**Den of Liars** absolutely consumed me—I was completely glued to this book and couldn't get enough of it. But that ending? I'm still side-eyeing it hard. Like, make it make sense, please?

Lola's living under a fake name after her dad's loss in the Liar's Dice Tournament (where players gamble with their deepest secrets) made her a target. She gets rescued by the Thief, leader of the Tentacles, but his kindness comes with a price—her heart. Literally. They now share a heart and can feel each other's emotions, which is both romantic and deeply concerning.

Now she's trying to prove herself as a full Tentacle, but a heist goes sideways and suddenly she's forced to compete in the tournament herself. Plot twist: it's run by the Thief's mysterious brother, the Liar, and of course she's attracted to him too because why make things simple?

The angst and slow burn tension between all these characters is *chef's kiss* perfection. Jessica S. Olson knows how to write emotional torture in the best way possible. The world-building around the tournament and the magic system is fascinating, even if some plot points left me scratching my head.

Would I recommend this to everyone? Absolutely. Am I dying for the next book despite my ending confusion? Also yes. Sometimes you love a book even when it makes you want to shake it!

I had so much fun with this book. I was intrigued by the book description, but wasn't sure where things would go, so I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamics of Lola, the Liar, and Enzo. The character dynamics were compelling; the stakes were mid but real enough to feel a sense of urgency. I love a book that you can have fun with, and Olson's world-building is great.

I enjoyed this but it also wasn’t what I expected. I would say this is definitely a character driven book and I was expecting a lot more plot around the tournament. However that was such a small part of the book.

4.5 stars
I was hooked from the very beginning of Den of Liars and couldn't put it down. I really loved the premise of this one, and I enjoyed seeing Lola navigate the tournament, which in itself was really interesting.

Lola is a fantastic character, and I loved seeing her character development. She was fierce and willing to do whatever it took to get the answers she needed. I loved her interactions with Liar so much and honestly loved how protective he was of her from the very beginning. I really loved that we got to see Liar's point of view in this as it's really helped develop the story and his character as we got to learn what actually happened with the brothers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am already eager to read the next one, especially with that ending! I absolutely recommend picking this one up if you love a good YA fantasy with thieves, brotherly rivalry, and enemies to lovers!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! I ended up buying the audiobook as I couldn’t get into the story with my digital copy, and I ended up DEVOURING it at work. I loved these characters. I loved this plot. I loved the writing style. I NEED more please!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC of Den of Liars by Jessica S. Olson.

This book absolutely wrecked me—in the best possible way. The chemistry between Lola and Nic was electric, and their back-and-forth tension was masterfully done. The slow-burn, high-stakes push-and-pull between the Liar and the Thief kept me completely hooked. Their dynamic? Utterly addictive.

The magic system was fascinating, especially in how it was woven into the opulence and strategy of both the casino and the tournament. The setting sparkled, and the tension never let up. And that ending?! I was screaming through the last 20%—so many twists, and every one landed.

That said, I did find the worldbuilding outside the casino a bit sparse, and there were moments where the prose leaned more into telling than showing. Those were minor distractions while reading and the only reason this isn’t a five-million-star read for me. But honestly, the longer I sit with it, the less those small issues matter compared to how much I felt this book.

If you’re into heists, sizzling romantic tension, betrayals, glamour, morally grey found families, cave scenes (yes, really), and characters who are constantly searching for one another across every crowded room—they will find each other—then this is a must-read.

I’m counting down the days until the sequel. I need to know what happens next.

I really enjoyed following Lola around as she dances between the Thief and the Liar, looking for the moonshard that imbued them with powers/curses and made them the talk of the city. It was an interesting world and I would love to go to the Liar's Den to see the glamour and illusions and be a watcher (not a participant) of the tournament. Not much a fan of the triangle romance that was trying to happen between the three main characters but I was interested in the connections and why Lola had been saved by Enzo four years ago. It was a fast moving story with lots of action, from fighting, thieving, and conning to dancing, meetings and games in secret caverns and a big showdown with a reveal that I did not expect but I am excited to find out what happens in the next book! And I am happy that Lola is equal and better in some things than the two brothers and I hope she finds what she is looking for and gets what is her due after all the trouble that she got into at the Liar's Dice Tournament!

This is more like if Caravel and Lightlark had a love child in an urban fantasy setting!

I loved the challenges that our FMC has to go through that are set by The Liar as they make our FMC and the reader reflect on the consequences of 'victimless crimes'. The overall story about the brothers, The Liar and The Thief, also highlight how there are two sides to every story. These are great topics to explore in a YA novel and I praise Jessica S. Olson on how she tackles these in Den of Liars.

4/5⭐️ - Some of the plot is predictable and the middle is a little slow but overall I enjoyed reading this and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes ☺️

high-stakes tournament? check
casino setting? check
I didn't mind the love triangle at all and found all 3 main characters to be fairly intriguing! I am genuinely looking forward to book 2. I think the Liar and Lola were my fav characters. The action really picks up and just hangs on after around the 50% mark of the book.

I've got to be honest - I expected something Inheritance Games-esque (as that is how it was pitched initially) but that's not what I got. I also didn't expect it to be romantasy which, for me, just doesn't work.

I will say, the plot summary did an incredible job of reeling me in and having me pick up the book. Casino heist? Yes please! Especially after having read Karen McManus recent book, a heist book felt like just what I needed. But the characters didn't appeal to me and I therefore couldn't create any real connection to the characters. The plot itself though is very cool but slightly let down by the characters.

“𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮. 𝙖 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙖 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙪𝙢”

lola st. james is supposed to be a secret. after her father lost a dangerous magical tournament where people bet their deepest truths, she was rescued by the thief - the elusive leader of the tentacles. now hiding under the name astra, she’s working hard to prove she belongs. but when a mission goes wrong, the only way to make things right is to enter the very same tournament that ruined her life. the catch? the liar - her rescuer’s powerful and magnetic brother - is in charge, and he’s more than just a rival. as the games twist and secrets unravel, astra must face everything she’s been running from

i didn’t know much going in, but wow - this book really delivered. the world was easy to follow without being overly detailed, and the story pulled me in immediately

i absolutely loved astra/lola. she’s bold, determined, and carries so much strength despite her past. thief was such a great mystery, and liar? chaotic, intense, and clearly drawn to astra from the start

the writing was sharp, the pacing kept me hooked (i read it in two sittings!), and the magic system felt fresh and exciting. i especially loved the games - it definitely gave me caraval vibes, which is always a win 🎪

also… that ending?? excuse me jessica s. olson, i have questions 👀

“𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙭𝙮𝙜𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩”

Really enjoyed this book from the start till the end and can’t wait for the next book. The characters were great, the story was quick paced and had me reading it in one day as I couldn’t put it down. Loved the twists, turns and constant second guessing myself as I read it. Amazing book!

Den of Liars offers a compelling premise and a plot that has clearly been carefully constructed. The framework of the story shows promise, and I can appreciate the author's ambition to deliver a complex and engaging narrative. However, as I made my way through the book, I found myself surprisingly disengaged, unable to forge any real connection with the characters or their journeys.

Their emotional arcs felt underdeveloped, which left the narrative feeling somewhat flat despite its intriguing concept. I can see the potential in what the author aimed to achieve, but I couldn't help but think of other titles—such as Caraval or Five Broken Blades—which approached similar themes with a more profound emotional resonance and impactful character development.