot, with an intriguing slow burn romance. :)
June 11, 2024
Okay hold up... why was this book so good??? I really enjoyed the overall story and writing style of this book!
This follows a girl names Suri who is a common thief in her city. She has a big debt to pay to a local thug but there's no way she can pay it in time.... or so she thought. She ends up doing something daring where she impersonates a princess in order to get inside the royal ball and all seems to be going fine until she runs into Kol.... the lord of the wasteland and gets exiled to his desert lands. (She is also just a badass with a sharp tongue, we LOVE her)
Shadow daddy anyone??👀 Kol is your man.
This is a true enemies to lovers book in my opinion. It is definitely a slow burn but very worth the wait! Not to mention he calls her "little thief" and the way he says it just does something to you😭🖤 There is a book 2 coming out and I am so excited to see where that one leads after this one!!!
I received this as an ARC and this is my honest review ✨
This follows a girl names Suri who is a common thief in her city. She has a big debt to pay to a local thug but there's no way she can pay it in time.... or so she thought. She ends up doing something daring where she impersonates a princess in order to get inside the royal ball and all seems to be going fine until she runs into Kol.... the lord of the wasteland and gets exiled to his desert lands. (She is also just a badass with a sharp tongue, we LOVE her)
Shadow daddy anyone??👀 Kol is your man.
This is a true enemies to lovers book in my opinion. It is definitely a slow burn but very worth the wait! Not to mention he calls her "little thief" and the way he says it just does something to you😭🖤 There is a book 2 coming out and I am so excited to see where that one leads after this one!!!
I received this as an ARC and this is my honest review ✨
August 16, 2025
This was so good. Characters that feel authentic and not overly dramatic. Plot was captivating. Romance is sloooooooow sloooooooow burn. I would highly recommend this to someone looking for a fantasy romance that is leaning more towards romantic fantasy and with solid writing that isn't fluffy or dramatic or cringy. While that can be fun as a palette cleanser, sometimes it all just gets a bit too repetitive.
May 8, 2024
I was gifted an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and this is it: I loved it. From only a few pages in I was totally hooked - the world-building happened organically (and quickly), and there are so many little intriguing moments. I cannot wait to see how it all works out - why is October so far away?
It has echoes of The Shepherd King, The War of Lost Hearts or ACOTAR (minus the spice, currently...) so if you like those series then this is definitely one for you.
It has echoes of The Shepherd King, The War of Lost Hearts or ACOTAR (minus the spice, currently...) so if you like those series then this is definitely one for you.
November 3, 2024
3.5🌟
I really enjoyed this! It felt a bit slow at times and some of the elements weren’t explained enough, but I had a good time. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy the next one even more.
I really enjoyed this! It felt a bit slow at times and some of the elements weren’t explained enough, but I had a good time. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy the next one even more.
April 10, 2025
Wow, that was unexpected
I received the ARC for book 3 so of course needed to check out the 1st 2 books.
This book exceeded my expectations. While there was a hint of romance to come, this book really delved into the world building and character development. I love that it wasn’t bogged down immediately with unnecessary spice but rather focused on allowing the reader to familiarize themselves with the cast of characters. I’m really looking forward to where the story leads us…hopefully some romance with Kol. Who doesn’t love a shadow daddy?!?
This book is for you if you:
❤️ a shadow daddy
❤️ true enemies to…..maybe friends or lovers (more to come)
❤️ character development
❤️ a morally grey cast
❤️ a strong FMC
❤️ slow burn
I received the ARC for book 3 so of course needed to check out the 1st 2 books.
This book exceeded my expectations. While there was a hint of romance to come, this book really delved into the world building and character development. I love that it wasn’t bogged down immediately with unnecessary spice but rather focused on allowing the reader to familiarize themselves with the cast of characters. I’m really looking forward to where the story leads us…hopefully some romance with Kol. Who doesn’t love a shadow daddy?!?
This book is for you if you:
❤️ a shadow daddy
❤️ true enemies to…..maybe friends or lovers (more to come)
❤️ character development
❤️ a morally grey cast
❤️ a strong FMC
❤️ slow burn
March 30, 2025
“Death. It was always death. The one big threat, given out more freely than any compliment. She lived each day on the edge of death. Since her exile, she had been a dead woman walking. She had contemplated her death a million different ways from when she was a child. Today, she had contemplated it coming at her own hands. What did he think his words would do?”
– R. A. Sandpiper, A Pocket of Lies
Suri is right about one thing; women’s clothing never has enough pockets.
I recently saw Sandpiper, an indie author, announce on her TikTok that she’d be taking applications for ARCs of her new book, A Claiming of Souls releasing on 10th May 2025. This is the third book in her Amefyre series and I was intrigued. One of the few conditions was that you had to have read the first two books in the series first; A Pocket of Lies and A Promise of Blood. So, thanks to them being handily available on Kindle Unlimited, I dove right in.
“The priesthood and prostitution. Two very different places with a near identical offering. A roof, a bed, some food, a few bits to spend. In exchange for worshiping some trumped up male a few nights a week.”
– R. A. Sandpiper, A Pocket of Lies
A Pocket of Lies is a very past-faced romantic fantasy. It follows the misadventures of Suri, a thief, barely surviving in the North. She suffers a vicious assault, scams her way into a ball as a means to repay a debt, and ends up fighting for her life in The Parched Lands as a result.
Suri’s adventure rapidly goes from bad to worse with brief breathers in-between. There are so many incredible twists in this book and they had me absolutely hooked. Sandpiper establishes her world without overwhelming amounts of lore and gives away just enough details that your curiosity is always piqued. I have so many questions about this world that have not yet been answered, which has left me so eager to read the next book in the series: A Promise of Blood. I feel like it’s a true skill to dance the line of sharing enough details that the reader isn’t confused, while still not giving everything away. It’s a skill Sandpiper has as a writer, for sure.
I also really enjoyed the fact that Suri was almost exasperated with the turns her life was taking. She’s a thief just trying to get by and improve her life for the sake of herself and her brother, who she hopes to be returning soon. I feel like it’s quite rare to see a morally grey female main character, and really enjoyed the way she was written. Suri has no interest in being nice. She’s out for her own survival. And has no interest in being anyone’s spy, priestess, or hero. She wants her freedom and a comfortable life. Honestly, relatable and refreshing to read!
There’s a good amount of humour that comes across in A Pocket of Lies too. The quote above about priesthood and prostitution was one of my favourites. Suri also has a spectacular rant towards the end of the book when she finds out just who the voice in her head has been all along. It gave me a good laugh and was a pretty realistic reaction for such a regular person.
Some tropes and common themes I enjoyed in this book:
- There’s never enough damn pockets
- Morally grey characters
- A morally grey Female Main Character
- Critical of religion
- Personifications of Life and Death
- Pagans!
- “Who did this to you?”
- Female main character is scrappy and does not give up easily
- It’s gritty and does not shy away from the reality of violence and poverty
- Learning to trust
- Great plot twists
- Old Gods vs New Gods
There were no trigger warnings listed, however, from reading I came across the following:
- Violence
- Extreme poverty
- Religious Trauma
- Death
- Graphic injuries and fights
- Mentions of sex and brief scenes
I think my only slight criticism of this book would be that there’s just not enough romance in this to call it a romantasy yet. You definitely see the start of the slow burn, and there’s other relationships and moments that come tantalizingly close. Though to be honest that has only fueled my need to read more. Overall a highly recommended read, and I’ll see you in the next review when I’ve finished the second book!
Like my reviews? Read more at: WraithfulReads.com
April 26, 2024
Suri is a thief and one day gets caught during a robbery. She has been given 1 day to pay a large debt. Suri plans to sneak into the royal ball and pretend to be a princess. There she meets Kol and his accomplices who happen to be the ones who carried out the robbery. The only thing Suri can think about is revenge. Suri is given the change by the King to forget all her crimes if she assassinate Kol..
“Hello, little thief” 🥹😭😫 screaming!!
This book made me feel so much. There is tension, humor, a little bit of romance and of course a great trope: the enemies to lovers, my ultimate favourite trope :) Trust me i don’t think i’ve read a book where the mmc & fmc hate eachother so much 😭
I really liked the writing style and I quickly got into the story, which made it easy to read. So I’ve your looking for a new fantasy book, i would definitely recommend this book! ⏳
“Hello, little thief” 🥹😭😫 screaming!!
This book made me feel so much. There is tension, humor, a little bit of romance and of course a great trope: the enemies to lovers, my ultimate favourite trope :) Trust me i don’t think i’ve read a book where the mmc & fmc hate eachother so much 😭
I really liked the writing style and I quickly got into the story, which made it easy to read. So I’ve your looking for a new fantasy book, i would definitely recommend this book! ⏳
April 23, 2024
4.5.
I was super lucky to receive an ARC of this book and I’ll admit at first it was a little slow and I was unsure of where it was going, but oh my gosh once I was in? I was IN.
This book absolutely needs to be shouted about! It truly isn’t like anything I’ve read before and I think that is so hard to do with a fantasy book, I’m sure we will get enemies to lovers our favourite trope, but the world and magic system it is set in is so unique. Also the characters were written so well I was constantly confused as to who I was supposed to trust, who was good, who was bad. Suri’s character was badass and I loved that she had such tenacity and trust in her instincts throughout the whole book despite awful things happening to her.
I am already so excited for book 2, how am I supposed to wait that long 😭
I was super lucky to receive an ARC of this book and I’ll admit at first it was a little slow and I was unsure of where it was going, but oh my gosh once I was in? I was IN.
This book absolutely needs to be shouted about! It truly isn’t like anything I’ve read before and I think that is so hard to do with a fantasy book, I’m sure we will get enemies to lovers our favourite trope, but the world and magic system it is set in is so unique. Also the characters were written so well I was constantly confused as to who I was supposed to trust, who was good, who was bad. Suri’s character was badass and I loved that she had such tenacity and trust in her instincts throughout the whole book despite awful things happening to her.
I am already so excited for book 2, how am I supposed to wait that long 😭
May 23, 2024
Ok first of all thanks to R.A. sandpiper for the arc!
Now on to the review cause omggggg is this book goood. I love the world building as well as the story line (which is so well done!!). Siri is such a good main character and I started to love her so quickly.
And for god sake Kol 😍. He such a well written character who is kinda evil but god did I fall for him (mostly later in the book). When a man asks who hurt you I’m gonna just squeal and be happy cause omggggg. As well as calling her little thief just got me soooo giddy!!!! ❤️🔥. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
Now on to the review cause omggggg is this book goood. I love the world building as well as the story line (which is so well done!!). Siri is such a good main character and I started to love her so quickly.
And for god sake Kol 😍. He such a well written character who is kinda evil but god did I fall for him (mostly later in the book). When a man asks who hurt you I’m gonna just squeal and be happy cause omggggg. As well as calling her little thief just got me soooo giddy!!!! ❤️🔥. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
Read
June 7, 2024DNF after 133 pages / 37%
I wanted to like this story, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. After reading over a third of the book, the point of the story wasn’t clear to me, and there wasn’t a clear goal to work towards.
Additionally, the writing style wasn’t my personal favorite
I wanted to like this story, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. After reading over a third of the book, the point of the story wasn’t clear to me, and there wasn’t a clear goal to work towards.
Additionally, the writing style wasn’t my personal favorite
January 15, 2025
Suri is a thief down on her luck. After attempting to steal from some out-of-towners, she ends up impersonating a princess to steal enough to survive the week. It goes from bad to worse when she comes face to face with the Lord of the Wasteland himself who crashes the royal ball. She ends up making enemies of everyone, getting exiled with a narrow path to returning home.
A fast paced and well plotted epic fantasy. Suri is a little thief in over her head. The prose was excellent, detailed and action oriented. As things go from bad to worse for Suri, the tension is palpable, compelling you to flip the page. The best thing about A Pocket of Lies is that Suri faces real and gruesome consequences for her actions. Too often do main characters get away with mistakes without lasting consequence. Not Suri. Not even close!
My favorite scenes are from near the end where I don't want to spoil, but I will say the visceral dance of the climax lives rent free in my head.
Even though this is listed as romantasy, there are only hints of romance in Amefyre book one, but we end up with at least two potential love interests that'll surely be a focus in the sequel. I have to say that I called the love interest as soon as they showed up, but that didn't make it any less satisfying to see the two duel with words as they discovered the romance for themselves.
If you like epic fantasy. If you like romance. If you like morally gray little thieves in over their heads, you'll love A Pocket of Lies.
A fast paced and well plotted epic fantasy. Suri is a little thief in over her head. The prose was excellent, detailed and action oriented. As things go from bad to worse for Suri, the tension is palpable, compelling you to flip the page. The best thing about A Pocket of Lies is that Suri faces real and gruesome consequences for her actions. Too often do main characters get away with mistakes without lasting consequence. Not Suri. Not even close!
My favorite scenes are from near the end where I don't want to spoil, but I will say the visceral dance of the climax lives rent free in my head.
Even though this is listed as romantasy, there are only hints of romance in Amefyre book one, but we end up with at least two potential love interests that'll surely be a focus in the sequel. I have to say that I called the love interest as soon as they showed up, but that didn't make it any less satisfying to see the two duel with words as they discovered the romance for themselves.
If you like epic fantasy. If you like romance. If you like morally gray little thieves in over their heads, you'll love A Pocket of Lies.
February 2, 2026
Wow, that completely took me by surprise!
Action packed to the brim and so many twists and turns I did not foresee. Every time I felt like I might know where this was going, it shifted again and kept me on my toes. There are so many interesting aspects and I feel like it’s a great start to a series. But man, the FMC goes through the wringer, the author was not playing with this storyline. Super intrigued to see how it unfolds further.
Action packed to the brim and so many twists and turns I did not foresee. Every time I felt like I might know where this was going, it shifted again and kept me on my toes. There are so many interesting aspects and I feel like it’s a great start to a series. But man, the FMC goes through the wringer, the author was not playing with this storyline. Super intrigued to see how it unfolds further.
February 27, 2024
I loved this book! As someone who doesn’t often read fantasy, I wasn’t sure if it would be my thing, but it’s amazing! The characters jump out of the page, the world that Sandpiper has created is wildly vivid and there are some gut wrenching twists to look forward to! I’m itching to know what happens in Suri’s tale next!!
September 29, 2025
Cute, quick, creative🧑🎨 But heavy on the 'start' part of the 'start of a slow-burn romance.’⏳
May 9, 2026
4,5🌟
March 13, 2026
3.5⭐️
Hade av någon anledning rätt låga förväntningar men blev positivt överraskad!
Hade av någon anledning rätt låga förväntningar men blev positivt överraskad!
May 15, 2025
single handedly restored my faith in romantasy 🫱🏻🫲🏼🫱🏻🫲🏼 thank you very much
October 2, 2024
4,5⭐️’s
What a story… if you are ever scared of supporting an indie author, let this one be the one you give a shot.
Well written characters, with flaws and pain. There are only one or two characters that I didn’t see myself changing my opinions on, just because they are all so real. Not black and white, but ‘real’ people with believable (for the most part) motives for the things they did.
If you like books like acotar, I really think you should read this one as well.
The story captured me in after the first 10% and I couldn’t put it down again. Can’t wait to read book two and I’m really happy I only have to wait until Sunday to ready it 😇
What a story… if you are ever scared of supporting an indie author, let this one be the one you give a shot.
Well written characters, with flaws and pain. There are only one or two characters that I didn’t see myself changing my opinions on, just because they are all so real. Not black and white, but ‘real’ people with believable (for the most part) motives for the things they did.
If you like books like acotar, I really think you should read this one as well.
The story captured me in after the first 10% and I couldn’t put it down again. Can’t wait to read book two and I’m really happy I only have to wait until Sunday to ready it 😇
May 19, 2024
I loved this! The lore for this book was awesome, the world building incredible, the characters amazing, the enemies to friends was great and that betrayal wow.
This book grips you from the get go, it's paced really well, so it doesn't feel like too much is going on at the same time.
The FMC was great, she started off as a nobody and turned into a potentially somebody. The twists and turns in this is great.
There is also some good disability representation (Won't specify as would risk spoilers), not the sort of representation you'd expect in a book like this.
10/10 would recommend and read again.
This book grips you from the get go, it's paced really well, so it doesn't feel like too much is going on at the same time.
The FMC was great, she started off as a nobody and turned into a potentially somebody. The twists and turns in this is great.
There is also some good disability representation (Won't specify as would risk spoilers), not the sort of representation you'd expect in a book like this.
10/10 would recommend and read again.
May 25, 2024
2.75 ⭐️ I received this book as an ARC.
I have a lot of feelings about this book that are very mixed. I liked it but also didn’t, so let’s go through it.
Plot:
I thought the plot was interesting enough to keep me coming back for more, however there never truly felt like a goal to get to. At the end, amefyre was wanted to open a gate. Thats what I can glean.
Our main character Suri, is a thief who has a debt to pay and tries stealing from the wrong people. They end up brutalizing her and she wants revenge. She also still needs to make up for the debt she owes so she decides to kidnap and then impersonate a princess at a ball to steal from the rich. While there she sees the people who did awful things to her and they are in connections with the Demon king Kol who is a man everyone is scared of.
Things happen and then she ends up getting caught for impersonating so the king banishes her. She then gets sold into slavery to work in the mines but gets saved by a group of priestesses when she claims to be a princess again. While traveling with them they get attacked and suri is left for dead in the desert until Kol finds her and helps her get to the city. When she was traveling with the priestesses she met a prince so when she gets to the city she goes to the castle to find him and speak with him. While she’s there she ends up become a guest of the queen. Of course the queen does have ulterior motives. Some truths are revealed about who Suri is and they ask her to be a part of a ceremony for a gate opening, however Suri finds out it takes human sacrifice to open the gate. She ends up escaping with the help of Kol and he brings her to the city of the damned.
Throughout the book I kept asking myself what is the purpose of this story, cause I really couldn’t find one.it felt like i was reading a random series of events happening to suri. I know they weren’t truly random, but for me everything felt incoherent, and once again had me asking what and why? I just always struggled to see where the story was going and for what purpose.
Writing:
There was a lot of unnecessary fluff and repetitive writing. I found myself skipping over paragraphs. The text was also small, something I don’t often like in books.
Characters:
I would have to say all the characters from our FMC and MMC to the side characters all had very little personality. You could describe Suri as feisty at times with her responses and the men as mysterious but that’s about it. I felt that there was more writing about circumstance, plot, feelings, etc. than there was the characters talking. So I do feel that made it boring at times.
All in all, not my fav story but I did want to know what happened next every time I put the book down. The writing style was hard for me to follow along.
I have a lot of feelings about this book that are very mixed. I liked it but also didn’t, so let’s go through it.
Plot:
I thought the plot was interesting enough to keep me coming back for more, however there never truly felt like a goal to get to. At the end, amefyre was wanted to open a gate. Thats what I can glean.
Our main character Suri, is a thief who has a debt to pay and tries stealing from the wrong people. They end up brutalizing her and she wants revenge. She also still needs to make up for the debt she owes so she decides to kidnap and then impersonate a princess at a ball to steal from the rich. While there she sees the people who did awful things to her and they are in connections with the Demon king Kol who is a man everyone is scared of.
Things happen and then she ends up getting caught for impersonating so the king banishes her. She then gets sold into slavery to work in the mines but gets saved by a group of priestesses when she claims to be a princess again. While traveling with them they get attacked and suri is left for dead in the desert until Kol finds her and helps her get to the city. When she was traveling with the priestesses she met a prince so when she gets to the city she goes to the castle to find him and speak with him. While she’s there she ends up become a guest of the queen. Of course the queen does have ulterior motives. Some truths are revealed about who Suri is and they ask her to be a part of a ceremony for a gate opening, however Suri finds out it takes human sacrifice to open the gate. She ends up escaping with the help of Kol and he brings her to the city of the damned.
Throughout the book I kept asking myself what is the purpose of this story, cause I really couldn’t find one.it felt like i was reading a random series of events happening to suri. I know they weren’t truly random, but for me everything felt incoherent, and once again had me asking what and why? I just always struggled to see where the story was going and for what purpose.
Writing:
There was a lot of unnecessary fluff and repetitive writing. I found myself skipping over paragraphs. The text was also small, something I don’t often like in books.
Characters:
I would have to say all the characters from our FMC and MMC to the side characters all had very little personality. You could describe Suri as feisty at times with her responses and the men as mysterious but that’s about it. I felt that there was more writing about circumstance, plot, feelings, etc. than there was the characters talking. So I do feel that made it boring at times.
All in all, not my fav story but I did want to know what happened next every time I put the book down. The writing style was hard for me to follow along.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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