Book Of Lies by Teri Terry
Genre: Paranormal
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages: 352
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★.5
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really love Teri Terry’s writing. The Slated Trilogy was such a standout read for me in 2013, and the whole series brings a new voice to the dystopian genre. Then, last year, I read Mind Games, which had the same techno-fantasy vibe as my favourite book of all time, Fearsome Dreamer.  So, I had expectations when it came to Book Of Lies and they were definitely met! It was a great reading experience, and really made me appreciate the previous books of Terry’s I’ve read. 

P  L  O  T

The book is about a set of twins, Quinn and Piper, that first meet at their mother’s funeral, having been separated at birth. That’s right, it’s like a creepy version of the ‘Parent Trap’ to begin with. Quinn gets to discover what Piper’s life was like with their mother and pretend to live it for a while, doing the totally sitcom plot of twin-identity-switching but there’s something dark under the surface. Quinn has these horrible dreams, with lots of blood and danger. It turns out, their mother was some kind of witch, who united two opposing families with the birth of her daughters, and there’s a prophecy that states one will kill the other.

It’s very much like Slated in that you’re given little snippets of scariness, and nothing really gets revealed until the very end. It’s a great tactic to keep interest levels high, and after 70% I was so hooked. There are so many secrets to be uncovered surrounding these girls and it gets more and more thrilling with each page.

C  H  A  R  A  C  T  E  R  S

Piper: the twin who got to stay and live with her mother. She had a great life: boyfriend, loving family, good grades at school, but there was something about her that made Quinn weary. There was a lot more going on in Piper’s head, and she definitely knew more than she was letting on.

Quinn: the twin who stayed with her witchy grandmother. She stays with Piper, and even though she’s the one experiencing these horrible visions, there’s something so vulnerable about her. I found myself really sympathising with Quinn’s situation and wanting her to get a family out of her journey.

What I wasn’t expecting from this book was parallels with A School For Good and Evil, my favourite series of all time. Because of the whole ‘one good twin, one bad twin’ baloney, it’s so easy to incorporate a debate about good and evil, and I think that was masterfully done. It’s a part that only comes into play close to the end, but it added so much depth to the characters, and I loved getting to understand their motivations.

M  A  G  I  C

So, you’re probably wondering what the title ‘Book Of Lies’ means, right? To me, it seemed a little obscure for a story about twins. BUT, it made so much sense by the end. The Book Of Lies is something coveted by each sister. If you write a lie in the book, it will become truth, and it’s a way of achieving all you ever dreamed. It was a really cool concept!

There’s also a similarity to Bran’s magic in Game Of Thrones. I liked seeing that type of magic again, and it worked so well, especially because Quinn was so afraid of animals.

V  E  R  D  I  C  T

Book Of Lies gets 3.5 stars. Although I didn’t have any problems with the pacing, I thought that the big guns weren’t brought out until after the 60% mark. That’s when things started to get serious…and kind of creepy. Also, I was extremely pleased with the fact that this book was a standalone. I love when books of this genre are wrapped up in under 400 pages, because it proves you don’t have to draw something out to make it exciting. Book Of Lies delivers everything it promises, being written by Teri Terry, and I recommend it to everyone searching for a good paranormal they can read and feel satisfied with by the end!