A Court This Cruel and Lovely: Kingdom of Lies, Book 1

This series has sunk its claws into me deeply. Stacia Stark has placed herself on the top shelf of fiction writers with this series. Every ingredient you could want has been masterfully woven into a fantastic world full of vibrantly developed characters, a brilliantly crafted plot, and perfect pacing. This book will ensure you stay up way too late, greedily turning every page, while it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Huzzah, and well done!* I will note that some readers might feel this series takes a while to get going, specifically Book 1. I would encourage readers to start it anyway. Not only is it incredibly worth it, but you'll find that everything building in the beginning of Book 1 is critical to the character and plot development. Trust me, you'll appreciate it all the more as you continue. Even from the start, the pace is still solid and superbly written.

I thought there was a unique take on magical abilities but other wise not super duper original, kind of predictable, but definitely still has its own thing going on, still enjoyable. The FMC was likable which is big for me. I get annoyed with the overly stubborn, violent, badass, independent etc etc but she was very personable and same goes for the MMC. I love how he didn’t coddle her. I liked their relationship build and dynamic. I will be reading the next one, kindle and audible as well. I don’t think the guys voice matches Lorian but that’s minuscule. 3 🌶️ 4 ⭐️

I was hooked on this book from the beginning!I loved the world building and all of the twists and turns. The witty banter and slow burn between Prisca and Lorian is fantastic. I loved the development of both characters. Even the side characters are ones you grow to love. This was such an amazing read, I jumped into book 2 right away!

What a great book. Honestly perfect, and although I give a lot of 5 stars, I rarely think a book is near perfection this one is. I would like more advanced vocabulary other than that. I mean fun, perfect character development, great plot, excellent descriptions, and timeless wisdom. Great romanc0e without being overly lewd. It's truly great.

Most free Kindle books - especially fantasy, romance, and romantic fantasy - are terrible. This is actually a really good read. Tightly plotted, great characters, interesting world, sex scenes that didn’t make me skip over them. Not Tolkien, but a fun read. Not bad wing and editing, too. Oh, and funny. Which is a first for this genre in my experience.

This book was amazing!! I love the dynamic between Prisca and Lorian, they have an amazing love/hate relationship and so much chemistry! And there were so many plot points I wasn’t expecting but weren’t there just to be twists; they actually contributed really well to the story. There were several parts I didn’t see coming. Also, the world-building was excellent and it didn’t take too long to understand the concepts. Loved it!!!

I absolutely loved this book however, the packaging was not suitable for a book. The book I received was damaged with a folded over cover and damaged corners and spine. Books should be mailed in true bubble envelopes at the least.

I really don't understand some of the reviews for this book. I can't imagine anyone giving it less that 4 stars. To those stating our FMC is weak and then decides to save the world; they clearly weren't paying attention. She was already fairly skilled and continued training, her powers progressed and only when she was feeling more confident and more of a warrior and less like a damsel did she decide to save her friend. She didn't walk into it blindy. She freaking joined a rebellion and had a plan! And those saying the romance was confusing, they've clearly never read an enemies to lovers before. There's conflicting feelings, past betrayals and their own insecurities. It's not gonna be roses and sunshine with an insta-love plot.Now that that rant is out of the way I just want to say how amazing this book is. There is so much character development, so much world building without it feeling like something J.R.R Tolkien wrote. the action, drama, romance is just perfect. I liked this book better than ACOTAR and anything else I've read in the last couple of months. I literally can't express how amazing this book is. And that ending?!?!?!! Just wow!

Do yourself a favour and READ THIS SERIES RIGHT NOW! This book helped me recover from my iron flame hangover. This is literally the perfect romantacy book!!! If you want enemies to lovers, strong female lead characters, morally grey male characters, witty banter, amazing side characters who you will love with all your heart then this is the friggen book series for you!!! I love this series (dying now that I have to wait for the last book coming out in May) and it has a world that is unique and different and the book itself always kept me entertained and guessing what would happen next. Please….just read this series!!

𝐼’𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡. 𝑆𝑜𝑜𝑛, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑡.🥀 Enemies(ish) to lovers/ Hate to love🥀 Slow Burn🥀 Faes/ hybrids/ humans🥀 One horse🥀 Secret identities🥀 Power/Magic🥀 Touch her and ..🥀 Found Family⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Who hid this book from me ?How is it possible I didn’t hear about this series until a few days ago ?It was so so good !!The more I read, the more I fell in love…The world building was perfect, i pictured everything easily without being overwhelmed by information.I loved Prisca , she grows throughout the book and is becoming more feral. She is endearing, fierce, loyal and smart .Lorian is your typical favorite book boyfriend, brooding, bloodthirsty, possessive, mysterious..and with the found family trope we meet good secondary characters, and I loved everyone.Very good plot, the writing hooked me from the beginning, and I struggled to put my kindle down ..The romance is a delicious slow burn , full of tension ..Nice cliffhanger.. I’m jumping in the sequel right away ..I highly recommend it.

The main thing I look for when finding a new author/series is whether I would read it again. I know not everyone likes to re-read, some even need years before picking up a story again to give them time to forget. But I need a book and its characters to be so engaging that I want to read the book again as soon as I’m finished. I miss them and their world, they become my companions and comfort. I find extras I missed the first time around because I gobbled the words up too quickly, each read brings something new.A Court This Cruel and Lovely, the first in the Kingdom of Lies series, is this for me and more.Stacia Stark has created a world both familiar and new, with many a romantasy staple sprinkled throughout to draw in the ‘enemies to lovers/forced proximity/one horse’ crowd…of which I am a proud card carrying member.The world building is clear and easy to follow, giving the reader just enough to keep them intrigued without bogging down in too much detail.The characters are *chefs kiss*, nuanced and varied, funny and infuriating, lovable and heart wrenching.Prisca is the female main character, the book opens with her trying to hide in plain site, suppressing her abilities in a world that does not accept or appreciate power of any kind being bestowed upon the ‘unworthy’. The story follows her as she learns more about her heritage and her own abilities.Admittedly this isn’t a new journey for an FMC to embark on, and as a tall dark haired woman of the curvier persuasion, Prisca being small and fair haired does rankle a little, however I cannot help but love her as an individual. She is spicy and feisty, and entirely relatable in her inability to let go of a slight. Her progression and growth throughout this first book is enjoyable to follow.Lorian as the main male character is everything I could want in a book boyfriend and more. He is ruthless and 100% morally grey at times, he makes cutthroat decisions and his methods are at times questionable - both of which Prisca falls foul of - but he is fiercely loyal to those close to him. As the reader learns more about Lorian and his history the decisions he makes and his need to push those he cares for to be the best version of themselves becomes clearer.I am a fan of spice in fantasy books and there are a few scenes in this book, none of which are gratuitous. What I hugely approved of is that each scene was led by Prisca and for her, Lorian although aggressively male is very PROgressive when it comes to satisfying his woman.A Court This Cruel and Lovely also contains many a lovely side character who are integral in the main characters journey, adding to the story and creating a family that the reader cannot help but love.Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough. It follows in the footsteps of many a Romantasy book before it, but has enough uniqueness and individuality that it has become one of my ultimate favourites.I am hooked by the world Stacia Stark has created and I don’t want to leave it.Bullying my book bestie in to abandoning her worryingly unstable TBR pile to read this series is the highest compliment I can pay it. Please jump on the Prisca and Lorian train, it’s a ride well worth it.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

OMG I loved it!!! I love the story, I love the characters, I love the bickering between them. It is so well written. I am obsessed! I can't wait for more... Hopefully it will be November soon.I definitely recommend it!

One of my favorite authors, does it again!What an amazing story with great characters and a brand new world to discover!I was hooked right from the start, I love the world building, the fast pacement, the totally epic characters and their banter! All i can say is where is book 2!!? I need more!