What do you think?
Rate this book
Armor for Liars
Not yet published
Expected 21 Jul 26A brilliant girl risking it all to infiltrate a secret society of enchanters gets unexpected help from one of their victims—now a vengeful spirit—in this historical dark academia novel by New York Times bestselling author S. E. Grove.
In a world where magic is drawn from the realm of the dead, enchanters—always men—go to great lengths to steal it. Voyaging to the spirit realm, an enchanter will claim a dead woman’s spirit as his own and make her a servant, a tool for his own magical ends. Enchanters maintain great secrecy around their practices, so only a wealthy elite have access to this members of a secret society shrouded within Commonwealth University, the nation’s premiere institution for the study of enchantment.
When Sam—the son of islander immigrants of modest means—dared to use magic to blend into the blueblood world of Commonwealth, it cost him his life. Now a spirit, he’s determined to avenge his murder and uncover the secrets of the Cisneros Society from beyond the grave.
When Sam encounters Clementine Quinn, a young woman disguised as a male student at Commonwealth, he quickly sees that Clem is putting herself in grave danger at the school. But as he tries to warn her of the peril, it becomes clear that his past and her fate are inextricably entwined. To avenge his murder and prevent hers, they’ll need to help one another and thereby prove, ultimately, that friendship and love can transcend everything, even death.
In a world where magic is drawn from the realm of the dead, enchanters—always men—go to great lengths to steal it. Voyaging to the spirit realm, an enchanter will claim a dead woman’s spirit as his own and make her a servant, a tool for his own magical ends. Enchanters maintain great secrecy around their practices, so only a wealthy elite have access to this members of a secret society shrouded within Commonwealth University, the nation’s premiere institution for the study of enchantment.
When Sam—the son of islander immigrants of modest means—dared to use magic to blend into the blueblood world of Commonwealth, it cost him his life. Now a spirit, he’s determined to avenge his murder and uncover the secrets of the Cisneros Society from beyond the grave.
When Sam encounters Clementine Quinn, a young woman disguised as a male student at Commonwealth, he quickly sees that Clem is putting herself in grave danger at the school. But as he tries to warn her of the peril, it becomes clear that his past and her fate are inextricably entwined. To avenge his murder and prevent hers, they’ll need to help one another and thereby prove, ultimately, that friendship and love can transcend everything, even death.
432 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 21, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 11, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy! This in no way impacts my review.
This was a fun read! It was so interesting to be in Sam’s omnipresent point of view, and I loved seeing his thoughts about Clementine evolve. The magic system was fascinating! For those who follow me, there are talks of seances and the magic is spirit based, so maybe not something everyone is interested in, but I didn’t have much issue with it as it doesn’t seem to be meant to be dark magic. :) I’d be really interested to see another book set in this world!
This was a fun read! It was so interesting to be in Sam’s omnipresent point of view, and I loved seeing his thoughts about Clementine evolve. The magic system was fascinating! For those who follow me, there are talks of seances and the magic is spirit based, so maybe not something everyone is interested in, but I didn’t have much issue with it as it doesn’t seem to be meant to be dark magic. :) I’d be really interested to see another book set in this world!
January 10, 2026
Thanks to Simon for the ARC of this book. I previewed it for potential sale in my children's book store.
I would not recommend this book for kids younger than 14-15, unless they are comfortable with heavy themes of death. All magic in this fictional world is 'dead weight' or pulled from artifacts belonging to the dead.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It's very deft at handling some difficult topics. I highly recommend.
I would not recommend this book for kids younger than 14-15, unless they are comfortable with heavy themes of death. All magic in this fictional world is 'dead weight' or pulled from artifacts belonging to the dead.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It's very deft at handling some difficult topics. I highly recommend.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Using a fantasy Ouija board to talk to a ghost boy and solve crimes was not on my bingo board
Armor for Liars is a YA historical fantasy standalone with hints of dark academia and mystery woven throughout. In some ways, I considered it a lighter version of R.F. Kuang's Babel, but I'm sure there are more appropriate comps out there. The premise of this book was especially intriguing to me because I've been in the mood for vengeful ghosts lately, and I thought the use of a ghost narrator was particularly interesting given our POV character could do little to influence the world around him. I do want to mention that despite a portion of the story taking place in an educational setting, I still don't know that I have a grasp on the worldbuilding as a whole. Magic can be performed using equations of sorts, but more powerful magic comes from the use of thews, who are spirits returned from the realm of the dead and essentially enslaved to an enchanter. Everything logically made sense for the most part, but I struggled a bit with understanding the consequences of the magic system because certain characters felt completely overpowered.
Samuel May died for Commonwealth University's insidious Cisneros Society, so when he spots Clementine Quinn, a young woman disguised as a man infiltrating the school, he knows this is his best chance for revenge. But Clem has motives of her own: her mother is a thew somewhere in the school, and Clem intends to free her. Sam and Clem's paths may be intertwined, but as a spirit, there is little Sam can do to protect Clem from the dangers of the Commonwealth. This book is marketed as dark academia, but I would argue that academia actually plays a very limited role in the plot itself (I think the school stops being a common setting by a third of the way through). Instead, it takes on more of a mystery approach, as there are a handful of mysterious deaths that need to be investigated throughout. The mystery plot would have worked better for me if Sam weren't the narrator. As much as I enjoyed his POV, his position as a spirit gives him a lot of knowledge that he can't easily bestow upon the living characters, who would be able to act more impactfully. Sam's overall knowledge took away some of the suspense for me, which contributed to the overall slow pacing of the plot. A large portion of the plot felt like a transition to me, though the pacing did pick up toward the end...almost too much so, as I found the ending a bit anticlimactic. I enjoyed the plot a lot; I just wish it didn't take so long to reach the extra fun parts.
The book focuses on two primary characters: Sam and Clem. Sam is the narrator, though, as I already stated, he can barely influence the world around him. Despite his initial lack of impact in terms of the plot, I found him to be a compelling character. His loneliness made me want to like him, and the way he clearly cared for Clem made him a respectable narrator. I really appreciated the strength of Clem's character as well. She's arguably the protagonist, and she plays her role well. I liked how self-assured she was and her stubbornness when pursuing her goals. Rosetta, Clem's sister, was also a fun character. I was surprised by how relevant she was to the plot, but I was glad she and Clem got to work together in many scenes. I was also shocked by how much I liked Maxwell, a constable who can communicate with Sam. He reminded me a lot of Stanley Forbes from Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. The antagonists were all written well because I hated them, and their arcs reflected the themes of exploitation demonstrated throughout the book as a whole.
Armor for Liars is a YA historical fantasy featuring a female enchanter and a vengeful spirit on a mission to bring down the institutions that harm them.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.5/5
Armor for Liars is a YA historical fantasy standalone with hints of dark academia and mystery woven throughout. In some ways, I considered it a lighter version of R.F. Kuang's Babel, but I'm sure there are more appropriate comps out there. The premise of this book was especially intriguing to me because I've been in the mood for vengeful ghosts lately, and I thought the use of a ghost narrator was particularly interesting given our POV character could do little to influence the world around him. I do want to mention that despite a portion of the story taking place in an educational setting, I still don't know that I have a grasp on the worldbuilding as a whole. Magic can be performed using equations of sorts, but more powerful magic comes from the use of thews, who are spirits returned from the realm of the dead and essentially enslaved to an enchanter. Everything logically made sense for the most part, but I struggled a bit with understanding the consequences of the magic system because certain characters felt completely overpowered.
Samuel May died for Commonwealth University's insidious Cisneros Society, so when he spots Clementine Quinn, a young woman disguised as a man infiltrating the school, he knows this is his best chance for revenge. But Clem has motives of her own: her mother is a thew somewhere in the school, and Clem intends to free her. Sam and Clem's paths may be intertwined, but as a spirit, there is little Sam can do to protect Clem from the dangers of the Commonwealth. This book is marketed as dark academia, but I would argue that academia actually plays a very limited role in the plot itself (I think the school stops being a common setting by a third of the way through). Instead, it takes on more of a mystery approach, as there are a handful of mysterious deaths that need to be investigated throughout. The mystery plot would have worked better for me if Sam weren't the narrator. As much as I enjoyed his POV, his position as a spirit gives him a lot of knowledge that he can't easily bestow upon the living characters, who would be able to act more impactfully. Sam's overall knowledge took away some of the suspense for me, which contributed to the overall slow pacing of the plot. A large portion of the plot felt like a transition to me, though the pacing did pick up toward the end...almost too much so, as I found the ending a bit anticlimactic. I enjoyed the plot a lot; I just wish it didn't take so long to reach the extra fun parts.
The book focuses on two primary characters: Sam and Clem. Sam is the narrator, though, as I already stated, he can barely influence the world around him. Despite his initial lack of impact in terms of the plot, I found him to be a compelling character. His loneliness made me want to like him, and the way he clearly cared for Clem made him a respectable narrator. I really appreciated the strength of Clem's character as well. She's arguably the protagonist, and she plays her role well. I liked how self-assured she was and her stubbornness when pursuing her goals. Rosetta, Clem's sister, was also a fun character. I was surprised by how relevant she was to the plot, but I was glad she and Clem got to work together in many scenes. I was also shocked by how much I liked Maxwell, a constable who can communicate with Sam. He reminded me a lot of Stanley Forbes from Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. The antagonists were all written well because I hated them, and their arcs reflected the themes of exploitation demonstrated throughout the book as a whole.
Armor for Liars is a YA historical fantasy featuring a female enchanter and a vengeful spirit on a mission to bring down the institutions that harm them.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.5/5
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Armor for Liars follows our two main characters, Sam and Clem. Now a ghost set on seeking revenge against those who were involved in his death, Sam monitors the Cisneros Society, a secret society woven into the elite academy for young enchanters, Commonwealth. At the arrival of a young woman disguised as a male student at Commonwealth, Sam’s focus shifts to her peculiar actions. He soon learns that she also seeks revenge against an enchanter apart of the Cisneros Society who has imprisoned her late mother’s spirit to draw power from. As Sam continues his own investigations into the Cisneros Society from the spirit realm, he finds himself teaming up with Clem to help expose and take down the Cisneros Society.
This was such a fun read. This book blended together the plot, characters, and setting into a story hard to put down. I loved our two main characters, Sam and Clem, as well as their dynamic. I also found the writing of the Cisneros Society and Commonwealth to tie together very well with the topics spoken on in this book such as difference in race, class, gender etc. The setting had to be my absolute favorite. I enjoyed the academic setting and magic system quite a lot, and found myself sucked right into this world. Overall, this was an incredibly fun read, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of dark academia- based fantasy books with supernatural elements.
Thank you Simon Teen for the review copy! :)
This was such a fun read. This book blended together the plot, characters, and setting into a story hard to put down. I loved our two main characters, Sam and Clem, as well as their dynamic. I also found the writing of the Cisneros Society and Commonwealth to tie together very well with the topics spoken on in this book such as difference in race, class, gender etc. The setting had to be my absolute favorite. I enjoyed the academic setting and magic system quite a lot, and found myself sucked right into this world. Overall, this was an incredibly fun read, and I would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of dark academia- based fantasy books with supernatural elements.
Thank you Simon Teen for the review copy! :)
July 12, 2026
3.5
The writing was so interesting. I don’t think I’ve read a book with this type of point of view and writing. It’s definitely very descriptive and detailed. At first, I was confused trying to comprehend, until it was clearer that the point of view I was reading from was from a spirit. With that said. The beginning was confusing but once you grasp it, things get more fast-paced. Meeting Clem was a mystery you can’t quite put together but seeing that side of the school was so valuable for the whole story. Once we know Clem’s real identity things start becoming clearer and clearer. I enjoyed hearing Sam’s side of the story, very tragic but I really liked the timing where that is revealed to us as a reader. Then, we have Clem who wants to free her mother and prove that women can practice magic too. 💯 plot. I loved Clem for being this daring, it was sad seeing her sisters’ fate, I do think that scene missed more emotion. After that, sam and Clem proved to be a great team. Very much enjoyed the ending. I only wish I wasn’t so confused in the beginning it made me read slower than usual
The writing was so interesting. I don’t think I’ve read a book with this type of point of view and writing. It’s definitely very descriptive and detailed. At first, I was confused trying to comprehend, until it was clearer that the point of view I was reading from was from a spirit. With that said. The beginning was confusing but once you grasp it, things get more fast-paced. Meeting Clem was a mystery you can’t quite put together but seeing that side of the school was so valuable for the whole story. Once we know Clem’s real identity things start becoming clearer and clearer. I enjoyed hearing Sam’s side of the story, very tragic but I really liked the timing where that is revealed to us as a reader. Then, we have Clem who wants to free her mother and prove that women can practice magic too. 💯 plot. I loved Clem for being this daring, it was sad seeing her sisters’ fate, I do think that scene missed more emotion. After that, sam and Clem proved to be a great team. Very much enjoyed the ending. I only wish I wasn’t so confused in the beginning it made me read slower than usual
June 9, 2026
Armor for Liars by S.E. Grove is a wildly original and mesmerizing dark academia fantasy that perfectly blends historical mystery with a haunting magic system. I was completely spellbound by the unique concept of magic being drawn from the realm of the dead, especially with Clementine risking everything in male disguise to infiltrate the elite Cisneros Society. The dynamic between Clem and Sam, the vengeful spirit of a murdered student trying to protect her, adds an amazing layer of emotional depth and high-stakes tension to the plot. While the pacing is definitely more of a slow burn as the secrets of Commonwealth University unfold, the themes of privilege and corruption kept me completely hooked. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who loves feminist historical fantasy, ghostly mysteries, and plenty of academic intrigue!
Did Not Finish
July 5, 2026Thank you to Simon and Schuster for giving me an ARC of this book via NetGalley! These thoughts are my own.
I unfortunately DNF'd this book. I really wanted to like it, and there were some parts I did enjoy. The atmosphere of the school was amazing, and I think the plot had a lot of potential. I found the characters to be very unique and interesting to read about.
However, the plot just moved too slowly for my taste. I made it about 20% of the way in, and barely anything had happened. That is great for some people, but it was just too slow for me to enjoy.
If you like slower-paced fantasy books with academic flair, this book is worth checking out. It just wasn't for me.
I unfortunately DNF'd this book. I really wanted to like it, and there were some parts I did enjoy. The atmosphere of the school was amazing, and I think the plot had a lot of potential. I found the characters to be very unique and interesting to read about.
However, the plot just moved too slowly for my taste. I made it about 20% of the way in, and barely anything had happened. That is great for some people, but it was just too slow for me to enjoy.
If you like slower-paced fantasy books with academic flair, this book is worth checking out. It just wasn't for me.
June 10, 2026
This book is a pleasure to read with an engaging plot, likeable characters, and a really interesting world. It is truly a YA novel that is just as enjoyable for adults. That being said, it is a little too quickly paced in the second half; it feels like it would be better as a duology.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher as a Goodreads Giveaway. A review was requested but not required and the content and star rating are both my own. The edition I received was an Advanced Reader Copy and may differ from the published version.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher as a Goodreads Giveaway. A review was requested but not required and the content and star rating are both my own. The edition I received was an Advanced Reader Copy and may differ from the published version.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you Simon Teen for the e-ARC!! 💗
This was such a cool and unique story! I really enjoyed this a lot. It did take me a bit to get into this, but once I did I was invested. The writing is beautiful and very detailed. I absolutely loved our main character Clem and her personality, as well as Sam. Also loved that it was set in the late 1880s! This kind of reminded me of a V.E. Schwab book, so if you enjoy their work I’d especially recommend this. The world-building was so cool and easy to understand as well. I would definitely read a sequel to this or more from this author!
This was such a cool and unique story! I really enjoyed this a lot. It did take me a bit to get into this, but once I did I was invested. The writing is beautiful and very detailed. I absolutely loved our main character Clem and her personality, as well as Sam. Also loved that it was set in the late 1880s! This kind of reminded me of a V.E. Schwab book, so if you enjoy their work I’d especially recommend this. The world-building was so cool and easy to understand as well. I would definitely read a sequel to this or more from this author!
Did Not Finish
May 25, 2026DNF at 15%.
Lyrical prose and third person point of view are not my cups of tea, so I knew getting through this book was going to be a challenge for me. Ultimately, I made the choice not to continue. I am sure this book is great and many readers will enjoy it, but sadly I can’t be one of them! Just my personal preference.
Thank you to Simon Teen for the advanced copy.
Lyrical prose and third person point of view are not my cups of tea, so I knew getting through this book was going to be a challenge for me. Ultimately, I made the choice not to continue. I am sure this book is great and many readers will enjoy it, but sadly I can’t be one of them! Just my personal preference.
Thank you to Simon Teen for the advanced copy.
June 16, 2026
While I thought the characters were likable, I just couldn’t connect to the plot. I found myself dragging to finish this and it’s probably more of me problem. I think this has wonderful potential but for whatever reason I just couldn’t get into it like I wanted to. I think I’d still recommend to others because I do believe this has a lot of ingredients people look for an academia fantasy!
Read
June 16, 2026This book meshed together the plot, characters, and setting into an exciting story. I enjoyed the two main characters, Sam and Clem. I was intrigued by the academic setting and magic system. Overall, this was a fun read.
Read
December 23, 2025Work book!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I enjoyed this world and I enjoyed these characters. I usually can handle a slow burn but this one burned a smidge too slowly, even for me.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews