Review: Lie

Lie by Natalia Jaster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trick, the first book in Natalia Jaster’s Foolish Kingdoms series, was an interesting read. I wasn’t obsessed with it in the way I had expected to be, but it was enjoyable enough to leave me wanting more. Dare, the second book in the Foolish Kingdoms series, had me addicted. It left me more than a little desperate to dive into Lie. As I’d hoped, I adored Lie. It was a fabulous third book and has left me in dire need of Dream. In fact, a drowning man is less in need of oxygen than I am of Dream after all the fun I had with Lie.

Although you do not need to read the prior books in the series to understand this one, I would certainly recommend doing so. You’ll appreciate references much more if you understand what happened in the prior books, and it will help you to understand certain elements of the story. That being said, Lie works perfectly fine as a standalone novel if you’re simply interested in a fairy-tale retelling that is wonderfully unique.

In Trick and Dare we were introduced to a fantasy world that wasn’t focused around magic. With Lie, however, magic is a vital part of the story. As a big lover of magical systems, I really enjoyed the magic that came to life in this story. Through it, we got a unique twist of the Pinocchio story.

Yes, you heard that right: this is a Pinocchio retelling. I cannot say I have read many – in fact, off the top of my head I can think of no names, but I have recollections of reading at least one such story in my past – yet Lie is certainly a tale to read. If nothing else, it has set my standard for future Pinocchio retellings pretty high, as this one leaves a mark.

It’s a story that sucks you in deep, pulling you in on so many levels. You’ll be addicted to the magic. You’ll be addicted to the romance (both the main storyline and the one that introduces us to the romance of Dream). You’ll be addicted to the emotion. You’ll be addicted to the drama. Natalia Jaster has a way with words that leaves you addicted to the story, more than willing to power through the pages at a rapid pace. You fall in love with the characters and the events, ensuring the book sticks with you a long time after reading.

I think the only thing I expected more of was the fool element of the story. It played a vital role in books one and two but seemed to take a bit of a backseat with book three. It was still there, but it did not have the same powerful role in this book. It was vital to certain elements of the story, but we were not wrapped up in it in the same way as we were in the two prior books. I loved getting to know the magic of the world, but a part of me would have liked to see a bit more of the fool aspect on a larger scale in the way of books one and two.

Nevertheless, I adored Lie. It was a great third book in the series, and I cannot begin the describe how desperately I need Dream. With all that goes down in Lie, with the things we get to see, I’ll be thinking about the characters and what is to come until I can get my hands on their story.

Bring on Dream!

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