Mai Corland
Adult Fantasy
It’s the season
for treason…
The king of Yusan must die.
The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon.
He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold.
And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance.
They can agree on murder.
They can agree on treachery.
But for these five killers―each versed in deception, lies, and betrayal―it’s not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they’ll have to find a way to trust each other…but only one can take the crown.
Let the best liar win.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
(5 / 5) Is this year the year for five star reads? I could not be happier. I went into this one hoping for a five star but not wanting the hype to get to me either. Truly, it lived up to the hype!
“I don’t think that even a god king can stand against six people who’d kill and die for one another.”
Five assassins are hired to kill the god king. Each is separate from the others but is tasked with part of a grand plan. Each are known for their lying or their schemes. They are advanced in the art of deceit. The problem is, each wants the king dead for their own reasons, so is it possible to trust the others to get the job done?
“Sometimes revenge is a long game and, as much as you want a small win now, the larger victory needs time to manifest.”
The story is full of interesting characters, secrets and skilled moves. They come from all walks of life such as the rich, a thief, an exiled prince and more. I felt I knew the characters well, rooting for each one until I met the next, never fully deciding who I wanted to excel. I did not see that end coming and it made even more excited for book two!
General content summary:
Author/publisher content list: Violence, blood, death (including the death of parents, children, incarcerated people, and animals), poisoning, substance abuse, alcohol, sexual activity, animal abuse, gender-based violence, sex work, suicidal ideation, and indentured servitude. Rape, assault and graphic genocide are described.
My content summary:
F words= 45+ and high amount of language.
Physical violence (broken bones, blood)
Young child sold by her parents (previous)
Killing (poison, some details, knife in throat, swords, beheading, sliced body in half, stabbing, cutting pieces off while still alive, twisting neck, arrows, axe)
Intimacy (courtesan and forced intimacy but few details, references)
Sexual assault (groping, few details)
Prostitutes (brief thought of previously visiting one)
M/F intimacy (foreplay with some details, closed door scene)
M/M relationship (some details, kisses, closed door scenes with some details leading up)
Torture (as students, killings, buried in sand to die)
Large animals kill and eat people
A family member is whipped for another’s mistake (scar)
Animal attack (on an animal, on people, blood, injuries, sounds, some details)
Drugs (highly addictive laoli, withdrawal, addiction)
Parental death (previous)
Child abandonment by parent (previous)
Alcohol (multiple)
Whipping (previous, few details, multiple)
Attack on a ship (fire, weapons, blood, injuries, killing, drowning, some details)
Many young women die during grueling schooling (burning of one body, poisons, emaciation, referenced multiple times, some were very young)
Corpses found (slit throat, raped then killed, children taken and possibly raped)
Animal poisoning (death, few details)
Sexism
Woman taken by men (captivity, tied up, attempted rape, few details)
Small boy sees the corpses of his family blood death previous many people killed children women men gruesomely few details
Genocide (details, referenced multiple times)
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