LEAGUE OF LIARS

In a world in which edem—time-altering, extradimensional magic—is feared and policed, a motley group of teens with ties to the impossibly secure Vardean prison attempt to expose the corruption at its root.

After their mother died due to a stranger’s edem use, siblings Cayder and Leta found distinct ways to cope. Cayder immersed himself in the study of law, determined to someday prosecute edem abusers, while Leta sought to understand the force that took their mother’s life. Liquid and apparently sentient, edem originates from a place called the veil, where the boundaries of time and space are more permeable, and the authorities are focused on controlling access due to its unpredictable, often dangerous effects. When Leta is charged with starting a deadly fire, she’s brought to Vardean—where Cayder is a public defense apprentice and their childhood friend, Kema, is now a guard. Cayder processes the plight of his sister and his client, Jey, the son—and accused murderer—of the Regency General, and his allegiances are further tested when Elle, another high-profile prisoner, claims knowledge of a sinister Regency plot. Expansive and original worldbuilding grounds each character’s distinct perspective as the action picks up and the stakes mount. Cayder, Leta, and Elle read as White; Jey is cued as biracial, with a White father and South Asian fantasy-equivalent mother, and queer Kema has brown skin.

A smart, suspenseful adventure with an ending that begs for a sequel to tie up loose ends.