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Amethysta Trilogy #1
Throne of Lies
For seventeen-year-old princess Amethysta Serelle, the royal life is anything but enchanting.
She finds herself forever torn between duty and desire—desperately craving freedom, yet bound by the burden of her bloodline. With the realm of Vataenya divided by intolerance, and stained by a veiled and violent past, none take kindly to those who are different. For Amethysta’s sake, her mother must conceal her daughter’s mystifying secret from all—including from Amethysta herself.
Once driven to her wit’s end, Amethysta sets out on an unrelenting search for answers that will leave her teetering on the very edge of anguish and strife. With each harrowing turn, Amethysta encounters devastating loss, uncovers the mortifying unknown, and comes face to face with the calamitous heartache that awaits her.
All the while, an enigmatic blue glow sleeps below the surface, ready to unfold a world of chaos.
She finds herself forever torn between duty and desire—desperately craving freedom, yet bound by the burden of her bloodline. With the realm of Vataenya divided by intolerance, and stained by a veiled and violent past, none take kindly to those who are different. For Amethysta’s sake, her mother must conceal her daughter’s mystifying secret from all—including from Amethysta herself.
Once driven to her wit’s end, Amethysta sets out on an unrelenting search for answers that will leave her teetering on the very edge of anguish and strife. With each harrowing turn, Amethysta encounters devastating loss, uncovers the mortifying unknown, and comes face to face with the calamitous heartache that awaits her.
All the while, an enigmatic blue glow sleeps below the surface, ready to unfold a world of chaos.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2016
28 people are currently reading
4894 people want to read
About the author
Sara Secora
7 books178 followersSara Secora, author of The Amethysta Trilogy, is a proclaimed wordsmith with a wildfire imagination. Her concocted ventures range widely, from being the poet behind Dear Wallflower to reaching an esteemed position as a professional voiceover actor for video games, animations, commercials, and more.
Based in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, Sara Secora is actively writing whimsical stories brimming with enchantment, mystique, and insight—destined to intrigue readers of any age.
To learn more about Sara Secora, please visit:
https://www.sarasecora.com/
To explore Sara Secora’s other books, please visit:
https://foxfellfiction.com/
Based in the heart of Detroit, Michigan, Sara Secora is actively writing whimsical stories brimming with enchantment, mystique, and insight—destined to intrigue readers of any age.
To learn more about Sara Secora, please visit:
https://www.sarasecora.com/
To explore Sara Secora’s other books, please visit:
https://foxfellfiction.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
September 17, 2016
(
I received this book free form the author in exchange for my honest review
)
3.5
I wasn’t all that please with this book at first, It was a slow go and It didn’t capture my attention as much as I wanted it to. In saying that I was intrigue with how this book mixed original with old clichés. I was drawn in with the love story, I won’t go to much into that because it will ruin a good chunk of the story. I liked how it was a slow fall and how it was sweet.
As for our Princess, I’m not fully sold on her yet. At the beginning she has this fire, but I soon founded out that it was quickly put out. She acted like a spoiled brat for more than half the book and I found that annoying. I understand her feelings of being trapped, I just felt that it took to long for her to grow a back bone. I’m not even going to touch on the relationship between her and her parents, I’d be here too long.
The flow of this story was slow at first, and as I said It was annoying. At 50% I wasn’t feeling this story and I had to force myself to keep going, I’m pretty sure I could have skipped most of the drabble and in truth not miss a thing, plot wise. But I’m happy I stuck with it, or I would have missed a right story full of hardship, love and betrayal, but most of all, a story of self-acceptance. The princess came into her own, stood up for what she wanted and end the end was rewarded for her bravery.
I highly recommend this book, I’m excited for the next, to know what the sinister ending meant.
Happy Reading
E.A. Walsh
3.5
I wasn’t all that please with this book at first, It was a slow go and It didn’t capture my attention as much as I wanted it to. In saying that I was intrigue with how this book mixed original with old clichés. I was drawn in with the love story, I won’t go to much into that because it will ruin a good chunk of the story. I liked how it was a slow fall and how it was sweet.
As for our Princess, I’m not fully sold on her yet. At the beginning she has this fire, but I soon founded out that it was quickly put out. She acted like a spoiled brat for more than half the book and I found that annoying. I understand her feelings of being trapped, I just felt that it took to long for her to grow a back bone. I’m not even going to touch on the relationship between her and her parents, I’d be here too long.
The flow of this story was slow at first, and as I said It was annoying. At 50% I wasn’t feeling this story and I had to force myself to keep going, I’m pretty sure I could have skipped most of the drabble and in truth not miss a thing, plot wise. But I’m happy I stuck with it, or I would have missed a right story full of hardship, love and betrayal, but most of all, a story of self-acceptance. The princess came into her own, stood up for what she wanted and end the end was rewarded for her bravery.
I highly recommend this book, I’m excited for the next, to know what the sinister ending meant.
Happy Reading
E.A. Walsh
Read
August 12, 2025It is quite hard to rate books having just finished them. How much is my judgement clouded by my close proximity to the experience? Can I truly think about the whole book when I am still processing the end? Nevertheless, I hate putting things off to later (or rather, I try not to and would undoubtedly forget to rate this book if I did) and so, here are my almost certainly rather clouded and hopefully brief thoughts.
Reading this book was fun. It was fast-paced and interesting. It was not, however, incredible. It does have the potential to be incredible and so, I will devour the rest of the books in time. And I am sure I will love them as much as if not more than this first novel.
There were a few things, or rather characters, that I LOVED in this book: Ark and Soren (who shall not be explained further because- spoilers!). Amethysta’s parents, but especially her father in the later part of the book. Gehlin, Amethysta’s tutor, for his love of teaching and his eccentric methods. There were a few things I truly liked about this book: Cerdiwen, the horse. The beautiful gardens. The painting. The poetry and the plays. There were a couple of things that I can tell I will come to like more than I do: Amethysta herself. Gwyneth (she is such an interesting character already- I do hope we see her again).
And there a one thing that I did not like, something that I hope becomes better in the next books. I found the pacing of the book perhaps a bit rushed, uneven. I’m not sure of the time period that this book took or whether it was consistent, but it did not seem so. The months and days at the top of each chapter would have surely helped but I had no idea what they were (probably my inability to understand the gorgeous maps and diagrams at the beginning of the book than through any fault of the author).
In conclusion, whilst I did not find this book perfect, I see potential for an incredible sequel and I loved many of the characters and settings in this book. I would definitely recommend this book to those who like fast-paced fantasies with a bit of romantic intrigue and a lot of hard feelings.
**original thoughts after just finishing the book:**
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing the next book in the series. I love Arkarial and Soren; Amethysta is not my favourite main character ever, but I am hopeful that I will become more endeared to her in the rest of the trilogy. I love Amethysta's parents; particularly her father. I also love her teacher: Gehlin. Hmm, peculiar that I loved all of the male characters in this book more than the female ones.
Reading this book was fun. It was fast-paced and interesting. It was not, however, incredible. It does have the potential to be incredible and so, I will devour the rest of the books in time. And I am sure I will love them as much as if not more than this first novel.
There were a few things, or rather characters, that I LOVED in this book: Ark and Soren (who shall not be explained further because- spoilers!). Amethysta’s parents, but especially her father in the later part of the book. Gehlin, Amethysta’s tutor, for his love of teaching and his eccentric methods. There were a few things I truly liked about this book: Cerdiwen, the horse. The beautiful gardens. The painting. The poetry and the plays. There were a couple of things that I can tell I will come to like more than I do: Amethysta herself. Gwyneth (she is such an interesting character already- I do hope we see her again).
And there a one thing that I did not like, something that I hope becomes better in the next books. I found the pacing of the book perhaps a bit rushed, uneven. I’m not sure of the time period that this book took or whether it was consistent, but it did not seem so. The months and days at the top of each chapter would have surely helped but I had no idea what they were (probably my inability to understand the gorgeous maps and diagrams at the beginning of the book than through any fault of the author).
In conclusion, whilst I did not find this book perfect, I see potential for an incredible sequel and I loved many of the characters and settings in this book. I would definitely recommend this book to those who like fast-paced fantasies with a bit of romantic intrigue and a lot of hard feelings.
**original thoughts after just finishing the book:**
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing the next book in the series. I love Arkarial and Soren; Amethysta is not my favourite main character ever, but I am hopeful that I will become more endeared to her in the rest of the trilogy. I love Amethysta's parents; particularly her father. I also love her teacher: Gehlin. Hmm, peculiar that I loved all of the male characters in this book more than the female ones.
October 13, 2019
Sometimes you read a book and you know it's flawed, but you love it anyway. This is a decent debut novel for the author, and this trilogy has so much potential I can't wait for the next book in the series. The book starts out a bit slow, but picks up towards the end, and Amethysta's character development has a lot of potential as well. Amethysta is the princess of Northwind, the kingdom of humans, in a world segregated by race (species?). She slowly develops in this book, but still has a lot of room to grow. The other neighboring kingdoms include an elf kingdom, a dwarf kingdom, a giant kingdom, and a mermaid kingdom. This world is interesting, and even though we don't get to see much of it in this first book, I fully expect to see more of it in the next one. This book is a lot of setup and characterization for the next book, but it is still highly entertaining. I highly recommend this book. It's an enjoyable read for any fantasy fan. I'm planning to get the audiobook version too, so I can read it again. More in depth thoughts on the book below.
Characters
Advice to the author: Make less characters like Zaevir/Soren, and more like Amethysta/King/Gehlin/Ark.
Outside of Soren and Zaevir, I thought the characters were wonderful. Amethysta's mother clearly is torn between love for Amethysta and her secret. Amethysta's father is clearly trying his best to be both king and father, even though he makes a lot of mistakes. Amethysta's mind and fears are explored in depth, and she has a lot of room to grow and I look forward to seeing her develop. Her character development is one of the best parts of the novel. Gehlin is clearly hiding something, and his eccentricities make him a fun character to read about. Ark is flawed and has his own scars (physically and emotionally), goals, and fears. Also, somehow the horse, Ceridwen, is an awesome character as well lol.
The cliches, and subverting them
Advice to the author: Try to avoid the most obvious cliches.
I hate both Zaevir and Soren's characters. Zaevir is a pure evil sleazebag and Soren is perfection personified. People are not black and white. I also am not a huge fan of like love interests whose only character traits are doing anything for or to be with the main character (Peeta! D:<), and who have no aspirations for their own lives (other than to be with the main character). However, to the author's credit, the perfect love interest trope is subverted at the end of the novel, and nothing made me happier.
I also had an issue with the mother's plot.
Show, don't tell
Advice to the author: Don't just tell us the world is racist, show it.
The world in this novel has an interesting set up, with elves, dwarves, mermaids, giants, and humans in 5 rigidly segregated countries due to rampant racism (speciesism???). I want to see the rest of this world, it sounds really intriguing. Amethysta is almost guaranteed to venture out in the next novel and I can't wait.
My major issue with the world building is, though we are told Amethysta lives in a harshly segregated and racist world (via Gehlin exposition dump) and that if anyone finds out , we never actually see anyone being racist. For the vast majority of the novel, we are in the castle, and we don't meet enough non-human characters (we meet only one non-human character in the whole novel).
Pacing
Advice to the author: Insert more action mid-book! Get our main character out of that castle ASAP!
The book definitely starts out slow. We spend a lot of time sitting around the castle building up Amethysta's character, which is important and leads to some good character development, however I think a bit more action mid-book would have helped the pacing.
Once you get to the last 150 pages or so things get quite exciting. At this point I could barely put the book down, and the story leaves off with some tantalizing cliffhangers for the next book that I am excited to discover.
Some of the exposition came a bit too early in the novel for the related development. By the time we are introduced to the character from the prologue, I'd almost forgotten about the prologue. And by the time we are introduced to the non-human character, I'd forgotten the details of the history we'd received in the beginning of the novel and had to go back and reread that section.
I also wish we'd spent more time on Amethysta's training at the end of the novel I'm looking forward to seeing more of her training in the next book!
Logic!
Advice to the author: Make sure the rules of your world are consistent.
We are told this world is sexist and women don't have power. But Amethysta is the heir to the throne, and is being trained and groomed in how to rule a country. But whoever she marries will have all the power because women have no power. Kings are treated as lesser gods and can do anything they want, except change their daughter's arranged marriage. Huh? Monarchies don't work like that. It's supposed to be kept in the family. If women have no power, Amethysta cannot be heir. Her closest male cousin should be heir. Or if she can be heir, her husband should be her consort and nothing more. It makes no sense for her to be in training to rule, only for some random man she marries to become the ruler.
Thoughts while reading the novel
Characters
Advice to the author: Make less characters like Zaevir/Soren, and more like Amethysta/King/Gehlin/Ark.
Outside of Soren and Zaevir, I thought the characters were wonderful. Amethysta's mother clearly is torn between love for Amethysta and her secret. Amethysta's father is clearly trying his best to be both king and father, even though he makes a lot of mistakes. Amethysta's mind and fears are explored in depth, and she has a lot of room to grow and I look forward to seeing her develop. Her character development is one of the best parts of the novel. Gehlin is clearly hiding something, and his eccentricities make him a fun character to read about. Ark is flawed and has his own scars (physically and emotionally), goals, and fears. Also, somehow the horse, Ceridwen, is an awesome character as well lol.
The cliches, and subverting them
Advice to the author: Try to avoid the most obvious cliches.
I hate both Zaevir and Soren's characters. Zaevir is a pure evil sleazebag and Soren is perfection personified. People are not black and white. I also am not a huge fan of like love interests whose only character traits are doing anything for or to be with the main character (Peeta! D:<), and who have no aspirations for their own lives (other than to be with the main character). However, to the author's credit, the perfect love interest trope is subverted at the end of the novel, and nothing made me happier.
I also had an issue with the mother's plot.
Show, don't tell
Advice to the author: Don't just tell us the world is racist, show it.
The world in this novel has an interesting set up, with elves, dwarves, mermaids, giants, and humans in 5 rigidly segregated countries due to rampant racism (speciesism???). I want to see the rest of this world, it sounds really intriguing. Amethysta is almost guaranteed to venture out in the next novel and I can't wait.
My major issue with the world building is, though we are told Amethysta lives in a harshly segregated and racist world (via Gehlin exposition dump) and that if anyone finds out , we never actually see anyone being racist. For the vast majority of the novel, we are in the castle, and we don't meet enough non-human characters (we meet only one non-human character in the whole novel).
Pacing
Advice to the author: Insert more action mid-book! Get our main character out of that castle ASAP!
The book definitely starts out slow. We spend a lot of time sitting around the castle building up Amethysta's character, which is important and leads to some good character development, however I think a bit more action mid-book would have helped the pacing.
Once you get to the last 150 pages or so things get quite exciting. At this point I could barely put the book down, and the story leaves off with some tantalizing cliffhangers for the next book that I am excited to discover.
Some of the exposition came a bit too early in the novel for the related development. By the time we are introduced to the character from the prologue, I'd almost forgotten about the prologue. And by the time we are introduced to the non-human character, I'd forgotten the details of the history we'd received in the beginning of the novel and had to go back and reread that section.
I also wish we'd spent more time on Amethysta's training at the end of the novel I'm looking forward to seeing more of her training in the next book!
Logic!
Advice to the author: Make sure the rules of your world are consistent.
We are told this world is sexist and women don't have power. But Amethysta is the heir to the throne, and is being trained and groomed in how to rule a country. But whoever she marries will have all the power because women have no power. Kings are treated as lesser gods and can do anything they want, except change their daughter's arranged marriage. Huh? Monarchies don't work like that. It's supposed to be kept in the family. If women have no power, Amethysta cannot be heir. Her closest male cousin should be heir. Or if she can be heir, her husband should be her consort and nothing more. It makes no sense for her to be in training to rule, only for some random man she marries to become the ruler.
Thoughts while reading the novel
July 4, 2018
Throne of Lies by Sara Secora was a surprise read that immersed me within the pages and I just rooted for Princess Amethysta on her newly encountered journey!
A character driven book about a princess who wants to discover the secrets her mother kept concealed from her; but these secrets make Amethysta question her birth and find answers where she least expects too.
Amethysta's character development throughout the book was one that I really enjoyed, she was naive in the beginning but grew into a formidable princess. Ark and Soren were two side characters that just made me laugh and swoon for because they were so kind and sweet.
Zaevir is one that I genuinely loathed and just applauded when something he cherished was ripped from his grasp, he was served his comeuppance on a golden plate and I loved it!
As for the world building the story takes place in the human kingdom of Northwind but there are Five Kingdoms mentioned in the story; my interest lie in knowing if the author plans to delve into each or some of the kingdoms as the series unfolds. The kingdoms mentioned are those of elven, dwarven, giants, and a mermaids kingdom and this just sparks my curiosity. The explanation of the Seili and the Forgotten was fascinating and I want to see this expanded on because we do get subtle hints that something is brewing behind closed doors.
Overall, I highly recommend Throne of Lies since the story grabs your attention and the world building has a solid start, plus the epilogue hints that the next book will be filled with many interesting choices or events.
The story does have good writing with interesting names for the characters and kingdoms.
Unfortunately the reason I took off an entire star are spoilers so tread carefully while reading my next few thoughts.
*******************************Things I didn't quite agree with-SPOILERS-******************
King Vicar Serelle and Amethysta's family bond in the beginning was up for discussion, I did not enjoy his coldness towards his daughter, it made me a bit infuriated. But then he does redeem himself in my eyes with worrying about her safety from Zaevir and trying to end her betrothal with him. These events made me fangirl for him so badly!
Once Amethysta and Ark stumble upon one another, I though it was a really sweet moment and I appreciated how Ark warmed up to her. Genuinely I was expecting their relationship to be completely platonic and it wasn't which was kind of a let down for me personally. I would have been content with Ark being sort of like a mentor for her, since he is teaching her how to control her magic since it is out of control and at times has dark tendencies.
Also Amethysta's escapades from the castle were questionable, because one has to wonder how effective their security is plus once out-and-about she was magnet for trouble.
A character driven book about a princess who wants to discover the secrets her mother kept concealed from her; but these secrets make Amethysta question her birth and find answers where she least expects too.
Amethysta's character development throughout the book was one that I really enjoyed, she was naive in the beginning but grew into a formidable princess. Ark and Soren were two side characters that just made me laugh and swoon for because they were so kind and sweet.
Zaevir is one that I genuinely loathed and just applauded when something he cherished was ripped from his grasp, he was served his comeuppance on a golden plate and I loved it!
As for the world building the story takes place in the human kingdom of Northwind but there are Five Kingdoms mentioned in the story; my interest lie in knowing if the author plans to delve into each or some of the kingdoms as the series unfolds. The kingdoms mentioned are those of elven, dwarven, giants, and a mermaids kingdom and this just sparks my curiosity. The explanation of the Seili and the Forgotten was fascinating and I want to see this expanded on because we do get subtle hints that something is brewing behind closed doors.
Overall, I highly recommend Throne of Lies since the story grabs your attention and the world building has a solid start, plus the epilogue hints that the next book will be filled with many interesting choices or events.
The story does have good writing with interesting names for the characters and kingdoms.
Unfortunately the reason I took off an entire star are spoilers so tread carefully while reading my next few thoughts.
*******************************Things I didn't quite agree with-SPOILERS-******************
King Vicar Serelle and Amethysta's family bond in the beginning was up for discussion, I did not enjoy his coldness towards his daughter, it made me a bit infuriated. But then he does redeem himself in my eyes with worrying about her safety from Zaevir and trying to end her betrothal with him. These events made me fangirl for him so badly!
Once Amethysta and Ark stumble upon one another, I though it was a really sweet moment and I appreciated how Ark warmed up to her. Genuinely I was expecting their relationship to be completely platonic and it wasn't which was kind of a let down for me personally. I would have been content with Ark being sort of like a mentor for her, since he is teaching her how to control her magic since it is out of control and at times has dark tendencies.
Also Amethysta's escapades from the castle were questionable, because one has to wonder how effective their security is plus once out-and-about she was magnet for trouble.
July 2, 2016
To begin, I was given an advance reader's copy by the author.
Throne of Lies is a young adult fantasy, and the first in a trilogy. The story follows Princess Amethysta Serelle and begins with her personal stuggles as a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Northwind. As the story progresses, a larger plot is unraveled and Princess Amethysta comes into her own while bringing the reader along on a fantastic journey of discovery and magic.
Secora's biggest strength is her ability to convey the emotions of the main character in a fashion that, when combined with her writing style, puts you in the mind of the main character herself. Discovering the world that Amethysta lives in, at the same time she does is an experience that allows you to bond with her and gives you an emotional connection to the story.
Truly a coming of age story, Throne of Lies conveys Amethysta's discovery of her world and her own abilities in a fashion that will resonate with young adults. The heavy flavor of high fantasy, allows you to escape into the book's world effortlessly and leaves you waiting for the next book.
Throne of Lies is a young adult fantasy, and the first in a trilogy. The story follows Princess Amethysta Serelle and begins with her personal stuggles as a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Northwind. As the story progresses, a larger plot is unraveled and Princess Amethysta comes into her own while bringing the reader along on a fantastic journey of discovery and magic.
Secora's biggest strength is her ability to convey the emotions of the main character in a fashion that, when combined with her writing style, puts you in the mind of the main character herself. Discovering the world that Amethysta lives in, at the same time she does is an experience that allows you to bond with her and gives you an emotional connection to the story.
Truly a coming of age story, Throne of Lies conveys Amethysta's discovery of her world and her own abilities in a fashion that will resonate with young adults. The heavy flavor of high fantasy, allows you to escape into the book's world effortlessly and leaves you waiting for the next book.
December 21, 2017
This was not for me but a good read and liked the author. Self publishing has traditionally been hard but now with GOODREADS and Amazon it must be a better route to get your book in front of lots of people! Good lucK Sara!
April 18, 2021
Won this book in a giveaway.
The idea behind the book is good and it's original, but it could have been executed better.
The idea behind the book is good and it's original, but it could have been executed better.
September 6, 2016
Full disclosure: I backed this book's campaign on Indiegogo.
Throne of Lies is a thoroughly pleasant book. And not only in obvious ways of murmuring the reader's senses with pictures of tranquility and glamor, although it does do that. But
still it's very likely not quite what you expect after you hear "a fantasy story about a princess". It does the protagonist's position true justice by letting you seriously wonder whether being a princess is absolutely great or if it's truly the worst thing to ever happen to anyone. You get to experience all the undeniable and for most of us utterly unreachable privileges of Amethysta's highborn life but you also get to experience her struggles and sorrows. And her main sorrow is oh so relatable for so many people. That sorrow is of being trapped under the weight of circumstances, various ties and obligations, however favorable they may be on the surface, while all the most important dreams and desires stay just out of reach for one reason or the other.
Now if you can't relate to that, then admittedly I don't think anything I will say will win you over. Because this, as far I can tell, is the central theme of this work. And it does it solid justice, in my opinion, even more so than the depictions of Amethysta's "spoiled" princess life. Those are two separate things but they're really closely intertwined, one is framing and the other is the message, and it's hard to speak of them separately, so forgive me if I jump back and forth between them a little.
When it comes to telling about Amethysta's life the book spares no detail. This can be both a criticism and a positive point, depending on your outlook and preferences. On one hand this means the pacing of the book for at least a half of it is relatively slow. Things start slowly and happen very gradually. Sometimes you get more of Amethysta's thoughts than of proactive decisions and changes. To put it bluntly there is a lot of exposition and it takes a while for the story to gain momentum of a dramatic adventure story it eventually blossoms into. Not that it's some sort of absolute necessity, mind, but I'll confess bias towards faster pacing and so I found that to be noteworthy. However, on the other hand all this means several very positive things, all of which made me enjoy it nevertheless without a hint of boredom. First of all, you get to experience every emotion that Amethysta goes through at every moment, getting to know her inner world and character very well. Then, you get very colorful and complete vision of the world she's living in. And then... well, that's the damn point isn't it? By absorbing all these complete detailed chronicles of Amethysta's existence you gain complete understanding of her situation both cerebrally and empathetically. You can't just say "yeah yeah, this is the premise, got it" and shrug it off after you feel like you've lived with her and gone through everything she's gone through. The way and the pacing with which Throne of Lies unfolds itself allow for easier, clearer understanding of its world and the gravity of the situation, not just in general, but for Amethysta. After all, it's a very personal story about a very personal kind of conflict. Duty versus pleasure. As I already said, the book does it justice, and as much as the thrill-seeking part of me wonders if it all could go a bit faster, I can at the same time with full confidence argue that it's all necessary and very well planned.
And it's also well-delivered. The descriptions, the emotions, the characters are all very lucid and colorful. Author's attention to detail is commendable, both in describing things and especially people's natural reactions to things. Another thing I'd like to highlight and commend is characters themselves. Virtually none of them are flat incidental backdrops with one-dimensional morality. Yes, some are clearly likable and other made difficult to like but most, especially prominent characters have positive and negative qualities about them, making them rather believable and interesting mixed bags. That includes the protagonist too, I absolutely loved just how subjective a narrator Amethysta is. Her reactions to things aren't always agreeable nor predictable, they're unashamedly her own and that makes her and her world really come alive.
The main storyline itself is interesting, surprising and satisfying. Quite a few things happen, many of them carry significant emotions with them, and ultimately it almost all ties to the core theme of necessity versus desire. The book gently poses difficult questions on the subject and doesn't rush with easy answers. Only difficult answers loom in the distance and slowly tug at the heartstrings. All the different events explore the main theme in different ways and you get slice of life, you get mystery, you get romance, you get drama. And of course you get touches of epic fantasy and adventure. Looking back, the author never forgot what the book was and what it was about and presented every part and every theme in perfect harmony with excellent composition. As the result I'll testify to that it made me feel, it made me think, it touched my heart and it made me enjoy myself very much. If that's not a recommendation I don't know what is, so I think I'll leave it at that high point and stop blabbing, desperately trying to adequately describe someone's labor of love. Contrary to its title, Throne of Lies is an honest bargain, it's worth its weight in feels.
Throne of Lies is a thoroughly pleasant book. And not only in obvious ways of murmuring the reader's senses with pictures of tranquility and glamor, although it does do that. But
still it's very likely not quite what you expect after you hear "a fantasy story about a princess". It does the protagonist's position true justice by letting you seriously wonder whether being a princess is absolutely great or if it's truly the worst thing to ever happen to anyone. You get to experience all the undeniable and for most of us utterly unreachable privileges of Amethysta's highborn life but you also get to experience her struggles and sorrows. And her main sorrow is oh so relatable for so many people. That sorrow is of being trapped under the weight of circumstances, various ties and obligations, however favorable they may be on the surface, while all the most important dreams and desires stay just out of reach for one reason or the other.
Now if you can't relate to that, then admittedly I don't think anything I will say will win you over. Because this, as far I can tell, is the central theme of this work. And it does it solid justice, in my opinion, even more so than the depictions of Amethysta's "spoiled" princess life. Those are two separate things but they're really closely intertwined, one is framing and the other is the message, and it's hard to speak of them separately, so forgive me if I jump back and forth between them a little.
When it comes to telling about Amethysta's life the book spares no detail. This can be both a criticism and a positive point, depending on your outlook and preferences. On one hand this means the pacing of the book for at least a half of it is relatively slow. Things start slowly and happen very gradually. Sometimes you get more of Amethysta's thoughts than of proactive decisions and changes. To put it bluntly there is a lot of exposition and it takes a while for the story to gain momentum of a dramatic adventure story it eventually blossoms into. Not that it's some sort of absolute necessity, mind, but I'll confess bias towards faster pacing and so I found that to be noteworthy. However, on the other hand all this means several very positive things, all of which made me enjoy it nevertheless without a hint of boredom. First of all, you get to experience every emotion that Amethysta goes through at every moment, getting to know her inner world and character very well. Then, you get very colorful and complete vision of the world she's living in. And then... well, that's the damn point isn't it? By absorbing all these complete detailed chronicles of Amethysta's existence you gain complete understanding of her situation both cerebrally and empathetically. You can't just say "yeah yeah, this is the premise, got it" and shrug it off after you feel like you've lived with her and gone through everything she's gone through. The way and the pacing with which Throne of Lies unfolds itself allow for easier, clearer understanding of its world and the gravity of the situation, not just in general, but for Amethysta. After all, it's a very personal story about a very personal kind of conflict. Duty versus pleasure. As I already said, the book does it justice, and as much as the thrill-seeking part of me wonders if it all could go a bit faster, I can at the same time with full confidence argue that it's all necessary and very well planned.
And it's also well-delivered. The descriptions, the emotions, the characters are all very lucid and colorful. Author's attention to detail is commendable, both in describing things and especially people's natural reactions to things. Another thing I'd like to highlight and commend is characters themselves. Virtually none of them are flat incidental backdrops with one-dimensional morality. Yes, some are clearly likable and other made difficult to like but most, especially prominent characters have positive and negative qualities about them, making them rather believable and interesting mixed bags. That includes the protagonist too, I absolutely loved just how subjective a narrator Amethysta is. Her reactions to things aren't always agreeable nor predictable, they're unashamedly her own and that makes her and her world really come alive.
The main storyline itself is interesting, surprising and satisfying. Quite a few things happen, many of them carry significant emotions with them, and ultimately it almost all ties to the core theme of necessity versus desire. The book gently poses difficult questions on the subject and doesn't rush with easy answers. Only difficult answers loom in the distance and slowly tug at the heartstrings. All the different events explore the main theme in different ways and you get slice of life, you get mystery, you get romance, you get drama. And of course you get touches of epic fantasy and adventure. Looking back, the author never forgot what the book was and what it was about and presented every part and every theme in perfect harmony with excellent composition. As the result I'll testify to that it made me feel, it made me think, it touched my heart and it made me enjoy myself very much. If that's not a recommendation I don't know what is, so I think I'll leave it at that high point and stop blabbing, desperately trying to adequately describe someone's labor of love. Contrary to its title, Throne of Lies is an honest bargain, it's worth its weight in feels.
September 16, 2019
I won the kindle edition of this book in a Goodreads giveaway and cannot wait to read it!
April 22, 2020
I really enjoyed this book! It isn't usually the genre I prefer but I picked it up after being recommended by a friend and I read it in just a few sittings because I couldn't put it down. When I was finished, I told myself I would wait a few weeks before getting the next one in the trilogy I could get thru some other books I have in my to read pile, but nope! I couldn't help it and ordered the 2nd book immediately.
I'm admittedly not great at writing "useful" reviews so I don't usually write them but I enjoyed this book and wanted to say so.
I'm admittedly not great at writing "useful" reviews so I don't usually write them but I enjoyed this book and wanted to say so.
December 20, 2022
Interesting characters, especially the lead character Amethysra. She is a 17 yr old Princess trying to find herself and discovering that her entire life maybe a lie. Another great character is Soren, her guard. And her horse, Cerdiwen, sounds like a magnificent creature. I want to ride him on the beach somewhere. Looking forward to reading the rest.
I won an ARC copy of this ebook. The review is honest and voluntary.
I won an ARC copy of this ebook. The review is honest and voluntary.
December 20, 2022
Interesting characters, especially the lead character Amethysra. She is a 17 yr old Princess trying to find herself and discovering that her entire life maybe a lie. Another great character is Soren, her guard. Looking forward to reading the rest.
I won an ARC copy of this ebook. The review is honest and voluntary.
I won an ARC copy of this ebook. The review is honest and voluntary.
July 16, 2016
On long-haul flights, I occasionally watch animated films, usually from Disney/Pixar, enjoying their satisfying simplicity; they're a pleasurable, escapist way to pass a couple of hours. Throne of Lies, from new author Sara Secora, falls squarely into this category. If you're a fan of Disney's princess films, you'll like this book.
Princess Amethysta Serelle of Northwind is the heir to the throne....but she doesn't want to be. Betrothed to a man she dislikes, bored and irritated by the restrictions on her life, and puzzled by the odd and frightening things that happen when strong emotion grips her, she attempts to escape the expectations of her parents. Her journey of self-discovery is both aided and frustrated by her newest personal guard, the disturbingly handsome commoner, Soren.
Throne of Lies is a charming fairy-tale incorporating many of the aspects of classic, Disneyfied fairy-tale, but with a modern twist. Fingers are pricked on thorns, apples are eaten, shoes are tried on...but these are all peripheral to the story, background reminders of the genre. Nor is it the cautionary fairy-tale of the Brothers Grimm: there is nothing terribly dark here, although one scene does not flinch from the realities of what can happen to a young girl alone. But not all apparent monsters are what they seem, either.
The ARC I read had the usual number of production errors, which is to be expected from a pre-publication version. There were also a few grammatical errors, odd changes of tense within sentences, and non-traditional uses of words that affected flow and comprehension. The story, I felt, was a bit slow to get going; there are some early scenes that are too detailed or drawn out without substantially adding to either the world-building or the plot; this might discourage some readers.
I would have recommended this book for readers eleven and up, but two scenes in the book suggest that thirteen and up is a better age recommendation. My personal rating is 3 1/2 stars; this will be 4 stars on Goodreads.
Review by Goodreads author Marian Thorpe Empire's Daughter
Princess Amethysta Serelle of Northwind is the heir to the throne....but she doesn't want to be. Betrothed to a man she dislikes, bored and irritated by the restrictions on her life, and puzzled by the odd and frightening things that happen when strong emotion grips her, she attempts to escape the expectations of her parents. Her journey of self-discovery is both aided and frustrated by her newest personal guard, the disturbingly handsome commoner, Soren.
Throne of Lies is a charming fairy-tale incorporating many of the aspects of classic, Disneyfied fairy-tale, but with a modern twist. Fingers are pricked on thorns, apples are eaten, shoes are tried on...but these are all peripheral to the story, background reminders of the genre. Nor is it the cautionary fairy-tale of the Brothers Grimm: there is nothing terribly dark here, although one scene does not flinch from the realities of what can happen to a young girl alone. But not all apparent monsters are what they seem, either.
The ARC I read had the usual number of production errors, which is to be expected from a pre-publication version. There were also a few grammatical errors, odd changes of tense within sentences, and non-traditional uses of words that affected flow and comprehension. The story, I felt, was a bit slow to get going; there are some early scenes that are too detailed or drawn out without substantially adding to either the world-building or the plot; this might discourage some readers.
I would have recommended this book for readers eleven and up, but two scenes in the book suggest that thirteen and up is a better age recommendation. My personal rating is 3 1/2 stars; this will be 4 stars on Goodreads.
Review by Goodreads author Marian Thorpe Empire's Daughter
July 27, 2016
Throne of Lies was an enjoyable read. I was given this story in exchange for a review. Amethysta is a young princess who doesn’t really feel like one. She longs for a less rigorous and political life that will give her freedom. As the story unfolds she discovers all is not as average as it may seem and adventures ensue.
This story is well written. The style and content feels very much suited towards young teens and objectively speaking it will certainly be a captivating read for those in that age bracket. Adults will enjoy it too of course, but with any review it’s important to acknowledge the specifics.
My own feelings are that it felt familiar in its content, which isn’t a bad thing as to a young teen it will feel fresh and new. It’s just difficult for me sometimes as I love to read things that feel fresh and have original ideas (very subjective of me so don’t pay attention to my pedantic ramblings).
That little opinion aside, the story is paced very well, creates a well built world, and will be enjoyed by those who love an innocent coming of age story. Huge congratulations to Sara for creating this story.
This story is well written. The style and content feels very much suited towards young teens and objectively speaking it will certainly be a captivating read for those in that age bracket. Adults will enjoy it too of course, but with any review it’s important to acknowledge the specifics.
My own feelings are that it felt familiar in its content, which isn’t a bad thing as to a young teen it will feel fresh and new. It’s just difficult for me sometimes as I love to read things that feel fresh and have original ideas (very subjective of me so don’t pay attention to my pedantic ramblings).
That little opinion aside, the story is paced very well, creates a well built world, and will be enjoyed by those who love an innocent coming of age story. Huge congratulations to Sara for creating this story.
July 30, 2016
Boasting a delightful mixture of mystery, magic, love, and tragedy, the first in the Throne of Lies series leaves much to be answered, but serves as a great opener for this brand new, young adult series. New author Sara Secora, with a writing style similar to the Casts of the House of Night series, places her characters within a world full of political strife, harsh segregation, and a mysterious, dark history that leaves readers eager to delve in and discover more. While focusing on the struggles of accepting herself and her reality, main protagonist, Princess Amethysta, grows before your eyes as any genuine, well-written character should. You'll feel akin to her as Amethysta unveils the truths of her past, the depths of her own strengths, and the actuality of her world, Vataenya.
Overall, although the concept of the novel seems a bit cliché, the story hidden within is full of lovable characters and unique paths and twists. Readers aged 12 to 16 would best suit Secora's writing style and story line; however, as an adult reader, I look forward to watching the Amethysta series grow.
Overall, although the concept of the novel seems a bit cliché, the story hidden within is full of lovable characters and unique paths and twists. Readers aged 12 to 16 would best suit Secora's writing style and story line; however, as an adult reader, I look forward to watching the Amethysta series grow.
October 29, 2018
Thanks to Sara Secora for giving me this book to review.
Throne of Lies is an enjoyable fantasy novel which is full of romance, secrets and a mystery. It raised a lot of questions and hardly answered ant of them and the relationships between the characters seemed to establish very quickly. The main problem with this book is the pacing as the first half of the story could have easily been told in half the pages, and it really drags the story.
Amethysta is self-centred and a dreamer who longs to have control over her own life. Soren is the pretty standard hero, perfect, brave and protective, but I wished that there was more depth to him. Ark is mysterious and a bitter character but who grows to be a kinder than he first seems.
I liked Throne of Lies and I would recommend it to fans of Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson and the Stolen Royals series by Kelsey Keating.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
Throne of Lies is an enjoyable fantasy novel which is full of romance, secrets and a mystery. It raised a lot of questions and hardly answered ant of them and the relationships between the characters seemed to establish very quickly. The main problem with this book is the pacing as the first half of the story could have easily been told in half the pages, and it really drags the story.
Amethysta is self-centred and a dreamer who longs to have control over her own life. Soren is the pretty standard hero, perfect, brave and protective, but I wished that there was more depth to him. Ark is mysterious and a bitter character but who grows to be a kinder than he first seems.
I liked Throne of Lies and I would recommend it to fans of Kiss of Deception by Mary E Pearson and the Stolen Royals series by Kelsey Keating.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
September 3, 2016
I received an advanced readers copy of this book and can't wait to read the next installments.
Sara enchants you in this fantasy of a young girl, Amethysta, as she embarks on adventures of rebellion, sorrow, love, and true determination to find herself in a world that was already planned for her since birth. The possibilities of danger lay ahead with each page you read and with the little tickle of wonder in the back of your mind on where is Amethysta is really from. You'll fall in love with every character, even the ones you'll hate, and it will leave you craving more at the end.
Sara enchants you in this fantasy of a young girl, Amethysta, as she embarks on adventures of rebellion, sorrow, love, and true determination to find herself in a world that was already planned for her since birth. The possibilities of danger lay ahead with each page you read and with the little tickle of wonder in the back of your mind on where is Amethysta is really from. You'll fall in love with every character, even the ones you'll hate, and it will leave you craving more at the end.
May 4, 2021
Hooking. Looking forward to the next one.
June 30, 2020
I won an Ebook version of this through Goodreads Giveaway and I am so Happy that I did! I loved it, it was an Enchanting Fantasy Novel that was right up my alley for once. (I say that bc I usually do not win the books I actually want to read, but this time I did. 🙂) I am very thankful for having been given the opportunity to read and review this book.
Sure, this book has some flaws, but no book is absolutely perfect. At least not any I have read in my 30 years of life. And because I can very much tell how much Time and Love the Author (Sara Secora) put into writing Throne of Lies, I am not going to bother mentioning anything bad about it. Because any flaws I may have found were not a big deal for me. Very Inconsequential. And I loved the book anyway.
I VERY MUCH CANNOT WAIT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES!
I am trying to write this review without giving spoilers. So if it doesn't make much sense then you will just have to go read the book 😉 lol. Hopefully I will make more sense afterwards. And I am also trying to write it in a way that is not basically a copy/paste of the Synopsis. Those kind of reviews have already been written and I can't bear to write more of the same.. so I'm mostly going to talk about my thoughts and feelings about it, and I hope that it's good enough.
If you like Fantasy, Magic, Kings and Princesses ect.. then chances are that you will find something about this book that you like too.
For me, it only took a few pages and I was hooked, and it only gets better the farther you go.
I stumbled on the MC's Name in the beginning and it took a minute until it grew on me. (Her name being Amethysta.) But I loved reading about her life as a Princess. And I loved learning about the world that she lives in. I do very much hope that the world is even more expanded upon in the next book, that we get to know even more about it. However, I understood in this one though, that Princess Amethysta lives a very sheltered life and is not aloud to leave the Castle. So the only things she really knows about her world are the things that she is told or taught by her teacher.
I didn't always agree with her choices or her what seemed to me to be a "fickle" heart. It seemed like at first she was head over heels for one guy, but after he put some distance between them (for darn good reasons to be understood later on.. ) it's like in less than a week she had completely forgotten about him and was totally in love with someone else, to the point of literally giving her heart to him after only seeing him like maybe 3 times? And I'm pretty sure she can never take that back even if she ever wanted to. (Which to be clear, She Doesn't. ) She could have been mostly happy by the end of this book if she hadn't given up so easily on the first guy she was in love with. She could have had almost everything she wanted.... ugh, I have to stop talking about this, Obviously I didn't agree with her choice in the love department. Lol (but that's just me, I rarely do agree with those types of choices in a book. I must be weird. Nor do I have to agree bc I am not Amethysta lol.) I didn't really like the other guy. I thought he could've been a really Great and helpful FRIEND but obviously it wouldn't go any further than that. So, yeah I was surprised. Lol
Despite my feelings about the love choices or whatever, I had alot of fun reading this book and I really did enjoy it. And I will most definitely be picking up the next one in the series whenever I have the opportunity.
Sure, this book has some flaws, but no book is absolutely perfect. At least not any I have read in my 30 years of life. And because I can very much tell how much Time and Love the Author (Sara Secora) put into writing Throne of Lies, I am not going to bother mentioning anything bad about it. Because any flaws I may have found were not a big deal for me. Very Inconsequential. And I loved the book anyway.
I VERY MUCH CANNOT WAIT TO READ THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES!
I am trying to write this review without giving spoilers. So if it doesn't make much sense then you will just have to go read the book 😉 lol. Hopefully I will make more sense afterwards. And I am also trying to write it in a way that is not basically a copy/paste of the Synopsis. Those kind of reviews have already been written and I can't bear to write more of the same.. so I'm mostly going to talk about my thoughts and feelings about it, and I hope that it's good enough.
If you like Fantasy, Magic, Kings and Princesses ect.. then chances are that you will find something about this book that you like too.
For me, it only took a few pages and I was hooked, and it only gets better the farther you go.
I stumbled on the MC's Name in the beginning and it took a minute until it grew on me. (Her name being Amethysta.) But I loved reading about her life as a Princess. And I loved learning about the world that she lives in. I do very much hope that the world is even more expanded upon in the next book, that we get to know even more about it. However, I understood in this one though, that Princess Amethysta lives a very sheltered life and is not aloud to leave the Castle. So the only things she really knows about her world are the things that she is told or taught by her teacher.
I didn't always agree with her choices or her what seemed to me to be a "fickle" heart. It seemed like at first she was head over heels for one guy, but after he put some distance between them (for darn good reasons to be understood later on.. ) it's like in less than a week she had completely forgotten about him and was totally in love with someone else, to the point of literally giving her heart to him after only seeing him like maybe 3 times? And I'm pretty sure she can never take that back even if she ever wanted to. (Which to be clear, She Doesn't. ) She could have been mostly happy by the end of this book if she hadn't given up so easily on the first guy she was in love with. She could have had almost everything she wanted.... ugh, I have to stop talking about this, Obviously I didn't agree with her choice in the love department. Lol (but that's just me, I rarely do agree with those types of choices in a book. I must be weird. Nor do I have to agree bc I am not Amethysta lol.) I didn't really like the other guy. I thought he could've been a really Great and helpful FRIEND but obviously it wouldn't go any further than that. So, yeah I was surprised. Lol
Despite my feelings about the love choices or whatever, I had alot of fun reading this book and I really did enjoy it. And I will most definitely be picking up the next one in the series whenever I have the opportunity.
October 18, 2019
Amethysta is a princess who... doesn't really want any of the responsibilities of a princess. With the pressure from her looming marriage, ascent to the throne, and hidden magical ability, she's dealing with a lot more than she can handle. I won Throne of Lies for kindle in a giveaway and I was very excited to start reading it. I had a lot of fun diving into this story. When I finally got the chance to start reading, I read half of the book in one night.
I really love Amethysta as a character. She's smart and thoughtful but also kind of selfish and flighty (at least in the beginning), but she's a teenager. It makes sense. Even when she's making choices I'm dying to tell her not to make, they never seem out of place. She grows through the book but I'm super excited to see how much more she'll grow. In general, I just loved the characterization of everyone in the book. In particular, I loved reading about Amethysta and her mother. I found their relationship to be so wonderful, even with the big looming magical secret. As for everyone else, it ticks all of my fantasy boxes: eclectic teacher, magical secret, other species, and the feeling that this little first adventure was the set-up for something much more grand.
I really appreciated the novelty of discovering parts of Amethysta's world with her because she was also seeing things for the first time. While she'd be more than familiar with castle life, it is a very fun reading experience to learn along with the character. She doesn't know anything about the world outside her tower and neither do I. It's a fun way to unfold the world the author has built and it really makes me want to continue to travel with her to see what else we can learn and what else is out there.
I thought some of the pacing of the book was up and down. Some of our time in the castle seems to go on and on while the action is over in a flash. I'd love to see more of all these characters in action! And the boys. Oh, the boys. I do like Soren, but I was waiting for something to happen with him. Something that made him more than a stereotypical beautiful, charming boy. I also love Ark and Amethysta but I thought it moved very quickly. It was the only point in the book where I stopped and thought "really?" However, none of this really plagued my reading experience.
All in all, I was really captivated by the story. Flaws aside, I was so engrossed in this novel that I finished it in a couple of days. I could have finished it straight through if I hadn't had to go to work. I would really recommend this book, it's so much fun and has so much room and potential for the books to come!
I really love Amethysta as a character. She's smart and thoughtful but also kind of selfish and flighty (at least in the beginning), but she's a teenager. It makes sense. Even when she's making choices I'm dying to tell her not to make, they never seem out of place. She grows through the book but I'm super excited to see how much more she'll grow. In general, I just loved the characterization of everyone in the book. In particular, I loved reading about Amethysta and her mother. I found their relationship to be so wonderful, even with the big looming magical secret. As for everyone else, it ticks all of my fantasy boxes: eclectic teacher, magical secret, other species, and the feeling that this little first adventure was the set-up for something much more grand.
I really appreciated the novelty of discovering parts of Amethysta's world with her because she was also seeing things for the first time. While she'd be more than familiar with castle life, it is a very fun reading experience to learn along with the character. She doesn't know anything about the world outside her tower and neither do I. It's a fun way to unfold the world the author has built and it really makes me want to continue to travel with her to see what else we can learn and what else is out there.
I thought some of the pacing of the book was up and down. Some of our time in the castle seems to go on and on while the action is over in a flash. I'd love to see more of all these characters in action! And the boys. Oh, the boys. I do like Soren, but I was waiting for something to happen with him. Something that made him more than a stereotypical beautiful, charming boy. I also love Ark and Amethysta but I thought it moved very quickly. It was the only point in the book where I stopped and thought "really?" However, none of this really plagued my reading experience.
All in all, I was really captivated by the story. Flaws aside, I was so engrossed in this novel that I finished it in a couple of days. I could have finished it straight through if I hadn't had to go to work. I would really recommend this book, it's so much fun and has so much room and potential for the books to come!
March 5, 2022
Free ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This review is for the revised edition. See my review of the original version here.
Throne of Lies is an interesting set up for a fantasy novel that I've enjoyed reading 3 times over now. Much like my previous reads of this book, I felt it starts a little slow, but builds up an interesting base for Amethysta's future adventures. Amethysta, the princess of Northwind, the human kingdom, is the main character and we spend a lot of time in her head in the first book, building up her characterization. She feels chafed by her bird-in-a-gilded-cage life and also has to hide the fact that she can wield magic, something no human should be able to do. She is a likeable protagonist, but she is very naive to the world and has a lot of growing to do. She can feel a bit self-absorbed at times, but she's ultimately kind and I want to see her grow and discover the mysteries around her magic.
The characters are hit or miss in this novel. Some are great and intriguing, including Gehlin, Ark, Amethysta's stable master, and the king. Soren and Zaevir are one note and rather dull. The interesting characters outnumber the bad, however, and the sequel introduces even more interesting characters.
I did not do a direct comparison between the revised edition and the original publication, but it seemed like some of the prose flowed better and I did notice a few problematic paragraphs I pointed out in my previous review have been revised. Specifically the implication that Amethysta would have no power as monarch when she marries, which didn't make sense to me in my original reading. That section has been rewritten to imply that she will have power.
Overall the first book is a bit slow paced, but it was entertaining and good setup for the next and I recommend it to fantasy fans. The second book improves upon the pacing and character growth drastically and complements the somewhat slow set up of the first novel. This series is intended to be a trilogy as I understand it, so I'm hoping we'll get the third book one day to finally solve the mysteries set up by the first two.
This review is for the revised edition. See my review of the original version here.
Throne of Lies is an interesting set up for a fantasy novel that I've enjoyed reading 3 times over now. Much like my previous reads of this book, I felt it starts a little slow, but builds up an interesting base for Amethysta's future adventures. Amethysta, the princess of Northwind, the human kingdom, is the main character and we spend a lot of time in her head in the first book, building up her characterization. She feels chafed by her bird-in-a-gilded-cage life and also has to hide the fact that she can wield magic, something no human should be able to do. She is a likeable protagonist, but she is very naive to the world and has a lot of growing to do. She can feel a bit self-absorbed at times, but she's ultimately kind and I want to see her grow and discover the mysteries around her magic.
The characters are hit or miss in this novel. Some are great and intriguing, including Gehlin, Ark, Amethysta's stable master, and the king. Soren and Zaevir are one note and rather dull. The interesting characters outnumber the bad, however, and the sequel introduces even more interesting characters.
I did not do a direct comparison between the revised edition and the original publication, but it seemed like some of the prose flowed better and I did notice a few problematic paragraphs I pointed out in my previous review have been revised. Specifically the implication that Amethysta would have no power as monarch when she marries, which didn't make sense to me in my original reading. That section has been rewritten to imply that she will have power.
Overall the first book is a bit slow paced, but it was entertaining and good setup for the next and I recommend it to fantasy fans. The second book improves upon the pacing and character growth drastically and complements the somewhat slow set up of the first novel. This series is intended to be a trilogy as I understand it, so I'm hoping we'll get the third book one day to finally solve the mysteries set up by the first two.
October 7, 2019
(I received a free eARC from YA Bound Book Tours for a voluntary and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Throne of Lies (Amethysta Trilogy #1) by Sara Secora
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
(Synopsis from Goodreads) (First book)
For seventeen-year-old princess Amethysta Serelle, the royal life is anything but enchanting.
She finds herself forever torn between duty and desire—desperately craving freedom, yet bound by the burden of her bloodline. With the realm of Vataenya divided by intolerance, and stained by a veiled and violent past, none take kindly to those who are different. For Amethysta’s sake, her mother must conceal her daughter’s mystifying secret from all—including from Amethysta herself.
Once driven to her wit’s end, Amethysta sets out on an unrelenting search for answers that will leave her teetering on the very edge of anguish and strife. With each harrowing turn, Amethysta encounters devastating loss, uncovers the mortifying unknown, and comes face to face with the calamitous heartache that awaits her.
All the while, an enigmatic blue glow sleeps below the surface, ready to unfold a world of chaos.
(Review)
(DISCLAIMER: All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Throne of Lies (Amethysta Trilogy #1) - 3.5 stars
I found this book to be pretty fast paced but story-wise, I didn't feel that much was happening. The story kinda felt like a Elsa from Frozen's origin story.
I felt that there was a lot of the world building we didn't get to SEE and instead it was more dumped onto us. I must say that I enjoyed the 2nd half of this book way better than I did the first.
There is a love triangle and it did give me a little of ACOTAR vibes. I found it okay and liked the story but did not connect with the characters. I will read the next book as I am interested to see what happens and how things will progress as the story moves forward.
Throne of Lies (Amethysta Trilogy #1) by Sara Secora
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
(Synopsis from Goodreads) (First book)
For seventeen-year-old princess Amethysta Serelle, the royal life is anything but enchanting.
She finds herself forever torn between duty and desire—desperately craving freedom, yet bound by the burden of her bloodline. With the realm of Vataenya divided by intolerance, and stained by a veiled and violent past, none take kindly to those who are different. For Amethysta’s sake, her mother must conceal her daughter’s mystifying secret from all—including from Amethysta herself.
Once driven to her wit’s end, Amethysta sets out on an unrelenting search for answers that will leave her teetering on the very edge of anguish and strife. With each harrowing turn, Amethysta encounters devastating loss, uncovers the mortifying unknown, and comes face to face with the calamitous heartache that awaits her.
All the while, an enigmatic blue glow sleeps below the surface, ready to unfold a world of chaos.
(Review)
(DISCLAIMER: All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Throne of Lies (Amethysta Trilogy #1) - 3.5 stars
I found this book to be pretty fast paced but story-wise, I didn't feel that much was happening. The story kinda felt like a Elsa from Frozen's origin story.
I felt that there was a lot of the world building we didn't get to SEE and instead it was more dumped onto us. I must say that I enjoyed the 2nd half of this book way better than I did the first.
There is a love triangle and it did give me a little of ACOTAR vibes. I found it okay and liked the story but did not connect with the characters. I will read the next book as I am interested to see what happens and how things will progress as the story moves forward.
April 18, 2018
I was gifted “Throne of Lies” by Sara Secora to read and review, and I was not disappointed.
Throne of Lies is the first book in a trilogy set in the kingdom of Vataenya. Our lead character, Amethysta Serelle, finds her life to be extremely mundane and constantly struggles between her duty and hopes for freedom. As a princess, she is expected to be prompt, well educated and devoted to her role. Also did I mention being betrothed to a vile human of a Prince who cares little of respect and courtesy.
Despite all of that Amethysta has a big secret, she possesses magic!
This is really were the story started for me. The character introductions and world building were somewhat patchy in places and I would become confused about where I was and to whom Amethysta were encountering, however once getting used to the authors writing style I was able to flow through the pages easily. I found the dialogue very basic between characters but somewhat expectant for this being the authors first published novel. The author has put a lot of thought into particular scenes such as the secret garden, cabin and castle layout, however not so much at the beginning for character description, which made it difficult to envision what they might look like. I did however find that towards the end of the book, Sara’s writing became more detailed and structured which was fantastic when you got to a slightly steamy scene between our lead girl and a seili. I have extremely high hopes that Sara Secora’s writing will become more sophisticated and rounded as the series progresses, and I cannot wait to see this author rise up to popularity.
I gave Throne of Lies 3.5 stars as it captured me and pulled me into the story through its beauty and simplicity. Although there were a few things that bugged me, I think this would be an enjoyable read for anyone.
Throne of Lies is the first book in a trilogy set in the kingdom of Vataenya. Our lead character, Amethysta Serelle, finds her life to be extremely mundane and constantly struggles between her duty and hopes for freedom. As a princess, she is expected to be prompt, well educated and devoted to her role. Also did I mention being betrothed to a vile human of a Prince who cares little of respect and courtesy.
Despite all of that Amethysta has a big secret, she possesses magic!
This is really were the story started for me. The character introductions and world building were somewhat patchy in places and I would become confused about where I was and to whom Amethysta were encountering, however once getting used to the authors writing style I was able to flow through the pages easily. I found the dialogue very basic between characters but somewhat expectant for this being the authors first published novel. The author has put a lot of thought into particular scenes such as the secret garden, cabin and castle layout, however not so much at the beginning for character description, which made it difficult to envision what they might look like. I did however find that towards the end of the book, Sara’s writing became more detailed and structured which was fantastic when you got to a slightly steamy scene between our lead girl and a seili. I have extremely high hopes that Sara Secora’s writing will become more sophisticated and rounded as the series progresses, and I cannot wait to see this author rise up to popularity.
I gave Throne of Lies 3.5 stars as it captured me and pulled me into the story through its beauty and simplicity. Although there were a few things that bugged me, I think this would be an enjoyable read for anyone.
March 16, 2021
I don't know what to think about this one. I already had a free copy through freebooksy and wasn't compelled to actually start reading it. Imagine my surprise when I won a copy through Goodreads Giveaways. Obviously something caught my attention if I picked it up twice. I was already predisposed to dislike it based on the cover, even the previous cover just screamed juvenile to me, too cartoonish to be taken seriously. The blurb too, so vague and dramatic. Yet again something called to me to pick this book up. The writing itself is extravagant, flowery and wordy. It's very well written, in that you know every thought that Amethysta thinks. So why don't I really like this book. Is it the actual character of Amethysta, who whines the entire book about how she doesn't want to be a princess? Maybe the two intertwining storylines that could be two separate books because they are completely at odds with each other? The last of action? Sure things happen but the pacing is so slow. We go through everything that happens to Amethysta every day. For someone who is going to rule someday she really has no interest in her subjects or anything not to do with herself. I think my real issue is that we are told everything that happens, She did this, then this happened and this is how she felt about it. Final thought: Wordy.
I won this book through Goodreads Giveaway, all thoughts are my own.
I won this book through Goodreads Giveaway, all thoughts are my own.
August 15, 2024
I received a free copy of this ARC through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I found this to be mediocre in both story and writing. Shifts in the plot are too casual. The wrap-ups of the chapters are weak. We jump around too quickly in scenes and realizations come late. To me, it is bland and I’m not interested in seeing how the story will play out.
Our main character is an immature brat.
But that’s not the worst part. Most characters have the same attributes and qualities. They don't really have a hefty presence of stand tall alone. Not even the main character. It's hard to discern between characters due to lack of description and I can't feel real resolve from Amethysta. A lot of old tropes are being reused. She is not convincing me her destiny is great when she acts so unconfident in both life and thought.
The background history of the series needs to be introduced in a more clever, tasteful manner.
Even to bring in a direct quote: “But what I wanted rarely mattered.” Contrary to the scenes so far, the princess engages in lessons once a week, eats any food she likes, reads anytime she likes, stays in her room alone without being disturbed as she likes, paints whenever she likes, and rides on horseback whenever she likes. Her dream of going beyond the castle has no weight other than her daydreaming about seeing the world. Most scenes are filler and there is little to no meaning in the main events.
I found this to be mediocre in both story and writing. Shifts in the plot are too casual. The wrap-ups of the chapters are weak. We jump around too quickly in scenes and realizations come late. To me, it is bland and I’m not interested in seeing how the story will play out.
Our main character is an immature brat.
But that’s not the worst part. Most characters have the same attributes and qualities. They don't really have a hefty presence of stand tall alone. Not even the main character. It's hard to discern between characters due to lack of description and I can't feel real resolve from Amethysta. A lot of old tropes are being reused. She is not convincing me her destiny is great when she acts so unconfident in both life and thought.
The background history of the series needs to be introduced in a more clever, tasteful manner.
Even to bring in a direct quote: “But what I wanted rarely mattered.” Contrary to the scenes so far, the princess engages in lessons once a week, eats any food she likes, reads anytime she likes, stays in her room alone without being disturbed as she likes, paints whenever she likes, and rides on horseback whenever she likes. Her dream of going beyond the castle has no weight other than her daydreaming about seeing the world. Most scenes are filler and there is little to no meaning in the main events.
September 24, 2019
Thank you Sara Secora and Goodreads for hosting the giveaway that gave me this copy.
This book was very mundane, but in a good way. It felt like a slow burn all the way through, but there was enough going on to keep reading, as well as enough of a hook to make me want to read the next one.
The majority of the story was Amethysta's day to day life as a princess in need of some rebellion. She came off as a bit fickle, but that's normal for young girls. What kept the story interesting, aside from the romance, was the magical aspect of the story. Without that, I probably wouldn't have been interested enough to read the whole thing.
I loved how the characters were portrayed, it was easy to get a feel for them.
If I had to complain about something, it would probably be the first person viewpoint. I don't normally mind those, but when I started reading, I felt like there were a lot of incorrect tense usages, and that threw me off a little.
Overall, this is a good and interesting story. The lore of the world is interesting, and I'd love to see what the other races are like in this setting. I'm giving it a 3/5 because it's not quite good enough for me to want to round it up to a four.
This book was very mundane, but in a good way. It felt like a slow burn all the way through, but there was enough going on to keep reading, as well as enough of a hook to make me want to read the next one.
The majority of the story was Amethysta's day to day life as a princess in need of some rebellion. She came off as a bit fickle, but that's normal for young girls. What kept the story interesting, aside from the romance, was the magical aspect of the story. Without that, I probably wouldn't have been interested enough to read the whole thing.
I loved how the characters were portrayed, it was easy to get a feel for them.
If I had to complain about something, it would probably be the first person viewpoint. I don't normally mind those, but when I started reading, I felt like there were a lot of incorrect tense usages, and that threw me off a little.
Overall, this is a good and interesting story. The lore of the world is interesting, and I'd love to see what the other races are like in this setting. I'm giving it a 3/5 because it's not quite good enough for me to want to round it up to a four.
September 9, 2020
I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways, and was excited to read it based on the cover, having entered for it a number of times before receiving a copy. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a slog. The pacing is quite slow, particularly for the beginning part of the book, and the heroine is a bit unlikable for being kind of spoiled and whiny. I guess that needed to be established to show her growth, but I found I didn't identify with her very much. The writing style was very clear, but included a good bit of detail that was unimportant, which slowed the book down quite a bit, and some of the characters were a bit one-dimensional. The pacing does pick up by the second half of the book, and it was more enjoyable, but I was already a bit checked out. I didn't find Arkarial as engaging and dreamy as other readers. He seemed just as arbitrarily a romantic interest as Soren had. Still, I did like the way the author subverted some of our expectations in the end, but I found myself not quite engaged enough to want to read more, despite some definite cliffhangers at the end.
November 17, 2020
Honestly I have no clue how to even start this review. But here goes. I just finished this amazing book which was written by Sara Secora. I also have to say that the ending to this book was amazing. It makes me want to hurry and read the second one so I can find out what happens and see how certain things will play out. I already have a million theories running through my head right now, I'm sure all of them are wrong though. But that's how good this book is in my opinion. It gets me thinking and feeling things. Honestly all good books should. I definitely think you should go out and buy this book and then read it. There were some moments in this book I related to which made it even better to read. Honestly I can say this book didn't bore me, I always wanted to read the next chapter.
So what do I feel like the reader can expect from this book. Well I think they'll get an adventure, maybe some heartache, tearful moments and even some joyful ones with a sprinkle of mystery on top to finish things off.
I give this book a solid 10 out of 10.
So what do I feel like the reader can expect from this book. Well I think they'll get an adventure, maybe some heartache, tearful moments and even some joyful ones with a sprinkle of mystery on top to finish things off.
I give this book a solid 10 out of 10.
May 26, 2017
abostly love this book its in the top ten for me. i total understand why the princesses is stubborn. if you dont have this book then get off your butt and get it and read it. i got this book as a arc and i have it in paper back and its signed. i read it twice before leaving a review because i didnt want to leave anything out. loe how it was written love how it makes you feel like apart of the story i dont have a favorite character because i cant just pick one. <3 best written book i have read before bed. love detalied books this book was right up my way not giving out any information about what happens just saying that the princesses is stubborn and doesnt listen but other than that i wouldnt want to have things on me to have to think about and have people come to me about will read this book again and again
October 16, 2019
This story starts off strong from the beginning. I was instantly drawn in and excited by all the magical elements and characters. Amethysta was a wonderful leading character. She majorly develops and changes for the better throughout the story, learning to accept herself. She’s relatable and easy to cheer on. I also loved some of the smaller characters and how they were intertwined in the story, especially Ark and Soren. The villain was wonderfully written and exciting to watch unfold. The kingdom of Northwind was enchanting! I loved the detail Sara shared and the picture she painted of the setting. I’m eager to read the next books to see if she mentions more about the other kingdoms, especially the mermaid kingdom!! Overall I really loved the book, and can’t wait for book two! I was given this novel in exchange for an honest review.
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