Throne of Lies, By Sara Secora

In the past I interviewed the lovely Sara Secora about the process of writing her first novel. Well a few weeks back I was contacted by Sara because she was finally ready to issue early review copies of Throne of Lies. I was excited at getting the chance to devour her work after following her for so long. So here’s my final verdict on Throne of Lies.

Throne of Lies follows the coming of age of Amethysta, Princess of Northwind. While the premise gives the idea of a bare bones fantasy story, the book actually builds into an exciting tale. In this genre, it’s particularly easy for readers to be either bored or overwhelmed; but author Sara Secora has gracefully crafted her fantasy world in a way that’s simple to process along with Amethysta’s character development.

Because Amethysta is discovering the world for what it really is, you’ll feel in unison with her as she learns more about her origins and the Northwind realm. Much of the first half of this book is spent developing the core characters and displaying Amethysta’s internal conflicts.

Throne of Lies is an amazing book for first time author Sera Secora

As a Princess, she’s forced into a life of what her father (the King) calls “duty”. Meaning she’s had to sacrifice her youth to face the cruel responsibilities of royalty. She’s not free to indulge in her desired activities, and she’s most certainly not free to find a suiter that she has true feelings for. Beyond that, Amethysta has unusual “talents” that only her Mother is aware of.

The second half of the book is when we truly get to delve into these secrets and find out more about the world. We get to discover different variations of magic and other species that occupy the world. We also get to see Amethysta discover true love and the way Secora writes these scenes is alluring. There’s also a tear-jerking moment around the halfway mark which will hit you with a wave of emotions.

Throne of Lies had me hooked the whole way through. The questions that are raised will leave you longing for a huge payoff or plot twist. Throne of Lies falls short on delivering a shocking plot twist, but it succeeds in opening up a world full of possibilities. As you approach the final pages it will leave you craving more.

Allowance must be given to the fact that this is just the first in the series, and after discussing the books aftermath in depth with Sara, I understand her direction to leave open an aura of mystery before the story continues. I will say that although Throne of Lies didn’t deliver closure as I expected it to at the end, it did leave me wanting to further explore the fantastic world that Secora has built. If you’re someone who is accustomed to reading a book series then you will fully appreciate Throne of Lies for being the first in what is no doubt going to be a wonderful series of Young Adult fiction.

Throne of Lies will be available for purchase this year

With my underlying respect for the author aside, I’m already super invested in this series. Her writing is clear and concise. Never once was I made aware that I was reading a self-published novel because of the writing. The amount of effort that Secora has put into this novel is comparable to a book produced by one of the big publishing powerhouses. Without a doubt, I’ll be among the first in line for the next in the Amethysta series. I can only hope that Secora doesn’t keep us waiting too long.

Throne of Lies comes highly recommended by me, even if YA and Fantasy isn’t always your thing. This book is just as accessible as The Sorcerer’s Stone was in the Harry Potter series.

Throne of Lies hasn’t officially released yet, so look out for further announcements of the official release date. For the time being be sure to follow Sara through the following mediums.