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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Death. It was always death. The one big threat, given out more freely than any compliment. She lived each day on the edge of death. Since her exile, she had been a dead woman walking. She had contemplated her death a million different ways from when she was a child. Today, she had contemplated it coming at her own hands. What did he think his words would do?”
– R. A. Sandpiper, A Pocket of Lies
Suri is right about one thing; women’s clothing never has enough pockets.
I recently saw Sandpiper, an indie author, announce on her TikTok that she’d be taking applications for ARCs of her new book, A Claiming of Souls releasing on 10th May 2025. This is the third book in her Amefyre series and I was intrigued. One of the few conditions was that you had to have read the first two books in the series first; A Pocket of Lies and A Promise of Blood. So, thanks to them being handily available on Kindle Unlimited, I dove right in.
“The priesthood and prostitution. Two very different places with a near identical offering. A roof, a bed, some food, a few bits to spend. In exchange for worshiping some trumped up male a few nights a week.”
– R. A. Sandpiper, A Pocket of Lies
A Pocket of Lies is a very past-faced romantic fantasy. It follows the misadventures of Suri, a thief, barely surviving in the North. She suffers a vicious assault, scams her way into a ball as a means to repay a debt, and ends up fighting for her life in The Parched Lands as a result.
Suri’s adventure rapidly goes from bad to worse with brief breathers in-between. There are so many incredible twists in this book and they had me absolutely hooked. Sandpiper establishes her world without overwhelming amounts of lore and gives away just enough details that your curiosity is always piqued. I have so many questions about this world that have not yet been answered, which has left me so eager to read the next book in the series: A Promise of Blood. I feel like it’s a true skill to dance the line of sharing enough details that the reader isn’t confused, while still not giving everything away. It’s a skill Sandpiper has as a writer, for sure.
I also really enjoyed the fact that Suri was almost exasperated with the turns her life was taking. She’s a thief just trying to get by and improve her life for the sake of herself and her brother, who she hopes to be returning soon. I feel like it’s quite rare to see a morally grey female main character, and really enjoyed the way she was written. Suri has no interest in being nice. She’s out for her own survival. And has no interest in being anyone’s spy, priestess, or hero. She wants her freedom and a comfortable life. Honestly, relatable and refreshing to read!
There’s a good amount of humour that comes across in A Pocket of Lies too. The quote above about priesthood and prostitution was one of my favourites. Suri also has a spectacular rant towards the end of the book when she finds out just who the voice in her head has been all along. It gave me a good laugh and was a pretty realistic reaction for such a regular person.
Some tropes and common themes I enjoyed in this book:
- There’s never enough damn pockets
- Morally grey characters
- A morally grey Female Main Character
- Critical of religion
- Personifications of Life and Death
- Pagans!
- “Who did this to you?”
- Female main character is scrappy and does not give up easily
- It’s gritty and does not shy away from the reality of violence and poverty
- Learning to trust
- Great plot twists
- Old Gods vs New Gods
There were no trigger warnings listed, however, from reading I came across the following:
- Violence
- Extreme poverty
- Religious Trauma
- Death
- Graphic injuries and fights
- Mentions of sex and brief scenes
I think my only slight criticism of this book would be that there’s just not enough romance in this to call it a romantasy yet. You definitely see the start of the slow burn, and there’s other relationships and moments that come tantalizingly close. Though to be honest that has only fueled my need to read more. Overall a highly recommended read, and I’ll see you in the next review when I’ve finished the second book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Blood, Abandonment, Classism
Moderate: Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A Pocket of Lies by R.A. Sandpiper has a morally grey central character in small time thief Suri, and if there is one thing I am a sucker for in my fantasy reads its a character that I might not always like, but one that I would absolutely defend to my last breath. Suri is all that and more, and I found myself so caught up in her story that I just did not want to put this book down.
Suri is running out of time to pay off a debt and when she herself is the victim of a brutal robbery her situation becomes even more desperate. Desperate times call for desperate measures and so Suri finds herself impersonating a foreign princess, which needless to say does not go well - in fact it ends up with Suri being exiled having made an enemy of a fae lord, Kol, whose bodyguards just happen to have been her attackers the day before. Oh and he's the Lord of Death, because Suri can't just go around making regular enemies, she's going to do it in style.
This might all sound complicated, but that's because I don't have the gift for storytelling that R.A. Sandpiper so clearly possesses. There is a lot going on from political intrigue and religious plotting to a slow burn romance that is more like enemies to reluctant allies than enemies to lovers at the end of this book, but there is clearly potential for more. I did not realise while reading that this is a debut novel, it feels very accomplished. The characters really come to life on the page and the pacing is definitely propulsive. Suri gets herself into so many scrapes that every time I should have put the book down I found myself saying just one more chapter, and now it looks like I'm going to be saying just one more book !
Suri is running out of time to pay off a debt and when she herself is the victim of a brutal robbery her situation becomes even more desperate. Desperate times call for desperate measures and so Suri finds herself impersonating a foreign princess, which needless to say does not go well - in fact it ends up with Suri being exiled having made an enemy of a fae lord, Kol, whose bodyguards just happen to have been her attackers the day before. Oh and he's the Lord of Death, because Suri can't just go around making regular enemies, she's going to do it in style.
This might all sound complicated, but that's because I don't have the gift for storytelling that R.A. Sandpiper so clearly possesses. There is a lot going on from political intrigue and religious plotting to a slow burn romance that is more like enemies to reluctant allies than enemies to lovers at the end of this book, but there is clearly potential for more. I did not realise while reading that this is a debut novel, it feels very accomplished. The characters really come to life on the page and the pacing is definitely propulsive. Suri gets herself into so many scrapes that every time I should have put the book down I found myself saying just one more chapter, and now it looks like I'm going to be saying just one more book !
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
R.A. Sandpiper's A Pocket of Lies is a fantasy book. The story follows Suri, a young woman navigating a world filled with gods, politics, and danger as she uncovers secrets about herself and her place in this complex world. There's not much romance in it, which I was very glad about. There's some smut, but it never happens within a love relationship.
The story takes place in a completely different world, one filled with old gods, new gods, poverty, wealthy rulers, kings, and regions with distinct politics. It's a very rich and immersive world. I really appreciated the depth and how distinct their culture felt. The characters wore different clothes, and even accents were mentioned at one point.
Let’s talk about the writing. It was... nice. Not too flowery, which I liked, but not too plain either. There were a few parts where I found it hard to understand what was happening, but this wasn’t consistent. Some fight scenes were very well done—I could picture them easily—but other scenes felt hazy for reasons I couldn’t quite pin down. Overall, though, the writing was enjoyable.
Now, onto the characters.
The main character is Suri. The story is written in past tense and third-person limited, which I really liked. And thank God there’s only one point of view! I can’t tell you how tired I am of multiple points of view—this trend has to stop.
At first, I wasn’t all that keen on Suri, but she grew on me. She’s 20, which is a nice change from the usual 15- or 16-year-old protagonists, though she’s still pretty young. She grew up in poverty, but you can tell right from the start that there’s something special about her. She’s very resilient, which makes sense given her circumstances.
For much of the story, Suri is thrown from one event to another, with little control over what’s happening. While this lack of agency can be frustrating, it’s understandable due to the circumstances. By the end, though, she starts to take control of her own destiny, which I appreciated. That said, she’s constantly in danger. At one point, I thought, “Is she ever going to catch a break?” I was honestly exhausted for her. Plus, there are stretches where she doesn’t get to eat, which made me feel even worse for her. As you can see, I grew to care for her. I felt her struggles, and I was with her the whole way. That’s a testament to how well her character was written.
There are plenty of other characters too. Some appear briefly, but they always feel distinct and memorable. None of them came across as stock characters. For example, there’s this one prince—well, there are several princes—but each feels unique. They all seem like real people, which speaks to the strength of the character building.
And yes, there’s a “shadow daddy” named Cole. I won’t spoil too much, but he plays a major role in the story. While having a shadow daddy might seem a bit cliché, Cole is well-written, and I didn’t mind it.
The plot is full of twists and turns, and I genuinely couldn’t predict where it was going, which is a huge plus since I usually can. While some parts might seem like they’ll fall into cliché territory, they don’t, which was refreshing. The story keeps you on your toes and is consistently exciting.
Overall, the book was very enjoyable. It’s fast-paced and a quick read. It didn’t hook me right from the beginning, but once I got to know Suri better, I was fully invested. Following her journey and seeing what she’d do next kept me turning the pages.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced fantasy with engaging characters and a world that feels alive, A Pocket of Lies is a must-read. It’s an exciting journey you won’t want to miss.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An enjoyable fantasy series. I am still confused as to who we can trust and not trust, maybe we can’t trust anyone.
I really enjoyed that the main female character didn’t always come out on top, that she can get hurt and does need help. Too many time in fantasies you have a young human woman and yeah she can do anything and everything. It’s refreshing to read a book where that isn’t the case. I believe it will lead to an interesting journey that we will get to go on with her.
The world building, I think could be better, I couldn’t really ‘see’ the environment or the gates etc, wasn’t descriptive enough to transport you there. Many unanswered questions, which weren’t explained at all in the book, hopefully they will be in the next book, but not sure as some of the unanswered points were just small segways in the story.
I really enjoyed that the main female character didn’t always come out on top, that she can get hurt and does need help. Too many time in fantasies you have a young human woman and yeah she can do anything and everything. It’s refreshing to read a book where that isn’t the case. I believe it will lead to an interesting journey that we will get to go on with her.
The world building, I think could be better, I couldn’t really ‘see’ the environment or the gates etc, wasn’t descriptive enough to transport you there. Many unanswered questions, which weren’t explained at all in the book, hopefully they will be in the next book, but not sure as some of the unanswered points were just small segways in the story.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Scrappy orphan girl sneaks her way into the ball of the rich and famous, assuming nothing would go wrong. However, like all 2024 heroines, she immediately attracts the attention of the hottest man in the room and can't get rid of him.
Wow, this book has a lot of 4-5 star reviews. Time of death pg 251 of 345, 71%.
It started off fairly strong. I like a homeless-orphaned-down on her luck FMC. However, wasn't long until the plot became awkward and convoluted. She gets caught and sent away, but then pretends to be someone else and this actually works? At least for a little while.
I know that the author intends this to be more of a world building entry, and I know this because she was all over my Tiktok for a while, but this didn't hit the mark for me. I got told a bit about the world the FMC lives in, but not shown anything. I know she's got a brother, but I couldn't give a hoot about him. Even the FMC is pretty surface level, with her personality entirely wrapped up in being a pick-pocket. She's pretty feisty at times, but this can come across as being more annoying and stupid than anything else.
Anywho. Wasn't for me, but was apparently beloved by many others. I wish you well Sandpiper.
Wow, this book has a lot of 4-5 star reviews. Time of death pg 251 of 345, 71%.
It started off fairly strong. I like a homeless-orphaned-down on her luck FMC. However, wasn't long until the plot became awkward and convoluted. She gets caught and sent away, but then pretends to be someone else and this actually works? At least for a little while.
I know that the author intends this to be more of a world building entry, and I know this because she was all over my Tiktok for a while, but this didn't hit the mark for me. I got told a bit about the world the FMC lives in, but not shown anything. I know she's got a brother, but I couldn't give a hoot about him. Even the FMC is pretty surface level, with her personality entirely wrapped up in being a pick-pocket. She's pretty feisty at times, but this can come across as being more annoying and stupid than anything else.
Anywho. Wasn't for me, but was apparently beloved by many others. I wish you well Sandpiper.
Very good character building, cant wait for the next book
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes